Categorically this has been one of the most exciting, engaging and enlightening elections that French St. Martin has ever experienced. Even more than most political parties on Dutch St. Martin, the six political parties made an effort to articulate a vision, or rather an outline of some perspective for the future of the island.
Needless to mention, obviously some performed better than others. Moreover, the St. Martins' population, too, exercised their democratic right to vote exemplarily with prudent conduct that deserves great commendation. Considering the intensity that is inherently part of any competitive election, the people did well -- while exercising much civility.
They decisively unearthed years of perpetual deceptions by institutional parties of the past and by extension clearly rejected the existing ruling party, namely the UP Party. This brings us to a historical, nonetheless critically important, Sunday election. It would be shameful that if the development program for the French side is rejected by its people, would be projected on the Dutch side of the island.
Although Mr. Alain Richardson and the RRR Political Party may have good intentions and fine personalities, albeit with a condensed vision, they made a good showing.
Meanwhile, Team Daniel Gibbs provided us with a serious breath of fresh air. Instead of relying on a state-driven welfare program, his party has unquestionably provided the people of St. Martin with an outstanding ambitious vision that we desperately need. Not only did the team articulate a holistic approach to our socio-economic crisis situation, but it also sought to immediately address the major requirements.
Particularly, our frightening unemployment situation literately requires stimulating the private sector; that is our greatest need for rebuilding this country from its present inevitable economic collapse. Compared, along with, the many other areas that is in need of immediate attention -- such as: the financial arrears of the Collectivité, constitutional status, education, tourism, transportation systems, and the development of a global trade center -- we need a highly competent leader.
After listening to Dr. Daniel Gibbs' various arguments, I realized that seldom do we as a people have such a distinguished scholarly Ph.D. degree that is making their talent, professional expertise and experience available, in order to lead the island from the abyss. I bid him and his team God's speed, wisdom and courage to pursue what I believe is a divinely ordained mission for this country and its people. It is my hope and desire that the majority of all voters registered to this lovely island would empower this collective vision with their vote for Dr. Gibbs Team on Sunday. May God bless you all!

Yours truly,

Mr. Eldridge van Putten
Social & Political Activist
President of Association in Defense of Democracy

While some of us were sleeping or not paying attention, most of our freedoms and liberties have already been taken away. We now have thousands of do-not laws on the books that can fill the entire parliament building. Adding to this, we have given the justice department through the BOB legislation additional laws and more power to use any of these laws in combination to prosecute and convict any of us.
As soon as we step outside our doors in the morning we are breaking some law. They cannot only tap our phones at will but can also spy on us in our bedrooms without restrictions. In a recent letter to the editor a short-sighted, left-winger wrote that I was trying to spread fear without taking the time to analyse what I was really saying. Just look at how much more rights criminals have than you do.
The person went on to say that the definition of money laundering is "concealing the source of illegally gotten money." The candy lady on Back Street does not have a business licence and is not registered at Chamber Of Commerce. So, since she has no licence to sell candy her money by law is "illegally gotten." She can now be prosecuted for money laundering and tax evasion.
Here is another example: Sylvan Gumbs "Pappa or Hoss" from the head of town goes fishing for jacks with his jack-net. Not only must he now have a captain's licence for his 15 foot fishing boat and a licence for his net, but he must also have a business licence and a fishing licence to sell the jacks he caught or his money by definition under our law is "illegally gotten." Therefore, he can also now be prosecuted for money laundering, tax evasion and for being an unlicensed captain and having an unlicensed jack-net. Pappa can now face more charges that Bin Laden or Pablo Escobar...no one took the time to know that Sylvan was self-sufficient and fishing for more than 60 years. Unable to no longer fish, he now sits dependant on welfare and handouts.
I suggest to those that are still in doubt to go through all of the hundreds and thousands of laws on the books and check it out. The liberal left-wingers and the mainstream press have also judged and convicted Zimmerman in Florida without knowing all of the facts of the case. While three British tourists were car jacked, robber and murdered in Overtown Miami at the same time by a 17 old teen wearing a hooded sweatshirt, there was no international press coverage and no Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton showing up to fight for these victims' rights.
Last week in Chicago gang members sprayed a neighbourhood with bullets killing 17n people including a two-year-old child. There was also no national or international press coverage nor Jesse or Al. I wonder why?
I suppose if one is an obedient slave, which conforms to the established order, one should have no fear; however, most of us live in fear of walking on Front Street after eight at night, opening our stores, restaurants and gas stations after nine at night and live behind bars when we go home.
We are not only afraid of the robbers and rapists, we must now be afraid of our government. The over-fed, cigar-smoking fat boys in the civil service have no clue of what it takes to earn a dollar, after all they don't even have to stand in line to collect their pay check any longer; their checks are now sent directly to their bank accounts, work or not.
"Does the government fear us? Or do we fear the government? When the people fear the government tyranny has found victory. The government is our servant, not our master!" Thomas Jefferson.
You are so correct Mr. Jefferson St. Maarten is now closer than ever to a heavy-handed dictatorship thanks to the authority given to justice and the civil service. My mother always said, gives a man austerity, a badge or a uniform and immediately he believes that he has been transformed into God.

Peter Gunn

As the Superintendent Minister of the Saint-Martin Circuit of the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas, I was placed in a very awkward position when no less than 3 of my members decided that they will be candidates to the presidency of the French Terri-torial Collectivity of Saint-Martin. To make things even more challenging, three persons that are also well known to me were in the race.
Looking back at it, I thank God for Mrs Ogoundélé, Mr Fleming, Mr Mussington, Mr Ri-chardson, Mr Gibbes and Mr Jeffrey. I thank God for democracy which gives to each one of us the right to voice our opinion. I thank God for the fact that He has allowed all six candidates and their teams to raise the bar and to truly offer various options for the future development of this side of the island and of its people. I thank God that wisdom prevailed over passion.
Today, the people has spoken and, a clear majority has emerged. On behalf of the "people called Methodists", I hereby congratulate the R.R.R. party and its leader Mr Alain Ri-chardson. On this new leg of the journey, may God's wisdom and discernement be yours. May he be your keeper. May He be the wind under your wings and, may He be the Rock in which you find refuge when the storms of life threaten.

Stéphane Brooks

In the Commonwealth and Dutch Caribbean, the failure of the three socialist projects in the 1970s and 1980s reflected, in critical ways, the leaders' lack of understanding of the geopolitical context of their societies, and the difficulties that they would confront. It also reflected a failure to understand their own societies ...and the complexities therein.
Social transformation in the Caribbean requires a level of historical understanding and engagement with the societies of the region and the socialist projects which all collapsed because of the intellectual/cultural divergences between the leaders and their respective societies. Paradoxically, the search for socialist transformation increased levels of dependence in these societies upon external actors, for intellectual validation and for material resources to deal with the economic consequences of political decisions.
In Guyana, Curacao, and Jamaica, there was massive financial and human capital flight from which these societies have yet to recover more than three decades later. In the case of Grenada, the self-immolation of the NJM led to the loss of an entire generation of leaders. In the case of Curacao, all major companies and income earners, Shell, Texas Instruments and others were driven out by the then socialist leaders. In the case of St. Maarten, we are still living with the investment unfriendly laws implemented by Curacao's socialist governments of the seventies and eighties, the restrictive labor laws and multiple layers of high taxation, which in turn lead to wealth redistribution. Hence, poor economic growth and zero job creation on St. Maarten, and throughout the Caribbean.
In recent years, failed European socialism has been adopted by many European dependencies in the Caribbean, which in turn created social economic dependents, unwanted babies and the brake down of the family unit.
It is this paradox of socialism as a strategy of social transformation that leads to increased dependence upon external actors who scholars of the Caribbean will have to re-examine in the twilight years of the regimes that arose out of the Cuban revolution.

Peter Gunn

Dear Editor,

Lately I have read and observed with much interest, the series of articles, photo opts and invited comments that bring into focus the progressive deterioration in the quality of life in St.Peters and talks of resuscitating the community council (see DH March 12th p3). As a resident of St.Peters this, as you can imagine, struck a deep and responsive chord within me. Consistently exposing the deplorable conditions in the community (running sewage water, crime and poverty) and reviving the community council is indeed commendable and absolutely necessary to create a safe and resilient neighborhood. However, after a moment of sober reflection delaying the referendum might be in the best interest of the community until the electorate obtains verifiable facts pertaining to areas such as: the election process and election committee, the legal status, financial position and comprehensive overview of the St.Peters Community Council (SPCC) and the factors that contributed towards its demise. Such an elucidation is essential in order to address and resolve a number rumors of "illegalities" and the "misappropriation of funds" that allegedly occurred under the watch of the former council. Allow me to direct your thoughts and attention to the heated exchanges between the co-founder of the SPCC and a "proud resident" of St.Peters concerning a number of "suspicious" activities by former board members definitely warrants serious consideration. It therefore stands to reason that the next board may in fact inherit a terrible mess as it relates to monetary and or legal consequences and incur reputational risks. Should these serious allegations persist, it is highly unlikely that the new council will inspire the confidence or kindle the enthusiasm of the people. Come Election Day, we might witness people line up to denounce the referendum instead of a vote. Additionally, if in fact it can be proven without the shadow of a doubt that conflicts of interest, corruption or fraud occurred we, the concerned residents of St.Peters will be calling for an independent public investigation. Therefore, good conscience and ethical considerations prevents one from lending support to elect new board members at the SPCC in the absence of complete information. In my view, to do otherwise seems contrary to the interests and aspirations of the community. Ever mindful of "the search for truth is the responsibility of the community". (Dr Franz Fanon) we the conscientious residents of St.Peters insist that a town hall meeting is quickly organized in an effort to obtain clarity, insight and competent answers to the genuine concerns that have dominated our minds and conscience for quite some time. Therefore the attendance and active participation of all concerned residents and invited guests is highly encouraged I urge and implore the good residents of St.Peters and social partners to wake up to this responsibility and take an active interest in this affair because our survival, progress and future prosperity is at stake!

Riegnald "Bakari" Arrindell
Garveyite and resident of St.Peters

We regret to announce the passing of St. Maarten through the BOB, the so called legislation in the guise of fighting crime. These sweeping new investigative laws can, and will be used to target and penalize anyone deem too successful, or of differing political opinions than the established authorities. We should all be disappointed with the parliamentarians who voted to pass the BOB. Instead of tabling and passing legislation to increase penalties for hard-core criminal, murderers, armed robbers, rapists, and home invaders. They have instead chosen to looks for ways to protect their human rights while taking away the human rights of the working class, and the business people of St. Maarten.
Example: Here is one of the powers the new BOB legislation has given to the government. Margret from Middle Region, who sells candy on the sidewalk on back street made $50.00 yesterday. If she takes that $50.00 and saves it in a biscuit pan in here back yard and not report it to government, can now be prosecuted as a money launderer, same as Pablo Escobar the billionaire Colombian drug dealer. How the heck could that be just, where someone can be prosecuted and locked up for their hard work? Carnival booth holders, look out! Everyone is currently a criminal under the new BOB laws. The working-class and business people of St. Maarten are no longer human, for their human rights are continuously being taken away while more rights are given to convicted hard-core criminals. Our parliament has now proven not have foresight, followers and not leaders for they have gone along with what other external forces have instructed them to do. These same parliamentarians will soon live to regret their vote.
The so-called socialist champions of human rights the UN last week in Genève vote to condemn Israel for human rights abuses against woman, for not allowing abortions and contraceptives in their health-care plan. While the Syrian army killed 50 of its own women and children yesterday, Iran stones woman to death, every day and India and Pakistan burn and behead woman day after day as so call honor killings were not condemned. Let's take a look at who voted to condemn Israel. Most European countries, Russia, China, Most Caribbean countries, India, South Africa, most Middle Eastern Countries, Pakistan and more human rights abusing countries. The UN also voted to condemn Texas for human rights violations, because Texas now requires an ID for one to vote in order to avoid voting fraud.
In Texas, everyone needs an ID to enter a bar, or to get a library card. Yes, folks according to the UN, pretty soon you and your hard-working neighbors will no longer be human. Your dog will have more rights than you. You may have to also be careful of your neighbor being a spy for the state, reporting to authorities on your movements and what you say and do "Cuban style." Remember, some in the Chamber of Commerce and government already believe that you and your children are the property of the state.

Peter Gunn

A UN report published by Associated Press says, "Rising crime across the Caribbean threatens the region's tourism-based economy and has exposed a weak and ineffective judicial system", according to a sweeping U.N. study released on Wednesday March 7, 2012. It went on to say, "Every Caribbean nation except Barbados and Suriname reported a spike in homicide rates and gang-related killings over the past 12 years even as violent crime has fallen or stabilized in most other places across the globe, according to the 2012 Caribbean Human Development Report".
The U.N. went on to say, "it was the largest survey ever to focus on crime in the Caribbean. The U.N. Officials singled out Jamaica, Guyana, and Trinidad for alarming levels of gang-related homicides that almost doubled from 2006 to 2009. Jamaica has the world's third-highest murder rate, with about 60 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, while Trinidad and Guyana reported a fivefold increase in its murder rate over the past decade and now has 36 killings per 100,000 people."The report challenges governments of the English and Dutch Caribbean to action, said Trinidad Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar", adding that she supports the report's recommendations. They forgot to mention St. Maarten, since we have had 18 murders last year which puts us with a population of 50,000 people on the Dutch side at around 36 killings per 100,000 people,
We all may agree with the UN's report. However, we must be very wary of the UN's agenda of a "one world government". Isn't it this same UN that tied most governments' hands with their so call human rights treaties? Remember after Jamaica and Guyana's independence, the socialist governments of the day went on to disarm all law abiding citizens. In 1972, the political situation in Jamaica had so seriously deteriorated that there were constant shootings and gun battles throughout the city of Kingston and in many of the outlying parishes (counties) between members of the ruling and opposition parties. In years past no one had even had to lock their doors, but now many people hardly dared venture out of their homes. Isn't it exactly the same here in St. Maarten today?
The Jamaican government decided that the only solution to this volatile situation was to declare martial law overnight, and demanded that all guns and bullets owned by anyone but the police and the military be turned into the police within 24 hours. The government decreed that anyone caught with even one bullet would be immediately, and without trial, incarcerated in what was essentially a barbed-wire enclosed concentration camp which had been speedily erected in the middle of Kingston. In true Gestapo fashion, the government referred to this camp as "the gun court." Guyana, Trinidad and the rest of the Caribbean went on to follow Jamaica's lead and disarmed all of its law abiding citizens. Hugo Chávez has also disarmed all of the good citizens of Venezuela. Now, only his goons and criminals are armed. Several years now we have seen the results of forced disarmament throughout the Caribbean.
Not until we stop treating armed robbers, rapist and home invaders as honorable members of society, will we see a reduction of crime on St. Maarten and the entire Caribbean. We are urging our parliament to be extremely weary of signing any treaties in the guise of fighting crime, including the so-called BOB. This is a gross intrusion and invasion of privacy by the government, that will take away more of our individual freedoms and liberties. It will not reduce the crime rate, but will only serve to make law-abiding citizens criminals, same as what our anti-gun laws of the eighties have done... We urge our government to stop being lap dogs to the UN and all outside entities, which interest is to serve their own socialist agenda. The UN's motto is "One must not look at himself/herself as an individual, but must work in the interest of the whole", directly out of the bible of Marks, Lenin and Engels. The UN and its umbrella origination concept is the same as a bee hive. All workers must be programed to work for the hive, without questioning authority, In other words programmed obedient robots. I once overheard a board member of the Chamber of Commerce say to someone "Your children belong to the state; after all they have Dutch passports. Don't They?" Supposedly, this is a person representing business and free enterprise. One is no longer an individual, but a servant of the state. Now, if he is not a communist, then he is a Forensic Scientist, as in I See Dead People. "Those who desire to give up Freedom in order to gain security, will not have, nor do they deserve, either one." -Thomas Jefferson

Peter Gunn

For a long live and successful Carnival in Sun Shine City we need to omit the dictatorship scheme Starsky and Hutch seem to possess yearly and finally put to rest this despotism within our carnival culture of Country St. Maarten, amount the heart of Calypsonians, Bands and individual artists whether its soca or calypso ECT: For too long now we have put up with their nonsensical deeds, their final decision are being made without our consent, and the astonishing announcement that are broadcast and it is stated to be confirm with the so claim SCDF final decision after taking note from the Band Members and Calypsonian to take back to the board and further discuss what new plans are set in place to make everybody happy. Instead this is their way or the highway. It seems they are board members that are undermining the authority of the SCDF president with making decisions when come to situation surrounding calypsonians and band members, even though we are the heart and soul of carnival which they are fully aware of, which need to be enforce permanently so they don't attempt to try and play treat of treat with us as if carnival falls in the Month of October. Moreover these two individual always believe they have better strategies than the calypsonians and Band members, for the simple facts that, they believe because they are part of the government officials or have access to a national broadcasting editorial news casts, that they can proclaim to the masses as they please. All due respect to the SCDF of Country St. Maarten, but I refuse the let anyone cross my passion as well as my associates in the arena. As most of us can recall on Lloyd Richardson talk show on Monday February 26, 2012 for our first proclamation for Carnival 2012, the SCDF vice president confirm the Road Jam and Soca Monarch participant and the when we discuss this in our meeting and it was suppose reconsider after the decision from the entire SCDF board well that just confirm we have no say for what we stated and what was writing down is null. In Starsky and Hutch minds who is running a Perry Mason strategy on us and thinking they succeed with their deeds. I don't know if both Starsky is playing the role of a tyranny and Hutch is been the acting governor. When it is a known fact that, they were not even at the first meeting upon our discussion of the Road jame and soca Monarch are being separated for bands and calypsonians, yet they making decision before the consent of the SCDF President and I don't think Stuart Johnson would allowed this to happen before reconsidering it with the participants. From this point on we demand that this dictatorship deed they both possess must be put to rest once and for all and let SCDF president deal with final decision making from hear on, before Starsky in Hutch in reverse destroy the name of the entire SCDF.
Las but not least I'm force to believe that the government official are also playing a strategist game with our culture as well unlike the Heineken Regatta donation they donate to keep that in tack, yet the funds go to the outsiders and don't stay in the country to regenerate. Nevertheless, it was told the donation the SCDF receive is for promotion of SXM via the Carnival and tourism attraction and not for the part takers like artists, carnival troops, and prize money for the winners, is this because they are trying to stop the power of calypso? If so welcome to 2012 carnival the Bacchanal has just start.

Sincerely,

His Majesty Baker Jr.

NOAA and the U.S. Air Force Reserve will host a series of public events from March 12 to 17 in six communities in Mexico and the Caribbean to encourage residents to prepare for the 2012 hurricane season which begins June 1.
U.S. National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read; Senior Hurricane Specialist Lixion Avila; Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch meteorologist Gladys Rubio; and Air Force Reservists from the 53rdWeather Reconnaissance Squadron (WRS), 403rdWing, Keesler Air Force Base will educate residents of vulnerable communities about hurricane preparedness. Tours of the Air Force Reserve Command's WC-130J "Hurricane Hunter" will offer an opportunity to learn how scientists collect hurricane information.
"We are in an active hurricane era. While 2011 was not as catastrophic as recent seasons, the Caribbean and Latin America still experienced tragic loss of life from flooding caused by hurricanes," said Read. "This tour is an opportunity for us to educate coastal communities about what they need to do to prepare for a hurricane. Preparation will reduce the human and economic toll."
Utilizing 10 state-of-the-art WC-130J aircraft, military air crews fly directly into the core of tropical cyclones to gather critical weather data. The data are sent in real time via satellite from the aircraft directly to the National Hurricane Center for analysis and use by hurricane forecasters.
"2012 will mark the 68th year the Air Force Reserve Command has been supporting the National Hurricane Center and the United States Hurricane Warning Program," said Lt. Col. Sean Pierce, 53rd WRS director of operations.
During the 2011 hurricane season, the 53rd WRS flew 88 missions and 13 investigative flights over the Atlantic for the National Hurricane Center. It also flew four missions over the eastern North Pacific.
Locations and times for public tours are listed below (all times are local):

• March 12, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Campeche Intl. Airport, Campeche, Mexico
• March 13, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Chetumal Intl. Airport, Chetumal, Mexico
• March 14, noon to 3 p.m. – Limon Intl. Airport, Limon, Costa Rica
• March 15, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Juan Santa Maria Intl. Airport, San Jose, Costa Rica
• March 16, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Princess Juliana Intl. Airport, San Maartin
• March 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Isla Grande Airport, San Juan, Puerto Rico

NOAA's National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. NOAA's National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy. Working with partners, NOAA's National Weather Service is building a Weather-Ready Nation to support community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather. Visit us online at weather.gov and on Facebook.

