Articles

What is worst Natural Disasters of Attacks from Bandits and Armed Gunmen?
It is August 2015. The hurricane season has begun. The first warning of a possible hurricane was issued. The next few days, St Maarten prepares for a possible hurricane. How and what do we dont know yet. But the Weather Channel and the government of St. Maarten keep us informed. Thanks for that!

It is August 2015. After the very cowardly robbery and the murder of a policeman, it was Sunday, August 16th again: A shooting in the heart of Philipsburg.

What is worse? A hurricane where you can prepare OR crazy idiots who can at any time of the day shoot you and / or robbing you for your personal belongings.

You almost wish that the potential hurricane next week will reach St Maarten, and will blow away all the idiots who engage in violence of the island. Then we can say that there is still someone listening to us: the Lord.

The damage from a hurricane, we can recover. But human suffering is irreparable. The cruise ships will come again after a hurricane on St Maarten. But will they still come as this criminal idiots can continue to do their thing ??

Concerned Citizen of SXM

“Study the past if you would define the future. In other words, if you want to be able to change the future, you need to learn from your past experiences.” ~ 21st Century Credit Unions Success Through Shared Services, opening speech delivered by Mr. Shelwyn Salesia, Director of Supervision Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten
With keen interest I listened to the lecture and interview from Candice Henriquez of the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten while travelling from Curacao to St Maarten on August 12th, 2015 (files can be found here http://www.qracao.com/index.php/nieuws-vandaag/14366-candice-henriquez-cbcs-verlaag-administratieve-lasten-investeer-in-onderwijs). The information, although not surprising to me, is informative. However I don't agree wholeheartedly with the proposed solutions for one fundamental reason; focusing on growth through private initiatives without taking in the context of the inequality in wealth and income distribution will result in the status quo. Without balance nothing works as it should. I would not fly an aircraft if the weight distribution is wacky. The economy is the same way.
Economic growth, as has been taught to many of us, is a smokescreen based on my findings. When you look at the repeating economic cycles of booms and bursts, we see more and more wealth destruction happening to the middle class while increasingly wealth being transferred to a small group of “upper” class. “Wealth is never created, nor destroyed, it’s merely transferred.” And as the middle class keeps shrinking in each boom and burst economic cycle, how can we talk about economic growth? In other words if you made one million United States Dollars in an economic boom and lost one million in an economic burst, what growth occurred? Even if it is transferred, from a global perspective as a whole, we cannot call this economic growth. We however can talk about inequality in distribution but as a human race, imbalances will affect the whole in the long-term.
Biblically it is written, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” ~ Ecclesiastes 1:9
History is a great teacher. All throughout history we have learned how great civilizations collapse but to date scholars are still debating how and why. But many similarities can be seen happening today from that as the past. For example it is said that the city of Atlantis possessed great technologies before its demised (According to Plato, the city of Atlantis was home to the most advanced society in the world), and Egypt’s infrastructure and technologies are still a mystery to date. But one thing that remains common and practically the same, even within this day and age, is the arrangement of human affairs. Despite our advancement in science and technology, the arrangement of human affairs remains practically the same for thousands of years. My hypothesis is then that this could be the core reason why history keeps repeating itself because our arrangement of human affairs has never changed and evolved. The Middle Ages feudal system of king, serfs, peasants, etc is still very prevalent today. The form may have changed but the substance is very much still alive today.

“An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.” Although it is being debated if the well-known Greek historian Plutarch – who died in 120 A.D. wrote this quote or not, it speaks volume. If Plutarch was right, the world has been getting sicker and sicker for quite a while. As the year 2000 approached, former President Jimmy Carter was invited to speak at a forum devoted to the question of, "What is the world's greatest challenge in this new millennium?" Carter's speech in answer to that question focused on the growing gap between the rich and poor. In his words:
“At the beginning of the last century, the ten richest countries were nine times wealthier than the ten poorest ones. In 1960, the ratio was 30:1. At the beginning of this 21st century, average income per person in the twenty richest nations was $27,591 and in the poorest nations only $211, a ratio of 131:1.” (Carter, 2005, p. 179).
How has this happened? What do we know about the root causes of the deepening divide between the rich and poor? Unfortunately you won’t really find answers to such questions and many more in traditional text books. I know because I came out of University with more questions than answers to be honest and I had to find the answers too many of my outstanding questions in non-traditional media, literature, and text books. Going deeper into this subject is beyond the scope of this medium but trust me when I say that history is fundamental and does repeat itself. For now, I leave you with the following statement:
"...... when the rate of return on capital (r) is greater than the rate of economic growth (g) over the long term, the result is concentration of wealth, and this unequal distribution of wealth causes social and economic instability." ~ Thomas Piketty

By Emilio Kalmera, Financial Advisor, August 14, 2015

On August 10, 2015, I tried tuning in by radio and by TV and even looked on-line to listen to the much anticipated debate in Parliament regarding CRIME on St. Maarten, hoping to hear what our representatives would have to say on the subject in the wake of the horrific killing of Officer Benjamin and then this:..........TOTAL SILENCE, as this very important piece of business of the people by their Representatives was discussed BEHIND CLOSED DOORS! We did not/do not need to know details of plans and ideas as they relate to our National Security, but at a time when everybody is on edge because of the events of last week in the heart of our capital, an open discussion and high level debate by
our 15 MP's COULD have started the healing process for an island nation in pain....

Michael J. Ferrier
August 10, 2015

Dear Editor,
Last week's shooting of a Police Officer by a coward with a gun has brought our once tranquil "Friendly" island to an all time new low in societal behavior. Killing any human being is bad; however, being mentally capable, and physically prepared and able to, actually shoot a Police Officer, a representative of the Law, is a whole other matter! In the rawness of such a tragedy we, (the collective we), seem to be seeking serious debate on this "National" issue. The evidence can be found in both traditional print and social media that has been "lit up"! We are learning that compassion is alive and well in our society. The outpouring of support for the officer and his family should truly give us all hope. Evidence of our community's sense of humanity continues to manifest itself as we search for answers to explain such a horrendous criminal act. I have read several articles, letters and online posts in which concerned and oftentimes, clearly enraged citizens try to dissect the situation as they try to identify the root causes of such brazen, unrestrained, reckless violence and a lack of respect for life and authority.

On Monday, August 10th 2015, Parliament is scheduled to debate the crime situation on our island. This is a good move, as they are the ones who have the power to legislate and affect public policy. We should all take time to follow the debate. And we should all hope, or rather EXPECT to hear a constructive and practical discussion that will address the problem of crime on the island as well as the root causes. Hopefully, there will not be the usual political grandstanding, and chest pounding by members of Parliament, as proof of their individual concern about the tragic event and Officer Benjamin's fate. Instead, the debate should be honest, meaningful and, while passionate, remain at a level that will allow discussion of societal problems that, according to all indications, are the root cause of this evil. It is one thing to look for someone, or something to blame given the situation we are confronted with, however, it is more important that we (as a country) attempt to figure out the cause and seek ways and means to prevent, mitigate, or discourage future similar tragedies.

Mention should be made here of the fact that failure to properly control the borders of our island in years gone by, together with the failure to ensure that ALL children on St. Maarten, legal and illegal, received an education at proper schools, we, as a society, are paying a price. We should have realized that "if we didn't pay then, we would pay in the future". Is it possible then that "the future" has arrived??

In a Press release issued last Thursday following the shooting, UP Party Deputy Leader MP Frankie Meyers stated that while fighting crime is a priority for Government and Parliament, they (the Government and the Parliament) "face a major hurdle", namely the lack of finances. He said: "Yes we need to get criminals off the street, yes, we need to lock them up and I believe we also need programs to reform and make them productive members of our society, but for that we need the funds". He went on to state that "Parliament has approved the 2015 budget, yet under DUTCH rules, the Committee for Financial Supervision (the CFT) out ranks us". According to the MP, the CFT (and by implication, the Dutch) is (are) to be blamed for amongst other things, the fact that the prison expansion cannot be started. The way I understand it, MP Meyers' message suggests that government wants us, as an island, to be safer, but the restrictions on spending, as enforced by the CFT, are endangering our lives. According to me, that line of reasoning is stretching things a bit. To get our separate status and remain in the Kingdom of the Netherlands while maintaining that “much desired” Dutch Passport, we made a deal with the Dutch, thus accepting several conditions. (To be fair to MP Meyers, he always supported Independence, the cost of which -both financially as well as otherwise- has never been publically debated or explained).

But, the reality is that the current status required meeting conditions of a deal. One of those conditions was that they (the Dutch) would take over the debt of the now defunct Netherlands Antilles, some of which was St. Maarten's. In return, we agreed, in accordance with our own Constitution, to annually balance our budget and submit to financial supervision ensuring there would be sound financial management. Since 10-10-10 Governments (plural), including the first three, (involving a political party I was a member of), have not exactly stuck to their end of the deal.

How many times in the last 5 years has the budget been late or missing? When have financial statements been handled by Parliament? Setting all that aside, it would be interesting to hear from the present majority coalition in Parliament AND from their Government, why budgets are "paper thin", as MP Meyers puts it. In the period leading up to 10-10-10, I was one of the politicians who blamed a lot of St. Maarten's financial woes on the fact that Willemstad, the seat of the Netherlands Antillean Government, was sucking us dry and we had to "beg" for just about everything. (I speak from experience going back as far as 25 years or so, to the days of the SXM Crime Task Force in the early 1990's).

Personally, I was one of the proponents to raise the then ridiculously low salaries of the Island Council and Executive Council Members to the more than decent levels of pay the MP's and Ministers receive in Country St. Maarten since 2010, as I was (naively) convinced that these increased salaries could and would buy the country decent quality MP's and Ministers.

Now we send no money to Curacao, have our own Parliament and our own Ministers. In addition, taxes collected on St. Maarten, stay on St. Maarten. As a country, we are able to borrow. Today, we pay 5% turnover tax instead of 3%. We pay higher container charges, higher Airport Departure fees, higher fuel throughput fees, higher seaport fees, higher utility fees, higher communications' fees and so on. All to Government directly, or to Government owned companies (as the charges relate to our Sea-, Air- and Teleports).

So why then has it not become easier and simpler for successive Governments of Country St. Maarten to pay for and manage the business of the people? Where did all the money go? According to the Central Bank, since 10-10-10, St. Maarten has racked up a debt of almost 700 million guilders. Maybe the budget is “paper thin” because Government or Government owned companies spent money on projects and schemes that include:

• purchase of the Emilio Wilson Estate with no plan other than leasing it out to a third party for monthly rent receipts that are LOWER than the bank loan repayments;
• purchase of the Vorst property worth maybe half of the purchase price (and still waiting for a purpose)
• finalizing the New Government Building (an excellently thought out and financed one-stop Public Service facility plan, high jacked in 2004 by greedy people, resulting in the building being built but remaining empty and costing more than double its originally planned cost)
• a Parliament and Government that together cost tax-payers in excess of NA Fls. 20 million a year in salaries, benefits and housing
• Parliamentarians and Government Ministers that are elected and/or appointed for 4 years, but guaranteed salaries and benefits for up to 6
• a Bureau Telecommunications that instead of operating in a frugal manner in order to transfer millions of guilders of annual surpluses to chronically empty Government coffers, buys a piece of a building it does not need for millions of dollars, with no return on investment
• payments for indiscriminate trucking of sand from the harbor to various points on the island, including dumping it in the Simpson Bay Lagoon where the water washes it away truck load by truck load, free of charge
• and the list goes on...

Hopefully in the meeting of Monday, August 10, 2015, Parliament will discuss and debate how to get a grip on reckless spending. Maybe, Parliament will debate a better and efficient system for collection of taxes, fines and other Government receivables. Can a country that admits to low tax compliance afford tax deals? Apparently previous Governments thought so with the AUC deal, thereby missing out on over NA Fls. 60 million in taxes unable to collect.

Maybe, the MP's will address the fact that money is tight on the annual budget because of the frequent changes of government. There have been four cabinets in as many years, resulting in exorbitant costs due to an ill-advised and ludicrous severance package that provides not only ex-Ministers, but also Parliamentarians (!!) with salaries for up to 2 years after leaving office.
Every candidate who is elected as a Member of Parliament, KNOWS from the get-go that his or her term is for 4 years, unless re-elected. So who will be the brave MP to suggest changing compensation of MP's from 6 years of pay for 4 years of work, to 4 years of pay for 4 years of work?

And hopefully the Parliamentary debate will take time to acknowledge that government companies, foundations and independently operated public institutions are operating virtually free of any oversight (the so-called "arms-length-approach"). Dividends or other transfers of funds to government coffers that could have been spent on social programs, or additional police training and equipment, instead have gone into questionable spending, if not pure excess, including:

•  Massive increases for the security contract at the Harbor.
• Bronze statues, apparently, worth their weight in gold at the Airport.
• Bureau Telecommunication buying floors in a building that stand empty
• etc., etc.

So, to put a fine point on it, Parliament needs to explain what the people have gotten in the last 5 years in terms of new schools, roads, housing projects, health care facilities, social safety net programs, police training, police equipment and/or police salary raises.

In the last five years, St. Maarten has not become safer, so on Monday, during the debate on crime, the MP's need to explain to us how with higher taxes, higher debt and higher expenditure and very little to show for it, the crime situation on St. Maarten is anything but our own man-made-on-St. Maarten problem. The argument that St. Maarten as a country had to be built “from scratch” won’t fly! Because, if you know you have to build an infrastructure, but you engage in wasteful spending and tax giveaways, then you admit to willful mismanagement.

Honest and brave Parliamentarians need to explain to our youth who may have political aspirations, how it is possible that persons convicted of crimes can sit amongst them, reaping the benefits of being a Parliamentarian.

What will the MP's say and do that is within their power to change the situation on St. Maarten, so that young men and women do not view crime as a way to make a living.

Our Parliamentarians need to tell us how they intend to engage Government to manage public finances within our own (not DUTCH, not CFT) budgetary rules, to bring expenditures in line with income.

If the debate in Parliament is going to be the usual finger pointing exercise or some other variation of the “blame game”, then THAT truly will be the ultimate crime. Officer Benjamin’s ultimate sacrifice will have been in vain and all of us will be victims.

Michael J. Ferrier
August 9, 2015

Lundi 31 août 2015, la Collectivité de Saint-Martin a organisé une cérémonie officielle dans dix établissements scolaires du 1er degré, visant à dévoiler les plaques nominatives attestant du nom de chacun de ces établissements. Il s’est agi par cette initiative de la Collectivité de venir pallier l’absence de nom pour ces dix écoles publiques de l’île.
C’est simultanément que ces cérémonies ont eu lieu, lundi matin, dans les quartiers d’Orléans, Cul de Sac, Grand Case, Rambaud, Sandy Ground et Concordia, où le vice-président Wendel Cocks et les conseillers territoriaux Josiane Carty-Nettleford, Nadine Jermin-Paines, Dominique Aubert, Valérie Fonrose, Rollande Questel et Jules Charville, ont tour à tour représenté la Collectivité lors du dévoilement de la plaque nominative dans chaque école.
Ainsi, l’école maternelle de Quartier d’Orléans 2 porte désormais le nom de Jean Anselme, l’école élémentaire de Quartier d’Orléans 2, le nom d’Omer Arrondell, et l’école maternelle de Quartier d’Orléans, le nom d’Elian Clarke. A Cul de Sac, c’est Emile Larmonie qui a donné son nom à l’école primaire, tandis que l’école maternelle de Grand Case porte désormais le nom de Ghislaine Rogers. L’école primaire de Morne O’Reilly (Rambaud) a été nommée Marie-Antoinette Richards, tandis que l’école élémentaire Hervé Williams 1 de Concordia porte maintenant le nom de Marie-Amélie Leydet. Enfin, l’école maternelle de Sandy Ground a été nommée Jérôme Beaupère et l’école élémentaire de Sandy Ground a été nommée Aline Hanson.

La Collectivité de Saint-Martin informe les demandeurs d’emploi que dans le cadre du lancement du Programme Territorial de Formation Professionnelle 2015/2016, deux journées d’information seront organisées selon le calendrier suivant :

- Jeudi 03 septembre 2015 à la Maison de quartier de Quartier d’Orléans – de 09h00 à 14h00
- Vendredi 04 septembre 2015 au Centre Culturel de Sandy Ground – de 09h00 à 14h00

N’hésitez pas à venir vous renseigner sur les possibilités de formation proposées par la Collectivité de Saint-Martin.
Pour toute information complémentaire, merci de contacter la Direction de l’Emploi, de l’Apprentissage et de la Formation Professionnelle au 0590 29 59 24.

ENGLISH VERSION

The Collectivité of St. Martin informs people looking for a job that two information days will be organized to present the Territorial Professional Training Program 2015/2016, according to the following schedule :

- Thursday, September 3, 2015 at the district House in French Quarter - from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- Friday, September 4, 2015 at the Cultural Center of Sandy Ground - from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Do not hesitate to come and find out about training opportunities offered by the Collectivité of St. Martin.
For more information, please contact the Direction for Employment, Learning and Training : 0590 29 59 24.

La Présidente Aline Hanson a effectué, mercredi 26 août 2015, la visite annuelle de prérentrée scolaire, consécutive aux travaux de remise aux normes des établissements du second degré, engagés par la Collectivité de Saint-Martin pour un montant annuel de 800 000€. La réalisation de ces rénovations a été confiée à la Semsamar.

Outre le bilan des travaux engagés dans les trois collèges et au lycée polyvalent des îles du Nord, la Présidente a également rencontré les chefs d’établissements et abordé avec eux les perspectives pour l’année à venir. A l’ordre du jour de cette rencontre : la programmation des travaux et des budgets équivalents pour l’année scolaire 2016-2017, les projets d’établissements, la gestion du personnel et la sécurisation des abords des établissements par la présence policière.
Parmi les thèmes évoqués en réunion avec les responsables d’établissements, le tout numérique au collège Soualiga a été présenté par le principal de l’établissement, tandis que le collège de Quartier d’Orléans a travaillé sur la mise en place du programme REP+. Le lycée polyvalent des îles du Nord œuvre de son côté sur la transition avec la nouvelle cité scolaire Robert Weinum, qui ouvrira officiellement ses portes à la rentrée des vacances de Noël, en janvier 2016.
Des réunions de travail sur le budget et la gestion du personnel dans les trois collèges et au lycée polyvalent sont également programmées cette semaine avec les chefs d’établissements.

Accompagnée du conseiller territorial René-Jean Duret, des techniciens du pôle de développement Humain et du pôle de développement Durable, ainsi que du chef de la police territoriale, la Présidente a ainsi pu constater la bonne réalisation des travaux et l’avancée significative des préparatifs de rentrée. Présents lors de cette visite, Fodhil Mesbah et Olivia Peramin de la Semsamar, ont présenté les différents travaux de remise aux normes, de rafraichissement, de peinture, de mise en place de nouveaux équipements au LEP du lycée, réalisés pendant les grandes vacances.

La Présidente Aline Hanson s’est montrée satisfaite de cette visite de terrain, elle a profité de sa rencontre avec les chefs d’établissements pour réitérer son souhait de développer un étroit partenariat, visant à œuvrer dans les meilleures conditions possibles en faveur des élèves, avec notamment une prévision trimestrielle pour chaque établissement de manière à anticiper les besoins.

La Collectivité de Saint-Martin, en partenariat avec l’Association pour le Développement de l’Elevage et la Promotion des Produits Agricoles Locaux, informe les éleveurs et détenteurs de bovins, ovins et caprins, de la mise en place d’une aide palliative à la sécheresse de 2015, sous forme de distribution d’aliments.
Pour bénéficier de cette aide, les éleveurs et détenteurs d’animaux ruminants sur le territoire de la Collectivité sont priés de contacter, M. Elie TOUZE ou M. Alfred FLANDERS au Pôle de Développement Economique de la Collectivité, situé au Port de Galisbay, avant le jeudi 03 septembre 2015, délai de rigueur.

Contact téléphonique : 0590.29.56.10.

The Collectivité of St. Martin, in partnership with the Association for Livestock Development and Promotion of Local Agricultural Products, informs farmers and cattle, sheep and goats owners that a special assistance has been put in place due to drought, as food distribution.
To receive this assistance, the owners of ruminant animals of St Martin can contact Mr. Elie TOUZE or Mr. Alfred FLANDERS, at the Economic Department of the Collectivité de Saint-Martin, located at the Port of Galisbay, before Thursday, September 3, 2015, strict limit.

Phone contact : 0590.29.56.10.

Le Caribbean Journal, le site d’informations sur la Caraibe dévoile son classement des meilleurs établissements et lieux. Encore une fois Saint-Martin est dans le top !

Orient Bay, St-Martin #1 plage la plus glamour de la Caraïbe en 2015. Cette magnifique plage, la plus longue de l’île fait penser à St-Tropez ou à Ibiza avec ses restos/ bars les uns à côté des autres où la fête est le maitre mot. Pour voir le classement : http://caribjournal.com/2015/08/17/the-caribbeans-sexiest-beaches/

Belmond La Samanna, St Martin #5 Meilleurs hotels de la Caraïbe en 2015
Surplombant la magnifique plage de Baie Longue, le Belmond La Samanna est un hôtel qui reflète la tradition française. Cet établissement de 81 chambres est également connu pour son restaurant Le Trellis, une des meilleures tables de la Saint-Martin, également connue pour être la capitale de la gastronomie de la Caraïbe.
Tout le classement : http://caribjournal.com/2015/08/19/the-best-caribbean-resorts-2015/5/#movescroll

According to the Caribbean Journal, the leading Caribbean digital newspaper :

Orient Beach, St Martin is the #1 Sexiest beach in the Caribbean in 2015
This is the Caribbean’s equivalent of Ibiza. Here there is beach bar after beach bar, party after party, all on a wide white-sand beach. (Nevermind that the latter portion of the resort is au naturel.) There’s just an overarching party atmosphere. http://caribjournal.com/2015/08/17/the-caribbeans-sexiest-beaches/

Belmond La Samanna, St Martin #5 Best Resort in the Caribbean in 2015
This is a grand hotel in the great French tradition. Perched above the lovely Long Bay beach, the 81-room La Samanna is equally renowned for the cuisine at its Trellis restaurant, which is no small feat given that’s located in the Caribbean’s culinary capital. http://caribjournal.com/2015/08/19/the-best-caribbean-resorts-2015/5/#movescroll

Le bulletin de suivi de Météo France de ce jeudi après-midi annonce que Saint-Martin repasse en vigilance ORANGE. Le risque de fortes pluies à caractère orageux s'éloigne, même si des averses peuvent survenir ponctuellement dans la soirée et pendant la nuit.
La situation ne justifie donc plus l'ouverture des abris cycloniques.

Meteo France lastest report has a tropical storm watch in effect for Saint-Martin (back on Orange Warning). Rains could still be expected locally this evening and during the night.
The situation does not justify the opening of the hurricane shelters anymore.

Selon les derniers bulletins de Météo-France, il est prévu pour demain, lundi 24 août, des vents violents avec des rafales pouvant aller de 80 à 100km/h, de fortes pluies accompagnées d’orages.
La prudence est donc fortement conseillée. Je vous invite à continuer de suivre les informations météos, et les consignes de sécurité diffusées par les médias.
Le risque d’inondation étant à craindre pour ce phénomène, surveillez bien la montée des eaux sur les ravines et les secteurs exposés.
Rester chez soi reste la meilleure protection. D'une manière générale, évitez tout déplacement afin de faciliter le travail des équipes opérationnelles.
Selon ces prévisions, la Collectivité de Saint-Martin ouvrira 3 abris cycloniques* demain lundi, dès 5h du matin. Si votre habitation se situe en zone inondable, n’attendez pas de vous mettre en danger, regagnez un de ces abris.
Restez vigilants, et continuez à préparer votre habitation et vos réserves.
Je vous remercie,

Aline Hanson
Président du Conseil territorial
Collectivité de Saint-Martin

*liste des 3 abris cycloniques ci-dessous

Orange warning : get ready !

According to the last reports from Météo France, violent winds with gusts from 80 to 100km/h, heavy rains with thunderstorms, are planned for tomorrow, Monday, August 24th.
Caution is thus strongly recommended. I invite you to continue to follow the weather reports, and safety instructions broadcasted by the media.
As the flood risk is high for this Tropical storm, check the rise of the water level on gullies and exposed sectors.
Remaining at home seems to be the best protection. Generally speaking, avoid any movement, to facilitate the work of the operational teams.
Following these forecasts, the Collectivité of Saint-Martin will open 3 hurricane shelters* tomorrow on Monday, from 5am. If your home is in a flood zone, do not put yourself in danger, and get to one of these shelters.
Stay vigilant and continue to prepare your home and reserves.
Thank you,

Aline Hanson
President of the Territorial Council
Collectivité of Saint-Martin

*the list of the hurricane shelters is underneath

NOM DE L’ETABLISSEMENT NUMERO DE TELEPHONE
DES ABRIS CAPACITE D’ACCUEIL PIECES DISPONIBLES
Ecole Hervé WILLIAMS 2
(Route du Spring) 06 90 88 83 67
05 90 87 91 20 90 personnes Toutes les salles de classe
(sauf BCD, informatique, administration)
Eglise Catholique de Grand-Case
(Bd BERTIN-MAURICE Léonel – Grand-Case) 06 90 88 83 91 12 personnes Salle Paroissiale
Ecole Primaire Orléans 2
(Rue Corossol – Quartier d’Orléans) 06 90 88 83 68
05 90 87 33 13 70 personnes Salles N° 08 à 14
Salles N° 17 à 22
Salle N° 01

NAME OF THE PLACES SHELTERS PHONE NUMBERS ACCOMODATION CAPACITY AVAILABLE ROOMS
Ecole Hervé WILLIAMS 2
(Route du Spring) 06 90 88 83 67
05 90 87 91 20 90 people Every classrooms
(but BCD, informatique, administration)
Eglise Catholique de Grand-Case
(Bd BERTIN-MAURICE Léonel – Grand-Case) 06 90 88 83 91 12 people Salle Paroissiale
Ecole Primaire Orléans 2
(Rue Corossol – Quartier d’Orléans) 06 90 88 83 68
05 90 87 33 13 70 perople Salles N° 08 à 14
Salles N° 17 à 22
Salle N° 01

Le dernier bulletin de Météo France fait état d’un affaiblissement du phénomène Danny, potentiellement rétrogradée en Dépression tropical au plus tard demain.
Ces dernières constatations nous mènent à changer l’horaire d’ouverture des 3 abris cycloniques, prévu initialement à 5h et repoussé à 7h, demain matin.
Le risque d’inondation reste un élément à prendre en considération, compte tenu des prévisions de fortes pluies à caractère orageux prévues demain en milieu de journée, toujours selon Météo France.
D'une manière générale, évitez tout déplacement afin de faciliter le travail des équipes opérationnelles.
Restez vigilants, et attentifs aux informations diffusées par les médias.
Je vous remercie,

Aline Hanson
Président du Conseil territorial
Collectivité de Saint-Martin

*liste des 3 abris cycloniques ci-dessous

NOM DE L’ETABLISSEMENT NUMERO DE TELEPHONE
DES ABRIS CAPACITE D’ACCUEIL PIECES DISPONIBLES
Ecole Hervé WILLIAMS 2
(Route du Spring) 06 90 88 83 67
05 90 87 91 20 90 personnes Toutes les salles de classe
(sauf BCD, informatique, administration)
Eglise Catholique de Grand-Case
(Bd BERTIN-MAURICE Léonel – Grand-Case) 06 90 88 83 91 12 personnes Salle Paroissiale
Ecole Primaire Orléans 2
(Rue Corossol – Quartier d’Orléans) 06 90 88 83 68
05 90 87 33 13 70 personnes Salles N° 08 à 14
Salles N° 17 à 22
Salle N° 01

Suite à des travaux de pose et de raccordement des canalisations AEP, la route de Saint-James sera fermée le mardi 25 Août 2015 de 7h30 à 17h, et ce pendant trois jours.
Un plan de déviation sera mis en place pour les poids lourds, qui auront obligation de se diriger vers le front de mer. Les véhicules légers seront dirigés vers la rue de l’Hôtel de Ville avant de rejoindre la rue de la liberté.

Dans le cadre de l’événement Successful Departure*, qui s’est déroulé le 12 août dernier au Pôle de développement humain, la Collectivité souhaite remercier les participants qui ont contribué à faire de ce rendez-vous, une réussite pour la jeunesse du territoire. La Collectivité salue également l’ensemble des personnes, les jeunes en particulier, qui sont venus recueillir les informations utiles et mises à leur disposition dans les différents stands proposés.
A liste des participants au Successful Departure 2015 :

• La CAF
• Initiative Saint-Martin
• ADIL
• Les agents de l’hôpital
• L’association des parents d’élève
• La BDAF
• Le service des Bourses
• PELICARUS

* organisé par le service Jeunesse & Sports de la Collectivité (Pôle de développement humain, ancienne école de bord de mer. Tél : 0590 29 59 14 – Fax : 059029 59 16).

Une cérémonie de dévoilement de plaques nominatives des écoles aura lieu le lundi 31 août prochain, selon le programme en pièce jointe. Dix écoles sont concernées, un élu se rendra dans chacune d'entre elles pour prononcer un discours et une lecture biographique de la personne dont le nom sera celui de l'école. Les dévoilements auront tous lieu entre 9h et 10h, vous pouvez donc choisir de couvrir le dévoilement de plaque que vous souhaitez.
Pour plus d'infos sur l'événement, vous pouvez contacter le Pôle de développement humain (Mme Guibert-Soutadé Salammbô au 090 29 59 30).

1,6 M de personnes sont concernées par les droits Assédic rechargeables, fin des droits des demandeurs d'emploi, cotisations des actifs, durée et montant de l'ARE.
A compter du 1er août 2015, le dispositif de droits à l'assurance chômage devient optionnel.
Les articles L5422-2 et L5422-2-1 du code du travail sont modifiés en conséquence, ces dispositions entrent en vigueur le 30 juillet 2015. Source : Décret (n°2015-­922) du 27 juillet 2015 relatif à la détermination des droits à l'allocation d'assurance chômage et pris pour l'application des articles L5422-­2 et L5422-­2-­1 du Code du travail

Rappelons qu'au 1er juillet dernier, le montant de l'allocation minimale et la partie fixe des allocations d'assurance chômage ont été revalorisées de 0,3%. Près de 63% des demandeurs d'emploi indemnisés par l'Assurance chômage sont concernés par cette revalorisation des allocations chômage, soit environ 1,6 million de personnes.
Actuellement ou prochainement sans emploi, vous vous demandez si vous avez droit au chômage, comment fonctionne le dispositif des droits rechargeables, pouvez-vous cumuler un salaire et l'allocation chômage ? En France, Pôle emploi indemnise les personnes privées involontairement de leur emploi, sous conditions, sachant que de nouvelles règles s'appliquent en 2015.
Les partenaires sociaux se sont mis d'accord l'an dernier, sur une nouvelle convention d'assurance-­chômage qui concerne à ce jour plus de 2,5 millions d'actifs à la recherche d'un emploi. Elle s'applique aux demandeurs d'emploi dont la date de fin de contrat est postérieure au 30 juin 2015.
Le dispositif de l'assurance chômage rechargeable avantage les actifs juniors et seniors qui auront accumulé des droits à l'assurance chômage

grâce à leur travail, mais pénalise les jeunes qui se retrouvent contraints de changer régulièrement de travail (contrats courts) en passant par la case chômage.
Les règles de calcul de l'allocation chômage versée par Pôle
emploi changent afin de renforcer l'équité des droits vis-à-vis des demandeurs d'emplois ayant de faibles revenus professionnels.
Le délai de carence prévu avant de percevoir les indemnités chômage
désavantage les salariés qui partent avec une importante prime de départ négociée dans le cadre d'un licenciement ou d'une rupture conventionnelle La convention de rupture est négociée entre les parties. En pratique, la négociation portera essentiellement sur le montant de l'indemnité de rupture et la date à partir de laquelle le salarié cessera le travail.
Les salariés qui quittent volontairement leur emploi (ex : prise d'acte suivie d'une assignation en justice de l'employeur, finalement qualifiée de démission) avant d'essayer de retrouver du travail ailleurs, n'auront plus le droit au chômage.
Voici les principaux points de l'accord en vigueur en 2015 (règlement
général articles L. 1237-­‐11 et suivants du code du travail l'article L. 1233-­‐
3 du code du travail. annexé à la Convention Unédic) à retenir :
• 1) Conditions d'accès à l'indemnité chômage :
- Avant la réforme, un actif à la recherche d'un emploi doit avoir travaillé au moins 4 mois (122 jours) au cours des 28 derniers mois (36 derniers mois pour les plus de 50 ans), pour être indemnisé par l'Assurance chômage. Chaque journée de travail donne droit à une journée d'allocation, dans la limite de 2 années (3 ans pour les 50 ans et plus).
- Consacrant le principe posé par la loi de Sécurisation de l'emploi de juin 2013, les partenaires sociaux ont organisé la mise en place du droit à l'assurance chômage rechargeable. Prenons l'exemple d'un actif qui se retrouve au chômage. Il a droit à 14 mois d'indemnisation par Pôle emploi. Il conserve son droit à une indemnisation rechargeable si au bout de 5 mois, il reprend une activité avant de se retrouver sans emploi 3 mois plus tard. 2)

• L'allocation dont le montant a été déterminé au moment de sa première inscription continue à lui être versée après sa reprise
• d'activité jusqu'aux 14ème mois prévus, puis à l'épuisement de ces droits initiaux, Pôle emploi lui calcule le montant et la durée d'indemnisation correspondant à la reprise d'activité de 3 mois, s'il justifie de 150 heures d'activité (contre 610 heures pour l'inscription initiale).
• 2) La consommation des droits au chômage :
- Avant la réforme, quand un chômeur reprend un poste à plein temps, sans avoir consommé tous ses droits au chômage, il bénéficie, s'il perd son emploi à nouveau, d'une nouvelle indemnisation calculée en fonction du plus intéressant des nouveaux droits acquis ou des anciens (si le chômeur accepte un emploi moins bien rémunéré, l'indemnisation ancienne plus favorable est conservée).
- Avec le nouveau régime d'indemnisation, le dispositif qui déclenche l'indemnisation initiale est conservé.
• 3) Cumul des allocations chômage et du salaire :
- Avant la réforme, lorsqu'un chômeur accepte aujourd'hui de reprendre un emploi à temps partiel ou un CDD très court, il peut cumuler une partie de ses allocations-chômage avec son salaire. Ce dispositif lui permet de repousser ainsi la fin de ses droits.
- Le dispositif va être simplifié pour éviter que les chômeurs actifs n'aient à rembourser un trop perçu.
• 4) Délai de carence avant la prise en charge :
- Avant la réforme, après un licenciement ou une rupture conventionnelle avec versement d'indemnités de rupture, le chômeur peut s'inscrire immédiatement au Pôle emploi mais devra patienter pour percevoir ses allocations. Il doit en effet, attendre 75 jours (1 mois et demi) avant de percevoir ses indemnités chômage.
- Avec la réforme, ce délai de carence peut atteindre 180 jours
(soit 6 mois) lorsque les indemnités seront conséquentes.

• Le différé de versement des droits, exprimé en nombre de jours, est égal au quotient des indemnités ou sommes versées par Pôle emploi et d'un coefficient réducteur égal à 90. Délai de carence = indemnités ou sommes dues / 90.
• 5) Des actifs qui cotisent à l'assurance chômage jusqu'à leur
retraite :
- Avant la réforme, les seniors de 65 ans en activité sont dispensés du paiement des cotisations chômage.
- Désormais, avec la réforme des retraites et l'allongement de la période d'activité professionnelle, les seniors en activité cotiseront aussi à l'assurance chômage. Pour les salariés de 65 ans et plus, il est institué une contribution spécifique de solidarité, versée au régime d'assurance chômage, au taux de 6,4% (4% à la charge de l'employeur, 2,4% à la charge du salarié).
• 6) Les intermittents du spectacle mis à contribution :
- Avant la réforme, ils cotisent à l'assurance chômage au taux de
10,8%.
- Désormais, les intermittents du spectacle verseront des cotisations chômage (assedic) au taux de 12,8%. En cas de chômage, le cumul de leur indemnisation et leur salaire sera plafonné à 5.475 euros bruts par mois.
• 7) Les causes de demandeur "involontairement privé
d'emploi" sont modifiées :
- Avant la réforme, le départ volontaire pouvait ne pas constituer un obstacle définitif à l'indemnisation, s'il était observé après une certaine période que le demandeur d'emploi recherche effectivement un emploi. Au terme d'un délai de 121 jours (environ
4 mois), à la demande de l'intéressé, l'Instance paritaire régionale (IPR) pouvait, après étude du dossier, accorder le versement des allocations si elle constatait que l'intéressé avait réellement accompli des efforts pour retrouver un emploi.
- Désormais, ce n'est plus possible.

• 8) La demande de reprise de versement est supprimée : A compter du 8 juillet 2015, le demandeur d'emploi qui a cessé de bénéficier du versement de ses allocations pendant au moins 3 mois d'affilée n'a plus besoin de déposer une demande de reprise de versement auprès de Pôle emploi, car l'examen de sa situation se fait automatiquement à chaque fin de contrat de travail.
• 9) Vérification de la condition de chômage involontaire après
chaque fin de contrat : A compter du mois de juillet 2015, à chaque fin de contrat de travail et pour les allocataires en cours d'indemnisation, dès lors qu'ils ont travaillé au moins 91 jours ou 455 heures depuis leur ouverture de droits, Pôle emploi (Avenant N° 2 du 8 juillet 2015 portant modification des articles 26&2 et 40&2 du Réglement Générale ) va vérifier que le chômeur se trouve bien en situation de départ involontaire. Pour cela, c'est l'attestation
employeur adressée à Pôle emploi qui fera foi.

•
• En cas de rupture ou de fin de contrat de travail, vous avez obligation de remettre à votre salarié une attestation lui permettant de faire valoir ses droits aux allocations de chômage. Vous devez également en transmettre un exemplaire à Pôle emploi. À compter du 1er janvier 2012, les établissements de 10 salariés et plus seront dans l’obligation d’établir une attestation d’assurance chômage par voie électronique (Décret n° 2011-138 du 1er fév.
2011 publié au JORF du 3 fév.)

•
L'accord Unédic se trouve donc modifié à partir du second semestre
2015. Selon la Direction de l'Unédic, près de 30.000 chômeurs (principalement de moins de 30 ans et ceux ayant accepté des temps partiel) étaient lésés par le dispositif de calcul, en cas d'absence d'augmentation de salaire entre deux emplois.
A compter du mois d'août 2015, le demandeur d'emploi a la possibilité
de choisir, sous condition, entre la reprise du versement de son reliquat de droits et le versement de son nouveau droit.

Selon le bulletin de Météo France du lundi 24 août à 12h, Danny continue de s’affaiblir, devenant ainsi une dépression tropicale, et plaçant Saint-Martin en vigilance jaune.
La prudence reste toutefois de vigueur au regard des averses orageuses qui toucheront notre territoire en fin d’après-midi et en soirée.
Les personnes victimes d’inondation pourront se rendre dans les 3 abris cycloniques* mis à disposition.
Restez vigilants, et attentifs aux informations diffusées par les médias.

Je vous remercie,

Aline Hanson
Président du Conseil territorial
Collectivité de Saint-Martin

*liste des 3 abris cycloniques ci-dessous

NOM DE L’ETABLISSEMENT NUMERO DE TELEPHONE
DES ABRIS CAPACITE D’ACCUEIL PIECES DISPONIBLES
Ecole Hervé WILLIAMS 2
(Route du Spring) 06 90 88 83 67
05 90 87 91 20 90 personnes Toutes les salles de classe
(sauf BCD, informatique, administration)
Eglise Catholique de Grand-Case
(Bd BERTIN-MAURICE Léonel – Grand-Case) 06 90 88 83 91 12 personnes Salle Paroissiale
Ecole Primaire Orléans 2
(Rue Corossol – Quartier d’Orléans) 06 90 88 83 68
05 90 87 33 13 70 personnes Salles N° 08 à 14
Salles N° 17 à 22
Salle N° 01

PHILIPSBURG:---- The Central Committee of Parliament will meet in public session on September 2. The meeting is a continuation from the initial meeting.

The public Central Committee meeting is set for Wednesday, at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is related to the National Ordinance Public Health Care.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and via www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:---- United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake says with the new parliamentary year is about to start next month and he would like to see the country moving forward with the execution of priority projects, adding that this is an opportunity.

“First, I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family, friends of one of my childhood friend, the late Robert Boasman of Tangerine Road, St. Peters, who died of a heart attack at his home. I also extend condolences to Johnson family with respect to the passing of Linda Johnson who succumbed to her battle with cancer. Linda Johnson was the mother of UP Party Board Secretary General Stuart Johnson.

“I am very concerned about getting our Medical Center which needs more space and beds for the nurses and doctors to do their work in order to be able to address the health issues on the island.

“As an elected representative of the people and a very community spirited person, it's high time we give our hospital the necessary space to help our people get the much needed patient care at the medical facility. It's sad to see where patients with first class care rooms have to go into third class rooms, and both men and women staying in one room together.

“I have witnessed and heard about too many cases going through our hospital and the Social and Health Insurance SZV long waiting list which needs to be addressed immediately because it’s a matter of life and death.

“I know the Medical Center management and staff are trying their utmost best, but they need more space which all political parties including myself campaigned to create. I am tired of the talk, it's time for us to get our priorities together, and the new parliamentary year that is about to open will be the opportunity to move this nation forward.

“I understand money is an issue, but we need to start thinking outside the box and be creative to address the main priorities one by one and see which ones we can execute right away for the people. I do not favour an increase in the Turn over Tax. Government has to go after those that are not paying their fair share rather than going after those that are living up to their responsibilities.

“The solid waste facility can be discussed again with GEBE, the recognition of our National University, the Dutch/French Joint sewage plant, building more affordable housing, creating work in the different districts for our young people; we need a marketing campaign in order to drive more business to the destination; establishing our own Integrity Chamber to promote transparency, integrity and accountability; starting the Ring road project in phases; Road links infrastructure (Link 6 road from South Reward to Dutch Quarter), upgrading of Union Road, Cole Bay to ease the traffic flow, are just some of the key projects that need to start moving forward. We need to start somewhere as soon as possible to create work for our people and local businesses.

“I would also like to see the House of Parliament source legal staff or outsource the work to speed up the process of drafting legislation for the people of the country. As a new MP in Parliament, I am here to draft, amend and put laws in place for the people. We need to move forward on some pending legislation. We need to coordinate with the Cabinets of the Ministers in order to facilitate the movement of draft legislation that sits on someone’s desk at departments.

PHILIPSBURG: --- SMN News has learnt that one of the candidates that were proposed to take up one of the vacant Ministerial post has failed the screening. According to information SMN News received it states that former policy advisor and Labor Mediator Raphael Boasman failed the screening process to become a Minister. However, SMN News was unable to fully confirm whether or not the information that is highly rumored on the island is factual.
Boasman retired from his post at the department of labor in June 2015. Boasman had told SMN News that he was going to invest his time in his own business and if government needs him they will have to pay him well as a consultant. Shortly, after Boasman retired he applied for a business license which was granted the day after SMN News published that he was proposed candidate to that will fill the Minister of Labor position. Prior to the announcement that Boasman was a candidate to become the Minister of Labor and Health he had already secured two large contracts from the Dutch government to work as labor mediator for the BES Islands. If the information on the screening that SMN News received is correct, then one has to see if the Dutch Government will apply the same measure of integrity they expect from St. Maarten when it comes to having persons work for them. Another question raised by several persons is the criteria that is set for persons that wants to serve their country as a Minister and who sets these criteria. Most importantly does candidates who received a negative report ever gets to see these reports and are they given the opportunity to defend themselves, and to even try to preserve or protect their image.
Efforts made to reach Boasman by telephone on Sunday and Monday proved futile as he did not respond to the phone calls made to him.

Cay Hill:--- Kooyman would like to congratulate the winners of its “Back To School” raffle. The raffle drawing took place over the weekend, including a first prize and second prize drawing for the “Ultimate Back To School Kit” courtesy of Intertoys St. Maarten. These kits included, school stationary, educational games, books and creative crafts. The first prize was awarded to 9 year old, Zamaara van Henningen, whose mother Tamara van Henningen is a frequent shopper at Kooyman. The second prize was awarded to 8 year old, Chelsea Samuel, whose father Charles Samuel is also a Kooyman shopper.

“Back To School raffle tickets were awarded to person purchasing ANG 100 or more at Kooyman from July 15th through August 26th. These frequent shoppers took the effort to participate in the raffle by simply filling out a ticket, and now these lucky kids have won big at Kooyman, said Kooyman Commercial Officer, Evencia Carty-Seabrookes. We at Kooyman are very happy to give back to our shoppers; in one of the cases the parents were actually in the middle of a building construction and this prize came as a great financial relief for the parents and a wonderful reward for a great kid”.

There is always something happening at Kooyman, for more information and more chances to WIN. Visit www.kooymanbv.com our like them on facebook www.facebook.com/Kooyman.St.Maarten

Dutch National Postcode Finances Lottery One of Largest Global Shark Conservation Projects

Kralendijk/ Cole Bay- All six islands of the Dutch Caribbean are poised to benefit from a new funding initiative provided by the Dutch Postcode Lottery aimed at an essential conservation effort—saving and protecting shark species. The fund will provide €1.6 million to the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) to assist with the effort of shark conservation on all six islands of the Dutch Caribbean; Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Curacao, Aruba and Bonaire. The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) is a nonprofit organization created to protect the environment and promote sustainable management of natural resources on the six Dutch Caribbean islands.
The Save our Sharks effort in the Caribbean may be the first to attempt a concerted regional approach in the global endeavor to save sharks and is one of the five major shark conservation projects running globally.
Conservation organizations worldwide are focusing on preserving sharks, which are some of the most endangered species on the planet. Science has described at least 500 species of sharks but many species, which have existed since the time of the Dinosaurs, face increasing human-related threats and, for some species, extinction.
The demand for fins and other shark products has driven a number of species close to extinction. More than 100 million sharks are killed each year as a result of fishing and shark finning activities, twice the rate at which they can reproduce. Sharks are especially vulnerable to overfishing and slow to recover from depletion because they are late to mature and produce few young.
Tadzio Bervoets, Vice-chair of DCNA and Chair of the Save our Sharks Project Committee, commented that all of the Dutch Islands aim to have a level of shark conservation in place at the end of the three year project: “Sharks are some of the most misunderstood species on the planet. For generations we have been led to believe that sharks are the villains of the seas and that they pose a danger to everything that swims in the ocean, including humans. But we now know that is very far from the truth; these magnificent creatures are essential to the ocean, and therefore essential to us as islanders because of our intimate connection with the sea. Without sharks we lose that which makes our islands so unique; our marine habitats. That is why we have embarked on this journey with the Dutch Postcode Lottery and our other partners, a journey of protecting these keystone species on all of the six-islands in the Dutch Caribean,” commented Bervoets.
Kalli De Meyer, DCNA’s executive director, also stressed the importance of protecting these critical species; “People need healthy oceans and healthy oceans need sharks, the apex predator of the ocean,” said De Meyer.
In the Dutch Caribbean, sharks face numerous threats from poaching, finning, overfishing and coastal development. With funding from the Dutch Postcode Lottery for this special project, DCNA will focus on Science: learning more about shark species; Education: helping more people learn about sharks; and Legislation: protecting sharks throughout the six islands and ensuring that that protection is adequately enforced.
Island conservation organizations that form the Dutch Caribbean conservation alliance will work with fishermen, local communities, and scientists to study local shark populations. The knowledge they gain will be shared with regional decision makers and other island stakeholders in an effort to create shark sanctuaries throughout the Dutch Caribbean seas.

Conservationists also will work to create different ways for islanders to benefit from the presence of sharks in Dutch Caribbean waters, such as making them a part of the dive tourism industry.
“Sharks are threatened worldwide and some are faced with extinction unless we act and act now. With the help of the Dutch National Postcode Lottery and our partners we will create a safe-haven for these majestic yet misunderstood creatures on our islands. Saving them from extinction and, invariably, saving ourselves as islanders,” concluded Bervoets.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Tuesday Septenber 1st 2015 Philipsburg Jubilee Library staff member Shirley Richardson is celebrating 35 years of loyal service to the library.
Shirley Richardson was a staff member of the library since the days that the library was situated in a small building in Back Street. She started out as circulation clerk in 1980 when the library only had four employees. Shirley can be described as hard-working, dedicated, and always cheerful. Since starting at the library Shirley has managed to work her way up to become the libraries circulation supervisor . Shirley also oversees the selection and acquisition of library books as well as the book box program.
The library would like to give Shirley Richardson a warm thank you for her 35 years of dedicated service. A staff luncheon will be organized later this month to celebrate Shirley’s jubilee.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Windward Islands Bank staff and management have started a food and clothing drive collection at our Main Office for our brothers and sisters in Dominica. The community can also participate by dropping-off; non-perishable foods, water, bed sheets, Bath towels, clothing and toiletries in the marked boxes at WIB’s Main Office branch . We have all been touched by the news reports about the floods that caused massive destruction to villages in Dominica leaving many isolated from getting the basic needs. Management also wishes to sympathize with our staff with families in Dominica and also with the DA community here on St.Maarten. WIB is working in collaboration with Dominican groups residing on St. Maarten to get the necessary items transported to Dominica. The first shipment is leaving on Sunday September 6, 2015. Please note; folding beds are also in need and can be dropped off at the Ring road container with Dominican Flag.
WIB would like to thank our staff and community for their valued assistance.

PHILIPSBURG:--- TelEm Group announced Sunday it will be carrying out a series of maintenance windows starting Monday during which international carrier services used by the company will be migrated to updated hardware and software systems.

The carrier migrations will take place from 11:00 pm until 4:00 am the following morning from Monday until Friday of this week in order to minimize the impact on business and residential clients.

The migration works will affect:
All TelCell local and international voice calls; all international traffic; all TelEm local voice calls via Scarlet; all TelEm Voice calls utilizing Calling Card Global Com Trade all TelEm international voice calls using UTS and all Radcom local voice calls to TelEm and TelCell.

TelEm Group says it will be working with overseas vendors to ensure a smooth transition of services during the migration.

The company has meantime apologized to the public for inconvenience caused.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):--- Preparations are well underway by the Department of Collective Prevention Service (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, to observe Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) which will be observed on September 12 throughout the Caribbean Basin and on Sint Maarten.

The local theme that CWD 2015 will be held under is: Age Active...U 2 Can Move!”

The activities for CWD 2015 are being organized as a collaboration between the While and Yellow Cross Foundation (WYCF), the Windward Islands Physical Therapy Association (WIPTA) and CPS.

CWD takes places on the second Saturday in the month of September. It is an annual event geared at increasing awareness and promoting activities to address the epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which continues to severely impact the health, economy and development the Region.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries recognized the threat posed by NCDs, in The Declaration of Port of Spain. It outlined key strategies to prevent, control and reduce NCDs through the life course. This includes the need to increase physical activity in the entire population, especially in the workplace.

The Caribbean region has one of the highest rates of obesity in children and adults in the world. This can be attributed in part, to poor diets and a lack of physical activity, driven by profound changes in the way we live and play, with massive marketing of foods high in sugar, fats and salt; as well as several hours per day spent watching TV and playing video games.

NAGICO Insurances has made a commitment to settle all claims related to Tropical Storm Erika as quickly as possible in an effort to restore financial stability to their clients in Dominica as soon as possible following the devastation left in the wake of Tropical Storm Erika last week.
The insurance company has issued a mandate to all its regional offices, in their 19 territories, to allow all their Dominican clients residing in those islands to submit their claims in Dominica at any of the local Branch offices.
“First of all we would like to offer our condolences and sympathies to the people of Dominica, following this catastrophic storm which has dealt a tremendous blow to the people and the country. We at NAGICO have been through this type of devastation before, as we have weathered several hurricanes in the past, so we understand how difficult a time this must be right now for the island. We intend to do our part to make the restoration process for our clients, as efficient and hassle free as possible,” Chairman of the NAGICO Group, Imran McSood Amjad said. “And as such we have already deployed additional staff from some of our neighboring territories to assist our local staff who are no doubt suffering loss or traumatized at this time given the recent events and we do not want to put them under any further strain. We have also deployed a team of Claims Adjusters who will be solely focusing on handling the storm related claims submitted by our clients, as well as other resources necessary to complete the claims process in a timely manner.”
“Our hearts go out to the families who suffered loss and the entire population of Dominica at this time,” he said. “We have made a donation to the relief efforts and have started an internal Fund to further assist needy citizens, but one of our main focus now is to assist our client by settling their claims in a fast and fair manner as we have done in other territories which have had similar experiences like with Hurricane Luis, Marilyn, Lenny, George and Ivan to name a few.”
NAGICO Insurances has also advised that in addition to regular Monday to Friday office hours, their Branch Office in Dominica will be open on Saturdays until further notice, to handle all claims matters related to Tropical storm Erika.
McSood also reminded clients that the sooner their claim is reported, the quicker they will be settled. “We know that communication is limited and transportation at this time almost non-existent as a result of the destruction caused so we are opening all avenues to our clients,” he said. “They can report their claim via our This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. email address, via our Dominica NAGICO facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nagico-Insurances-Dominica-Branch- Office/910578905648916?fref=ts by simply sending us a message, or call us at our office 449-8990 or mobile: 275 -1314.”

Nothing found at AUC --- Third false bomb scare for the year on St. Maarten.

Cupe Coy: --- A bomb threat was reported at the American University of the Caribbean (AUC) on Monday morning. According to information reaching SMN News students and all other personnel had to be evacuated from the building. SMN News understands that this incident occurred around 9: am while a number of police officers were at the location evacuating the building.
Efforts made to reach Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson proved futile as he is not responding to his phone calls, no other member of the management team of KPSM could be reached by phone when the news broke Monday morning.
After this article was published SMN News managed to make contact with Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson by phone who said that AUC received an email around 8:30 am informing them that a bomb is on the premises. Henson said AUC immediately contacted the police and they went to the location where they diverted traffic and began evacuating the building. Henson said both the police and school’s security were busy clearing the entire building while they are also gathering members of KPSM search team who will begin searching to locate the bomb if there is any on the location. He said the email that was sent to AUC did not indicate where on the premises the bomb was located therefore the search team will have to search the entire building and its surrounding areas.
At 12:30pm police concluded search of AUC building and its surrounding areas said police spokesman Ricardo Henson. Henson said the search team did not find anything at the location, therefore all students and personnel were given clearance to go back into the building while all roads leading to the area were reopened.
On Monday morning members of the management team also rushed to AUC to facilitate the evacuation and search of the building as they considered such a threat to be of top priority.
It should be noted that this is third bomb threat received on St. Maarten for the year, the first was at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE), one at the St. Ports Facility and on Monday at the AUC. It is clear that someone seems to be doing their best to exhaust the police force or to see how effective the justice system on St. Maarten is, thus far the ones behind these hoax failed however, St. Maarten and its law enforcement officers have to be on the lookout and most of all do their very best in finding the perpetrators that are behind these false alarms. Even though each of the threats turned out to be a hoax thus far at no time such threats can be taken lightly because no one knows when such threats or hoax can be a reality.

