Philipsburg:--- All stores on Front and Back Street yesterday closed their doors for one hour as they protest the killing of Haresh Dayal Dayalani aka Danny who was shot to death at his home on Tuesday evening. The IMA has decided to begin a joint two day protest action, all stores on both sides of the island will be closed today and tomorrow. Delegation is scheduled to meet with the Lt. Governor at 10am this morning.
President of the Indian Merchants Association Damu Ratawani said that this should not be viewed as movement by the Indian community instead; it should be everybody's business. Ratawani is calling on the entire community to unite since something has to be done to fight the high crime rate. People need to come together and look out for their own safety.
Yesterday's action is a message to the island government and the police since they need to know that crime is not acceptable any longer and they needed to get organized and ask for assistance. Ratawani said if the Central government cannot provide the assistance then a request must be sent to the Kingdom government since St. Maarten is still part of the Kingdom.
Ratwani is also calling on everyone in authority including government to ask for the help that is needed to fight crime. He said justice falls under the federal government but if the local government does not seek help from those that are responsible for safety and security then they are going to be blamed.
Ratawani said something is desperately wrong and action is needed since on Tuesday night there were at least four incidents of attempted robbery. Two attempts on Indians while another businessman was stabbed in Cole Bay.He said while everyone might say that the victim is an Indian he wants to make clear that Dayalani is a Dutch national who has lived on St. Maarten for more than 35 years. Furthermore, if the island cannot provide safety and security for its residents why should visitors come here?
The Indian Merchants Association also met with Assistant Chief Commissioner of Police Ademar Doran yesterday afternoon where the grievances of the community were highly discussed. Ratwani said the discussion with Doran was fruitful and that the assistant chief promised them to take actions very soon.
The businessman said that they already received empty promises from law enforcement in the past and they intend to intensify their actions if nothing is done this time around.
Ratwani said they are aware that the police are short staffed and that the help St. Maarten got from Curacao has already left.
He said the IMA is willing to chip in and help the local law enforcement; however, the police will have to say what it is they need. Ratwani said the business community is looking for permanent solutions and they are willing to do what is necessary to assist the police on St. Maarten. He said that right now the people are willing to come forward and cooperate with the police since prevention is the best cure for any type of problem. He further explained that the IMA is making themselves available to give whatever assistance is needed for the sake of safety and security. He said even though manpower is needed and is necessary he believed the police and those involved must be able to use more technology if they are to combat crime. He suggested the use of surveillance cameras all over the island.
Ratwani said he does not know long they are willing to wait on the police to take action but the business community is the one that would make a decision at another meeting. That meeting was held last night at the Philipsburg community center.
Assistant chief commissioner of Police Ademar Doran said that he intends to bring the concerns of the IMA to the tripartite community to see what can be done. He said the police have to analyze their data regarding armed robberies before action can be taken. Doran said that after the analysis they would determine what type of action has to be taken. Doran said they are planning to place more patrols in certain area to monitor the movement of people, while he would be seeking more manpower from Curacao. Presently the Zero Tolerance team is no longer operational since according to Doran, the men on that team have been working long hours, and they need some rest. Asked if the team has been, dismantled Doran said the men on that team were not removed but some of them are not availableat the moment. "some of them are on vacation while one is out with an injury. However, the police department would continue with the team to combat the rising crime. Doran said right now they needed to reorganize the team so that the men working on Zero Tolerance can also get some time off.
Asked if police determined how Dayalani was killed and if robbery was ruled out, Doran said the detectives still do not know what happened and why the businessman was killed. He said the detectives went back to the scene to gather more information so that they can piece the puzzle together.
On Tuesday evening, Dayalani was shot to death in front of his Cole Bay home. His wife who witnessed the brutal killing of her husband remains a patient at the St. Maarten Medical Center.
Relatives of the late Dayalani as well as merchants on the French side gathered at his home as they mourn his sudden loss. An uncle of the deceased man told this reporter that Dayal did not get an opportunity to enter his home; he said at least two persons were outside of the home when the couple arrived and one of them shot the businessman before stealing his car in a bid to escape.