On the Web:
NOAA National Hurricane Center: http://www.hurricanes.gov
403rd Wing/53rdWeather Reconnaissance Squadron: http://www.403wg.afrc.af.mil/
Weather-Ready Nation: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/
Ready.gov: http://www.ready.gov/

PHILIPSBURG:--- Earlier this week President of Parliament Hon. drs. Gracita Arrindell welcomed students, parents and Grandmaster Theo Liu of the King Yen Tae Kwon Do School at the Princess Juliana International Airport upon their arrival from Puerto Rico. The tae kwon do students took part in the 19th International Tae Kwon Do Championships called Los Gallitos Olimpicos 2012 in Puerto Rico.

"Les Brown and I on behalf of the Minister of Youth & Sports Hon. Dr. Rhoda Arrindell welcomed the young athletes back home. We congratulated them, and I told them how proud we were of them, their parents, and of the King Yen Tae Kwon Do School, and we look forward to them representing the country in other regional and international tournaments. This type of sport builds character and discipline. Special congrats goes out to Grandmaster Liu for doing an excellent job," President of Parliament Hon. Gracita Arrindell said on Wednesday.

The students brought home 19 gold medals, 13 silver, and nine bronze.

Philipsburg:--- On Monday March 26th, representatives from the Sint Maarten Carnival Development Foundation met with representatives of the Police Department in connection with the upcoming Carnival Season for 2012. During this meeting, both organizations agreed that the working relation and cooperation between the organizations is continuously
improving.

Issues such as the experience of this years "Unity Jump Up" and routes for the "Fete to Fitness" and "Opening Jump-up", the 0-tolerance policy that the police will maintain during the carnival season, the rerouting of traffic during the parades and the inspection of vehicles taking part in the parades were discussed.
The meeting was a very informative meeting and both organizations intend to meet again prior to the opening of the Carnival Season.

The SCDF was represented by Steward Johnson (President), Micheal Granger (Secretary), Erno Labega (Advisor/Treasurer) and Eduardo Radjouki (Boardmember)

The Police Department was represented by Commissioner Carl John, Inspectors Benjamin Gout, Rudolph Bloeiman, Ricardo Henson and Majors Giovanni Sprott and Sharlon Cathalina.

ST. JOHNS ESTATE (DCOMM):--- On Friday March 9th, Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams attended the Methodist Agogic Centre student reunion reception in celebration of 35 years of existence of the education institution. The event was attended by just over 50 students and teachers that were apart of the school since its start in 1976.

Cooperation between libraries and knowledge centers on the BES islands, Aruba, Curacao, St Maarten and Suriname took a huge step forward thanks to the establishment of the Dutch Caribbean Library Association. During the 4th Dutch Caribbean Library seminar which took place between March 14h and March 16h in Paramaribo Suriname the library association was formally established. Philipsburg Jubilee Library was represented by Mrs. Monique Alberts and Mrs. Lucille Kolf during the seminar.
The association focuses on a broad spectrum of issues. Not only the public and academic libraries of the Dutch Caribbean are involved but also information policy departments of different government entities as well as the law libraries of the courts of justice of the different countries.
The first board of the new association is composed of : Mrs. Monique Alberts, Director of the Philipsburg Jubilee Library, St Maarten ( President), Mrs. Astrid Britten, Director of the National Library of Aruba) ( Secretary), Mrs. Jane Smith, Director of the Library of the Anton de Kom University , Suriname ( Vice president) , Mrs. Harely Martina, Information specialist at the Central Bureau of Statistics Curacao ( Treasurer) and Mrs. Leonie Peterson, Library coordinator of the University of Aruba ( boardmember).
The main objectives of the Dutch Caribbean Library Association are to facilitate development and use of libraries, archives and other information institutes and to preserve the written cultural heritage of the Dutch Caribbean.
During the three day seminar in Suriname presentations were given by Peter Hessels of the Royal Tropical Institute ( KIT) from Amsterdam, Mrs. Marian Koren representing the Dutch Library Platform FOBID and two representatives of "Loket aangepast lezen "from the Hague Netherlands which provides services for persons with reading disabilities.
Following these presentations the group of 60 librarians and other information professionals worked for three days on the strategic plan and other important policy documents for the new association. In the coming year the association will fortify her position by recruiting sponsors and new members. Persons and institutes interested in joining or supporting the association can contact DCLA President Monique Alberts by e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 1721 542 2970.

The maritime patrol aircraft Dash 8 of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard played a vital role in two rescues at sea last weekend.

After the earlier successful rescue of a small freighter caught adrift near Bonaire, the Dash 8 was called into action near St. Maarten on Saturday. Following a brief search, a fishing vessel in distress was located near Antigua. Identified as the fishing vessel "Exodus" with two persons on board, a rescue effort was set up by the Rescue & Coordination Centre of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard. A motor vessel nearby was directed to the Exodus and was able to tow the fishing vessel to St. Johns. The Coast Guard of Antigua then safely guided the Exodus into the port.

The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard is responsible for search and rescue at sea and maritime law enforcement. The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard is ready and available 24/7 at the toll-free number 913.

Marigot:--- Electors on French St. Martin are currently casting their ballots at the various polling stations throughout the French side of the island. Early predictions show that there will be a higher voter's turn this year.
However, voters are getting tired of waiting since the procedure at several of the polling stations are moving extremely slow. Critics say that the slowness at the polling stations is due to the fact that the Presidents of the polling stations are new and this is the first time they are participating in an election. A territorial councilor at one of the bureaus said that the Collectivity chose the first 13 elected officials to be the presidents of the bureaus while the other councilors are substitute. "You will find Daniel Gibbs and Marthe Ogoundele Tessi both persons who are contesting the elections on separate lists are presiding at different bureaus. The incumbent President Frantz Gumbs was seen manning bureau number one while senator Louis Constant Fleming was the Collectivité securing his voters as they enter. Some voters in French Quarter were overheard saying they are ready to quit the lines. There were long lines at bureaus 12 and 13 in French Quarter while Friars Bay and Nina Duverly School also had very long lines there too. If the procedure continues to be slow it is likely that many people might not get the opportunity to cast their ballots and it will take much longer to get the results tonight. At noon today, there were 3256 votes already casts.
SMN News will be bringing you the results live tonight.

Click here to view photos of March 18th Election Process.

Philipsburg:--- To reward excellence in reading, the Segway Experience Center and the Bottoms Up Bar and Restaurant treated the students of the Readers Are Leaders Program from the St. Maarten Vocational Training school and the St. Maarten Academy to an afternoon of fun. The students who were treated to free Segway rides and soft drinks by the managing director, Normand Vidal, were ecstatic for being rewarded for reading. Therefore, they thanked Mr. Vidal and the owner of Bottoms Up Bar and Restaurant for this fabulous experience.

The students will once have an opportunity to be proud of their reading achievements on Wednesday, March 28th, when they will once again be rewarded by the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise and the Philipsburg Jubilee Library for taking up the challenge to read at least one book a month for the annual Readers are Leaders Program.

International oriented lawyer Michiel van den Brink was sworn in by the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten and Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba in St. Maarten on Friday 2nd of March. Michiel is one of five lawyers working at recently landed law firm VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne.

Michiel studied Dutch and International Law at the University of Leiden in The Netherlands and the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, and graduated in 2006. During his studies, he worked as a legal clerk for a Cape Town law firm and was involved with a free legal aid organization.

In 2007 he started his career at a medium-sized law firm in Amsterdam, where he assisted local companies and multinationals with regard to general contract law and company law. He is an experienced litigator. Furthermore, he was frequently appointed as receiver in bankruptcy by the Amsterdam District Court.

Since September 2011, Michiel joined VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne and assists companies and individuals with regard to general commercial matters, including litigation. Since 2012, Michiel has also been appointed as receiver in bankruptcy by the Sint Maarten Court of First Instance.

VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne officially opened its offices in St. Maarten in November 2011 with five lawyers. With offices in Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Maarten and a Dutch Caribbean Desk in Amsterdam, the law firm is present on all islands of the Dutch Caribbean. With approximately 35 specialized lawyers, the firm provides transactional and litigious legal services to businesses, governments, NGOs and individuals.

Philipsburg:--- The victim of an armed robbery with initials B.B.A. from the Dominican Republic filed an official complaint with detectives stating that on Tuesday March 13, 2012 at approximately 1:00am while walking from "FeFe Bar" to "El Capitan" he was robbed by two unknown young men. He stated that both men were dressed in dark colored clothing and both were armed with a knife. While being threatened with their knives he was robbed of his cash, cellular phone, silver colored necklace, watch, and personal documents. After committing this act both robbers took off running in the direction of "Fefe Bar" and disappeared in the dark.
This case is under investigation by the Special Robbery Unit.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Franklin Meyers, congratulates the staff of the Weather Bureau at the Princess Juliana International Airport on World Meteorological Day (WMD), which is being celebrated around the world today, March 23 by the meteorological community.

The theme for WMD 2012 is "Powering our future with weather, climate and water."

WMD commemorates the entry into force, on that date in 1950, of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Convention creating the Organization. Subsequently, in 1951, WMO was designated a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) System. Today, the WMO comprises of 189 members.

"I also use this opportunity to congratulate the staff of the Curacao Meteorological Department as well since the aforementioned is providing services to our department until we have our own full-fledged department established.

"The Curacao department provides invaluable service along with the staff of the Sint Maarten Department especially during the hurricane season. That is when we hear more from our Met Service; however they play an important role every single day when they provide aviation weather data to the control tower at the airport.

"We must show appreciation for the work that they do. Congratulations on your international day," Hon. Minister Franklin Meyers said on Friday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday the President of Parliament Hon. drs. Gracita Arrindell visited the Dr. Luther Martin King Jr. School in Dutch Quarter on the occasion of Black History month.

"I was excited to be invited to spend some time with the school as the students and teachers performed several beautiful skits and recited poems.

"Having the opportunity to share with the young ones what the remembrance of the month can mean to them from the historic perspective of Sint Maarten achieving its new status, as well was special.

"I thank the school management, especially teacher Richardson for their invitation and making this day a memorable one for the school," President of Parliament Hon. Gracita Arrindell said on Wednesday.

Great Bay:--- The services of the Safe Haven Foundation-Home for Battered Women are now available at the Community Helpdesks located in Cole Bay and St. Peters. The foundation is available in Cole Bay on Wednesday's from 1PM-5PM, Thursdays in Dutch Quarter from 1 – 5 pm and on Friday's in St. Peters from 1PM-5PM.
Information can be obtained about child support, restraining orders, divorce etc. from professional care takers of the foundation. The foundation is asking those that are in an abusive relationship, and need shelter or other forms of help to please visit the Community Helpdesk on the respective days, and you will receive assistance in a confidential manner.
Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever is pleased that the Safe Haven Foundation is now offering their services, and he is asking the persons in those respective communities to take advantage of the services being offered in your neighborhood.

Marigot:--- The Phenomenal Women in St. Martin Political Debate that was held at the Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday night showed that most of the female politicians that are contesting the upcoming territorial election need to sharpen their public speaking skills. While this is the first time a political debate was held on the French side featuring female candidates, it was clear that the prospective female leaders of this island would need to apprise themselves of the current issues facing St. Martin if they are to enhance their career and fully represent the people of St. Martin.

Based on the answers the candidates provided to the questions they were asked it is clear that the candidates have no knowledge on how the French system works. Some of the questions asked by the two hosts, Josianne Fleming and Jacqueline Louis left some of the candidates baffled. One of the candidates said to SMN News that the questions surrounding the Social epidemic, Education, Security, Women's affairs and Youth Delinquency were too challenging for them.

While it took courage for those women to put their name on a slate for the March 18th election it is apparent that they are not yet prepared for the challenges that lay ahead of them. Territorial Councilors are expected to make policies and take decisions that would impact the lives of the people living on St. Martin. Political leaders are also expected to confront the State and demand what is rightfully due to St. Martin and to do that those that are elected to office needs to be up to par with what is taking place around them, they would also need to know the laws that they are guided by and as such political leaders on this side of the island would need to upgrade themselves intellectually.

Two members from each of the six political parties that are contesting the March 18, 2012 Territorial Council Election participated in Wednesday night's debate.

Click here to view more photos of the female candidates that participated in the Phenomenal Women in St. Martin Political Debate.

SIMPSON BAY:--- The Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) was evacuated for a period that lasted less than an hour Wednesday evening due to a strong smell, which was causing passengers and staff to cough. The evacuation, which began at 20:26 hours (8:26 PM), was initiated by the airport's Rescue and Fire Fighting department as a precautionary measure after being called by airport security to investigate the smell.
The security fan-out procedure went into immediate effect, while the St. Maarten Fire Department was notified. All persons in the terminal were evacuated to a designated assembly point in the bus holding area. The Fire Department did an assessment of the smell, which was initially reported as an acidic smell. The assessment, however, revealed that there were no chemicals present.
The evacuation was called off at 21:15 (9:15 PM) and the airport resumed normal operation. No bomb threat was reported nor were there any injuries arising from the emergency situation. As a result of the evacuation, LIAT's flight to Antigua suffered a delay. However, LIAT's inbound passengers who were on board during the evacuation were allowed to deplane once the evacuation was called off.
"We commend our security and Rescue and Fire Fighting personnel for their swift action in ensuring a successful evacuation. We also commend the St. Maarten Fire Department for its immediate action," said PJIAE Managing Director, Regina Labega.
Airport security continues to monitor the situation.

The Commander of the Voluntary Corps of Sint Maarten (VKS) hereby announces that the VKS will be having a target practice on Saturday March 3, 2012, from 10 AM - 5 PM at the shooting range, located at Emilio Wilson's Estate.

The general public is requested to exercise caution when passing through this area.

The Commander regrets any inconvenience caused.

Philipsburg:--- Civil Servants from the ministries of General Affairs, Finance, Justice, V.R.O.M.I. and V.S.A. took the oath before His Excellency Governor Eugene B. Holiday.
The Governor stated in his speech that proper government revolves around the people's interest. Thus, civil servants are expected to play an important role in the proper functioning of a democratic society. Civil servants are charged with the preparation and implementation of the decisions of government and as such they are uniquely positioned to serve the public and help foster good governance principles, such as fairness and effective and efficient service.
The Governor addressing the civil servants emphasizes that the role as assigned to them comes with great responsibility. The law acknowledges that and as a result requires that all public servants upon employment, upon changing of function or when acting in another function must take an oath. Having been transferred from the former island territory, the former central government or having been employed since October 10, 2010 it is required that you take the oath in keeping with that legal provision. Taking an oath or making a pledge is therefore a serious personal and legal matter.
The Governor further stated that the oath of civil servants is a solemn expression of their commitment and responsibility to perform the function of civil servant with integrity, dedication, diligence and professionalism, all within the bounds of the laws of Sint Maarten. The Governor recommended that the civil servant use the oath as a guide in the performance of their functions in their respective capacities.
The Governor expressed his appreciation for the important public service which the civil servants have already undertaken towards building the government apparatus of Sint Maarten and wished the civil servant success with their future endeavors.
The ceremony consisted of six separate sessions. Each participant received a lapel pin as a keepsake of this extraordinary day and will receive a process-verbal in which their oath or promise will be formally registered. At the end of each ceremony, Governor Holiday congratulated all participants.

Philipsburg:--- Medical doctors of the future American Clinic (TAC), while they were here on the island on a familiarization trip during a meeting with Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Secretary General of Bureau Ombudsman Patsy Philips, presented the Philipsburg Jubilee Library recently with a copy of the bureau's handbook 2011-12. This is part of the transparency process and will allow members of the public to review the handbook.

The handbook comprises of established guidelines for the bureau; work procedures; tasks of the ombudsman; formation plan; a compilation of all main documents that guide the Ombudsman bureau; 10-year strategic plan; budget of the ombudsman bureau; communications plan; case investigation and complaints processes; standards of proper conduct of the ombudsman; and the code of conduct for civil servants.

Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) is planning on launching the Green Key as their second Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) program. EPIC was accepted by FEE as National Operator in 2008 and has already launched the Blue Flag program on St. Maarten.

Before the Green Key program can be launched on St. Maarten the feasibility of implementing the program must be established. Two Dutch Environmental Sciences students, Rianne Pastoor and Angela Snip, are currently investigating the feasibility of running the Green Key program on St. Maarten for hotels. This feasibility study is being carried out under the direction of EPIC and the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA).

If implementing the Green Key on St. Maarten is determined to be feasible then criteria needs to be designed for the companies involved. This criteria is formed using International criteria created by the International Green Key Committee and National criteria created by the National Green Key Committee, formed on St. Maarten. After the criteria are approved by the International Committee in Denmark, a pilot phase has to be run at two different locations. Subsequent to this pilot phase the criteria can be adjusted if needed. Should implementing the program be determined to be feasible, the researchers will advise the pilot locations on how to implement the Green Key in their company. EPIC, the SHTA and the researchers will also host a Green Key workshop for interested hotels.

The Green Key is a voluntary eco-label for tourism facilities that promotes sustainable tourism by encouraging best environmental management initiatives. The Green Key educates and empowers tourism actors, including enterprises, authorities, guests, and local communities to change unsustainable behavior and become importantly involved in the protection of their environment. The program is currently operating in 28 countries and counts approximately 1500 Green Key locations.

Tourism facilities awarded a Green Key adhere to National and International Green Key criteria. The criteria have been designed to be easily understood by tourists, feasible for the tourism industry, and clearly verifiable through control checks. The criteria focus on environmental management, technical demands, and initiatives for the involvement of guests, staff and suppliers. Some of the categories covered are: water, waste, and energy management, involvement and awareness of guests, environmental management and staff involvement.

Green Key establishments report many benefits such as savings on water, energy and reducing waste. It creates a noticeably better environment for guests and staff, a better environmental image, marketing advantages and increased activity and sales. The Green Key program might help in dealing with the environmental challenges that St. Maarten faces, but the enforcement of proper environmental legislation, planning and assessment procedures are also important.

Rianne Pastoor and Angela Snip look forward to a positive working relationship and a high level of interest from the different hotels on the island. Interested parties can contact EPIC at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 5453009.

On behalf of the residents of St. Peters we would like to take this opportunity to invite the residents of St. Peters and the general public to an emergency town hall meeting on Monday, March 26, 2012 at the Rupert Maynard Community Center from 7pm to 8:30pm. The purpose of the meeting is to:

1. acquire insight and clarity regarding the referendum and election process
2. receive a comprehensive overview of the activities, legal and financial position of the SPCC
3. obtain clarity on the Council's cessation for approximately four years.

This in our view is necessary in order to prevent the future leadership of the council from inheriting a terrible mess and protect the general interests of the community. If this matter is not quickly resolved it may erode public trust, raise serious reservations of the future Council's legitimacy, and negatively impact its ability to enhance the quality of life in St. Peters. Our greatest defense against the encroaching social maladies affecting our neighborhood is unity, organization, and cooperation. Therefore, we are confident that the symposium will restore our beloved village, foster social and spiritual transformation, and make a lasting impression upon the hearts and minds of the entire community.
"Up Ye Mighty People, You Can Accomplish What You Will" - The Right and Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey

Riegnald "Bakari" Arrindell
Garveyite and Concerned Resident of St. Peters

The general public is hereby informed that registration for the English and Dutch Elementary Programs at Hillside Christian Schools for the school year 2012-2013 will take place throughout the month of April (except on the Public Holidays) at our St. Peters campus.

Our schools offer quality Christian Education from Group One through Group Eight (previously known as Kindergarten One and Two and Grades One through Six) (for children ages 4-12) in either Dutch (at our St. Peters campus) or English (at our Cay Hill Campus – which is behind the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex).

With our new English language campus opening in Cay Hill in August 2012, extra spaces will be available for the Dutch Program at the St. Peters Campus. For both the English and Dutch programs, a fresh, holistic approach involving interactive teaching will be used to meet the needs of our students.