Bomb threat at AUC

On Monday August 31st 2015 at approximately 08.30 a.m. the Police Department received a call from personnel at the American University of the Caribbean located in Cupe Coy reporting a bomb-threat on the premises of that medical school. The personnel at the medical school also stated that the threat was sent via e-mail. The police immediately sent several patrols in the area in order to divert traffic and to assist the school security with the evacuation of the premises and other surrounding buildings. More than 250 persons were evacuated. The fire department and ambulance department were on standby in the immediate vicinity to respond immediately if necessary.
A police search team together with several school security officers did a complete sweep of the all buildings on the premises. The search ended at approximately 12.30 p.m. without the team finding any bomb or any other explosive device. After the “all clear” report was given by the search team, the students, personnel of the school and other persons in the area were allowed back on the premises of the school and to the other buildings in the area. The diversion of traffic was lifted and allowed to flow normally.
The forensic department will be conducting an investigation on the origin of the Email and the persons who are responsible for making this threat. The making of this type of threat, whether fact or fiction is a very serious criminal act and is punishable by law.

KPSM Police Report.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The National Alliance family would like to extend condolences and words of encouragement and hope to the people and government of the Commonwealth of Dominica. Natural disasters have an uncanny way of bringing communities, islands and countries together. Though the destruction and devastation wreaked by TS Erika, still needs to be properly assessed, it is clear that much emergency aid will be needed in the coming weeks. The photos and videos, testimonies of survival and tragedy are heart wrenching. As good neighbours we should extend a helping hand to our Caribbean brothers and sisters in whatever way possible and it is our hope that our government is doing just that.
Many efforts are already underway and we encourage all St. Mariners to assist in any way possible by bringing water, non-perishables, toiletries, first aid supplies, clothing and bedding to the approved drop off sites. We should be very grateful to have been spared the ravages of the TS and should be ever vigilant as the season goes until the end of November. More tropical systems are developing and require monitoring, so please take all necessary precautions in advance.
Our prayers go out for safe passage through any future storms as well for the survivors and victims of TS Erika in Dominica as well as their families who are still awaiting word all around the world.
Seeing the serious possibilities of severe flooding, landslides and storm surge, we look forward to government’s response in terms of plans for preventative measures to minimize the negative impact on St. Maarten should we experience heavy rainfall over a short period of time in our current condition. We can all learn and take positive actions from what has occurred during the past week.

PHILIPSBURG:---- The Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations (CKAIR) of Parliament will meet in session on September 1.

The Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations meeting is set for Tuesday at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The four agenda points are approval of the decision lists CKAIR Parliamentary Year 2014-2015, no 14; draft law change regarding the Civil Law and General Law and Bestuurs Law; proposals for agenda points for IPKO January 2016; follow-up Inter-parliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) and Tripartite May 2015.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and parliament’s website www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:----  The Department of Labor Affairs and Social Services will be hosting its first ever largescale registration drive on Thursday 3 September, 2015 at the Clem Labega Square in the parking lot in front of the Government Administrative Building. The initiative is called The Start Here Campaign: Your Path to Employment and Career Development“, with the theme “Your Path Starts Here”.
The “Start Here” Campaign is geared towards boosting economic viability of a large segment of the population while also changing the perception and attitudes regarding the meditative role of the department, in the world of employment.
On a daily basis the department is tasked with providing effective and efficient service as it regards employment and or training opportunities. The primary objective is to meet the demand for suitable employees by matching these employees with suitable vacancies, provided by the business community. This task becomes difficult with a small or insufficient database. The “Start Here” campaign aims therefore to expand and update the current database with suitable and competent jobseekers. The “Start Here” Campaign consists of four initiatives: the first initiative significantly relaxes the requirements to register as a jobseeker, (this initiative goes into effect on August 31st , 2015). Persons who register on or after this date will only need to submit the completed registration form, a copy of a valid identification card, an updated resume and a copy of relevant diplomas and or certificates.
The department is currently developing a platform in which job seekers and the business community can interact freely; as it regards employment opportunities. The platform will consist of vacancies separately sourced by the department during an upcoming registration drive and various profiles of persons seeking employment and career development opportunities.
The day of the registration drive will be met with various activities one of which is the “Start Here Activity” which aims to guide persons along their path to employment and career development opportunities. Attendees will follow a path steered by important questions concerning educational backgrounds and work experience, until they arrive at their desired destination and ending with the registration process. Attendees will also be provided with information on vacancies and job training opportunities currently available at the department.
The departments’ overall theme for this year is accountability on the part of all relevant stakeholders. As a result, the department has been working tirelessly to acquire new partnerships with businesses for employment and training opportunities. The opportunities will vary in terms of industries, requirements for educational background and experience. The department has made good strides in the area of partnerships with some of the leading companies on the island, however more is needed and will be expected from the business community moving forward. None of this would be a success without the continued cooperation of and input from the business community.
For more information on the campaign and launch of the various initiatives please visit www.sxmlaboraffairs.com and Facebook @ sxm.laboraffairs.and.socialservices. Various job training and employment opportunities will also be available online during the coming months. The “Start Here” Registration Form will be available for download on the website and at the department in anticipation of the upcoming registration drive.
All persons whether employed or employed, especially high school (academic) graduates and tertiary level graduates are invited to the Clem Labega Square on Thursday 3rd September, 2015 between 9:00AM and 4:00PM to participate in the upcoming drive, remember “Your Path Starts Here”!

PHILIPSBURG:---- The Department of Statistics makes known that while its ongoing Household Budget Survey is making good progress, the department is relying on the continuous cooperation of households, for the remainder of the data-collection phase. The survey which began on April 1st 2015, is presently about 60% complete, and is slated to continue until end of October this year.

STAT remains pleased with the level of cooperation received from participating households thus far, as well as the efforts of its survey-team including field-interviewers.

The Household Budget Survey is being carried out amongst a random- sample of approximately 1,000 households on Dutch St. Maarten. To date, the department has not yet successfully contacted all households which form part of the sample-selection, in order to schedule their participation. As STAT prepares for the final weeks of the survey, it is informing the general public that the department is still in the process of approaching

these households and confirming the exact period for the survey to be completed.

The survey aims to capture recent data on household income, as well as past & present expenditures. Remaining selected households can expect to give input on the survey over a 2-week period. This involves providing details of their expenditure on several categories of goods & services; this part is recorded via tablets. Additionally, STAT will also provide an Expense Diary to the household, where all spending over the 14 days should be noted, and corresponding receipts kept.

The public is being asked to fully comply with both components of this important survey, as it is conducted only once in 5 to 7 years and the collected data is the basis to renew Consumer Price Index (cost-of living) calculations more in line with current realities. This can only be achieved with the thorough responses from all participants.

STAT reminds the public also that as with each of its statistical enquiries, participation is mandatory by law (Statistics Ordinance AB 2013, GT no.450). All data provided to STAT will be handled in strict confidence, and for the sole purpose of producing statistical information.

STAT thanks its partners Le Grand Marche, Sunny Foods, Cost-U-Less, TelEM & UTS for the opportunity to offer households a redeemable voucher following their successful completion.

PHILIPSBURG:---- Distinguished Toastmaster Valerie Brazier has been awarded with recognition for Excellence in Leadership by Toastmasters International for leading Toastmasters District 81 to President’s Distinguished District, and the number 5 position in the world out of 97 Districts. The award was received during the organization’s Hall of Fame ceremony held on August 13th at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas Nevada during the Toastmasters world convention.

Serving in the capacity of District Governor Valerie Brazier, Distinguished Toastmaster successfully guided the 154 clubs throughout 26 territories in the Caribbean. She used a strategy of sharing the bigger picture of Toastmasters and empowering District leaders to fully perform their roles, resulting in gaining the support, commitment and hard work of her fellow District leaders, Past District leaders, Club Officers and the entire membership of District 81.

In October 2012, when she served as Lieutenant Governor Marketing, under the leadership of Past District Governor Rolande Tobias, Valerie Brazier was instrumental in putting together the district’s 5 year strategic plan along with other District leaders. During the third year of the 5 year strategic plan and then in the capacity as District Governor for the 2014-2015 Toastmasters term, Valerie Brazier encouraged fellow District Leaders and the entire membership of District 81 to take what they learn in Toastmasters and impact their communities by applying the Toastmasters core values of Integrity, Respect, Service and Excellence, in their daily lives.

As a result of the hard work and effort by all members of the District Executive Council, District 81 made history by posting the following achievements:

In the rankings of the three critical success factors by which each District is measured throughout the world and in the regions, District 81 has also been very impressive with its achievements:

CATEGORY World ranking Region ranking
New Clubs 4 1
Member payments 13 2
Distinguished clubs 8 1
Overall 5 1

At the end of her tenure (2014-2015, Toastmasters year) District 81 comprised 155 clubs with 39 Areas forming 6 Divisions. The District is spread throughout the Caribbean with clubs in 26 territories:
Aruba (3), Bonaire (2), Curacao (18), Jamaica (25), Cayman Islands (2), Turks and Caicos (1), Barbados (13), Dominica (2), Martinique (1), Saint Lucia (3), St Vincent & the Grenadines (8), Haiti (27), Dominican Republic (1), Anguilla (1) St Maarten (6), Antigua (1), BVI (Tortola ) (1), St Croix (1) St. Thomas (1) Puerto Rico (11), Saint Kitts (1) & Nevis (1), Sint Eustatius (1), Trinidad & Tobago (10), Grenada (6), & Guyana (8).

As a result of their performance, the District, received great recognition during the Hall of Fame ceremony at the 2015 Toastmasters International Convention at the Casers Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. The District Trio comprising of Valerie Brazier, DTM (St. Maarten), Dawnette Calliste, DTM (Grenada) and Sherry-ann Batson, DTM (Barbados) received awards of Excellence for this great achievement. During the Golden Gavel event Valerie Brazier, DTM was lauded for her outstanding leadership skills and for having guided the Team and District to such high prominence.

Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organization's membership exceeds 313,000 in more than 14,650 clubs in 126 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more confident in front of an audience. For information about local Toastmasters clubs, visit www.toastmasters.org. Follow @Toastmasters on Twitter.

PHILIPSBURG;---- Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, has forwarded a letter to the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit expressing condolences to the people and Government of Dominica with respect to the damage left behind by Tropical Storm Erika.
“On behalf of the Government and the people of Sint Maarten, I would like to express my heartfelt affections to you and the people of Dominica after the passing of Tropical Storm Erika.
“As West Indians, we have become accustomed to and shown great resilience in the face of such natural disasters, but from a human perspective, and even more so as a Prime Minister, the loss of our citizens is never an event for we are really ever prepared.
“I offer my solidarity and hopes for a quick recovery and a stronger Dominica,” Marcel Gumbs, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten concluded in his letter to Skerrit.

PHILIPSBURG:---- Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, said on Sunday that joint cooperation and collaboration is the most feasible way to move forward in building and developing a longstanding relationship that is beneficial to both parties concerned within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Additional discussions will take place between Sint Maarten and the Netherlands with on how to tackle a number of areas such as border crossing crime, money laundering, the narcotics trade, robberies, and human smuggling and trafficking.
“Sint Maarten and the Netherlands both agree that the country’s judicial system needs to be strengthened. I am pleased with the outcome of the recent deliberations that took place in the Netherlands where Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson met with Dutch Ministers Plasterk of Internal Affairs and Kingdom Relations and Minister Van der Steur of Safety and Justice to discuss moving forward with respect to the protocol that was signed between both Governments.
“Based on a number of reports regarding integrity and the enhancement of good governance, country Sint Maarten started its own process to establish an integrity chamber, and around mid-August, the Parliament of our country passed the national ordinance to establish an independent integrity institution. Fighting corruption and ensuring integrity are two of the top issues for this government,” Marcel Gumbs, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten said on Sunday.
The four-party Judicial Conference between the Ministers of Justice of the Kingdom of the Netherlands earlier this year decided that the overall judicial system of the islands needed to be strengthened.
The ministers emphasized that the Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM) needed additional capacity in order to fight border crossing crime and corruption in the interests of the people of Sint Maarten and of the Kingdom.
A Protocol to establish an Integrity Chamber and strengthen the Judiciary was signed on 24 May, 2015, between Sint Maarten and the Netherlands.

PHILIPSBURG:---- While residents throughout St. Maarten were anxiously following the developments with TS Erika last week, another outcry came from those persons affected by the recent fire on the landfill (dump). The effects, such as the smoke and fumes of this fire could be felt and sensed a great distance away from the Philipsburg area, said Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams.
Understandably, the people of St. Maarten are saying "enough is enough".
"Do they expect miracles? No, they don't. But they are at least entitled to answers from government and those directly responsible for the waste management.
On Friday last, I solicited the support of other members of Parliament to request a meeting of Parliament to obtain answers to questions regarding the landfill and the much talked about Waste-to-Energy system or any other system the government has in mind. I have taken note as well of GEBE's comments on this matter and it gives an eerie feeling that we are heading back to the drawing board. Unless government intends to strong-arm GEBE into doing what it, the government, wants. Who will end up paying the cost? The people of St. Maarten!
By the way, I need the support of at least 2 other members of Parliament to request that Parliament convenes a public meeting on this matter."

MP Sarah Wescot Williams press release.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the Democratic Party and Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams said in a press statement that as a country that has known our share of disasters, it is heart wrenching to see the reports and scenes coming out of Dominica, as this island was battered by torrential rains, flooding and mudslides, associated with TS Erika. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Government and people of Dominica, and especially with those who have lost family members during the ordeal.
We remember those who are separated from loved ones, those who are without a home, those who have lost everything following the storm.
Only the people of these islands know what it feels like every year again to go through the uncertainty of not knowing how the hurricane season will pan out and who will be affected and to what extent.
We are still in the peak of the 2015 hurricane season and we have already felt the wrath of nature, and don't know what is still to come. " I applaud the efforts underway to assist our brothers and sisters in Dominica. Their suffering is immense and their needs are great. Let us in St. Maarten remain vigilant and pray for our country and our neighbors. "
Let us continue to be prepared and look out for one another.

PHILIPSBURG:---It was a progressive step when the parliament of St. Maarten in its wisdom decided to keep meetings of the parliamentary committees open. However, by not calling meetings of these committees as often as is possible and desirable, the purpose of these committees is defeated, said leader of the Democratic Party and Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams.
The work of these committees is to a large extent determined by the members of parliament who chair these committees. Members can ask for topics to be tabled, but there are no regulations that these meetings must be held. Something I believe needs to change.
"I am still awaiting a meeting of the Finance Committee of Parliament, I requested in June, to be called, to discuss the 2013 annual reports of the government companies. MP Frans Richardson chairs this committee.
The past week I have asked the Chairperson of the Health Committee of Parliament (MP Cornelius de Weever) to convene a meeting of this committee to discuss:"

•  SMMC and the status of its upgrades and the financing thereof.
•  Changes to the medical insurance laws and expanded coverage for vulnerable groups, such as the elderly.
•  Changes to the Civil Code with respect to labor contracts and maternity leave.
• " Ley de Bion”.
•  Pension age increase

DP Press Release.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Approximately 7 weeks ago, the Social Economic Council ( SEC) pointed out some serious flaws in 2 national decrees, containing general measures that regulate premiums and pay-outs, collected and disbursed by the SZV (Social Security Agency).
This type of decrees (decisions) are drafted by the government of St. Maarten and given their nature should be advised upon by the SEC as well as by the Council of Advice. They establish regulations governing the population and or groups within the population.
These flaws as pointed out in the decrees , if confirmed, currently have and will in the future have serious consequences for all parties. Those parties are the SZV, government, employers and employees. The consequences are all negative for the parties mentioned above.
To mention some effects of these errors: possible retroactive collection from employers and employees, with all consequences thereof, such as corrections to tax filings etc., and the potential that SZV has to recalculate premiums it already collected.
I have therefore asked that the Minister of Health informs Parliament within the shortest possible time of the action that the ministry has taken to correct a/o undo the serious flaws as pointed out by the SEC and avoid that this situation is further aggravated by inaction from government's side.

DP Press Release.

HSBC Private Bank building in Geneva, Switzerland

By Caribbean News Now contributor

WASHINGTON, USA -- The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released a report this week revealing billions of dollars held in nearly 60,000 internal Swiss bank documents from 2006 to 2007 leaked by whistleblower Hervé Falciani, a former employee of HSBC in Switzerland.

The report disclosed that HSBC maintained accounts for customers connected with 30 countries in the wider Caribbean – see table below:

* Estimated from percentages reported
Some of these come as no surprise in that territories such as the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands are established offshore financial centres and none of the leaked accounts were held by their citizens or passport holders although billions of dollars were held in accounts associated with those territories.

However, in the case of The Bahamas, although it is also a financial centre, 55 Bahamian citizens or passport holders were associated with accounts at HSBC. Likewise, Bermuda, where 13 of its citizens or passport holders were associated with such accounts.

Also noteworthy is that one Suriname national held an account with HSBC in Switzerland, five customers from the US Virgin Islands, nine from Belize, four from Dominica, one from the Dominican Republic, three from Haiti, one from Grenada and two from Jamaica.

Venezuelans are also questioning why a former treasury minister and ex-bodyguard of late President Hugo Chávez is linked to an account with HSBC holding billions of dollars -- one of 490 customers holding Venezuelan passports.

The bulk of that amount was reportedly held by Venezuela’s Treasury Office under the name of Alejandro Andrade, who served as Venezuela’s treasury minister from 2007 to 2010, and was also president of the Economic and Social Development Bank of Venezuela, known as Bandes, from 2008 to 2010. The bank became the target of a US lawsuit targeting four individuals accused of participating in a kickback scheme benefiting Bandes’ vice president and a Miami-based brokerage firm. The scheme allegedly occurred during Andrade’s tenure, but Andrade himself wasn’t named in the suit.

Andrade was also a close associate of Chavez’s, having participated with him in the 1992 failed coup attempt. According to the report, he is now based in Palm Beach County, Florida, and “has invested in show horses.”

Venezuelan opposition deputy Andrés Velasquez spoke out in response to the leaks on Monday.

“I request that the government clarify the destinations of the public fund deposits in Swiss accounts,” he wrote on Twitter. “The corruption of the regime has obliterated immense oil revenue,” he added.

Source: http://www.icij.org/project/swiss-leaks/explore-swiss-leaks-data

PHILIPSBURG:---- When the governments of the Netherland and St Maarten fight, it is the citizens of St. Maarten that lose. The Democratic Party advocates that the interests of the citizens of St Maarten should always come first.

As the governments of the Netherlands and St Maarten discuss crime, corruption, transparency and integrity; they should not lose sight of the fact that the interests of the citizens of St Maarten should always remain the priority. The fact that Ministers Plasterk and Richardson seemed to have found a way to ease tensions between the Netherlands and St Maarten is both commendable and reassuring. Now, all efforts should be made to bring these discussions to a rapid and logical conclusion.

The political posturing and showmanship that has transpired over the past several months should not be allowed to marginalize the interests of the citizens of St Maarten. While all the rhetoric and accusations of corruption, nepotism, colonialism, questionable legality, and constitutionality are all understandable topics, the rights of citizens to live in a safe and vibrant community where the people can have trust and confidence in their government should always be the primary goal.

The people of St Maarten deserve an inclusive government that is honorable and clear about how tax payer’s money is being spent; a government that is clear about what are its plans and how resources will be allocated towards achieving these plans; a government that is transparent and accountable for how it purchases goods and services.

The Democratic Party has campaigned for open government and will continue at every opportunity to advocate for an inclusive government with integrity that is transparent, accountable and fiscally responsible. It is a well established fact that the citizens of a country that have an open government are more prosperous and happy

By Emil Lee advisor to the DP

PHILIPSBURG:---- United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake sent a letter to the Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, and also publicly made a statement on July 13th, 2015 requesting an update on the Solid Waste Ordinance and the progress of the long awaited Waste to Energy Plant to address the ‘growing garbage mountain.’

“As the former Minister of VROMI, my ministry and the Steering Committee was very much involved with the final stage the bidding process which was won by a company to build the plant. Government, Legal Affairs and GEBE was busy looking at the legal aspect of the draft concession agreement and other documents still to be signed by Government and the Company that won the bid.

“Legal Affairs was also looking at the draft Solid Waste Ordinance which is still on the desk today at Legal Affairs, which thereafter still needs to go through the process of being sent to Parliament.

“GEBE at the time of my tenure as Minister was looking on how to become involved in the project by turning garbage into energy, but then my term was up as Minister of VROMI. The biggest accomplishments during my tenure was the National Energy Policy and the completion of the process of making NV GEBE 100 percent wholly owned by country Sint Maarten.

“We had Parliamentary Elections which the waste to energy plant was a hot topic, and since then there were changing of "players" at the company that won the bid, and then GEBE was looking at the idea and then not much has been heard until lately July 13th when I as a Member of Parliament, wrote to the Prime Minister about the topic, and wrote an article about the status of the Solid Waste Ordinance and plant.

"It’s very frustrating to see every day the landfill getting bigger and bigger without any results. The focus is too much on bringing tranquillity back in the Government owned companies than working on the bigger projects that are affecting our Country. We just had this dump fire again during the passing of Tropical Storm Erika, and the dump became a hot topic again in Government and the community.

“I can tell you one thing, if I had more time as Minister of VROMI, we would have a win win solution already for the dump and the building of the plant, because I would have made it a high priority on my list as Minister. This would be part of GEBEs investment plan for the Country. We need to start investing into our overall investment plan for our Country where it concerns energy, garbage and sewage.

“It's high time all political parties put aside politics and set our Countries priorities in order so we can move this Country and our people forward. We are always reactive instead of pro-active to the situations that are affecting our people.

“As the former Minister of VROMI, I would say the only way Government can move this discussion forward again is to sit down with the Steering Committee, GEBE, then with the company that won the bid to get the project moving again. We just need to review, finalize and execute the waste to energy plant and start the public awareness program to gradually introduce recycling in the homes and businesses, which the French side is already doing. This would also be in time for the garbage bag law which MP Frans Richardson and MP Johan Leonard are in the final phase to complete the law to promote a safer and healthier community.

“I foresee GEBE playing an instrumental role and taking the lead in the overall infrastructure of garbage, energy and sewage on the island. This should be part of GEBEs investment plan and budget for the coming years.

“During Parliament discussions with the French side, I also would like to see the French/Dutch side finalize within these coming months the much talked about joint sewage plant project in the Cole Bay area. It's high time to see some action with less talk with these much needed projects which will be an asset to the Country once they are completed and operational,” UP MP Maurice Lake pointed out.

The first in a new series of Caribbean Future Forum webinars kicks off this Friday, 28 August at 11.30 am, and will focus on what the Sustainable Development Goals will mean for people in the
Caribbean.

On 25-27 September 2015, world leaders will gather at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to agree on a set of goals and targets to ensure that countries across the globe not only achieve economic and social development, but that they do so in a way that will not exhaust our planet’s environmental resources. These are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which envisage a world free of poverty, hunger, disease and want, where all life can thrive.

On the verge of this historic event, the Caribbean Future Forum (CFF) looks at what all this might actually mean for people living in our region. The CFF was born on 5-8 May 2015, when policy makers, opinion leaders, academics, civil society and representatives of the private sector came together to discuss the future crucial problematic areas that affect the Caribbean Region. The forum was a strategic re-envisioning of how the Caribbean could be transformed by 2050 to incorporate the new models of development for the continued prosperity of all Caribbean peoples.

This Friday, 28 August at 11.30 am the CFF will bring together young thinkers from Trinidad and Tobago and senior United Nations officials to discuss various aspects of the SDGs, including: the most pressing development needs of the Caribbean; the relevance of the SDGs for the Caribbean people; and the process that will lead to the adoption of the SDGs.

The event will be broadcasted live on-line, and will mark the first in a new series of webinars, known as the Carib Web Dialogue series. The series, which will run from August to December
2015, will address issues of sustainable development, youth and environmental related matters.

The launch of the Carib Web Dialogue series will also mark the inauguration of the CFF website and e-Forum, which will ensure that what happened during the Forum last may will be built on and moved forward on-line.

The website will serve as an interactive platform where a diverse group of stakeholders will be able to share ideas, perspectives and information, including policy options and new strategic directions for the region. In addition, the website will act as a catalyst for the collection of critical documents, research papers, best practices, policy options and practical tools, all of which will be categorized according to specific thematic areas and topics.

The Caribbean Future eForum is an initiative supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator (RCO) in Trinidad and Tobago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Trinidad and Tobago, the University of the West Indies (UWI), Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Commonwealth Secretariat, CARICOM Secretariat, Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO), Organization of American States (OAS).

PHILIPSBURG:--- Starting September 4th, 2015, the Philipsburg Jubilee Library will restart its popular computer courses for seniors.
The computer courses, which were a great success in the first half of 2015, will be back again for the latter part of 2015. The computer courses for seniors will take place on a weekly basis from September throughout December. During the first two weeks of September there will be a general introduction to computers for beginners. This first course will be followed up with a beginner’s course in the use of e-mails. Throughout the months of October through November some new topics will also be introduced, such as Facebook and Skype. Participants in the Media Lab will also learn how to make video presentations or slideshows with Animoto software in the month of December.
If you are a senior citizen and you don’t know how to use a computer or you need to brush up on your computer skills, then this is your chance. Registration is free but places are limited, so contact the library asap if you are interested. You can register for this course with Francia Housen on telephone number 542 2970.

Annual Report Presented to Chairman by Lizanne Dindial

During CHATA's After 5 networking happy hour held at Restaurant Piazza, One of Lion's Dive and Beach Resort's restaurants, CHATA President & CEO, Lizanne Dindial presented the Association's latest annual report.
The Annual Report was delivered to the Chairman of CHATA’s Board of Directors, Will Vogels, prior to being published to the wider public. Attendees to the CHATA after 5 enjoyed beverages and bites while reminiscing on CHATA achievements. CHATA’s latest annual report will be covering CHATA’s Strategy, Activities, Highlights, and Financial- & Tourism Performance.
In 2014 and 2015 Year to date, CHATA has made very good progress by implementing its aggressive strategy and by delivering on all of its strategic and financial targets. CHATA is a dynamic tourism and hospitality stakeholders’ association that is guided by a long-term vision of delivering a visible, leading and effective contribution towards a vibrant and sustainable Curaçao Tourism & Hospitality product.
CHATA’s President & CEO, Lizanne Dindial stated “CHATA has most certainly delivered on its promise of being a marketing machine and trouble-shooter for its members. We ensure business and a dynamic approach to problem solving for our members. Excellence in our day-to-day activities helped us meet our targets, therefore ensuring trust in our strategy and stimulating further growth of our Association.”

To access the document please follow this LINK or visit our website: www.chata.org

FRONT STREE (DCOMM): ---- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that part of Front Street in the vicinity of Horizon View Beach Hotel will be closed to motorized traffic on Saturday night, August 29 from 9.00PM to 12 midnight.

The partial street closure is in connection with construction works related to the pouring of concrete at the aforementioned hotel.
Motorists are requested to be observant of traffic signs and other notices indicating the street closure.
Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.

Great Bay:----The Department of Community Development, Family & Humanitarian Affairs is proud to announce the start of its “Taking total control through budgeting” program on Tuesday September 29th 2015. The FREE weekly training program consists of interactive sessions, presented by dynamic and engaging presenters, including: “Introduction to budgeting”; “Nutrition on a budget”; “Savings & Insurance”; “Knowing your Self-worth”; and 2 live demonstrations on “Healthy cooking on a low budget”. The main objective of the “Taking total control through budgeting” program is to empower participants to effectively manage personal finances, recognize and evaluate spending habits and implement corrective actions where necessary. Additionally, the “Taking control through budgeting” workshops will be held on, Tuesday and Thursdays from 6pm to 8pm. Course materials and workbooks will be provided. By the end of the program, participants are able to apply knowledge, tools and strategies to achieve financial goals and take charge of their health and well-being. Participants that successfully attended and completed the modules will receive a certificate of completion. For more information or to register, feel free to contact the Community Help Desks at: 5484633 (St. Peters) 544340 (Cole bay) 5474911 (Dutch Quarter) 5422802 (Hope Estate) or the Community Development Family & Humanitarian Affairs Department at 5421122 or 5429925.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):---  Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that road repairs will start September 2 to the badly damaged section of Soualiga Boulevard.

Signage will be erected defining the sections of the road where repairs will take place. The repairs will start on the longest section of Soualiga Boulevard, and this section will be closed for 21 days.

Other sections of the road will be repaired once the aforementioned has been completed.

Soualiga Boulevard is used by heavy trucks that go to the landfill. Drivers of these trucks need to pay keen attention with respect to the road closure as heavy machinery will be used to carry out the necessary repairs.
Motorists and truckers are requested to be observant of traffic signs and other notices indicating the road closure.
Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.

Inform your bosses of the Skpye call you made to SMN News to go easy on you.

PHILIPSBURG:-- SMN News is obliged to inform the Chief Financial Officer of GEBE Rene Gartner that he or no one else could control SMN News. This news site will inform the populace of the corruption and or deals that are being made at the government owned companies or elsewhere at all cost. “Mr. Gartner when you call the EXTRA in Curacao and tried to degrade SMN News did you tell them that you called the owner of SMN News from your “buddy’s” office through Skype asking that we go easy on you even though you purchased an expensive car without the permission from the shareholder representative? Did you tell them that you are the one that signed the first check and took it to the owner of St. Maarten Service Provider Alfred Harley while Maduro took the fall for it? Furthermore, when you demanded a rectification from the extra because you want to know how internal information are leaked then SMN News team must inform you that is the role of the media, next SMN News will show your competency in the banking industry and why you are no longer working for the bank and how good you are managing GEBE. Mr. Rene Gartner you just opened a Pandora box on yourself and we certainly hope you will be able to take the heat from this blog site. The question we have for you regarding the stolen copper that you feel must be covered up is what is it you want hidden in this affair and why?

SIMPSON BAY:--- The Princess Juliana International Airport, SXM, will remain closed as a precautionary measure until Friday, August 28, 2015 at 7:00 AM as a result of the passage of TS Erika.
All travelers should contact their respective airlines for updated flight information.
Normal operations will resume Friday morning at the regular hours. All SXM Airport personnel, users and stakeholders should take note.
SXM Airport will continue to monitor the situation very closely and inform the public accordingly through the usual media outlets.
The management and staff of SXM Airport would like to thank the general public for their understanding and hope that everyone would stay safe as we weather this storm together.

Willemstad:--- August 26th 2015 – CHATA held its quarterly Stars of the Industry ceremony at CHATA Member Blue Bay Resort’s Beach Bar. During this Stars of the Industry ceremony, the employees and supervisors nominated by numerous CHATA members were recognized for their outstanding performances in the industry. The employees and supervisors in the tourism and hospitality industry are the pillars having direct interaction with tourists and considerably contributing to the experience of our tourism product.

Lizanne Dindial, CHATA President & CEO mentioned - “Confidence on the job is a result of hours, days, weeks and years of constant work and dedication”. CHATA is proud to announce that 18 employees in Curaçao’s Tourism & Hospitality Industry received a Star of the Industry Certificate accompanied by a token of appreciation provided by CHATA; a free entrance ticket to CHATA’s exclusive culinary event taking place on September 27th, Flavors of Curaçao.

CHATA congratulates the following Stars of the Industry with their nomination!

CHATA Member Employee Position
Papagayo Resort Roberto Boerleider Guest Request Engineer
Papagayo Beach Club Tobias nijkamp Line Cook
Papagayo Hotel Nachedy Maria Line Cook
Hilton Curaçao Shannamay Bernadus Coffee Shop Attendant
Curaçao Marriot Resort Ivette Muzo Houseperson
Restaurant Gouverneur Santa Waterfort (Susy) Waitress
Royal Sea Aquarium Margaret Jhonson Room Attendant
FBTT Dinaiva Martina Driver
Sunscape Curaçao Iljairo Djaoen Houseman
Blue Bay Resort Caren Whyte Room Attendant
CHATA Member Supervisor Position
Avila Hotel Anouk Pinedoe Fornt Office Supervisor
Papagayo Beach hotel Edseline Kronstadt Housekeeping Supervisor
Papagayo Beach Club John Santacruz F&B Supervisor
Hilton Curaçao Tishainy Kook Housekeeping Supervisor
Royal Sea Aquarium Alejandra Gonzalez Guest Services Supervisor
Sunscape Resorts Ingrid Gibbes Restaurant Manager
Curaçao Marriot Resort Sandra Mc Aully Loss Prevention Supervisor
Taxi Driver Mr. & Mrs. Diana Meyer Taxi Drivers

PHILIPSBURG – Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, chairman of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), in an update on Thursday afternoon, August 27, says, based on an assessment of the current weather situation regarding Tropical Storm Erika:
“Country Sint Maarten remains under a Tropical Storm Warning. The country will continue to experience some gusty to near gale force winds from time to time, and the community is advised to be cautious when outdoors. Erika could still produce some heavy rainfall tonight and motorists should exercise caution when driving. Residents in hillside areas should also exercise caution after heavy rainfall.

• Restaurants and casinos can reopen for business this evening, Thursday.
• Schools are to reopen on Friday, August 28.
• Friday, August 28 will also be a normal business day.
• Government offices are to reopen on Friday, August 28.
• Motorists should avoid driving in low lying areas as there is the potential for flooding in the event of heavy rainfall; Persons living in flood prone areas should remain vigilant in the event of heavy rainfall.

“I would like to thank the broadcast media for their cooperation in spreading the information to our community about the two storm systems that approached the Leeward Islands within the past week. I call on the populace to remain vigilant because the hurricane season is not yet over. We still have three more months to go through.
“I would like to thank the public, our visitors, and the business community for their understanding and cooperation. The measures that have been taken were of a precautionary nature in order to ensure the safety of the community and our visitors,” Marcel Gumbs, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten stated on Thursday afternoon.

PO-INTE BLANCHE:---  Port St. Maarten and the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority hereby announces that the clearance offices at Great Bay and in Simpson Bay will be closed on Friday, August 28 from 9.30am to 1.30pm.

For those who would have some business to attend too, please do so before 9.30am or after 1.30pm.

The closure is related to the staff attending the memorial services for former Netherlands Antilles Senator and Minister of Finance Hon. Frank Mingo, father of Port St. Maarten Chief Executive Officer Mark Mingo.

Thanking you in advance for your attention and understanding.

PHILIPSBURG:---  TelEm Group announced Thursday night that all company locations will be opened to the general public at the start of the business day Friday following the passage of Tropical Storm Erika.

Erika passed further south than anticipated with less rainfall than expected on the island.

Company personnel will be assessing assets and equipment for possible water damage and then begin the process of assisting any customers with damaged or faulty telecommunication services following Thursday’s storm.

The company says TelCell’s mobile service and TelEm Group’s high-speed ADSL service both continued to operate efficiently throughout the storm providing valuable updates to customers throughout St. Maarten as they tracked the path of Tropical Storm Erika.

TelEm Group management is urging employees who did not fare well from the inclement weather to make contact with the company to report their circumstances. Meantime personnel are advised that Friday is a regular work day.

Prime Minister, Marcel Gumbs, has authorized the reopening of businesses Friday, along with the reopening of schools and government offices.

Publication 1st semi-annual report 2015 Board of financial supervision BES.

Willemstad – The public entities have had great difficulties in the first half of 2015 to timely fulfill their report responsibilities. Only Bonaire has managed to timely submit its financial statements 2014 as adopted by the island council. Bonaire and Saba have concluded 2014 with a positive result. Particularly on Saba visible improvements were made in the area of financial management. On Bonaire the executive council and the Cft are paying great attention to the financial management. Sint Eustatius has been subjected to increased administrative supervision by the Minister of the Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations (BZK). Saba is the first public entity to obtain a positive auditor’s report, while Sint Eustatius received an instruction.

Saba has submitted its first execution report on May 13th, 2015, which means that it did not meet the pertaining deadline of April 30th. The public entity has also requested a deferment of the submission date of its 2014 financial statements. Despite these limited overruns, Saba made impressive improvements in recent years, resulting what has become apparent now: that Saba is the first public entity to receive a positive auditor’s report for its 2014 financial statements.

The financial and administrative problems on Sint Eustatius were the reason for the Minister of BZK to place the public entities under increased administrative supervision and to bestow an instruction. An obligation stop has been established and a plan of action to improve financial management need to be produced. Together with the Kingdom Representative, the Cft and the public entity appointed a group of experts to deliver this plan of action. The Cft gave negative advice on the first budget modification of Sint Eustatius, since the accumulated deficit over 2015 has not been covered. Sint Eustatius requested a deferment of the submission date of its financial statements; the Minister of BZK stipulated August 24 as the new deadline. On September 1st a balanced budget modification must be submitted, in which coverage is provided for the 2014 deficit and the anticipated deficit of 2015.

Bonaire submitted timely its 2014 financial statements, as adopted by the island council. However, this happened at the expense of the timely adherence to other report obligations. Due to the lack of an updated view, implementation reports and budget modification could not sufficiently be used by governors as a management tool. In addition, the liquidity position of Bonaire as well as its financial management are important issues for the Cft; reason why these will also be closely monitored by the Cft.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, chairman of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), addressed the nation at noon on Thursday, August 27 with respect to the approach of Tropical Storm Erika.
The Prime Minister stated the following in his national address:
“Country Sint Maarten remains under a Tropical Storm Warning. Tropical Storm Erika at 11.00AM Thursday morning was located 98 miles south of Sint Maarten.
“The current forecast as of Thursday morning, has Tropical Storm Erika passing just south of the country this afternoon and tonight, weather conditions are still expected to deteriorate.
“Therefore, as Prime Minister and based on the advice of key Emergency Support Functions, certain decisions need to be taken to protect the safety of our citizens and visitors.
“Strong to near gale force winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour and gusts up to storm strength is still possible.
“Erika is forecast to produce rainfall of 3 to 5 inches with maximum amounts of 8 inches across the Leeward Islands.
“Severe flooding is possible from Erika. Our neighbouring islands to the south suffered significant damage this morning as a result of flooding. We should also be cognizant of landslides and mudslides.
“Residents in hillside areas should exercise caution after heavy rainfall.
“Erika is expected to produce waves up to 13 feet near the center of the storm. Some coastal flooding and beach erosion is possible on Thursday as the storm passes it’s closest to the country.
“Due to the potential for severe flooding, as a precautionary measure for the safety of our citizens, visitors and workers:
- All businesses are to remain closed today Thursday, August 27 until the all clear has been given by the Prime Minister.
- Motorists should avoid driving in low lying areas as there is the potential for flooding in the event of heavy rainfall;
- Persons living in flood prone areas should remain vigilant in the event of heavy rainfall.
“Continue to follow the latest reports regarding Tropical Storm Erika via local radio stations; the Government Website (www.sintmaartengov.org) and the Government Facebook Page where official information will be posted as it becomes available. For weather reports visit the Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten at www.meteosxm.com
“Continue to remain vigilant as Tropical Storm Erika passes south of our country later today,” Marcel Gumbs, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten said on Thursday in a national address to the nation.

PHILIPSBURG:--- At the beginning of the new academic year, the Sundial School organizes a series of workshops and excursions for students. The introduction week of activities is a means of bonding between the mentors and students to create a positive atmosphere that will last throughout the new academic year. There was a variety of workshops and activities scheduled for the first week of school for all form one through form four students.

St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry Board of Directors Nzinga Lake and Annuska Illis-Friday conducted an hour long workshop with twenty students of the second form class. Ms. Lake spoke to the students on dressing for success and Mrs. Illis-Friday gave tips on preparing for and follow-up after an interview.

WILLEMSTAD:--- CHATA held its quarterly Stars of the Industry ceremony at CHATA Member Blue Bay Resort’s Beach Bar. During this Stars of the Industry ceremony, the employees and supervisors nominated by numerous CHATA members were recognized for their outstanding performances in the industry. The employees and supervisors in the tourism and hospitality industry are the pillars having direct interaction with tourists and considerably contributing to the experience of our tourism product.

Lizanne Dindial, CHATA President & CEO mentioned - “Confidence on the job is a result of hours, days, weeks and years of constant work and dedication”. CHATA is proud to announce that 18 employees in Curaçao’s Tourism & Hospitality Industry received a Star of the Industry Certificate accompanied by a token of appreciation provided by CHATA; a free entrance ticket to CHATA’s exclusive culinary event taking place on September 27th, Flavors of Curaçao.

CHATA congratulates the following Stars of the Industry with their nomination!

The Court of First Instance station St. Maarten hereby would like to inform the public of the following:

The Courthouse will be closed on Thursday, August 27th, 2015.

All court session scheduled for Thursday, August 27th, 2015 is postponed until further notice.

If you may have any questions please contact Ms. Shulaika Gustina at The Courthouse (tel. 54-66114 - fax 54-25451).

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry recently concluded their First Annual Business Plan Competition with a Prize-Giving Ceremony on World Entrepreneurs Day last Friday, August 21st. The ceremony was held at the Chamber of Commerce and top finalists surrounded by family, friends and colleagues were awarded prizes which included laptops, cellular phones, printers, professional services and many more prizes generously donated by close to twenty-five companies.
The five finalists with the highest overall points were Sabrina Vrutaal for Educare Foundation, Nalajsha Agard for Creative Learning, Shawn York for 37 Square Miles SXM Clothing Apparel, Yannick Hodge for H&H General Cleaning and Maintenance N.V. and Shasa Lake of Sweetie Epicurean Icery Pops. The Best Marketing, Best Brand and Overall Winner categories were won by Sabrina Vrutaal while the Best Pitch and Most Likely to Succeed categories were won by Nalajsha Agard and Shawn York walked away as winner in the Best Business Plan category.

Points for each category was awarded after each of the top ten finalists pitched their business plans to a panel of five judges on Wednesday, August 19th. Following each presentation finalists were asked questions and given advice by judges Lesley Abalck of the Windward Islands Bank, Dwight Williams of FirstCaribbean Bank, Valya Lake-Pantophlet of the TEZVT Ministry, Jimmy Challenger of ORCO Bank and Eric Ellis of Nagico Insurances. The judges were impressed by the quality of the presentations and were greatly encourage by the talent displayed by the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Prior to judging, competition participants were invited to a workshop held at the University of St. Martin where Kenneth Lei of OBNA Bank and Carmen Richardson of the Small Business Development Foundation imparted wisdom on writing winning business plans and dressing for success. At the workshop, Chamber Board of Directors were also on hand to give the participants tips and share their own experiences and challenges in starting their businesses.
First Annual Business Plan Competition project was initiated by Board of Directors Member Nzinga Lake and was executed through the Chamber’s Business “Biz” Center. All participants were encouraged at the prize giving ceremony to continue to use the Biz Center as a resource to help them along their paths to success.

The information session entitled, “Breaking the Silence: Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect” that was scheduled for today Wednesday, August 26th, 2015 at the Belvedere Community Center has been postponed until further notice due to the imminent arrival of tropical storm Erika.

International Labour Organization (ILO):--- Ms. Claudia Coenjaerts, a Belgian national, has been appointed as Director of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, effective 1 August 2015.

Ms Coenjaerts joined the ILO in 1995 and has worked extensively in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Prior to taking up her assignment as Director of the ILO Office based in Port-of-Spain, Ms Coenjaerts took an 18-month sabbatical from the ILO to act as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Labor Association in Washington, D.C.

Within the ILO, Ms Coenjaerts previously held the post of Deputy Regional Director for Africa, based in Addis Ababa, since early 2012. She has also held the roles of Director, ILO Country Office, Bangladesh; Director, ILO Country Office for Sri Lanka and the Maldives; Head of the Management Support Unit for the Employment Sector, ILO Geneva; Lead Coordinator, ILO Liberia Program; Global Coordinator, ILO Youth Employment Program, ILO Geneva; Senior Specialist for Socio-Economic Reintegration Crisis Response and Reconstruction Program, ILO Geneva; Regional Specialist for Child Labour, ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific; Chief Technical Advisor for sub-regional project on child labour and women workers, Thailand; and Gender Associate Expert and Consultant, Thailand and Cambodia.

With her depth of experience in the ILO field offices, Ms Coenjaerts has acquired a broad understanding of ILO development cooperation activities, as well as expertise in the areas of gender equality at work; child labour; international labour standards; workers' rights; multi stakeholder initiatives; employment creation; youth employment; job creation in fragile states; social and labour compliance in supply chains in apparel and footwear; electronics and agriculture.

Ms. Coenjaerts holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Sociology from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Please be informed that due to the upcoming weather on Thursday, the funeral service for former Senator and Minister of Finance Hon. Frank Mingo, has been moved to FRIDAY August 28th at 10 am until 1 pm at the Royal Funeral Home in Sucker Garden.
After which the Church service will be at Grand Case Catholic Church from 2-4pm.
For details check out the daily newspaper obituary. Once again, the date is now FRIDAY the 28th August 2015.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- With respect to the arrival of Tropical Storm Erika, the White and Yellow Cross Foundation would like to inform the public about the following:

The White & Yellow Cross Foundation has closed two of their day care products for Thursday, August 27, namely the SBC Educational Facility and the Psychogeriatric day care. Reopening on Friday will be determined based on the weather at that point in time and the outcome of Erika.

The St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) operating room, outpatient clinic, dialysis department and administrative department will be closed on Thursday, August 27.

Dialysis patients who are scheduled to dialyse on Thursday will be dialysed later that day after the passing of the storm.

All patients will be informed of appointment changes and dialysis patients have a hurricane pass to be able to freely access hospital services.

Family members of dialysis patients also have a letter granting permission to accompany the patient to the hospital.

For weather information visit (www.meteosxm.com) and check the Government of Sint Maarten website (www.sintmaartengov.org) or the Government of Sint Maarten Facebook Page for official information as it relates to Tropical Storm Erika.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Postal Services St.Maarten (PSS) hereby reminds the general public in keeping with the rule of business closure by the Honorable Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs that closure of operations will only be on Thursday, 27th August, 2015.

Management of PSS hopes to resume normally on Friday with operations and working hours resuming at 7:30am to 4:30pm.

The Supervisory Board and the Management team wishes the general public a safe passage of Tropical Storm Erika.

PSS Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, chairman of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), addressed the nation at noon on Wednesday, August 26 with respect to the approach of Tropical Storm Erika.
The Prime Minister stated the following in his national address:
Audio file:
“The country of Sint Maarten is under a Tropical Storm Warning. Tropical Storm Erika at 11.00AM Wednesday morning was located 335 miles east south-east from Sint Maarten. Some slow strengthening is possible.
“The current forecast as of Wednesday morning, has Tropical Storm Erika passing just south of Sint Maarten on Thursday.
“Tropical storm force winds are expected in our area from late tonight through Thursday.
“Erika is to produce rain of 2 to 4 inches with a maximum amount of 8 inches across the islands. This can lead to flooding and land slippages and mudslides, and therefore residents in hillside areas should exercise caution after heavy rainfall.
“Erika is expected to produce waves up to 13 feet near the center of the storm. Some coastal flooding and beach erosion is possible on Thursday as the storm passes at its closest to the country.
“Residents living along coastal areas should take measures to protect property.
“All citizens, residents and businesses should make final preparations to protect life and property and have these completed by early this evening. You recently had the experience of preparing for Danny, those same preparations are also required for Tropical Storm Erika.

“The Government of Sint Maarten Emergency Disaster Management system has taken all necessary measures to safeguard the country. These measures were taken prior to Tropical Storm Danny and remain in place with respect to the approach of Tropical Storm Erika.
“A request for military assistance has been requested.
“The White & Yellow Cross reports that its two day care facilities will be closed on Thursday. Reopening on Friday will be determined based on weather conditions.
“Contractors and builders are called upon to secure building sites this afternoon before the end of the day. Implement your hurricane plans as you did prior to Danny.
“Schools and day care centres are to be closed on THURSDAY, August 27 due to the passing of the tropical storm. Additional information will be forthcoming after the storm has passed and an assessment has been made.
- All casinos and restaurants must be closed by midnight tonight.
- All businesses are to stay closed on Thursday, August 27 until the all clear has been given by the Prime Minister.
- All Government offices will be closed on Thursday, August 27.
“Continue to follow the latest reports regarding Tropical Storm Erika via local radio stations; the Government Website (www.sintmaartengov.org) and the Government Facebook Page where official information will be posted as it becomes available. For weather reports visit the Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten at www.meteosxm.com
“On Thursday the Prime Minister will address the country at 12.00PM.
“Take the necessary measures required to protect your home and business,” Marcel Gumbs, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten said on Wednesday in a national address to the nation.

Traveling Public Advised to Check With Airlines for Flight Info

SIMPSON BAY:--- Due to Tropical Storm Erika, which is expected to pass close to our area early Thursday morning, and in accordance with the St. Maarten and international safety requirements, the Princess Juliana International Airport, SXM, will be closed for a few hours until 11:30 AM, on Thursday, August 27, 2015.
SXM airport remained open for scheduled operations throughout its regular business hours on Wednesday, August 26.
Normal airport operations at SXM will resume, hopefully Thursday as soon as the weather conditions permit.
The traveling public is hereby advised to check with their respective airlines for flight information.
SXM Airport will continue to keep all its personnel, users and stakeholders informed of any further developments as these occur via the various media outlets.

POINTE BLANCHE:---- Port St. Maarten management announces that Carnival Cruise Lines vessel Conquest has cancelled its port call on Wednesday due to the approach of Tropical Storm Erika which is forecasted to effect the islands on Wednesday night.

Carnival Liberty up to now is still scheduled to call on Friday, August 28.

Cargo operations at Port St. Maarten are to continue uninterrupted on Wednesday with several vessels to dock to off load cargo, goods and containers.

On Thursday, August 27, Tropical Storm Erika is forecast to pass through the Leeward Islands on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, therefore cargo port operations will not take place. On Wednesday additional information will be released after consultations with ship agents.

Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority SLAC bridge attendants are on notice for the upcoming weather system. Vessels that wish to enter or exit the lagoon are asked to hail the bridge attendant on Marine VHF Channel 12. The bridge will continue to open on scheduled times.

Simpson Bay Bridge:

08:30 out
09:30 in
10:30 out
11:30 in
15:00 in
16:00 out
17:00 in

Causeway:

08:15
10:00
11:45
15:30
17:15

In the past foreign registered cargo vessels have entered the Simpson Bay lagoon seeking shelter. These vessels caused considerable damages to life and property.

Owners and operators of foreign cargo vessels are urged to take note of the path of any systems and take actions to secure their property, other than entering the lagoon.

Vessels entering the lagoon for shelter are advised to take down all sails and awnings to decrease wind area. Use the largest anchor and chain available and ensure that proper chafing gear is in place. Make early preparations.

If there are any extra openings these will be broadcast on local media.

Port St. Maarten is closely monitoring the progress of Tropical Storm Erika as it approaches the Lesser Antilles and is taking the appropriate measures based on the most recent available weather reports.

Several Items Confiscated.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Previously on Monday 24th of August the central dispatch received a call that the bar “Son Latinos” was broken into. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding this robbery was carried out using the skills and competencies of the newly founded multidisciplinary team of the justice ministry. This team is under the responsibility of the KPSM. The team is comprised of the Immigration and Border Protection Services, Customs and the St. Maarten Police Force.
In the course of this investigation, a total of five (5) persons, (1) one woman and (4) men, all being from the Dominican Republic were arrested on Tuesday August 25th at the Princess Juliana International Airport €PJIA. During the search of the luggage of the suspects, money, phones and jewelry were confiscated. Further information will be given in a subsequent press release.

Click here to view the items that were confiscated in the Son Latino Investigation.

KPSM Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:----: Previously on Saturday 22nd August at approximately 13:45 pm due to the vigilance of the police patrol two suspects were apprehended after a routine traffic control turned into a chase. As a result of their reckless behavior the two suspects slammed into another car causing damage to the car and injuring the driver of this vehicle. During control of the vehicle the officers noticed that the steering column was completely dismantled and that the vehicle was indeed a stolen vehicle. The two were immediately arrested and brought to the station. The injured driver was transported by ambulance to the St. Maarten Medical Center. At the station it was further discovered that the number plates on this vehicle were also stolen plates. Detectives are busy with the further investigation into this matter.

KPSM Press Release.

Sandy Ground:--- Tourism development and promotion, security and environmental issues were just three of the topics that were discussed during a 3 hour long courtesy visit by Préfête Déléguée, Anne Laubies to the Office of Tourism on Friday, August 21, 2015.

Topping the discussions with the President of the Office of Tourism, Jeanne Rogers-Vanterpool, was the issue of security, especially, at Tourism sites. Among the concerns was Fort Louis which is one of the major tourist attractions on the island. The Préfête as part of the conclusions on the topic has agreed to have the situation at Fort Louis assessed with a view towards a better securing of the area and the visitors who frequent it.

Much of the time was also spent on a review of the new five year Tourism Strategic Plan which has as a primary focus the improvement and introduction of more sustainable practices all across the Tourism Industry. With this new plan, according to the President of the Tourism Office, the island can begin to move forward with the revamping of its tourism product with a view towards supporting and protecting the assets that attract visitors to the island while expanding the number of green tourism products.

Among the current dilemmas discussed on the environmental front was the effectiveness of measures that have so far been employed to keep the beaches in the Northeast of the island free of sargassum. The State’s efforts to control the sargassum is being financed under a 2 million Euro program that has been set up to protect the beaches in the French Caribbean.

French Saint-Martin is also reviewing a more effective means of gathering statistics on visitor arrivals, expenditure and other activities. Statistical data collection has become more critical to the Office as it continues to evaluate its promotional activities. Jeanne Rogers-Vanterpool emphasized just how important Tourism data collection is to the island’s tourism development and made the case, to the Préfête, that facilities for data collection be approved for Saint-Martin within the National Council on Tourism Promotion.
Préfête Laubies also had the opportunity to have a discussion with the various staff members about their efforts to promote the island’s Tourism product.