Spaces are also available (for 3-year-olds) in our Pre-School (Early Stimulation) Programs in Dutch at St. Peters and English in Cay Hill.

Persons wishing to register their child for the English or Dutch programs should do so at our school at 25 Grapefruit Rd., St. Peters, beginning: Monday, April 2nd
Time: 9.00AM till 3.00 PM

The following documents and/or items must be submitted upon registration at Hillside Christian Schools:

1. One copy of child's passport
2. One copy of child's birth certificate
3. Recent Registration Form from the Census Office
4. Two copies of child's vaccination documents
5. Child's valid residence permit if child doesn't have Dutch Nationality
6. Three recent passport pictures
7. Transfer Letter (former school)
8. Copy of medical insurance of parents/child
9. Deposit and parental contribution

	Registration fee	Parental Contribution
Early Stimulation (Pre-School)	Naf. 50,- or $28,-	Monthly: Naf. 180,- or $100,-
Groups One through Eight	Naf. 50,- or $ 28,-	Yearly: Naf. 300,- or $ 167,

For further information please call the school on 548 3747 or 587 3663.

A lot of excitement continues to be generated about Movie Night at the Zoo on Friday March 30th, featuring "The Bear".

Set in the late 1800s in British Columbia, "The Bear" lets us in on the misadventures of a bouncing baby bear (played mainly by a cub called Youk) and his big buddy (Bart the Bear). Due to a freak accident, the bear is orphaned as a tiny little thing; not knowing what else to do, he stays with the body of his mother until hunger gets the better of him and he must go in search of food. Before long he meets the old and wise Kodiak male who will become his friend, teacher and protector. This is a beautifully and poignantly told tale, without the need for words.
The shots of the scenery of British Columbia are outstanding.
The movie is rated PG and may not be suitable for very young children.

Movie Night starts at 7:00 PM at the Zoo and the movie will start at 7:45 PM. Purchase your tickets at the gate.
The cost is $15.00 and includes a free drink of champagne.
Drinks and snacks will also be on sale.
This is a fundraising to spruce up the Zoo and make some improvements, so please support us and come to a fun evening showing a very special movie.
See you at the Zoo!

In a ceremony held earlier in the Month JCI St. Maarten elected their 2012 Board of Directors.

The President is JC Meandra Hazel
Vice President International JC Georgino Barns
Vice President Community & Bussiness JC Ingrid Delgado
Vice President Trainings JC Corwin James
Treasurer JC Janine Hunte
Secretary JC Corinne Isaac
IPP JC Lionel Lawrance

JCI St. Maarten is the local chaper of JCI International which is a World Wide Leadership training Organization.

This years JC Meandra said her forus will be on bringing back the past members, associates and Senators together as much as possible to work on projects.

On the 8th & 9th of June 2012 JCI St. Maarten will be hosting the Dutch Caribeean Mid Year meeting. All memebrs and past memebrs are invited to fellowship with their other JCI members from the Dutch Caribbean Islands while attending some dynamic trainings workshops and socials.

Philipsburg:--- Minister of Justice Roland Duncan has issued a strong warning to employers on the island who have been refusing to seek the necessary working and residency permits for their employees. The Justice Minister said that these employers are acting in violation of the laws and his Ministry plans to take serious action which includes the implementation of fines that can amount to as much as Naf. 100,000.00.
Minister Duncan made the announcement on Wednesday during the Council of Minister's press briefing. He said he has noticed that employers are announcing vacancies and they would indicate that only Dutch citizens or people with valid working permits could apply. The Minister said he also noticed an increase in the amount of people that are requesting to sign for themselves while working for businesses on the island. Minister Duncan also said a number of people have approached IND informing them that if they are not able to acquire their own working or residency permits then they will lose their jobs.
Minister Duncan said these employers are acting illegally and he is of the opinion that they are trying to circumvent the law. He further explained that people can only sign for themselves if they have sufficient means to reside on the island. Minister Duncan said the Ministry of Justice made an exception for people who applied for the category one Brooks Tower permit that have been residing on the island prior to 2001.
The Minister of Justice said that employers need to peruse the law some more because persons who hold a valid working and residency permit can only work for the persons that signed for them. "The minute an employee comes to you with a permit that is under another company the permit becomes invalid the minute they begin working for you. I am going to this length to explain this to let employers know that they are operating in violation of the law." He made clear that the labour and Justice Ministry knows exactly who the employment agencies are and they know where these people place their workers. Employers who do not comply with the law are committing a crime and they will have to face the consequences.
The Minister said there is a group of people whom he met with and they are of opinion that they don't have to get an employment permit. He called on all persons residing and working on the island to familiarize themselves with the law.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Is one of your 2012 resolutions to work flexible hours, make more money or to change careers?

If so, then the University of St. Martin is proud to offer a new program designed just for you: Graphic Design Xpress.

This new accelerated program is a two-level course, designed by KGraphix and is facilitated by USM. Level one is scheduled to start at the end of March and will meet six hours a week for a period of three months. Level two will begin subsequently for the same period of time. The program is designed to give participants with basic computer skills and creative talent the necessary tools and skills to launch a lucrative freelance design business or to be employed as a qualified Graphic Designer.

“The course is designed in such a way that participants of all ages with basic computer skills and creative ability can increase their value in the job market and/or save their company lots of expenses by designing their marketing materials internally,” says Kevin Baly, owner of KGraphix and designer/instructor for this program.

He adds that students who have not had the opportunity to go abroad for this type of education can now benefit from the program right here in St. Maarten. This is also a great opportunity for those who are interested in generating a supplemental income while working from home, or those contemplating a career change.

In the first level of the course, participants will learn the basics of Graphic Design, color and fonts, Adobe Photoshop for Beginners, Adobe Illustrator for beginners, Logo Design 1 and Web Design Xpress (Very basic web design using templates).

The second level of the course will include the following classes: Logo Design II, Advertising and collateral Design, Adobe Photoshop-Advanced, Adobe Illustrator- Advanced, Adobe InDesign Basics, portfolio preparation, Print production workshop and Build your Freelance Business.

Baly further adds that upon completion of Graphic Design Xpress, each student will have real-time experience from working on at least one real project during the Level II course. He stressed that each student will have to complete the course with a perfect attendance record to earn a Certificate of Completion.

Baly is a St. Martiner who graduated from Parsons School of Design (Paris) in 1997 and went on to work as a Senior Art Director for Oglivy & Mather in the US, designing national advertising campaigns for clients such as Coca Cola, Holiday Inn, Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts and Priority Club Rewards. He later launched his own freelance design company in New York and has recently moved his operations to St. Martin.

Sign up for this great opportunity to change/enhance your career today by contacting the University of St. Martin’s Student Service Center at telephone 542-5171 extension 1000. In an effort to make this program affordable to all interested participants, the University of St. Martin is offering a payment plan option for those who qualify. This course will only run based on sufficient enrollment.

The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) is reminding all booth holders that complete payment for their booths must be made by or before March 31, 2012. Additionally, Booth holders should also start going to the Economic Affairs Department/Licenses to obtain their licenses to operate for Carnival 2012.

The SCDF had already outlined these steps in its first general meeting of booth holders some weeks ago but urges all booths holders not to wait until the last minute to get their affairs in order. Booth holders also have until March 31 to submit all photos for the persons who will be working in their booth for the Carnival season.

There is a US $50 penalty fee for booth holders who do not submit all of their pictures as well as total payment for their booth by March 31. In such a case, booth holders will have only three days after March 31 to make payment including the penalty fee. SCDF board members are available to accept payment and answer any questions every Saturday from 10:00am until 2:00pm in their temporary office.

The office is located in the parking lot at the rear of the Government Administration Building in Philipsburg (blue containers). "We urge all booth holders to adhere to the deadline of March 31. The SCDF has a waiting list of over 30 people who want a booth. Unfortunately if any booth holder fails to make payment, they run the risk of losing their booth," the SCDF said.

All booths in Carnival Village have been allotted for Carnival 2012. The SCDF has been operating at its temporary office for the past three weeks. A number of booth holders have already started making payment, some in installments.

Great Bay:--- Minister of Public Health, Social Development & Labor, Cornelius de Weever is encouraging all locals and legal residents to visit the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort two day workshop on Monday, March 5 and Tuesday, March 6 , 2012.
"Please make an extra effort to go out to the resort and register for the various job openings being offered," said Minister de Weever.

Willemstad, CURAÇAO:--- The message of the 9th Annual Women Conference in Curaçao 'About Women and Influence' was clear: women must use their influence more. The conference took place last weekend at the Hyatt Regency Curaçao Golf Club, Spa and Marina, with female and male participants.
The conference started on Friday with the annual celebration of women where one minute of silence was held for the last week deceased conference supporter artist Irene Monte van Grieken. It continued on Saturday with the three powerful speakers Angèle Corasol, Dr. Emsley Tromp and Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams.

Communications expert and scout leader Angèle Corasol explained that the aspects of influence show that influence is either negative or positive; influence should add value; with influence comes responsibility and that influence is a choice.
President of the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten Dr. Emsley Tromp said that the woman who has influenced his life the most is his now 98 years old grandmother. 'My grandmother taught me that every person's achievements or possessions in life are the sum total of his struggle, agonies and triumphs. You are responsible for your life, and your success depends on the choices you make. Therefore, you should always autograph your work with excellence. I therefore would like to recommend that you all believe in your own potential, make your choices, plan your career path, and work on your career. Remember that the only person who owes you anything is YOU'.
Finally it was Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams who looked at the individuals who make up the sum "WOMEN" and recognized that: 'we are who we are because of influences in our live, yet at the same time, we have the power, yes, the power, to influence lives so dramatically that we could collectively chart and change the course of entire societies. We are fortunate that in our small societies we have trailblazers and have accomplished in terms of gender advancements great strides'.

The total experience of this year's conference showed that those present were eager to get more information on the topic and to continue with events like this. During the conference there were different other activities and information sessions on healthy body corrections, feng shui and wealth management. The focus is now on the 10th 'Annual Women Conference in Curaçao that will take place in 2013.

International Women's Day 2012 is being observed under the theme: "Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures."
The tag line for this day is "If every International Women's Day event held in 2012 includes girls in some way, then thousands of minds will be inspired globally."

Every country is free to use the international theme or adapt it to the local circumstances as seen fit.
International Women's Day first emerged from the activities of women labor movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe.
Early 20th century history is marked by women rising up to demand respect and dignified treatment as workers and human beings.
More and more this day is not only about past achievements and new challenges facing women worldwide, but more so about empowerment of women to make them agents of change for the good of the human race.

In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating March 8 as International Women's Day. In December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace to be observed by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions.

The overarching goal this year is about passing on the baton to future generations and equipping the younger generations of women with the skills and especially the mindset to want to leave their own mark behind.
Girl children look at us for direction. Truth of the matter is, influences, good and bad, reach them from every corner of the globe through the vast array of modern technological means.
If we focus on our St. Maarten community, women make up approximately 50% of our population and their contribution can be found in every sector of society.
Needless to say, women as mothers, teachers and caregivers of our children have that invaluable task of molding entire future generations.
It is with this in mind that as a society we must pay close attention to women who fulfill those roles. If they are ill equipped, it can not be expected that they will discharge of their duties in a meaningful way.
Mothers who are faced with dire social circumstances will seek any way out and children quickly sense that despondency.
Girl children in those circumstances are vulnerable and easily taken advantage of. Teenage motherhood is often a result of unguided young girls seeking "a way out". This way out can be associating with the wrong crowd or easily falling for false promises by boys and men.
And the cycle continues, unless we decide to break through it.
By breaking through it, we need to utilize the strengths of the mothers and role models amongst us to "connect our girls".
Make no mistake, these role models can also be young girls themselves, as our community has many examples of young women who are focused on making something worthwhile of their lives.
Women's work and contribution to our nation's development are sometimes taking for granted.
In most sectors, these women work side by side with their male counterparts. There is no special treatment because they are women, and I guess the women would want it no other way.
A group of women that comes to mind on this International Women's Day are our taxi drivers.
To be competitive, they must compete with their colleagues and be out there in rain or sunshine. Not only is that their livelihood, but they are also called to be ambassadors and guides for our visitors. This, many do, also as mothers and wives.
Today is as good a day as any to pay homage to these women, who must also connect (with) young girls, their daughters and others.
I thank them for the contribution they make daily to the most important pillar of our economy: TOURISM.
"May God continue to bless you, enabling you to carry out your daily task of providing the visitors to our island with a wonderful first impression. One that is welcoming, warm, caring and informative. Character traits that are typical of our female taxi-drivers. Character traits of a group of St. Maarten women who are doing us proud!"
To all St. Maarten women, connect with the girls in your life and those around you. Provide them with a foundation that will make them confident and self-assured women of tomorrow.
To the men: You too can inspire the futures of the younger generations through your actions and connectivity and being role models for the young men who look at you for guidance and mentoring.

To women all around the world, happy International Women's Day.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The first of several town hall meetings gets underway on Thursday about development plans for country Sint Maarten.

The town hall sessions are being organized by the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI).

The input of the community is considered paramount in this process and in order for the right choices to be made, the community has to have a say by giving their views with respect to the spatial national development of the country.

The drafting of the development plans will take approximately 24 months and the aforementioned plans will guide the future spatial development of the country where it relates to government and private land.

The draft plan in preparation for Simpson Bay includes Beacon Hill and the Simpson Bay Lagoon.

The first town hall meeting will be held in Simpson Bay on Thursday, March 8 in the Allen Halley Sports & Recreation Center starting at 7.00pm. Residents of Simpson Bay and Beacon Hill and surrounding areas are invited to come to the meeting.

The planning process entails the following steps for public participation and support for each of the plans:

• an inventory of wishes in town hall meetings that will result in a memorandum of principles for the development plan;
• a consultation concerning the choices that have to be made for the preparation of the preliminary draft development plan;
• your opinion with regards to the proposals in the preliminary draft development plan, which will be presented in a public hearing.

The Government believes that the public and stakeholders must have a say in the preparation of the plans, and must also have the opportunity to (public) review and give comments on the draft plans before they are sent to Parliament for approval.

Gracita R. Arrindell, Founder of the Peridot Foundation states, " the celebration of International Women's Day Thursday March 8th 2012 is commemorated each year by millions of women around the world.

Peridot Foundation joins the world in support of this year's theme chosen by the United Nations.

The international theme chosen this year by the United Nations ( UN) is : "Empower rural women: End hunger and poverty". It's a fact that too many women around the world living in rural areas still face many challenges including not having the possibility of equal access to resources including financial opportunities to sustain themselves and their families. Having access to financial resources would assist greatly in reducing hunger for 15 million people across the globe."

The United Nations (UN) Women's organization UN Women choose to place emphasis this year on advancing women's economic empowerment and political participation and leadership. Empowering women in general, and in particular women who live in rural areas who need to break through the economic glass ceiling is a continuous process we must all support in whichever way possible.

The St. Maarten Achievers Toastmasters Club hosted an extra ordinary Mars vs Venus 'speech-a-thon'. There were six prepared speeches by its members on how men and women differ on love, relationships, and career. Given the theme of the evening and the hype thereof, the attendance was indeed overwhelming with representation of all five clubs on the island and a number of guests.

Presenters for the evening were: Club President, Malcolm Jacques' 'Gender Differences from a Mental Perspective', Vice President, Ludmila York-Duncan's 'Fem Corp', Alston Lourens' radio interview 'Women are Crazy and Men are Crazy For Them, Miloushka Euson's 'Appraisal', Dwight Williams' 'The Virtue of Manliness' and Arliene Chittick's 'Men Be(a)ware'.
The presentations were of a high standard, competitive and each one was well received by the audience.
The St.Maarten Achievers Toastmaster Club has been serving the St Maarten community since 2007 with a membership base of young professionals. The club has been experiencing a rapid membership growth while focusing on its goal of developing its members' communication and leadership skills.

The Club meets every 2nd and 4th Thursday at the Philipsburg Jubilee library at 7:15pm. Their next meeting will be on March 22nd, 2012. A special invitation is extended to the general public.

Member of Parliament George Pantophlet says that on February 22, 2012, he submitted some questions to the following Ministers: Deputy Minister Theo Heyliger, Minister Hiro Shigemoto, and Minister Franklyn Meyers. To date no response has been received. The questions were submitted in writing and the Member of Parliament is looking forward to receiving the response in writing prior to the public meeting on the draft Budget of 2012. He is reminding the respective Ministers that they have a responsibility to respond to Parliament and by extension the people of St. Maarten. It is not without reason that the Ministers were given a fair amount of personnel to assist them in their duties, contrary to Parliament the people's representative who are the legislators and supervisors.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Energy Affairs Hon. Theo Heyliger says he welcomes the ideas of the Democratic Party (DP) coalition partner regarding prepaid meters for electricity consumers and net metering for those who produce their own alternative energy.

DP Faction Leader in Parliament Hon. Member of Parliament Roy Marlin announced a few days ago that his faction would be presenting a draft law amendment to the ordinance granting the electricity concession to power and water utility company N.V. GEBE.

The draft law amendment is expected according to the DP faction leader to be presented during the upcoming public handling of the 2012 national budget.

According to Minister of Energy Affairs Theo Heyliger, the Government of Sint Maarten has identified energy issues that are of great importance for the island and has subsequently developed a draft energy policy addressing the energy issues and the actions needed to move policy to implementation, with the ultimate goal of ensuring a sustainable, affordable and environmental friendly energy situation for the country.

Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment, Infrastructure and Energy Affairs Hon. Theo Heyliger, says the national Green Energy Plan for the country will also provide in allowing households and commercial enterprises to produce electrical energy with renewable energy sources like solar power and wind power for their own consumption while it will be facilitated to deliver the surplus of power produced to the GEBE grid, making use of net metering.

Other identified energy issues are moving away from the use of diesel #2 and heavy fuel oil for power production; the introduction of a country-wide energy efficiency program; and pursue improved efficiency at GEBE.

Seek for renewable energy options such as a wind farm or solar panel arrays; enabling households and commercial clients to install small renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. Tax incentives and attractive loans for individual consumers would be also considered.

A study would also be made of the impact of introducing Smart Grid concepts for an improved electric supply chain from the power plant to the customer premises. One of the Smart Grid concepts considered is prepaid metering.

Next to renewable energy options, introduction of LNG should also be studied. The impact on tariffs as well as on the environmental advantages looks interesting according to the draft policy document. The LNG study may also cover natural gas supply for household cooking gas and for the transportation sector.

The study on the feasibility of LNG besides looking at usage for cooking gas will also look at the usage as vehicle fuel. At the same time, the feasibility of introducing electric cars will also be explored.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Finance Hon. Hiro Shigemoto has forwarded via the President of Parliament answers to questions related to queries from Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. George Pantophlet.

The letter to the President of Parliament was dated 12 March, 2012. It contains correspondence related to the Corporate Governance Council.

MP Hon. George Pantophlet sent his letter to the President of Parliament dated February 21, 2012 with five questions seeking information from the Minister of Finance concerning the Budget of the Corporate Governance Council.

This event takes place Saturday March 24, 2012 at the Imbali Dance School located at the John Larmonie Center.

The family fun day will encompass many child centered activities.
Starting at 10am you will have an opportunity to explore many activities ranging from:

• clowing classes
• story time
• learning traditional St. Maarten folk songs and dances
• arts and craft
• face painting
• have your picture taken

and many other activities geared towards fun filled learning.

Activites will be scheduled throughout out the day with a children fashion show, as well as performances from the Imbali Dance students.

Please support our event. We are raising funds to send our dance students to compete at the annual French Federation of Dance being held in St. Barth this year.

Marigot:--- Incumbent President of the Territorial Council of St. Martin Frantz Gumbs acknowledged in a press release that there were some problems during the first round of the election last Sunday. Gumbs said the staff of the Collectivité is working feverishly to make the process smoother.
"We acknowledge that there were some problems of organization in a few of the polling stations and we are working on correcting this in order to have a better flow of voters passing through the stations, so the greatest number of voters possible can make their choice of candidate," Gumbs said. The President also thanked the election staff of the Collectivité for their hard work, and said that they will be called on again to repeat the effort this coming Sunday for the second round.
The second round of the election will be contested by the RRR party and Team Daniel Gibbs, Gumbs indicated. There was no mention in the press release of the third party Union pour Le Progres prompting speculation that Louis-Constant Fleming may not participate.