Mrs. Rogers-Vanterpool in a statement about the meeting said that “The meeting with Madame la Préfête was very valuable from my point of view because it allowed both to trade ideas and views about the issue of Tourism and its promotion for Saint-Martin.” According to Rogers-Vanterpool the Préfête during the discussions indicated that she felt that tourism was the primary economic motor of the island and as such needed to be given the priority deserved, a sentiment which the Tourism Office President said was very encouraging. “This is of course very important and makes me feel very comfortable in working with someone who understands the value of Tourism to the island’s development and its future,” Rogers-Vanterpool said.

>>==C

PHILIPSBURG:--- NAPA Auto, Truck & Marine Parts (SXM) and Windward Islands Bank (WIB) have made it possible for 650 high school students in St. Maarten to have copies of the HYPE Agenda for the 2015 – 2016 academic year.

HYPE Coordinator Zulayka Peterson said the HYPE team is very grateful to both businesses for being good corporate citizens and making it possible for students to get the agendas to use.

“We are very happy to see that these businesses – NAPA Auto Truck & Marine Parts (SXM) and WIB – are supporting a local product and also supporting our young people with a tool that can help in their education,” Peterson said in a press release on Tuesday.

The locally produced Agenda is themed: “The journey travelled to achieve one’s goals.” This is the fifth edition of Hype Agenda. The first one was produced in 2008. Other issues were in 2010, 2013, 2014 and now for the 2015-2016 school year.

The Agendas are specifically tailored for the academic year and cover the months that coincide with the school year making them easy for students to use for school related reminders such as noting down their assignments, projects, homework and other school related things. Also included are useful information such as school vacation dates and study financing information. Pictures taken locally, featuring high school students are also in the Agenda. The HYPE Agenda Team believes that every high school student should have a copy of this agenda.

The coordinating team involves a group of students from the various high schools in St.
Maarten. These students were actively involved in the production process and they determined the information they want to see reflected in the Agenda. They went out and conducted research and wrote most of the enlightening articles and profiles that appear in the Agenda. The articles reflect the general theme and they relate to the youth.

Numerous young and adult role models from right here in St. Maarten as well as from Saba, St. Eustatius and internationally are featured throughout the Agenda, including our past and present national heroes.

Persons who want copies of the HYPE Agendas can get them at Penny's Department Store, Office World, Blue Point, Pete's Photo and at the respective high schools. The Agendas costs NAf. 10 or US $6 each.

Representatives from Caribbean countries are meeting on August 24-25 in Saint Lucia to identify opportunities for collective action on the path towards the full implementation of access rights to information, public participation and justice in environmental matters, enshrined in Principle 10 of the Declaration of the 1992 Rio Summit.

The meeting is organized by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the World Resources Institute (WRI). Participants include representatives from Caribbean countries, experts and members of civil society organizations, who will address the main challenges the sub-region faces on this matter.

The gathering was inaugurated on Monday, August 24 by Diane Quarless, Director of ECLAC’s Sub-regional Headquarters for the Caribbean; Turkessa Benjamin, OECS’s Senior Legal Officer; and Karetta Crooks-Charles, representative from the public of Saint Lucia.

The speakers include Carlos de Miguel, Head of the Policies for Sustainable Development Unit at ECLAC’s Sustainable Development Division; Senator Maureen Payne, Junior Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs in Antigua and Barbuda; Judge Winston Anderson of the Caribbean Court of Justice; Chateram Sinanan, Chairman of the Environmental Commission of Trinidad and Tobago (environmental court); and Damian Cox, Director of the Access to Information Unit of the Jamaican Prime Minister’s Office, among others.

At the meeting, ECLAC will present a preliminary version of the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, drafted at the request of countries from the Negotiating Committee on the regional accord.

In addition, during the meeting participants will analyze the challenges seen in terms of strengthening capacities and cooperation as well as countries’ specific needs for the implementation of the Bali Guidelines.

This event will be followed on Wednesday, August 26 by a workshop on climate change, natural disasters and coastal vulnerability in the Caribbean, where participants will discuss topics such as access to information on climate change and the measurement of the effects of disasters and their impact on the sub-region.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):----  Tropical Storm Erika formed on Monday night east of the Leeward Islands.

On Tuesday morning, the country has been placed under a Tropical Storm Watch. This means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the next 48 hours. Some strengthening of the storm is forecast.

According to the Department of Meteorological Service of Sint Maarten, at 11.00AM Erika was located 720 miles south east of the country.

As a nation, we have for the past couple of days been preparing for Tropical Storm Danny. Danny weakened before it reached the Leeward Islands.

Tropical Storm Erika does not show any weakening over the forecast period. Therefore, maintain your level of preparedness, as Tropical Storm Erika is expected to be in our area within the next two days.

The Office of Disaster Management advises the populace to make preparations to protect life and property. Additional information will be forthcoming on Wednesday after a review of the latest weather data at that point in time with respect to the forecast track of Erika.

On the forecast track, the center of Tropical Storm Erika will approach the Leeward Islands Wednesday or early Thursday bringing tropical storm conditions.

All residents are therefore advised to monitor weather reports (www.meteosxm.com) and check the Government of Sint Maarten website (www.sintmaartengov.org) or the Government of Sint Maarten Facebook Page for official information as it relates to national preparations for the storm.

POINTE BLANCHE::----– Port St. Maarten management said on Monday that due to the approach of Tropical Storm Danny to the Leeward Islands during the past few days, this led cruise lines to review their port call itineraries, and out of the safety of passengers and crew, their visits to the destination were altered.

Oasis of the Seas has cancelled its port call for Wednesday, 26 August and Freedom of the Seas has done the same for Thursday, August 27. Carnival Conquest up to the end of the day on Monday, August 24, was still on schedule to call at destination St. Maarten on Wednesday.

Prior to the arrival of the storm system in the area of the Leeward Islands, two cruise vessels, namely, Carnival Liberty and Adventure of the Seas did make port calls over the weekend.

There was no impact to cargo operations at Port St. Maarten. Over the weekend eight cargo vessels docked and unloaded their cargo, goods and containers and those activities continued up to early Monday morning.

Four vessels namely, Amstel Trader, Vine 3, Melina and Orion, are scheduled to call on Tuesday at the cargo piers.

Port St. Maarten management pointed out that the approach of Tropical Storm Danny to the Leeward Islands allowed management, staff and stakeholders, to activate the port hurricane plan, and everything went according to the protocols established.

Port St. Maarten continues to be vigilant with respect to other weather systems that are east of the Lesser Antilles and ready to take the appropriate action if needed.

PHILIPSBURG:---- With the passing of Hurricane DANNY, WINAIR provided much needed hangar space to several local aviators to ensure protection from the inclement weather. As a precaution, the airline dispatched two of its aircraft to Fort de France, Martinique to ensure their safety, while keeping the third Twin Otter in its hangar together with 4 other, smaller aircraft. WINAIR cancelled its flight operations for Monday, august 24 and expects to resume full operations on Tuesday, August 25th, 2015.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):---- The Breastfeeding Café event recently organized by the section Youth Health Care (YHC) from the Department of Collective Prevention Service (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, along with stakeholders, was a success.

The café attracted 26 persons including facilitators from different organizations and the staff of CPS/YHC.

There were expecting mothers and mothers who already had a baby and also one expecting father.

The evening was opened by Registered Nurse (RN) Ivanca Woodley-Sterling. The first speakers of the evening were Suzette de Cuba and Suella Sandeson, RN’s at White and Yellow Cross (WYC) district nursing.

They spoke about the benefits of breastfeeding, the importance of the first days and the mother and child care program from WYC.

The next speaker was Sabrina Vrutaal, RN and founder of the Educare Foundation. She spoke about the different positions in which you can breastfeed and about the services Educare Foundation is going to offer the community.

The next speaker was Reeder Newton a breastfeeding mother, sharing her experiences with breastfeeding and the commitment she made to breastfeed exclusively for six months. Newton also spoke about breastfeeding and going back to work and how she did that.

Acting Minister of Public Health Hon. Rita Bourne-Gumbs shared her experiences about breastfeeding her three children.

The final session was carried out by midwife Regina Janga and Gesner Orlando Simon, student midwife. This session touched upon the challenges in breastfeeding and ways to prepare for breastfeeding.

During the evening questions were asked and answered either by the professionals or by the other attending mothers.

At the end of the evening some of the attendees stayed to continue talking about breastfeeding.

The evaluation of the evening showed that the attendees thought the breastfeeding café was informative and that they would attend a next breastfeeding café. Some subjects for next sessions were suggested during the evaluation.

Kingdom Council submit harsh request to get permission to issue an instruction on St. Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson and Minister of Finance Maarten Hassink are currently in the Netherlands preparing for meetings they have scheduled with Minister Van der Steur this week to further discuss the issues facing St. Maarten. The Minister travelled to the Netherlands on Sunday while the meetings are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday this week.
Issues such and the statements, conclusions and a report submitted by the Chief of Police of the Netherlands Mr. Bouman who visited St. Maarten last month to inform St. Maarten’s Minister of Justice of the intentions of the Kingdom, one being to have a separate Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for the RST and Royal Marechaussee which was shot down by St. Maarten’s Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson.
Based on the decisions taken by St. Maarten’s Minister of Justice not to allow the Attorney General of the countries Curacao and St. Maarten Guus Schram to establish a separate CID department, the Kingdom Council of Ministers namely Minister Van der Steur and Minister Ronald Plasterk submitted a request with the Kingdom Council of State seeking permission to issue an instruction to St. Maarten in order for them to establish an integrity chamber on St. Maarten.
Click here to read the request submitted to the Kingdom Council of State.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A third suspect identified as J.J 18 years old have been released from pretrial detention on Friday confirmed press prosecutor Karola Van Nie. Van Nie said J. J was in custody as a suspect that was involved in a case of ‘chain snatching with violence.’ Van Nie further explained that case is two years old but the suspect was only caught when they did the house search in St. Peters to arrest the second suspect that was involved in the armed robbery and shooting death of bike patrol Gamali Benjamin.
Van Nie identified the third suspect that is still in custody is J. G 30 years of age who had ammunition when the house search was conducted where the second suspect was arrested. J.L 20 years old is considered to be the second suspect that was involved in the daring daylight armed robbery case along with R.D 23 years old who is still a patient at the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC). Van Nie said that the suspects appeared before the judge of instruction on Friday and their pretrial detention were extended for another eight days. Asked what is the current medical condition of the suspect that is still hospitalized Van Nie said that the suspect cannot be moved from the SMMC and he has to be monitored very closely. She gave no further details on the suspect medical condition. The next time R. D appears before the judge of instruction he will be going for the 60 days pretrial extension, while the two other suspects will appear for the second eight days extension.
Police arrested some six suspects in the ongoing investigation, one being the brother of the main suspect R.D that was shot and arrested the day of the armed robbery. That suspect has been identified as F D, he was accused of tampering with evidence at his brother’s house after the robbery and shooting but was released two days after his arrest.

PwC organises workshop for the financial sector of St. Maarten, Anguilla and the BVI to assist in daily practice of FATCA

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday 9 September 2015, PwC Dutch Caribbean organises a workshop titled “Dealing with FATCA in practice: Are you ready?” at Sonesta Maho Beach Resort in St. Maarten. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) impacts many institutions within the financial sector, such as banks, trust companies, insurance companies and asset managers. Complying with FATCA has proven to be complex and time-consuming.

FATCA is an American legislation with the primary goal of providing the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with an increased ability to detect US tax evaders concealing their assets directly in foreign accounts or indirectly through offshore entities. It aims to accomplish this goal by requiring Foreign Financial Institutions (FFIs) to comply with a new set of tax information reporting and withholding rules as well as investor due diligence and documentation requirements. The consequences of non-compliance include being subject to or liable for a 30% withholding tax on income from US sources and eventually on the gross proceeds from the sale of securities that could produce US sourced interest and dividends.

The U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) works with a number of foreign jurisdictions around the globe on completing Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs) designed to improve international tax compliance and to enable the implementation of the FATCA provisions. So far St. Maarten has not signed an IGA with the US. FFIs in St. Maarten are however required to adhere to the obligations under Treasury Regulations §1.1471 - §1.1474. These regulations address information reporting by FFIs and withholding on certain payments. The BVI has signed a Model 1 IGA, while Anguilla has agreed to sign and may be treated as a Model 1 IGA jurisdiction as well. Therefore their FFIs are required to adhere to the obligations under the local IGA for the implementation of FATCA.

As the implementation of the FATCA obligations have proven to be complex and has significantly impacted financial institutions, PwC has prepared a workshop encompassing the key areas identified through years of expertise dealing with FATCA. The workshop will also include an interactive Q&A session encouraging participants to openly raise the queries that are relevant for their organisation. Considering the foregoing, this workshop is designed to help FFIs make the transition to a FATCA proof organisation successfully.

PHILIPSBURG:---- An endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle nest hatched on Friday at Dawn Beach with some 130 hatchlings emerging from the monitored nest successfully making their way to the sea. The St. Maarten Nature Foundation was contacted by Westin Security Staff alerting that the nest was hatching. Nature Foundation Chief Ranger Etienne Lake, Office Manager Marisa Dyer-Brandy and Intern Riddhi Samthani provided support for the hatchlings headed to see and provided information on sea turtle conservation to the spectators on the beach.
This marks the fourth Sea Turtle Nest that has successfully hatched during the 2015 Sea Turtle Nesting Season, which saw some 400 hatchlings making their way to the sea. Of these only twenty may survive.
“The community has played a key role in assisting the Nature Foundation in managing Turtle Nesting Areas and adhering to the laws regarding the country’s Sea Turtle population. Although this nesting season is slow, we have booked some good results with the help of the local and scientific community during this year’s nesting season,” commented Tadzio Bervoets of the Nature Foundation.
The Nature Foundation, as designated focal point for Sea Turtle Conservation according to the Inter American Sea Turtle Convention, the SPAW Protocol on Endangered Species and Country Representative for the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Network has received specialized training in Sea Turtle conservation, including nest monitoring and hatchling conservation.
Sea turtle population numbers have plummeted to dangerously low numbers throughout the past century due to human impacts, bringing many species close to extinction and causing them to be listed as critically endangered. In order to reverse this trend, all sea turtle species are now protected by international laws and treaties as well as local laws.
Based on ARTICLE 16 and 17 of the Nature Conservation Ordinance St. Maarten it is illegal to kill, wound, capture, pick-up, have animals that belong to a protected animal species, to directly or indirectly disturb their environment resulting in a physical threat or damage to the fauna or to commit other acts which result in disturbance of the animal.
It is also forbidden to upset an animal belonging to a protected species, to disturb damage or destroy its nest, lair, or breeding place, as well as to take the nest of such an animal. Also, it is forbidden to pick-up or to destroy the eggs of animals belonging to a protected species, which Sea Turtles are.
The St. Maarten Nature Foundation has been conducting sea turtle conservation on Sint Maarten since 1997, with conservation activities resulting in seven hundred juvenile sea turtles entering the wild last year alone.
The foundation not only manages the sea turtle population but also protects their endangered habitat and nesting and foraging grounds in sea grass beds and nesting beaches during sea turtle nesting season.

SABA:---- On Sunday, August 23rd, a unilateral collision with a motorcycle occurred around 7:30 PM. Presumably the accelerator of the motorcycle got stuck; that’s why the driver could not stop and drove up against a wall. He was wounded at his shoulder and was transported by ambulance to the hospital for medical treatment. The motorcycle was totally destroyed.

Traffic controls
On Sunday, August 23rd , traffic controls were held at different locations. Fines were issued for driving without a license, not being able to show proof of payment of the tax and driving with an invalid license plate, amongst others.

Scooter found
On Sunday, August 23rd during a patrol around 10.45 PM, a scooter was found behind a building on the Kennip Road. It was a black / gray scooter from the brand Gilera, model Runner, without a registration plate. The scooter was transferred to the police station until the owner reports.

Aanrijding
Op zondag 23 augustus vond omstreeks 19.30 een eenzijdige aanrijding plaats met een motor. Vermoedelijk zat de gashandel van de motor vast waardoor de bestuurder niet kon stoppen en tegen een muur aanreed. Hij werd aan zijn schouder gewond en was met de ambulance naar het ziekenhuis gebracht voor medische behandeling. De motor werd totaal vernield.

Verkeerscontroles
Op zondag 23 augustus werden er op verschillende locaties verkeerscontroles gehouden. Er werden boetes uitgeschreven voor onder andere het rijden zonder rijbewijs, het niet kunnen tonen van een bewijs van betaling van de belasting en het rijden met een niet geldige nummerplaat.

Aangetroffen scooter
Op zondag 23 augustus tijdens een patrouille werd omstreeks 22.45 uur een scooter achter een gebouw aan de Kennip Road gevonden. Het betrof een zwart/grijze scooter van het merk Gilera, model Runner zonder kentekenplaat. De scooter is naar het politiebureau overgebracht totdat de eigenaar zich meldt.

PHILIPSBURG:---  Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, chairman of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), addressed the nation at noon on Monday, August 24 with respect to a situational update in connection with Danny that degenerated into a trough of low pressure on Monday morning after losing its tropical characteristics.
The Prime Minister stated the following in his national address:
“Tropical Depression Danny at 11.00AM was downgraded to a trough of low pressure.
“The country could still experience wind gusts of 30 miles per hour throughout the day and into tonight along with rain showers which could lead to street flooding, residents are asked to be vigilant.
“Having reviewed the latest information, I declare the following:
“All businesses can reopen at the discretion of the business owner based on the availability of their staff.
“Schools as well as daycare centers are to reopen on Tuesday, August 25.
“Government services will resume on Tuesday, August 25 as normal.
“I would like to thank the people of this country for taking this weather event serious.
“Danny quickly became a major category 3 hurricane late last week, but then was downgraded to a tropical storm as it approached the Leeward Islands, and is now a trough of low pressure.
“Seeing how weather systems can be erratic, and based on historical experience of the past, we learn from the past so that we do not repeat the same challenges in the future.
“Our national preparations allowed us to prepare in a timely manner rather than in a haphazard one. Our national preparations were carried out as a precautionary measure – better to be safe than sorry later.
“Every individual home owner and business operator has a responsibility to protect their personal home and business during the hurricane season. These plans should be in place at the beginning of every hurricane season. From what I have observed with this experience in the past days, I say job well done! Do remember, however, not to become complacent because the next day we wake up it’s all fine, the next time things could be different.
“We are still in the hurricane season, until November 30. There are still weather systems coming off the coast of Africa coming towards the Caribbean islands that we must continue as a nation to be vigilant. It’s not over! Continue to monitor the weather reports throughout the season.
“I repeat:
“Having reviewed the latest information, I declare the following:
“All businesses can reopen at the discretion of the business owner based on the availability of their staff.
“Schools as well as daycare centers are to reopen on Tuesday, August 25.
“Government services will resume on Tuesday, August 25 as normal.
“The national preparatory actions taken were of a precautionary nature to safeguard life and property in the event things should change. We made the correct call and we must thank the Almighty that so far everything turned out fine and that we wake up to a nice sunny day,” Marcel Gumbs, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten said on Monday in a national address to the nation.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Court of First Instance station St. Maarten hereby would like to inform the public of the following:

The Courthouse will be closed on Monday, August 24th, 2015 and will resume its regular working hours on Tuesday, August 25th,

2015 weather permitting, from 7:30 am to 12:00 pm and 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm

The sessions for Administrative cases and Bankruptcy cases which were scheduled for Monday, August 24, 2015, will now be

handled on Tuesday, September 1st, 2015. The schedule time will remain the same.

The session for Administrative cases in appeal which were scheduled for Monday, August 24, 2015, will now be handled on

Tuesday, August 25th, 2015. The schedule time will remain the same.

The hearings in criminal cases which were scheduled for Monday, August 24, 2015 will now be handled on Tuesday, August

25th, 2015.

The court session in Sint Eustatius which were scheduled for Tuesday, August 25, 2015, will now be handled on Tuesday,

September 1st, 2015. The schedule time will remain the same. If you are no longer in position of your summon and do not know the time that was mentioned on it, please contact Ms. Shulaika Gustina at The Courthouse (tel. 54-66114 - fax 54-25451).

Mrs. Leona Patrick-Gibbs, Registrar

August 23rd, 2015

SIMPSON BAY:---- The Princess Juliana International Airport, SXM, will remain open Monday, August 24, 2015. This after due consideration has been taken concerning all standard international safety measures related to the passage of a storm.
As all weather reports continue to indicate that Danny is further weakening as it approaches our area, with some reports downgrading it to a tropical depression, it has been determined that the airport will remain open.
Should the weather conditions change the situation will be reevaluated accordingly.
Travelers should contact the respective airlines for flight information.

VKS Commander was not informed.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A well-known former timeshare worker Mariacita Howard aka June-eve of St. Peters got a good beating from an off duty Voluntary Korps Officer (VKS) identified as Roderick Fleming on Friday. Several photographs of the woman showing the injuries she sustained and her phone number has been posted on Facebook.
In an interview with SMN News Howard said that she knows the suspect whom she said is an acquaintance. Howard said on Friday VKS Fleming was celebrating his birthday and she gave him $20.00 and asked Fleming to buy her a pack of cigarettes and a drink for himself and to return her change. Howard said about half an hour later, the VKS officer sent his son to her with the cigarettes and no change which she said was supposed to be $15.00. She said about two hours later, the man showed up at her home while she was cooking and he tried to push $7. In her bosom and she protested. She said she told Fleming he was supposed to return to her with $15 and besides that she gave him the monies in his hands and he should have given her back her change in her hand. Howard said because she protested the off-duty officer jumped on top of her and began beating her in her face and stomach. “I recently had a major surgery and this man who I consider to be a physio jumped on my stomach and kneeled on me while he began beating me in my face and stomach where I had the surgery. I tried my best to push him off of me but I was already severely injured.”
Howard said she was taken to the St. Maarten Medical Center for treatment and she now has a bill of $2.035 to pay. When asked if she filed an official complaint with the police? Howard said she did not but she was trying to reach the commander of the VKS Antonio Rogers.
SMN News contacted Rogers on Sunday afternoon and he said he was not aware of the incident. He said that he will visit Howard because he eventually saw the photographs that were posted on Facebook. Rogers further stated that he has no intention to cover up this matter and he will ensure the suspect is dealt with according to law.

Questions now asked why SMMC did not call in police when victim was taken to the hopital by Ambulance -VKS starts Internal Investigation.

Several persons including those from law enforcement are now asking why did the doctors at the St. Maarten Medical Center(SMMC) did not alert police on Friday when Howard was taken to the institution for medical assistance. Clearly the 68 year old woman suffered several injuries from the beating she got, one of which is a huge cut above her eyes that has 21 stitches.
Ms. Howard also fired some blows at the VKS Officer who attacked and beat her in her home leaving her attacker with a cut above his eyes.
Commander of the Voluntary Korps Antonio Rogers is somewhat disappointed because he said Howard knows him personally, she knows where he lives and despite knowing him she did not contact him to inform him of the incident, instead she went to others in St. Peters looking for help. Rogers said that the VKS is busy investigating the incident and they will take necessary actions when the investigation is completed.
Howard also failed to file a complaint against her attacker. A resident of St.Peters said they know that the commander of the VKS knows Howard very well because they have seen him in the area taking things for her now that she is not working. SMN News will bring you more information when the VKS complete their investigation and chooses to speak to the media.

PHILIPSBURG:--- TelEm Group announced Sunday that all company locations will be closed Monday as a precautionary measure from Tropical Storm Danny.

According to Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Mrs. Helma Etnel, while it appears Danny is heading further south than expected and also despite the fact that the Tropical storm is continuing to weaken, the threat of heavy rain, flash floods and mudslides remains present, therefore in the interest of the safety of TelEm Group staff, company offices will close to the public Monday.

Staff required for emergency work immediately after the storm passes will be contacted directly by their managers, supervisors or team leaders. Mrs. Etnel said business hours will resume on Tuesday.

She urged employees to continue to monitor the weather and not to drop their guard because or reports that conditions are become more favourable.

“We want personnel to be safe and to take all necessary precautions to protect themselves and their families,” said Mrs. Etnel.

PHILIPSBURG:----  Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, chairman of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), received an update on Sunday from members of the EOC about the current status of Tropical Storm Danny. The actions being taken by the Government of Sint Maarten are of a precautionary nature. The Prime Minister gave a national address with respect to the current decisions that have been taken.
“Tropical Storm Watch remains in effect for Sint Maarten as a precautionary measure. The system is expected to pass further to the south of the country based on information received from Sunday morning.

“Forecast rainfall could be two to four inches. In the event of continuous heavy rainfall, the possibility does exist for land slippages and those living in hillside areas should exercise caution. Due to the drought situation that the country has experienced over the past months, flooding is possible, as the water may not drain directly into the ground.

“Weather conditions are forecasted to deteriorate late Sunday night or early Monday morning.

“Waste haulage companies were busy on Saturday picking up garbage and will continue to do so until Sunday afternoon. GEBE operations based on current data in connection with electricity and water services will continue undisrupted we expect. St. Peters Hurricane Shelter, Rupert Maynard, will be open as a precautionary measure.

“Schools are closed on Monday, August 24 as well as daycare centers. Government services are also closed on Monday, August 24.

“All businesses are to be closed from 10.00PM Sunday evening, August 23 until further notice. This includes restaurants and casinos. The aforementioned decision related to businesses will be evaluated based on the latest weather reports as that becomes available from the Meteorological Services.

“Staff who provides essential services for Hotel operations, the aforementioned can continue to remain open based on the hotel’s disaster plan in providing hospitality services to our visitors.

“Airlines services continue to operate as normal on Sunday. In connection with Monday, August 24, travelers should call their respective airlines for information.

“The landfill will remain open on Sunday until sunset.

“The actions taken to date and in connection for Monday, August 24, are of a precautionary nature to safeguard life and property in the event things should change.

“Let me repeat this once again:

“The actions taken to date and in connection for Monday, August 24, are of a precautionary nature to safeguard life and property in the event things should change.

“I will address the nation at noon on Monday, August 24 to give an update with respect to the situation,” Marcel Gumbs, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten said on Sunday in a national address to the nation.

As of early Sunday morning, convection (shower and t-storm activity) was displaced to the north of the circulation center due to a "wall of wind shear" near the Caribbean.
Wind shear can blow convection away from the center from a tropical cyclone. If strong enough, it can rip apart existing tropical cyclones. In addition, those increasing west to southwest winds aloft will transport more dry air into the circulation of Danny. This dry air is also stable, meaning it suppresses upward vertical columns of air needed to maintain or form new thunderstorms.
The large-scale atmosphere Danny has moved into, as well as its expected track over land areas of the Caribbean, will induce further weakening with time.
Even though Danny is weakening, numerous tropical storm watches and warnings have been issued for the northeast Caribbean islands. Additional watches may be issued soon for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Danny remains a tiny tropical cyclone, with tropical storm-force winds extending up to only about 60 miles from the center of circulation. Comparisons were made Thursday to the much larger west Pacific typhoons Goni and Atsani.
(INTERACTIVE: Satellite Loop of Danny)
While weakening, Danny will move generally toward the west-northwest the next several days. Our latest forecast indicates the center of Danny would approach the Leeward Islands sometime early Monday morning, most likely as a tropical storm.
Given Danny's small wind field, the exact track of the center of circulation will determine who will see tropical storm-force winds in the Leewards Monday.
A weakening Danny would then continue toward the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Hispanola Tuesday into Wednesday. It is possible that Danny may be a tropically depression or even a remnant low by that time.

Danny Rainfall Outlook
That said, it seems probable at least some bands of locally heavy rain will wrap into parts of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. This could end up being too much of a good thing in the drought-stricken region.

Click here to get constant update on Tropical Storm Danny.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- A meeting of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was convened on Saturday at the Fire & Ambulance Building in Cay Hill where the various Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) gave briefings with respect to preparations for Hurricane Danny.

The meeting was opened by Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and the National Disaster Coordinator Clive Richardson.

The Meteorological Department of St. Maarten informed the EOC about the latest information from the National Hurricane Center. The country is now under a Tropical Storm Watch. Despite Hurricane Danny is weakening, the community (residents, businesses) are advised to take the necessary measures and prepare for tropical storm conditions. Hurricane Danny is forecast to pass the country on Monday.

Residents are advised to have a first aid kit handy; residents are also reminded that during the height of the passing of the storm, requests for emergency assistance will be limited due to the safety of the personnel from the emergency services with respect to being able to navigate through dangerous conditions.

A national address will take place on Sunday at 1.00PM from the Government Administration Building and will be rebroadcasted every hour via the local radio stations with a rebroadcast via St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 20 from 3.00PM to 11.00PM.

GEBE – ESF 1
Residents are advised to fill up water containers and have bottled water as a back-up in case water national water supply grid has to be shut down as a precautionary measure. GEBE has already taken measures to fill the water tanks throughout the country.

Ministry VROMI – ESF 3
The ministry reports that the mouths of various ponds have been opened as a precautionary measure; floodgates have been tested and water levels in the Fresh Water Pond have been reduced; the three storm water pumps have been tested and are in standby mode; the landfill has been prepared and is ready; the clearing of trenches continues and road closures are being coordinated with the Police.

Ministry VROMI is overseeing the clearing of certain areas along the Ring Road with respect to trenches. Drivers are advised to stay off the Ring Road.

Police Force – ESF 5
Members of the Police Force are on standby and building infrastructure has been prepared. Police Sub Stations in Maho, Cole Bay and Simpson Bay will be open and accessible to the public in case of an emergency. The Voluntary Corps of Sint Maarten will be working with the Police and military assistance that was requested has been approved and the marines will be assisting the national police where necessary.

The Marines will be based in Pointe Blanche. They are ready to assist in carrying out any damage assessment and remain on standby for any assistance that will be required.

Ministry of Public Health (VSA) – ESF 6 & 7
SMMC Medical Center operating, outpatient clinic and dialysis department as well as the administrative department will be closed on Monday. Dialysis for patients will take place on Sunday, August 23.

Services continue at the While & Yellow Cross, but the educational facility and psycho geriatric center are closed as a precautionary measure.

Hurricane shelters will only be opened based on the decision of the EOC after evaluating weather reports and forecast. Those who feel unsafe at home should prepare early and make arrangements with family or friends.

The listing of hurricane shelters are: New Testament Baptist Church (A.C. Cannegieter Street, Philipsburg), Sr. Marie-Laurence School (Ellis drive 1, Middle Region), St. Maarten Academy (Cupper drive, Cul de Sac), Milton Peters College (L.B. Scott, South Reward), Rupert I. Maynard Youth Community Centre (St. Peters road, St. Peters), Leonard Connor School (Venus drive, Cay Bay), Allan C. Halley Community Centre (Simpson Bay road 27, Simpson Bay), The Salvation Army Building (Union road 59, Cole Bay), Christian Fellowship Church (Welfare road 95, Cole Bay).
Ministry of General Affairs – ESF 9
Measures have been taken to protect all Government buildings and infrastructure and generators are on standby.

Ministry TEATT – ESF 10
No flights have been canceled at this point in time. Port St. Maarten remains operational. Both ports of entry continue to monitor closely the progress of Hurricane Danny. The Tourist Bureau has been in contact with hotels with respect to their preparedness status and measures.

Another meeting of the EOC is planned for late Sunday morning.

Because of the unpredictable behaviour of hurricane Danny, the Commander Netherlandse Forces in the Caribbean decided today to deploy units from Curacao and Aruba to St. Maarten en Statia. These units are originated from the Royal Netherslands Navy, the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard and the Aruban Militia. The permanent detachment that is stationed on St. Maarten is in a high alert state. Military personnel is prepared to deliver aid and assistance before and after the passage of hurricane Danny.

Hoewel de orkaan Danny de laatste dagen leek af te zwakken, is de gang van een orkaan niet geheel te voorspellen. Daarom heeft de Commandant Zeemacht in het Caribische Gebied vandaag besloten om vanaf Curacao en Aruba eenheden naar St. Maarten en St. Eustatius te sturen. Deze eenheden zijn afkomstig van de Koninklijke Marine, de Kustwacht Caribisch Gebied en de Arubaanse Mililtie. Ook het permanente detachement dat op St. Maarten is gestationeerd, is in een verhoogde staat van paraatheid gebracht. De militairen staan gereed om de bewoners van de Bovenwindse Eilanden zowel voor als na de passage van Danny bijstand te bieden.

No More Miltary Personnel Needed as Danny Weakens.

As you read in my previous press release, the Commander Netherlands Forces in the Caribbean decided to send military personnel from Curacao and Aruba to St. Maarten en Statia. This was a request from the local authorities. Medical personnel, communicatin specialists and a staffmember arrived on Statia yesterday. The permanent marine detachment on St. Maarten was brought in a high alert state.

Last night, hurricane Danny decreased in force. Local authorities suggested no further assistance is necessary. The Commander Netherlands Forces decided not to send more personnel.

One of the main tasks of the military personnel of the Commander Netherlandse Forces in the Caribbean, is to deliver assistance and aid to the local authorities after the passage of a hurricane. This is trained yearly during the Hurricae Relief Exercise. Therefore, the military personnel of the Commander Netherlands Forces is well prepared for this task.

Ik ben bereikbaar voor verdere vragen. I am available for further questions.

Zoals u in mijn vorige bericht heeft gelezen, heeft de Commandant der Zeemacht in het Caribische Gebied gister op verzoek van de lokale autoriteiten besloten om extra personeel naar St. Eustatius te sturen in voorbereiding op orkaan Danny. Dit is medisch personeel, specialisten in communicatieverbindingen en een staffunctionaris. Op St. Maarten is het permante detachement mariniers in verhoogde staat van paraatheid gebracht.

Vannacht is orkaan Danny in kracht afgenomen. Daarom is, op aangeven van dezelfde autoriteiten, besloten om geen extra eenheden richting de Bovenwindse Eilanden te sturen.

Het verlenen van militaire bijstand aan lokale autoriteiten na de passage van een orkaan is een van de hoofdtaken van de militairen van de Commandant Zeemacht in het Caribische Gebied. Dit wordt jaarlijks getraind tijdens de zogenaamde Hurricane Relief Exercise. Dit maakt dat de militairen goed zijn voorbereid op deze taak.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The board of the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) though their attorney has submitted a criminal complaint against the former director of the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) Henry Lynch. Press Prosecutor Karola Van Nie confirmed that the prosecutor’s office received a criminal complaint on August 4th 2015. Van Nie did not give any details on the criminal complaint that was filed.
The board of the SMHDF had a forensic audit done on the books of the SMHDF foundation which SMN News understands has been completed which gave the SMHDF the much needed ammunition they needed to file the criminal complaint.
Henry Lynch and two of his other colleagues were suspended, shortly after that Lynch was terminated from his position while the two other employees were reinstated back to their jobs based on a court decision rendered earlier this year.

On Sunday SMN News discovered that Henry Lynch made a very daring post on his Facebook page after SMN News wrote this article. It should be noted that when the scandal at the SMHDF broke several shot were fired at Elston Fos home in Belveredere. Police was investigating this case but to date no one knows if it was ever solved.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):--- The Department of Disaster Management (ODM) hereby informs the Sint Maarten community that the country is now under a Tropical Storm Watch as Hurricane Danny approaches the Leeward Islands.

Under a Tropical Storm Watch; the watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area generally within 48 hours.

Hurricane Danny is forecast to pass just south of the country on Monday.

Residents should use the weekend (Saturday, Sunday) daylight hours to take all precaution to protect life and property (secure anything in their yard that could blow away eg. Plastic containers, garbage bins etc.)

Contractors should secure construction and building sites.

The Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS) says that at 11.00am on Saturday Hurricane Danny was located 660 miles east south east of the country; sustained wind speeds are 90 miles per hour with higher gusts, status category 1 hurricane; moving west north west at 12 miles per hour.

National storm/hurricane preparation news and updates can also be found on the Government website www.sintmaartengov.org and on the “Government of Sint Maarten” Facebook Page.

MDS will be providing weather bulletins with respect to localized weather conditions anticipated from Hurricane Danny. For weather updates, visit the MDS website: www.meteosxm.com

ODM will continue to monitor the progress of the hurricane and provide updates as soon as possible once they are made available by the MDS and NHC.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):---  Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that there is a partial road closure on the L.B. Scott Road near the Emilio Wilson Park for Saturday morning until part of the afternoon.

The temporary road closure if from Gladiola road to the Flamboyant road for through traffic.

The closure is in connection with emergency trench cleaning with respect to Hurricane Danny.

Motorists should follow traffic re-routing signs while passing through the area.
Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Department of Communication hereby makes known that the Miami 2 St. Maarten Showdown Roy Jones Jr. and Danny Santiago fight, which Government contributed to, is postponed until further notice.

Due to the expected nature of Hurricane Danny which is scheduled to be around St. Maarten on Monday, the fight had to be pushed up.

Postponement is based on the safety and security of the fighters, general and traveling public.

More information will be forthcoming in the near future about the fight, and a new date will be announced. Fighters a still anxious to meet in the ring.

Tickets sold to the fight will be honored by the boxing promoter, Archie Keaton Entertainment.

PHILIPSBURG:---- Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, on Friday afternoon met with the Prefete of St. Martin and St. Barths Anne Laubies and Vice President Guillaume Arnell regarding preparations for Hurricane Danny.
The Prefet and the Prime Minister briefed each other on the preparations that have been taken so far in preparation for Hurricane Danny.
A number of points were agreed upon with respect to the coordination and synchronization of certain activities in times of pre- and post-natural disaster events.
After each Emergency Operations Center or Disaster Committee meeting, the government representatives will exchange decisions that have come out of those meetings.
The closure of businesses was also another point to be coordinated between both sides of the island; closure of airports will also be coordinated; and both sides will also exchange communications that are disseminated to the public with respect to information and actions that need to be taken.
“The meeting with the Prefet was very informative. As one island there should be some coordination at the disaster management level and this was what this meeting was about,” Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs said on Friday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The prosecutor’s office have decided to remove Prosecutor Gonda van der Wulp from the case against the Buncamper’s which is scheduled to be heard on September 9th 2015. SMN News understands Prosecutor Van der Wulp took photographs with her cellular phone during the house search at the Buncamper’s residence earlier this year.
SMN News further learnt that the lawyer representing the Buncamper's Attorney at Law Jairo Bloem filed a complaint against the prosecutor thus leading for her being taken off the case. Several phone calls made to Attorney Bloem on Friday for a comment proved futile on Friday.
In an invited comment press prosecutor Karola van Nie confirmed that Van Wulp has been taken off the case and has been replaced by Dounia Bennamar. Van Nie said that the removal of Van Wulp from the Buncamper’s case has nothing to do with a complaint filed by anyone including the attorney representing the Buncamper’s. Van Nie refused to comment further on the removal of her colleague from the case, she even refused to give the reasons why the Prosecutor’s Office decided to replace Van der Wulp. Van Nie said the Prosecutor’s office will explain their reasons and what really transpired during the hearing which is scheduled for September 9th 2015. "We have decided not to discuss this matter in the media but will give full discloser to the court when the case is heard. We will also tell the court  what happened and what the legal consequences should be according to the prosecutor's office." Van Nie did not say what other sanctions were issued against Van der Wulp other than her removal from the case.

PHILIPSBURG:---- United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake would like to see the different Community Councils play a more active role by advising the residents and helping the senior citizens protect their homes during the Hurricane season.

“As the co-founder of the St. Peters Community Council, I am missing that community togetherness where we use to give out flyers and do community a walk through advising all residents especially those that live in vulnerable prone areas within the districts to prepare for the hurricane season.

“The Community Council leaders needs to go around and check on the residents and senior citizens to make sure all flying debris are secure and help them protect against flying objects that can damage their homes.

“Encourage clean ups in the area. As a Member of Parliament, I still do it within the St. Peters/Marigot Hill area informing all residents to get ready for this Hurricane Season and to buy their basic emergency needs, water, food and emergency kit.
“Educate the residents in the vulnerable prone areas about the do's and don'ts during a hurricane and listen to your radio for updates during the passing of the hurricane. Simple things makes a big difference of promoting safety in the different communities.

“As a community, we have to understand we don't need Government to do everything for us, we also need to be pro-active and do for ourselves and help our neighbours that don't have.

“All community Councils should check with Government to make sure the Shelters are ready and to make sure every resident knows where the shelters are in case of an emergency.

“It's high time, we get back to basics as a community and help our neighbours and seniors properly prepare for this Hurricane Season. We need to get out of the self-mode of "once my family okay, everything is okay, and give a helping hand to your neighbour or your community,” UP MP Maurice Lake concluded.

POINTE BLANCHE:--- Port St. Maarten hereby announces that cruise vessels scheduled to visit this weekend are still on schedule to do so.

Hurricane Danny is several hundred miles away from destination St. Maarten, and that would not disrupt in anyway the arrival of the vessels over the weekend.

Vessels scheduled to visit are Carnival Liberty on Saturday, August 22 and Adventure of the Seas on Sunday, August 23.

WILLEMSTAD:--- Today, Tatiana Saturnino-Felix (owner of Tera Percussions) presented a bari drum painted with the likeness of the Obama family to Acting Consul General (CG) Hormazd Kanga. Acting Consul General Kanga will send the drum to U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on behalf of Curaçao.

Musicians from the island joined Acting CG Kanga and the staff of the U.S. Consulate General
Curaçao for a performance and presentation at the historic Roosevelt House.

At the presentation, Acting CG Kanga said: “It is often said that music is the universal language. This drum represents many things. It depicts the creative talents of an inspiring artist. It represents the rich culture and musical traditions of Curaçao. And of course, it represents the centuries-old friendship between the people of the United States and Curaçao, in which we can all take pride, as the bari drum represents.”

Ms. Saturino-Feliz also presented Acting CG Kanga with a bari drum that will be on permanent display at the Roosevelt House.

COLE BAY:----  Understand your subject and know what you want your students to learn was the underlying message at this week’s Teacher Orientation Workshop, organized by St. Maarten Academy.
Teachers of three of the four high schools on the south of the island that offer examinations through the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) on Thursday and Friday participated in a two-day workshop to allow them to better prepare them to sit the regional examinations.
Close to 100 teachers and administrators from St. Maarten Academy’s academic campus, St. Dominic High School, and Charlotte Brookson Academy gathered at The Little Well Oasis in Cole Bay for the sessions. The workshop was a collaborative effort between the three School Boards (Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education, Catholic School Board, and Charlotte Brookson Academy) and the Head of Examinations Division and the Local Registrar of the Ministry of Education, Ms. Yvette Halley.
The workshops were facilitated by CXC curriculum developers Mrs. Alsian Brown-Perry and Dr. Annette Piper who reminded educators of what is needed in order to achieve the best results at both CSEC and CAPE.
Educators were urged to read the rationale of their specific subject syllabuses, interpret them for students, and develop the aims and specific objectives accordingly. “Get students and parents to download all their CXC Syllabuses,” Mrs. Perry urged.
Local Registrar Yvette Halley during the opening lauded Academy’s Principal Drs. Tallulah Baly-Vanterpool who took the bold initiative to make contact with CXC’s Registrar to bring the training to St. Maarten. She urged teachers to take the knowledge and tools imparted during the workshop to enhance the classroom experience for students.
“At the end of the day, no matter which school we represent, we are partners in education. This workshop is not about us, it is about the success of the young people of St. Maarten”, said Baly-Vanterpool. “We are all serious about education and this workshop is a step in that direction, especially since we see the collaboration of the other high schools. This workshop is not about us, but what we can do to help the youth of St. Maarten.”
During the first day, the visiting facilitators analyzed the CAPE (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination) and CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) syllabuses, planning to finish before the May/June examinations, and the role of the teacher in the School-Based Assessment (SBA), among other things.
Day two emphasized the importance of developing the table of specifications, differentiated instruction, dealing with multiple intelligences, ICT and curriculum implementation, and the impact teachers have on how students learn. Teachers were urged to teach students how questions should be answered.
The sessions also provided clarity about CAPE and allowed for teachers at that level to receive feedback, since the programme was only introduced through St. Maarten Academy in September 2014. The interactive workshop saw educators networking, sharing ideas, and resources. They were also encouraged to apply to become CXC markers in their particular subject areas, especially since the body is moving more and more to e-marking.
“It will inform the way you teach, the way you set your assessments,” said Mrs. Perry.
CXC offers examinations in 33 subjects in 19 territories, including Suriname, in January and May/June every year.

PHILIPSBURG:--- NAGICO Insurances officially launched its second annual back to school campaign at the MAC Rev. A. Gumbs Campus on Thursday evening, in their quest to afford the children of St. Maarten a fair chance to an education which they deserve.
The MAC Rev. A. Gumbs Campus was randomly selected as the second school in this campaign which will run from August 2015/ June 2016 school year. The program was very welcomed by the Management, staff and parents of the school during their first Parent Teacher assembly at the school's campus on Thursday night, where representatives from NAGICO Insurances attended the meeting and gave a brief introduction of the NAGICO Little Stars program.
The objective of this program is to encourage our students to stay in school and excel in their studies. At the end of the school year; the top student who displayed excellence in their attendance, behavior and academics will be awarded a scholarship in the amount of NAF900.00 to be used towards the child's tuition, the purchasing school supplies and or uniforms.
The NAGICO Little Stars Program is an annual event which we hope to continue and introduce to various schools throughout the island.

Following the press release of July 27, 2015 about the investigation Hector, the Prosecutor’s Office BES reports the following: under the circumstances that the accused is no longer in custody, the team has considered what this means for the investigation tactics. Several additional studies have been taking place in the forensic area. The investigation team is still working closely together with the Dutch Forensic Institute. The results of the forensic examination reveal new research opportunities that the team is investigating.
Nationale Politie (The Police Force of The Netherlands) announced that The Netherlands again made additional specialized detectives available. Police and Prosecutor’s office in the Caribbean Netherlands appreciate this very much, because it provides more research possibilities.
No statements can be made regarding the development of the ongoing investigation.

Update onderzoek Hector

In vervolg op het persbericht 27 juli, 2015 kan het Openbaar Ministerie BES over het onderzoek Hector het volgende worden gemeld: onder de omstandigheden dat de verdachte op vrije voeten is, heeft het team gekeken wat die invrijheidstelling voor de onderzoekstaktiek betekent. Er zijn diverse aanvullende onderzoeken op forensich gebied gestart. Daarin wordt nog steeds nauw samengewerkt met het Nederlands Forensisch Instituut. De resultaten van het forensisch onderzoek geven weer nieuwe onderzoeksmogelijkheden waar het team druk mee is.
De Nationale Politie heeft desgevraagd al laten weten dat Nederland weer extra, gespecialiseerde rechercheurs beschikbaar stelt. Politie en justitie in Caribisch Nederland waarderen dat zeer, want dat geeft nog meer onderzoeksmogelijkheden.
Over de inrichting van het onderzoek worden geen mededelingen gedaan.

PHILIPSBURG:--- IGY MARINAS, owner of The Yacht Club Isle de Sol and the Simpson Bay Marina on St. Maarten, recently sponsored the Foresee Foundation’s DigiKids initiative and fully supports their vision to bring 21st century learning to St. Maarten classrooms.
Director of Marina Operations and Planning for IGY Marinas, Mr. Brian Deher, commented that “IGY was very impressed with Foresee’s mission and strategy for implementing their goal of providing students, teachers and management with the infrastructure and training necessary to give our children the opportunity to use computers and other IT technology that will help them be more successful throughout their lives.” Mr. Deher went on to say that “I have had the opportunity to work with Mrs. Sommers on other initiatives to help improve the educational opportunities offered on St. Maarten and she has always proven herself to be extremely professional and dedicated so we trust that under her guidance the Foresee Foundation will be successful in accomplishing its goals.”
Foresee Foundation complimented IGY Marinas and Mr. Deher for their generous support and expressed its gratitude, knowing that Mr. Deher and his company always show a great heart towards education and its St. Maarten students. The donation will be used to further equip Helmich Snijders Christian School in St. Peters.
The Foundation is planning to have its 3rd DigiKidz school finalized by the end of this year. Currently the network structure is being installed after which the ICT and technology equipment will be purchased.
Treasurer of Foresee, John de Vroom expressed his gratitude and emphasized the importance of the donation towards education as youth these days needs to be engaged in learning in a different way than 50 years ago. Technology definitely contributes to making learning more exciting and productive. Jose Verschueren-Sommers, President added that it is a truly humbling and extremely rewarding experience to receive all this positive feedback and amazing donations from so many involved persons and organizations in our community. The board members, the 12- person DigiKidz team and DigiKidz schools are all very impressed with the high level of support by the local community and would like to thank all sponsors and supporters.
Other Interested persons and organizations who would also like to join in co-sponsoring the DigiKidz projects can contact the board at 581 5050 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):---- Ministry Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (Ministry TEATT), hereby announces that a maximum prices for hurricane related supplies has been established and are in effect August 1, 2015 through November 30, 2015.

It is, therefore forbidden to sell any of the listed items above the maximum prices stipulated during the abovementioned period.

By means of this announcement through the national gazette, the public will be notified when this regulation is no longer in effect.

The public announcement is available on the Government website www.sintmaartengov.org under Ministry Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication under the following link: http://www.sintmaartengov.org/announcements/Pages/Public-Announcement-Maximum-Prices-for-hurricane-related-supplies.aspx

The listing can also be found on the Government of Sint Maarten Facebook Page. The items will also be published in the daily newspapers on Saturday, August 22.

PHILIPSBURG:----  Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, chairman of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), was informed on Friday morning in a mini EOC meeting about national preparations by the National Disaster Coordinator/Fire Chief Clive Richardson and other key Emergency Support Functions about the current state of affairs, and what the country can expect with respect to the approaching weather system which is currently Hurricane Danny.

The Prime Minister addressed the nation via radio at lunchtime on Friday: “The current forecast as of Friday morning, has Hurricane Danny passing through our area on Monday.
“You will be continuously informed over the weekend via radio, the Governments Website and Governments Facebook Page as the situation develops.
“Heavy rains can be expected with the passing of this weather system which can lead to street flooding and land slippages/mudslides.
“Schools are to be closed on Monday, August 24 as a precautionary measure.
“Business closure will be decided upon over the weekend if this is necessary. We have to review the latest weather reports that come in over the weekend to determine further actions.
“The various trenches and drains have been cleared to allow the free flow of storm water that could be expected. The pumps are operational and on standby.
“In connection with low lying areas around the ponds, the overflow system of the Fresh and Little Bay Pond will be prepared for a fast-run off of excess water.
“A request for military assistance by the local marines has been requested by the Ministry of General Affairs.
“The listing of hurricane shelters are: New Testament Baptist Church (A.C. Cannegieter Street, Philipsburg), Sr. Marie-Laurence School (Ellis drive 1, Middle Region), St. Maarten Academy (Cupper drive, Cul de Sac), Milton Peters College (L.B. Scott, South Reward), Rupert I. Maynard Youth Community Centre (St. Peters road, St. Peters), Leonard Connor School (Venus drive, Cay Bay), Allan C. Halley Community Centre (Simpson Bay road 27, Simpson Bay), The Salvation Army Building (Union road 59, Cole Bay), Christian Fellowship Church (Welfare road 95, Cole Bay).
“Continue to follow the latest reports regarding Hurricane Danny via local radio stations; the Government Website and the Government Facebook Page where information will be posted as it becomes available.
“Take the necessary measures required to protect your home and business. Use this time now to review your annual hurricane season kit,” Marcel Gumbs, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten said on Friday in a national address to the nation.

\

Click here for the latest updates on Hurricane Danny

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Department of Communication will rebroadcast the funeral services of Sergeant Gamali Benjamin, who was laid to rest on Thursday, August 13th in the presence of thousands of mourners including his family, friends and colleagues from the Ministry of Justice and in general from the Government Civil Service Core of Sint Maarten.

For those persons who could not attend or who did not see the entire service, DCOMM has made arrangements to rebroadcast the Funeral services on the two local television Networks as follows: TV Carib (WTN Cable channel 10) from 2.00 pm to 5.30 pm and on SXM Cable TV, channel 120 at 7 pm to 10:30 pm. Both of these events will be aired on Saturday, August 22nd.

The TV special of the funeral service will also be available online via YouTube/Government of Sint Maarten.

Susan Best to light up Marigot.

GREAT BAY- With its main objective being to raise funds for local community and religious foundations, the Christian Women Networking Fellowship will tonight, Friday August 21, host a benefit concert in aid of several outreach projects.
Billed as a free event, the activity will transform the Lazy Bay Parking Lot, in Concordia Marigot, into a mecca of cultural and informative stalls offering food, drink, art and craft and helpful information.
Foundation president Gladys Housen said that the highlight of the evening will be the simultaneous gospel concert featuring songs, dance and poetry. Anguilla's Susan Best is expected to headline this concert and she will appear alongside local gospel acts such as Benjamin Bell, Malika Maxwell, rapper Torch and spoken word poet, Stephanie Leonora.
Housen said that since her foundation’s establishment, she has installed a group of vibrant and hardworking women who are passionate about making a positive contribution to the island.
She explained that this is the first major public activity for the organization but brunch meetings are usually held every first Saturday of the month at Carl & Son’s café on the Pondfill.
This is the outlet that allows women to discuss fresh ideas, network and present their pet projects in a supportive forum, Housen noted. In the past, the group collaborated with Art Saves Lives Foundation and the Women of Worth And Purpose (WOW-AP) association.
The summer night of fellowship, praise and worship gets underway tonight at 7:00pm. Patrons are asked to arrive early to secure parking and enjoy all of the evening’s entertainment.

POINTE BLANCHE:---  Port St. Maarten management is closely monitoring the progress of Hurricane Danny which was located on Thursday afternoon over 1000 miles from the Lesser Antilles.

Internal initial preparations have already commenced at Port St. Maarten, and if necessary additional full scale storm/hurricane measures will be taken when additional information becomes available from the Meteorological Service with respect to the approach of the tropical storm to the Lesser Antilles in the coming days.

Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority SLAC bridge attendants are on notice for the upcoming weather system. Vessels that wish to enter or exit the lagoon are asked to hail the bridge attendant on Marine VHF Channel 12. The bridge will continue to open on scheduled times.

Simpson Bay Bridge:

08:30 out
09:30 in
10:30 out
11:30 in
15:00 in
16:00 out
17:00 in

Causeway:

08:15
10:00
11:45
15:30
17:15

In the past foreign registered cargo vessels have entered the Simpson Bay lagoon seeking shelter. These vessels caused considerable damages to life and property.

The Lagoon Authority SLAC is seeking legal and government’s assistance to advise what actions can be legally taken to minimize these risks and which legal actions can be taken against perpetrators for compensation of losses.

Owners and operators of foreign cargo vessels are urged to take note of the path of any systems and take actions to secure their property, other than entering the lagoon.

Vessels entering the lagoon for shelter are advised to take down all sails and awnings to decrease wind area. Use the largest anchor and chain available and ensure that proper chafing gear is in place. Make early preparations.

If there are any extra openings these will be broadcast on local media.

GREAT BAY:---- The Department of Disaster Management (ODM) is closely monitoring the progress of the season’s first hurricane. Danny became a hurricane on Thursday morning.

The system is still several days away from the Leeward Islands, but ODM advises residents to start cleaning their yards by removing any debris that could damage their home or surrounding buildings. Business owners should also do the same as a precautionary measure.

We are in the hurricane season, and the aforementioned are standard measures that should be taken in the event bad weather.

Contractors are urged to review construction and building sites, and see what measures need to be taken to secure the aforementioned during the coming days. Loose wood and other construction items could become a flying projectile during high winds and cause severe damage.
All residents, businesses and contractors must also take note to remove any containers that could collect water. This measure is to prevent mosquito breeding.

At 5.00pm on Thursday Hurricane Danny was located 1030 miles east of the Lesser Antilles.

ODM would like to reiterate that hurricane shelters should be considered as a last resort. As part of your hurricane season pre-planning, always have a plan in place to stay with family or friends if you do not feel safe in your own home. Put these arrangements in place beforehand.

For weather updates, visit the website of the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS): www.meteosxm.com

ODM will continue to monitor the progress of the hurricane. Additional updates will be provided. The Department of Communication (DCOMM) emergency radio broadcast is functional and can be found at 107.9 FM in the event of an emergency can be activated.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The two senior employees of GEBE power-plant that were suspended on Monday are now facing immediate termination as the reports on the internal and independent investigations that were conducted at the government owned company have been completed.
Reliable information reaching SMN News states that the two employees namely Ray Carty, the manager of the Cape Bay power-plant and Elmo Williams a supervisor in the mechanical division of the said power-plant are directly involved in the theft of two truck-loads of copper that were stolen from the power-plant.
According to the information SMN News gathered is that the former Chief Operations Officer Romelio Maduro contracted some Dominicanos to dismantle six old engines at GEBE in exchange for the copper and the old engines. It is said that Maduro did not place the job on bid instead he made a verbal agreement with the contractors who had their workers working in exchange for the copper and old engines. However, two truck-loads of copper were stolen and sold to someone on the Landfill. SMN News understands that the person who bought the copper already paid the sellers half of the amount and management of GEBE intends to also file criminal complaints against all the employees that were involved in the theft including the person who bought the stolen copper. A source close to the Supervisory Board said that the board intends to make an example out of the persons that stole the copper because there are men who worked for months dismantling the old engines and they were left empty handed.
SMN News learnt that even the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Rene Gartner has to watch himself because the Supervisory Board means business and they will not allow anyone to get away with theft. The source said Gartner was told in meetings if he messed up the investigation severe actions will be taken against him also. Prior to the suspension of the two senior employees another employee that was working at the power-plant through a job placement agency was also suspended.

PHILIPSBURG:---- The Central Committee of Parliament that was scheduled to meet behind closed doors with the entire Council of Ministers on Friday has been postponed.

The request for postponement came from the Prime Minister due to the approaching hurricane and the necessary preparations that have to be undertaken to ensure everything is in place.

The second reason, additional time is needed to review the proposed plan of approach as drafted by the Ministries by their respective Ministers.
The closed door Central Committee meeting was scheduled for August 21 at 10.00am.

The agenda point is a discussion on the comprehensive approach of Government to accomplish short term results with regards to the recent spate of crime on Sint Maarten.

SIMPSON BAY:--- It was not all about aviation and airports. The recently concluded media tour of the island organized by the Princess Juliana International Airport, SXM, for a group of international journalists drawn from the US, Canada, the UK, and Spain also featured interviews with some of the island’s leading cultural workers.
Videographer Kristen Kellogg, a contributor to Travel Reel, Feed Me Travel, Skype Travel Chat Series among others, actively sought out that non-aviation story when she interviewed the ladies of Our Creations Arts and Crafts Foundation at their Frontstreet store.
“This is wonderful,” she said after taping four of the arts and crafts women. “These guys are doing incredible things.”
Kellogg also interviewed multi-talented soca artist, stage and film actor, King Vers, on camera. She said everyone had told her that she should get him to sing his hit song, “Soca Jumbie.” King Vers explained how he had transitioned from hip hop to soca music and told his personal story, which had the American journalist perplexed.
“These are the kind of stories I’m sure will have an impact on people,” she said.
“I’m happy that Ms. Kellogg was able to interview some of our local artistes and arts and crafts workers,” said Regina LaBega, managing director of SXM Airport.
“This was precisely our aim in selecting the group of international journalists, so that not only what is happening at the airport but the dynamic nature of our culture can also be highlighted,” LaBega added.

SIMPSON BAY:---- The proposed Aviation Training Academy of the Princess Juliana International Airport, SXM, is a “brilliant idea,” said Adam Twidell, a former Air Force pilot with the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the UK and one of the eleven journalists who were invited to participate in the media tour organized by SXM Airport.
Twidell, speaking at the final session of the packed media tour last Friday, said not only would the Academy cater to those who wish to pursue aviation studies, but could also result in their families coming to St. Maarten to “have an aviation holiday.”
Twidell, of PrivateFly, which organizes the annual “most stunning approach” competition, is also a contributor to Aviation Week and an expert commentator for BBC. He had earlier promised to do whatever he can to establish a direct service from the UK to SXM Airport.
Chiming in on the proposed Aviation Training, Robert Mark, a professional pilot, and an award-winning aviation journalist and expert commentator/analyst for CNN, FOX News, NBC and CBS among others, said the idea was “a big deal.”
All over the world, Mark said, “we’re running out of Air Traffic Controllers like we’re running out of pilots.”
He noted that in the USA, government is in charge of Air Traffic Controllers and many trained controllers cannot find a job today, after spending thousands of dollars on their education, while less qualified ones are employed by government. This is a disincentive, he said. Mark said he had the opportunity to interview Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, who spoke extensively about his time as an Air Traffic Controller.
An Aviation Training Academy would further position SXM as a positive “epicenter of aviation” as Twidell described it.
The select group of aviation and travel writers were very impressed with SXM Airport, and the destination as a whole, including the hub partners – St. Martin, Saba, St. Barths, and Anguilla – which they were able to visit, and the information they were able to gather about Dominica.
“There are so many stories to tell,” said videographer Kristen Kellogg.

Hopes approaching tropical system to provide some relief from historic drought.

Cole Bay:---- The Sint Maarten Nature Foundation has been researching the effects of the on-going drought conditions the island has been experiencing for the past few months. The Foundation researched water level, the amount and state of animals and the level of pollution recorded in specifically wetlands affected by the dry weather.
“What we have been experiencing is really quite unprecedented in terms of how the dry weather has been affecting especially the wetlands of the country. Anecdotally there have been no times in recent memory that we have seen this type of drought. We thought it important to research the effects the drought has been having on our ponds,” commented Tadzio Bervoets of the Nature Foundation.
The Foundation recorded a drop of about 40 centimetres in certain sections of the Belair and Fresh Ponds and a 60-centimeter drop in the Great Salt Pond. Numerous birds, fish and turtle carcasses were also observed in sections of the Great Salt Pond.
“Although seasonal fluctuations are normal, with certain times of year being dryer than others, the recent dry-spell has been causing some concern; When we look at climate models and events such as the current El-Nino Phase, which is when the Pacific experiences warmer water temperatures affecting global weather, we are concerned about the coming months. We have seen an increase in rain recently and hopefully in the coming days with the approach of a tropical system we can get some much needed relief,” commented Bervoets.
The Nature Foundation was able to monitor areas of the Fresh, Belair and Great Salt Ponds that usually lie underwater and collected samples of fish, crabs and shellfish in order to gauge the impacts both the drought and pollution are having on the country’s wetlands.

PORT ST. MAARTEN:---- Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Claret Connor, Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson, and Port St. Maarten Chief Executive Officer Mark Mingo, and other delegation officials, met with Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) President Michele Paige and the FCCA Security Committee members Adam Ceserano, Vice President, Domminick A. Froio Jr., Vice President of Security Services, and Michaek Panariello, Director Security Services, on Wednesday morning to discuss crime fighting measures of the Government of St. Maarten along with other matters.

The FCCA praised St. Maarten’s handling of the incident especially from a communications perspective. FCCA was very appreciative of how the Government of St. Maarten and Port management were immediately in direct contact with the FCCA and keeping them abreast of developments as they happened.

The FCCA Security Committee was given an update about the armed robbery incident of August 5, 2015 based on the investigation carried out by law enforcement. The armed robbery led to the death of Police Officer Gamali Benjamin when he responded to the call.

The follow-up actions by the Government of St. Maarten were explained especially the seriousness of the approach of the Government and the country’s highest legal body, the Parliament of Sint Maarten, to ensure that enhanced security measures are set as high priority for the public and visitors. The briefing was given by Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson and Acting Chief Police Commissioner Carl John.

The FCCA President and Security Committee were once again assured that safety and security is priority number one for the Government of St. Maarten.

The ports security plan which includes cooperation with the Police Force was also discussed at length where an update was given about initiatives to be developed. This also includes the camera surveillance network for the Philipsburg area.

More resources will be given to the Bike Patrol and further deliberations will take place between the Ministry of Justice, Police Force, Port Security and the Safety Officer. The aforementioned will be tied to the expansion of the created Soualiga Patrol.

A follow-up meeting will take place at the FCCA Conference in Mexico in October. A draft security protocol will be reviewed by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT), and will be discussed in detail with the FCCA at the aforementioned conference.

Another important issue discussed were employment opportunities onboard cruise ships; more commercial support for selling island products onboard cruise vessels; and social programs such as the FCCA Crime Social Project. With respect to the latter, there are a number of successful programs that were highlighted in the meeting about initiatives in Panama, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Claret Connor discussed job opportunities onboard cruise ships which is a program established by the FCCA as well as the FCCA Crime Social Project. These initiatives he deems very important and could contribute to the overall socio-economic development of St. Maarten.

Minister Connor added that the information received at the meeting he will discuss with the Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Hon. Rita Bourne-Gumbs, School Management and Educational Institutions in order to ensure that a program which is developed in collaboration with the FCCA is successful and sustainable. Minister Bourne-Gumbs is also Acting Minister of Labour Affairs.

The opening up of Cuba and the interests of cruise lines was another topic that was discussed between Paige and Port management.

The St. Maarten delegation was also briefed about the cruise line protocol that they have in place in the event of an incident involving a cruise passenger.

Another topic that was discussed is the new BREA (Business Research and Economic Advisors) report which will be published shortly and presented at the FCCA Conference in Mexico.

Destination St. Maarten has improved its position when it comes to cruise passenger and crew spending. The report studied the economic impact of the FCCA Member Lines to cruise tourism throughout the Caribbean.

PHILIPSBURG:---  Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, chairman of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), was informed on Wednesday about pre-storm/hurricane preparations by the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) in connection with any possible threat that Tropical Storm Danny could pose to the country.
Tropical Storm Danny is forecast to become a hurricane later in the week prior to it reaching the Lesser Antilles. On Wednesday Danny was more than 1300 miles away.
“The preparations underway by Ministry VROMI takes into consideration the amount of time to prepare for any possible weather from Danny. We have the lead time to prepare in the event we are confronted with a hurricane several days from now. It’s better to prepare now then wait until it’s at our doorstep. I urge residents, vacation-home owners, and businesses to review their hurricane season preparation plans now to make sure they are storm/hurricane ready,” Acting Minister of Ministry VROMI Marcel Gumbs said on Wednesday.
Work to clear the main rainwater drainage channels started last week in the district of Dutch Quarter. Recently contracts were approved for several districts with respect to regular maintenance of drainage channels. Contractors have already been informed to commence cleaning due to the potential threat that the weather system could pose to the country. All main trenches would have been cleaned within the coming days.
The three storm water pumps at the Great Salt Pond are currently in place and operational. The Flood Gates are being monitored to manage the water in the Fresh Pond to overflow in the Salt Pond, however current water levels in the Salt Pond are low due to the drought situation and therefore there is sufficient capacity.
Waste haulage and disposal contractors have been alerted to look out and make preparations for the coming days in the event residents start to throw out large bulk debris in preparation for storm/hurricane conditions.

The Pond Island Landfill is also being made ready in the event that additional bulk-waste is picked up from the districts prior to the arrival of any weather. There was a pre-hurricane clean-up campaign that took place over several weeks throughout the country where residents had the opportunity to dispose of bulk-waste.

Ministry VROMI does take note that the dry weather conditions over the past months have created a situation where in the event of heavy rainfall, soil on hillsides could become unstable, and therefore residents living in hillside areas should take note of the aforementioned for possible landslides.

PHILIPSBURG:---- United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake has sent a letter through Parliament to the Minister of Finance and the Acting Minister of VROMI concerning the recent developments at Kadaster and advising the Minister of Finance to set a time frame to the Board of Kadaster to provide Parliament with the management reports and financial reports and the answers to the Ombudsman recommendations.
“As a representative of the people, I am very surprised that the Netherlands who has Integrity high on their list would allow the Kadaster Director Clemens Roos to finish his contract on the island before sitting out his sentence. This is a breach of integrity at its best I think. Is this integrity? Is there one rule of integrity in the Netherlands and another one for Sint Maarten? I don’t understand this, he was convicted and now returns here with the intention to take up his position. How will the Kadaster board handle this? What message does this send to the staff at the Kadaster and to others in the community?
“Imagine, we had our own young professionals the former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigemoto, Edward Dest and Denicio Richardson with expertise in their fields, had their good names drag through the mud without conviction, lost everything and without placement in their respective positions and to be found not guilty and Government has not done anything for them,” UP MP Lake said on Wednesday.
The UP MP request is based on a parliament Central Committee Meeting that was held concerning the recommendations of the Ombudsman.
The MP would like in line with transparency and good governance, would like the recommendations and the management reports sent to the President of Parliament based on Article 4 section 2 and 3 of the LVO Verzelfstandiging K&H.
“The Central Committee meeting was good looking at the overall operations of Kadaster, but we can't lose focus on the main issue to get the Minister of Finance to get Kadaster to answer the recommendations of the Ombudsman and to present Parliament with the current management reports of Kadaster which is not a difficult task by law.
“Kadaster Board has to be more transparent and accountable to providing Parliament, the highest legislative body of the land with the requested information for the Ombudsman.
“Government has to also appoint a full board with a Chair person as soon as possible in order to continue with the works of the people. Don’t appoint an additional member, but fulfil all open board positions. We can't continue working like this anymore. We need to raise the bar and give staff regular training so they can also move forward within the organization. Presently, we don't have any one signing meetbrieven, admeasurements for apartment divisions which is just lying on the desk. The Minister of Finance has to make sure the Board also handles the extra contribution (toelage) for the hypotheek bewaarder which was appointed by Government.
“As a Member of Parliament, I am looking forward to the Minister presenting Parliament these documents on behalf of Kadaster. I am also looking forward for Parliament to start addressing the structure and changes of the articles of incorporation for Foundations. I am not too impressed on how the Board is handling the affairs of Kadaster.
“The same thing is also happening at NIPA, St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation. We can't continue using the same old articles. They have to be updated since integrity, transparency, screening and accountability are at the forefront of Government,” UP MP Maurice Lake concluded.

PHILIPSBURG:--- University of St. Martin (USM) announced the opening of its new school named “The St. Martin School of Continuing Education and Life Long Learning (SCELL)”, which was launched on August 1, 2015. Since the opening of SCELL the school has received an overwhelming reception from the Business Community. Motor World recently joined the ranks of Windward Island Bank, Ltd (WIB) as a sponsor of SCELL by donating a non-disclosed amount to the school.
Motor World Marketing officer, Mr. Lorenzo Gomez stated that Motor World decided to support SCELL because they believe that the school mission and vision is vital for the community. USM is the key educational institution on the island and we feel compelled to ensure its success and know that our contribution will enrich the school services and program development. This contribution showcases our confidence in the training opportunities offered by SCELL.
SCELL Director, Dr. Natasha Gittens expressed her gratitude to Motor World and hopes that their initiative will motivate other businesses to follow suit. This sponsorship is not just an investment in the school however should also be regarded as an investment in the advancement of the community. Dr. Gittens further stated that her team is working diligently on developing trainings and workshops. Newly developed, SCELL Brain Bytes Workshop Series which is sponsored by WIB is scheduled to commence in September. Brain Bytes series are intimate 2 hour workshops that will be offered to the public on Saturday mornings and afternoons in September and October at USM. Workshops will cost $25 US and focus on personal development. Individuals ages 16 and up are encouraged to attend.
In November SCELL, in association with the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institutes, (AHLEI) will offer the Certified Guest Services Professional Training. The training will take place on Wednesday, November 18, 2016. The Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP®) designation provides recognition for those individuals that know how to achieve and express exceptional service by engaging with their guests and creating memorable experiences. Recognized worldwide, the CGSP® designation is the highest acknowledgment of awarding-winning guest service for employees in the hospitality industry.

For Information: Contact SCELL @ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 1(721) 554 – 2437.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday August 14, Your Voice, Your Choice hosted their 2nd annual Sports and Fun day at the Melford Hazel Sports facilities. Children homes, I Can Foundation, Hope Outreach Foundation and New Start Foundation were special guests as well as over 50 walk in participants including some baseball players involved in Coach Tom Burnett after school program, approximately 110 children.
The day was filled with competitive sports and fun activities for three age groups, 8 and under, 9-12 and 13+. Youngsters played volleyball, basketball, kick-ball, football, dodgeball, 10Ball, jumping in the bag, lime and spoon races, 3 legged races, jump rope, hula hoops, fishing, spijkerpoepen and water filling from 9 am to 12 pm.
Over 20 volunteers ranging from 13 - 25 years old assisted in leading the games, as well as guiding the participants and seeing to their refreshments. Other volunteers assisted in food preparation.
Participants were refreshed with lots of water, punch and gatorade and enjoyed healthy fruit snacks such as apples, oranges and watermelons. They were also treated to donuts and enjoyed a lunch of hamburgers, hotdogs, tuna or cheese sandwiches.
Each participant received a certificate of participation and winners received bookmakers noting 1st, 2nd or 3rd place. At the end of the day each participant was also awarded a schoolbag filled with basic school supplies such as copybooks,pens, pencils, ruler, eraser and a plastic folder.
Particpants were very happy with the fun day as well as their prizes and gifts at the end of the day.
Members of the Your Voice, Your Choice is looking forward to hosting their third annual Back to School Fun and Sports day next year.
The members of the foundation thanked their sponsors and hard-working volunteers for making this event such a success.
Future plans:
The foundation is aiming to host a fundraising walk and bike-athon, promote volunteerism in schools, after school programs and at sports and arts facilities. One of our goals is also hosting reading and writing sessions/workshops in order to promote literacy and family oriented activities to stimulate parental involvement in their children's lives.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Tuesday the 18th of August Police were called to a supermarket on the Cannegieter road in Philipsburg at approximately seven thirty in the evening following reports that the supermarket had just been robbed. Uniform and detective patrols were dispatched to the scene.
It’s alleged that the supermarket attendant was approached by three armed assailants demanding him to hand over the money before ill-treating him. The victim a 26 year Syrian man was treated by the ambulance staff for wounds to his forearm and shoulder that he received from his attackers. He was later transported to the SMMC for further medical attention. A customer that was in the supermarket at the time of the robbery was also robbed of their belongings but was not injured.

Man found dead
PHILIPSBURG: On Tuesday the 18th of August a Police patrol was dispatched to the address Coco Plum road number 6 in St Peters where a male person was found dead in their home. On arrival the patrol found the lifeless body of the well known Micheal Jeffers. The necessary authorities along with the personal of the detective and forensic department were called in. An extensive investigation was carried out and the cause of death was determined to be of natural causes.

Man Arrested
PHILIPSBURG: On Tuesday the 18th of August at approximately eight forty five the police patrol arrested a man 37 year old man for threatening his co-worker with a knife after an argument. The suspect was released after being questioned by detectives.

KPSM Police Report.

PHILIPSBURG:--- NAGICO Insurances continues to invest in the community by supporting educational ventures, the latest being a financial donation to the 2015-2016 HYPE Agenda for high school students.

The donation will go towards printing costs for the Agenda.

NAGICO Marketing Assistant Jamie-Lee Peterson presented the cheque to HYPE at NAGICO’s head office in Philipsburg on Friday, August 14. A group of students from the various high schools, who were part of the coordinating team, accepted the donation on behalf of HYPE.

The locally produced Agenda is themed: “The journey travelled to achieve one’s goals.” This is the fifth edition of Hype Agenda. The first one was produced in 2008. Other issues were in 2010, 2013, 2014 and now for the 2015-2016 school year.

The coordinating team involves a group of students from the various high schools in St.
Maarten. These students were actively involved in the production process and they determined the information they want to see reflected in the Agenda. They went out and conducted research and wrote most of the enlightening articles and profiles that appear in the Agenda. The articles reflect the general theme and they relate to the youth.

Numerous young and adult role models from right here in St. Maarten as well as from Saba, St. Eustatius and internationally are featured throughout the Agenda, including our past and present national heroes.

The Agendas are specifically tailored for the academic year and cover the months that coincide with the school year making them easy for students to use for school related reminders such as noting down their assignments, projects, homework and other school related things. Also included are useful information such as school vacation dates and study financing information. Pictures taken locally, featuring high school students are also in the Agenda. The HYPE Agenda Team believes that every high school student should have a copy of this agenda.

HYPE contributing students include Yshmael Hermoso (Learning Unlimited); LeeAnn Wyatt (St. Dominic High); Genora Jankee (St. Maarten Academy Academic); Naomi Jankee (St. Maarten Academy Academic); Brandon Fitzpatrick (St. Dominic High); Aziza Baly-Vanterpool (Milton Peters College) and Celine Mayeko-Coklee (Learning Unlimited), Muskaan Dayalani (St. Dominic High); Jasmine Grannum and Rubecca Shadida Pierre (Caribbean International Academy); Jennifer Dinzey (St. Maarten Academy PSVE); Kimaeyu Mussington and Joanni Henano (MPC) and Cecilia Richardson (St. Maarten Vocational Training School).

Thanks to sponsors, HYPE managed to maintain the price of the Agenda low to make it affordable. Each agenda costs NAf. 10 or US $6 and are available at Penny's Department Store, Office World, Blue Point, Pete's Photo and at the respective high schools.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, chairman of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the National Disaster Coordinator Fire Chief Clive Richardson, are calling on residents to re-check their preparations for the 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season, adding that this should have been done since June 1st when the season started.
The fourth storm of the season has formed, Tropical Storm Danny. It is forecast to become a hurricane. Residents and visitors are advised to monitor the progress of Danny closely even though it’s over 1300 miles away from the Lesser Antilles.
Coordinators from the 10 Emergency Support Functions (ESFs) of the country’s disaster management system have been instructed to review implementation action plans and to start pre-preparations in the event Danny should pose a threat to the country.
The Office of Disaster Management (ODM) and the Meteorological Department of Sint Maarten will be keeping the public informed as this storm approaches the Lesser Antilles. The Governments Emergency Radio Broadcast System is also operational and on standby if necessary. Radio listeners can tune in to 107.9 FM.
Residents, vacation-home owners, businesses and the yachting community are advised to use the next couple of days to check their hurricane preparation plans; review hurricane shutters and check what furniture and outdoor items should be removed in the event of a hurricane threat; use the time now to repair or purchase any items needed to secure your home or business; villa/home rental management agencies should check the aforementioned to make sure they are storm-ready; livestock owners should review their own storm preparations; warehouses/storage depots should check their surroundings and make sure they are storm ready in the event of a threat to the country.
Contractors and builders should review their site hurricane preparation plans as was already advised by the ODM back in July; review what items at the building site may need to be secured in the event of a threat; residents of homes along the coasts are requested to review their plans and to be ready to take action in the event of a passing storm/hurricane.
“Residents, vacation-home owners, businesses as well as the yachting community should use the next couple of days to review their preparations for the hurricane season. We have Danny out in the Atlantic and the aforementioned should be ready to take the necessary action when required to do so.
“Everybody should have learnt from the past. Don’t wait until the last minute to check around your home and business or check your boat. Do so in the coming days as it is better to be safe than sorry. We have now entered the busy part of the hurricane season which runs from mid-August to mid-October. Remember, it only takes one hurricane to make it a bad season. Make sure you are ready and prepared,” Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs said on Wednesday.
The 10 ESFs are: GEBE/ESF-1, TelEm Group/ESF-2, Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment, and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI)/ESF-3, Fire Department/ESF-4, Police Department/ESF-5, Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labour/ESF-6 and 7, Department of Communication/ESF-8, Ministry of General Affairs/ESF-9, and Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT)/ESF-10.
The remaining storm names for the Atlantic season are Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicolas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor, and Wanda.

The 2015 hurricane season officially runs through November 30.

Current track of Tropical Storm Danny

Danny heading westward over Central Tropical Atlantic. In our area possibly by Monday.
At 1100 AM AST (1500 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Danny was located near latitude 11.2 North, longitude 41.1 West. Danny is moving toward the west near 12 mph (19 km/h), and a westward to west-northwestward motion at a slightly slower forward speed is
expected during the next 48 hours.
Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 km/h) with higher gusts.
Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Danny
could become a hurricane by Friday.
Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km)
from the center.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 1000 mb (29.53 inches).

 Click here for latest on TS Danny which is expected to become a hurricane on Thursday August 20th

SABA:--- On Wednesday August 19th, 2015 in the morning hours a Cannabis plantation of approximately 100 plants was discovered by the police in a garden of a house on Saba.
The resident of the house, a Saban with the initials W.G,. was placed under arrest and the plants were confiscated, and will be destroyed by the police. The house of the suspect was also raided by the police and drugs were found.
In interest of the ongoing investigation, this is all the official information that can be given at the moment.

Cannabis ontdekt

Op woensdag 19 augustus 2015 is er in de ochtenduren een cannabis plantage van plusminus 100 plantjes in een tuin van een woning op Saba ontdekt door de politie. De bewoner van de woning, een Sabaan met initialen W.G., werd aangehouden en de plantjes zijn in beslag genomen. Deze zullen door de politie vernietigd worden. Er heeft ook een huiszoeking plaatsgevonden in de woning. Hierbij zijn drugs gevonden. In het belang van het onderzoek is dit alle officiële informatie die op dit moment gegeven kan worden.

PHILIPSBURG:---- The St. Maarten Nature Foundation was alerted to a Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting on Great Bay Beach early on Monday morning. Upon arrival at the location it was found that the turtle nested in an unsuitable location in the sand on Great Bay beach and it was decided to relocate the nest in order to protect the fragile eggs. Because the risk of beach umbrellas puncturing the eggs and because the nest was lain close to the water making it susceptible to storm surge the Foundation decided to move the nest. The previous two times nests were relocated the Nature Foundation used Guana Bay, but because of the high volume of sargassum seaweed it was decided to relocate the nest to Simpson Bay Beach instead. The nest was excavated and quickly removed to a quieter beach in order to avoid undue stress to the 148 eggs. The Nature Foundation, as designated focal point for Sea Turtle Conservation according to the Inter American Sea Turtle Convention, the SPAW Protocol on Endangered Species and Country Representative for the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Network has received specialized training in Sea Turtle conservation, including in relocating turtle nests that are in danger due to human activities or natural events such as storm surge.
Sea turtle population numbers have plummeted to dangerously low numbers throughout the past century due to human impacts, bringing many species close to extinction and causing them to be listed as critically endangered. In order to reverse this trend, all sea turtle species are now protected by international laws and treaties as well as local laws. Based on ARTICLE 16 and 17 of the Nature Conservation Ordinance St. Maarten it is illegal to kill, wound, capture, pick-up, have animals that belong to a protected animal species, to directly or indirectly disturb their environment resulting in a physical threat or damage to the fauna or to commit other acts which result in disturbance of the animal. It is also forbidden to upset an animal belonging to a protected species, to disturb damage or destroy its nest, lair, or breeding place, as well as to take the nest of such an animal. Also, it is forbidden to pick-up or to destroy the eggs of animals belonging to a protected species, which Sea Turtles are.
The St. Maarten Nature Foundation has been conducting sea turtle conservation on Sint Maarten since 1997, with conservation activities resulting in seven hundred juvenile sea turtles entering the wild last year alone. The foundation not only manages the sea turtle population but also protects their endangered habitat and nesting and foraging grounds in sea grass beds and nesting beaches during sea turtle nesting season.

PHILIPSBURG:---- After the recent Rotary Motor Treasure Hunt and its change of board dinner, Rotary Mid Isle presented a US$ 20,000 check to Foresee Foundation and its DigiKidz Program. This is the largest local donation that Foresee has received so far and brings the total of local cash funds to US$ 63,000 out of a total project amount for DigiKidz of over US$ 800,000.
Mr. David Antrobus, President of Rotary Mid Isle, proudly presented the check explaining that with this money, the 3rd DigiKidz school will have a beautiful fully equipped classroom with a number of laptops for the students, a digital board, printer, cameras all connected to a brand new wireless network with internet access for all devices. Rotary Mid Isle members emphasized the importance of bringing technology in the classrooms as it will serve both education and on the long term the quality of a strong labour force in St. Maarten where regardless of job and age, technology plays a very important role in this 21st century.
Currently work is being carried out at the third DigiKidz School, Helmich Snijders Christian in St. Peters, to have all cabling and the wireless network structure up. During the month of September and October the classroom will be furnished with all equipment and teachers will receive their first trainings.
At the end of October, District Governor of Rotary International’s District 7020 will visit St. Maarten and he will be able to view the results of the hard work of the Rotary Mid Isle members.
During the check presentation ceremony, Foresee Foundation gave a presentation on the ins and out of the project and explained how the delivery of the IT infrastructure and equipment goes hand in hand with professional development of staff and good management. The board of Foresee expressed its heartfelt appreciation towards the huge efforts made by the Rotary members, who offer their free time to give service to the local community.
A special thank you went out to Oyster Bay Beach Resort represented by General Manager, Mr. Ricardo Perez, as their winning Rotary Motor Treasure Hunt team decided to return the monetary prize to Rotary so that it could be donated back to the DigiKidz project.

Civil Servant sent home while Independent  MPs/Politicians placing retired people in the Executive Branch to enrich themselves.

PHILIPSBURG: --- Just last week the government of St. Maarten along with the Parliament of St. Maarten decided to send home a civil servant who just turned 60. The civil servant worked for the government of St. Maarten for some 42 years. This civil particular civil servant has served under various commissioners when St. Maarten was an island territory and Ministers since the country obtained its status in 2010. Even though the CFT in its recent advice to government said that St. Maarten has to take the necessary measures and extend the pension age to 62 even though its three years less than the Kingdom, the parliament of St. Maarten have decided to ignore the most recent advice of the CFT and sent home a civil servant who is supposed to be working for the next two years. The CFT also sent a letter to the Kingdom informing them that St. Maarten must be given specific instructions as to how they should regulate the debts they have with SZV and APS, yet this did not come to the minds of the person managing the affairs of the Parliament of St. Maarten who have certain Independent Members of Parliament controlling the functioning of Parliament. Yet the very Independent Members that are insisting that certain civil servants be victimized are the ones that are bringing in their relatives that are on pension to take up seats in the executive branch of government in order to enrich themselves and relatives.
Currently the two Ministries that still has to be filled will be filled by two pensioners, namely Ernest Sams a former purchasing officer of GEBE and Raphael Boasman the former policy advisor and acting labor mediator who already secured huge contracts with the BES islands to be their labor mediator. Yet civil servants that are healthy and has a right to be on the job based on what the government of St. Maarten said they will do by extending the pension age are sent home even though they have mortgages and other expenses. These very civil servants that are locals have their children who cannot obtain a job on St. Maarten yet others who already have jobs are able to leave their jobs or go on leave of absence and be placed in positions in the executive branch so they could work in the interest of these parliamentarians. The recent development with the civil servant are being ignored by other Members of Parliament and Government because somehow this is serving their purpose by victimizing workers.

PHILIPSBURG:---  It can be a challenge at a young age to choose a career or study to pursue after completing secondary school because students are often undecided between many choices or have no idea what they would like to pursue. The Student Support Services Division (SSSD) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs realizes the challenge and is therefore organizing a free workshop entitled, “How to Choose a Career or Study.” The workshop will be held on August 27, 2015 from 5:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. at the SSSD office.
Students in the last two years of secondary school and those who recently completed school are invited to the workshop. This workshop will address choosing a career path, overcoming being undecided about a study at a college/university, and getting started on exploring career options. In addition, students will be given practical steps that can be taken to explore career options.
“By attending this workshop, students will explore what their interest may be and how their interests, along with other factors, could tie into choosing a study or career. Students will also receive information on exploring careers,” say SSSD officials.
Seating is limited, therefore, students are encouraged to contact SSSD to reserve a seat. The office is located in the Amigo Building which is across from the Police Station and next to the Windward Islands Bank (WIB) in Philipsburg. Students are encouraged to be on time and to bring their own writing materials to the workshops. For more information and to register, please contact the Student Support Services Division at 543-1235.

PHILIPSBURG:--- All Children’s Education (ACE) Foundation teachers and pupils returned to school on Monday in a repaired, freshly painted, cleaned and decorated premises thanks to the efforts by Tzu Chi volunteers who worked over the vacation to spruce up the school just in time for the start of the new academic year.

The clean up efforts covered several days during the summer break in early August and focussed on bringing the school back up to par for teachers and pupils to educate and be educated in comfort.

The clean up efforts started on Saturday August 1 and continued until Thursday, August 6. A total of 48 volunteers participated in the exercise. Volunteers included a professional tradesman, Tzu Chi recipients and Key to Freedom clients.

Volunteers started by cleaning the entrance of the school to remove dirt from the walls, cleaned the windows, the hallways and classrooms and continued with the more professional work that required the expertise of the professional tradesman. Volunteers repaired damaged walls in the school, repaired all the windows, painted the premises, repaired the bathroom, replaced a toilet bowl and cleaned up the floors. When it was all done the volunteers with an artistic eye, decorated the various classrooms with educational posters/lessons/art work and teaching material to brighten the premises.

Although it was tough work as many things needed to be done, the group of volunteers were more than happy to have participated in the exercise. One of the volunteers, a past recipient, had just been laid off from his job, but still assisted and through his act of kindness, for a moment his sadness was replaced with joyful giving.

Tzu Chi Commissioner Sandra Cheung is grateful to all the volunteers who took time out of their busy schedules to assist in the clean up and sprucing up exercise and help bring a smile to the face of teachers and pupils when they started school on Monday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Two senior employees of GEBE power-plant have been suspended with pay on Monday as the company continues the investigation on the two truck-loads of copper that were stolen at the power plant. According to information provided to SMN News the two senior employees are Ray Carty, the manager of the Cape Bay power-plant and Elmo Williams a supervisor in the mechanical division of the said power-plant.
SMN News understands that the two employees were verbally notified on Friday last week but received written notification from the company’s Chief Financial Officer Rene Gartner on Monday. On Tuesday the security guards at the GEBE power-plant received a memo informing them that they are not to allow the two senior employees on the property as they are suspended until further notice.
It is further understood that management of GEBE will be moving to court shortly to get permission to terminate the working agreements for the two employees now that they received the reports on the theft of the copper. After the official termination management of GEBE will move to file criminal complaints against all those that were involved in the stealing of the copper leaving the contractors that demolished six old engines at GEBE power-plant empty handed.

PHILIPSBURG:---  Prime Minister/Acting Minister of the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Marcel Gumbs is inviting the residents of Middle Region to a town hall meeting on Wednesday, August 19 regarding sewage connections.
Several notices have been placed in the Government Information Page already appealing to residents to attend this very important meeting.
The town hall meeting is about the sewage project in Middle Region where the various homes will be connected to the sewage system of the Government. Residents have an opportunity to receive information and to also ask questions.

PHILIPSBURG (PARLIAMENT/Independent Faction):--- Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo will be requesting a meeting of Parliament to discuss and mandate the Minister of Finance to implore upon the Central Bank to take up their responsibility and assume the tasks of receiving and resolving complaints brought by consumers and, in some cases, small businesses against banks, insurers and/or other financial services providers.

“In our system the Central Bank is supposed to regulate and supervise institutions that offer financial services. This responsibility is not being executed.

“Several months have passed and the Minister of Finance have not reacted to the much discussed subject matter. The Central Bank have responded but passively, acknowledging their role and responsibility but not actively pursuing the necessary changes that is needed to execute this task.

“What country in this age will have an established Central Bank that do not see consumer protection as a priority? There is no excuse for the passive behaviour of the Central Bank and the minister,” Independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo said on Tuesday.

This aspect of consumer protection is related but separate from what the Member of Parliament is advocating for the Small Claims Court of Sint Maarten and for the establishment of a Consumer Protection entity, which are both necessary for Sint Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG:----  The Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations (CKAIR) of Parliament will meet in session on August 20th.

The Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations meeting is set for Thursday at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.
The four agenda points are approval of the decision lists CKAIR Parliamentary Year 2014-2015, no 12 and 13; incoming documents CKAIR; follow-up Inter-parliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) and Tripartite May 2015; and preparation IPKO January 2016.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and parliament’s website www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:---- An information session is being organized for the general public on Wednesday, August 26th, 2015 at the Belvedere Community Center in Belvedere from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The information session is entitled, “Breaking the Silence: Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect” and is one of four sessions that will take place in various districts.
“Neglect and abuse against children happen all over the world and St. Maarten is no exception. Child safety and protection is a collective community responsibility. The information session is being presented to the general public to provide valuable information on child abuse, neglect and reporting. By attending the information session, the general public will learn about child abuse and neglect, risk factors and indicators of child abuse, and the impact of child abuse. Additional topics include laws on child abuse and neglect, responding to suspicion or disclosure of child abuse, common concerns when deciding to report child abuse, and the central reporting agency for child abuse for St. Maarten,” the organizers said.
These sessions are being organized by the National Protocol for the Reporting of Child Abuse Workgroup, which includes members from the Court of Guardianship of the Ministry of Justice, Collective Prevention Services of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, the Student Support Services Division and the Youth Affairs Department of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs.
Information sessions will also be held on:

• September 2nd, 2015 at The University of St. Martin in Philipsburg from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• September 9th, 2015 at the Rupert I Maynard Youth Community Center in St. Peters from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
• September 16th, 2015 at the Cole Bay Methodist Church John Hall from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The general public is encouraged to be on time. The public is also encouraged to contact the Student Support Services Division at 543-1235 and/or the Department of Youth Affairs at 542-3718 for more information.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Motorworld and Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise have joined forces yet again to help start kids on the right path for this school year. School bags containing school materials such as pens, pencils, copy books, sharpeners and erasers were handed out to students at the Sr. Borgia Elementary School and the Sr. Marie Laurence Primary School.
The students were excited to receive the school bag and supplies as members of Rotary Sunrise, President Marcellia Henry, Fundraising Director Peter Dialani, Vice President Angela Gordon, and Motorworld’s Marketing Officer Lorenzo Gomez, handed out the bags to them. The two partners wished the Students, Teachers and the Schools’ Principals a very successful school year and hoped that with this the Rotary Club of St Martin Sunrise and Motorworld have contributed to the performance of the children in school.
“Motorworld has proven to be a worthy partner over the years for the Rotary Sunrise in this project”, said President Henry. The club appreciates the acceptance from the business sector to collaborate in such a way that it benefits our community especially as it concerns the youth. Motorworld will continue this relationship with Rotary Sunrise in the years ahead. On behalf of Motorworld Mr. Lorenzo Gomez thanked the Rotary for partnering with them and said it was a great pleasure to be of service to the community. He also added that this donation is a part of Motorworld’s Educational Campaign that will focus on helping to develop St. Maarten’s next scholar superstars.
Motorworld is the car dealer for the brands Hyundai, Honda, Daihatsu, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Chrysler, for St. Maarten and neighbouring islands. For more information visit the Motorworld Sales Department which is located on Welfare rd #20, Cole Bay, St. Maarten Tel: 1-721-544-5294, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit them on Facebook at www.fb.com/mwsxm.
Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise meets at Barefoot Terrace Restaurant every Tuesday mornings at 7:00am for fellowship and breakfast. For more information on the club visit us at sxmsunrise.org or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., they are also on Facebook: Rotary Club of Saint Martin Sunrise

CHATA Launching Curaçao’s largest culinary event on September 27th

WILLEMSTAD:--- It is with great excitement that CHATA announces its first annual gastronomy event, being launched as “Flavors of Curaçao” and taking place on World Tourism Day, Sunday September 27th. Flavors of Curaçao is launched as a culinary product greatly complimenting the experience of Curaçao’s tourism product. CHATA’s Flavors of Curaçao is launched in an effort to greatly support and compliment Curaçao’s tourism & hospitality industry. Though being CHATA’s first culinary event, Flavors of Curaçao will be the island’s largest outdoor food event upon launch. This upscale culinary event will grant visitors the opportunity to enjoy a wide array of dishes prepared by 19 participating restaurants. The participating Restaurants will be preparing small versions of their signature dishes, in order to ensure that visitors of this event can try all participating restaurants’ dishes. Curaçao’s top and most exquisite restaurants are participating in this event allowing one and all to indulge and experience the true flavors of Curaçao. In addition to the restaurants’ signature dishes, Flavors of Curaçao will be including well-assorted premium bars, a champagne bar and cocktail bar.

A culinary event of this degree obviously requires musical entertainment, Flavors of Curaçao happily obliges to this requirement by ensuring LIVE entertainment by Tumbao, Dolce, DJ LU-C, DJ Maarten Schakel and Gilmar Fraites. Flavors of Curaçao is dedicated to everyone, including families with children and will therefore be featuring a kids’ corner ensuring that children are kept well entertained during this event. To ensure that Flavors of Curaçao has a memorable impact in addition to the gastronomic experience, Flavors of Curaçao will be featuring Raffle prizes ranging from Gift Coupons to weekend stays at local Hotels. Tickets are obtainable at Mensing’s Caminada, 24 Uur uit de Muur, Albert Heijn and most of the participating restaurants listed below as of August 20th. Tickets to gain entrance to this unique culinary experience will be sold at NAFL 25,- only, with dish prices ranging from Nafl. 2,50 (1 Token) to Nafl. 20,00 (8 Tokens) per dish.

Considering that Flavors of Curaçao is taking place on World Tourism Day, CHATA will be giving away 100 tickets to Tourism & Hospitality students, in order to subscribe for a student ticket giveaway please visit CHATA’s Flavors of Curaçao events page for further details on how to attain a free ticket.

Flavors of Curaçao Participants
Academy Hotel Double Decker Sambal
Bistro le Clochard Hòfi Cas Cora - The Eatery Scuba Lodge
Baoase Kyoto Sushi & Grill Xquisite
Cristal Marriott
Café Barista Nemo
Dutch Treat Osteria Rosso
Didi’s Cupcakes Omundo
Dushi Wafels Rancho el Sobrino
Flavors of Curaçao Sponsorlist

PHILIPSBURG:--- The United Peoples Party, who has the majority in Parliament seem to have wasted their summer recess to put together some 16 amendments they wanted the Minister of Justice to change in the protocol he signed on June 2nd 2015 to avoid the Kingdom from placing St. Maarten under higher supervision. Based on what transpired in the Parliament of St. Maarten on Monday it is clear that the coalition including the faction leader of the UPP Franklin Meyers chose to live on his knees rather than dying standing when he opted to vote in favor of the draft law that was signed by Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson early June.
SMN News got hold of the draft document containing the amendments the UPP wanted before they vote in favor of the protocol, which they put aside on Monday simply to appease the Dutch. However, the question still remains if the strategy used on Monday will work or will the Dutch proceed with their modus operandi to take control over St. Maarten especially the Ministry of Justice.
Now that the Dutch has chosen to go back on their word and pursue their desire to impose an instruction on St. Maarten to establish an integrity chamber and to annul a decision taken by the Minister of Justice of St. Maarten; the UPP have decided to put aside their amendments and go along with the proposal given by the Leader of the Democratic Party Sarah Wescot Williams. Somehow, the MP’s that formed the coalition does not realize that MP Sarah Wescot Williams was the Prime Minister of St. Maarten for four years and she said she will support the establishment of an integrity chamber on St. Maarten, something the former Prime Minister did not get to execute before leaving office. It is clear that MP Wescot Williams could not go against something she championed while in office, therefore she spearheaded the drafting of the motions presented to the Parliament of St. Maarten on Monday. If there is anyone that knows the ins and out of this integrity chamber and what the Dutch wanted is the former Prime Minister and now Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams and Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson who have been taking blows from the Members of Parliament of St. Maarten and the Dutch Minister of Home and Kingdom Affairs.
While it is indeed a good thing to have an integrity chamber on St. Maarten to curb what the Dutch deemed as rampant corruption it is clear that the people of St. Maarten were sold out and everyone can be subjected to an investigation based on their affiliations.
The Government of St. Maarten and those that fought to change St. Maarten’s status from being part of the Netherlands Antilles to a country within in the Kingdom ensured that this young country had all the means necessary for checks and balances even though there is still no money to fully financed these establishments. An Ombudsman, the Corporate Governance Council that never got proper financing and support from the former governments, the Council of Advice, the Audit Chamber and the Electoral Council are only a few of these entities that the country made sure were established even though St. Maarten did not get its fair share with the division of assets and debt relief and to date St. Maarten cannot get the assistance they requested from their Kingdom partners.
While the Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs told the Parliament of St. Maarten that he could not obtain documents from the St. Maarten Housing Foundation and the St. Maarten Harbor Group of Companies were not willing to share information with Parliament including GEBE, it is clear that these government owned companies and foundations are using the loopholes and power government gave them when they allowed them to establish a foundation to manage government owned companies. However, it did not take very long before the Prosecutor’s Office on St. Maarten found the right articles in the penal code to file a civil case against the St. Maarten Harbor Group of Companies to force them to share information with the Prosecutor’s Office. This measure taken by the Prosecutor’s Office established one thing that there are laws, and entities that could deal with any type of corruption, or even the semblance of corruption but those heading these entities must be willing to apply the law and even pressure when necessary.

Click here to view the draft amendments that were put together by the United Peoples Party.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that NV GEBE will be carrying out emergency repairs on Tuesday night, August 18 in relation to a water leak.

The works will be carried out at the intersection of Bush Road/Daisy Road which is the motorized entrance to Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)/Cost U Less starting at 9.00pm Tuesday night to 5.00am in the morning hours of Wednesday.
Motorists are requested to be observant of traffic signs and other notices at the intersection where the works are taking place. Heavy equipment will also be in use. Motorists will still be able to access the KFC/Cost U Less area, but the entrance/exit will be small and keen attention must be paid when leaving or entering the area.
Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.

Attorney General gain the support of the Dutch to annul guideline issued by St. Maarten Minister of Justice.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Attorney General of the countries St. Maarten, Curacao, Guus Schram has gained the support of the Dutch politicians who intend to annul a decision taken by St. Maarten’s Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson. According to a letter sent by Minister of Home and Kingdom Affairs Ronald Plasterk it states that the Attorney General of the countries Curacao and St. Maarten filed a complaint to them when he received directives from the Minister of Justice of St. Maarten Dennis Richardson. It is understood that Guus Schram wanted to change the current system by creating an Criminal Investigative Division (CID) for the RST and Marechaussee in order for the detectives working at those two Dutch entities to submit their reports; rather than submitting it to the Criminal Investigative Division (CID) of KPSM.
When Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson learned of the Attorney General’s plan he immediately gave directives to Schram informing him that he is not allowed to change the current system which is prescribed in the police law stating that each country has one police force which in the case of St. Maarten is KPSM that already has a Criminal Investigative Division (CID) in place with a chief.
Minister Richardson in his directive clearly stated that the Attorney General must follow the chain of command and not make changes as he sees fit. However, this did not sit well with Schram so he contacted the Dutch politicians and complained to them who immediately decided that they will annul the decision taken by St. Maarten Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson. By this, the Dutch is determined to take away the authority of St. Maarten’s Minister of Justice, or in one way siege the Ministry of Justice of St. Maarten illegally. The Minister of Home and Kingdom Affairs along with Minster Van der Steur decided that they will use the directives given by St. Maarten’s Minister of Justice to ask the Kingdom Council of State to grant them permission to give St. Maarten an instruction on the establishment of an integrity chamber.
When St. Maarten’s Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson learned of the measures the Dutch have decided to use to get their way it sparked a fierce communication by letter between the country’s representatives and the Kingdom Council of Ministers.
It is clear that while the Dutch is claiming or has painted St. Maarten as corrupt country and they need to take the “bull by its horns” to curtail the corruption on St. Maarten they have so far failed to take action against the prosecutors they sent to St. Maarten who clearly violated the law when they sold a number of boats that were confiscated illegally, and who also lost every case of corruption they took before the court of first instance. The judge in the Court of First Instance clearly said that there is ‘class justice’ when he rendered his verdict in the Masbangu court case, while the Piranah investigation that landed former Minister of Finance behind bars were thrown out and the prosecutor’s office had no choice but to accept the verdict and not appeal because they know they messed up royally. It is indeed true that the integrity investigations conducted by the Do it Right Committee, PWC and Transparency International all stated that there is corruption on St. Maarten, but nowhere in these reports did the investigators show proof of their conclusions. They did say the laws were not being followed and gave numerous suggestions as to how St. Maarten should curtail corruption and implement the laws on the books.
Parliamentarians on St. Maarten are the ones that have to represent the people that elected them to office, however, there seems to be some type of in action by the parliament of St. Maarten simply because these MPs have not taken the time to read the correspondence between the Dutch Kingdom Council and the Council of Ministers on St. Maarten.
SMN News published several documents that showed that the prosecutors that were sent to St Maarten abused their power in order to enrich themselves. While the Dutch politicians is eager to take over the Ministry of Justice they have also failed to grant St. Maarten the assistance the country requested over the years and each time they sent a prosecutor to St. Maarten it’s a junior prosecutor who comes to the island for his or her internship.
SMN News filed a complaint with Attorney General Guus Schram about the illegal sales of boats by prosecutors on St. Maarten including the current Solicitor General but instead of Schram dealing with the corruption committed by his Dutch subordinates he said that the complaints could not be filed at his office.
The question now remains as who selected and appointed Guus Schram as Attorney General for the two countries namely Curacao and St. Maarten? Was it the Dutch Politicians whom he is serving? Are civil servants working for the Dutch allowed to pass judgement on St. Maarten and commit whatever crimes they want and escape with it? Are these Dutch civil servants such as Bouman and Schram above the law? These are only some questions that the people of St. Maarten need to answer and they also need to step up to the plate and preserve the constitution of St. Maarten along with the laws, and entities that were established on St. Maarten.
Clearly, the Dutch politicians are focusing on St. Maarten and its people who definitely have some skeletons in their closets but so far the Dutch have not taken the time to count how many of their own had to step down from office because of their alignment and or involvement with corruption.

Click here to view the documents (letters) between St. Maarten’s representatives and Minister Plasterk and Van der Steur.

WILLEMSTAD:--- Today, James M. Doby, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Assistant Regional Director for the Puerto Rico Field Division and Hormazd Kanga, Acting Consul General of the U.S. Consulate General Curaçao, presented Curaçao Minister of Justice Nelson Navarro and acting KPC commissioner Albert Sambo with a check in the amount US $873,127.57 payable to the Government of Curaçao. The funds are 25% of the total assets seized during a money laundering investigation.

At the presentation ceremony, Acting Consul General Kanga said: “Asset forfeiture is one of the most important tools modern law enforcement has against criminal organizations. And today, we applaud and recognize the efforts of two strong partners in the fight against illicit narcotics trafficking and money laundering: Curaçao and the U.S. Curaçao may be a small island but it does its part as a member of the global effort against these crimes. Whether it is law enforcement cooperation on investigations or hosting the U.S. Forward Operating Location (FOL) that multiple nations rely on to patrol the seas for narcotics, the people of Curaçao should be proud of their efforts.”

KPC provided information to U.S. law enforcement about significant money flows to bank accounts in the U.S. related to a narcotics and money laundering investigation in Venezuela. In a letter dated June 2, 2014, the United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico concurred with the recommendation to share 25% of the forfeited assets with the Government of
Curaçao.

PORT ST. MAARTEN:--- On Monday the cruise ship Liberty of the Seas canceled its port call due to a medical emergency. The vessel had to divert back to Bermuda where the person disembarked.

The newly renovated Liberty of the Seas is packed with all the phenomenal onboard experiences you’d expect from the innovative class type of vessel besides new offerings that would add to the cruising experience.

The vessel belongs to Royal Caribbean International and is part of the Freedom Class which also includes Freedom of the Seas and Independence of the Seas.

Liberty of the Seas carries over 3600 passengers’ double occupancy, and 1360 crew. The vessel was launched in 2007 and is 160,000 gross tons and is 1,112 feet long with a maximum beam of 185 feet and a draft of 28 feet. The ship cruises at 21.6 knots.

Destination Sint Maarten looks forward to the next port visit of Liberty of the Seas.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The President of Parliament Hon. Dr. Lloyd Richardson disclosed on Sunday that one of the measures to enhance the security and safety of the country will be a transfer of Naf.300,000 from the parliament travel budget to the Ministry of Justice.
Close to 70 points were discussed with respect to how to fight crime, and the Government has been requested to present a definitive plan of action to Parliament for ratification on Friday, August 21.
The current financial challenges of the country leads to within the Government apparatus – Executive and Legislative branches - looking at ways and means to address situations of national concern.
In the recent closed door Central Committee meetings of the House of Parliament with the entire Council of Ministers (COM), a number of proposals in order to tackle crime have been discussed especially looking at the limited financial resources at the disposal of Government.
The Naf.300,000 to be transferred after the House of Parliament passes a motion, will go towards various crime fighting initiatives such as an emergency action plan which has been submitted by the Voluntary Corps of Sint Maarten for the Philipsburg area.
Some of the other points that Members of Parliament discussed with COM were: measures to tackle home burglaries and armed robberies; 24-hour surveillance of Philipsburg; prohibition of motorcycles and quads in particular areas; study root causes behind crime and implement proactive and preventive measures; increased police presence in every district; heightened and stricter immigration controls; intervention programs to deal with anger, aggressive behaviour and other anti-social behaviour; alternatives to incarceration for young people; surveillance camera project; utilizing retired police officers; specialized unit to monitor and investigate social media; regulation for pawn shops; review of laws regarding self-protection; additional street lights in the districts as a crime prevention measure; increased inspections to reduce availability of guns and prevent the illegal importation of weapons into the country; development of neighbourhood watch programs; and targeting of white collar crime.
The three emergency closed door Central Committee meetings were called by the Parliament of Sint Maarten with the COM to discuss immediate and comprehensive measures to fight crime after the August 5th armed robbery incident that resulted in the untimely death of Police Officer Gamali Benjamin.