President Frantz Gumbs also thanked the population and the candidates for their peaceful participation. He said there were some confrontations here and there but the people acted in a "generally civilized" manner during the first round of the election and during the campaign beforehand.
He said all six lists had the opportunity to express themselves in complete freedom. "The print and broadcast media, social networks, permitted debates to be organized and these contributed significantly to informing the public. It allowed the respective programmes, and the candidates themselves, to become better known."

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) over the weekend thanked Minister of Economic Affairs Franklin Meyers for staying true to his commitment to support Carnival by means of an increase in subsidy specifically for marketing St. Maarten's largest annual festival.
During the final debate on the 2012 budget, the Minister came up with a solution to assist the Pony League and Little League through the tourism budget, thereby staving off a motion by the DP Parliamentary group to cut Carnival's subsidy to give to the aforementioned groups. There were also intentions to cut the subsidy of the Heineken Regatta.
Meyers made the commitment in 2011 to increase the subsidies and Carnival and the regatta from Naf. 180,000 per year to Naf. 500,000. The SCDF and St. Maarten Tourism Bureau immediately went to work in drafting a marketing plan for Carnival that would focus on marketing initiatives before, during and after Carnival. The intention is to promote Carnival year-round locally, regionally and international. As such, the funds were earmarked and any cut would leave the SCDF in a complicated position.
Instead of cutting the subsidy, the Minister made a counter-proposal to the DP's Motion to assist the Pony and Little Leagues through other means, leaving the Carnival budget as is. "The Minister has been extremely cooperative with us this year and stayed true to his commitment," the SCDF said.
"He understands the economic generator Carnival can be when marketed properly and made an important investment and necessary investment in Carnival. Annually we do what we can with what we have to push Carnival, but now the Minister has given us the means to do more. The SCDF has been seeking this type of assistance for years from government and this Minister finally stepped up. We will continue to work closely with the tourist office and the Minister to achieve our goals for the overall benefit of St. Maarten," the SCDF said.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Students in the University of St. Martin's (USM) children's literature class taught by Patti Maier were entertained and enlightened by children's author, Jacky Rom, on Wednesday, March 21, 2012. Jacky Rom is visiting St. Maarten again to introduce her third book titled Starr The Golden Masterpiece in a series of five books. This book's story takes place on St. Maarten. Jacky Rom explained how she writes the books and discussed acting with the students. It is always great to expose a children's author to the upcoming new teachers.

Philipsburg:--- Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams told reporters on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers press briefing that she received a letter from Curacao's Minister of Finance George Jamaloodin informing her that she and the Minister of Finance of St. Maarten among others will be held responsible for the bonds issued by the Central Bank for the St. Maarten Harbour Holding Company. The Prime Minister said that St. Maarten's Governor Eugene Holiday also received such letter.
Wescot Williams said that the Minister of Finance of Curacao is attempting to hold Ministers on St. Maarten responsible but in her opinion the Minister could not be serious. She said St. Maarten's Minister of Finance Hiro Shigemoto already responded to the letters they received.
However, Wescot Williams said she believes that St. Maarten should use this opportunity to resolve the issues surrounding the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten once and for all. She said the Central Bank already made a presentation to the Council of Ministers of St. Maarten and they compiled a report for government based on the request that was submitted to them some months ago. The Prime Minister said St. Maarten also requested blueprints for the Central Bank of St. Maarten but that document will depend on St. Maarten's choice of currency. She said she is of the opinion that the island's leaders would have to take some decisions on how to move forward.
Minister of Justice Roland Duncan also added his views on the letter sent by Jamaloodin to St. Maarten's Ministers. Minister Duncan said it was because of these reasons he refused to participate with Curacao and Holland in the ICT project for the Justice Ministry. He said had he agreed then there would have been another joint organization which would have been based in Curacao with St. Maarten being a shareholder that has no say or decision making power. The Justice Minister gave another example of the UTS/St. Maarten shareholder organization in which St. Maarten has no say. He said recently he had to vote against an appointment since Curacao refused to appoint any of the two persons St. Maarten suggested as directors. They said they don't want any spy in their kitchen.
The Minister said he is planning to take radical actions with the BES island since it is impossible for them to think that St. Maarten will accept any and everything. He said if the other partners want to play by the rules then they would have to play by all the rules. He said right now there is no law that authorizes St. Maarten to hold prisoners from Saba and Statia. He also said that police officers from those islands who want to come to St. Maarten armed will soon have to get the necessary permits before they can escort prisoners to Bonaire via St. Maarten. The Justice Minister made clear that if they want to be strict then they must respect all the rules.

To All Arubians in particular and the public in general:

In preparation for the upcoming Aruba Day celebration on Sunday March 18th, the Chuchubi Foundation will be holding its annual sale on paraphernalia's from Aruba

This sale will be held on Saturday, March 3rd, 2012 at the entrance of Le Grand Marche Supermarket. Time: 10:00am until 4:00pm.

Come and get your car flags, pins, scarf's, caps, t-shirts, mugs and more from Aruba.

We also ask that you join us in our annual celebration dance on Saturday March 17th at Port De Plaisance under the tent with Control Band, DJ Ruby and DJ Neils, from 9:00pm – 3:00am. Entrance Fee: $ 15 in advance or $20 at the door. Tickets are obtainable at Van Dorp, Eddy' Auto Supply, Zenitel,, Lydia's Flower Shop and from all board members.

Our annual Bike & Motorcade is on Sunday, March 18th. More information will be forthcoming.

Great Bay:--- Minister De Weever recently met with a group of medical doctors who are interested in working out of The American Clinic (TAC), while they were here on the island on a familiarization trip. The doctors who are specialized in emergency care, cardiology, orthopedic surgery, spine surgery and anesthesiology, to name a few, were very pleased with what they have been introduced to on the island. They will also do volunteer work in the community and are looking forward to the project getting started.

In December 2011 Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius de Weever together with Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic & Telecommunications, Franklyn Meyers signed the Letter of Intent (LOI) with the American Clinic B.V. for the medical tourism project in St. Maarten.

With the establishment of the medical tourism project there will be several advantages for the island. One is that medical tourism would support tourism to the island while broadening and strengthening the economy base of the country. In addition, by having this project on St. Maarten it would create revenue for the island, as well as employment. Moreover, the investors are committed to establishing medical tourism on the island and are prepared to make a substantial investment in this project to achieve the aim and objective of the LOI.

Thus far the American Clinic anticipated project timeline is pretty much on schedule. At the present moment they are busy finalizing the architectural drawings. Minister De Weever stated that he is pleased with the progress that the group is making and looking forward for to the next phase of the project.

Philipsburg:--- On Monday, March 05, 2012, students of the sixth grade of the Leonard Connor School paid a visit to the Government Administration Building, where they posed various questions to Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever in the A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall. One of the questions posed by the students was, will an ophthalmologist also pay a visit to the schools? They were also curious about the purpose of the Community Helpdesk's and if they are successful. The students also posed questions to Deputy Prime Minister Theodore Heyliger and Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic & Telecommunications, Franklyn Meyers.

It's not a regular ladies night this Wednesday, March 7! As we celebrate International Women's History month in March, the "Woman 2 Woman, Phenomenal Women" radio program is making local history with the organization of the "Phenomenal Women in St. Martin Political Debate." Hosted by Josianne Fleming-Artsen and Jacqueline Louis, the dynamic hosts of the "Woman 2 Woman" radio program on SOS Radio 95.9FM, this debate will be held at the St. Martin Chamber of Commerce, located in Concordia at 7 PM on Wednesday, March 7.

"One of the purposes of the 'Woman 2 Woman' radio program is to positively uplift women and bring their phenomenal efforts to the forefront. With the upcoming French St. Martin elections on March 18, the legal obligation of the "lois sur la parite en France," requires that 50% of the list is comprised of female candidates. We saw the need to provide these female candidates with an outlet through interviews on the 'Woman 2 Woman' program. Therefore, over the past few weeks, we have been hosting a special politically charged series focusing on phenomenal women involved in French St. Martin politics. However, due to popular demand, we developed the debate to provide a forum for the general public to ask their questions, voice their concerns, and show support for their candidates of choice. There are six parties and that makes it very challenging for voters, but there is a lot of excitement in the air," shared Josianne Fleming-Artsen, host of the "Woman 2 Woman" radio program, which is aired live on SOS Radio 95.9FM every Sunday from 12:30-1:30PM.

To ensure that all major issues are addressed by the candidates, the general public is asked to log onto to the "Woman 2 Woman" facebook page called W2W – PHENOMENAL WOMEN and send in questions, concerns and/or topics of discussion. Inquiries can also be sent via e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and/or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Debate will be aired live exclusively on SOS Radio 95.9FM

CUL DE SAC:--- St. Maarten Academy's academic campus is continuing its "Choose P.E.A.C.E." Project with the showing of the recently-released movie "The Help". The film, which depicts extraordinary women of the 1960s who broke society's prejudiced rules through courageous acts, is being used to embody courage, represented by the "C" in "P.E.A.C.E.".
The school's Student Care Department, headed by Tallulah Baly, has been organizing a series of activities to exemplify each letter in the acronym P.E.A.C.E.
The movie comes on the heels of presentations by various personalities and field trips to institutions around the island.
Representatives of all five first forms visited the Mental Health Foundation and Sr. Basilia Centre, as well as St. Maarten Veterinary Clinic and the St. Maarten Home, on February 29 and March 2, respectively. The visits were symbolic of the letter E, which stood for empathy. Friday afternoon also brought positivity from workshops by radio personality Elektra of Elektralyte Foundation, and Versatile, recording artist and past student of the Academy.
Elektra addressed the young girls on how important a positive attitude is to their lives. Likewise, Versatile brought real-life experiences to the young men and pointed out the power of the right attitude in life.
"If we respond to life's challenges with peace and a positive attitude, we can determine how we experience the world," other student counselor Lisa Peynado stated.
The students were all elated about their field trips. When they visited St. Maarten Home on Friday, coordinator Chadia Martis briefed them about the clientele and care offered at the home. She also gave a tour of the facilities. Each student sat and talked with clients, both the able-bodied and others who were more dependent. They met former politicians, teachers, and other people from all walks of life, and commended the nurses and staff for the care they give daily to our senior citizens.
That same day, another group visited St. Maarten Veterinary Clinic, where they toured the Cay Hill facility and learned of the different cases that Dr. Swanston and his team handle. The youngsters were able to pet some of the animals and observe the treatment as they were administered.
Back in their respective classes, the students were able to share what they had learned. The main message they expressed was that everyone has to care for animals as they are living creatures with emotional needs as well.
Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, another group of first formers visited Sr. Basilia Center and Mental Health Foundation. Sr. Basilia Centre activities coordinator Mireya Torrenga showed the students around. The young scholars toured the daycare facilities, and met and interacted with five different groups of clients. They were able to explain to their classmates what it means to be disabled and how we should treat all humans with empathy.
Student Lisha Maduro told her class: "I learned that we must treat everyone the same because it is not their fault if they have a disability. Some of us were born with it or because of an accident. So we should all be kind to one another."
At Mental Health Foundation, the students got a presentation on the different disorders of clients and the care that they receive. At this new facility, mentally ill patients are able to receive psychiatric treatment, while remaining close to family and friends. The students also received empathy candles made by clients. The presenter, Danette McRae Gumbs, emphasized that "true empathy can only occur when we successfully shed all preconceived ideas and judgments about others and when we're comfortable with others' deep feelings."
Embracing their lessons in empathy, several students have expressed interest in offering community service at these different institutions. The White and Yellow Cross Foundation and the veterinary clinic are welcoming of young people who wish to serve and care for others who are in need of our empathy.
Prior to these visits, the letter P for "principle" was embraced by reigning Miss St. Maarten Trumane Trotman and radio DJ Lenworth Wilson, both of whom visited the school and spoke to first formers about what it means to have principles.
St. Maarten Academy thanks all facilitators of its "Choose P.E.A.C.E." Project for making the initiative a success.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- University of St. Martin (USM) representatives requested a meeting with Prime Minister (PM) Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams on Wednesday, where the PM was appraised of developments at USM, and cooperation between the Government and USM.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Sunday, 11 March marked the first anniversary of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami that killed approximately 20,000 people in Eastern Japan.

In addition to causing widespread destruction along part of Japan's coastline on 11 March last year, the tsunami also struck the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, disabling cooling systems and leading to fuel meltdowns in three of the six units.

Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams says that the disaster was a stark reminder to all nations about the importance of having prevention measures in place and placing climate change on national agendas.

"One of the great learning's from the Japanese quake and tsunami and which can be applied to many other disaster-prone countries is the importance of preparing populations at risk for the worst-case scenario.

"On Sint Maarten, a number of emergency drills have been carried out of recent. There was one at our international airport and the most recent was the evacuation of a cruise ship where our emergency services took part. Last year as well there was a desk-top exercise regarding an earthquake/tsunami threat.

"A study is taking place with respect to flooding and tsunami threats that our country could face, and this will be formalized into preventive plans for our disaster management and emergency services. We are on the right track and cannot let our guard down," Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams, who is also responsible for disaster management, said on Sunday.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Inspection Department TEZVT - Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (LVV), a subsection within the Section Economic Controls of the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication, is playing an important role in the agricultural, livestock, and fisheries development of Sint Maarten.

The Inspection Department TEZVT is a subsection within the Section Economic Controls of the Inspection Department of the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunications.

Established October 10, 2010 the Inspection Department TEZVT - LVV has a role in protecting the territorial integrity of the country from invasions by agricultural, livestock, or fisheries pests through the implementation of policies and legislation geared towards ensuring that products imported into the country do not pose threats to economic and social development. It will work with other Government agencies and neighboring islands and territories with respect to the importation or exportation of products and produce. Collaboration with regional and international organizations and partners in taking measures to protect the country, the region and the global community will also form part of its activities.

The Inspection Department TEZVT - LVV encourages farmers, livestock owners and operators within the fisheries sector to apply current technological parameters that will ensure them maximizing production with the view of getting local produce on the local and/or international market.

It will seek to ensure that local agricultural development gets the boost it requires to make a contribution to the economic development of the country while certifying that the final product on the table contributes to the general health and well-being of the consuming public. It will also respond to citizens' concerns by way of complaints related to agricultural, livestock and fisheries.

The department is located at Zoutsteeg #3 in Philipsburg (in the same building with the Department of Permits and Licenses, in the alley with the Anglican Church, behind the Chamber of Commerce). Those requiring additional information can contact the department at 542-2986 or 543-7820.

To guarantee a successful new start of the Collectivité of St. Martin, the RRR list proposes a new agreement of confidence on sustainable development.

Not giving in to favouritism or to party politics, what is at stake is the building of a new and interdependent community which can ensure its future and its development.

This lucid work calls for analysis and truth and must fit in a democratic opening which calls upon all the good will, and existing competences... The RRR group has chosen to make this approach its main priority.

Our objective is to build an opened, interdependent and tolerant society, with an urban development sustainable master plan and able to determine the face and contours of St Martin for the next twenty years that the future generations will inherit.

The first stage will be the diagnosis: meet the economic and social stakeholders as well as the "users" of the city. To do this, we will organize workshops, exhibits and meetings in which associations representatives, elected officials, experts, representatives, civil servants will debate and discuss. The intention is creating a collective dynamic which will lead to the revival of the district councils, their raison d'être and the production of a final collective document.

The urban development sustainable master plan then becomes not only an urban challenge but also a democratic challenge; The St. martin of tomorrow is defined and worked out with the inhabitants of the territory.

We don't see this exercise as just an actualization of what exists. We will make it the definition of an urban ambition, and identify the means of intervention necessary for its implementation.

This document will be supplemented by a Local Housing Program and a plan of urban transport scheme that will take into account the entire territory. New problems will be thus approached, accessibility for the elderly, the physically impaired persons and even the pace or rhythms of the city or districts, in their relationships to the Southern side.

Saint Martin enjoys some undeniable assets: its geographical diversity, its sociological diversity, its cultural vitality, the quality of its private and public services and also its reputation and its tourist attractiveness.

For as much, the COM of Saint Martin suffers from real handicaps: a very dilapidated environment in certain districts, a level of pollution which is demanding serious attention, precariousness and loneliness become the batch of many people on this small territory, the offer of housing remains insufficient, inaccessible and often misfit. One of the stakes of this urban development sustainable master plan be to combine the requirements for further development of our island and the desires of its inhabitants. Our challenge: make of Saint Martin a territory that thrives on the solidarity of its people, more pleasant to live in but also more influential on the neighbouring islands and the remainder of the Caribbean region.

The RRR group considers that there is no contradiction in assuming ones history and affirming a great interest for the future. The project in which we engage is neither inspired by nostalgia, nor by an obsolete design of the city. What made the force of the identity of Saint Martin is that it always thrived on innovation and the audacity of its inhabitants. We therefore choose to rely on their creativity, and thereby support the emergence of a social, economic and cultural dynamic that will reinforce the attractiveness of our island.

Solidarity: How to make sure each one finds a place in this city? More than an ambition, it is a requirement which leads us to do everything in order to banish inequalities from our thinking. That's why we have chosen to support an urban and social mix, to develop public infrastructures and small to average size businesses, to increase and improve the allocation of social housing, lean towards social equity, reinstate the ailing districts of every city or borough. Marigot should not have an insanitary zone. Grand-Case, capital of the Caribbean gastronomy, should not have an insanitary zone. Orleans, eastern side with a true potential as a "new city" should not have an insanitary zone.

This intention goes hand in hand with another objective: improve the living environment of the inhabitants of Saint Martin by creating parks, gardens, by embellishing the urban landscape, by supporting public transport in the Marigot area.

This new logic will inspire our policies once we'll be in power: this will not be a declaration of war to cars and their owners, but as much as possible we will refuse for transport to be controlled by one means whereas diversity can be factor of a better health and greater freedom. All these stakes will influence the international competitiveness of Saint Martin. Here, the challenge is multiple: cultural influence, quality of the social rapports, economic dynamism with a real potential to allure, surprise, attract far across our borders.

Our choices will have to privilege the development of new areas of activities, near our airport and commercial port, as well as in the District of Orleans. Our thinking must demonstrate technicality and expertise in addressing our necessary cooperation with the Southern side of the island and the setting up of a true collaboration on common issues (management of rain water in the valley of Middle Region and the district of Orleans, networking of the roads across the island, management of pollution of the lagoon of Simpsonbay, total management of waste, tourist promotion, etc...)

This process must continue, this time, out of a common will of action and results. It will be productive, only with a proven and effective synergy of all the citizens for a harmonious and prosperous development of our territory.

ONLY THE RRR LIST CAN BRING ABOUT TRUE CHANGE!

Great Bay:--- Last week Friday, the Departments of Social Development, Community Development and Social Services were called in by Cornelius de Weever, Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, to assist a couple that was homeless in St. Peters. Based on the Crisis Care Policy, the couple was facing a crisis and urgently in need of assistance. The couple was placed at a comfortable location in the area, where they are staying.
After hearing of the incident regarding the homeless couple in St. Peters the social worker and case worker immediately came on the scene, and got the ball rolling to make life a bit more comfortable for the couple. On Monday the Department of Social Affairs will follow-up with the couple to see how they can qualify for financial and medical assistance.
The couple was very thankful that they had a warm bed to sleep on, and a place to take a shower. The gentleman mentioned that he is willing to do any type of job, as a means of giving himself and his companion a normal existence.
"During my walk through in St. Peters with Mr. Wilson, a concerned resident, he showed me the circumstances of a couple that we found in a very unfortunate situation but I am happy that the team acted immediately and was able to assist this couple in need," said Minister de Weever. "This ministry is here to help those who may not or cannot help themselves and I applaud the team for the work they did and continue to do."

The crisis care policy assists individuals or groups that are faced with crises and urgently in need of assistance. Crises Care is handled by the Department of Social Services, and usually counseling and guidance are offered along with solutions. Assistance in a crises situation is handled within a period of 24 to 72 hours and falls under the Ministry of Public Health Social Development & Labor.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The planned town hall meeting on Conservation Areas has been postponed until further notice. It was scheduled for Wednesday, March 14 at the Belair Community Centre. A new date will be set for the meeting.

Government is in the process of drafting development plans that will take approximately 24 months to be completed, and the aforementioned plans will guide the future spatial development of the country where it relates to government and private land.

The first two draft plans identified are Simpson Bay (includes Beacon Hill, Simpson Bay Lagoon) and Conservation areas (hilltops, Emilio Wilson Estate, Bishop Hill Plantation, Geneve Bay).

The first town hall meeting was held in Simpson Bay on March 8.

Philipsburg:--- Civil Servants and teachers who are awaiting their cost of living allowances for year 2010 still has to wait a bit longer since the government is yet to allocate the monies. Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams confirmed this on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers press briefing when SMN News asked the Prime Minister if government was able to find the monies elsewhere since it was not budgeted.
Wescot Williams said government has not yet started the discussions with the unions on the restructuring method of indexing the salaries. She said these discussions will take place when the monies for the COL payments is available. Wescot Williams said the discussions that are currently being held is two phased since they are trying to find a solution for the 2010 COL payments and the ways and means of indexing the salaries of government personnel. The Prime Minister said right now government is using a policy that states that as long as there is a cost of living increase government workers must get an indexation on their salaries based on a percentage. She said right now the personnel cost of government is increasing annually. She further explained that they are trying to find a sustainable way to deal with their personnel. Besides the annual indexation, government also has to index the salaries of the workers based their evaluation. The Prime Minister said if government does not put this matter in its right context then personnel cost will spin out of control.

Marigot:--- After months of investigation by the special investigating team of the Gendarmerie, the Gendarmes were able to arrest two persons they believe are culprits of the armed robbery of a jewelry store.
A press release from the Gendarmerie states that on October 27, 2011, two persons committed an armed robbery, one used a hammer to break the glass cases and steal an undisclosed amount of jewelry while his accomplice held one of the employees up at gunpoint. The two culprits then escaped after committing the crime. An investigation into the daring daylight armed robbery was opened shortly after by the Gendarmes. Some weeks later, the Gendarmes managed to apprehend one of the two suspects that was spotted walking in the Marigot area on January 24, 2012. He was immediately arrested and transferred to Guadeloupe pending his trial. On March 12, the Gendarmes arrested the second suspect at his home. Both suspects are currently in Guadeloupe pending their trial.

PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- On Saturday March 17, 2012 Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams and Minister of Sports Dr. Rhoda Arrindell officially opened the 35th annual Little League Tournament at the Little League Stadium on Pond Island.
"I wish you all a most enjoyous tournament, we know that you are all winners," said Minister of Sports Dr. Rhoda Arrindell. The Minister also mentioned that a sports plan will be unveiled soon for the upgrading and promotion for not just facilities but athletes, coaches and trainers. The Prime Minister wished the players much success and encouraged persons to support the Little League as a means of keeping the young boys occupied constructively.
This year's tournament features some 22 teams in 5 categories namely 4 teams in Pee Wee league, 4 teams in 9-10, 7 teams in 11-12, 4 teams 13-14 and 3 teams in 15-16. During the opening ceremony Little league player Jalen Constance and all the other players present recited the Little League Pledge as follows, I trust in God - I love my Country and will respect its laws – I will play fair and strive to win – But win or lose I will always do my best.
The President of the Little League Association Ronald Jacobs addressed those in attendance by stating that next year (2013) the association will be hosting the 15 -16 Latin American Tournament on St. Maarten with the goal of winning the tournament. He also thanked the Government of St. Maarten as the largest annual contributor to the Little League Tournament.

Upon invitation of the Sint Maarten Lion's Club, the Sint Maarten Seniors and Pensioners Association (SMSPA) will participate in the IV Health and Wellness Fair in the Festival Village on Saturday March 24, 2012. This will be the first time that SMSPA will participate in the health and wellness fair as a stakeholder.

Why Is The SMSPA Participating At The Health And Wellness Fair?

The SMSPA will participate to enlighten everyone, especially the seniors and their family members, about its mission, vision, capabilities and endeavors. By visiting the booth of the SMSPA, you can get information about tasks and activities undertaken during its nearly two years of existence, to improve the health and the wellbeing of the seniors on Sint Maarten.

Opinions Of Seniors On Pension Income and Health Care

A big screen TV is available to broadcast discussions and opinions of seniors about how to improve their income and pension situation, as well as, recommendations about how to improve health care quality. The visiting seniors and their family members will be able to give their opinions based upon their experience and needs. Additionally, a questionnaire will be available for all to share their point-of-view with the SMSPA. For those who wish to join the SMSPA, application forms to sign up and become a member of the association will be available.

Your Experience And Opinion

As food for thought, we would like to share some of the many situations that affect the health and wellness of seniors. These are:

• The unequal old age pensions in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as compared to the equal pensions on the Northern-side (Sint Martin) within the French Republic.
• Insecure company pensions, for example questions concerning the APNA-APS transition, insecurities in the financial markets and loss on pension fund investments offered by private insurance companies.
• Complaints about the quality of the health care on Sint Maarten.
• Complaints about long waiting times before receiving specialist treatment and their frequent concerns regarding treatment, second opinions and the impression that the younger generation receive better attention from care givers.
• Complaints about the user-unfriendly bureaucratic administrative procedures and the number of times seniors have to go back and forth between the care giver and the SZV office. Although it has been recognised that SZV has implemented a system of appointments and assigned preferential treatment to seniors, there is room for more improvement.

• The health insurance premium which is five times (5x) higher than that of an active worker. Whereby, seniors are expected to pay 10% of their pension income on health care; while younger unemployed persons pay nothing.

Visit SMSPA At Booth Number 19
Therefore we remind you that seniors and their family members, who will be the seniors of tomorrow, are invited to attend the health and wellness fair and to visit booth number 19 of the Sint Maarten Seniors and Pensioners Association. When in search of members of the SMSPA and their volunteers, we will be under the tent after the tent of the Diabetes Foundation and before the tent of the AIDS Foundation.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The National 2012 Budget for the country Sint Maarten has been approved, just before the end of the first quarter of the year.

"I wish to congratulate the members of Parliament on both sides of the isle for their critical participation in the process and although I would have preferred that all members by means of their vote, took a position on the budget, that this did not take place, is a responsibility of the individuals who chose not to.

"While we completed the process in a much shorter time than we did with the budget 2011, it remains a short time before the deliberations for the budget 2013 must begin.

"The government can nevertheless prioritize its governing program in concrete actions for the balance of 2012. The debates in government and parliament have again demonstrated that we are in different times, not only constitutionally, but also economically. I want to therefore reiterate that our current financial policies (and agreements) need to allow the flexibility to adjust to the new economic realities we face as a country.

"I am hopeful that the new Chairman of the Committee of Financial Supervision CFT sees matters in this light as well, if one considers the CFT's initiative for an economic conference this past week," Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot Williams pointed out on Sunday.

The Prime Minister says that connecting the dots now more than ever, the aligning of policies across the public and private spectrums, is a must.

"In the new constitutional status and the largely independently operating ministries, this alignment is a challenge. Nevertheless, Government has initiated the process of drafting an Economic Investment Plan for the next 10 years.

"For this plan to be effective, it needs to be an island wide plan, which should include the examination of the factors impeding economic growth as a matter of priority. I believe however, that these impediments are known and thus eliminating these is activity # 1.

"The tax system is another dot to be connected. And for both plans, reliable data is paramount. The circle will not be complete, without a reference to governmental matters, such as the civil service. The processes are reminiscent of the formulation of the Social Economic Initiative SEI and IVB programs, which are now coming to an end. A big difference being that it is now solely our responsibility to get it right and make it durable.

"Is Government coming back on its word, e.g.in the case of the EWE development? No, but we have looked at this development, also with a view on the new socio economic realities.

"A balance between the two (economy and environment) will always be a topic of much debate. Some peripheral issues with respect to the restrictive monetary measures taken by the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten, while I have some understanding for the preemptive action by the Bank, the government of Sint Maarten will have to urgently consider necessary mitigating measures.

"All in all, the Bank's measures cannot be seen in isolation, at least not by the government. And thirdly, we need to create some tranquility in the zone of central banking. This saga is hurting our country more than one would imagine at first glance," Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams, outlined on Sunday.

Philipsburg:--- On March 27th, His Excellency Governor Eugene B. Holiday paid a working visit to the Social and Health Insurance Institution (SZV) as part of his regular program to be appraised of key developments and matters regarding the state of the country. The Governor was received by SZV CEO, Mr. Dennis Richardson, SZV COO Mr. R. Willemsberg and SZV CFO Mr. A. Lievaart. Governor Holiday was updated on the activitities, progress, plans and challenges of the SZV since it tookover the responsibities to manage and administer the social and health insurances on Sint Maarten on January 1, 2011.
Following the meeting with the Mangement Governor Holiday got a tour of the offices of SZV located on the Nisbeth road and on A.T. Illidge road, during which he met with and received explanation on SZV operations from the staff. The Governor applauds the quality enhancement initiatives of the SZV and encouraged the management and staff to continue unabatedly on their path of working on the achievement of their mission to provide quality social and health care services to the population of Sint Maarten.
The SZV is an incorporated independent governing body (rechtspersoonlijkheid bezittend zelfstandig bestuursorgaan). Tasks are advice concerning and the execution of social and sickness insurances and insurances with a predominantly social character as assigned by law. Until now the following insurances and measures with a social character belong to the tasks of the SZV:

a. Sickness Insurance (ZV)
b. Accident Insurance (OV)
c. Old Age Pension (AOV)
d. Widows & Orphans Insurance (WW)
e. Severance Pay(Cessantia)
f. General Insurance Chronic Sicknesses Costs (AVBZ)
g. Fund Sickness Costs Government Pensioners (FZOG)
h. Administration Medical Expenses of Civil Servants & Social Support Cardholders (BZV)
i. Medical inspection civil servants (ziekteverzuim controle).

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Committee of Parliament on Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations, will meet on March 29 in a closed door session.

The committee will discuss a five point agenda. The first agenda point regards the Kingdom Law Vessel Nationality; second point, is related to a protocol to change a Treaty related to administrative assistance in Tax Affairs; third agenda point is a protocol with respect to the European Treaty.

The fourth agenda point is related to a draft Kingdom Law that has been drafted and includes a number of European countries with respect to the Republic of Croatia becoming a member of the European Union.

The fifth agenda point to be discussed on Thursday is preparations for the Inter-parliamentary Kingdom Meeting that will be held in The Hague from June 5 – 8.

The meeting will take place on Thursday morning at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament on Wilhelmina Straat #2.1 in Philipsburg.

The committee is headed by Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Roy Marlin, Chairman, MP Hon. Dr. Ruth Douglass, Vice Chair, MP Hon. Patrick Illidge, MP Hon. William Marlin, and MP Hon. Frans Richardson.

The SXM Advisory Board of Funding Agency Samenwerkende Fondsen/ Cooperating Foundations of the Dutch Caribbean is hosting a information session on Saturday, 31st Marc 2012 from 10:00 to 12:00 am. The venue will be in the Drama class room of the St. Dominic High School in South Reward.

Who is Cooperating Foundations?

Cooerating Foundations is, a collaboration between 5 Dutch funding agencies, namely Skanfonds, Oranje Fonds, Stichting Kinderpostzegels, Fonds Sluytermans van Loo and Innovatiefonds Zorgverzekeraars. Aiming at strengthening society and living up to the motto "Together we participate, together we are stronger", the collaborating Funding Agencies strive to support projects in the Dutch Caribbean that focus on community development, or target children, youngsters and senior citizens. Other focal points are: poverty alleviation, relief for vulnerable groups and projects catering to volunteers and persons with a handicap or a chronic disease.

Session

Cooperating Foundations will be organizing a workshop to familiarize foundations and associations of St. Maarten with formulating their Project Plans with which they can approach Cooperating Foundations for funding. At the end of the session there will also be a possibility to interact with the members of the Advisory Board.

Office Hours

Our Project Advisors Mr. Leon Lake and Mrs. Saskia Kliphuis will be available on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, upon requests: in evenings and Saturdays.
Foundations that would like to hand in a request for funding can contact the project advisors on 5860808 or email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee of Parliament will meet in a closed door meeting on March 30 to discuss a five point agenda.

The meeting will take place on Friday morning at 10:30am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament on Wilhelmina Straat #2.1 in Philipsburg.

The first agenda point is the approval of the parliamentary business trip by the President of Parliament from March 25-28 to Washington; the present status of the Central Bank and the results that led to the Central Bank implementing the borrowing ceiling measure.

The third agenda point is political influences affecting the Central Bank; fourth, currency for Curacao and Sint Maarten vis a vis dollarization; and the fifth agenda point is there a future for a Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten (CBCS).

The President of the CBCS E. Tromp and the Sint Maarten Bankers Association will attend the meeting.

The Central Committee meeting was requested by the Democratic Party faction Members of Parliament (MP) Hon. Roy Marlin, MP Hon. Petrus de Weever, and Independent MP Hon. Patrick Illidge with respect to the CBCS.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Finance Hon. Hiro Shigemoto says the Sint Maarten harbour bond by the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten (CBCS), is in line with the bank's investment policy.

"The bond of US$150 million (Naf.270 million) is both in keeping with the CBCS Charter as well as the Investment Policy which has not been revoked or replaced by a new policy by the Supervisory Board of the CBCS.

"The CBCS is the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten, and serves both countries on an equal basis. The Netherlands Antilles ceased to exist October 09, 2010 and everybody has to be realistic and live in the current times and not in the past," Minister of Finance Hon. Hiro Shigemoto said on Wednesday.

Minister Shigemoto confirms receipt of two letters dated 21 and 24 February 2012 from Curacao's Minister of Finance with respect to the bond.

The Minister sent a letter to Curacao's Prime Minister and Minister of Finance dated 27 February 2012 with respect to a Naf.300 million bond where the Central Bank in December 2009 acted as intermediary in the issuance of the bond for Curacao's local utility company Aqualectra. The utility company needed a loan of Naf.240 million.

The Minister reminded Curacao's Prime Minister and Minister of Finance that there are, "Certain developments within Aqualectra which could have serious consequences for the equity of Aqualectra in connection with Aqualectra not being able to meet its obligations in servicing its debt (interest and principal) from the bond issuance.

"Hereby I focus specifically on the reduction of water tariffs as well as the transfer of share capital of Aqualectra in the CUC/BOO which leads to a substantial decrease in own equity of Aqualectra.

"Should this be the case then I do not rule out that the aforementioned developments could cause direct or indirect damage to the Country Sint Maarten. Both the Prime Minister of Curacao as well as the Minister of Finance of Curacao will be held liable by my person as Minister of Finance of Sint Maarten for any eventual negative consequences that Country Sint Maarten should suffer as a consequence of the aforementioned developments. It is still the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten.

The Minister has been informed that Aqualectra lost approximately Naf.23 million in 2011 and is projected to lose another Naf.28 million in 2012.

Minister Shigemoto also confirms receipt of a letter with 25 questions from the Parliament of Sint Maarten by the Democratic Party (DP) faction and Independent Member of Parliament Hon. Patrick Illidge faction, querying with respect to the Central Bank's investment policies etc.

These questions will be answered by early next week latest. Both factions are part of the coalition government. The CFT also sent several questions to the Minister of Finance which will also be answered and hopefully the same concern will be given to the Aqualectra bond situation by the CFT.

The Minister of Finance has not been officially contacted regarding the Dutch Caribbean Common Court's role in the appointment of a seventh member to the board of supervising directors at the CBCS.

"Thus far the Minister of Finance of Curacao has been acting as if Curacao is the only shareholder in the CBCS, however, Sint Maarten is still a member and I will do all in my power to protect Sint Maarten from suffering any negative consequences as a result of the recent and on-going developments surrounding the government of Curacao and the Central Bank," Minister Shigemoto said on Wednesday.

Minister Shigemoto has also requested of Minister Jamaloodin via letter of January 26, 2012 a date to convene the legally prescribed meeting (Bank Charter, article 32 sub 5) between the two Ministers of Finance and the Supervisory Board of Directors to discuss topics such as the CBCS 2012 Budget (still not approved), the financial statements of 2011 (no de-charge given by the board), current account status update, setting up and manning of the Sint Maarten branch of the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten as well as other issues such as monetary policy, production of bank notes (supply is apparently decreasing to worrisome levels particularly on Curacao).

According to Minister Shigemoto, no answer has been received with respect to his correspondence to the Curacao Minister of Finance, "...yet the Minister of Finance of Curacao wants to hold me responsible for possible damages to Curacao when he apparently doesn't see it fit to meet about any of the aforementioned issues which are being neglected," Minister of Finance Hon. Hiro Shigemoto pointed out.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- There has been a number of chicken pox (varicella) cases on the island during the past two weeks and the Collective Prevention Service (CPS), a public health agency of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, based on its observed numbers in its physician base sentinel is advising schools and pre-schools that affected children should be kept at home until the lesions are crusted, which usually occurs in five to seven days' time.

CPS in comparing the reported numbers in 2011 for the period of January to February, which adds up to 12 clinically diagnosed cases to 19 clinically diagnosed cases in 2012 for the same period, took initiatives to monitor and share information on varicella. In addition to the observed numbers the increased monitoring and awareness initiative is also based on a reported suspected measles case on the French side. Physicians were requested to be on the alert for rash and fever and request to refer patients to the laboratory to confirm variecella (chickenpox) and of course to rule out measles.

Chickenpox is usually a mild disease in children. But the itching can be very uncomfortable. Children with chickenpox miss many days of school or child care.

The disease can also cause serious problems, which include the following:

• Bacterial infection of the skin and tissues under the skin (including group A streptococcal infections)
• Dehydration (loss of body fluids) from vomiting or diarrhea
• Pneumonia (lung infection)
• Encephalitis (brain swelling). Most cases are mild, but some can be deadly.

Chickenpox spreads easily through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also spread by touching fluid from blisters. Children with chickenpox usually must miss school or child care for at least a week to avoid spreading the virus to others. Considering it is airborne use take hand cough preventive measures and disinfect/sanitize surroundings.

Susceptible persons are 80 to 90 per cent at risk of getting the disease once exposed to it. Chicken pox is a disease caused by infection with the varicella zoster virus, which causes fever and an itchy rash.

Symptoms can include a skin rash of blister-like lesions, covering the body but usually more concentrated on the face, scalp, and trunk.

Not all infected individuals have fever, which develops just before or when the rash appears.

In most cases chicken pox is not a serious health threat but life-threatening complications can occur. No one can predict who will get serious complications from the disease.

"So don't take chances, take your child to their physician to get checked," said Minister of Public Health, Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever. The Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever is advising the community to not take chances.

Parents are being advised to consult their physicians, adhere to the physicians' advice and keep their children home if diagnosed with rash and fever. Businesses are also encouraged to cooperate in assisting parents to provide home care for their child(ren).

PHILIPSBURG:--- Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino will be having a two-day Job Fair where persons will get the opportunity to apply for a number of job vacancies at the resort.

The Job Fair starts on Monday, March 5 from 10am to 1pm and from 2pm to 5pm at the Royal Islander Room, Maho Reef, and continues on Tuesday, March 6 during the same times.

Job openings are in areas of Food & Beverage, Banqueting, Maintenance, Stewarding, Front Office, Housekeeping, Entertainment, Retail Department, Security Department, and Accounting Department.

Minister of Economic & Tourism Affairs, Telecommunications & Transport Hon. Franklin Meyers, is encouraging the unemployed and job seekers to use this opportunity to find a job

"When one of the island's major resorts has a two-day job fair, it's an indication that things are not as bad. It's a positive and welcoming sign. We have reasons to be optimistic. Just about every day you can read in the papers about job vacancies.

"The global economic recovery is still fragile and many uncertainties remain. Government has been working diligently and putting into place educational pathways with other stakeholders that can help the unemployed and job seekers excel in a tough and uncertain environment.

"The unemployed and job seekers have an opportunity to find work at the two-day Job Fair. Go prepared and be optimistic," Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Hon. Franklin Meyers said on Sunday.

Those heading out to the Job Fair on Monday and Tuesday must carry with them a resume, copy of a valid ID (passport, driver's license, Sint Maarten ID card), diplomas and certificates.