PHILIPSBURG (PARLIAMENT/Independent Faction):---  Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo is requesting a meeting to discuss a proposal prepared by attorney Reynold Groeneveldt to introduce a Small Claims Court for Sint Maarten according to article 862 of the Code of Civil Procedures.

The MP is supporting this initiative as it allows claims up to ANG. 5000 to be handled by the Small Claims Court which is a substantial financial relief for the people of Sint Maarten.

Why a Small Claims Court
“In every community there are persons who have claims for relatively small amounts of money. These claims remain uncollected or unresolved, mainly because these cases are not brought before the regular court system for various reasons.

“Some reasons are the court entry fees and marshal fee involved with filing a regular court case. Although there is no legal requirement that one must be represented by an attorney, the complexity of the regulations related to filing and the procedural guidelines for handling court cases makes it absolutely advisable to contract lawyers to represent parties in court proceeding.

“The attorney fees act as another obstacle for a person who wished to file a claim against a defendant for instance for an amount of Naf. 1.000,- The claimant is usually not able to pay an attorney besides the regular fees to file a claim for such an amount.

“In other words it is too expensive for the claimant to engage an attorney for such a small claim and it is not attractive and economically not feasible for the attorney to accept a case to recover such a small amount of money. As a result, these types of small claims remain unresolved.

“The amounts in question are relatively small, but for the claimant, these amounts are not considered small but are very significant for the claimant. It must be concluded that the regular court system as well as the attorney do not provide the necessary service to these potential clients.

“Allowing these types of monetary and other disputes to remain unresolved in our community is undesirable as these could lead to much frustration and even persons taking the law into their own hands. For these and other reasons we believe that it absolutely necessary and justified to establish a Small Claims Court in order to resolve in an efficient manner such disputes,” MP Leona Marlin-Romeo said on Monday.

The people of Sint Maarten will be able to file claims such as, breaches of written and verbal contracts, return of down payments, return of payments for defective merchandise or faulty workmanship, damages to property and personal injury etc.

MP Leona Marlin-Romeo is hoping to get the support of all 15 members of Parliament to establish the Small Claims Court of Sint Maarten.

Choose 24 hot acts for September finals

Pond Island – Organizers of the annual TelCell Breakthrough Youth Tealent Serch contest are hailing Saturday’s auditions for their next upcoming show, another runaway hit – this time with judges, who were in awe at the scope and quality of the youth talent before them.

According to event coordinator, Angel Richardson, more than 100 young performers were registered to appear before judges at the Culture Center, Backstreet, Saturday.
The great majority came to show the results of weeks of practice and to win a place in the TelCell Breakthrough Youth Talent Search finals, slated for September 26 at the Maho Royale Theater.
“Once again this year the talent on display went up another notch,” said Angel.
“Some extremely good performers did not make the final cut, however, the judges were so impressed with at least two who feel into this category, that they have expressed an interest in keeping them close to hand so that they can also feature their respective talents in the finals when they are held.
“This is a great compliment to the two acts that didn’t make it, but also to how seriously individuals are about promoting all St. Maarten talent,” continued Angel.
She said those chosen to battle it out in the finals at the Maho Royale Theater, September 26 are:
Clint Vilonus (Remi), Shana Baugh, Eugene Brouta, Giovanni Richardson, Edline Pierre Louis, Jevannie Greenaway, Kyanni Atmopawrio, Tevin Williams, Tommylee Busby, Rigoria Keanu Martina, Marine Caillet, Lian Borsje, Leo Alexander, Roselina Fiacques, Rijkman Hodge, Alfred Thomas, Aldi Farrell and Rumari Rogers, Lisha Maduro, Leann Richardson, Celina Monsanto, Paul Brown, Jermain Roberts and Rogelio Bute.
The finalists, represent performing categories of Beat Boxing, Instrument playing, Dance, Vocals and Rapping. They have been advised to go away and begin working hard so that they can bring to the stage their very best performances in the upcoming finals.
The TelCell Breakthrough organizing committee, in collaboration with co-organizer XtraTight Entertainment, today congratulated all the winners of Saturday’s audition event and thanked all those who showed up to perform.
“The overall standard of the performers was raised once again and we would like to encourage all those who didn’t make the cut for the finals to keep working on their talent, because they are phenomenal,” said Angel.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise was happy to welcome Cathy Heemskerk-Hassell from St. Maarten Optical N.V. to their weekly meeting. Mrs. Heemskerk-Hassell has donated five examinations and five glasses to the Rotary Sunrise to distribute to children most in need.
For the past several years Rotary Sunrise have donated glasses through the Bert Miller Fund. A fund created in memory of Dr. Miller, an eye doctor by profession who was a regular visitor of St. Maarten as a timeshare owner at Belair Hotel. Rotary Sunrise was chosen to identify children who needed glasses but were unable to obtain them. They would therefore make the funds available to purchase the required eye glasses.
With the help of Mrs. Heemskerk-Hassell Rotary Sunrise can continue to make a difference for more children who would not have been able to acquire glasses otherwise. St. Maarten Optical N.V. which is located on the Pondfil will be making this an annual contribution.

Rotary Sunrise would like to extend thanks to Mrs. Heemskerk-Hassell and to donors of the Bert Miller Fund for helping to make it possible for us to continue to make a positive impact on the lives of St. Maarten’s youth.

The club meets at Barefoot Terrace Restaurant every Tuesday mornings at 7:00am for fellowship and breakfast. For more information on the club visit us at sxmsunrise.org or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., we are also on Facebook: Rotary Club of Saint Martin Sunrise.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Ten (10) finalists in the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Commerce & Industry ‘s Small Business Plan Competition have been selected, according to Board of Directors Member and committee leader Nzinga Lake .
Finalists Sherma Noble, Elurya Leverock, Crystal James, Yannick Hodge, Shawn York, Shasa Lake, Murline Peterson Lundi, Nalaysha Agard, Jentrite Felix and Sabrina Vrutaal all move on to the next round where they will pitch their business plans to a panel of selected judges representing a wide cross-section of the business community. Candidates will have twenty minutes to pitch their plans and answer any questions the judges may have.
Finalists will vie for top honors in Best Marketing, Best Pitch, Best Brand, Most Likely to Become Successful and Overall Winner categories. The Grand Prize includes a Starter’s Package valued at US $2,000 of professional services and start-up equipment generously donated by various businesses on the island. Winners will be announced at a Closing Reception to be held in celebration of World Entrepreneurs’ Day on Friday, August 21st at the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce wishes to thank all the business that have contributed goods, prizes and services.

Ten MPs voted in favor of draft law to establish Integrity Chamber --- DP Faction Leader spearheaded the drafting and finalizing of law

PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten has to brace itself for a possible instruction in order to establish an integrity chamber on St. Maarten. Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson submitted the document to the Parliament of St. Maarten on Monday where the Dutch Government want Kingdom Council of State to grant them permission to impose a Kingdom measure on St. Maarten in order for them to establish an integrity chamber on St. Maarten.
The Dutch Government said in its plea to the Kingdom Council of State that St. Maarten did not respect the protocol that was signed on June 2nd 2015 where the Parliament of St. Maarten would have had until July 1st 2015 to ratify the protocol that was signed between St. Maarten and the Dutch, further to that Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk said that the Minister of Justice of St. Maarten Dennis Richardson unilaterally changed the protocol when it comes to giving instructions to the Attorney General.
Besides the two main arguments Minister Plasterk wrote almost 20 pages in his explanatory notes to describe St. Maarten as a country that is full of corruption. Minister Plasterk quoted the Pourrier report that was written in 1992 he said each time St. Maarten is told to address the issues of corruption nothing is done about it.
Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson informed the Parliament of St. Maarten that the instruction was off the table while he was busy negotiating with the Dutch but that instruction is now back on the table with more contents.
Minister Richardson also gave some contents to the statements made by Member of Parliament Franklin Meyers who said that he preferred to die standing rather than living on his knees. Minister Richardson said that while he agree with those statements he outlined exactly who made the statement and when it was made. The Minister of Justice further stated that no one person has the right to sell out or trample on the country’s autonomy further to that the government of St. Maarten has to act smartly especially since the country are outnumbered in the Kingdom Council. The Minister said people does not have to become slaves because of unjust opinions or manipulation. He urged parliament to support the signed law which was presented to Parliament by the Council of Ministers. Minister Richardson said the questions asked in the month of May is no longer relevant because the situation has changed however, he did made clear that the Council of Ministers does not need the approval of parliament when they discuss and signed the national ordinance. Minister Richardson went on to answer of the questions that were posed by Members of Parliament some months ago before the meeting was adjourned.
Member of Parliament and Leader of the National Alliance William Marlin said as far as he can see the protocol that was signed by the Minister of Justice was put aside and the Dutch has chosen to move forward in their own way. Marlin said he wanted to know why the Minister of Justice said he was willing to go to jail for his country last week because in reality the Council of Ministers will lay the blame on the Parliament of St. Maarten whom they compromised when they signed the national ordinance. Marlin said that based on the statements made by the Chief of Police of the Netherlands Mr. Bouman when he visited St. Maarten it is clear that the Dutch has no intention to continue discussions with St. Maarten but instead they will proceed to do what they wanted to do from the very inception. Marlin then informed the Council of Ministers that when it comes to voting his faction will not be supporting the national ordinance as it is to establish an integrity chamber on St. Maarten.
MP Sarah Wescot Williams asked that the speaker’s time be extended by 10 minutes in order for her and other MPs to get their fair say. MP Wescot Williams said that the government did compromise the Parliament of the St. Maarten when they placed a deadline date in the national ordinance. She said the law signed by the Minister of Justice and the Kingdom is not the best she has seen however, she do believe that St. Maarten Government needs to know their role and duties. She made it clear that it’s the government responsibility to draft a proper law to establish an integrity chamber and if and when the parliament of St. Maarten approves that law no one including the Kingdom could stop St. Maarten from executing its law. MP Wescot Williams informed the Prime Minister and Minister of Justice that the Parliament of St. Maarten is there to control Government and not vise-versa or to do their work. She also expressed disgust on the statements made by the Chief of Police of Netherlands Bouman after the brutal murder of Officer Benjamin.
Wescot Williams also called on the Government to learn something from the Dutch Government/ Kingdom Government. MP Wescot Williams asked the Ministers that were in parliament on Monday if they already responded to the Kingdom Government on their latest option taken on July 21st.
MP Franklin Meyers in his presentation said that he will stand by his statements, he gave credit to MP Sarah Wescot Williams who said during the faction meetings said that the parliament of St. Maarten should approve national ordinance as is and they will come with amendments at a later date. As such MP Franklin Meyers submitted a motion to Parliament to approve the national ordinance based on the advice of MP Sarah Wescot Williams. MP Meyers said that the Dutch believes that might is right and even if St. Maarten fights if they want to come in and take over they will do just that.
Member of Parliament Christopher Emmanuel lambasted the Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson whom he said committed treason. MP Emmanuel said that the Minister of Justice did wrong and one of the things he should do is resign as that in his view would be the honorable thing. Emmanuel said he understands why the other MPs wants to approve the national ordinance which he believes is to appease the Dutch. However, he will not be doing that he said that his faction leader already stated the position of the National Alliance.
MP Emmanuel said for him that is not going to work because the people of St. Maarten did not vote for the Dutch they voted for the 15 Members of Parliament in St. Maarten. He said it’s time for St. Maarten leaders and its people step up to the plate and fight. “Had the Minister of Justice come here and told us to lets fight this, I would have supported him wholeheartedly, but what the Minister is did here is “throw in the gloves” in order to appease the Dutch.

MP Sarah Wescot Williams played a major role in getting the majority in parliament to turn the motion into an Landsbesluit which will also be copied to the Kingdom Government. The motion was amended based on the recommendations of MP Wescot Williams, ten members of parliament then voted in favor of the motion while the four Members of Parliament representing the National Alliance voted against.

Victim in critical condition --- Witnesses should contact police with information.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A Jamaican national was shot late Sunday night between Back Street and Cannegieter Street. SMN News learnt on Monday that the victim is currently in critical condition, while gun crime is becoming rampant on St. Maarten it is imperative that persons who witnessed this latest shooting should contact the police department with whatever information they have on the shooting that took place Sunday night. Persons who want to give information annoumously should do so by calling the tipline 9300.
It is understood that the victim ran to the Philipsburg Police Station for shelter after receiving several gunshots. Sources say that when the victim reached the Police Station he collapsed and was rushed to the St. Maarten Medical Center for medical treatment. Press Prosecutor Karola Van Nie confirmed the shooting that took place Sunday night. She said so far no one knows the motive of the shooting as the victim was transported to the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) where he had to undergo emergency surgery. Information reaching SMN News states that the victim is known in the Cole Bay area as Donavan Mc Curdy  who once worked for the carwash at Tackling Gas Station, then he moved to the carwash located across from the Carousel Ice cream parlor in Cole Bay. Residents of Cole Bay said that the victim moves from one car wash to the next and they do not know him to be involved in criminal activities but instead an avid beer drinker.
“The victim could not be questioned so we really don’t know the reason for the shooting and who shot the victim," Van Nie said.

Man shot
On Sunday the 16th August at approximately eight o’clock in the night the central dispatched received a call that a man had been shot in the area of Old Street in the Back street. The victim a 45 year old male managed to run to the Police station where he collapsed. Ambulance personnel were called and the victim was taken to the medical center and was treated for several gunshot wounds. The victim is still in a very critical state in the hospital.
At this time the investigation is ongoing and for now this is the only information available. If anybody has any information about this case, please contact us at 542-2222 and ask for the detective department. If you want to share your information anonymously, you can call our tip line on 9300.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Democratic Party takes this opportunity to extend best wishes to all students at the start of the school year 2015-2016.
We encourage students to start the year vigorously and remain focused throughout. Don't dwell on what was or could have been last year, but rather give this year your very best. Education should always remain your number one priority.
Parents, your child's success depends for a great part on the role you play in their lives, at home and at school. Regardless of the level that they are at, your guidance and support are indispensable. We know it can sometimes seem overwhelming. Our kids can be belligerent at times. Stand strong and know that there is support within the educational system, if you are open to such. Teachers need your help and support to steer our children on the right path.
To the teachers, we say : "the classrooms are becoming more and more challenging and with that so is your job of molding the next generations. We implore you not to become disheartened. Where would we all be if not for education?"
The fourth pillar of a successful school year is the community at large. General interest in the fate of our students and their education will greatly stimulate students and teachers alike.
To businesses we submit that any resources spent on education are well spent and the return will benefit us all.
The government knows its responsibility and our faction looks forward to the emphasis being put on education throughout all of governments programs and projects.
Together we can make this school year a successful, inspiring and productive one.

PHILIPSBURG:----  Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications Hon. Claret Connor, on Saturday, August 15, 2015, had the honor to speak at the graduation ceremony for the first cohort of the Pre-University of St. Martin (USM) Program.
Some 20 students received their certificates for successfully completing the GED program as well as a few prerequisites making each student eligible to enroll in a USM degree program of their choice.
Minister Connor on Sunday stated that what made the evening more remarkable, especially in light of the recent tragedy that struck the community a few days ago, is the fact that these promising individuals all carried their own unique recount about why this second chance was essential for them personally.
“Some of the presenters shared about students being promoted to advance grades because of their ability to learn quicker; while for others their aspirations were curtailed because of life or personal circumstances. Also inspiring to hear were the sacrifice on the part of parents whom had to go the extra mile to ensure that their child completed formal education or even high school. Despite the individual sacrifices, these same individuals were all present some years later following through with their dreams and aspirations, which will finally allow them to matriculate.
“Without a doubt our entire community still bears a heavy heart for our young fallen comrade. And this feeling will linger for some time. Questions abound regarding the future for our young people. For this reason, I dare say that the Pre-USM program is one of the programs that is available that can be used as a catalyst for “second-chances”; a program for empowerment and employability. There are many who may have not recognized the significance of a Pre-USM program. I also wish to reiterate that when we sat out to coordinate this program, it was done more so for the formation of the students rather than for personal recognition. A small leap of success will precede many more, and as such we cannot simply stop now.
“Our unemployment percentage reported in 2013 was at 9.2%, unemployment amongst our youth ages 15-24 in 2013 were at 28.2% for males and for females 23.5%. When looking at those numbers relative to education levels the numbers are elementary education 11.4%, Secondary Education 11.9%, Secondary II, 4.4% Tertiary level I, 2.6% and Tertiary level II, 2.7% .
“It can then be concluded that if we must continue to fight and persist that our young St Maarten population continue to matriculate. At the end of day this will have a positive effect on our unemployment numbers; while enforcing our workforce by providing capable candidates for the job market. Therefore, let us continue building our institutions of higher learning so that we can surely and securely build our communities, our economy and product. With product I mean what we do collectively to sustain continuous development of our destination, our economy and most importantly our people
“I would like to take this opportunity to once again congratulate the graduates, parents, family and friends, the University of St Martin, the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the participating corporate partners and the community of St. Maarten on this achievement,” Minister of Tourism Hon. Claret Connor told the graduates on Saturday.

Regina LaBega at Airports Conference of the Americas in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

SIMPSON BAY:---“Cuba has been open for quite a long time, albeit to the European, Canadian and Latin American markets in particular. Even travelers from the US have been finding their way into Cuba, sometimes via Canada and other destinations.”
This was the opinion expressed by the managing director of the Princess Juliana International Airport, SXM, Regina LaBega at the Airport and Airport Executives Forum of the Airports Conference of the Americas, held in San Juan, Puerto Rico last Wednesday.
“Even before the historic thawing of relations between the US and Cuba, it was frequently predicted that the so-called re-opening of Cuba would adversely affect tourism in the rest of the Caribbean. However, the facts so far have not borne this out,” LaBega said.
She explained that “in the short term, the effects of the normalization of relations between the US and Cuba are not so visible especially because the process will take some time.” LaBega was an invited guest speaker at the forum of airport executives.
“The cruise sector may begin to feel the impact several months down the road, given the proximity of Cuba to the US and the expected ‘rush’ to see Cuba before it is transformed by the same US tourism which it had been loathe to embrace wholeheartedly in the past,” she said.
“In my opinion,” LaBega continued, “some of the predictions and expectations would seem exaggerated because there is no indication at the moment that the regime in Cuba would drastically change its policy in terms of tourism development. Besides, the infrastructural investments that would be needed to accommodate the influx that is forecast would take several years if not decades to build. These include modern airports.”
All of these, in her view, could as a matter of fact, open up opportunities for countries like Jamaica, which because of their proximity to Cuba, could become a hub for that country.
The forum also addressed issues such as the possible expansion of the use of kiosks and programs such as Global Entry in Latin America and the Caribbean and the question of Government Expectations and Business Realities and Capital Improvement Limitations.
LaBega expressed doubts about the feasibility of the Trusted Traveler program in Latin America and the Caribbean “at the moment, given the international climate and the widespread concerns about illegal immigration.”
After listing reasons why she believed the program may not be well-received in the region at present, she added: “What, on the other hand, many Caribbean countries would look favorably on would be a US pre-clearance regime such as exists in Aruba for example.”
“We in St. Maarten are very interested in this, as it offers an attractive incentive for US visitors who on returning to the US would not have to be cleared by the US CBP again,” said the SXM managing director.
Regarding government expectations and business realities, LaBega explained the corporate structure of the Princess Juliana International Airport Operating Company, PJIAE, which limits direct government intervention and offers the company the flexibility to raise its own funds.
“In my own experience,” she said, “the best way to deal with government involvement is to run a professional, profitable, and transparent operation which serves the needs of the community and which projects itself positively on the international scene. It means being a good corporate citizen, and allowing the result of your stewardship to speak for itself. Above all, it requires that one deals with delicate political sensitivities in a mature manner, but always keeping the interest of the company at the forefront.”
“It was a very interesting and quite interactive forum,” LaBega said this week, adding that several participants agreed with her positions, although there were those who held different views as well.

PHILIPSBURG: --- Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications Hon. Claret Connor, expresses his deepest sympathy on behalf of his ministry and himself to the families of Mingo and Labega on the passing of their family member.
Former Minister of Finance of the Netherlands Antilles Frank Mingo passed away on Friday. He leaves to mourn his sons Chief Executive Officer of Port St. Maarten Mark Mingo; Chief Operations Officer Brian Mingo at the St. Maarten TelEm Group of Companies; and his daughter Civil Law Notary Marlene Mingo.
Also on Friday, Lillian Mildred Labega-Rohan, the mother of Chief Executive Officer of the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM Airport) Regina Labega, passed away.
“My prayers go out to both families during this difficult time. May both their souls rest in eternal peace. I also express my sympathy to the staff of Port St. Maarten and SXM Airport,” Minister of Tourism Hon. Claret Connor said on Sunday.

PHILIPSBURG:---The consumer price index for Sint Maarten has increased in the month of June 2015 by 0.3 percent compared to that of April 2015.

When comparing average consumer prices over a twelve month period (June 2014 to Jun. 2015), an increase of 1.2 percent was recorded compared to the same period one year earlier.

This is evident from the data released by the Department of Statistics (STAT) today. Price changes between June & April 2015

The consumer price index for Sint Maarten has increased in the month of June 2015 by 0.3 percent compared to that of April 2015. The price index recorded in June 2015 is 126.7.

Expenditure Category
WEIGHT
INDEX APRIL
2015
INDEX JUNE
2015
% CHANGE
Food 10% 189.1 191.2 1.1
Beverages and tobacco 1% 146.3 146.4 0.1
Clothing & footwear 7% 115.7 114.8 -0.8
Housing 39% 123.0 123.3 0.2
Household furnishing & appliances 6% 145.2 144.9 -0.2
Medical care 3% 115.0 115.1 0.1
Transport & communication 20% 106.6 107.2 0.6
Recreation & education 6% 107.8 107.7 -0.1
Misc. 8% 120.1 120.3 0.2
TOTAL 100% 126.3 126.7 0.3

Expenditure Categories – overall modest increases

In June 2015, six of the nine expenditure categories became marginally more expensive, whilst three became cheaper. Amongst the more expensive were the categories; ‘Food’ (+1.1%), ‘Beverages and Tobacco’ (+0.1%), ‘Housing’ (+0.2%), ‘Medical Care’ (+0.1%),
‘Transport & Communication’ (+0.6%) and ‘Miscellaneous’ (+0.2%). Whereas decreases were recorded for the expenditure categories ‘Clothing and Footwear’ and ‘Household Furnishing & Appliances’ and ‘Recreation & Education’ of -0.8%, -0.2% and -0.1% respectively.

GREAT BAY:---- Rochelle Ward continues to spread her poetic wings by reciting her poetry abroad, most recently at Dominica’s Nature Island Literary Festival and Book Fair 2015, said Lasana M. Sekou of House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP).
The St. Martin poet started off her visit as a featured reader at the festival’s opening on August 6. “I’m honored to have shared the stage at the opening ceremony with novelist and keynote speaker Oonya Kempadoo, engaged with the people of Dominica and other creative and iconic persons from the neighboring islands,” said Ward, who also publishes her work under the name Faizah Tabasamu.
In addition to reading her poetry at the opening ceremony and at Purple Turtle Beach, Ward conducted the creative non-fiction workshop at the UWI Open Campus.
According to festival chairperson Dr. Schuyler Esprit, the featured presenters that read their work, conducted workshops, and took part in panel discussions at the 8th edition of the lit fest also included: award-winning poet Vladimir Lucien (St. Lucia); marine researcher and poet Jean “Baba” Barfleur (Guadeloupe); short story writer Alick Lazare (Dominica); and playwright Christopher DeRiggs (Grenada).
Dominica is called the nature island of the Caribbean, and “the Nature Isle festival is a well-organized festival of great integrity and robust as the mornes of the island itself,” said Lucien this week.
The festival focused on nature in 2015, and “based on the theme, ‘Beyond the Green,’ I’m convinced that environmentalists are not the only ones who can advocate sustainability on our islands for future generations. Poets, playwrights, and novelists can do it too. It is up to all of us to preserve what we have, whether it is our island’s natural resources, culture or history,” said Ward.
Since her poems were published by HNP in Where I See The Sun – Contemporary Poetry in St. Martin (2013), and the subsequent posting of her poetry videos online, Ward has been a featured guest poet and workshop leader at the St. Martin Book Fair and the Anguilla Literary Festival.
Rochelle Ward (Faizah Tabasamu) is a language and literature teacher at St. Maarten Academy and may be better known in St. Martin for her mega-workshops on hair and organic beauty care products for Don’t Break The Comb foundation.
“Faizah’s invitation to participate in literary festivals is a sure sign that others are taking note of her steady development as poet, and as a blogger at rochelleward.com and saltfishandlace.com, where she regularly writes about hair and beauty care, Caribbean lifestyle and fashion, St. Martin's environment, and reviews books. Her writings have appeared in The Daily Herald, Today Newspaper, trulycaribbean.net, mnialive.com, sxminfo.fr, bajanreporter.com, and repeatingislands.com,” said Sekou.

PHILIPSBURG:---The 2015-2016 school year is just about to begin with our students reporting to classes today. After one month of vacation our students are all revered up to acquire some more knowledge as the saying goes only the prepared will inherit the future.
Recently, I had a conversation with a teacher and he stated that on an annual basis many students are not promoted; in some cases they don’t pass their final exams and often times they drop out of school after having repeated the same class more than once. My question to him was, what are the causes of some these students not being successful?
Is it because some of the students are not motivated? Is it because the parents don’t care what happens as they show no interest at all in the education of their children? Does it have anything to do with our educational system? Finally, is it government to blame for the failure of our students?
In my opinion it is a combination of those factors and many others not mentioned above. Nevertheless, as a young nation we have to continue to motivate and encourage our young people to study hard as they will have to lead this country sometime in the near future.
It is a known fact that the beginning of every year the schools encounter problem with the scheduling of classes and in some cases they fall short of certain books. After a couple of weeks all that is sorted out and then the classes begin.
Students hear on a yearly basis from their parents and teachers the importance of education. They tend to take it for granted for most of them believe that it is the duties of parents and teachers to tell them how important education is for their future. Last week Thursday we buried one of our fallen soldiers, the late officer Gamaly Kwasi Benjamin. Once again we heard from the politicians, the business community and others that we must do more for our young people because they are going astray and I agree. Let’s start now.
The OSPP is proposing to organize motivational speeches at all our schools after the first month that school has resumed. These motivational speeches are to be done by our community leaders, businesses and other professionals in our community. Let our students hear from somebody else other than their parents, teachers and religious leaders the importance of education. Let them understand that to be good at anything in life you must practice, practice and practice. In school be attentive in classes, do your homework and the rest will fall in place. Going to school can never be boring; it is what you make out of it. As a good friend of mine always says when you ask him how he is doing, he is practicing. Practicing to be better at what he is doing at that moment and what he will be doing in the near future.
We want to wish all our students, teachers and the parents a very successful school year 2015-2016. “St. Maarten needs each and every one of you to be successful in your studies, says Lenny Priest, as education is the key to the future.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The National Alliance family extends best wishes for success to all students returning to school on Monday August 17 as well as to all those returning to school abroad to further their respective studies.
It is a great opportunity to be able to go to school, to make it your priority in life to learn something new daily as well as build character and practice respect. We urge all students to make good use of the opportunity for education, to ask pertinent questions, complete assignments on time, read as much as possible, do research, and prepare well for all tests.
Your success will be yours individually, your parents', your teachers', your schools' and St. Maarten's as well!
As the late Nelson Mandela once said, and I paraphrase here today: Education is the most effective weapon with which to change the world. Use it to change your circumstances, your neighborhood and our St. Maarten for the better.
Much success to you all.

NATIONAL ALLIANCE Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:----  Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs expresses his deepest sympathy to the Mingo family with respect to the passing of former Minister of Finance of the Netherlands Antilles Frank Mingo from 1998-1999.
Frank Mingo also served as Senator in the former Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles representing Sint Maarten from 1999 to 2002.
Mingo passed away on Friday night.
“It was indeed sad to learn about the passing of Frank Mingo. I worked with him when I was State Secretary of Justice, General and Interior Affairs from 1998 to 2002.
“On behalf of the Council of Ministers, I extend our condolences to the immediate family and friends of Frank Mingo during their time of bereavement,” Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs said on Sunday.
The Prime Minister has ordered flags at the Government Administration Building in Philipsburg to be flown at half-mast out of respect for the former Minister and Members of the Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles.

CUL DE SAC:---- St. Maarten Academy’s sixth form student Maria Prince has emerged the top performer for St. Maarten at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (C.A.P.E.). Prince was one among the first group of students to sit the regional examination offered by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) in May/June 2015. She attained distinctions (Grade I) in three out of the four subjects she sat – Pure Mathematics Unit 1, Physics Unit 1, and Biology Unit 1.
The results released by CXC on Monday, August 11, 2015 saw St. Maarten’s first cohort of twenty-six (26) students of the CAPE programme achieving 100% pass rate in five (5) of the seven (7) subjects offered by St. Maarten Academy. There were 100% passing in Accounting Unit 1, Communication Studies, Information Technology Unit 1, Management of Business Unit 1, and Physics Unit 1. There was also 75% passing in Biology Unit 1. Only Pure Mathematics recorded a pass rate of 42%.
The CAPE students performed admirably and special mention must be made of the other students who garnered distinctions in the various subjects, including Angelica Sooknandan, who achieved a Grade I in Pure Mathematics and Tomori Tomlinson, who copped a Grade I in Communication Studies. Both Sooknandan and Tomlinson along with students Akesha Flanders, Jeffeny Fidel Balthazar, Arion St. Clair, Denzel Romney and Antonia Faucher all performed excellently copping Grades I-III in the majority of their subjects.
“At the CAPE examinations, achieving Grades I-III is admirable, as a pass rate at the CAPE level goes from Grades I-V,” explained CAPE Coordinator Roxanne Bloomfield. These results are the first year of a two-year programme and so these students will continue to the second year where they will attain their Caribbean Associate Degree.
The Board of Management of St. Maarten Academy would like to use this medium to congratulate the students, staff, parents and other stakeholders for the excellence achieved in this first sitting of the CAPE examinations.
The Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE) launched its C.A.P.E. programme through the academic section of St. Maarten Academy on September 8, 2014. Principal Drs. Tallulah Baly-Vanterpool remarked that it was the initiative of former principal Shareed Hussain and his team, who approached former Minister of Education Patricia Lourens to make CAPE happen.
“We are grateful as an institution, that although there was a change in Ministers, our current Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs, Mrs. Rita Bourne-Gumbs continues to offer support this initiative,” said Baly-Vanterpool.
“I am immensely proud of the performance of our CAPE students and by extension St. Maarten. The Government and our School Board took a leap of faith with CAPE, which offers an alternative to students who are too young, or unable to go abroad to further their studies or university education.” Additionally, the graduates of CAPE that opt to enter the workforce will be more marketable than a CSEC graduate.
The principal said that although CAPE is a new program in our community, it is the hope that the labour market recognizes its graduates for their accomplishments and reward them accordingly.
“So as we prepare to start a new year, let us not forget the past, but use the knowledge to build on it and create a bigger and better future. CAPE has been the St. Maarten Academy’s initiative, but it is now part of St. Maarten’s legacy. This programme shows the continued commitment of our board, teaching and administrative staff to develop the whole child through our ever-dynamic and expanding curricula and extra-curricular programmes. With that in mind, I urge all of us to continue to work together to produce the kind of citizens who will not only excel academically, but morally, exemplifying the values that make us proud as an institution, community and an emerging island-nation, said Baly-Vanterpool.
The current sixth form students will now move on to year 2 to complete their Caribbean Associates Degree, which will put them in a position to be exempted from certain first year courses at college.
St. Maarten Academy’s application period for the CAPE programme remains open until August 21, 2015. Interested applicants can visit the academic campus to collect their CAPE packages or speak to the CAPE Coordinator for further information.
For more information about CAPE, please contact St. Maarten Academy at 721-548-3780, Roxanne Bloomfield at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.stmaartenacademy.com.

PHILIPSBURG:---  St. Maarten businessman and former Minister of Finance of the Netherlands Antilles, Mr. Frank Mingo passed away 11:00 pm Friday night at the Pablo Tubon hospital, Colombia, at the age of 68.
He was being treated at the hospital overseas for several weeks after taking ill on St. Maarten.
His children Brian Mingo, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of TelEm Group and Mark Mingo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Harbour Group of Companies and Notary Marlene Mingo, have all expressed extreme sadness at the passing of their father. We take solace in the fact that it was a restful and peaceful end.
“My brother, sister and I spent many hours with our father towards the end and he remained positive about the development of St. Maarten in the regional Caribbean context,” said son Brian Mingo.

“We had some laughs, shared some fond memories and he even got to do some things that were on his bucket list before his passing. His wisdom and counsel will be missed by all of us,” said Brian.
They mentioned that although their father was born in Aruba, his first thought and love was always for St. Maarten, where he grew up and was a businessman. He also guided his children to prominent positions in the island’s business community.
“As a former teacher at MPC and a proponent of good education for St. Maarten’s youth, he was extremely proud of what his own children had achieved academically and in their work lives and wasn’t afraid to say so publicly,” continued both Mark and Brian Mingo.
They said their father sacrificed much for the island and his family when he took on the duties of Minister of Finance in the Netherlands Antilles to ensure the Government of St. Maarten received its fair share of the Central Government pie.
“His name was Frank, and he stood by that name by getting a reputation for being a frank speaker who always said it as it was, getting into trouble on many occasions for taking a stand to defend St. Maarten’s interest in the then Federal government,” remembers Brian Mingo.
He served on many private and public boards, foundations and organizations and worked for a short while in Department of Economic Affairs on St. Maarten, but had a special love for politics where he was associated with and postulated himself for various elections as a Democratic Party candidate.

Brian Mingo said his father is still remembered by many as the former owner of the Yuppie gas station on the Sucker Garden Road who gave away free newspapers each morning to encourage customers to visit his gas station.
“He was a shrewd businessman, a great father and an even greater lover of, St. Maarten,” added Brian.
He said friends and former colleagues in government are being informed of his passing in the other Dutch Caribbean islands.
Meantime the family is making arrangements to have the body repatriated to St. Maarten where funeral arrangements will be made and announced at a later date.

Willemstad:---- On August 14th 2015, Curaçao celebrated PAWA’s Sto. Domingo – Curaçao itinerary with an inaugural flight that arrived and was welcomed at the Curaçao International Airport in the evening. CHATA President & CEO Lizanne Dindial states that “It is a distinct honor that we can welcome PAWA and its local representative Ms. Iris Gascón to Curaçao, the initiation of this itinerary is a testimony of PAWA’s faith in Curaçao as a destination.“

As of August 14th PAWA will be operating flight services on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays with a McDonnell Douglas MD-80. CHATA is certain that Dominican tourists are in for a treat when welcomed to Curaçao, as Curaçao is a diverse destination offering Scenic-, Cultural- and Gastronomic diversity. CHATA looks forward to working with PAWA and extends its gratitude for PAWA’s confidence to initiate this mutually beneficial itinerary.
Willemstad – On August 14th 2015, Curaçao celebrated PAWA’s Sto. Domingo – Curaçao itinerary with an inaugural flight that arrived and was welcomed at the Curaçao International Airport in the evening. CHATA President & CEO Lizanne Dindial states that “It is a distinct honor that we can welcome PAWA and its local representative Ms. Iris Gascón to Curaçao, the initiation of this itinerary is a testimony of PAWA’s faith in Curaçao as a destination.“

As of August 14th PAWA will be operating flight services on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays with a McDonnell Douglas MD-80. CHATA is certain that Dominican tourists are in for a treat when welcomed to Curaçao, as Curaçao is a diverse destination offering Scenic-, Cultural- and Gastronomic diversity. CHATA looks forward to working with PAWA and extends its gratitude for PAWA’s confidence to initiate this mutually beneficial itinerary.

PHILIPSBURG:---- The Ombudsman Dr. Nilda Arduin offers her input to move on. She observes that after days of total shock, anger and fear came mourning, which culminated with a tremendous show of solidarity by the community on the day of the funeral of Police Officer Gamali Kwasi Benjamin; those born here, from here, just happen to be here, and more were there. She likens the impact of the tragic event on August 5th 2015 as devastating to the morale of the people and the economy of the island as the impact of hurricane Luis on September 5th, 1995.
The response to the devastation of the hurricane was swift, with total involvement of the entire community. A Government of Reconstruction and Recovery took up its responsibility, and lead the people in clearing the island of the mess, and built the people’s morale. And so today, after the shock and national mourning, Government needs to lead to restore the damage caused by the fatal shooting of a Police Officer in the line of duty, protecting people, business and our economy in the heart of town. Government needs to boost the morale and restore hope for the people, who call Sint Maarten their home.
The same awareness of what hit us, and a sense that we are in the mess together in the days after hurricane Luis, should guide us to collectively contribute towards swift restoration of the devastation caused by the event of August 5th 2015. The awareness that the shooting of a Law enforcement Officer at close range in broad daylight in the middle of the capital, a stone’s throw away from the Court House and the Parliament House, is a form of anarchy at its highest level, should awaken us all. There is no time to pick and choose, or point fingers, but time to act swiftly and collectively. Government is expected to lead by example, just like Officer Benjamin did. Taking care of the people’s business unbiased, impartial, with understanding, transparency and utmost respect is a budget neutral first step. Acknowledging that behind each decision and action or non-action of Government are the interests of real people, does not require additional monetary investment.
As Ombudsman listening to and investigating the complaints of the people against Government’s behavior, established that the primary needs of the citizens are that Government is open and clear, transparent, cooperative and involved, serving the general interest of the people. Lack of transparency and decision making by Government stagnates development, freezes the wellbeing of the people, increases frustration and anarchy. Applying propriety, standards of proper conduct, is a simple first step in rebuilding and restoring trust in Government and by extension our community. Reading and implementing the many cost effective recommendations offered in the reports of our own High Councils of State and Advisory bodies, as well as the many reports paid for and produced by the various Integrity Committees is another step in the right direction.
If government leads as stated above, and this includes Ministers, civil servants and Parliament, the Board of Trustees elected by the people to supervise Government, the people will follow and understand if measures need to be taken to restore law and order within the community.
Though the statistics published in the Year Report 2014 of the Ombudsman shows that the complaints against the Ministry of Justice, topped by complaints against the Police Department, were the highest last year, the fact is that the Police Department is most active and compliant when it comes to investigations and recommendations from the Ombudsman to better serve the public.
Officer Benjamin understood propriety; he served the public with respect and kindness. May his legacy lead Government and the civil servants as we move on.

August 14, 2015
Dr. Nilda Arduin, Ombudsman

PORT ST. MAARTEN:--- The Supervisory Board of Directors, Management Team and Staff of Port St. Maarten, expresses their deepest condolences to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Mingo and the Mingo family on the passing of his father Mr. Frank Mingo.

Frank Mingo (68) passed away at 11.50pm on Friday night, August 14, 2015 at a hospital in Medellin, Colombia.

Mingo was a former Minister of Finance of the Netherlands Antilles from 1999 to late 2000. He also served as a Senator in the former Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles.

Mingo was also a well-known businessman in the Sint Maarten community in the LPG cooking gas field as well as a real estate developer.

Born in Aruba on February 2, 1947, and raised in Sint Maarten, Frank Mingo attended school in Aruba and continued to the Netherlands to further his studies. Frank Mingo returned to Sint Maarten where he got involved in business, education and politics. Mingo was an educator at the Milton Peters College (MPC).

Besides his son at Port St. Maarten, Mr. Mingo leaves to mourn Brian Mingo, Chief Operations Officer at the TelEm Group of Companies and daughter Civil Law Notary Marlene Mingo.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Democratic Party Faction and National Alliance submitted a request to the chairman of Parliament requesting that he place a second agenda point be placed on Monday's meeting. In a joint press release issued by both factions states the following they submitted a  request was made today (Friday) by the opposition factions NA and DP. Confirmation has been received that this point has been added to the agenda of the public meeting of Monday, August 17, 2015. The initial agenda point for Monday's meeting is the draft national ordinance for the establishment of an integrity chamber.

-----The undersigned members of Parliament, W. V.Marlin, S.A. Wescot-Williams, G. Pantophlet and C. Emmanuel hereby request an URGENT meeting of Parliament.
The agenda point for this meeting is:

The protocol signed between the Dutch and St. Maarten governments and the apparent unilateral decision by the Dutch government a/o Dutch police agencies regarding the justice system on St. Maarten.

The undersigned members also request that this agenda point be added to the agenda of the Public meeting of August 17th, given the relevance of the topic for the agenda point of this public meeting and the urgency of the matter at hand.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):----- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), has given permission for a temporary road closure on Sunday, August 16th.

The temporary road closure will be on Front Street in the vicinity of Sea Palace Hotel. The closure will take place from 5.00am to 9.00am.

The closure of the street is in connection with the removal of a rotten gutter on the 5th floor of the hotel. A long boom bucket truck will be used.
Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):---- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that NV GEBE will be carrying out trench work and utility installation starting from Monday, August 17 until September 4th.

The works will take place at Pelican Road and entails the installation of secondary fibre and street light extension.
Motorists and pedestrians are requested to be observant of traffic signs and other notices alerting them to the particular works that are taking place at Pelican Road.
Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.

PHILIPSBURG:---- Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs offered some clarification for statements he made at the bi-weekly Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday, 12 August.
The Prime Minister said that certain terms he used were indeed not necessary nor were they entirely representative of his own personal beliefs. He attributed his outburst to frustration with what he has called the ongoing destructive conduct of certain media and community elements.
The Prime Minister had the following message for the country:
“Indeed, my life has been touched by the tragedy of suicide. Contrary to what some may feel at this moment, I do not believe that if individuals are on the brink of suicide, that they should do just that. I understand, more than most, that depression is a disease that sinks its claws into the mind and often does not let go, driving some to seek a final solution. I understand the burdens facing many within our community today, and how that may contribute to the overwhelming notion that no life is better than this life. So allow me to clarify what I intended with my statements, in the heat of the moment during that meeting.
“We are faced with unique situations as a young Country. Many have said, we’re not doing that bad, and compared to what it COULD be, we are not. However, as I have stated recently, we are all responsible for how this country moves forward. That means I am responsible, my Cabinet, the Council of Ministers, Parliament, the civil servants, the media and the community at large. In this day and age of social media and the ability for everyone to be able to start a blog and call themselves a reporter, it appears that there is no longer the “burden of proof” to be sure that what is being asked, printed or said is actually factual. And, if I may be frank, that DOES indeed cause instable conditions for any small country and community. How disheartening it truly is to know that out there, on Facebook, for example, there are individuals who willingly tag elements in the Netherlands that have had nothing positive to say about our country...but then are immediately the first to criticize the Netherlands when an instruction is provided by the Tweede Kamer.
“I am a firm believer in personal accountability. I cannot demand that something is not printed or posted, because that is in truth censorship and no government should dictate what the media and those who fashion themselves as such can and cannot print. But what I, and I believe the entire community can and should demand, is that whatever is printed be factual and based on legally obtained information, and not be purposefully incendiary. Incendiary means, intending to stir up conflict, to cause fire. An individual who is consistently exhibiting this type of behavior, the behavior of ‘destroy’ with no intention or willingness to build, to nurture, is not an individual who is contributing to this country in a positive manner. That individual is self-destructive, as it can only poison one’s soul to participate in activities that are destroying the image, reputation and regional standing of the very country that you say you love.
“It is no laughing matter when documents are leaked from the respective ministries. It is no laughing matter when incendiary individuals in the Netherlands are welcomed to debates on social media as though based on fact, and then use this information to punish St. Maarten. We must ALL look in the mirror, to move beyond the decisions, or lack thereof, that have brought us to this precipice. From myself as Prime Minister to those reporting in the media to those commenting on these same reports, sometimes enjoying the anonymity of online social platforms, we all MUST do better.
“I apologize for my choice of words during the press conference; I am not a word-smith. It was, indeed, a trying week and passions have been running high. I don’t believe in flowery language to get things across; I find it clouds the message. Nevertheless, my choice of words were not accurate and were indeed insensitive. However, I do not apologize for the intended message. It remains the same as it did on the day of our inauguration: St. Maarten needs each and every one of her people to come together, forget our differences, forget the positions or contracts or whatever that we may have wanted, and move forward as one unit. Some among us may continue to and even enjoy lighting fires; but fire spreads, and that is not a blaze this country can afford. May we all find the strength to come together, and may God bless St. Maarten.”

PHILIPSBURG:---- The House of Parliament will meet in a public plenary session on August 17th. The Minister of General Affairs Marcel Gumbs and the Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson, have confirmed to be present for the parliamentary session.

The plenary session is set for Monday at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

This meeting was adjourned on June 22, 2015.

The agenda is the draft national ordinance to establish the Integrity Chamber.

The next agenda point is the protocol signed between the Governments of the Netherlands and Sint Maarten and the apparent unilateral decision by the Netherlands/Dutch Police Agencies regarding the Justice System on Sint Maarten.
Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and via www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:---- The first press briefing of the Gumbs cabinet on August 12, 2015 has left me with the thought, "pinch me, this can't be for real."
Let me get straight to the point. It can be at least expected of our government members that they display a fair amount of emotional intelligence (EI).
The Prime Minister, I can only conclude, with nothing concrete to share with the people of
St. Maarten, but due to public pressure for openness, came out shooting from the hip in the first press briefing of the Gumbs cabinet. Sad!
The Prime Minister sits between 2 of his colleague ministers, also of the previous cabinet, and publicly throws them under the bus for according to him, neglecting their duty.
Better yet, the Prime Minister throws under the bus, the very same politicians/leaders responsible for him holding the office of prime minister today. Did these leaders not inform the Prime Minister what to expect when they proposed him for the post?
But what is downright disgusting, is the lack of empathy from one of the highest office holders of this country for the mental stress that so many of our citizens go burdened under for numerous and varied reasons.
This is why I mentioned the lack of emotional intelligence, and that is the inability "to recognize one's own and other people's emotions and the inability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in positive ways..."
The government needs to lead by example and when emotions run high, the emotional intelligence of our leaders is paramount.
To suggest that persons "commit suicide" and even explain graphically how to do so, is outright wrong, insensitive and unbecoming of any leader, let alone the Prime Minister of this country.
Maybe this particular press briefing gave the prime minister bragging rights in other circles and "public houses".
But I, for one, condemn this flagrant disregard for people's emotions in these stressful times and call on the Prime Minister to do as he preaches. The " look in the mirror" call, the tolerance call, the unity call, the bravery call etc. etc.
And lastly, the prime minister should stop to think how he is able to shine in the areas of European funding and Caribbean leadership, the Public Service Center concept, the OP with St. Martin, the VKS, English legislation etc. etc.
Prime Minister, bravado does not equal bravery.

PHILISBURG:--- Rotary Club of St. Maarten Mid Isle presented Dr. Lance Nash with a Paul Harris Fellow. The previous board under the leadership of Immediate Past President (IPP) Wayne Wilkie presented Dr. Nash this recognition for his numerous financial donations towards Rotary projects, and his hands-on service in preparing the meals of Rotary Mid Isle’s first Wine Tasting Fundraising dinner and for preparing the breakfast at the recently held Motor Treasure Hunt where he also personally sponsored a team. There are many other activities that he has personally contributed to.
Dr. Nash is an exemplary Rotarian deserving of this recognition.
IPP Wayne presented the pin, President David presented the medallion and
First Lady Denise presented the PHF certificate to Dr. Nash.

We were very honored to have the St. Maarten Minister Plenipotentiary
Josianne Fleming-Artsen as a guest speaker, who gave us quite a detailed
insight of her cabinet. Some members of Rotary Nord were also in attendance,
along with some prospective members of Rotary St. Maarten Mid Isle . Mrs. Fleming Artsen also congratulated Dr. Nash on his recognition.

Four remain in custody, pretrial detention of Kilo Gotti Extended by 8 days.

PHILIPSBURG:--- One of the four suspects arrested Monday night in St. Peters was released by police six hours after being detained. However, the judge of instruction extended the pretrial detention of the other three including 20 year old J.L who is considered to be the second suspect in the daring daylight robbery that claimed the life of bike patrol Gamali Benjamin who was laid to rest on Thursday.
Police had also arrested the brother of one of the two suspects identified as F.D, the prosecution also released that suspect after not having sufficient evidence to keep him in custody. F. D is the brother of R. D who is nursing gunshot wounds at the St. Maarten Medical Center.
Prosecutor Karola Van Nie said in an invited comment that the pretrial detention of R. D was extended Friday morning by another eight days but the suspect will remain at the St. Maarten Medical Center for further medical treatment.

Workshops Designed To Develop Analytics, Leadership Skills

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) is offering two professional development courses for CHATA hotel employees designed to develop their performance analytics and leadership skills and add value to overall hotel marketing and operations. CHATA members and non-members can register for the Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (CHIA) workshop, which is jointly offered by the American Hotel & Lodging Education Institute (AHLEI) and STR (Smith Travel Research), and Florida International University’s (FIU) Leadership for Service Excellence workshop. Both sessions are offered on Oct. 2, 2015 from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at El Conquistador Resort, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, in Puerto Rico, prior to the opening of the association’s Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum (CHIEF).

"CHTA and CHATA are pleased to partner with STR/AHLEI and FIU to offer two of the industry’s most popular courses at a substantial discount and in the region. Our goal is to provide educational opportunities that enhance our members’ effectiveness and ultimately their bottom line,” according to Lizanne Dindial.

“The STR/AHLEI data analytics certification equips owners, managers, industry researchers, yield management and marketing professionals with the skills to better plan, manage and enhance their performance. The FIU Leadership for Service Excellence workshop helps top management to better engender a culture of exceptional service within their company." said CHTA President Emil Lee.

The Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics Workshop is currently the only certification for hotel and tourism industry professionals focused on analytics. Course objectives include: learning how to analyze hotel industry data and make strategic inferences based upon the analysis; determining how data can be used to interpret and plan accordingly; and understanding benchmarking and performance reports. Registration is US$300 for the workshop, which is a 50% discount for CHTA members, and includes the workshop, materials, the exam and lunch. Registration is available via the following LINK.

The Leadership for Service Excellence Workshop is offered in conjunction with FIU’s Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Education and Research (ITHER), the exclusive educational partner for CHIEF. The workshop will teach staff how to determine guest expectations, coach employees for performance improvement, and integrate recovery efforts into overall operations. CHTA members pay US$150 and non-members are charged US$175. Registration is available via the following LINK.

GREAT BAYDCOMM):--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that NV GEBE will be carrying out emergency repairs on Friday, August 14 in relation to a water leak.

The works will be carried out at the intersection of Bush Road/Daisy Road which is the motorized entrance to Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)/Cost U Less starting at 9.00pm Friday night to 5.00am in the morning hours of Saturday.

All works need to be finalized before August 17.
Motorists are requested to be observant of traffic signs and other notices at the intersection where the works are taking place. Motorists will still be able to access the KFC/Cost U Less area.
Safety measures will have to be in place to safeguard pedestrians and road users. Businesses in the area must also be informed that the repairs will be taking place.
Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.

Pond Island:--- The winner of the ongoing Chamber of Commerce First Annual Small Entrepreneur Business Plan Competition will receive a smart new plum mobile phone courtesy of mobile provider TelCell.

The device is just one of a host of prizes that will be picked up by finalists when they are announced during an awards ceremony at the Belair Community Center, August 22.

The object of the contest is to stimulate entrepreneurial activity and support business aspirations of innovative adolescents living on St. Maarten.

“It’s an initiative that TelEm Group is firmly behind to get our young people thinking about business,” said Sales Account Manager, David Evans while making the mobile device available to Chamber of Commerce Board member Ms. Nzinga Lake, in a brief presentation ceremony Tuesday.

St. Maarten Community Turned out in large numbers to pay tribute the fallen cop who died in the line of his duties.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Hundreds of persons gathered in front of the Philipsburg Police Station to witness the military funeral service that was held on Thursday for fallen bike patrol Gamaili Kwasi Benjamin. Large buses were used to transport members of KPSM and officers from the other justice department to the Royal Funeral Home for those persons to pay their last respects to their fallen colleague. The service which supposed to begin at 10:30 at the Philipsburg Police Station due to the family’s request to allow the viewing to proceed until 11:00am.
At 11:30 am the body of the fallen officer who shot during an armed robbery at Oro Diamante on Front Street last week Wednesday was brought to the Philipsburg Police Station while all his colleagues from the various justice departments and those visiting from the neighboring islands lined up as the entourage drove towards the Philipsburg Police Station. When the hearse arrived in front of the headquarters of KPSM it stopped as the guard of honor continued while the relatives of the late officer were taken inside the Philipsburg Police Station where his photograph was placed on the wall for fallen officers and a framed photograph was handed to his wife and son. This part of the ceremony was done in the presence of Governor Eugene Holiday and first lady Marie-Louise, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson, and other members of the Council of Ministers along with close relatives of the late Bike Patrol. After that the management of KPSM then unveiled a photograph that is placed on the front wall of the Philipsburg Police Station in the presence of his immediate relatives and dignitaries. His colleagues from all the departments of justice remained lined up in the blazing sun as the official military ceremony took place, to conclude the official service Deputy Chief Commissioner of Police Carl John marched to the hearse bearing the body of his fallen colleague whose casket was draped in a St. Maarten flag and repeated the words “Officer Benjamin your humbleness, your dedication, your bravery will serve as an example for us. It was an honor serving with you my friend, Officer Benjamin call sign “Bravo 1” has just left us.” After that the official blowing of the trumpet took place as Deputy Chief of Police Carl John walked back to where the families and dignitaries were before they all marched through Front Street as they head towards the Methodist Church where the official funeral service was held.
As the procession passed through Front Street all stores were closed, people from all walks of life including visitors stood beside the road to witness the funeral procession and the send-off one of St. Maarten’s bravest cop was given. At Oro Diamante Store an Officer was waiting on the first floor of the building to blow the trumpet as the hearse carrying the body of the slain officer drove pass.
When the body arrived at the Methodist Church on Front Street police officers “pallbearers” took the body out of the hearse and took into the church as people surrounded the building to get a glimpse of the casket. It took brave men of the law to do what they had to do on Thursday despite being emotional and still struggling to cope with the way their colleague was taken down.
At the church Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, President of Parliament MP Lloyd Richardson, Governor Eugene Holiday, Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson, Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte all described the fallen officer as a hero, an officer that was always ready to serve, someone that was always willing to listen and to give people a second chance. He was also described as being loving and caring. Prime Minister Gumbs said he did not know the fallen officer personally but what he have learnt about him during the past days made him understand why the community came out in numbers to show their support and to grieve with his family, friends and colleagues. Governor Holiday said that St. Maarten has lost someone that gave his life for his country. President of Parliament MP Lloyd Richardson said what transpired last Wednesday has forced the people of St. Maarten to come together, therefore the fifteen persons that were elected have no choice but to come together and do something to curb crime on St. Maarten.
Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte, said Officer Benjamin is nothing less than being a hero, he commended the ‘men in blue’ for remaining strong even though they were each ripped apart after the tragedy struck. De Witte said while he will never forget the special smile of his fallen soldier he also learned a lot more about the man that worked for him after his passing. “The outpouring of love from the community was immense, it tells us at KPSM what type of person and officer you were while being the face of the police on the streets.”
Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson who is still shaken by this tragedy called on the officers of KPSM not to use the death of their colleague for their own self-interest but instead take example from his bravery, his behavior while he served his country. Minister Richardson went on to thank the family especially the father of the fallen officer for the way he brought up his son. He said it is clear that those that snatched his life away last week did not get that type of upbringing. He reminded those in attendance what it was like when he was growing up and how children back then were disciplined compared to today.
Officers of the police choir sang hymns while the aunt of the fallen officer gave his eulogy. She said that Benjamin lost his mother at a very young age but despite that he got his teachings from his grandmother who raised him and his sister.
The late Bike Patrol leaves to mourn his father, grandmother, sister, wife, son and several other family members including his colleagues of KPSM.

Click here to view photos of the funeral proceedings of falled Bike Patrol Gamali Benjamin.

PHILIPSBURG:--- NAGICO is helping The Your Voice Your Choice Foundation (YVYC) with the hosting of its second annual Fun Sports Day in efforts to give residents of various foster homes the opportunity to take part in a variety of fun games and sport activities. All participants will be awarded with a certificate for having taken part in the fun filled sports day.
On behalf of YVYC, Ms. Silveria Jacobs accepted the donation from NAGICO’s CEO, Mr. Dwayne Elgin and thanked NAGICO for stepping up to the plate where it concerns the support towards residents of the various foster homes. “NAGICO takes its role as a good corporate citizen very serious as we donate to many worthy causes such as this one throughout the year. It’s The NAGICO Way”, remarked Mr. Elgin.
The YVYC Foundation has arranged that each participant will be given a school bag filled with school supplies at the end of the event. In addition the homes will be given funds to assist with the purchasing of school uniforms and other school fees.
The Sports Day event will be held at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex on Friday August 14th, 2015.

Your Voice Your Choice Foundation is hosting it's 2nd annual Back-to-School Sports and Fun day this Friday from 8.30 to 2.00 pm.
It offers children in foster homes and other children the opportunity to play, have fun and compete. Snacks, fruits and drinks will be provided for all participants and the event will culminate with participants each being awarded with a schoolbag with school supplies... Int is the hope that the foundation will also be able to donate funds to assist the homes with purchasing uniforms.
The fun day has been moved to the Melford Hazel Sports Complex as RISC is already being used for the football U15 international tournament.
Donors willing to assist can still do so even after the event as the organizers will be checking with schools to see how many children still need assistance once school had started.
More than 60 children from the various foster homes have been confirmed as well as more than 40 online registrants.
This event caters for 150 children and registration will halt once the quota is met. However, if interested, parents can register to go on the waiting list as the Foundation aims to raise funds throughout the year to be able to assist students with the necessary tools to be successful learners.
Nagico is the main sponsor. Other companies have also partnered with YVYC to make this event possible namely, Telem, Prime Distributors, TLC, Caribbean Liquors & Tobacco and others which will be mentioned in a subsequent release.

Silveria Jacobs

PHILIPSBURG:--- In a letter dispatched to Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, the Democratic Party points out what in the party’s belief is a case of misleading parliament and the people of St. Maarten.
The decision to raise the pension age to 62 has been taken quite some time ago by the
(former) government of St. Maarten. This measure was also based on many recommendations to sustain the general pension fund.
Given this fact, the previous council of ministers engaged the unions to come to an understanding regarding the increased pension age for civil servants. This agreement with the civil service unions was eventually arrived at.
Cognizant of this fact, many civil servants who are approaching the age of sixty, were anticipating the increase in the pension age and the possibility for those who are able and willing, to continue working for 2 more years. This would have been done structurally and objectively.
“It has gone completely quiet on that front”, states DP Leader and former Prime Minister, Sarah Wescot-Williams. She is therefore requesting Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs to inform the entire civil service corps where this matter stands today and what the prospects are for those persons who currently wish to make use of the pension age increase and work 2 years longer.
It is not too long ago that the CFT put the blame for this obvious procrastination at the doors of government and parliament.
The DP leader in her letter further stated: “I care to add that government's response dated January 26, 2015 to my question on this very topic, was misleading, to put it mildly. For government to have stated in January that "draft legislation to increase the pensionable age to 62 was submitted to Parliament" only unjustly promotes the feeling that Parliament is neglecting its duties as the legislative body for this country”.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY SXM
August 12, 2015

PHILIPSBURG:---- In connection with the funeral of the late Gamali Benjamin on Thursday August 13th and realizing the magnitude of the event, the Department of Communication (DCOMM) in collaboration with VID Media Solutions N.V. will be transmitting this event live. For those persons at home and abroad and who are not able to attend the event can log on to www.vidmedia.tv and watch the event live.

On Wednesday August 12th, the Governor of Country Sint Maarten, his Excellency Eugene Holiday and his wife visited the Philipsburg Police Head Quarters where they signed the condolence book of the late Gamali Benjamin.

Fire Started by Individual on Sentry Hill

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Sint Maarten Nature Foundation has made various monitoring and assessment surveys on the trail which leads up to Sentry Hill and at various locations along the hillside and hilltop in order to gauge the cause and effects of the numerous wildfires which affected the area.

The fires started on Sentry hill on the 16th of July and burned for almost two weeks, with areas still smoldering by the 1st of August. The Nature Foundation made various surveys on the hill in order to determine the extent and cause of the fire. Three separate areas of burn were measured, one along the ridge between the ‘Old Cakehouse Road’ and the top of Sentry Hill, one below the ridge along the Cole Bay side of Sentry Hill and a larger area closer to the top of the ridgeline. All together some five acres of forested area have been burned by the fires.

“We made four surveys into the area when we thought it was safe to do so but up until the 1st of August some areas on the hillside were still smoldering. Subsequent surveys showed that the fire finally died around the 3rd of August,” commented Tadzio Bervoets of the Nature Foundation. “We discovered an area where someone had built a fire pit in one of the caves at the top of Sentry Hill and this, together with the persistent drought conditions, more than likely started the fire and caused it to spread,” continued Bervoets.

The Nature Foundation monitored the area for the effects on flora and fauna and the extent the wildfire has damaged the ecosystem: “It is unfortunate that this fire happened in what is quite an important area ecologically for the island. Large section of plants have been destroyed and damaged because of irresponsible fires which were lit by someone. In periods of drought plants have a hard time rebounding from events such as this which also affects our local lizard and bird population,” concluded Bervoets.

The Foundation will continue to monitor the area in the upcoming weeks and urges all residents to heed the warnings issued by the Fire Department regarding on-going drought conditions.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Champions of the King, New Testament Baptist Church Children’s Bible Club have been providing wholesome programs for the children of St. Maarten, between the ages of 4 till they complete 6th grade, every Saturday afternoon between 4:00pm to 6:00pm. The program consists of fun games, practical Bible lessons, life-changing challenges, snacks and outings. Anyone who attends enjoys it.

For special occasions Champions of the King organizes various special events like for Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas and Back to School.

For the past 10 years the Champions of the King, under the Leadership of the New Testament Baptist Church, on Cannegieter Street in Philipsburg have been organizing a “Back to School” prayer walk. This event takes place each year on the Saturday before school re-starts in August. The participants meet at the church for prayer then form groups and travel to each of the schools on the Dutch side and pray at the school gates for all the Teachers, Students and any others involved who will be passing through those gates for the upcoming school year.

We pray for things like proper leadership to manage the schools; dedicated staff and students; respect for each other; excellence amongst staff and students; sufficient resources to meet all educational expenses and pray against things like rudeness and disrespect amongst teachers and students; cheating, lying, fighting, stealing and such like behavior.

The general public, especially teachers, parents and students are invited to join this year Prayer Walk on Saturday, August 15th. You are asked to meet at the New Testament Baptist Church (next to KFC) at 5:30am. After joint prayer the group will be divided and sent off to the schools in the various districts to pray. Each group will be given copies of the list of specific things to pray for at each school gate and they are free to add any other items they feel are necessary.

We look forward to a large cross section of our community joining us that morning as we pray for our children, teachers, school systems and the island in general.

Prayers will not be limited to just that morning, but the participants are encouraged to continue praying for the same requests throughout the school year.

As a continuation of our Back to School activities, Saturday, August 15 in afternoon starting at 2:00pm, Champions of the King hosts a Back to School Fun Day in the church yard. This will involve games: bouncer bouncing, bottle jumping, balloons popping, blindfold bowling, Bible story time, singing, surprise time, snacks time and lots more fun activities for school children of all ages. We will also be sharing out school supplies to those who attend. This event is free and open to all children. Don’t miss the last fun activity right before school starts again.

On Sunday morning, August 16, at 10:00am, Pastor Nolan Nanton, and the church members invites everyone and announce that there will be a special “Back to School” service, under the theme this year being “Rise and Shine Like Jesus”, taken from Luke 2:52 - "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.", where the program is geared especially toward the students, teachers and parents. Special prayers will be offered for those present and special messages and motivational speeches shared especially for those returning to school and involved in education in any form or fashion.

Pass the word around – call up your friends, school mates, neighbors – Everyone is welcome to these special activities.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):---- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), announces that TelEm will carry out emergency repairs on Friday, August 14th.

The works will be carried out at Sucker Garden Road, area opposite and between Arch Road and Umbrella Cactus Road.

These works will be carried out between 7.00am and 5.00pm.

TelEm and its contractor has to ensure that all safety measures are put in place to safeguard pedestrians and road users.
Motorists are requested to be observant of traffic signs and other notices in the area where the works are taking place.
Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.

Pond Island:---TelEm Group kicked off its Back-to-School annual promotion Tuesday with a donation to a Fun/Sports day for kids taking place at the Melford Hazel, sports complex, Sucker Garden, this Friday.

The Fun/Sports Day is the initiative of the “Your Voice Your Choice Foundation” and aims to provide kids in foster homes with a great day out, filled with fun activities.

Volunteer, Nichelle van der Mark, accepted a cash donation from TelEm Group, Manager Marketing & Sales, Mr. Emile van der Weerd, towards the activities, which will include jumping the bag, lime and spoon races, an obstacle course and a host of novelty games.

“We are expecting to cater for more than 100 children on the day from 9:00 am in the morning until 2:00 pm in the afternoon,” said Nichelle, daughter of the foundation’s founder, Ms. Silveria Jacobs.

She said the donation also assist in the filling of school bags with much needed supplies for the foster kids and also for some under-privileged children who will also be participating in the Fun/Sports Day event.

Mr. van der Weerd said this year’s back-to-school promotion from mobile provider TelCell, begin appearing in the daily newspapers this week.

“We are offering some great deals on the purchase of data packages for smartphone users,” said the Manager marketing and sales.

He said TelCell will also be announcing the chance to win one of 25 super back-to-school packages courtesy of TelCell during the mobile provider’s back-to-school promotion.

Parents should take back their children, while people should continue praying.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Education, Youths, Sports and Culture Rita Bourne Gumbs expressed her profound sadness with the loss of officer Gamali Benjamin. She said that what struck St. Maarten last week is the first in the country’s history. However, as Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture it is her duty to seek out ways to address the current issues affecting youths. She said as a former educator she was confronted with some uncomfortable situations. Her Ministry she said is working on a strategic plan one of which is to curb crime and to allow youths to be more involved in society.
However, she called on parents to take back their children while she felt that the people of St. Maarten need to start back praying like they did in the past. She said last week when the tragic incident occurred the people began praying again and for her that feelings were good but then the praying stopped.
As for parents she called on them to take back their children as no one can take on their responsibility to raise their children for them. “It begin with you, do not expect anyone to take your place, our job is to provide the tools for your children to be better, do not allow the television and the internet and other things to raise your children.” She also called on the community to look out for each child, she said in the past that could not happen. No child she said could be left alongside the road and today I calling on the community to come together.
She said the department of labor started a program “start here” while the youth desk has several programs for youths. Minister Bourne Gumbs said that no one should discriminate and decide who is from St. Maarten and who is not from St. Maarten the fact is all of us are here and we should deal with the issues affecting the country together.

Says his cabinet was busy putting out fires, cleaning up mess and dealing with the Dutch for the past seven months

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs became somewhat agitated and straight forward on Wednesday during the live Council of Ministers press briefing when SMN News posed several questions to the Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson. Prime Minister Gumbs said that those Members of Parliament that are questioning why the Central Committee meeting held on Friday was behind closed doors should come together and question the President of Parliament as to why he chose to hold the meeting behind closed doors. Prime Minister Gumbs said that his cabinet consisting of five Ministers were invited to Parliament to discuss crime in a closed door meeting, he said they did not request for the meetings to be held behind closed doors.
“I think the 15 members of parliament need to do some soul searching and also ask their chairman how the meeting came about? I want to make this abundantly clear that none of the Ministers from my cabinet requested that the meeting be held behind closed doors. Secondly, those MPs that are questioning about insurance for police needs to explain to the community what transpired in the past. He said in the former Netherlands Antilles there was an insurance in place for police officers but that insurance was not taken up when St. Maarten became a country in October 2010. This insurance he said was not to desire of the Netherlands Antilles but it was put in place when an officer he identified as Officer Charles was shot down in the Bottom in Saba. Prime Minister Gumbs said that those that were in government from 2010-2014 did not put an insurance in place for police officers however, the fire department and ambulance personnel who falls under the island government are insured.
Prime Minister Gumbs said since his government took office on December 10th 2014 they were busy putting out fires they did not start, cleaning of mess they did not create and dealing with the Dutch that they met that has a problem.
He said about six to eight weeks ago government was confronted with the matters of insurance which he described as confusion within the various ministries. “Basically what we discover is everyone in each Ministry was doing their own thing and his government have decided that they would have to coordinate things better and they have decided to establish an insurance work group. This group he said has to be established by Landsbesluit whose core duties will be to review all matters and or policies that involves insurance. Prime Minister Gumbs said at this moment St. Maarten does not have any structured insurance in place to deal with liabilities in the event of an accident. He said his government is busy working on these matters but made clear that there is no policy or guidelines in place for government buildings and even schools.
Prime Minister Gumbs felt that everyone in society including the media should ask themselves what is it they want to do for St. Maarten. He said why is the Dutch is on the backs of St. Maarten. He said that everything that is printed and a particular radio program that is held every Tuesday night is only destroying the country. He asked if the people of St. Maarten is on a track of self-destruction. He said those people that wants to do that should ‘tie a block” around their necks and jump off the pier, but they should not be destroying the country.
Further to that Prime Minister Gumbs said that if people are suicidal or have physiological problem’s they need to seek help or destroy themselves but not the country the way they are doing at the moment. Gumbs said the last term there were three governments in place and each time government falls it creates instability. He asked who wants to invest in a country that is unstable and wants to know how St. Maarten can move forward. He said this kind of thing destabilize everyone including civil servants. “It’s time for the people to get serious because his cabinet has done their best. Right now they are busy making changes that will be in the best interest of the country.”
He suddenly everyone has a solution to the problems St. Maarten is facing but they forgot who was there for the last four years. “Those persons that has good solutions should stay quiet and make those contributions to further develop the country instead of continuing to make the country and its people look like fools in the outer world.”
Gumbs said each time he travels overseas he is confronted with the question as to whether or not he could keep his government together. He said when he was in Washington with the King and Queen everyone asked the same question about the stability of government in St. Maarten.

Dutch Civil Servant Bouman wants to control Justice on St. Maarten Illegally --- St. Maarten Justice Minister will stand up to him.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson commended the officers of the Police Force who managed to control their emotions and worked endless hours to capture the suspects believed to be involved in the armed robbery and shooting death of bike patrol Gamali Benjamin who would be laid to rest on Thursday. Minister Richardson who became obviously emotional when speaking about the officer’s death said it’s the first time in St. Maarten’s history that an officer of law lost his life in line of his duties. He described the late officer as a beloved person from the community and a modelled civil servant who was a brave officer that was confronted with robbers before his untimely death.
He said when the incident took place he spent most of his time dealing with the families of the slain officer and management of KPSM. Minister Richardson said several persons are pointing fingers and even wants to react in anger. “We fail to understand the minds of the younger people who took the life of other people so callously and showed absolutely no form of regret in what they have done instead it seems as if it’s a badge of honor in certain specific groups. This is something we have deal with and seek out the root causes in order to prevent it from happening in the future.”
However, Minister Richardson had a different message and tone when he was asked specific questions by SMN News regarding certain things that are affecting police officers, one being their promotions and increase in salaries. Minister Richardson said when he took office he met a lot of ‘backlog” which he had to deal with, one being the promotions and salary adjustments for police officers, some being retroactive payments, house rent allowances and salary scales. He said the Ministry worked very hard in trying to regulate the backlogs and such he did sign off on a decision to the tune of Naf.3M to compensate the officers but that decision could not be executed because it was not budgeted and St. Maarten is subjected to the Kingdom Laws on financial supervision, therefore he would have to curtail other expenditures within his Ministry or St. Maarten would have to come to the point and do what they need to do and then see what will happen as far as the financial supervision is concern. Minister Richardson said that one of the things that has to be looked at is some of the vacant positions within the police force that were budgeted for but were not filled, these monies he said might have to be uses to cover the monies owed to police officers. Minister Richardson further explained that St. Maarten did not start off on a solid financial position in 2010 when St. Maarten became a country. He said St. Maarten inherited a debt from the former Netherlands Antilles while Curacao benefitted the most when it came to division of assets and while St. Maarten had to receive Naf.180M which they did not get. So far he said St. Maarten only got Naf.60M while the balance (NAF.120M) was withheld because St. Maarten did not meet a deadline. Minister Richardson said despite the constraints St. Maarten is placed under the microscope to meet certain obligations that the Dutch wants to see done. He said St. Maarten is suffering all the financial debts they inherited and were not compensated for, yet the Dutch wants to impose on St. Maarten how they should settle the debts they have with APS and SZV and placing a deadline on government. Minister Richardson said government asked the CFT not to make the information on APS and SZV public since they were busy negotiating but the CFT ignored their request which in turn gave APS and SZV more power to come down on government and making the negotiations more difficult for government.
“I kept asking myself what does the Dutch wants St. Maarten to do in these regards, however personally I have drawn the line in the sand because this country has the right to protect, defend, and do what is right in the interest of its people and if that means I am transgressing on the norms of the CFT then so be it. They would have to sit around the table and let us deal with the real issues of the country or they could come and take me to prison for my actions. If that is what they have to do then so be it. Officer Benjamin gave his life for his country, well I am also prepared to take a few years in prison for my country.”

Statements made by the Chief of Police of the Netherlands ---St. Maarten is a country of corruption –BOUMAN.

When asked by SMN News to comment on the statements made by the Chief of Police of the Netherlands last week when Officer Benjamin lost his life and St. Maarten was in a state of mourning. “Mr. Bowuman praises himself as a strong leader of the National Police in the Netherlands who does not mingle with words and says things as they are and also claim to have taken tough stands. I don’t know if people can take criticism when they make certain statements. When Bouman visited St. Maarten he visited me in order for us to work out the protocol and the strengthening of the justice chain on St. Maarten. However, when he met with me he informed me that he met with two ministers in the Netherlands and his purpose on St. Maarten was to inform me that the priority of the Dutch is corruption, therefore 50 RST detectives will be sent to St. Maarten while 22M Euros has been set aside to strengthen the justice chain including the Public Prosecutor’s Office. I then reminded Bouman that I signed a protocol in the Netherlands in which we agree we will work this out together, but Bouman made it clear to me he was not here to do such but to inform you of what the Dutch has decided to do. I asked the good gentleman how he intend to do such without my cooperation and he told me that they don’t need me for this. I then asked him how the Dutch will do such things without the cooperation of KPSM and the National Detectives and again his response was they don’t need them either. He further told me they have enough information on St. Maarten which justify the Dutch not to work with St. Maarten representatives and justice entities. My response to Bouman was success with his plans and ended the meeting.”
Minister Richardson said he called the Dutch representative on St. Maarten and informed him that St. Maarten were not amused by Mr. Bouman’s attitude and the government of St. Maarten wants to know if the government of the Netherlands supported what Mr. Bouman came to do on St. Maarten and the government of St. Maarten also wants to know if the Netherlands has decided to put aside the protocol that was signed.” He said he also asked the Dutch representative if those in the Netherlands could override St. Maarten’s constitution and the Kingdom Laws and to date he did not get a response from the Dutch.

Insurance for Police Officers
Asked by SMN News if he as Minister of Justice stumbled on an advice that was sent by the management of KPSM to the former Minister of Justice to have police officers insured and if that advice was ever executed. Minister Richardson said he did not find the advice but he was told about it and there was no decision taken on that advice. Minister Richardson again said that when he took office he met a number of backlogs and instead of questioning why these things were not dealt with Minister Richardson said that he rolled up his sleeves and started to working on the backlogs.
Further to that he said that the Council of Ministers discussed the matter when he learnt of it and they decided to consult with an insurance company with whom they met to have all civil servants insured for disability in the event they are injured while on duty and life insurance for civil servants especially law enforcement agencies. He said this happened before the incident last week where Officer Benjamin lost his life but the procedure has not yet been finalized.
Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs added that prior to St. Maarten becoming a country there was an insurance in place for police officers, this insurance he said was put in place when an officer lost his life in Saba but when St. Maarten became a country in 2010 that insurance was not taken up. Prime Minister Gumbs said the question should be why those who were in office the last four years did not see the need to put such an insurance in place because the Fire Department and Ambulance personnel who falls under the Island Government (now country) has insurance.

PHILIPSBURG:--- While two Members of Parliament told Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson that certain police officers wants him out of office because they are having issues that are affecting them, one being their promotions and adjustments to their salaries.
SMN News have been reliably informed that the Minister of Justice signed off on several promotions and salary adjustments for Police Officers which amounts close to NAF.3M but that decision has not been executed by the Minister of Finance Maarten Hassink seemingly because government has some financial constraints.
It is further understood that government even asked the persons organizing the military funeral for fallen officer Gamali Benjamin to give them a quotation on the expenses of the funeral because of the financial constraints government has before them. However, while the government of St. Maarten seems to have so much financial problems that they cannot even execute a decision taken by the Minister of Justice to adjust the salaries for certain police officers who have been putting their lives on the line to protect St. Maarten and its people as well as the economy, government somehow found $100,000.00 to promote a boxing event scheduled for the end of August 2015.
In the meantime, several Facebook comments shows that persons within the community wants to give assistance to the families of the fallen officer. SMN News also learnt that the management of the Police Force submitted an advice to the former Minister of Justice advising him to insure police officers since their jobs are risky but to date that advice was not executed.

PHILIPSBURG:---- United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake MP Lake supports the Chamber of Commerce statement that the community won't be safe if labour issues are left unaddressed.

“As a community spirited person and always in contact with the people and young people, I fully agree with the Chamber of Commerce statement that the country cannot have a healthy and safe community if education, health, poverty, immigration and labour issues, such as unemployment and abuse of the labour laws are not addressed.

“The only way we can address these issues is together as stakeholders and come up with an immediate, short term and long term plan of action that will benefit everyone the business and the community. We also have to address the flexibilization of the labour laws.

“I applaud the Chamber initiative of coming up with action points to present to Government to be part of the solution to combat crime and the safety and security of St. Maarten.

“The youth and unemployment rate is high. Every day, I have our local people speaking to me about looking for employment. Our people are hurting and is looking for opportunities.

“There are some out there who may find this sad situation an opportunity to play politics, but we need to show political maturity and come together with one plan of action to address the social issues.

“Some say where are we going to find the money? But, it’s not all about money. It involves everyone, parents, and community councils. It starts from within the home on how we are bringing up our children. Parenting issues and challenges are also part of the social challenges. We should also utilize the Voluntary Corps.

“As a representative of the people, I have to speak out on these social issues that are affecting our people and come with a plan of action with all stakeholders. We need to address the underlying social issues that are at the basis of the crime spree as stated by the Chamber of Commerce,” UP MP Maurice Lake pointed out.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):---- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), hereby informs the public that a number of road closures will take place on Wednesday, August 12 and Thursday, August 13 in connection with the funeral of Police Officer Gamali Benjamin.
On Wednesday 12th August, the wake will take place at the Royal Funeral Home, Sucker Garden Road. Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm.
Road closure in connection with the wake will start from intersection Guana Bay Road/Sucker Garden Road to intersection Arch Road/Sucker Garden Road which will be closed for trough traffic.
Only a section of the closed up area will be used for parking purposes for the mourners to pay their last respect. The area will have lights for safety purposes only during the hours of 6:30pm-9:00pm.
The road from the Freedom Fighters roundabout up to the intersection Guana Bay Road/Sucker Garden Road will remain open for the residents of the area.
Only residents coming from the Arch Road will be allowed onto Sucker Garden Road. The road will be closed off completely starting from area Jo-Jo construction up to entrance Guana Bay Road.
There will be no through traffic from the Freedom Round-a-bout to Dutch Quarter. Motorists will have to use Soualiga Blvd-Arch Road-Sucker Garden Road to get to Belvedere/Middle Region and surrounding areas.
On Thursday 13th August, the day of the funeral, the parking lot opposite the Post Office will be closed off completely as of Wednesday night around 9.00pm. This area will be used for parking for the funeral.
Front Street and Back Street will be closed off completely up to the side roads. All traffic will have to use Cannegieter Street.
All Buses and Taxis will use the parking for Taxis at the Government Administration Building.
The section of E. Camille Richardson Street will be closed from 10:00am-19:00pm at the intersection section Zout Steeg on Thursday, August 13.
Police Officer Gamali Benjamin will be laid to rest at the Methodist Cemetery in Philipsburg. The road closure will be section Longwall Road and Kerkhof Straat. Also the area Little Bay Road at the bridge will be closed for through traffic.
All motorized traffic will be re-routed via the Fort Willem Road.
The aforementioned will take place during the final ceremony at the cemetery.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):---  Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), hereby informs the public that a number of road closures will take place on Wednesday, August 12 and Thursday, August 13 in connection with the funeral of Police Officer Gamali Benjamin.
On Wednesday 12th August, the wake will take place at the Royal Funeral Home, Sucker Garden Road. Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm.
Road closure in connection with the wake will start from intersection Guana Bay Road/Sucker Garden Road to intersection Arch Road/Sucker Garden Road which will be closed for trough traffic.
Only a section of the closed up area will be used for parking purposes for the mourners to pay their last respect. The area will have lights for safety purposes only during the hours of 6:30pm-9:00pm.
The road from the Freedom Fighters roundabout up to the intersection Guana Bay Road/Sucker Garden Road will remain open for the residents of the area.
Only residents coming from the Arch Road will be allowed onto Sucker Garden Road. The road will be closed off completely starting from area Jo-Jo construction up to entrance Guana Bay Road.
There will be no through traffic from the Freedom Round-a-bout to Dutch Quarter. Motorists will have to use Soualiga Blvd-Arch Road-Sucker Garden Road to get to Belvedere/Middle Region and surrounding areas.
On Thursday 13th August, the day of the funeral, the parking lot opposite the Post Office will be closed off completely as of Wednesday night around 9.00pm. This area will be used for parking for the funeral.
Front Street and Back Street will be closed off completely up to the side roads. All traffic will have to use Cannegieter Street.
All Buses and Taxis will use the parking for Taxis at the Government Administration Building.
The section of E. Camille Richardson Street will be closed from 10:00am-19:00pm at the intersection section Zout Steeg on Thursday, August 13.
Police Officer Gamali Benjamin will be laid to rest at the Methodist Cemetery in Philipsburg. The road closure will be section Longwall Road and Kerkhof Straat. Also the area Little Bay Road at the bridge will be closed for through traffic.
All motorized traffic will be re-routed via the Fort Willem Road.
The aforementioned will take place during the final ceremony at the cemetery.

Union and former Minister could not resolve the problems foreign teachers are facing.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A teacher identified as Lindon Williams who was recruited by the Department of Education has decided to bring his and some of his colleagues plight to the forefront hoping that the current Minister of Education will take action to curb the abuse foreign teachers are facing on the island. Williams told SMN News that he is a Guyanese native that was teaching in Nevis when the former Principal of the St. Maarten Vocational School contacted him and had the Department of Education invite him to St. Maarten where his core task was to establish and prepare students to write the Caribbean Certificate Secondary Level Competence Examinations (CCSLC). Williams said he came to the island in 2010 by invitation and met with someone responsible for personnel at the Department of Education who hired him the following year (2011). Williams said at first he and other foreign teachers that were recruited could not get their residency, neither their doctor card and most importantly they are grossly underpaid even though he personally has 26 years of teaching experience and holds a bachelor’s degree along with his teacher’s certification. He said he and another teacher went to IND and laid their case out and showed where they are working and that is how they managed to get their residency. Further to that he said the staff at the Education Department would threaten them because they were illegal. “We were told we cannot leave and that if we speak up we will be kicked out of the island.” Williams said he personally wrote several letters to the department and even his union leader wrote letters and they never got a response. He said when former Minister of Education was in office he wrote a letter to the Minister and Mr. Aventurin and the former Minister gave directives to the department of education to deal with the issues concerning Williams and the Principal of the school. He said to date the problem was not dealt with but he was sent back to the classroom. Based on pay-slips Williams showed SMN News reporter his gross salary is Naf.4, 355, while he is taking home Naf.3, 401. 99. Williams said assistant teachers that are locals are earning more than the teachers who were invited to teach on St. Maarten. Further to that he said one of the excuse the department is using is that the teachers have to find a way to evaluate their qualifications if not they are placed in scale 7.
Williams said besides those challenges he was attacked by students at the St. Maarten Vocational School and by at least two principals that were in charge. He said that the community is of the opinion that it’ s only the students at the St. Maarten Vocational School are abusive but he wants everyone to know that even the Principals abuse and humiliate foreign teachers when they decide not to allow students that attack them into their classrooms unless management deals with the issues. “The principal that recruited me tried to fight me in the school yard because he brought a student that physically attacked me in the classroom and I told him unless the matter is dealt with I will not teach the student. When I said that the Principal basically told me that he is the one running the school. When that happened I walked out of the classroom and was heading towards the Principal office when he tried to fight with me in the school yard. Most recently the current principal did the same thing and to avoid a conflict I left the classroom and went to the union who wrote a letter to the department of education and to date have not received a response.” Williams said that he even met with the former Secretary General Claudette Labega and showed her his plight but that seems to be the worst thing he had done because the person in charge of personnel cursed him off for speaking to the Secretary General. Williams said after being attacked by the Principal she informed him that he was not to enter the school again, this letter he said was endorsed by the head of the department of Education. Williams said despite his union leader writing letters to the department of education nothing is done to rectify the situation.
Williams have decided to leave his job because he is underpaid and abused by management of the school. He said the only reason he brought his issues to the forefront is because there are at least ten teachers all foreign either from Guyana or Jamaica that are in the situation he left and he felt that someone has to expose the problem in order for government to intervene.
SMN News could not reach the Head of Public Education Gwendolin Davis Holiday for a comment on Tuesday evening.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Office of Disaster Management (ODM) is advising the country’s economic mainstay, the tourism sector and business community, to review hurricane preparation plans in preparation for the peak period of the 2015 hurricane season which runs from August 15 through October 15.
The tourism sector, business community and also residents are advised to pay keen attention to weather reports with special focus on the Eastern Atlantic Ocean where tropical weather systems that form off the African Coast (Cape Verde Islands) can become a serious threat to the Eastern Caribbean island chain.
At this stage of the hurricane season, tourism-oriented businesses should be prepared. The prevention of the loss of life of our visitors and staff along with protecting property from damage is the responsibility of every business owner.
The engine of the economy is every single business operation on the island. Each one plays a very important role in the island’s tourism-oriented service economy.
As the Office of Disaster Management annual theme says, “It only takes one!” Now is the time for business community in its entirety as well as residents to review what preparations are in place, and not when a storm is about to hit.
The hurricane season runs through November 30.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The funeral of fallen bike patrol Gamali Kwasi Benjamin will take place on Thursday August 13th 2015 at the Methodist Chapel on Front Street. KPSM along with the family has put together a grand program for the funeral service. Officer Gamali Benjamin was shot last week Wednesday during a broad daylight robbery that was taking place at Ore Diamante Jewelry on Front Street. Officer Benjamin suffered several gunsgot wounds which led to his death on Saturday.

The program is as follows:--

• Date: Thursday August 13th 2015
• Place: Methodist Chapel on Front Street, Philipsburg
• Viewing time: 12.00 p.m. to 01.45 p.m.
• Minister: Rev. Liana Richardson-Woods.
• 10:30 The body of the late Gamali Benjamin will depart the Royal Funeral Home to the Philipsburg Police Station.
• 10:45 A Brief Ceremony at the Philipsburg Police Station while Uniform department stand in front of the Police Station.
• 10:55 Procession of Uniform departments from the Police Station heading towards Front Street where they will stop for a brief moment in front of Ore Diamante where the robbery and shooting took place.
• 11:30 Procession arrives at the Philipsburg Methodist Church.
• 12:00 Official part of the ceremony starts at the church.

On Tuesday a number of persons from the community including Governor Eugene Holiday signed the condolence book at the Philipsburg Police Station.

PHILIPSBURG:---- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports (Ministry ECYS) Hon. Rita Bourne-Gumbs, in a pre-International Youth Day Message, Wednesday, 12 August, congratulates the nation’s youth on their internationally recognized day, and at the same time calls on them to engage in their community.
On 17 December 1999, the United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution 54/120, endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth that 12 August be declared International Youth Day.
The theme for 2015 is ‘Youth Civic Engagement.’ The engagement and participation of youth is essential to achieve sustainable human development.
“Our youth are among our nation’s most valuable resources. Government renews its commitment in our young people in all aspects of their development. I encourage our youths to devote their energies and ideas into civic engagement.
“Civic engagement is when young people are involved in responsible, challenging activities to create positive social change. Youth engagement is a central corner stone of youth development. Youth civic engagement prepares young people to be active citizens in a democracy.
“I encourage our young people to join youth movements and student groups, and help out with activities being organized in our community by volunteering their time. The reward is not money, but the satisfaction of helping and giving back to your community.
“I also take this opportunity to commend those who have been volunteering their time and continue to do so. Have a happy international youth day 2015,” Minister Bourne-Gumbs concluded.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday August 7th 2015, the Department of Community Development, Family & Humanitarian Affairs (CDFHA) honored members of various NGOs and Community Councils that successfully completed the Capacity Building Program that took place in 2014, with a continuation in 2015 with accredited courses at the University of St. Martin.

Sixty Four (64) participants successfully completed the program which was originally sponsored by USONA and the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labor.

The primary objective of the Capacity Building Program is to offer support and to enhance the skills and performance of NGOs and Community Councils. The training was given free of charge and focused on "Financial Management", "Subsidy Ordinance", "Governance", "Tax administration for NGOs", "Program Development", "Marketing & Public Relations" and “Strategic Alliance Formation".

Reverend Baptiste did the Invocation and Ms. Cassilda van der Neut offered a moment of silent in reference to the tragic incident involving Officer Gamali Benjamin while on duty serving his community.

Amongst the speakers for that evening were the Dean of the University of St. Martin Dr. Francio Guadeloupe, who addressed the audience on the present social dynamics of St. Maarten, as well as the ongoing collaboration between the department of CDFHA and their recent accomplished Film Making Course, a certified course that allowed participants to use a practical approach to program development through the lens of film making.

Ten (10) graduates from the film making course received their certificate on Friday evening as well.

CDFHA and USM are continuing with their next course lined up, which is ‘Introduction to Business Administration’. Interested NGOs and Community Councils have a very last opportunity to still sign up for this free course by contacting the department at Tell. (1721) 542 1122 or 542 9925.

Credits earned for these USM courses can go towards an Associate Degree in General Liberal Arts.

Ms. Aida Holaman, Head of Community Development, Family & Humanitarian Affairs gave an outline of the objective of the Capacity Building Program as well as the USM courses and the journey undertaken to arrive to Friday’s graduation ceremony.

This program is just another “brain child” program that the department is offering to their targeted group as an empowerment tool to support efficiency and effectivity of the services that are being offered by these collaborators and individuals. She also thanked the various partners: USONA, the Staff bureau of her Ministry and the department of BAK as well as former Prime Minister Sarah Wescot- Williams for their invaluable support in the realization of the Capacity Building Program.

The acting Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labour, Ms. Joy Arnell reminded recipients that community development takes place on multiple levels and that their collaboration is vital for effective community development. Two graduates, Mr. Charles Pompier and Ms. Marva van Heyningen offered brief remarks on behalf of their fellow recipients, of the program and its positive impact.

Also in attendance were the honourable Members of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams and Silveria Jacobs , the former director of USONA Ms. Angela Dekker and representative of Secure Advice as the program coordinator on behalf of CDFHA.

Apologies were given for the absence of the honourable Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and acting Minister of Public Health, Social Development & Labor Mrs. Rita Bourne- Gumbs.

The Certificate Ceremony concluded with a cocktail reception and live steel pan entertainment by Dow's Musical Foundation.

Longwall Road:---- Friday August 14th, Saturday August 14th and Saturday August 15th National Institute of Arts, NIA in collaboration with Sunshine Theater Foundation is proud to present P. J. Gibson's Konvergence. Konvergence stars two amazing actors Amalya Adams and Felix Flemming.

P. J. Gibson, an African American playwright, has written more than 30 plays, although many of these remain unpublished. Konvergence is a play also written by P. J. Gibson. Derek, played by Felix Fleming, is a politician in America during the 1970’s, a time that gave rise to the affluent upper class black folk. Nanyel, played by Amalya Adams, his wife, dedicates her time to “save the community” and promote her husband’s political campaign. As Derek climbs the social, political and financial ladder he begins to “change” or as Nanyel likes to put it “assimilate”, therefore, putting a rift in their marriage. At the height of his career, Derek concocts an “agreement” insisting that they take a year time off on their marriage. Without much choice, Nanyel “agrees.” Come see how the story unfolds.

Konvergence, a theatrical production directed by noted director Felix Fleming. Will take place at National Institute of Arts, NIA, located at the John Larmonie Building, Longwall Road #20 on August 14, 15 & 16 at 8pm nightly. Tickets are $15 dollars in advance, $20 at the door. Tickets are for sale at NIA.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee meeting of Parliament held on Monday was convened as a closed meeting by the Chair of Parliament to discuss with the Council of Ministers the rise in crime on the island culminating in the shooting and subsequent death of Officer Gamali Benjamin by alleged robbers of a jewelry store.
Faction members of the NA and DP did not immediately protest this in order to give Government the benefit of the doubt as it pertains to the sensitivity of the information being shared and possible ramifications it may have on the outcome of the case.
Information shared by the COM, however, was not such that the public needed to be sheltered from the reality.
Many MPs touched on preventative measures and made recommendations, especially in the area of regulations for scooters, measures for communities outside Philipsburg, parenting, labour situation, the economy and other societal ills plaguing the community.
We were quite concerned about the financing for many of the proposed changes, including hiring some 30 police officers needed to bring the force up to the minimum level of functioning.
We firmly believe that we are very late in reacting to violent crimes now, while we should have seen this coming 10/15 years ago.
A neglected society will surely breed ill will, lack of compassion, blatant disrespect and the types of behaviour we have come to accept as "normal".
Some questions asked were:
Do we really want change?
Are we going to demand transparency and accountability from our government owned companies and foundations?
Are we going to finally get answers as to how we plan to increase tax compliance now?
Are we going to be told yet again there is no money while our teachers, social workers, nurses and police continue to cry, and the "have nots" see it floating all around? Where will the money to fund these immediate changes come from? How can we better train and protect the officers? What kind of benefits exist for next of kin if an officer is maimed or killed in the line of duty.
There were repeated calls on government for open communication with the public to put an end to speculation. Of late, most meetings of interest to the public are being held behind closed doors which defeats the purpose of allowing the public to know first hand.
Justice Minister Richardson was advised on the importance of sitting with the police officers to hear their challenges and be open to address them as they continue to work under less than favorable circumstances.
The call was repeated to not allow Officer Benjamin's death be in vain.
The meeting is scheduled to continue on Friday August 14, 2015 when Government is expected to provide answers.

Joint Press Release from National Alliance and Democratic Party.

St. Peters: --- Police arrested the second suspect  that was involved in the armed robbery and shooting that took place last Wednesday at Ore Diamante Jewelry store that claimed the life of bike patrol Gamali Benjamin. SMN News learnt that the second suspect who is an accomplice is known to everyone as Jamal.

Police later confirmed the arrest of  the second suspect along with three other persons who were helping him to hideout.  However, well-placed sources said that the arrest was made in the St. Peters area Monday night. Meanwhile the suspect Kilo Gotti is still nursing gunshot wounds he recieved on the day of the shooting at the St. Maarten Medical Center.

 Press Prosecutor Karola Van Nie identified the suspect as 20 year old J. L. Prosecutor Van Nie told SMN News in an invited comment that based on all the tips and information the investigating team gathered through non-stop investigations  gave them enough evidence to arrest the persons they have in custody. So far six persons have been arrested in this high profile investigation for the fatal shooting and robbery that took place at Ore Diamante. The first suspect that was arrested on the day of the shooting is still nursing gunshot wounds at the St. Maarten Medical Center. Van Nie said that suspect will be having his pretrial detention extended probably on Wednesday. He is charged with murder/manslaughter. In the meantime the second suspect and those that aided and abbetted him should be going before the judge of instruction Wednesday afternoon or Friday morning since all criminal hearings scheduled for Thursday have been postponed to accomodate the funeral services of officer Gamali Benjamin.

Arrests made in robbery case in which 'Benji' was shot

Last night, on Monday August 10th, after days of thorough research, the members of the Investigating Team that's handling the case of the robbery of jewellery store 'Ore Diamante' managed to arrest four suspects that might have something to do with the robbery and the shooting of police officer Gamali Benjamin.

The arrest took place in St. Peters area around 8.30 pm on Monday night.

The people that were arrested are all young male suspects in their early twenties . Three of them were arrested for hiding a wanted suspect of a severe criminal act and the fourth one was arrested because he's suspected of being an accomplice in the murdering/manslaughter of police officer Gamali Benjamin and committing an armed robbery resulting in death.

The arrests were made without any resistance from the suspects. They were transported to the Philipsburg Police Station where they were put into custody for further investigation. In connection with sensitivity of this investigation no more information will be given at this time.

More information will be given in a subsequent press release or press conference.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG: --- At least two Members of Parliament namely Leona Marlin Romeo and Christopher Emmanuel advised the Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson to go and speak with the regular police officers in order for him to know how they feel about him. Even though the Central Committee meeting held on Monday on crime was done behind closed doors SMN News learnt that the two MPs told the Minister of Justice that they spoke to several officers who are not at all happy with the Minister of Justice because they feel they are being victimized. One of the main reason given is the amount of officers that are waiting for promotions for years now and they are not able to get their promotions and the salaries they are entitled to even though they are putting their lives on the line.
Some officers felt that they are being victimized by their bosses and feel the Minister of Justice is not doing anything about the problems they are facing.
SMN News further learnt that Minister Richardson who attended the closed door meeting with the other members of the Council of Ministers got emotional and said if that is the way the police feel about him then he wants to know why they gave him a commendation award recently. It is further understood that Minister Richardson even told the MPs that levied the accusations that he is willing and ready to resign if that is what the officers of the Police Force wants. With regards to the award the MPs told Minister Richardson that award came from the police management team and not the regular police officers, they insisted that the Minister should stop talking to those in management and get to the officers themselves and he would eventually know what is bothering them the most and why they want him out.
Another point of discussion is the media reports on when or if the bullet proof vests were ordered for police officers.
The Central Committee meeting is expected to resume on Friday where the Council of Ministers will provide answers to Parliament on the crime situation on St. Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday August 10th the police department organized a space for a condolences book at the Philipsburg Police Station for those persons who want to sign this book expressing their condolences to the family and Friends of the late Gamali "Benji" Benjamin. This space is located in the lobby at the main entrance of the police station. It is open to the general public.

KPSM Police Report

In the meantime, the funeral for slain Officer Gamali Benjamin has been tentatively set for Thursday. Details of where the funeral will be held has not yet bee released by the family or KPSM.

PHILIPSBURG:---- The Secretariat commenced back in June with the process related to the Annual President of Parliament Award whereby organizations, individuals and others could send in nominations. This is the final week to make a recommendation.
The application documents are on the parliament’s website. Persons/organizations have until August 15, 2015 to submit their nominations.
The website address is: www.sxmparliament.org and can be found under the documents section of the site. Select the link and you will be able to download the application form.
The purpose of the award is to honour young persons on Sint Maarten that are a great example to the youth and who have contributed positively to the community and the country.
Nominations can be submitted by any citizen of Sint Maarten who believes that the individual that he/she is nominating meets the criteria.
The eligibility criteria are: the candidate must have the Dutch nationality and/or has been legally residing in Sint Maarten for 10-years or more consecutively, and has been registered in the Civil Registry for that period of time; must be between the ages of 15-24 years; has made a worthwhile contribution to the development of the community and the country; these contributions/achievements must have taken place within the last three years; contributions/achievements must have been made while the individual was acting as a private citizen, not as an appointed or elected government official; and must have demonstrated capacity for leadership and ability to motivate.
An award committee will be established each year consisting of three members of Parliament. Members of the committee will review the nomination documents prior to the selection meeting and select three nominees.
During the selection meeting, the President of Parliament selects the recipient of the award based on the recommendations of the award committee.
The award will be presented yearly to the recipient during the reception ceremony at the Opening of the Parliamentary Year.
Nominations for the Annual President of Parliament may be submitted to The Parliament of Sint Maarten, attention, Annual President of Parliament Award Committee, Wilhelminastraat 1, Philipsburg.

PHILIPABURG:--- Several control unit officers have been go slow, since the shooting that led to the death of bike patrol Gamali Benjamin. SMN News learnt that the control unit officers have been making their concerns known for quite some time now but so far nothing has been done.
According to the information SMN News received is that the control unit is not getting the back-up and support they need from the police department to conduct controls. It is further understood that the bike patrols were supposed to assist the control unit during the early morning hours when they are directing traffic but that never happened. Further, to that members of the control unit are not allowed to walk with type of defense weapons therefore they must get police assistance which according to some members of the control unit is not forthcoming.
SMN News learnt that since the shooting that took place last week Wednesday leaving Officer Gamali Benjamin dead, the control unit team have decided that they will not be working on the street or conducting controls anymore especially now that they see an armed officer of the law was murdered by bandits during high day.
According to reliable information reaching SMN News even the taxi dispatchers are now reluctant to do their jobs because some time ago some boys were shooting guns at the A.C. Wathey Cruise Facility and when the police were informed they told the government department head that if they needed police assistance to deal with the persons shooting on the A. C Wathey Cruise Facility they need to put their concerns and or complaint in writing to KPSM.
Several phone calls made to police spokesman Ricardo Henson and Acting Chief Commissioner of Police Carl John for an official comment went unanswered on Sunday and Monday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce (COCI) following a well attended meeting by all stakeholders on Thursday, August 6th, 2015 formulated as promised several proposals/action point for execution by the stakeholders and in support of actions to be undertaken by the authorities in St. Maarten.
The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry (COCI) aware of the initiatives and actions by the authorities to enhance safety and security in St. Maarten sees such undertakings in addition to action taken by the stakeholders. A combined approach will result in immediate-, mid term and long term actions and results beneficial to all. COCI shall continue to support undertakings aimed at achieving the best results by Government and stakeholders, but reaffirms its commitment to the business community and the general public to work actively on the implementation of measures that will enhance safety and security.
We will address the underlying social issues that are at the basis of the crime spree.
No healthy and safe community can be achieved if labor issues (unemployment, abuse of labor laws) education and health issues are not addressed. The socio-economic development of St. Maarten and its people is dependent hereon and so together long term solutions shall be formulated and executed.

Stakeholders attended meeting: Nagico Insurances, IMA, Chinese Association, SUNFED, Down Street Business Community Council and Association (DBCCA), SHTA, Afoo Group, Lama Guest House, St. Maarten Small Properties Association, Joshua Rose Guesthouse and Cay Hill Association.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The matter of the St. Maarten Tourism Authority (STA) has been one of ongoing concern for the faction of the Democratic Party.
This has been so, because there is no tourism plan currently in place and the lack of such a plan has been always put as due to the incomplete progress to come to a STA.
This process has been ongoing for at least 10 years, some even say 15 years.
From " commissioners' time to consecutive ministers, there have been constant differing visions for this authority, with as result that nothing happened.
Agree with the current proposed organization or not, it did bring the establishment of this badly needed "authority" a step closer to realization.
It was therefore noted with much concern, that not yet one month in office, the Minister of TEATT, Claret Conner's tongue slipped it appeared, and he divulged that he intended to (re)evaluate the STA.
This prompted several questions from the DP faction, verbally and subsequently in writing.
Finally, on June 22, I received below answers.
One can only but have concluded from these answers that everything is/was well on track.

We must understand that this foundation, which was incorporated on government's initiative was to bridge the period, until the incorporation of the St. Maarten Tourism Authority. Bridging this period included a wide range of responsibilities related to tourism in general and tourism promotion and marketing in particular.
Now I read that the STA Foundation "has been declared obsolete" and that the STA will "be established without the intermediary foundation", a decision seemingly made by the Minister. Are we to assume that the Minister will formally dissolve the foundation? Are we serious?

Not wanting to get into the fracas between the Minister and the Foundation's supervisory board members and the effectiveness or not of another committee, I am extremely troubled by the following:

1. Was the letter of June 22nd, from the minister to Parliament a sham to placate Parliament?
2. But more importantly, if in the minister's opinion according to his letter, the permanent STA will become a reality only by the 4th quarter of 2016, what happens in the meantime with our tourism industry?
3. Who is responsible for what of this all-important industry?
4. And then to read in the governing program of the current coalition that government will "...review...and study the possibility of expanding the objectives and purpose of the STA" (and they have to be referring to the foundation), then I must conclude that the government truly believes that they can fool all of the people, all of the time.

This is unacceptable and we must speak up, because the writing is already on the wall and we are slipping, regardless to what the numbers say.

DP Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- Opposition parties National Alliance and Democratic Party met recently to discuss the governing program presented to parliament by the current United People’s Party-led coalition. The first impressions of this program leave a lot to be desired and much more was expected, not only after the long wait, but especially after the many promises that were made by the United People’s Party, leading up to and during the 2014 electoral campaign.
However, more disturbing than that is the fact that the program as presented provides no basis for a constructive discussion in Parliament about government’s plans, its priorities, available and needed resources.
The people of St. Maarten are no wiser about government’s plans than before the "Ready" program. Worse, government’s actions continue to contradict its stated objectives and intentions. And there seem to be no synchronization between ministers.
Examples of such are:

1.  The continued refusal by government to reach a solution with PJIA and jump start the much needed investments at the airport.
2. The disregard for the issues facing the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation and the tenants of Belvedere.
3. The lack of attention for the island’s main industry, tourism.
4. The lack of urgency in dealing with integrity in general and an integrity chamber in particular.
5. The lack of actual dialogue with stakeholders, parliament included.
6. The ongoing developments at the government-owned companies, GEBE and the Harbor Group of Companies.

In addition, there are no clear objectives for the improvement of education, none for decreasing the cost of living, no actions to curb the many social ills, or a plan of action to decrease violent crime and crimes against women and children.
Therefore, in the view of the NA and DP, debating this document in Parliament would inevitably lead to much rhetoric, but little substance.
Rather than present to Parliament what the government received from the coalition members, the government would have shown maturity and a semblance of independence, as well as recognition of the levels of responsibility in our constitutional state, by reworking the document into an executable and accountable program.
We know it’s a long shot, but we still call on government to do the right thing and present to Parliament a document that gives the people of our country some perspective and hope

National Alliance & Democratic Party press release.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The lawyer that was appointed by the judge of instruction to represent blogger Judith Roumou has dropped the client leaving Roumou without a legal representation Monday morning.
Press Prosecutor Karola Van Nie told SMN News on Monday in an invited comment that Roumou no longer has a lawyer to represent her and therefore the judge had no choice but to postpone the case that was to be heard on Monday morning where Roumou wants the judge to remove one of the conditions of her release from pretrial detention. Van Nie said Roumou is a suspect in a criminal investigation and she is entitled to legal representation therefore the judge had to postpone the case until he appoint a new lawyer to represent Roumou. Van Nie said for now no new date has been set for the hearing where Roumou wants to the judge to remove from the lists of conditions that she must cooperate to undergo a psychiatric and physiological evaluation.
Judith Roumou was arrested on June 30th at her St. Peters home after a number of persons filed criminal charges against her, she is suspected of harassment (stalking) slander, defamation, extortion and other crimes, she was released on July 6th 2015 on special conditions such as the suspect is not allowed to contact the people that pressed charges against her and she must visit the probation service. Also she needs to cooperate in the creation of a psychological and/or psychiatric report and she cannot commit new crimes. The judge followed this advice.
However, the first lawyer that was appointed first requested that all the persons including the detectives, and prosecutor be heard by the judge of instruction. The judge denied part of the lawyer’s request only allowing the detective to be heard. That detective is now back in the Netherlands and he may have to travel back to St. Maarten when the time comes for him to be heard. Most recently, the said lawyer asked the court to remove the last condition on which Roumou was released from pre-trial detention, however, Roumou did not respect the orders of the court which clearly states that she must not commit new crimes. Shortly after Roumou was released she began breaking the conditions of her release leading to new complaints filed against her.

PHILIPSBURG:----“The Public Service Center (PSC) at Simpson Bay and the one to be established in the New Government Building, is a representation of promoting better service to the community. Strong public services are often society’s most powerful development resource,” Prime Minister/Minister of General Affairs Marcel Gumbs said on Thursday.
Gumbs adds that a strong public service can build institutions that play a huge role in enabling people to fulfil their potential within an environment where their ideas, actions and society as a whole can flourish.
The PSC which falls under the Ministry of General Affairs, should be seen in the light of Government’s first steps in becoming a leader in public service excellence based on the one-stop service provider concept.