On March 1st and 2nd His Excellency Governor Eugene B. Holiday paid a working visit to the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten on as part of his regular program to be appraised of key developments regarding the state of the country. The Governor's visit commenced on March 1, 2012, at the Bank's branch office in Philipsburg where he was received by executive director, Mr. J. Hasselmeyer and branch manager, Ms. Hassel. Governor Holiday was update on plans for the branch followed by a tour of the building.
Governor Holiday then traveled to Curacao and continued his working visit at the Bank's headquaters in Willemstad where he was received by the Bank's president Dr. Tromp. Following a tour of the Bank's currency museum and of the head office Governor Holiday met with Bank's executive board and staff. The Governor received an update on recent financial economic developments and outlook as well as on the financial sector supervision.

Great Bay:--- The Voice of Our Children Foundation (VOOC) is setting out to educate the island's youth through positive videos, lectures and forums.
The format of this project will see video sessions in the schools with discussion forums. With the increase in violent acts in the community committed by the youth, and their involvement in other unhealthy social behaviours, VOOC says it recognizes the need for personal and social development in the island's young population.
Throughout the duration of the project, VOOC will schedule visits to Elementary and Secondary schools in an effort to reach the students through discussion forums and showing various videos that address a wide range of social and moral topics. These will include among others, Bullying, Crime, HIV/AIDS, Peer Pressure, Aiming High, Conflict Resolution, Fighting Violence, and others.
Teachers and counsellors will be provided with instructional materials (videos, posters) that they can use to promote adopting positive social behaviour and interaction with others. Through viewing these videos and engaging in discussion forums, it is the intention that students become better informed about these social and moral topics, and will be able to make informed choices about issues they encounter.
It is also the intention that this initiative will assist with creating a positive and purposeful climate characterized by mutual respect and trust in schools. Also that young people start to demonstrate self-discipline in their interactions with others; become protective and respectful to one another, and show understanding and empathy towards one another.
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs, Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, who had received a delegation of VOOC, was full of praise for the initiative and expressed her full support for the efforts of the group.
"I am particularly happy that young people have begun to take on the challenge of addressing issues that affect them directly and doing so in a positive and creative way that would impact their peers," the Minister stated.
"While we express so much concern about the direction our young people are taking, we must also recognize the positive things they are doing. I always stress that for every young boy or girl who goes astray, there is some parent or adult who failed to do a good job raising them."
"Voice of Our Children Foundation has in fact become a voice to be reckoned with and I wholeheartedly endorse their efforts," Minister Arrindell added.
She thanked the group for presenting her with a beautiful plaque for all the support she has given them thus far and urged them not to relent in their efforts to be agents of positive change in our society, especially where young people are concerned.
"St. Martin needs more of you," the Minister said.

Philipsburg:--- Minister of Health Cornelius de Weever presented a hearing tester to the nurses working for the Collective Prevention Services on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers press briefing. Minister de Weever said March 10th will make it one year since he has taken office and to mark the occasion he decided to surprise the nurses at Collective Prevention Services with a little token that would enable them to do their jobs better.
The Minister said that there are people who have their children in exceptionally noisy areas and as such the hearing of these children is being affected. He urged the nurses to use the tester to test children's hearing. Minister De Weever said when he was working at the Department of Public Health he realized that hearing tests were not being conducted during the screening process. "I inquired about it when I saw hearing tests were not conducted. I also noticed that many parents and other guardians are driving around with very loud music while having children inside their vehicles, therefore the damage that is done to these children's hearing over time will definitely impact their education. The Health Minister said he knows that the staff of Collective Preventative Services will need to be trained to conduct the necessary tests and it is an investment his Ministry is willing to make for the future development of the island's children.

Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams will be hosting female taxi drivers at a brunch, which will be held at the Cabana Restaurant at the Royal Palm Resort in Simpson Bay on Sunday, March 11, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
During her weekly press briefing, the Prime Minister paid homage to all female taxi drivers who continue to serve tirelessly as ambassadors to visitors of our country in this very competitive-driven profession.
The observance, which will be celebrated on Sunday, March 11, 2012, is made possible through the kind corporate sponsorship obtained from various government-owned companies and private institutions, who too are extremely appreciative and cognizant of the sacrifices and pivotal role our taxi drivers play in sustaining our tourism product as well as the role women in general.
These companies are:
Banco de Caribe, Ennia Insurances, Telem Group of Companies and the St. Maarten Harbor Group of Companies N.V.

His Excellency Governor Eugene B. Holiday paid a working visit to the Ujima Facility on Thursday March 8, 2012 to highlight the work of the Foundation on the island on its 5th anniversary.
The visit consisted of a tour of the new facility of the Ujima Foundation in St. John and a meeting with the director of the Foundation, Ms. Bell, and the two founders of the Foundation, Dr. Arndel and Ms. Augusty. The Governor also spoke with the staff of the Foundation and joined the residents for lunch.
The Ujima Foundation supports boys with behavioral and emotional problems between the ages of 8 to 18. Its mission is to provide professional therapeutic and supportive services for at risk youths and to create a sense of purpose and belonging in their lives as they become productive members of society.
The Governor has been informed that the Ujima Foundation will continue working to create a healthy, safe and stable living environment for the underprivileged, the destitute, the mentally ill and other individuals in crisis on the new location in St. John. The Ujima Foundation also updated the Governor on its advanced plans to start a school for the performing arts to channel the talents of the children of Sint Maarten.
The Governor was impressed with and commended the management and its staff on the invaluable social service they render to the youngsters and the community of St. Maarten and is looking forward to the realization of the plans for the start of the school for the performing arts. Governor Holiday in recognition of the fact that the 5th anniversary of the program congratulated and applauded all those involved with making the project work and underscored that social initiatives, such as the work which the Ujima foundation undertakes, are vital in our complex society. As such it is important that the community at large support the Ujima foundation as it continues to work on addressing some of the social challenges faced by our youths within our community.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Prime Minister (PM) Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams was visited by three students and their teacher from the Leonard Conner School this week.

The students interviewed the Prime Minister about her job and politics.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The University of St. Martin (USM) will be hosting an information and registration session on Friday, March 16, 2012 for the inaugural Edinburgh Business School (EBS) Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program in St. Maarten.

The information and registration session will be conducted by Edinburgh Business School's (EBS) Caribbean representative, Securities and Commerce Institute (SCI), and will be from 5. p.m. to 7 p.m. Persons who are interested in obtaining an internationally accredited MBA degree are invited to attend this event at the University of St. Martin.

The Edinburgh Business School is the Graduate School of Business of Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. Edinburgh Business School is also the world's largest MBA program; the Financial Times number one ranked Online MBA program for 2010 and 2011; and is accredited by the UK Royal Charter. USM signed an agreement with SCI in 2011 where USM will be the venue for one week of traditional classes, conducted by SCI, and exams, offered by EBS, for the respective MBA courses in the program.

The first course for the 2012 MBA program will be in Economics and is scheduled to start in April 2012.

Persons interested can also register online for the information session at www.EBSCaribbean.com or by contacting Nicole Kerr at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or via cell phone number 00590-690-25-05-16 or office 001-305-677-9388.

Philipsburg:--- The Bureau of the Ombudsman has started a public campaign announced Ombudsman Nilda Arduin Lynch at a press conference on Monday. Arduin Lynch said the public awareness campaigned kicked off on Monday and will continue throughout the month of March. The purpose of the campaign is to inform the general public of the intention of the Ombudsman Bureau to start receiving complaints from April 2, 2012. Arduin Lynch also introduced the logo of the Ombudsman on Monday to the media operatives on St. Maarten.
The bureau of the Ombudsman acquired additional staff including a detaché from the Netherlands who will be assisting St. Maarten for the next six months. The detaché Jos de Bruijn along with the legal staff of the bureau Kim Huisman will be assisting the two complaint officers of the Ombudsman Bureau as of April 2, 2012. Arduin Lynch said the complaint officers will be receiving guidance and assistance with the taking of complaints from the general public. Persons interested in filing complaints at the Bureau of the Ombudsman can do so on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10am to 2pm each day starting April 2, 2012.
The objective of the campaign is to make sure the general public knows the competencies of the Ombudsman Bureau. Arduin Lynch said that members of the public also have to know the procedures that they have to follow when filing complaints with her bureau. Complaints she said must be signed by the complainant since they are not authorized to investigate anonymous complaints unless the investigations are initiated by the Ombudsman.
Arduin Lynch said the two additional staff members both of whom are attorneys will provide the necessary training to her staff they will also be providing senior legal advice to the bureau and work on special assignments.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A Plenary session of Parliament is scheduled for March 15.

The Thursday meeting will start at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament on Wilhelmina Straat #2.1 in Philipsburg.

The meeting was called by the National Alliance (NA) Faction via two letters to parliament dated March 7 and 8.

The two agenda points are: a detailed presentation by the individual members of the Council of Ministers, depicting their involvement and compliance in policies and rules set by the Minister of Finance.

The second agenda point is process, policies and rules utilized by the Minister of Finance to substantiate the proposed 2012 budget for Country Sint Maarten.

The committee meeting will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 20 and via Pearl Radio FM 98.1. The audio will be carried via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and www.sxmparliament.org.

Recently Mayesi Hammoud became partner at law firm VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne. The thirty-five year old lawyer runs a successful all round practice in the fields of dispute resolution, corporate law, employment and insurance law. Hammoud, who joined the firm in 2003, works for a large number of clients in the private and public sector, focusing on the fields of energy, real estate, telecommunication, media and technology in the Dutch Caribbean.

Besides practicing law, the yu di korsou is actively committed to helping vulnerable groups in society including children and youngsters and supports many charities and voluntary initiatives. She is Deputy Board member of the CliniClowns and cooperates closely with colleagues on a pro bono basis in order to safeguard the famous Art Deco building 'Cinelandia' from destruction. Hammoud is a member of the Social and Economic Council (SER) and a substitute member of the Supervisory Council for attorneys. In her role as newly joined partner she will, amongst other things, focus on the training and supervision of the firm's young professional talent and on its sponsoring and donation activities.

After receiving a law degree at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam and attending a trainee program at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Hammoud opted for a career in law. Returning to Curacao, her island of birth, she joined VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne in 2003. Hammoud, who recently became a mother, is looking forward to her partnership and all the new roles it includes. The young and multitalented lawyer is seen as a great asset to the current team of partners consisting of Frank Kunneman, Randolph van Eps, Esther Jansen, Michiel Gorsira, Molly Steward, Focco Lunsingh Scheurleer en Jeannot de Cuba.

Great Bay:--- Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius de Weever recently weighed in at the Department of Collective Preventive Services where he had his weight, length, blood pressure, pulse, blood glucose, and waist measured. Based on the results he has been diagnosed as being on the right track of living a healthy lifestyle. The minister is encouraging the community at large to please visit their physicians and get checked. It is important to have a complete physical examination and make sure that you are all also on the right track.

Philipsburg:--- The leader of the National Alliance and Member of Parliament William Marlin said that the Chairlady of Parliament was abusing her power and playing political games when she set the agenda for Thursday's meeting of Parliament. Marlin said he did not make any mistake when he submitted his request for the meeting which was to have the Minister of Finance explain to Parliament the process, policies, and rules utilized for the drafting of the 2012 budget. Marlin said he submitted his request on March 7, 2012 and on March 8th he dispatched another request to the chairlady requesting that she add another agenda point to the agenda which would allow the Council of Ministers to make thier presentations depicting their involvement and compliance with the process.
Marlin said the chairlady is abusing her power and authority and there are others supporting her wrong doing. Marlin said the chairlady deliberately placed the first agenda point by scheduling the Minister of Justice first and the Minister of Finance after. He said the actions of the Chairlady are wrong and being done for political manipulation. Marlin said he discussed the matter with the General Secretary and the General Secretary shared his views on the issue which allowed him to come to the conclusions that the chairlady is abusing her power for political reasons. It should be noted that the National Alliance requested their meeting in such a way to have the Minister of Finance make his outline prior to the budget debate which is scheduled for Monday.
The Chairman of Thursday's meeting Petrus Leroy De Weever said that he wanted to be fair and when convocations are sent out he is not allowed to make changes to the agenda points single handedly. De Weever said he was willing to make the necessary changes by making agenda point one to two and point two to one. De Weever asked the Members of Parliament to second the motion he presented on the floor which was eventually done by Member of Parliament Dr. Lloyd Richardson. The meeting called by the National Alliance has been adjourned to a later date.
The suggestion of the Chairman of Parliament Leroy De Weever caused an outburst by several Members of Parliament from the National Alliance faction. Also commenting on the issue were Members of Parliament Louis Laviest and Dr. Lloyd Richardson. De Weever said he understood the frustrations of the Members of the National Alliance but he too was caught in a predicament.
While the arguments were taking place, Minister of Justice Roland Duncan sat in his seat waiting to see if the meeting would be convened and if he would be given the opportunity to defend his Ministry's budget. Minister Duncan told reporters that Parliament is wasting his time because he is paid to do a job for the people. Minister Duncan said he had a meeting scheduled prior to the one of Parliament which he canceled in order to be at Parliament's meeting and he is of the opinion that Parliament is wasting time and money.

Great Bay:--- On Sunday, March 18, 2012, the Department of Community Development, Family & Humanitarian Affairs and Women’s Desk will be officially launching the “Network and Support Group for Women” at the A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall 6PM. According to Aida Boyrard, Head of Community Development, Family & Humanitarian Affairs, this new venture will be catering to the needs of women and families.

Stakeholders are pooled together in a core group, each with its own support group, addressing the different areas of concern according to the objectives of their organization. Simultaneously networking amongst a larger number of organizations and the core group will take place to ensure that mutual support is given to the core group as well as other stakeholders.

Women’s Desk, which will be the central point, will have as its core group the following organizations: Business and Professional Women (BPW), Prominent Women, VOICES, Strong Women’s Connection, Cancer Foundation and Repairers of Broken Walls. This core group will each target a specific group and offer support. For example, Prominent Women is a support group offering assistance to married women, and Repairers of Broken Walls is a support group for teenagers. The core group is where the focus will be, while they will be networking with existing support groups, such as Turning Point, AIDS Foundation and others.

Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius de Weever stated that “this is the time for us all to synchronize our efforts and work together in the interest of women and in the spirit of International women’s day- Connecting girls, inspiring futures.”

Boyrard further stated that in responding to every day experiences at Women’s Desk and the various Community Helpdesks that were recently opened, they underscored the need to have support groups for women, supporting and addressing the different challenging issues that they are faced with on a daily basis.

Marigot:--- Supporters of the RRR political party headed by Alain Richardson had nothing but joy Sunday night when the preliminary results were released. On several occasions they were heard screaming when they saw the RRR was gaining speed at several of the polling stations. Leader of the RRR Alain Richardson thanked God for bringing him and the team of men and women on his list through thus far. Richardson also thanked his group for the hard work they did over the past months but especially this last two weeks. He also thanked the youths of St. Martin whom he said brought about a change in government for the next five years. Richardson said Obama told his supporters that "they can" but he is telling the youths and people of St. Martin "they will" bring about change on March 25th at the second round of the Territorial election. Richardson also issued a strong call to the leader of the Union Pour les Progres Louis Constant Fleming to do the right thing by endorsing his party in the second round since the people of St. Martin have spoken. "It is time for you to encourage your supporters to vote for the RRR next Sunday. You know of the hard work we have done in the council, our team is the most experienced and we are the best group of people who could manage the Collectivity for the next five years," Richardson said. After making his address in French and English, Richardson made sure he addressed the voters of St. Martin on the balcony of the Collectivity. "I am calling on you to go out there next Sunday and vote for us. It does not matter if you voted for the MAP, Generation Solidaire, St. Martin pour Tous or the Union Pour les Progres this week but next week you need to do the right thing and vote for the RRR.
Leader of Team Daniel Gibbs who came in second said that this coming week a lot of deals will be made. Gibbs also thanked his supporters for the confidence they have placed in him and his party. The people have shown that they need something concrete, transparent, and most importantly people that are willing to work.
He said when he stepped aside and decided to join the race for the 2012 Territorial Election his party was known as the little kid. However, the result of the Sunday's election is clear. Gibbs said his doors are open but this party will meet as early as Monday to strategize and to determine how they will move forward. He said his intention is to maintain the party's principles and they are committed to being transparent.
Leader of the Union Pour les Progres Louis Constant Fleming in his address said that the people have spoken and his party will accept the results. Constant Fleming said that he will meet with his team on Monday and they will decide how they will proceed next week for the run off. Constant Fleming congratulated Team Daniel Gibbs and the RRR for their success. He further said that whatever is the outcome of the election next week St. Martin's interest will come first.
Leader of St. Martin pour Tous, Marthe Ogoundele-Tessi thanked her supporters for putting their confidence in her. She said her party received almost 10% of the votes cast and her team will decide on how they will proceed next week. Ogoundele Tessi said it is clear that women have a place in politics on St. Martin and therefore their political life has not ended. The leaders of the MAP Louis Mussington and the leader of Generation Solidare Louis Jeffry did not show up at the Collectivity Sunday night.
The RRR received 3077 (34%), Team Daniel Gibbs 2895 (32%), Union pour les Progres 1195 (13%), MAP 670 (8%), Saint Martin pour Tous 848 (9.4%), and Generation Solidaire 335 (4%).
It should be noted that Sunday's election was not one of the best as there were several persons who showed up to various polling stations and they were not able to vote because their names were not on the voting list. There are over two thousand persons who did not receive their voting cards while the procedure at the various polling stations was extremely slow.

Click here to view more photos of the First Round of the Territorial Elections 2012.

Click here to view the Official Territorial Election First Round Results for St. Martin.

Click here to view the Official Territorial Election First Round Results for St. Barths.

	Team Daniel Gibbs	Union Pour le Progress	MAP	RRR	SMPT	Generation Solidaire	BLANK VOTES	Total Votes Per Bureau
Hotel de La Collectivité (Bur 1)	176	108	22	112	44	13	0	483
Number 2 Nina Duverly School (Bur 2)	153	121	63	326	37	9	0	744
Nina Duverly School (Bur 3)	238	125	90	341	73	51	0	953
Hervé Williams School (Bur 4)	207	98	54	211	76	49	34	794
Hervé Williams School (Bur 5)	182	79	53	253	53	29	23	713
Sandy Ground School (Bur 6)	216	61	32	198	42	16	0	573
Sandy Ground School (Bur 7)	193	72	38	183	59	25	0	597
Bâtiment Communal, Friars Bay (Bur 8)	178	45	33	178	101	11	0	563
Bâtiment Communal, Friars Bay (Bur 9)	144	71	56	174	109	18	12	584
Primary School, Grand Case (Bur 10)	456	101	51	218	92	50	27	997
Kindergarten school, Grand Case (Bur 11)	173	95	60	232	41	11	0	631
Kindergarten school French Quarter (Bur 12)	307	137	67	292	76	24	0	931
Primary School French Quarter (Bur 13)	272	82	51	359	44	29	0	856
Total Votes Per Party	2895	1195	670	3077	848	335
Percentage	32%	13%	8%	34%	9%	4%

 

 

The Windward Islands Bank Ltd will be presenting a grand auto show on the Island of St. Eustatius named "WIB St. Eustatius Auto Show" that is scheduled for March 24 and March 25. WIB has coordinated the ocean shipping of 30 vehicles from the 4 largest car dealerships on the Dutch side of St. Maarten and a 40 foot container of goods from both Kooyman and City Furniture. The car dealerships included are; FW Vlaun and Sons, Caribbean Auto, Motor World, and St. Martin Cars. The venue of the show is at the ARC Agency which is just across from the Airport on St. Eustatius. Fun miles will be present to give information, retail card packages and will include a fun wheel of great prizes. Entertainment to include DJ and Bounce & Jump Party Rental that will feature 3 bounces and include popcorn, cotton candy, etc. WIB service departments and loan officers will be present. We are looking forward to provide the St. Eustatius community with a great show, new products, great deals, and two fun days for family and friends.

On Monday March 12, 2012, the Police Department started an intense general traffic control which is presently ongoing. Up to today's date the police has issued more than four hundred fines and towed 70 motor vehicles. These
controls will continue.