“We are in the process of building a professional public service with integrity, diversity and a focus on clients and result oriented. Much has been done over the years, but improvement and re-development are concepts that do not remain stagnant, but are always on the move and improving. Therefore, the civil service of Sint Maarten has to be able to adjust and incorporate new things in order to be able to provide the best services for the people of Sint Maarten.

“The one-stop service concept is about putting people first; putting businesses first, in order for both types of clients to be able to maximize their opportunities with respect to the services rendered. The one-stop shop enables citizens, businesses and customers a single access point to information and service transactions. The key aspects are speed, value, choice, engagement and responsiveness.

“Our community demands service in an efficient and effective manner where delivery is concerned. Delivering on the aforementioned has led to Government changing its way of working by delivering the services demanded and required by our clients which also includes local and foreign investors.

“The overall goal of our PSC is to ensure that the aforementioned is achieved as we continue to build Sint Maarten’s Civil Service Corps to serve the citizens of our wonderful island. I am looking forward to your continued cooperation and collaboration,” Prime Minister/Minister of General Affairs Marcel Gumbs said in a recent message to the civil service.

PHILIPSBURG:---- “As Prime Minister it’s my distinct honor to extend my support to the staff of the Department of Labor Affairs and Social Services for the upcoming Start Here Campaign, which as I understand aims to boost the jobseekers database to meet the very diverse needs of the local labor market,” Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs pointed out recently.
“It is an initiative that I fully encourage as we have made tackling employment challenges an important part of the governing program ‘Ready to Work for You’. It goes without saying that I am also encouraging the general public and business community to participate fully in the various initiatives of this campaign, which vary from the registration drive to the acquisition of a vacancy bank.
“The first such initiative to be held on Thursday September 3 at the Clem Labega Square is an activity filled registration drive for higher academic graduates from Secondary and Tertiary levels. However, I was assured by the Department Head that all persons will be registered, irrespective of their educational level.
“Labor is a core aspect of our society, encouraging decent labor practices, finding different and efficient ways to support the labor market will continue to be one of the priorities of this government.
“With the support of the Council of Ministers I endorse the Start Here Campaign: Your Path to Employment & Career Development,” Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs concluded.

PHILIPSBURG:--- While reading the government program 2014 -2018 the section dealing with the adoption of a school program did catch my attention. It was very vague and I was hoping to acquire some more information on this adopt a school program. Both MP’s Marlin-Romeo and Lake came out strong defending this program and while I believe there is nothing wrong with such a program but are they planning to make this mandatory that the business community must adopt these schools. In one scenario MP Marlin-Romeo is talking about the tax breaks that many companies are receiving and that one of the condition to receive such a break is that they must adopt one of the public schools. Perhaps as a Member of Parliament she can inform the public how many companies are receiving a tax break at this moment? Secondly it would be interested to hear from the MP how many tax break requests are pending by the Minister of Finance awaiting approval or denial.
OSPP feels very strongly that the public schools should be managed by a school board like all the other primary schools. This is not a new idea as it has been floating around for many years. You would imagine that if the other schools with a school board have had some type of success that the public schools would be able to enjoy the same type of benefits.
According to some information acquired by the OSPP most school boards are paying between 25,000 to 30,000 guilders a month in utility consumption to NV GEBE. It is time that the Council of Ministers instructs the Supervisory Board and management of NV GEBE to start charging all the schools residential rates and not commercial rates. All the schools including the public schools would save approximately 20% on their actual energy consumption per kilo watt.

Motion

The Parliament of St. Maarten, in its meeting of today, August........, 2015

Considering:

•  That the Parliament of St. Maarten strongly believes that the public schools and government subsidized schools should receive some type of relief and financial assistance from NV GEBE.
• That NV GEBE is 100% owned by the government of St. Maarten.
• That many of these school boards are going through some though financial times in being able to provide the type of education that is required in any modern society.
• That these school boards and public schools depend solely on the subsidy from the government and that the private school boards also collect an annual school fee from their students.
• That these school fees are also hurting many families financially; especially those families who have more than one child attending those schools that charge school fees and those families who are earning the minimum wage.
• That many of these school boards pay approximately 26,000.00 guilders of their subsidy in utility bills on a monthly bill and it varies from school board to school board.
• That many of these schools in comparing with schools in other countries are lagging far behind in modern information technology and other areas.

Resolves:

•  To request the Minister with responsibility for Energy as Shareholder Representative of NV GEBE to instruct the Supervisory Board and the Managing Director of this company to do the following:

1.  Effective immediately charge all the public schools and subsidized government schools with a special tariff equivalent to the residential or lower rate.
2.  NV EBE to invest in the installation of solar panels in the public schools and subsidized government schools.

•  That the government of St. Maarten, in particular the Ministers of Finance and Education agree:

1.  That the savings derived from the change to a special tariff and the installation of solar panels at the public schools and subsidized government schools should remain within the educational institution to:

- Improve on the quality of education in particular the modernization of their information technology and other educational areas.
- Reduce the school fees of the students.

And goes over to the order of the day.

Copies of this motion to be sent to:
The Governor of Sint Maarten.
The Government of Sint Maarten.
The Council of Advice of Sint Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG:---- The Central Committee of Parliament will meet in an urgent closed door session with the entire Council of Ministers on August 10th.

The Central Committee meeting which is closed to the public is set for Monday at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is a discussion on the comprehensive approach of Government to accomplish short term results with regards to the recent spate of crime on Sint Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On behalf of the National Alliance family I taken the time to extend deepest sympathy and condolences to the family, colleagues, loved ones and friends of our brave fallen Officer Gamali Benjamin, who was tragically and mercilessly cut down in the prime of his life. Officer Benjamin epitomised the model of the respectable, humble, hardworking and respected officer of the law.
He executed his duty in protecting us and upholding the laws of the land with integrity, passion and compassion for his fellow man, woman and children; therefore Officer Benjamin stands tall in our hearts, minds and the Nation as a Hero.
The loss of such a great person will take a toll on especially his young family and the colleagues with whom he worked daily. I pray for strength and faith that they will trust in God who is always there for us in our darkest hour and can sustain us when we can no longer go on. We pray for Peace and Justice in St. Maarten. As emotional as we may feel, let us allow justice to taken its course. Where we feel justice is insufficient let us address the laws that need to be changed and do so.
We pray for all levels of government, of which we are a part of the legislative branch, to take the necessary actions to minimize the possibility of reoccurrence of such a senseless act, to secure finances for the necessities, ensure opportunity for development and progress for all and to eradicate all which contributes to the breakdown in our social fabric and the family which could lead to such a callous act and other callous acts that have been occurring throughout the island.
We pledge to continue to work toward creating a better quality of life for all citizens of St. Maarten.
The blood of Officer Gamali Benjamin shed on the Frontstreet last Wednesday must not be shed in vain. It should have such a profound effect on all our citizens and residents that we feel impelled to do all we can wherever we are to make sure no child or adult feels the need or want to follow in the notorious steps of the perpetrators of this horrible crime.
May God bless the soul of Officer Gamali Benjamin, his family and colleagues and the people of St. Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG:---- Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs in solidarity with the nation instructed according to protocol to have flags flown at half-mast out of respect after a law enforcement official was killed in the line of duty.
Police Officer G. Benjamin from the Sint Maarten Police Force was seriously wounded on Wednesday, August 5 while attending to a call of a robbery on Front Street. Officer Benjamin passed away on Saturday, August 8.
Flags will be flown at half-mast at all public buildings until the day after Officer Benjamin has been laid to rest.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs on Sunday, August 9th issued the following statement with respect to the passing of Police Officer Gamali Benjamin.
My fellow St. Maarteners,
“My heart is heavy as I offer, my family’s and Government’s deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Officer Gamali Benjamin. Officer Benjamin was firstly a son, a father and a husband to those who loved and knew him best, and this is a profound loss that no parent, child or spouse should have to suffer.
“Government has sworn that everything within our power will be done to bring those who have perpetrated these crimes to justice.
“I would be remiss, however, if I did not also offer condolences to Officer Benjamin’s colleagues, his second family, at the KPSM (Police Force Sint Maarten). There is a deep bond shared between those who have pledged an oath of service together, one that many cannot understand, and I wish you all strength and the Lord’s guidance as you continue to personally and professionally experience this sudden loss. We know that you will stop at nothing to bring justice to Officer Benjamin’s legacy.
“To the community, I wish us all the peace and strength during the days, weeks and months to come. Never before have we been faced with such a tragedy. Never in our island’s history have we seen our local law enforcement forced to say farewell to one of their own, taken from us in the line of duty. And never before has it been more crucial that we come together as a country to ensure that justice is served.
“If you or anyone you know is aware of any detail, no matter how unimportant you may think it is, please step forward. If you doubt for an instant your ability to make a difference to this community, I ask you to consider your parents, your friends, your siblings, your loved ones...this could have been any one of them, any one of us.
“And lastly, as family, friends and colleagues of Officer Benjamin grieve for their loved one and begin their healing, we remember that Officer Gamali Benjamin was a kind, engaging and peaceful young man. This country is a dimmer place without his presence, and I deeply mourn that fact. We must keep this spirit, his spirit, alive in these difficult times, or his life and his service has been given in vain.
“I call for St. Maarten, and for our neighbors to the north, to remember Officer Benjamin respectfully, safely and peacefully. Remember his goodwill, remember his dedication to his duties; hold these memories in your heart as we face the coming days as one country, stronger together.”

PHILIPSBURG/MARIGOT:---- The Sint Maarten Sickle Cell Foundation represented by Vanessa Mathew, Kurt Sprott, Leona Marlin-Romeo, and Richard Marlin, all joined the Northern side Sickle Cell Association in its first walk-a-thon to bring about the awareness of the disease on Sunday August 9th.
Over 100 supporters participated in the event which made it quite a success. According to the information distributed from the French association; there are 400 new cases each year and 16,000 patients in France.
Statistics on Dutch Sint Maarten is still pending. Information about the disease was distributed in French and The Sint Maarten Sickle Cell Foundation provided information in English.
The two organizations have pledged continuous cooperation with each other as there is a need to bring about awareness throughout both sides of the island.
The disease is a genetic disease unlike others and have fatal consequences if proper care is not given.
The Foundation is currently looking for members and volunteers, and is urging the community to support its endeavours.
For more information about the foundation email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 550-2355/5887723.
The foundation can also be found on Facebook.

PHILIPSBURG:--- United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake wrote a letter to the Acting Minister of the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Marcel Gumbs, addressing the concerns of residents of Marigot Hill regarding the placement of a NV GEBE street light at Soursop Road #42.

“In that specific area at night it’s very dark and is well-known for car stripping by criminal elements. This was a public safety and security issue. I commend Prime Minister Gumbs and NV GEBE for their quick action that they took to put a light in that area to enhance the security of the residents.

“During my walk through the districts the residents are very concerned about the number of robberies, burglaries of homes in the St. Peters, Ebenezer and South Reward Area. It has the attention of our Community Police Officer who is doing a fantastic job within the community, but with the assistance of some street lights on the GEBE poles and the assistance of the residents we can make his job a lot easier.

“The Community Councils in the different districts need to revive their Community Watch Programs where every resident watch out for their neighbour(s) and report any suspicious movement in the neighbourhood.

“Every Community Council should appoint one representative of each street in their district for residents to report to and then they can report back to the Council to inform their Community Police Officer of any wrong doing or suspicious acts/movements in their districts.

“Most of these robbers have robbing people homes as a full time job and comes at a time during the day after monitoring you daily routine or early in the morning while you are at sleep. We can only fight crime together where everyone looks out for each other and support your Community Police Officers in the different districts.

“Another issue that needs urgent attention and that I will be looking into are regulations for pawn shops in the country. This issue was discussed in parliament a few years ago when former MP Romain Laville brought the matter up and there was a lengthy discussion.

“I will be looking into this to see what happened and how far he had reached in this process. During that time there were robberies of jewellery stores and homes and the thieves would then sell the jewellery to pawn shops. To fight crime, we need to provide law enforcement with the tools to do so. Everybody who goes to a pawn shop should present a valid ID and fill in a form where the jewellery came from.

“Only together, we will take a bite out of crime on our Friendly Island where the residents should feel safe in their homes,” UP MP Maurice Lake concluded.

PHILIPSBURG:---  On Saturday August 8th, 2015 the Minister of Justice the Honorable Dennis Richardson received the disheartening news that Officer Benjamin had passed away at the Sint Maarten Medical Center as a direct result of the severe gunshot injuries he sustained while exercising his duties and protecting the residents and visitors of Sint Maarten. Minister Richardson and Prime Minister Mr. Marcel Gumbs immediately visited the Medical Center to pay their respects to Officer Benjamin and tried to comfort the many family members and colleagues who were clearly in soul wrenching pain from the passing of Benjamin.

The Minister and the entire Ministry of Justice extend their deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the late Officer Benjamin. Officer Benjamin’s shooting and his subsequent passing have come as a severe shock to his family, the Sint Maarten Police Force and the Community at large and will undoubtedly have an effect on many lives for a very long time to come. The whole community is hurting as a result of the death of this broadly beloved, respected and dedicated officer of the law.

Officer Benjamin who has fallen in the line of duty demonstrating bravery above and beyond the call of duty, will be buried with official honors and with full support of the Government of Sint Maarten. Over the coming days the Minister and his staff will be coordinating closely with the Sint Maarten Police Force and the Benjamin family in preparation of Officer Benjamin’s funeral.

The Minister is extremely proud to point out that, in spite of the pain and anguish the men and women of the Sint Maarten Police Force have been faced with this past week, the Force continues to embody professionalism and is making strides in resolving this case while continuing to serve and protect the Sint Maarten community and the island’s many visitors.

Minister Richardson is proud of the Police Force of Sint Maarten and is honored to be able to represent their cause as the Minister of Justice of Sint Maarten.

SIMPSON BAY:----- The group of international aviation and travel writers that will be arriving here Monday, August 10 for a three-day media tour organized by the Princess Juliana International Airport, SXM, are drawn from nine different destinations in four countries.
The writers will be submitting their stories to more than 30 international media outlets, both print and electronic and should therefore offer an unprecedented exposure for the airport, the entire island, and the hub partners. “This is the main reason why we decided to invite this select group of professionals,” said Regina LaBega, SXM Airport’s managing director
Furthermore, it is “to draw international attention to the numerous developments at SXM airport and to showcase the island as a tourist destination in markets where we may not be very well known yet and to keep the focus on St. Maarten, even in places where most of our tourists come from,” said LaBega.
“Our hub partners will also benefit from the tour as will WINAIR, which is collaborating with us on this important initiative,” LaBega added.
The select group of journalists is drawn from the USA, Canada, Spain, and the UK, and includes editors and contributors to major aviation journals and travel publications. Some of the media professionals will be visiting the island for the first time, and all of them have expressed excitement at the trip.
“Hearty congratulations and thanks to all who worked on this project. I’m completely psyched,” wrote Kathryn Creedy, out of Orlando, Florida. She is a contributor to Business Airport International, Florida Today, Airways News, and FlyCorporate among other publications.
The St. Marten/St. Martin media will not only have an opportunity to network with their visiting colleagues but will engage in a Q&A session with them as an integral part of the program.
“The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau and the Tourist Office in Marigot, our hub partners of Anguilla, Saba, St. Barths, and Dominica have all been on board in this endeavor to make it a truly unique experience that we hope will result in positive coverage for all,” said SXM Airport managing director Regina LaBega.

CUL DE SAC:--- Board and Management of St. Maarten Academy would like to inform all parents of new students that the orientation, especially for first formers, will be held on Thursday, August 13, 2015 at their respective campuses. The meetings will begin at 6:00 PM and end at 8:00 PM.

All parents and new students are expected to attend this very important session where they will be briefed about the school’s expectations and plans for the new school year. The teaching staff, School Board, and members of the Parent-Teachers Foundation will be introduced. Students will also get the opportunity to meet their mentors, visit their homeroom, and get an idea of their schedule and activities they will be involved in this year.

All attendees are asked to pay keen attention to the orientation venues. Parents of students registered at the academic campus must attend the meeting being held at the school next to the former Sheik Supermarket; while parents of students registered at PSVE must attend the meeting at that school (South Reward).

Beginning high school requires students to make a great many changes and adjustments, both socially and emotionally. The event is geared towards alleviating first day jitters that most first formers feel on entering a new environment.

Parents are being encouraged to attend this very important meeting with their children as it will set the tone for the 2015-2016 school year. When all parties work together from the very beginning, excellence can be achieved.

CAY Hill:--- Relatives and members of the police force of St. Maarten (KPSM) are now dealing with the stark reality of losing one of their loved ones. Bike Patrol Gamali Benjamin who was shot on Wednesday passed away at the St. Maarten Medical Center just after 1pm on Saturday.
SMN News managed to confirm slain officer who was flown back to St. Maarten on Friday after doctors in the in the Dominican Republic diagnosed that Officer Benjamin was brain dead and non-responsive to medical treatment passed away on Saturday. A close relative of the family said that Officer Benjamin’s body was taken to the Royal Funeral Home where family members are busy making funeral arrangements.
SMN News learnt that several officers of KPSM are now distraught and may need some sort of counselling now that their friend and colleague died from gunshot wounds he sustained when he marched in Ore Diamante where an armed robbery was taking place. So far police arrested one of two suspects and the brother of the suspect in custody.
Police is still searching for the second suspect who managed to escape from the scene on Wednesday.

SMN News wishes the immediate families, colleagues, and members of KPSM much strenght in their time of bereavement.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A silent march organized by NAGICO Insurances was held Friday afternoon in honor of Sergeant  Gamali Benjamin who was gunned down on Wednesday afternoon on Front Street while on duty.
The walk begun in front of the Post Office saw more than two hundred persons participating, including all members of staff from NAGICO, members of various sectors of the Justice Department and scores of other members of the community.
Wearing blue ribbons; as a sign of peace, the marchers walked slowly two by two making their way to Front Street; to the now revered spot where Sergeant Benjamin fell after been hit by bullets. Several store owners and workers left their stores to join the gathering and many Parliamentarians who were still in the vicinity joined the group of marchers and placed blue ribbons on the scene.
Eric Ellis; Director of Claims of NAGICO, addressed the crowd briefly, stating that NAGICO will continue to support the police and appealed for other businesses to also move to action. “We at NAGICO have been working with the police on several projects and we are deeply saddened by this tragedy,” he said. “Officer Benjamin is one who takes his job seriously and there was not a day while patrolling that he ever passed our office and not stop to check on how things were. He did that down to the very day, just minutes before he was shot. On behalf of the Management and staff of NAGCO, I want to extend our sympathies to the family, friends and colleagues of Officer Gamali Benjamin. Our prayers are with them.”
Inspector Ricardo Henson thanked the members of the public for their support and lauded NAGICO for organizing the event. He also thanked their colleagues in attendance from the Immigration, Prison and Police department.
After placing their ribbons at the spot, the group of marchers made their way to the Police station where Henson extended thanks again and the marchers proceeded to hug and extend personal sympathies to the officers who came out of the police station to join the marchers.

PHILIPSBURG:---- The Board and Management of the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry (COCI) wish to express their support and strength to Officer G. Benjamin who was viciously shot in the line of duty on Wednesday, August 5th. The Chamber strongly condemns violence of any form and is committed to working tirelessly with all stakeholders to ensure a safe environment for all. Our prayers are with the Officer and his family as we join the entire St. Maarten community in prayer.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Police arrested the brother of the suspect they have in custody for the shooting of police officer Gamali Benjamin that is now brain dead and unresponsive to medical treatment.
According to information reaching SMN News, the suspect was arrested in the Middle Region area on Friday. The brother has been identified bystanders as “Franklin”. According to information reaching SMN News the brother of suspect that is currently in the ICU ward of the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) removed items from his brother’s home while he was in police custody.
Press Prosecutor Karola Van Nie confirmed to SMN News that a second person has been arrested on Friday. Van Nie said that because of the nature of the investigation she is unable to release any information on the ongoing investigation that police is busy with.
The Prosecutor and KPSM put together a special team to investigate the robbery and shooting of Officer Gamali Benjamin who is currently brain dead and unresponsive to medical treatment.

Joint Press Release Prosecutor's Office and KPSM ----25-Year Old Male Arrested For Liquidating Evidence

On Friday August 7th, in the afternoon, an arrest was made in the case of the 'Oro Diamante robbery', the case in which our beloved colleague Gamali Benjamin was shot.

A 25-year old male was arrested by members of the 'Multi Disciplinary Investigation Team'. This team consists of members from the Federal Detectives (Landsrecherche), the R.S.T. (Recherche Samenwerkings Team) and KPSM and it's handling the robbery case.

The 25-year old man was arrested because he's suspected of his complicity in this case; he tried to get rid of evidence which could be important for the detectives to solve this case.

He was taken to the police station in Philipsburg where the public prosecutor decided to put him into custody for the time being. He will be questioned by members of the Multi Disciplinary Investigation Team.

KPSM & Prosecutors Office Joint Press Release.

WILLEMSTAD:----  In a letter written on August 3rdandsign by its President of the Board Mr. Giovanni M.A. Atalita and its Chairman Mr. Olivier E. Arrindell, The company, Ava Airways presented 5 points it want to present to members of Parliament regarding the state of Civil Aviation in Curacao and their company Economic Authority. The five points of the agenda presented to Parliament are

1. Present the Business Plan of Ava Airways to the Parliament of Curacao, 2. Express Ava Airways concern on Curacao Aviation open sky policy, 3. Understanding on Ava Airways Economic Authority Status, 4. Ava Airways intension on helping and contributing to Curacao Exiting the IASA category 2 rating and 5. The General understanding on how to become a designated Curacao Airline

On June 11, 2015 and a few weeks ago Airways requested the Curacao AOC requirements and post holder information needs from the Minister of transportation Mrs. Suzanne Camelia-Römer. To this date the company has not received any responses from the Minister on its request, nor any responses to the number of letters sent.
Ava Airways requested from the Minister of transportation a complete systematic process overview of all Curacao AOC requirements and all departments/stakeholders involved, to fulfill the Airline AOC approval, including all clearly defined information needs to be produced delivered by the AOC requestor. Ava Airways chairman stated that the company requested this information to put transparence on the table and make sure that all are complying with ICAO rules and regulations. Olivier Arrindell also stated that we have a team of expert that is very knowledge in the Airline certification process and what the company is trying to accomplish with this is to have the correct measure and process apply to Ava Airways.
The letter to Parliament was also presented to the political factions of Pueblo Soberano, MFK, PAIS, PAR, MAN, PNP, Glennn Sulvaran and Ms. Omayra Leeflang also cc to the company investment partners Capital Partners and Grave Aviation Holding LLC.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):---The Collective Prevention Service (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, and the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) Breastfeeding Committee, hereby announces that the planned Breastfeeding Walk-a-thon for Friday, August 7 starting at 5.30pm from the Court House in Philipsburg up Front Street to the Emmaplein and then down Back Street and up the alley by the House of Parliament ending at the Court House, has been postponed until further notice.

The postponement is in connection with CPS and SMMC being in solidarity with the Officer Benjamin, family, colleagues from the Sint Maarten Police Force and friends during this very difficult time.

The walk-a-thon was a collaboration between CPS and SMMC to profile breastfeeding.

PHILIPSBURG:--- One of the two suspects that were involved in the Ore Diamante robbery and ultimate shooting of Officer Gamali Benjamin basically grew up in the streets of St. Maarten, mainly in the Sucker Garden area. Well placed information provided to SMN News states that the suspect that is currently nursing gunshot wounds at the St. Maarten Medical Centre has been identified as Richie who is well known to police. A source close to the suspect said that the parents of Richie and his brother abandoned them when they were very young. The two youths who were born on St. Maarten of Haitian decent has no identity as they are not registered on the island other than having a birth certificate. SMN News was told that the two youngsters grew up sleeping in cars while stealing from supermarkets and committing robberies to survive. SMN News learnt that the children mother left them with their father and went away to neighboring Guadeloupe and their father also abandoned them shortly after.
While, these two youngsters are well known in the Sucker Garden community no one in the area or government did anything to assist them. On several occasions they were told that they will be shipped back to Haiti even though they have no travel documents or knows nothing about Haiti. Further information provided to SMN News states that the two young men did not really attend school for a long period. While “Richie” is known to police and has a criminal record he is also a rapper who tried to express his pain through song. SMN News further learnt that Richie aka Kilo Gotti is very bitter towards the police because each time he is seen or arrested by police he is allgedly brutalized by police. "Can you imagine youths that are born on St. Maarten cannot participate in the country they know as home and because they have no one to represent or guide them they are left to become what they are now. Kilo Gotti has a brother who took his past situation differently and has sought the help of well known St. Maarteners who assisted him in getting a Haitian passport but he too cannot find work or participate in St. Maarten community. According to the information SMN News recieved is that the brother tried getting Kilo Gotti out of the neighborhood gang but was unsucessful.
SMN News has found out more about the suspect in custody. The 23 year old goes by the name Kilo Gotti a rapper part of the popular rap group on the island Bush Boys. Kilo Gotti is 23 years old and was shot in the stomach and left leg by police on Wednesday. SMN has obtained the video of the rapper who openly talked about not liking the police. The video in which SMN News found shows the suspect cutting marijuana.

While police are busy hunting down the second suspect, persons have identified the second suspect as “Benjamin” also of the Sucker Garden area. Police has described the suspect to be armed and dangerous and has called on the community to stay far from the suspect if he is spotted anywhere on St. Maarten.

 Parents of Keshawm Akeem Carty said that they have contacted the police and were told that they have no interest in their son. The family said police told them their son is not wanted by them and that he is not a person of interest. Instead they said they are indeed looking for an Akeem Carty but not the one that was published in this article. SMN News apololizes for the mistaken identity.

Willemstad:---- From Tuesday August 4th to Thursday August 6th CHATA attended the United States’ largest Data Conference, the HOTEL DATA CONFERENCE, hosted by Smith Travel Research (STR) and Hotel News NOW in Nashville, Tennessee. Data collection on Industry performance is one of CHATA’s focal points, therefore this DATA Conference adequately fits CHATA. The highlights of the conference included a series of presentations by Social Revolution’s Professor Michael Tchong discussing the future of urban trends and innovation in travel.

STR and Hotel News NOW recognized Curaçao as the ambassador of the Caribbean holding regard to hotel performance data collection. Curaçao received this recognition, as it is the first Caribbean destination to attend the STR DATA Conference. STR mentioned to be proud to have a partnership with CHATA on the collection and use of Curaçao Hotel Industry data. The DATA Conference addressed the up rise of the Small Accommodations in the Hotel industry, at the event CHATA formed part of the panel of discussion on this upcoming segment of the Hotel Industry, which is also growing in Curaçao. With the emergence of the Small Accommodations, CHATA launched the Small Accommodation Program in June offering additional benefits for CHATA members with less than 40 rooms, officially categorized as Small Accommodation Members. CHATA’s Small Accommodation program is strongly supported by STR; therefore STR is accordingly developing a new program based on the local demand for Small Accommodations in order to collect data.

At the HOTEL DATA CONFERENCE, CHATA President & CEO, Ms. Lizanne Dindial, had the opportunity to meet STR’s President & COO, Mrs. Amanda White, with whom she discussed the trends and changes in the Caribbean. STR indicated to support and commit to Curacao as a destination, while advocating CHATA’s efforts with regard to destination Curaçao.

According to Miles Mercera, CHATA’s Marketing Director, this data conference was an eye opener. Trends and changes in the tourism and hospitality industry are important to follow, CHATA’s aim is to stay ahead of the game and make use of the opportunities in the markets. CHATA, additionally, confirmed that the association is working in the right direction when it comes to strategy and understanding the changes in the tourism and hospitality industry.

CHATA confirmed to attend next year’s HOTEL DATA CONFERENCE and will be giving a workshop on its Small Accommodation Program, which will indicate how destinations can optimally exploit this opportunity.

Air Ambulance with Officer Benjamin landed on St. Maarten at 12:20pm -- Taken to SMMC where family and colleagues will spend last moments before removing life support.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/ PHILIPSBURG:---- Bike Patrol Gamali Benjamin who was shot by armed bandits on Wednesday is brain dead and non-responsive but is kept alive on life support his father Gilbert Benjamin told his contact on St. Maarten early Friday morning. The father of the wounded officer who travelled to the Dominican Republic Thursday evening with his son said that the news on his son is not at all good after a complete evaluation was done in the Dominican Republic Thursday night.
Businessman Michael Ferrier who is in contact with Mr. Benjamin said that after speaking to the father he was informed that Officer Benjamin is brain dead and non-responsive. Ferrier said the family of the wounded officer is now considering their options. One of which might be to fly him back to St. Maarten on life support or whether or not they should take off the life support there in the Dominican Republic.
It is most likely that the relatives would bring back the wounded officer as early as today (Friday) in order for them to remove the life support among his friends, families and colleagues. Further information provided to SMN News states that KPSM is working closely with the relatives of Officer Gamali Benjamin and they have taken the decision to bring him back to St. Maarten on life support and both family and KPSM along with officer Benjamin's colleagues will decide when is a good moment for them to remove the life support. When Police Officers got this news on Friday morning they all got emotional. It is further understood that management of KPSM is working on getting professional help for the men in blue that are currently suffering from the tragic event that transpired on Wednesday.
Latest information recieved states that the Air Ambulance with land at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) with wounded now brain dead bike patrol Gamali Benjamin at 12;20pm. Several police cars with colleagues of the slain cop is already at PJIAE waiting for the arrival of their colleague who will soon be taken off life support.

As the air ambulance landed at PJIAE with Officer Benjamin at least five police vehicles surrounded the aircraft and ambulance that was at PJIAE waiting for their colleague. It took the ambulance personnel quite some time to remove the slain officer from the aircraft and placing him in the ambulance. At this moment Officer Benjamin is at ICU ward of the St. Maarten Medical Center where he is surrounded by his relatives and colleagues who would decide when they will take him off the life support. SMN News learnt that Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte was among those at PJIAE to receive the wounded officer and he is currently at the St. Maarten Medical Center with several other officers that are highly emotional. SMN News will bring you more information on the condition and decisions taken by the relatives and colleagues of KPSM later today.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):---- Several civil servants from the Government of Sint Maarten recently attended advanced database management training in New York, USA related to the National Database St. MaartenInfo.

The database has also been updated and now will be able to process 199 indicators pertaining to Human Development from 10 different sources and over 2000 data values.

The aforementioned is essential for country Sint Maarten to have information at its finger tips when it comes to reporting to regional and international institutions about Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which are all related to national human development targets.

Makini Hickinson, Terrance Babtiste, both from the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications, Department of Statistics; and Andrea Ortega-Oudhoff, Ministry of General Affairs, Department of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BAK), were the three civil servants that attended the management lab training.

The training was carried out by Gary Goldman from Community Systems Foundations (CSF) at their offices in New York City. Funding came from the National Development Plan (NDP) project.

A third training is scheduled to take place shortly in Sint Maarten which would allow more civil servants to become administrators allowing them to be able to use the database in their ministry to collate, disseminate and present data based on the tools that the system offers.

It is the intention to launch the first version of the database in October 2015.

The NDP team from the Department of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BAK), the implementing agency for NDP project, organized the first five-day Basic User and Database Administration Training Workshop that started on June 1.

The Government’s newly developed SintMaartenInfo Database will compile socio-economic data that will help Government policy developers and planners to use evidence based information for policy development which is necessary to implement the NDP.

SintMaartenInfo is a database system that focuses on promoting the use of national statistics in evidence-based policy and planning at global, regional and national level.

The introduction of this database will further consolidate Governments efforts in evidenced based sustainable development planning. It establishes a national database that enables Government to monitor the developmental progress of the country.
Similar database systems are used by numerous countries for this purpose. The Government of Sint Maarten, in particular the Department of Statistics within the Ministry of Tourism, Economic affairs Transport and Telecommunication and BAK, will oversee the implementation of the SintMaartenInfo database in Sint Maarten.
Only through a process of collecting, digitalizing and confirming data validity is government able to truly measure progress in achieving the policy results that are expected to be accomplished.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):---- Collective Prevention Service (CPS), a department of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), will continue with its Fit Program for young people.

CPS will look at activities throughout the year to keep awareness active and alive and to monitor the progress overtime. The objective of the return activities is also to promote healthy eating by organizing cooking classes or offering healthy cooking demos for special occasions such as Christmas or Easter.

Promoting physical exercise with outdoor games and sports will also be the focus of attention.

At its second Summer Fit Camp from July 20-25, 19 young people, 13 girls and six boys took part between the ages of 10 to 12, cycle two students. The first camp took place in 2014.

The participants were divided into groups of five with a group leader assigned to each. The camp took place at the Caribbean International Academy CIA) in Cupecoy.

The goal of the Summer Fit Camp was to promote and educate about healthy eating habits and physical activities to combat the increase in obesity in the country.

Activities were organized in a structured manner where participants took part in obstacle games (dance), sports (soccer), exercise (pool day), field trips (hiking), educational health sessions (gardening) and cooking demonstrations.

The children also learned about healthy snacking (choosing snacks under 100 calories), limiting sugary foods and beverages), the importance of drinking water rather than juice.

The young participants were also exposed to different ways of being physically active, eating healthy portions, controlled meals and snacks; building team spirit, self-esteem and confidence while taking part in group camp activities.

On the first day of the camp the body measurements of all the children were taken. The total body weight on day 1 was 1259 kilograms (girls 915 kg, boys 344 kg).

The average weight per girl on day one was 70.38 kg and for boys 57.33 kg. All measurements were taken again on the last day of the camp, and total body weight on day six was 1220 kg (girls 884 kg, boys 336 kg.

The total weight loss for the group in six days of the camp was 39 kg; the average weight loss was 2.05 kg per child (2.38 girls and 1.33 for boys).

There was no charge for a child participating in the Summer Fit Camp.

PHILIPSBURG:---- United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake said on Thursday that Government is not getting away from its responsibility by getting the private sector more involved in the maintenance of public schools.
MP Lake pointed out that some people in the community are interpreting the “Adopt-A-School” plan in the “Ready to Work for You” 2014-2015 Governing Programme of the UP-led coalition the wrong way.
“It's nothing new. Several companies, banks, organizations are already good corporate citizens in the field of education. They have set aside funds in their annual budgets to fund school programmes. There is nothing wrong with this.
“As the former Minister of VROMI, I hit the ground running through public/private partnerships, working with the community and businesses to donate to senior citizens and for the adoption of roundabouts. Businesses who came on board took up the charge to maintain and beautify the roundabouts,” UP MP Lake pointed out.
UP MP Lake added that the Causeway roundabout in Cole Bay was adopted by Nature Foundation and the one on the other side of the bridge is taken care of by the Rotary Club. The Lions Club adopted the A.Th. Illidge Road roundabout and Texaco adopted the Cul de Sac roundabout.
“The rest can be adopted by other businesses; a win-win for government and the business community under certain conditions and guidelines in an agreement.
“It’s the same approach for adopting a school. GEBE donates to the Oranje School, and other organizations, PJIA assists Prins Willem Alexander School. Windward Islands Bank donates to our university and other private businesses/organizations donate playgrounds and other educational materials to the different public schools. What is the big fuss all about? This is thinking outside of the box. If we don’t do that we won’t progress as a nation.
“I commend my colleague MP Leona Marlin-Romeo with her initiative of thinking outside of the box and the adopt-a-school program. We have to be creative especially when public funds are short. I also welcome the debate on the Governing Program of this coalition.
“Windward Islands Teachers Union President Claire Elshot has made some good points that are of importance to our teachers. These should be addressed with the Minister of Education and be put in her yearly action plan. You have a Governing Programme and each Minister and Ministry has a yearly action plan which entails any issues with personnel.
“The Minister of Education should sit with the Teachers Union to address the teachers concerns and see what government can do and cannot do based on the budget. Dialogue is key to resolving issues and concerns in an amicable manner. Let’s keep our country moving forward together,” UP MP Maurice Lake concluded in his press statement on Thursday.

SIMPSON BAY:---- About a dozen international aviation and travel writers will be arriving on the island Monday on a three-day media tour sponsored by the Princess Juliana International Airport, SXM.
The main purpose of the tour is to bring more international spotlight on developments at the airport, especially its increasing hub function.
The select group of journalists, drawn from the US, Canada, and the UK, include editors and contributors to major aviation journals and travel publications.
Among them are Robert Mark, a professional pilot and an award-winning aviation journalist whose articles have been published in Aviation International News, and Airport Business, among others. He is also a regular expert commentator/analyst for networks such as CNN, NBC, CBS, and FOX News.
Joining the group will be Chris Kjelgaard, editor of AirlinesAndDestinations.com, Airports Council International and a contributor to AIR International, Airliner World and other industry publications.
From the UK, Hazel King, chief editor of Passenger Terminal World, and Business Airport International will form part of the group, with Adam Twidell, contributor to Aviation Week, YouTube and PrivateFly Blog and an expert commentator for BBC. Liz Moscrop, editor of Arabian and African Airspace and co-author of 100 Greatest Women in Aviation will also participate in the media tour.
Award-winning travel journalist, Michele Peterson from Canada whose works have appeared in the Montrealer, Conde Nast, WestJet Inflight magazine and Taste and Travel will be on the tour as will Leslie Yip who has published in the Toronto Star. Ms. Yip also writes for Asian Wave and other bilingual (English/Chinese) publications.
“These are A-list journalists who are all excited to be part of this media tour,” said Suzy Kartokromo, acting manager, Marketing and Customer Service Department of SXM Airport. “They will be joined by Kristen Kellog who produces interactive video and contributes to Travel Reel, Skype Travel Chat Series, and Wanderlust to name a few. Also Miquel Ros, a contributor to CNN on aviation and travel from Barcelona, Spain will be coming.”
The tour will offer St. Maarten/St. Martin journalists the opportunity to network with their visiting counterparts.
“We appreciate the collaboration of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau and the Tourist Office in Marigot as well as WINAIR and our hub partners in this endeavor,” said Regina LaBega, managing director of SXM Airport.
“We’re really looking forward to the buzz this will generate in the industry for SXM Airport, the island, and all our participating hub partners,” she added.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications Hon. Claret Connor, says the shooting of a Police Officer in the line of duty is a wakeup call for the Sint Maarten community at large with respect to the scourge of crime plaguing the country.
“My prayers are with Officer Benjamin, his family and with the men and women who serve our country as law enforcement officials from all branches of the justice system. I heard today that Officer Benjamin’s condition has stabilized somewhat. I call on the nation to continue to pray for his recovery.
“At this same time I use this opportunity to call on the community to help our Police Force and the investigating teams with information so the second suspect and anyone else who may have been involved in this heinous and violent attack on our community can be apprehended as soon as possible.
“I can assure the Sint Maarten community, the business sector and our visitors, that this serious incident has the attention of the Council of Ministers, and in particular the Minister of Justice, as our Justice officials are busy implementing drastic and urgent measures where it concerns the fight against crime in addition to enhancing safety and security on Sint Maarten.
“I have also communicated in writing to the President of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Michele Paige about this horrible act and have assured her that as a Government we understand and appreciate the dedication by the FCCA towards our tourism-dependent destination, and we are committed to ensuring that we continue to build and protect our economy and product for our citizens and our esteemed visitors,” Minister of Tourism Hon. Claret Connor said on Thursday.

PHILIPSBURG:---- Minister of Justice the Honorable Dennis Richardson extends his heart and prayers to Officer Benjamin and his family and expresses his continued complete support for and solidarity with the Sint Maarten Police Force.

Just a few short weeks ago on July 17th, 2015 at the recommendation of Management and Colleagues at the Sint Maarten Police Force, Minister Richardson had the privilege of providing Officer Benjamin with a token of appreciation in recognition of his outstanding and exemplary service.

The Minister’s first concern Wednesday was to secure the necessary medical attention for Officer Benjamin both locally and abroad, as well as to support the family wherever possible and provide comfort to the clearly distressed colleagues.

Today  ("Thursday" the Minister turns his attention to the more general matter of what only can be described as a hardening or increase in the callousness of criminal elements within Sint Maarten society. These criminal elements seem to have turned their guns on Philipsburg, too often we hear of robberies and the invasion of homes.

Extraordinary measures will now be taken to turn this tide of callous crime, of disrespect for human life and disregard for the foremost pillar of our economy: tourism. This has now become a matter of securing our overall wellbeing, way of life and livelihood.

The Minister of Justice assures the General Public that these developments have only served to increase the resolve of the Sint Maarten Police Force and all other law enforcement services to continue to do their utmost to serve and protect the general public and the island’s visitors through strengthening the cooperation in combatting crime.

The following measures are being considered and will go into effect as soon as possible:

• The twenty present vacancies in the police force will be immediately filled;
• In cooperation with the other law enforcement agencies there will be heightened patrols in Philipsburg;
• Additional Bulletproof vests and other materials are presently being ordered to help ensure the personal safety of all police officers;
• Legislation and policies will be adapted to ban Motorbikes, Scooters and Quads, the preferred means of transportation of these criminals, from being operated on Frontstreet, Backstreet, Cannegieter Street and all associated side streets;
• Pending the completion of aforementioned legal measures the Police will be establishing checkpoints, carrying out preventative searches and executing joint controls in cooperation with other law enforcement agencies such as Customs and the Immigration department;
• High value sales points, shops and such which do not take security measures have become a lightning rod for armed robberies, thereby endangering the lives of their personnel, their clients, innocent passing individuals and of law enforcement officers who rush to their aid. The ministry will research the possibility of the establishing of compulsory security measures that have to be taken by all businesses;
• Public- Private Partnerships will be pursued and established towards the strengthening of security measures;
• As one of the focus points of the aforementioned joint controls the Customs services and the Coast Guard will increase their focus on combating the illegal importation of weapons.

Minister Richardson reemphasizes that “Shooting at Police officers, the very individuals working tirelessly to ensure the safety of Sint Maarten’s Citizens and many visitors, is strongly condemned and will not be tolerated under any circumstances.”

Minister Richardson is confident that the Sint Maarten Police Force is making every possible effort to apprehend those responsible for this heinous act and assures the general public that these criminals will be pursued for as long as it takes and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Citizens who may have witnessed the events unfold in Philipsburg on Wednesday or who may have information regarding the possible culprits are requested to immediately contact the Police department at 5868052.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM)--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), hereby informs the public that the traffic flow at #13 Gullin Road, Back Bay, Point Blanche, will be obstructed due to works to be carried out in that area.
The works will be carried out on Saturday, August 08 between 5.00am and 7.00am.
A concrete mix pump truck will be utilized in the area hence the need for the road closure.
Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.

$10,000.00 Reward Offered for information that lead to the arrest of second suspect.

PHILIPSBURG:---- In connection with this very sensitive investigation a “Multi Disciplinary Investigation Team” consisting of members from the Landsrecherche (Federal Detectives), R.S.T. (Recherche Samenwerking Team) and K.P.S.M. has been formed. It is common that the Landsrecherche is involved in the investigation of cases where police have fired shots in the direction of a suspect. Moreover, law enforcement agencies are more than willing to assist in the investigation, whereas K.P.S.M. can use every extra capacity there is.
The suspect in this case, who was shot by police, has been positively identified as a 23-year old male who carries the initials R.D. He has been operated on the wounds he sustained and is presently in the Sint Maarten Medical Center recuperating from two gunshot wounds, one in his stomach and one in his left leg. His medical condition is not life threatening.
On Wednesday evening a search of the residence of the suspect located in the Sucker Garden area was done. During this search many items which are valuable to this investigation were found and confiscated.
The investigating team is in search of a second suspect who has fled the scene on foot. This suspect is a male, dark complexion, between 17 and 20 years old, slim posture, wearing dark sneakers, short white socks, a brown t-shirt and shorts, his hair is short but with one braid with transparent white beads which the suspect wears on the left side of his head. There is a possibility that this suspect could be slightly injured. Witnesses stated that one of the suspects was seen limping while fleeing directly after the robbery.
The Public Prosecutors Office and the Police Department are requesting the general public to assist in this investigation by sharing any information they have, which could shed more light on this case. Anyone who witnessed this incident, and especially anyone or any business who has taken pictures or video images of the incident or has images or information of the possible second suspect fleeing the scene, are requested to get in contact with the Detective Department via telephone number 5868052.
The Justice Ministry has posted a reward of $ 10.000,- for valuable information that directly leads to the arrest of the second suspect.

KPSM Police Report.

PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten ASCD will be hosting its annual teachers’ conference on August 10th and 11th at the St. Dominic High School from 8am - to 1pm. The August 10th is for elementary teachers, and August 11th is for the secondary teachers. By having two days we ensure that we can accommodate our educators.
Each year the conference offers professional development sessions not only to educators locally and regionally, but it is also open to other interested persons within the community as well. Most of our presenters are locally based and are professionals within their respective fields. Our keynote speaker this year is Mrs. Tracelyn Hamilton from our neighboring island of Anguilla. Her keynote address promises to inspire our teachers as they prepare themselves for the new school year.
The theme for this year's annual conference is 'Creating A Positive Climate in Schools'. The workshops or sessions will provide an insight as to what areas can affect the learning environment of our students, which can either be positive, or one filled with negative experiences which ultimately affects the school climate.

Some of these sessions or workshops are from the standpoint of health, children’s rights; bullying, and knowing how to support our ESL (English as a second language) and foreign language learners as well as students with dyslexia. These sessions are being delivered by professionals in the area of education, linguistics, counseling, health, and by personnel from the various ministries of government and other organizations such as: the Youth Department, Student Support Service Division, Collective Preventative Services (CPS), Love of Kids Foundation, and P.M.I.A.

Other workshops are geared towards integrating and using technology in the classrooms. Technology has and will continue to influence the way our children learn and experience the world around them and it was important to have these workshops. Teachers are encouraged to have their smart phones at hand for the ITC sessions which are being presented by some members of the Digikidz Team, and some teachers of the Digikidz Schools, which are Hillside Christian School and the Seventh Day Adventist School.

In addition, there is a workshop on Comprehensive School Safety being delivered by personnel from the Department of Education and the Division of Inspection, who recently attended a training sponsored by UNESCO on this topic. They will discuss the importance of teachers planning and preparing themselves and their students’ safety at school, especially since safety is an important aspect of promoting a positive climate at school.

Overall, the conference promises to be rather enlightening and it is expected that the knowledge brought forward by the presenters will be applied in some way during the new school year 2015-2016 by the participants or educators.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A student’s back-to-school supply list is not complete without an agenda. And when one is in high school having an agenda is even more important as it helps students to be organized.

The HYPE Agenda team wanted to create a local product one that our students can relate to “We own Thing”. Using local resources we don’t only aim to keep you organized but we also aim to inform and inspire you. The 2015-2016 HYPE Agenda is all of this and so much more.

This year’s Agenda is themed: “The journey travelled to achieve one’s goals.” By depicting different form of transportation as the metaphor to showcase the various paths that they can take to achieve their educational and future career goals. In keeping with this theme, we have included a number of educational and inspirational articles in the agenda have been included reflecting the theme. With the theme, we want to show students that irrespective of which path you decide to take, work hard and enjoy the journey. The stories of several persons who speaks about the paths they have taken as well as others who are still in the midst of their respective journeys are highlighted in this year’s agenda

This is the fifth edition of Hype Agenda. The first HYPE Agenda was produced in 2008. It was such a big hit amongst high school students that we produced the second one in 2010. This was
followed by Agendas in 2013, 2014 and now for the 2015-2016 school year.

Each year we have seen the agendas grow in popularity. Every single copy was sold out in the last three years and persons were still requesting more. Our goal is to eventually see this incorporated in our schools curriculum.

What is so special about Hype agenda is not just that it is produced completely in St. Maarten. The coordinating team also involves a group of energetic students from the various high schools in St. Maarten.

These students were actively involved in the production process and they determined the information they want to see reflected in the publication. They went out and conducted research and wrote most of the enlightening articles and profiles that appear in the Agenda under the supervision of local journalist Judy Fitzpatrick. The articles reflect the general theme of the Agenda and they relate to the youth.

Numerous young and adult role models from right here in St. Maarten as well as from Saba, St. Eustatius and internationally are featured throughout the Agenda, including our past and present national heroes. A number of articles are also featured including a rare and exclusive in-depth interview with the first Governor of St. Maarten His Excellency Eugene B. Holiday, who by the way was convinced to snap his first “selfie” with the excited students who interviewed him.

The intention of the stories in the Agenda is to inspire youngsters to pursue their personal best and to aim for the stars.
The Agendas are specifically tailored for the academic year and cover the months that coincide with the school year making them easy for students to use for school related reminders such as noting down their assignments, projects, homework and other school related things. Also included are useful information such as school vacation dates and study financing information.

Throughout the Agenda, you will also be delighted by pictures taken locally, featuring high school students, which reflect various aspects of the general theme.

The HYPE Agenda Team believes that every high school student should have a copy of this agenda. Thanks to our sponsors, we have managed to maintain the price low to make it affordable for all. Each agenda costs just NAf. 10 or US $6 and are available at Penny's Department Store, Office World, Blue Point and at Pete's Photo.

Voice of the Youth St. Maarten and HYPE Design, which produced the HYPE Agendas, are grateful to all of our sponsors for supporting this educational endeavour. Without your assistance this would not have been possible.

Thank you to all the students who participated in this project and everyone who worked with us to help pull this project off.

Yshmael Hermoso (Learning Unlimited); LeeAnn Wyatt (St. Dominic High); Genora Jankee (St. Maarten Academy Academic); Naomi Jankee (St. Maarten Academy Academic); Brandon Fitzpatrick (St. Dominic High); Aziza Baly-Vanterpool (Milton Peters College) and Celine Mayeko-Coklee (Learning Unlimited). Contributors, who are not in picture: Muskaan Dayalani (St. Dominic High); Jasmine Grannum and Rubecca Shadida Pierre (Caribbean International Academy); Jennifer Dinzey (St. Maarten Academy PSVE); Kimaeyu Mussington and Joanni Henano (MPC); Cecilia Richardson (St. Maarten Vocational Training School).

A big thank to Sharon Freiburg, Creative Consultant, Judy Fitzpatrick our editor, My better half Tyrone
Peterson our Graphic Artist. Ends

Special Team of Doctors from the Dominican Republic escorted wounded officer out of St. Maarten --- Landed Safely in the Dominican Republic.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Thursday afternoon a special team of doctors and other medical personnel arrived on St. Maarten from the Dominican Republic to evaluate the medical condition of Officer Gamali Benjamin. After the evaluation the team of specialists decided to transport the wounded officer to Prinicess Juliana International Airport by ambulance. Prior to the severely injured cop leaving the island for medical assistance several of his colleagues from KPSM visited him at the St. Maarten Medical Center. Around 5:30pm the officer left the SMMC as the ambulance pulled off several of his colleagues walked out behind the team of doctors that came to escort him to the Dominican Republic.. Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte accompanied the crew to the Princess Juliana International Airport as his subordinate officer was taken off island. While at PJIAE De Witte told SMN News that the doctors are treating the evacuation with extreme care due to the medical condition of the wounded officer. De Witte said at 6:15pm the air ambulance took off from the Princess Juliana International Airport bound for the Dominican Republic with the injured officer on board.

 Businessman Michael  Ferrier who has been in touch with officer Benjamin father said in a short statement Thursday night that  Mr.  Gilbert Benjamin contacted him Thursday night and asked that he inform the people of St. Maarten that the the Air Ambulance trip went exceptionally well and Officer Benjamin made it to the trauma center in Dominican Republic safely. An extensive evaluation of his condition began the moment the wounded officer arrived there.‎ Mr. Benjamin also asked to convey his and his family's enormous gratitude for the unbelievable outpouring of love and support they have received and continue to receive from everyone. Lastly he asks for continued prayers for his son's recovery.

Officer Gamali Benjamin made it through Wednesday night even though he is still in a comatose state. However, doctors at the St. Maarten Medical Center managed to stabilize the wounded bike patrol who was shot several times on Wednesday when he marched in on an armed robbery at Ore Diamante Jewelry Store on Front Street. Officer Benjamin who is in critical condition will be flown out to the Dominican Republic sometime on Thursday where he will receive further medical treatment. One of the bullets hit Officer Benjamin in the neck area which ended up in his brain. On Wednesday doctors worked tirelessly to stop the heavy bleeding in order to stabilize the wounded cop.
SMN News learnt that the officer went down a bit Thursday morning but doctors at the St. Maarten Medical Center managed to get him back in stable condition in order for him to take the flight.

Up to midday on Thursday doctors at the St. Maarten Medical Center were working round the clock to stabilize the critically injured officer to take him to the Princess Juliana International Airport to board an air ambulance which will transport him to the Dominican Republic for further treatment and for doctors there to remove the bullet that is lodged in his brain.  As soon as Officer Benjamin is transported overseas SMN News will be updating this news item.

JOINT PRESS RELEASE FROM THE PUNBLIC PROSECUTORS OFFICE and KPSM --- Update on the condition of injured officer.

On Thursday morning August 6th the Public Prosecutors Office and Management of KPSM have received information from the doctors at the Sint Maarten Medical Center involving the treatment of shooting victim officer Gamali Benjamin. He had gotten through the night fairly well and his situation stabilized somewhat.
The doctors are presently evaluating his condition to determine when would be the appropriate moment to have him flown to the Dominican Republic for further treatment. When more information regarding the victim’s condition becomes available this will be shared with the public in a subsequent press release.

PHILIPSBURG:----The National Alliance family joins St. Maarten in praying for the full recovery of Officer Benjamin who was gunned down in the line of duty yesterday. Officer Benjamin is an example of a good public servant and protector and we wish his family and colleagues much strength and faith in helping him to pull through this ordeal.
While we recognize that this type of violence is something that happens everyday in some part of the world, it came as a deep shock to the entire community in the vicious way that it occurred.
We pray for Peace for people of this 37 square mile island, St. Martin. We pray for forgiveness and we pray for Justice.
The National Alliance implores all witnesses to come forth and let justice be served. If we would all treat others in the way we would want to be treated or the way we would want our parents or loved ones to be treated, this world would be an infinitely more peaceful one. It all starts with Love and respect for self.
The coming together of our community on social media, in homes, churches and everywhere to pray for the life of this gentleman is a sure sign that every bad thing can have a good result. Let us continue to send positive into the atmosphere for complete healing for our Officer Benjamin.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Owner of NAPA Auto Parts Michael Ferrier will be closing both NAPA stores today “Thursday” as he heeded the call of the Indian Merchants Association (IMA) who called on all business owners on Front and Back Street to close their businesses today in solidarity with wounded bike patrol Gamali Benjamin. Ferrier said that while the IMA called on businesses on Front and Back Street he believes that what is happening on St. Maarten is not about Front and Back Street alone but it is something that affects the entire country.
On Wednesday Officer Gamali Benjamin was shot several times when he walked in on an armed robbery at Ore Diamante Jewellery Store on Front Street. Up to early Thursday morning the wounded bike patrol was clinging on to life at the St. Maarten Medical Center. According information provided to SMN News officer Benjamin was in a comatose state since one of the several bullets fired at him lodged in his brain.
Police managed to shoot one of the robbers who is also nursing his injuries at the St. Maarten Medical Centre while they are still in search of the second suspect.

Michael Ferrier of NAPA Auto, Truck & Marine Parts SXM on Thursday morning announced that both NAPA Parts stores on St. Maarten will be closed for business‎ today, August 6, 2015, in Solidarity and Prayer for Police Officer Benjamin who is fighting for his live a the SMMC after being shot by a coward with a gun on Front Street in Philipsburg, Wednesday August 5, 2015.

"This is not about Front Street, this is about St. Maarten. We must ALL take a stand. Our people, our law-enforcers, our economy, our livelihood, our island is under attack ‎and we can not be complacent, or apathetic. Sure there are deep rooted social ills that desperately need addressing and redressing, but for for now let us put all capable and willing heads together to come up with short-, middle- and long term solutions regarding the safety of all people on our island and the preservation of our very fickle Tourism Based Economy."

Items to be considered (again): Black/dark tint on front door windows and front windshields on vehicles; allowing motor bikes, motor cycles, Quads on Front, Back or Cannegieter Streets; seriously look at the laws that govern the time someone can be sent to jail for, for various types of criminal offenses; the lack of capacity of our Justice and prison system‎s to deal with the amount and severity of crime being perpurtrated on St. Maarten; the "hardening" of our society on the whole;

NAPA Auto, Truck & Marine Parts (SXM) asks that today we all stop and take stock of what is happening around us and ask ourselves what each of us individually can do to find lasting solutions to the challenges our young nation is facing.

We will re-open t‎o the public tomorrow morning, Friday August 7, 2015, at 8 AM.

Other businesses such as Le Grand Marche, Prime Distributors will close their doors at 12 noon today said Danny Ramchandani.

IMA is requesting its members to close their businesses in solidarity with Officer Benjamin who was injured today in the line of duty and is presently struggling for his life. Officer Benjamin was on patrol during a daytime robbery at a jewelry store on Front St. today.  We stand in prayers for his speedy recovery.

IMA also condemns strongly the escalating crime situation the island has been experiencing in the past few weeks especially in Philipsburg Area. IMA is hoping that this situation has the immediate and urgent attention of the authorities as it threatens the very foundation of the Tourism Economy of St. Maarten. IMA is looking forward to addressing the details of the security concerns with the relevant authorities as soon as possible.

Carribean Liquors Closed on Thursday in Solidarity with families of Wounded bike patrol and KPSM

Following the robbery incident of Wednesday August 5th 2015 whereby Office Benjamin has been critically shot by the perpetrators, Caribbean Liquors & Tobacco wishes to inform everyone it will be closed today Thursday August 6th 2015 to the public in solidarity of our stricken police officer. We pray for his full and quick recovery and much strength to his family in this very difficult time.

While this unfortunate incident is still fresh and vivid in the minds of those who bore witness to this horrific crime, in so many ways what we are trying to accomplish today via the closure of business in a show of solidarity is only a “drop in the bucket”. It would be better served that all our leaders, government, businesses, churches and schools, call for a day of prayer for the injured Police Officer and organize a silent march to show our country’s solidarity against these ills of our society.

PHILIPSBURGL---– The President of Parliament Hon. Dr. Lloyd Richardson on Wednesday condemned the attack on a Police Officer while he was carrying out his duty to the community.
The police officer was shot and seriously wounded as he and a colleague were responding to a call of an armed robbery at a jewellery store on Front Street. The officer was shot multiple times.
On Wednesday evening the officer was fighting for his life at the St. Maarten Medical Center where he was operated upon earlier in the afternoon.
“On behalf of the Members of Parliament, we pray for the recovery of this officer of the law. We pray to give his family, friends and colleagues the strength as they go through this difficult period,” President of Parliament Dr. Lloyd Richardson said on Wednesday evening.

PORT ST. MAARTEN:---- Port St. Maarten management firstly and foremost expresses its support and extend prayers to the family of Police Officer G. Benjamin who is fighting for his life after being shot in the line of duty on Wednesday morning.

Port St. Maarten management also expresses its support to the Sint Maarten Police Force during this very difficult time, as one of their own was shot in the line duty. The port has worked closely with the Police and other emergency services in the past, and continues to do so in order to ensure security and safety for cruise passengers and residents on the island.

Port St. Maarten management at the same time expresses its concern with respect to the recent spate of armed robberies on Front Street over the past months.

On Wednesday three cruise ships, namely, Independence of the Seas (5730 passengers/crew carrying capacity), Carnival Sunshine (4000), and Carnival Conquest (4124), were in port with over 10,000 cruise passengers.

This tragic incident took place on Front Street, the heart of Philipsburg which is considered the duty free shopping capital of the Caribbean for tourists. Philipsburg was pretty busy on Wednesday.

Port St. Maarten management is very concerned with what happened today, and would like to see some form of plan drafted with the input and support of various stakeholders in order to deal with the criminal element that has been targeting Philipsburg and in particular Front Street for several months.

Port St. Maarten has made considerable investments in security over the years and these are very much prevalent at the various venues that the port owns/operates or manages. This investment is not only to protect guests, but overall to ensure the economic viability of country St. Maarten.

Port security staff have gone through vigorous training in International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS Code) as required to ensure that the image of St. Maarten as a safe and secure cruise destination remains in place, and that the thousands of people that are employed by the sector, that their jobs are protected.

Security and safety of cruise passengers are a top and number one priority for the cruise industry and at Port St. Maarten. Safety at this point is key for St. Maarten to remain a successful cruise destination.

Port management is calling on all stakeholders to work closely together in addressing security and safety of the destination.

PHILIPSBURG:----  Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, and Transport & Telecommunications Hon. Claret Connor, recently attended the 31st Annual Conference and Trade Exhibition (CANTO 2015) of the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication (CANTO) in Miami, Florida.
The conference and exhibition was held under the theme “Improving Lives through Broadband Innovation.”
The key note speaker, the Hon. Perry Gladstone Christie, Prime Minister of the Bahamas, held a passionate speech on how broadband development should also benefit the less fortunate ones in society.
Minister Connor was part of a Ministerial panel with among other Curacao’s Minister of Telecommunications Suzie Romer, deliberating on topics concerning how broadband development affects our country and region, and what their respective governments, regulators and operators have been engaged in advancing ICT.
Giovanni King, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Bureau of Telecommunication and Post, was one of the speakers in a forum on the topic, Regulating Innovation.
A topic that was mentioned by many Telecom providers was the OTT (over the top) operators e.g. Whatsapp, and the fact they use the licensed operators network free of charge and they were seeking governments support to regulate these players.
The Sint Maarten delegation was invited to visit the NOC of Cable & Wireless Networks (CWN) and the delegation were able to view how the submarine cables through the Caribbean and South America is managed and maintained. This was an exciting experience.
Caribbean ICT stakeholders, including CANTO members, were involved in important discussions that will take place in 2015. These discussions will play a very important role in obtaining information and statistics that will show clearly the situation in the Caribbean.
CANTO 2015 also showcased an exhibition with 80+ booths within the conference hall.
An update was also provided about the BIIPAC project (Broadband Infrastructure Inventory and Public Awareness in the Caribbean) which is now being implemented. This project is assisting IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) countries in the Caribbean in broadband diagnosis and infrastructure maps, regulatory and institutional framework, ICT awareness and capacity building, as well as public policy and regional recommendations.
What is obvious based on the various presentations at the conference is that the Caribbean is lagging behind in providing affordable Internet access and that there is need for more Caribbean cooperation and harmonization of telecom policies, Minister Connor pointed out, and added, “All Caribbean countries are seeking for high percentage of penetration, however this is challenging relative to cost versus the various market sizes.”
CANTO has as its mission and vision to become the leading authority in shaping information, communication and technology (ICT) in the Caribbean Region and the Americas.
Its mission is to influence the innovation and development of ICT solutions for the benefit of members by developing, navigating and leveraging relationships with all stakeholders. To advocate for policies, legislation and rules which advance the creation of an environment which facilitates the deployment of services and technologies around the region.
The conference and exhibition took place at the Hyatt Regency from July 26 to 31.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):---- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), has granted TelEm a permit to carry out emergency works on public roads and sidewalks under number 37/15.

The road works will be carried out on the L.B. Scott road intersection Cupper Drive and St. Peters main road; Arbutrus Road intersections Bougainville road and Oleander road and Betty’s Estate road intersection Poinsettia road.

Also area intersection Poinsettia road area intersection Flamboyant road and Carnation road; L.B. Scott road intersection Messapple road at two locations.

All works need to be finalized prior to August 15.

TelEm and its contractor has to ensure that all safety measures are put in place to safeguard pedestrians and road users.
Motorists are requested to be observant of traffic signs and other notices in the area where the works are taking place.
Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences this may cause.

PHILIPSBURG:---- "We are still reeling from today's  (Wednesday) tragic event involving one of our hardworking local police officers who forms part of the daily bike patrol in Philipsburg," the United People’s (UP) party board stated on Wednesday.

"We join the nation in prayer as we wish for the full recovery of the officer who was shot on Wednesday. Our prayers go to the family and friends of Officer Gamali Benjamin who was honourably serving and protecting our country.

“From the last information we received, the officer remains in critical condition at the St. Maarten Medical Center," the UP board understood.

"We are calling for swift action to remedy this tragedy and to curb the ongoing crime issues on our island by all stakeholders," the UP board party appealed on Wednesday.

“The negative consequences crime would have on our country would be catastrophic if we do not curb this immediately especially since our main economic pillar is tourism. Our country must band together and subscribe to the age old saying of being your brother’s keeper and to continue living in unwavering harmony," the UP party board concluded.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs on Wednesday said the nation was shocked with the callous act carried out by an individual resulting in law enforcement Officer G. Benjamin being shot while performing his duty to protect and serve the people of Sint Maarten.
On behalf of the Council of Ministers, our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Officer G. Benjamin, friends and colleagues at the Sint Maarten Police Force.
“We pray that Officer Benjamin will pull through this very difficult time, and we pray for his family for the Almighty to give them the strength during this very trying moment.
“Law enforcement is already carrying out an investigation into the incident and all measures based on the rule of law will be taken to address the spate of criminal activity that has beset the Philipsburg, area and other communities throughout the country,” Prime Minister Gumbs assured the nation on Wednesday.

PHILIPSBURG:---- The Central Committee of Parliament will meet in public session on August 7th.

The public Central Committee meeting is set for Friday at 11.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is the state of affairs pertaining to recommendations of reports from the Ombudsman concerning an investigation into the Kadaster.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and via www.sxmparliament.org.

Kingston, Jamaica:----Every two years, bird educators, scientists and conservationists from throughout the Caribbean and beyond gather for BirdsCaribbean’s International Meeting. At this year’s meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, over 200 international delegates from 33 countries/islands gathered to share the latest in Caribbean bird science, conservation and education. Representing St. Martin, Les Fruits de Mer co-founder Mark Yokoyama facilitated two media-related workshops during the meeting and released a free ebook, Look Sharp! Promote Your Organization with Great Photography.

Birds—Connecting Communities and Conservation was the theme for the meeting, and the event photography workshop presented by Mark Yokoyama focused on forging that emotional connection through the power of great images. Michaela Roberts of ECHO Bonaire found the workshop “very dynamic, fun and informative” and Leno Davis commended the hands-on portion as excellent, delivering “instant results.” Deanna Albert from the University of the West Indies commented that it was “good to know how to make non-governmental organizations visually appealing to the public—locally, regionally and internationally.”

The conference opened with “Jamaica Day—A Celebration of Jamaica’s Unique and Wonderful Birds” which included a dozen presentations about Jamaica’s birds, from the latest research in tracking Jamaican seabird populations to the role of birds in pest control on Blue Mountain coffee farms. The extended look at Jamaica’s birds also included reports on the launch of the Caribbean Birding Trail program in Jamaica and Jamaica’s historical contribution to ornithology.

“This year was the perfect time to bring the BirdsCaribbean meeting back to Jamaica,” noted BirdsCaribbean President Leo Douglas. “The Blue and John Crow mountains were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site just weeks before the meeting, while the Goat Islands and Portland Bight Protected Area are currently facing the threat of development. At this moment Jamaica is in the spotlight, representing both the irreplaceable value of Caribbean natural heritage and its vulnerability.”

The rediscovery of the Black-capped Petrel on the island of Dominica was another highlight presented during the meeting. A team of scientists from St. Maarten-based Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) and Dominica’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries were able to record almost 1,000 of this elusive bird using radar and night vision scopes. The last confirmed nesting date for this species in Dominica was in 1862.

In addition to over 120 presentations, workshops and panel discussions, the delegates enjoyed a variety of field trips to explore Jamaica’s wilderness areas first-hand. Conference trips visited Hope Gardens, Goat Islands, Cockpit Country, Portland Bight Protected Area, and the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park, amongst other destinations. Many meeting participants were particularly eager to catch a glimpse of some of the 29 bird species endemic to Jamaica that can be seen nowhere else in the world.

The event photography ebook is available for download on the websites of both BirdsCaribbean and Les Fruits de Mer. The free, 26-page book draws from experience working with many talented photographers on St. Martin as well as advice from local journalists and media experts about how to use photography to promote non-profit events and activities.

Magnificent investment in new facilities and infrastructure puts the customer first offering best-in-class service

PHILIPSBURG:--- After operating as B&C Beverages Distributors N.V. for over 30 years, the company rebranded and restructure itself as CC1 St. Maarten. The name change comes along with a significant investment by CC1 corporate headquarters in Puerto Rico for new facilities and infrastructure to strengthen its commitment to premier services and quality in the local market.

As CC1 St. Maarten, the company now boasts a 21,000 square foot warehouse that is four times the size of its previous facilities. The investment also accounts for a new and expanded fleet of service vehicles, including four additional delivery units.

“The transformation into CC1 St. Maarten is the result of a long term commitment to providing the island with the most complete line of premium products and services. We believe it is our responsibility to make the necessary investments so as to better address the needs of our customers,” said Ada Iris Delgado, General Manager of CC1 St. Maarten.

The executive emphasized that the company’s Customer First philosophy, remains a top priority. The new facilities maximize CC1 St. Maarten’s reach and efficiency, including deliveries within 24hrs. Now equipped with the best tools, CC1
St Maarten will increase its product line and presence at every consumer touch point through aggressive activations and promotions, including improved service and support on Dutch and the French side of the island.

The company has carved a niche in the market with its line of best-in-class products, chief among which are Coca-Cola, Sprite, Dasani, Canada Dry, Corona Extra, Budweiser, Michelob, and others.

“Our corporate transformation is an opportunity to continue building on our legacy of authenticity, innovation and leadership. Our entire team is deeply committed to one thing only: our customers and consumers,” expressed Ada Iris Delgado.

The new CC1 St. Maarten is located at Oryx Drive #1, Cay Hill. For more information call 1-721-542-2283.

Bullets remains in Officer Benjamin brain, he is currently in a comatose state at SMMC.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Members of Parliament ran for their lives on Wednesday when a bicycle patrol identified as officer Gamali Benjamin was shot in the vicinity of the Parliament Building in Philipsburg on Wednesday morning. Bystanders said some MP's tried to find cover as they beleive that the gunmen were coming after Members of Parliament. MP Sarah Wescot Williams, MP Theodore Heyliger, MP Franklin Meyers and MP Lloyd Richardson ran for cover in one of the private rooms of parliament SMN News was told. However, the MPs later learnt that officer Benjamin (aka Gambly or Benjy) of Middle Region area was shot in the head or neck  area and was in critical condition. The shooting took place in the area of Caribbean Palm which is in the alley where the House of Parliament is located.

Bystanders said that the officer was shot somewhere in the vicinity of his neck and head and that ambulance personnel tried to revive the officer who was badly injured before taking him to the St. Maarten Medical Center for further treatment. Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte who was on the scene and at the St. Maarten Medical Center said that the officer that was shot while performing his duties is in critical condition and was taken directly to the operating room of the St. Maarten Medical Center for emergency surgery. Press Prosecutor Karola Van Nie also confirmed that the officer was in critical conditon and that one of the two suspects was also shot and is also at the St. Maarten Medical Center. Van Nie said the second suspect is still on the run but police have a fairly good description of the culprit they are looking for. She said that the officer who was shot while on duty marched into Oro Diamante Jewelry Store where two gunmen were busy trying to commit an armed robbery. Van Nie said both the police and prosecution will issue a joint press statement later in the day.
Several eyewitnesses said that police surrounded the area as scores of bystanders looked on, many of whom knew the officer. SMN News further learnt that the vehicle of a taxi driver was damaged with gun shots. Based on information provided to SMN News a female seemingly is involved in these robberies because a female it is alleged walked into the Oro Diamante Jewelry on Tuesday and began taking photograps. A source told SMN News that police were notified when the female took photos in the store and it was robbed one day later. The get away motor-cycle was seen on the sidewalk where the shooting took place.
SMN News learnt that the victim (police officer) is in critcial condition and doctors at the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) had to conduct and emergency operation in order to save the officer's life. Further information states that doctors at SMMC are busy trying to control the bleeding as they try to remove  a bullet that is lodged in the officer's brain.  "If the bleeding is not contained then the medical condition of Officer Benjamin will further deterioate." Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson, Chief Commissioner of Police Peter De Witte were among those that were at the St. Maarten Medical Center while officer Benjamin was in surgery. According to information SMN News received the bullet lodged in the officer's brain which led him to be in a comatose state. Doctors it is understood worked tirelessly to revive the officer several times. By late afternoon on Wednesday SMN News understands that the doctors could not remove the bullet that is lodged in the officers brain but they managed to contain the bleeding as they work round the clock to stablize officer Benjamin in order to fly him out of St. Maarten for further treatment.

SMN News further learnt that the suspected shooter has been shot and  is under arrest but no official statement can be obtained from management of KPSM as yet since they are all busy dealing with the medical condition of the officer and the suspect who shot him. Preliminary information reaching SMN News states that Officer Benjamin walked in a jewelry store not far away from Caribbean Palm where some armed gun men was busy committing an armed robbery, some eyewitnesses said the officer fired shots at the robbers who shot back at him. Most of the day on Wednesday the entire Philipsburg was shut down by Police as they try to hunt down the other culprit. The suspect that is currently at the St. Maarten Medical Center is a native of St. Maarten while the one on the run is also believed to be a local.

Joint press release Public Prosecutors Office and KPSM ---Armed robbery / police officer shot and wounded severely

On Wednesday August 5th 2015 at approximately 01.00 p.m. A police bike patrol was informed of an ongoing armed robbery at the “Oro Diamante Jewelry Store” on Front Street. The officers immediately went to scene to investigate this report. A two-man bike patrol arrived on the scene. One officer approached the main entrance of the jewelry store and was met by one of the armed robbers who without any hesitation started firing shots at the officer in question. The officer who ran for cover was hit several times and fell severely wounded to the ground.
The other patrol officer responded by firing shots at the suspect hitting several times. This suspect tried to get on an awaiting “dirt bike” to flee the scene, but both suspects took off on foot and fled the scene leaving the motorcycle behind. The suspect was shot was arrested on the Cannegieter Street. The other suspect continued fleeing  towards the Walter Nisbet road and was not arrested.
Both the injured officer and the suspect were treated on the scene by paramedics and transported to the Sint Maarten Medical Center where they were immediately operated on. The officer remains admitted in critical condition. The suspect that was shot remains admitted in the ICU for observation.
A search for the second suspect had no result and  he is still on the loose. He is considered armed and very dangerous. No one should attempt to arrest this person. Call the police department via 911. The police could really use the assistance of the public. If anyone has any information regarding this robbery, they should come forward and share this information or call #9300. The second suspect is a young dark skinned man, between 17 and 20 years old, of normal posture, wearing dark sneakers, white socks, a white t-shirt with big brown stripes, shorts, his hair is long at the back with one braid with white beads.
The investigation is ongoing and the Public Prosecutors office and the KPSM cannot give any additional information at this time. A consequent report will follow as the information becomes available.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), the largest business representative on the island, recently donated $473 to Environmental Protection in the Caribbean- Sint Maarten (EPIC) for brochures which describe the Green Key eco-label, which the Foundation operates locally.

The international Green Key award is earned by hotels and other accommodations which meet strict environmental and safety criteria. This year the first Green Key for St. Maarten was awarded to Princess Heights Luxury Boutique Condo Hotel. This has inspired interest from other hoteliers. The specific criteria which must be met can be found at EPIC’s website, www.epicislands.org.

EPIC’s President Natalia Collier noted “The SHTA has been a key partner in establishing Green Key on St. Maarten and we are grateful for the organization’s ongoing support for sustainable tourism.”
The Green Key eco-label is owned and internationally operated by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), an independent non-profit organization. EPIC has been a member of FEE since 2008 and is the National Operator of the Green Key and Blue Flag for Beach and Marina programs on St. Maarten.
Green Key is the fastest growing eco-label for tourism facilities and has been implemented by countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Caribbean. The program is now present in some 49 Countries and boasts in excess of 2,400 awarded sites. Internationally, Green Key establishments report many benefits such as savings on water and energy usage, waste reduction, a noticeably better environment for guests and staff, an improved environmental image, marketing advantages, and increased activity and sales.

The SHTA is dedicated to bringing quality to all aspects of life on St. Maarten by promoting sustainable economic development for its members in cooperation with partners and the creation of a fair marketplace. For more information contact their office at 542-0108 or visit the website www.shta.com.

GREAT BAY:---- Trinity Christina, the reigning “Little Miss St. Martin,” is hosting a free Princess Pajama Story time for girls, ages 7 – 12 at Philipsburg Jubilee Library on Friday, August 7, at 6:30 pm – 8 pm, said Nzinga Lake, director of the Little Miss St. Martin Pageant.
“We are encouraging parents, big sisters, and brothers to bring their daughters, sisters, cousins, and friends to the storytelling program,” said Lake.
Trinity, 9, “is busy practicing for her storytelling role, which is one of her duties as the current Little Miss St. Martin. The storytelling promotes fun reading and reading comprehension as a way to help children do better in school,” said Lake.
“The Princess Pajama Story time is the second Little Miss St. Martin storytelling program, which centers around a particular book or book series. Former Little Miss St. Martin Queen Genesis Meyers hosted the first the story time for over 60 children in 2014, and Lizzy Lizard was the main storybook,” said Lake.
“On Friday, Trinity will read stories that encourage girls to dream big, to value friendship, and to respect their parents. To end the evening, we will have Karaoke time, where the girls will sing to Disney hits like ‘Let it Go’ from the movie Frozen. In 2014 we catered to both boys and girls but this year we are hosting only girls with the theme of ‘Disney Princesses,’” said Lake.
“Little Miss Trinity is also inviting the runners-up and past contestants to come and support her and to bring a friend” to the pajama party story time, said Lake.
“We are encouraging the girls to come in their favorite PJs, bring their favorite pillow, blanket, and teddy bears or dolls, and settle in for stories, songs, karaoke and fun,” said Lake. There will be light snacks, including cupcakes for the attendees.
Part of the annual reading program is for the Little Miss St. Martin winner “to practice ‘giving back’ at a young age to her community, school, peers, family, and St. Maarten/St. Martin as a whole,” said Lake. Trinity Christina is a student at Sister Borgia School.
The pageant’s overall program guides the Little Miss St. Martin queen “to meet and greet her community and library officials; and to be involved in activities where she can express herself and gain valuable communication skills,” said Lake.
For further information about Friday’s story time, future child-friendly activities, and the annual Little Miss St. Martin Pageant for St. Martin Day in November, parents, guardians, and adult siblings can contact Nzinga Lake at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHILIPSBURG:--- An employee of GEBE who was hired through a job placement agency for about four years now and has been working at GEBE Power Plant in Cape Bay was suspended on Tuesday after the company’s internal investigation showed that he is allegedly involved in the theft of two truck-loads of copper that was stolen from GEBE. The employee was not fired but suspended pending the ongoing investigations.
According to information reaching SMN News the Placement Agency was informed of the company’s decision on Tuesday.
SMN News reported earlier that GEBE Supervisory Board already questioned management on the hiring of workers through these placement agencies especially for workers that are holding permanent jobs and are given numerous contracts. One of the questions on the table at GEBE right now is how could a person that has a license to operate an Architect and Construction Company was allowed to use her company as a placement agency. Inside sources at GEBE said that the Human Resource Manager was having an illicit affair with this person thus giving her special privileges to hire mostly Domincanos that are currently working at GEBE. However, the employee that was sent home on Tuesday does not work for that company that belong to his sister but was working under another placement agency who also provides workers for GEBE.
According to information SMN News received states that both the contractor and the management of GEBE have decided to file criminal complaints against the former Chief Operations Officer Romelio Maduro. Maduro hired the contractor verbally to demolish six old engines in exchange for the copper and old engines. However, the copper which was supposed to be sold to pay the contractor and his workers was stolen thus leaving the persons empty handed.

Pointe Blanche:--- The St. Maarten Harbor Group of Companies (SMHGC) is willing to cooperate with the Prosecutors Office by turning over whatever information they would need.
Press Prosecutor Karola Van Nie said in an invited comment that HBN Law informed the prosecution through that the SMHGC is willing to cooperate with whatever information they need since the prosecution started a civil case against SMHGC. Van Nie said the prosecution will make further contact with the law firm in the near future.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will meet in a public plenary session on August 6th.

The plenary session is set for Thursday at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.
The first agenda point is incoming documents; the second agenda point is approval of the new Function Book for the Secretariat of Parliament and the Function Book for the Cabinet of the President of Parliament.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM) :--- The Public Health Department (PHD) from the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), is looking for field interviewers for the upcoming “How Healthy is Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin” study, a joint project between the Ministry of VSA and the Collectivite of Saint-Martin. The deadline to apply is Friday, August 7th.
The job entails conducting house- to- house interviews using a mobile device, after participating in interview training. A stipend will be provided per completed interview.
The health study is a population based survey that is used to establish the subjectively experienced health of the population, its health determinants, medical consumption and the factors affecting the consumption.
The results of the survey will lead to proper accurate and current health statistics for evidenced-based policy and programming for both sides of the island.
Persons interested in becoming a field interviewer must be 18-years or older and have a social or medical background.
Interested persons can submit their application letter and resume to:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):---- The Office of Disaster Management is urging livestock owners to review their plans now of how they will secure their livestock in the event of a hurricane strike.

Livestock owners should make sure that their animal holding areas and other infrastructure are able to sustain a hurricane strike. Any loose material that is currently not in use should be securely fastened in order to avoid damage to property and endangering human lives during the passing of a hurricane.

The following tips have been provided by the Office of Disaster Management and Animals R Friends: All cattle should have identification. Identification can be an ear tag, ear notches, or neck chain. Paperwork should also be in order that shows ownership.

Don’t keep your cattle in a barn or stable structure. This is to prevent injury from flying debris. If the barn/stable collapses, cattle have no chance to save themselves. Relocate livestock to a predetermined safe area and ensure that they have access to hay, pasture, clean water, and a safe area or high ground above flood levels.

If you have chicken cages, these should be reinforced. Medical supplies and a first aid kit should be kept on hand.

Store drinking water for a number of days. Also have an adequate supply of feed.

PHILIPSBURG (PARLIAMENT/Independent Faction):--- – Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo on Tuesday said that much have been said about the Adopt a School program, some negative and others positive.

“Irrespective of the feedback it is imperative for all to start thinking outside the box and embrace creative solutions to assist in remedying the challenges that we face in Sint Maarten.

“Hence, by no means does this imply that government is relinquishing its responsibility to the education system of the country. However, it creates the opportunity for businesses to be socially responsible and allow them to make a contribution through the adopting a school program.

“Big businesses come to Sint Maarten and receive tax breaks for a certain amount of years as an incentive for them to conduct business on the island but what should be added to this incentive is the ability to adopt a school in order to get the tax break, along with other fiscal measures that will secure our competitive edge.

“There is nothing abstract in this request. Many of our public schools function on a skeletal level because of the lack of material or they run out of basic necessities before the school year ends. Regardless to what is budgeted from the little that the government has; receiving additional contributions from big businesses can only be supplementary and benefit those schools that are in dire need.

“This concept is nothing new it is actually being practiced even though partially by companies such as PJIA. Businesses can also grant scholarships or pay for specialized training or internships to students of the schools they adopt. The physical up keep of the schools is just one way to adopt a school, and there are many other creative possibilities.

Pembroke Pines, FL:---  Port St. Maarten announced today that it would support the FCCA Foundation and FCCA Conference & Trade Show by serving as title sponsor for the FCCA Table Tennis Challenge. The tournament will match up Adam Goldstein, president and COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., one-on-one against opponents trying to slam and volley their way to victory.

"I am pleased and excited to participate in the FCCA Table Tennis Challenge," told Goldstein. "It will combine my passions of table tennis and interacting with cruise tourism stakeholders while supporting a worthy cause."

"We are honored to serve as title sponsor for the FCCA Table Tennis Challenge," said Mark Mingo, CEO of Port St. Maarten."Assisting the FCCA and FCCA Foundation supports two of the most important things to our destination and region: cruise tourism and all of our citizens."

"St. Maarten has again proven their commitment to both the FCCA and cruise industry," told Michele Paige, president of the FCCA. "Sponsoring this tournament puts them in the spotlight in front of cruise executives and stakeholders and highlights St. Maarten's dedication to supporting the industry and an important cause-benefiting the Caribbean and Latin American citizens through the FCCA Foundation's efforts."

Set in the FCCA Trade Show on the evening of Wednesday, October 7, the tournament will feature a lively atmosphere complete with background music and an audience of cruise executives, conference delegates and trade show exhibitors watching the battle of the table tennis titans.

Besides the friendly game, event sponsors and participants will receive a unique networking opportunity and benefit a good cause, with all proceeds going to the FCCA Foundation, a non-profit, charitable organization founded in 1993 to fund Caribbean and Latin American humanitarian projects. To date, the Foundation has improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens by providing funding and countless hours to charities and humanitarian causes throughout the regions.

PHILIPSBURG:---- Previously on Monday August the 03rd two men walked into the Philipsburg police station and both gave statements to detectives that on Sunday the August 02nd at around eleven thirty in the late evening hours they both was shot at by an known assailant while walking home in the area of Zong Supermarket in Middle Region. No one was hurt. Detectives are busy investigation this incident.
Armed robbery
 On Monday the 03rd of August around five o’clock in the afternoon three men were arrested by the police patrol after having robbed a restaurant on the Wellington rd. Two masked men brandishing firearms came into the establishment and after taken the money from the register ran outside where a vehicle was waiting. The description and plate number was giving through to the central dispatch and the culprits where stopped on the Union road where they were arrested. The suspects were questioned by detectives and later put into preventive custody pending the further investigation.
Update:
As soon as there are any updates on any of the jewel store robberies it will be issued in a subsequent press release.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Previously on Friday July 31th at approximately 1650 hours a call came in to the central police dispatch that a 30 year female visitor staying locally on the island was missing at sea along with the Jet Ski operator. The young woman who is visiting the island with friends decided to take a ride on a Jet Ski along with the operator from one of the local Jet Ski companies. Her friends became worried after about an hour had passed and asked a fellow operator of the company to go and check on their friend and ask her to return. Unfortunately they were not found in the area of the Great bay harbor, so the authorities were called. After a search by the coastguard, Sea rescue and the harbor pilot boat the Jet Ski operator was located nearly four hours later after having left the shores sitting on the disabled Jet Ski. According to him the young lady had jumped off the Jet Ski with the intention to swim to shore to get help. She was shortly afterwards discovered in the waters in the area of Cape Bay. The Jet Ski operator was arrested, questioned and later released. The Jet Ski was confiscated and an investigation is ongoing by the relevant authorities. The young woman was checked out and found in good health by the ambulance department. She too was questioned and collaborated the story of the Jet Ski operator.

KPSM Police Report.

PHILIPSBURG:---- During the 26th Congress of the International Association for Caribbean Archaeology (IACA) held on St. Maarten from July 19-25th, a new Board of Directors for the international association was elected for the term of 2015-2019. Among the new IACA Board members was the inclusion of a new position on the Board for a Student Representative, for this position was elected St. Maartener and former SIMARC student, Christopher Velasquez, who is currently studying archaeology at Brooklyn College, New York.
Also elected for the position of President to the IACA Board for the coming four years, was Dr. Jay Haviser, the St. Maarten Archaeologist. Dr. Haviser has held the position of President of IACA previously in the 1990s. The new IACA Board consist of; Dr. Jay Haviser (President, St. Maarten), Dr. Jorge Ulloa Hung (Vice-President, Cuba), Ms. Christina Giovas (Director, USA), Dr. John Crock (Director, USA), Ms. Quetta Kaye (Secretary, UK), Mr. Gerard Richard (Treasurer, Guadeloupe), Mr. David Hayes (2017 Congress Chair, St. Croix), and Mr. Christopher Velasquez (Student Rep., St. Maarten), as seen in the photo.

It was in part due to the excellent organization of the 26th IACA Congress on St. Maarten, which resulted in these new Board member representations. Indeed the Organizational Committee of the 26th IACA Congress, most of whom are from SIMARC, deserve additional positive credit for this important international achievement for St. Maarten. The members of the Organizational Committee were: Dr. Jay Haviser (Chair), Mr. Paul Ellinger, Mr. Chris Velasquez, Ms. Elsje Bosch, Ms. Amanda Ferrier, Mr. Alex Richards, Ms. Glenderlin Holiday and Ms. Beryl Henriquez, seen in the photo.

As well, during the 26th IACA Congress held on St. Maarten, students of the Youth and Science programs of SIMARC on St. Maarten and SABARC on Saba, made presentations about their research over the last two years.

Former Purchasing Officer of GEBE to take over Ministry of TEATT.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Ernest Sams the uncle in law of Member of Parliament Leona Romeo Marlin will be taking over the Ministry of TEATT as Minister Claret Conner moves over to the Ministry of VROMI. SMN News published months ago that Sams is the candidate that was selected and will be appointed by Member of Parliament Leona Marlin Romeo who is now an independent member of parliament. Marlin Romeo selected her uncle in law after several persons she contacted refused the offer after they were told that Romeo Marlin would have appointed her sister as Secretary to the Minister and her campaign manager as the “chef de cabinet” director of the Minister’s cabinet. Sams who returned from the Netherlands some years ago took up a position at GEBE utility company where he functioned as the company’s purchasing officer until his retirement.
While some Members of Parliament pretend to care about the country, its youths and the total well-being of the people; it is clear that getting elected was meant for these people to either set themselves up or to place their close relatives in positions that will earn them the biggest salaries, pensions and perks. Ernest Sams is in retirement, he has no experience in the tourism industry and while St. Maarten has to now compete against Cuba, the government has chosen to place someone that has absolutely no experience and knowledge in tourism in the country’s main Ministry that has to guide, build and promote the country’s economy.
SMN News learnt from reliable sources that the UPP Members of Parliament are up in arms with their leader who chose to give the Ministry to MP Leona Marlin Romeo and also with the person that will be taking over the Ministry from Minister Claret Connor. However, these MPs that are grumbling cannot say anything neither can they leave where they are at this current moment because having a $10,000.00 salary, free trips around the globe, travel allowance and a diplomatic passport is not guaranteed if new elections is held tomorrow..
Several youths on St. Maarten contacted SMN News when they realize that certain politicians played with their feelings during the 2014 Parliamentary Elections. These politicians made humongous promises to the youths of this country but today when they need the politicians to secure their jobs and get rid of the short term contracts that is hindering them from even earning minimum wage none of them can be found. Young qualified professionals that have returned to the island to work for their country cannot secure a job in the legislative branch or in the civil service because they are so called over qualified. Both candidates that are bieng screen to fill the two ministries are men that are currently on retirement while St. Maarten youngsters that are qualified and ready to work remains jobless.

WITU says that they are not that concern about the privatization but instead they have greater issued that will affect teachers.

PHILIPSBURG:---- President of the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) Claire Elshot in a lengthy email to said that the WITU is not aware of this point of the concerns teachers have because none of the teachers, meaning members of the WITU voiced their concerns to them. I myself when I heard them stating "the privatization of Public Education " in the governing program, I immediately looked at the fact that this could not be because no documents on this topic ever came to unions for discussion and advice and no consultation was held either. So therefore I analyzed and tried to understand what was meant by this so-called "privatization". My conclusion is and was that this word is or has been used inappropriate. From my humble analysis they mean simple that businesses in the private sector will adopt, yes ADOPT a school. This doesn't affect the fundamental rights and privileges of our members or the teachers. This doesn't deteriorate or change the content of the quality of education or have a negative impact on this either. If government chooses to involve business in a give-back program by asking, requesting or imposing on them to adopt a school, instead of within their existing department implement a structure or foundation for the maintenance of the Public Schools, the same like for the Sports Facilities you have the Upkeep Foundation, which is their prerogative. They would have to also evaluate the effectiveness of this program. My members who knows their rights and benefits and responsibilities of the job won't act on this because this no threat to their legal position either.”

However, the WITU and members are more concerned about some other matters which Elshot listed.

1. The closing of the Charles Leopold Bell School in Cole Bay style " coute de zep" with "gag orders" given to the staff.
2. The intention of re-opening the same school as a correctional school
3. The impromptu termination of all members of the teaching staff 60 plus, so no contracts for school year 2015-2016.
4. The constant deterioration or weakening of the health care package, substituting with more generic medication.
5. The elimination of the Early Retirement or VUT package for retirement
6. No beneficial continued build-up of pension percent even when you have reach maximum build up.
7. No increase of Vacation Allowance to the percentage equal to all other Kingdom partners in the Dutch Kindgom
8. No discussions on the adjustment of salaries based on the price index and the increase thereof
9. Teachers, who reach step 20 in their scale instead of career development, seniority adjustment they are frustrated with a FREEZE in the salary scale preventing them from getting their scale increment that is due as of August 1st on a yearly basis.
10. No evaluation or accreditation system, so teachers are stuck in the category also. Category A-B-C.
11. And are always questioning this or voicing their concerns
12.  Increase workload on the administrative task of teachers
13. Concerns of violence against teachers and safe schools for all
14. Lack of support for creative teachers’ development. No system of financial aid for teachers to pursue higher level and too expensive program for teachers’ enrichment

PHILIPSBURG:---- Minister Plenipotentiary, Hon. Josianne Fleming–Artsen and 27 Sint Maarten students arrived at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands to continue with their educational journey.
Minister Plenipotentiary Fleming-Artsen along with guidance Counsellors Ellen Rosina and Xaviera MacDonald-Archangel accompanied the 29 students to the Netherlands.
There was a welcome committee and flags were distributed to every student compliments of Sint Maarten Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs.
Before leaving Sint Maarten on Sunday, the students received gifts from the Minister of Education Rita Bourne-Gumbs and a grand party was organised in their honour by the Princess Juliana International Airport.
In addition the firemen as a sign of farewell to the students sprayed the plane with water.
Across from Schiphol the students were treated to breakfast on behalf of the Ministry of Education. The students were welcomed by Minister Plenipotentiary Fleming-Artsen who spoke encouraging words to the students, reminding them of their mission in the Netherlands, but also enjoying every opportunity to grow while in the country.
In addition, the United St. Maarten Connection (USC) provided necessary information for new students about the Netherlands.
By 11.30am on Monday morning all students were picked up and headed to homes.
On Thursday August 6, students will be coming to The Hague at the Babylon Hotel where again the challenges they facing while studying in the Netherlands will be discussed.
“The students were impressed on Monday morning, and that gave me a good feeling of their preparedness for this journey,” Minister Plenipotentiary Josianne Fleming-Artsen said on Monday.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):----The first activity to celebrate the start of World Breastfeeding Week, which is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August in more than 170 countries, a Family Fun Day at the Emilio Wilson Park on Saturday, was a success.

Stakeholders present which included Collective Prevention Service (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, the Department of Labour within the aforementioned ministry, and the Educare Foundation, gave out information at their booths about general health care and about encouraging breastfeeding to improve the health of babies, which is currently being promoted around the world.

Other businesses had booths at the park and the activity was held from 12.00pm to 6.00pm.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee of Parliament will meet in public session on August 5th.

The public Central Committee meeting is set for Wednesday at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is related to the National Ordinance Public Health Care.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and via www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations (CKAIR) of Parliament will meet in session on August 5th.

The Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations meeting is set for Wednesday at 2.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The four agenda points are approval of the decision lists CKAIR Parliamentary Year 2014-2015, no 12 and 13; incoming documents CKAIR; follow-up Inter-parliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) and Tripartite May 2015; and preparation IPKO January 2016.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and parliament’s website www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Blogger Judith Roumou has filed a request with the Court of First Instance to ask the court to make changes on the conditions of her release from pre-trial detention. Police arrested Roumou at her home in St. Peters on the morning of Tuesday, June 30 on charges of slander, libel, extortion, stalking and threats.
“On Monday July 6th 2015 the Prosecutor’s Office said in a press release that the 40 year old suspect J.R who is suspected of harassment (stalking), amongst other crimes, is released from her pre-trial detention today July 6, 2015. The woman was arrested on Tuesday, June 30, 2015 on suspicion of slander, defamation, insult, threat, extortion and harassment (stalking). Given the nature of the crimes and the personal circumstances of the suspect, the prosecutor advised the judge of instruction to suspend the pre-trial detention under certain special conditions. The suspect is not allowed to contact the people that pressed charges against her and she must visit the probation service. Also she needs to cooperate in the creation of a psychological and/or psychiatric report and she cannot commit new crimes. The judge followed this advice. The public prosecutors services had not taken any decision on further prosecution of the blogger yet. It is not yet known when a court hearing will take place.”
On Monday August 3rd 2015 Press Prosecutor Karola Van Nie said in an invited comment that Roumou and her lawyers submitted a request to the court asking that the conditions regarding her cooperation to conduct a physiological and psychiatric evaluation be removed. Van Nie said that case is set for August 10th 2015 and will be held behind closed doors. The press prosecutor further stated that the criminal investigation is continuing and that they are also busy working on some new complaints where the blogger violated the conditions of her arrest while the criminal investigation against Roumou is ongoing.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister Plenipotentiary, Mrs. Josianne Fleming-Artsen was the guest speaker at the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise breakfast meeting. At the meeting, she talked about her main tasks which is her representation at the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom. The Minister Plenipotentiary mentioned that the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom comprises 15 Dutch Ministers and 3 Minister Plenipotentiaries each of Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten. Other tasks of the Minister Plenipotentiary that Mrs. Fleming-Artsen elaborated on were representation at all invited functions in the Netherlands, representation in Brussels, and assistance to the St. Maarten organizations. The Minister Plenipotentiary also spoke of her cabinet and the functions within the cabinet. President Marcellia Henry indicated that the club was very pleased to have the Minister Plenipotentiary, Mrs. Josianne Fleming-Artsen visit the club to share information about the role and function of the Minister Plenipotentiary. She indicated that the presentation was very interactive and informative, and looks forward to the Minister Plenipotentiary visiting the club once again during her next visit to St. Maarten.
The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise meets every Tuesday at 7am at the Barefoot Terrace Restaurant at the Cyrus Wathey Square on the Boardwalk in Philipsburg.

PHILIPSBURG:---The Disciples Toastmasters club has much to celebrate. Two of it's members, VPE Sharon Layne and TM Alicia Seaton just recently completed their Advanced Communicator Bronze (ACB) distinction. These two Toastmasters have been working arduously to complete ten presentations from various advance manuals. When TM Alicia was asked what Toastmasters has done for her? She replied with much enthusiasm " She is no longer afraid to speak in public, she can express herself and she has gotten the opportunity to meet various individuals. Each educational meeting is unique." Her next move is to achieve her Advance Communicator Silver (ACS). VPE Sharon Layne is currently getting ready to leave for Las Vegas, Nevada to represent District 81 at The World Championship of Public Speaking. She is enthusiastically working towards attaining her first Triple Crown (three distinctions in a term).
The Disciples Toastmasters Club is ecstatic about these members achievements and wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors. We believe in "Empowering the Greatness in each Member"

The Disciples Toastmasters Club meets every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month at 5:00 - 6:30 PM at The St. Maarten Academy Academic School, Cupper Drive 2, L.B Scott Rd, St. Peters for more information about the club, please visit www.1036731.toastmastersclubs.org, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or cel: 721 553-6622

PHILIPSBURG: --- There is tension in the air when it comes to the screening of Rafael Boasman the candidate that was selected by Member of Parliament Cornelius de Weever to become the next Minister of Labor. Some political pundits said that they believe that Boasman’s affiliation to former Minister Maria Buncamper- Molanus and her husband Claudius Buncamper will definitely play a major role during the screening progress especially since he was Buncamper Molanus campaign manager. Another issue that was raised is the fact that Boasman was and still is a member of the Supervisory Board of TELEM while it is a clear conflict of interest since Boasman was the Head of the Labor Department before becoming the policy advisor and acting labor mediator.
Raphael Boasman already secured contracts in the BES islands a labor mediator while he requested a business license to operate his consultancy company on St. Maarten and the other countries within the Kingdom. That license has been approved last week.
Questions are now being raised as to whether Boasman who already accepted to become the next labor Minister should risk failing the screening process while he has contracts with the BES islands to represent those islands.
SMN News tried reaching Boasman on Sunday for an official statement as to whether or not he submitted his documents for the screening and if weighed the pros and cons properly prior to accepting the offer made by MP Cornelius de Weever but Boasman did not respond to the phone calls made to him.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):--- The Department of Economic Licenses from the Ministry Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (Ministry TEATT), is hereby informing the general public that its extending the August 1st deadline to Friday, August 14 for the pick-up of approved licenses to operate a business in the country.
All uncollected licenses that were approved prior to January 1, 2015, must be picked up by Friday, August 14th 2015, after which the file will be discarded and applicants will have to re-apply and pay the applicable processing fee(s).
Effective August 1st 2015, the Department of Economic Licenses will keep all requests, including approved licenses, for a maximum of six months, after which the file will be discarded and applicants will have to re-apply and pay the applicable processing fee.
The aforementioned is applicable to requests for business, branch, director, amendments to licenses already issued, vending and operational licenses.

The department with this project is in the process to clean up its database of uncollected licenses.

For more information you can visit the department at Zoutsteeg #3, Philipsburg or call 542-2986.

PHILIPSBURG:---- Be The Change Foundation on July 31st presented awards to the winners of the first annual Erika Cannegieter-Smith DREAM BIG Educational Scholarship grant. Family and friends of the winners were in attendance.
The winners were chosen from several applicants. The awards were announced and presented on Friday evening on the boardwalk in front of Blush Boutique/Gelateria Milano. We thank them for allowing us to use their location and facilities.

Jerrisa Wayland was awarded the amount of $1000.000 in order to fund the post graduate IB program she is attending at St. Dominic High School.

Josiah Arnold was awarded $500 .00. He will be taking supplemental classes at St. Dominic in order to satisfy the requirements he needs to continue his educational career in engineering.
Fernando van der Kraats was also awarded $500.00 to help with his schooling. , He will be attending "Amsterdam Hogeschool voor de Kunsten", a school for theatre arts in Holland. His mother Beverly Matthew accepted the award on his behalf, since Fernando is currently in New York with the students of Art Saves Lives.

Each of these students impressed us with their motivation and their dreams of making it big in their chosen fields. We are pleased we can honor the memory of Erika Cannegieter-Smith and help worthy students pursue their educational goals.
Be the Change thanks all those who applied for this grant, and we congratulate the winners. We wish them much success in their future educational endeavours.

PHILIPSBURG:---- Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications Hon. Claret Connor, is one of the proud sponsors of Miss Sint Maarten 2015/2016 Phausha Winklaar.
Winklaar will be participating in the Ms. Caribbean Culture Queen Pageant that is taking place on the island of Nevis on Monday, August 3.
“I would like to wish Miss Sint Maarten Winklaar much success on Monday evening as she represents her country at the pageant. The nation will be rooting for her on Monday night,” Minister Hon. Claret Connor said on Sunday.
Winklaar is looking forward to participating in the pageant on Monday night. This will be the first time that Winklaar will be representing the country abroad.
“One can expect that she is feeling anxious to compete, but at the same time also excited. We know she will do a great job in representing Sint Maarten as an ambassador and making our country proud,” Minister Connor added.
There will be participants from Antigua, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis, and St. Lucia.

MP Emmanuel says St. Maartener’s must hold key positions --- Calling for the Acting Head to be appointed as Director.

PHILIPSBURG:--- MP Christopher Emmanuel is calling on the Minister of VROMI and the two board members of the Kadastre office to appoint the acting head Marcia Peterson- Richardson as Director of the Kadastre office.
MP Emmanuel said its time that St. Maartener’s get the opportunity to take up key positions on St. Maarten, he said Peterson Richardson is already the acting head of the Kadastre office.
MP Emmanuel said based on information he received is that one of the board members that are currently working at one of the island’s bank wants to leave his job and take up the position as director while someone from the Netherlands who is heading the Kadastre office there called the Kadastre office on Friday informing them that he is going on retirement and he intends to apply for the vacant position at St. Maarten’s Kadaster Office. Emmanuel said that the person from the Netherlands went as far as telling the acting head of the department that he believes the former director Clemens Roos left the Kadaster’s Office in disarray and they would definitely need his assistance.
Emmanuel said he has nothing against people from other countries but St. Maarteners must be given the opportunity to work in key positions especially if they are qualified. MP Emmanuel said he went as far as checking to see if Peterson Richardson is qualified for the position. He said he obtained the young woman’s resume which he submitted for publication so that everyone could see that the person he is supporting is not just St. Maartener but a qualified St. Maarten female.

Marcia S. Peterson-Richardson

Airport Road 37, Simpson Bay
St. Maarten, Dutch Caribbean
Mobile: +1(721) 588 5002
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

EDUCATION

1991 – 1997
HAVO Diploma
Milton Peters College, St. Maarten, Dutch Caribbean

1999 – 2003
Bachelor of Business Administration (HBO)
The Hague University of Professional Education, International Business and Management Studies, The Hague, the Netherlands

2012 – 2015
Master of Business Administration with Merit
The University of Liverpool, International Business and Management Studies, Liverpool, England

Other Certificates:

2009 – Linkels & Van Wilgen
Human Resource Manager and Highlights Antillean Labor Law

2010 – Bureau Educa R.R.R.
Introduction Course to Civil Law of the Netherlands Antilles, Phase 1 and 2

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

1997 - 1999 N.C. Wathey Insurances N.V.

Administrative Assistant and Cashier
• Process motor vehicle applications and amendments to policies.
• Cashier for policy payments.

2003 – 2008 NAGICO N.V.

Administrative Assistant of the Accounting Department

• Record, update and reconcile all entries for the preparation of the Trial Balance & Fixed Assets Schedule. Tasks refer to Banking, Accounts payable, Accounts receivable, Purchase orders, and General ledger.
• Cashier for all bank & internal payments and NAGICO Life policy payments.
• Prepare various spread sheets for year-end-audit.
• Maintain all files and records related to the job function.

2008 – present Stichting Kadaster- en Hypotheekwezen St. Maarten

Bookkeeper/Administrator 2008 – 2009

Financial Manager 2009 – present

• Assist in the preparation of the Annual Budget report.
• Prepare Financial Statements for Management and the Supervisory Board.
• Record all Accounts Payable transactions and make payments.
• Reconcile Accounts Receivable account. Send monthly statements to all account holders with open balances. Report all delinquent debtors to the Director.
• Prepare the monthly Payroll and make Tax and Social Premiums payments.
• Reconcile all General Ledger Accounts.
• Oversee the Annual Audit and provide assistance to the auditing acountant.
• Approve and record all Certificates of Admeasurement.
• Assist the Hypotheekbewaarder (Registrar) in the approval of Deeds and the maintenance of the Registry.
• Assume the function of Deputy Director and Hypotheekbewaarder when necessary.

Human Resources Manager 2009 - present

• Maintain all personnel files.
• Prepare and conduct evaluations along with the management team.
• Maintain a sufficient inventory level of office supplies.
• Other related duties that are assigned by the Director.

COMPUTER SKILLS

• Microsoft Office Applications – Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint
• Intuit QuickBooks Accounting Program
• Payroll Pro Program
• KadSys Land Registration System

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

English: Native proficiency
Dutch: Professional working proficiency

PHILIPSBURG/SANDY GROUND:---- SAFE (St. Maarten/St. Martin Alliance for Equality) hosted a successful screening of the very entertaining movie “Musical Chairs” at the Cultural Center in Sandy Ground.
With a good turnout from a diverse public representing both French and Dutch side, including 1st Vice President and Senator of the Collectivite de Saint –Martin, 2nd Vice President of the Collectivite de Saint – Martin, Ramona Connor and Rene Jean Duret, Member of the Territory Council, this movie caught the attention of all those that attended. The clients of the Sister Basilia Center from the Dutch side also enjoyed the outing and SAFE wishes to extend thanks to them, their leaders and all other organizations that turned out for the event.
The film which features both disabled and able-bodied actors in rousing dance scenes succeeds in conveying the struggles we all face, making our way, whether through life or on the dance floor, embracing people in all their diversity.
Janet Carrus, the producer of “Musical Chairs”, was present during the evening and answered questions at the end of the presentation, highlighting the importance of tolerance and respect for each other while accepting the fact that we are all different and unique. Acceptance can create a community where we are allowed to “dance to our own beat”, but can have fun, collaborate and respect each other’s values.
The evening, with free entrance, was fully sponsored by St. Martin Sotheby’s International Realty. Audience members were given a brief introduction to SAFE and also encouraged to donate funds to the organization’s causes; an opportunity several took advantage of. SAFE thanks all of those who contributed to their donation box and says that all funds will be used to benefit the LGBT community of St. Maarten/St. Martin.
This is not the first screening of Musical Chairs on the island, but this year’s turnout far surpassed the previous one and in keeping with the producer’s goal to have the movie grow by word of mouth, touching everyone with its message, SAFE encourages other organizations to also screen the movie at events around the island. Copies of the DVD of the movie are also available at Amazon.com.
SAFE, a young organization with representation from both sides of the island seeks to highlight the importance International Human Rights and legal equality no matter one’s gender, race, religious beliefs or sexuality, with special interest for issues pertaining to the LGBT community and their allies. For more information you can contact their hotline: +1 721 550 4221 or by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also find SAFE on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/safe.sxm