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- On 5 March and 12 March 2012, a total of 21 personnel of the 429th Expeditionary Operations Squadron at the U.S. Forward Operation Location (USFOL) donated their time to an incredible effort to help clean the peak of Mt Christoffel and the rocky shoals of Shete Boka National Parks. The effort to help protect the island's unique natural resources benefits tourists and the local community. A USFOL volunteer observed from the top of Mt Christoffel, "I never knew Curacao had such beauty and it is a rewarding experience to make sure the top of the mountain is as clean as the bottom." The U.S. FOL personnel have been long-time advocates for the local community and natural beauty and this was yet another outstanding effort to promote a continued healthy environment and well-being for the citizens and habitat of Curaçao.

The Foundation of the St. Maarten Zoo will be holding a fundraising event on Friday evening, March 30, 2012 at the Zoo.

We will be showing a movie, "The Bear." "The Bear" is a heartwarming story about a young bear cub who, after his mother is killed in a landslide, bonds to an adult male Kodiak bear. The film offers amazing close-up looks at bear behavior and shows stunning scenery.

Highly acclaimed, this is a beautiful fascinating film for anyone who is interested in animals.

Tickets for this fundraising cost US$15.00 and include a free glass of champagne.

Doors open at 7:00PM and the movie will start at 7:45PM. Tickets can be bought at the door.

Drinks and snacks will be sold.

We hope that we get a good turnout at this event as it will help the Zoo to maintain and improve the animal exhibits. It will be a fun night for all.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Prime Minister wishes to congratulate the country's fire fighters on Fire Fighters Week 2012.

The week started off with a church service on Sunday at the Good News Baptist church in St. Peters, during which Pastor Webster gave a stirring sermon, reminding fire fighters of their duty to serve and at the same time reminding the congregation of the danger these men and women put themselves in every time they are called upon to protect the citizens and their properties.

"I encourage the population to recognize the service our firefighters perform as they sometimes put their own life in danger to save others.

I also encourage our citizens to take heed when the fire department issues notices. Following their advice, can save ourselves and the department a lot of trouble. And if you find yourself in an endangering situation, call for assistance, before it is too late.
To all firefighters and their families, have a good week and thank you for your service to our community," Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams, said on Sunday.

Philipsburg:--- Members of Parliament from the Democratic Party Roy Marlin and Petrus Leroy De Weever along with Independent Member of Parliament Patrick Illidge submitted a request to the chairlady of Parliament asking that she convene a central committee meeting and invite the President of the Central Bank to the meeting.
The letter which was submitted to the chairlady of parliament states that the Members of Parliament of St. Maarten should be apprised of the recent decision of the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten to freeze the borrowing ceiling for commercial banks. The Members of Parliament want to know the present status of the Central Bank and the results that led to the ceiling. They also want to know if there is any political influence that is affecting the Central Bank and the current currency visa vis dollarization.

Click here to read the letter that was submitted to Parliament by the 3 MP's.

St. Peters:--- The Rupert Maynard Center in St. Peters was site for a lively and well attended meeting Monday night organized by concerned residents aimed at reviving the St. Peters Community Council Foundation, dormant since 2009 with the departure of the then President to the Netherlands.
Over the last number of weeks there has been an exchange of words in local media between the founding President, Maurice Lake and Koto Wilson both born and bred St. Peters "boys" as to the manner in which election, appointments or nomination to the Board are to take place. Both gentlemen buried hatchets on Monday night and to the great delight of the in excess of 60 persons gathered, accepted a motion to request the remaining Board members of the last appointed Board to produce a report in time for an April 11, community meeting. Both Maurice Lake and Koto Wilson shook hands showing that both men have the interest of the St. Peters and Marigot Hill Community at heart and wish to unselfishly work for the interest of the community resident in the neighborhoods.
Suggestions made by those in attendance was for the installation of an election committee which committee would study the Articles of Incorporation and bi-laws to insure proper procedures for a new Board to be installed will be followed. One member who resigned from the last Board, Mr. Fredericks committed to assist Gina Illidge in preparing the needed documentation for a report much to the satisfaction of the community members present.
Monday night's meeting was reported to be an example of a community working together to move on and work towards the future in the best interests of the residents of the neighborhoods. There was a high attendance of Members of Parliament including Patrick Illidge, Hyacinth Richardson (a St. Peters resident), George Pantophlet, Dr. Lloyd Richardson, and Romain LaVille. Minister of Health, Labor & Social Affairs, Honorable Cornelius De Weever was in attendance as well.

PHILIPSBURG:--- University of St. Martin (USM) officials and their University of the Netherlands Antilles (UNA) counterparts recently held a meeting to explore the possibilities of the two institutions formally collaborating in the near future
Both delegations expressed their optimism after the initial meeting and have agreed to work on realizing the points discussed by Fall 2012 (August/September).
"During the meeting it became evident that both universities have a lot in common and that working together seems the most logical solution to some of the joint problems," says USM President Annelies van den Assem.
In addition to the President, the USM delegation included Acting Dean of Academics Mr. Glen Yeung and Head of the Business Division Mr. Erwin Wolthuis. The UNA delegation consisted of Dean of Social Sciences & Economics Faculty Mr. Rudsel Sophia, Program Director BSc. Accounting and Controlling Mr. Diepak Ganpat, and Program Director Business Administration Mr. Guido Rojer Jr.
"The first issue which will be addressed, and which would improve the study possibilities of St. Maarten students considerably is the intended cooperation on offering NVAO accredited bachelor programs in both Business Administration, Accounting and ICT," says USM Head of the Business Division Mr. Erwin Wolthuis. He adds that while this possibility is being explored it would also entail UNA recognizing USM's Associate of Arts in Business degrees and the individual course loads for such.
After this recognition, USM graduates would be eligible to enroll in the above mentioned UNA's bachelor programs and would be able to earn their bachelor's degree in approximately two to maximum three years, including the final thesis. The amount of time to earn a bachelor's degree will depend on the area of specialization chosen by the background of the candidate.
"This in itself would be a positive step forward. However, the best part would be that UNA would offer these programs at USM and hence creating the possibility where a St. Maarten student would be able to earn an accredited bachelor degree by UNA/USM in St. Maarten," President van den Assem notes.
At the end of the USM-UNA meeting it was concluded that, within a month, parties will come together and set the stage that will make this venture a complete success. Both parties have expressed their firm intention to make this option possible as of academic year August/September 2012-2013.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday morning 47 six graders from the St. Dominic's Primary School along with their teachers and support staff, visited the House of Parliament at Wilhelmina Straat in Philipsburg.

The students were welcomed by the President of Parliament Hon. drs. Gracita Arrindell.

The students sat in the chairs as parliamentarians, ministers and as members of the public tribune.

Arrindell explained the group about the workings of the country's parliamentary democracy with respect to the roles of Members of Parliament (MPs); who were the MPs and Council of Ministers. The students were also given a tour of the House of Parliament.

During the enactment of a parliamentary session, students posed a number of questions to their fellow students who were acting as Ministers.

Students asked a number of questions about crime, education, sewage, solar energy, after school activities, health care, traffic congestion, taxes, unemployment, medical centre expansion and the celebration of holidays.

One student posed a question about sports facilities and why girls cannot participate in some sports activities.

Democratic Party (DP) Faction Leader MP Hon. Roy Marlin also took part in part of the student discussion.

Concluding remarks by the President of Parliament Arrindell were that she would like to have all primary and secondary schools visit the House of Parliament allowing the youngsters to feel and live what Parliament does.

On Saturday, March 31 2012 at 8pm, the Fete to Fitness around town Jump-up will start at the round-a-bout near the Sundial School, move down the Pondfill, make a left by the former Van Dorp corner and then onto Front Street.

After jamming through Front street, it make its way to the St. Maarten Festival Village.

The bands slated to be on the road after cleaning the final inspection date today is: All Stars Band, Madness Band, Enytce Band, Official Band, 4M Band, and Bada Bing Band.

There will be "zero tolerance" in regards to any misbehavior by our respective authorities.

Everyone is being urged to come out and have some "clean fun!"

We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday enjoying themselves as we gear up for a great carnival celebration.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- A church service at the Baptist Church in St. Peters was held in honor of fire fighters on Sunday as part of Fireman's Week celebrations, which started with the aforementioned service.

The next event of Firemen's Week is a Sport's Day on Wednesday at the L.B. Scott Sport's Auditorium starting at 4:00pm, and Firemen's Uniformed Parade on Friday, March 30 starting at 4:00pm from the old fire depot in Philipsburg.

The week's activities will conclude with a dinner on March 31.

The Fire Fighters Foundation is the body responsible for organizing the various events around Fireman's Week.

During the past weeks fire fighters, first responders, have been kept very busy in dealing several bush fires due to dry weather conditions. Officers work around the clock to keep our nation safe from peril and responding to emergencies.

The Fire Department falls under the Ministry of General Affairs with the prime minister politically responsible for the service.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Last week Tuesday Nature Foundation Manager Tadzio Bervoets officially visited the Sint Maarten House in The Hague and met with Minister of Plenipotentiary Hon. Mathias S. Voges with respect to European Union (EU) cooperation on environmental matters.

During the meeting with Minister Voges, Bervoets gave an update of the activities of the Nature Foundation, including the status of the Man of War Shoal Marine Park, the country's first national park; other conservation efforts conducted by the foundation; fundraising and lobbying activities currently being initiated by the Nature Foundation.

Minister Voges gave an outline of his Cabinet's activities regarding lobbying for environmental activities for the country.

Discussions were also held with regards to cooperation between Non-Governmental Organizations, Government and entities within the EU on possible funding initiatives concerning conservation initiatives in the country.

Bervoets was also given a tour of the Sint Maarten House.

Bervoets trip to Europe is in connection with the foundation's lobbying efforts with various representatives and entities of the EU regarding possible assistance to the Nature Foundation concerning its conservation activities on the island.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Vice Prime Minister Hon. Theo Heyliger on Sunday evening congratulates Leader of the RRR Party Alain Richardson on his party's election win on Sunday, March 25 in the Northern side of the island, Saint Martin.

"I congratulate the people of Saint Martin and the RRR party leadership, its members and supporters on your overwhelmingly election win, on behalf of the people and Government of Sint Maarten.

Your success in these elections is an affirmation by the Saint Martin people of your vision of a strong and prosperous Saint Martin.

The UP/DP/Illidge coalition Government looks forward in working with the new Saint Martin Collectivite Government as we continue to explore avenues and work diligently on issues that impact both sides of the island," Vice Prime Minister Hon. Theo Heyliger said on Sunday evening.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) is very pleased with the outcome of the Information Day at its Open House on 24 February.

The information day attracted 150 persons of which 135 filled out the customer satisfaction survey. IND management is very pleased with the results of the survey which was very positive.

Questions posed to the information day attendees were: how do they rate the service received from the IND? How helpful was the staff? What is your level of satisfaction? How was the information brought forward to you?

The average score for services that the IND provides to the public was rated an 8.8; the average score for being helpful to the public was rated 8.9; overall satisfaction was 8.8; and for overall satisfaction of IND services and how clients received their information was rated with an average score of 9.0.

IND Management concludes that the average scores are very consistent and high, and when considered that it was a representative sample, the conclusion is, the public appreciates the services of the IND which is good to very good.

Two recommendations that the IND will work on based on the survey are to hold additional information sessions and to reduce as much as possible the waiting time for services. This may be done by adding more helpdesks.

During the information day IND staff was available to answer questions and provide brochures to those that visited and they also heard about the future plans for the department.

IND is currently in the process of preparing itself to be able to offer additional and improved services required by country Sint Maarten where it relates to admittance, border and territorial control.

The three main areas when carrying out its work are transparency, consistency and customer friendly service.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams will be in Curacao over the weekend and is one of the speakers at the 9th 'About Women Conference,' under the theme "About Women and Influence."

How does the scale tip? Are we mostly shaped by the influences around us or do we influence our surroundings more profoundly?

It is from this perspective that the Prime Minister will address the forum About Women and Influence on Saturday.

The Prime Minister is uniquely able to present her views from both sides of the fence; having grown up in challenging circumstances, very susceptible to a myriad of influences around her and during her later political career is considered a person of 'great influence.'

How does one yield his or her influence? In responding to the question: 'How will you engage the topic?', the Prime Minister's response was clear and straightforward.

"I don't consider this lecture one in behavioral psychology. There are many experts much more apt at this. I look at the individuals who make up the sum "WOMEN" and I recognize that we are who we are because of influences in our life, yet at the same time, we have the power, yes, the power to influence lives so dramatically that we could collectively chart and change the course of entire societies.

"I recognize that this empowerment is not equally accessible all over the world, but the forum "About Women" allows us to examine our direct environments and thus become more conscious and aware that indeed 'it starts with me.'

"We are fortunate that in our small societies we have trailblazers and have accomplished in terms of gender advancements great strides. What are now the obstacles for us in this generation to conquer?," Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams said on Friday.

Willemstad, CURACAO:--- A substantial improvement is required in the financial management of the public entities Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, is the observation of the College financieel toezicht Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Cft BES) in its sixth half-year report which was presented on February 16th to the minister of Interior Affairs and Kingdom relations (Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties - BZK). The Board of financial supervision (Cft) remarks that in the most recent period little progress was made in the area of the budget process and the financial management. This is in particular the case for the relatively smaller public entities Sint Eustatius and Saba.
The Board states that a sound budgetary process is dependent on good financial management. Even without losing sight of the many important steps that have been taken since the start of the state reform, the fact remains that the public entities still face great challenges. Cft indicates in its report its understanding for the fact that the transition towards becoming public entities costs a lot of time and that this transition is very demanding for the public entities. However, at the same time it is also important to continue denominating the areas where necessary steps still need to be taken. In every aspect of the financial management improvements are necessary, such as liabilities and budget management, budget and liabilities administration, execution reports, the planning and control cycle, Corporate Governance, the subsidies policy, the audit year plan and the land policy. Considering that the capacity (of personnel) is limited on the islands, the Board stipulates together with the public entities three or four priorities per year. Since there are differences in the progress made by the public entities, the agreements also differ per island.

Starting 2012 the budgets of the public entities have to comply with the Decree on budget and accountability public entities BES (BBV BES). With regard to Saba, the Board made use of its competence to suspend all relevant components of this Decree. In the first quarter of 2012 Saba will still compose the budget in conformity with the BBV BES.

In November 2011, upon request of the minister of BZK, the execution of the 2011 budget and the 2012 budget of Sint Eustatius were placed under Preceding Supervision (Voorafgaand Toezicht – VT). This was done because it was expected that 2011 would conclude with a deficit of approximately USD 1.4 million, but also because of the quality of the financial administration and the financial management. The first experiences with the VT are positive and Cft expects that in the third execution report the expected deficit will not have increased further.

The 2010 financial statements of Bonaire and Saba have been provided with a negative opinion by the accountant. The control of the 2010 financial statement of Sint Eustatius is almost finalized and it is expected that the account will abstain from submitting an opinion. Without reliable accounting information it is impossible to get a complete view of the public finance and to guarantee the reliability of the financial information. It is therefore that improvement of the supply of financial information has been stipulated as a priority for all public entities in the financial management improvement plans for 2012. For Bonaire and Sint Eustatius the improvement of the liabilities administration is one of the priorities for 2012, whereas for Saba and Sint Eustatius the month closing is one of the priorities.

Lack of capacity is an important factor for all public entities – the level differs for each entity - that determines the extent to which the improvements can be implemented. The necessary changes have to be executed by only a small number of persons, and after a period of (a little) progress, there now seems to be some kind of "change weariness". In its half-year report Cft indicates that it is important that a new impulse be given to the change process. This is something that should be done by all parties that are involved in the Dutch Caribbean – the islands, the ministry of BZK, the Kingdom Representative and Cft.

In addition to the above mentioned Cft also requests explicitly attention for a number of issues regarding the transition, which are not finalized yet. This regards amongst others the problem of the transfer of the pension funds from the Netherlands Antilles to the Dutch Caribbean and the possible settlement as a consequence of more, or less, use of the deficit series, which the public entities were allowed in the period of 2008 up to 2010. It is of great importance that in these issues decisions be taken by the ones involved, so all parties know where they stand, and that they can be geared towards the future instead of investing a lot of energy in the past. Certainly considering the limited capacity, this is necessary for the future, so the required improvements in the budget process and the financial management can be realized.

Mullet Bay:--- Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius de Weever paid a visit to the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort job fair on Tuesday afternoon, which had a large turn-out of young people. "It is very encouraging to see that our young people are willing to work," said Minister De Weever.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Prime Minister (PM) Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams treated all female civil servants with chocolates to commemorate International Women's Day. The commemoration was carried out at all government offices through their respective Secretary General's. Minister of Education Hon. Rhoda Arrindell was present for the celebration.

In the photo, civil servants attend at the Government Building receiving their treats. The celebration for taxi drivers will be this Sunday.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- A delegation of the Tax Department of Sint Maarten visited the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague and made use of the Soualiga conference room to meet with Sint Maarten students.

The purpose of the visit is to recruit workers for the Tax Department in particular the Audit and Criminal Investigation Unit.

The interviewers were very positive and they are hoping to have some of the solicitants in September of this year in Sint Maarten.

The delegation also met with Sint Maarten students studying taxation law at the University of Tilburg of which some are planning to return to the country to assist in nation building.

Philipsburg:--- The Unity Jump Up held on Saturday night to open the 2012 carnival celebrations had to be stopped on the Pondfill Road early Sunday morning. According to information reaching SMN News, police stopped the Unity Jump after a stabbing incident took place in the vicinity of GEBE on the Pondfill Road. Revelers were jumping up to the beat of five bands that participated in the annual Unity Jump Up.
SMN News has been reliably informed that two young girls that were among the revelers were raped by some young boys that also participated in the pre- carnival celebrations. Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson told reporters nothing unusual took place Saturday night during the Jump Up. The Police Spokesman admitted that some arrests were made but he did not divulge any information on the reasons for the arrests.
A source close to police said that despite the large amount of police officers present Saturday night, the Jump Up got out of hand. The source said that revelers were under the influence of alcohol and it appears as though the rape victims trusted their attackers at some point when they went with them and were allegedly raped. It is not yet established if the victims of the alleged rape filed complaints with the police. A source within the police force said that the victims of the stabbing incident have since refused police assistance in the stabbing incident.

Philipsburg:--- On Thursday March 8, 2012, Independent Member of Parliament Patrick Illidge made good on a promise to deliver 5 more computers for a grand total of 10 to the Philipsburg Jubilee Library.
"It took some time to get all 10 computers to the Library because for whatever reason UTS was not able to make good on a promise made back then but never the less, where there is a will there is a way," said MP Patrick Illidge. The additional 5 computers were made possible through a donation by the Diageo Company represented on St. Maarten by International Liquor & Tobacco NV, and the computers (3 desktops & 2 laptops) were supplied by Adolphus Richardson Office Technology. MP Patrick Illidge also thanked the PSB Bank for their donation of the first 5 computers during the bank's Grand Opening ceremony.

The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) will be honoring seven "Titans of Calypso" for the first time as part of its official Carnival events. Entitled "Honoring of Local Carnival Legends" the event will be held on Friday, April 20 in Carnival Village as part of the Senior Calypso Eliminations.

The SCDF explained that the intention is to honor Carnival legends in every facet of Carnival every year. This year, the SCDF said, six legendary calypsonians and one mainstay of the calypso art form on St. Maarten were chosen to be honored.

The SCDF will present special posthumous honors to the families of The Mighty Greg and The Mighty Cat, both former Road March kings. "These men were great entertainers and Carnival lovers," President of the SCDF Stuart Johnson said. "Cat stayed active with Carnival through his photography and producing songs such as the iconic Village anthem "Welcome to the Village. Greg's voice could never be forgotten and he grabbed every opportunity to sing when he wasn't competing. They are both missed and both deserve recognition," Johnson said.

Also to be honored are four current, veteran singers who most people refer to as "the big guns" of Calypso. 10-time Calypso Monarch King Beau Beau, Reigning Calypso Monarch Kaiso Brat, award-winning artist The Mighty Dow and the master of the "double entendre" King T-Mo. "When you think about calypso and road march singing on St. Maarten, the names of these men are usually called first along with others. If we chose to honor legends of Calypso, we think starting with Brat, Beau Beau, Dow and T-Mo is a great place to start," Johnson said.

The last person the SCDF intends to honor on April 20 is the Philosopher of Humor Fernando Clarke, not for his singing talents, but for being "The King of Calypso MC's". Johnson explained that MC means to "move a crowd" and added that there is none better than Fernando.

"People ask for Fernando as much as they ask for the calypsonians. We appreciate his presence and his skill to keep our show lively and entertaining. But he is more than just an entertainer, he is a calypso historian who defends and promote the art form every opportunity he gets. So we some surprises in store for Fernando befitting his status in calypso on St. Maarten," Johnson said. He also confirmed that Clarke will be the MC for the Calypso Eliminations and Finals for Carnival 2012.

Prior to the official honors on April 20, the SCDF will host an announcement dinner ceremony for the honorees and the media. At this more intimate occasion the SCDF will brief the public, through the media, about the honoring program and simply treat the honorees to a good time.

"We just want to express to them that we are grateful for the hard work and dedication to calypso and Carnival over the years. This board of the SCDF recognizes the significance of calypso to Carnival and the fact that these men continue to work with younger singers to ensure that the art form of calypso lives on," Johnson said.

The SCDF is currently finalizing the structure of the honoring program and would apprise the public accordingly once the honorees are briefed on how their night will proceed. The SCDF will also make an announcement soon regarding the Grand Carnival parade and who it will be dedicated to for Carnival 2012.

Philipsburg: --- The President of the Workers Institute for Organized Labour (WIFOL) Theophillus Thompson raised several concerns about the state of affairs at the University of St. Martin and the competency of the current President. Thompson told reporters on Thursday during the union's press conference that the union is very much concerned about education on St. Martin and especially what is taking place at USM. Thompson said since the resignation of the former president nothing has changed at USM for the workers and the students.
The board of USM hired a new president and we have made a number of appointments to meet with her but she refused to meet with us in the past. However, we took a firm stand and managed to get the President of USM to agree to a meeting. Thompson said since 2010 six educators of the learning institution had to leave USM because of the working conditions and lack of vision for the institution. He said the education institution is deteriorating slowly but surely and he is of the opinion that the board of USM should seriously look into what USM is contributing towards education on St. Maarten. He further explained that because of the union's concerns they have chosen to put the Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) on hold until better can be done. "As union we had to set our priorities correctly and we know there can be no development if the people are not developed."

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico:--- A vintage cargo plane loaded with bread crashed in a lagoon near Puerto Rico's international airport on Thursday, killing the airline's owner and another crew member, authorities said.
The plane had just taken off when the pilot told air traffic control that the plane was having engine trouble, said Juan Rivera, spokesman for the Luiz Munoz Marin airport. It was returning to the airport when it crashed, killing both people aboard, Rivera said. Officials earlier said three had died.
The plane was operated by Florida-based Jet One Express and was bound for the Caribbean island of St. Maarten.
Alejandro Bristol, CEO of Jet One Express, said his father, who is owner of the company, died in the crash. He identified the plane as a Convair 340, which was manufactured in 1953, according to U.S. Federal Aviation Administration records.
Bristol said he was en route to Puerto Rico and declined further comment.
Authorities earlier identified the plane as a Convair 440.
Melina Simeonides, spokeswoman for the island's emergency management agency, identified the victims as Uriel Bristol, 67, and Anthony Tavares, 45. She said it is not clear yet who was the pilot.
The plane would make about 15 trips a week to deliver bread to several Caribbean islands, said Arnaldo de Leo, airport manager. It was carrying 2,500 pounds (1,134 kilograms) of bread when it crashed, he said.

(The Associated Press)

Philipsburg:--- The two factions of the current coalition government approved the amendment on the national ordinance for special investigative powers. Minister of Justice Roland Duncan submitted the amendment to Parliament on Thursday. The Members of Parliament from the National Alliance and Independent Member of Parliament Frans Richardson voted against the law which has already been accepted by Aruba and Curacao.
Independent Member of Parliament Frans Richardson said he questioned the proposed law when it was discussed in the Central Committee meetings. Richardson said as a Member of Parliament he has a right to either vote for, abstain, or vote against laws that are taken to Parliament. Richardson said he is not totally comfortable with law and as such he voted against it. Richardson further explained that the law will allow the invasion of people's privacy. He said while he is not comfortable, he is of the opinion that the law must be taken to the people of St. Maarten so that they will know what the law entails.
Members of the National Alliance also voted against the law that will give investigators the right to tap the phones and scan emails, Facebook and SMS messages of persons that are suspected of a crime.
Minister of Justice Roland Duncan told reporters that he is happy the law was passed. Duncan said after three years the law will be reviewed and if there is any type of abuse of the law then Parliament can retract the law.

Maho/Airport:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams and Minister of Finance Hiro Shigemoto welcomed the NOAA crew that arrived on St. Maarten on Thursday with the US Air Force Hurricane Hunter. A brief welcome ceremony was held at the Royal Islander Club Friday morning where St. Maarten's Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams expressed her gratitude to the NOAA crew for adding St. Maarten to their itinerary for the NOAA hurricane awareness campaign in the Caribbean region. NOAA began their hurricane awareness campaign on March 12, 2012 and it is scheduled to end on March 17th. The team comprising of members of the 53rd weather reconnaissance squadron is creating awareness in at least six regions of the Caribbean and Mexico for them to be prepared for the 2012 Hurricane Season. The team comprises of NOAA Director Bill Read, Gladys Rubio (Meteorologist), and Lixion Avilla (a senior hurricane specialist).
Minister of Finance Hiro Shigemoto told the small gathering that St. Maarten has been through its fair share of hurricanes not forgetting the infamous Luis that hit St. Maarten in 1995. He said since then the island has several mediums in place to prepare its residents when a hurricane is approaching the island.
Director of NOAA Bill Read presented the Prime Minister with a token while Jon Talbot made a slide show presentation on the activities of the hurricane hunter, he also presented the Prime Minister with a poster.
Representing St. Maarten were the head of Disaster Management Fire Chief Winston Solomon and representatives of St. Maarten Metrological Center.
Shortly after the press conference, the Prime Minister of St. Maarten and other dignitaries were given a tour of the hurricane hunter which was in close proximity of the St. Maarten Meteorological Center. Students of the various schools on St. Maarten were also given a tour of the aircraft while the crew members took the time to provide information to its guests on how they gather data for the National Hurricane Center.
Pilot Shane Delvin told St. Maarten's dignitaries that flying through well developed hurricanes is not at all dangerous but the cost of such missions costs the US Government about $5,000 per hour with a total of about $60,000 per mission. Students attending the various secondary schools preparing for their end of year examinations took the opportunity to gather information from the crew on how exactly they gather information through a storm. Many students were excited to get the opportunity to enter the aircraft which is fully equipped with modern day technology.

Click here to view more photos of the Hurricane Hunter tour given to dignitaries and students.

SIMPSON BAY:--- Scores of school children thronged the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) on Friday morning and got a first-hand look at a United States Air Force C-130 Hurricane Hunter aircraft.
The 25-man crew arrived in St. Maarten aboard the C-130 on Thursday as part of a US Caribbean Hurricane Awareness Tour (CHAT).
According to one of the five pilots among the crew, the CHAT mission will, hopefully, build a bond between the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS) and the US National Hurricane Center.
"The purpose of our visit is also to let everyone here learn about what we do and the different services we provide as we are flying through a storm," said the pilot.
The climatic-related purpose and data helps "in the emergency preparedness and lets everyone know on the island and throughout the Caribbean what they are up against when it comes to the storm season, such as the strength of the storm, where it is going, the direction," said the pilot.
The hurricane hunters explained to students that although 25 persons are touring aboard the C-130 aircraft, only five people – two pilots, a navigator, weather officer, and a weather loadmaster – are needed for a standard operation when investigating storms. If the mission is longer than eight hours, an extra pilot would be deployed.
Nikita Mukhi, a St. Maarten Academy fifth form student, said Friday's tour of the large plane was very exciting. The US Air Force reportedly has 10 hurricane hunter airplanes or "weather birds," including the touring C-130 aircraft, which are usually deployed from the base in Biloxi, Mississippi.
"It was a good learning experience. Our geography teacher, Ms. Williams, took us because it will benefit us in our exams and I found the information to be very interesting," said Mukhi.
When asked about the dangers of the job, one pilot explained that despite the fact that it is not uncommon for the airborne plane to be struck by lightning, they have never lost a plane. "Because we are at 10,000 feet, ice can accumulate on the wings and that can be somewhat dangerous. But overall we have a tremendous safety record."
The C-130 operates throughout the U.S. Air Force, serving with the Air Mobility Command. The aircraft also takes part in natural relief missions, fire-fighting, aero-medical missions, and weather reconnaissance.
"We also move equipment all around the world for the Air Force and for the military and we have done humanitarian missions, moved injured soldiers all around the country. These aircrafts are allocated for hurricane missions, but we also do other missions every day of the week," said the pilot.
The current mission took off from Mississippi last Sunday, flew to Miami where the crew picked up personnel from the National Hurricane Center, then flew to Mexico for two nights. Thereafter, the aircraft stopped in Costa Rica for a night before heading to St. Maarten.
"We do it every year and we try to go to different places every time to build that awareness all across the Caribbean," said one of the pilots.
The MDS hosted the visit of the aircraft and its team for two days, and together with PJIA organized several tours for students from various schools.
The St. Dominic High School, Methodist Agogic Centre, Sundial, and Sr. Marie Laurence Primary School were among the schools whose students toured the Hurricane Hunters aircraft at PJIA on Friday.
The C-130 airplane departed here on Friday for San Juan, Puerto Rico – the last leg of this specific CHAT mission of the hurricane hunters tour. The North Atlantic Hurricane Season, which directly affects the Caribbean region, starts each year on June 1 and ends on November 30.

The St. Maarten Lions Club Committee in charge of the 4th Annual Health & Wellness Fair hereby reminds the community to visit the Festival Village this Saturday March 24th between the hours of 10 am and 4pm, for an opportunity to take various health tests and information tips – free of charge.
Committee Chair Jessica Vrolijk: "We are pleased to have sponsors that have been with us from the very start of this annual event and welcome new stakeholders The Art of Living Foundation, Dental Care Clinic of Dr Cassandra Dowling, TeLem Group, and SZV. The St. Maarten Alzheimer's Foundation and Alpha Health Store have joined the fair for a second year in a row. Tests and information being offered to the general public include glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol tests, vaccination for children between 0 and 17 years old, HIV testing, body fat measurement, dental hygiene and maintenance, mental health care and breast cancer information."
NAGICO and Fatum Insurances, along with SZV will offer information on medical and life insurance products and services, including the application forms, products and services available. The Department of Health, Social Development and Labour will also be on hand.
The health fair will maintain its family oriented environment with Food and drink being on sale, live music entertainment and a kiddy's corner for children who would like to burn some energy while their parents get tested.
The last stakeholders' information meeting will be held at the Festival Village on Monday 19th of March, at 3pm. All stakeholder representatives are asked to be present to get final details on all that is to take place Saturday.

Sucker Garden:--- A lady with initials D.A.S. filed an official report with the Special Robbery Unit stating that on Saturday March 16, 2012 at approximately 7:45pm while walking from a Chinese supermarket on the Sucker Garden road, she was attacked from behind by an unknown young man, who violently pulled her gold necklace from her neck and took off running.
In an unrelated incident, a man with initials F.H. filed an official report with the Special Robbery Unit stating that on Saturday March 17, 2012 at approximately 12:10am he was attacked by four unknown young black men and robbed.
The incident took place on the Pendant Cactus Drive in Sucker Garden. During this incident his gold chain was pulled from his neck. When he tried to protect himself one of the suspects pulled a firearm and threatened him with it. After committing this act all four suspects walked away.

Philipsburg:--- The President of the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) Claire Elshot told reporters on Thursday during the unions press briefing that she will be seeking an audience with the Ministers of Education and Labour to discuss a recent development that is hindering various school boards and teachers.
Elshot said that foreign teachers that are teaching in various primary schools are now confronted with a delay in the extension of their work permits due to the fact that their degrees are not being evaluated locally. Elshot said that several school boards are not able to obtain their teachers' work permits because of the evaluation process which is mandated by law. Elshot said St. Maarten is lacking adequate staff that is supposed to evaluate mostly foreign degrees and because of the shortage of manpower, the teachers' degrees were sent to Curacao to be evaluated by someone who has refused to evaluate foreign degrees in the past. Elshot said because of this person's opinion, teachers on St. Maarten were negatively impacted.
The WITU President said in the year 2000 the St. Maarten Academy School board was forced to correct the salary scales for over 50% of their teachers. Elshot said the set back and negative impact on teachers' salaries was rectified when many school boards contacted the international organization that was evaluating teachers for St. Maarten.
Elshot said that the department of labour is referring the school boards to the department of education located at the IND building for the evaluation of the degrees. However, that department is not functional because of the lack of staff. Therefore, an agreement has been made with the Department of Education of Curacao. Elshot said St. Maarten chose to break away from Curacao since 10/10/10 and she sees no reason for St. Maarten to sign an SLA with Curacao while St. Maarten has capable people on the island who can evaluate the teachers' degrees. She said that some Naf. 180 was deducted from the teacher's salaries for the evaluation which the union is busy questioning.
Elshot said a committee should be formed to decide on the evaluation process for the teachers on St. Maarten. "Many primary school teachers participated in the FBE courses that were offered by DERPI all of which has to be considered. Teachers are now told that they have to re-sit the exams they already wrote based on the courses given by DERPI."

PHILIPSBURG:--- At the opening of the Strategic Economic Plan Workshop on Thursday morning, Minister of Economic & Tourism Affairs, Telecommunications & Transport Franklin Meyers thanked everyone for coming and provided a short elucidation about the changes that Sint Maarten has experienced and is currently going through.

Minister Meyers said that Sint Maarten has as a duty-free port with many benefits for business persons and foreign investors, the government however did not reap or benefit as much from the economic prosperity.

In light of the changing economic climate and the current demands on government, there needs to be a fairer balance of approach whereby all interest/parties involved can benefit. So a road map has to be drawn up and for this reason we are here today at this workshop, Minister Franklin Meyers told the attendees.

Sint Maarten is a unique country; we have all the major challenges of developed countries right here, and we have done 'so much for so long with so little', the Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Franklin Meyers told his audience.

We have to look at our challenges and our advantages, and we have to include the social aspect in our economic development. Sint Maarten is a one-pillar tourism economy, so we have to be deliberate on our efforts by ensuring that our efforts are wide ranging, from the top to the bottom. These efforts are crucial to having a balanced economy and essential to having a fair society where wealth is concerned, Minister Meyers pointed out.

The forum, supported by the Department of Economic Policy and Research, is being executed by the consulting firm of KPMG.

Afterward the short introductory speech by Minister Meyers, there was two presentations: one by the Raymond Begina, Managing Director, KPMG Advisory Services B.V.; the other by Judianne Hoeve, Project Leader, Strategic Economic Plan.

Begina gave a presentation on the plan for the next generation, what were the past and recent achievements, what needs to be envisioned for the new Sint Maarten, the need for bench marking, and why the Strategic plan is important, which he pointed out as trying to achieve a long term sustainable economy, and create broad support, achieve sustainable increase in the living standard and prosperity for the Sint Maarten community. These goals he said should be achieved through education and training, increased employment and business activities, growth in foreign and local investments, balanced wealth distribution, social cohesiveness, and good governance.

Hoeve, the second presenter, spoke about the logistical aspect of developing the strategic economic plan Sint Maarten 2012-2022, namely, by dealing with three questions: Where does Sint Maarten stand as of 2012? Where should Sint Maarten be in 2022? What are the building blocks for the strategic plan?

The attendees were divided into three groups: 1) Economic work stream; 2) Social Work Stream, 3) Youth: a. economic work stream, b. social work stream.

Airport:--- Unionized workers of Menzies working at the Princess Juliana International Airport are currently on industrial action as they demand the 1.6% cost of living adjustment owed to them for the years 2009 and 2010.

The workers at Menizes are backed by the United Federation Association (UFA). Speaking to SMN News, President of the UFA Francis Ollivacchi said that Government mediator Derrick Holiday ordered the Managing Director of Menzies Kenneth Kong to make the payment since last year and to date the payment has not been made. Ollivacchi said he went to Kong on Friday morning demanding that the over 60 workers represented by UFA be paid the 1.6% owed to them and Kong did not cooperate. “Because of the lack of cooperation from Menzies Director the union had no choice but to have its workers down their tools as of 12 noon on Friday. Menzies workers are responsible for the handling of luggage for several airlines.” It is not clear if operation at the Princess Juliana International Airport is affected. Ollivacchi said that while 60 workers are permanent staff of Menzies, the other (55) that are currently working for Menzies are contracted workers working for an Employment Agency on St. Maarten.

In the meantime, UFA President hinted that there might be some other uproar as early as Tuesday at the Princess Juliana International Airport. Ollivacchi said the Government mediator Derrick Holiday has a number of security guards working for him at the PJIAE and these workers have not been paid for the past three months. "Here you have the government mediator that also has his own company and is refusing  to pay his workers. If this is not a conflict of interest I dont know what is. Holiday is supposed to be the mediator to settle dispute between the companies and the union and today he is the owner of a delinquent company. We are expected to sit down with Holiday on Tuesday and if the security guards are not paid then we will be taking action.”

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Five-years ago, at the ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Dutch National festival of Trees ("Nationale Boomfeestdag"), Her Royal Highness Queen Beatrix in her capacity then as the patron of this Foundation, expressed her wish to see all the Caribbean countries of the Kingdom participate in this annual festival in the future.

At Land van Cuijk, on the premises of the host Tree-developer Ebben, on Spring day, March 21st, being the 55th anniversary of this festival, Sint Maarten joined the list of the Netherlands, Aruba and Curacao.

On March 21 Minister Plenipotentiary, Hon. Mathias Voges, at a special planned ceremony presented the Kingdom with the "credentials" of Sint Maarten's Tree "Ambassador", the Guavaberry Tree.

The presentation of the Guavaberry Tree coincided with the presentation and planting of the Jeneverbesboom in Sint Maarten on March 22nd.
Minister Voges made use of the occasion to enlighten the audience with the cultural history of our Guavaberry Tree and all the possibilities it offers when processing her berries such as the liqueur or rum and the cake!

The Guavaberry Tree Ambassador was then handed over to the Director of the Hortus Botanicus who will plant her in the Tropical Gardens at the Hortus Botanicus.

To conclude the ceremony a toast was made on this joyous occasion with Guavaberry Liqueur, of course, which proved to be a challenge for some in the audience!

After this presentation, Minister Voges joined Her Royal Highness Princess Maxima in the three planting ceremony.

In the presence of 750 school children and numerous dignitaries Sint Maarten was presented with the unique opportunity to plant a tree in the commemorative circle, which tree was specially developed for this anniversary, named the "Meidoornboomplantdagboom".

Minister Voges planted the tree with the assistance of some school children and his Cabinet advisor Perry Geerlings.

In commemoration of the school children and supervisors who lost their lives in the horrible bus crash more than two weeks ago in Switzerland, some 1000 white balloons were released. Her Royal Highness Princess Maxima released an orange balloon for and on behalf of the Royal Family.

Leader of the National Alliance, Member of Parliament, William Marlin, on Monday afternoon called Mr. Alain Richardson to personally congratulate him on the victory of the Triple R party in the elections on Sunday.
Marlin told Alain Richardson, that on behalf of the National Alliance family, he wanted to congratulate him on his outstanding victory at the polls. You have fought a hard battle and you have gained overwhelming support from the voters.
Marlin wished Mr. Richardson and the rest of the Triple R team, much strength, wisdom and God's speed as they take on the responsibility on Sunday upcoming to take over the reins of government in Marigot.
Marlin concluded by wishing the people of St. Martin all the best and told Mr. Alain Richardson, that the National Alliance team looks forward to working with the new government, particularly after 2014.

Philipsburg:--- Police arrested an Indian Manager at the Westin Resort identified as Shawn Gooneratne as they probe embezzlement at the Resort. SMN News learnt that the Manager was arrested on Friday.
Sources close to the Resort said the resort's accountant who is also of Indian decent resigned while he was on vacation. So far it is not yet known how much monies were embezzled from the resort and how many persons are actually involved in the theft.
Head of the Detective Department Denise Jacob confirmed the arrest of one person as they continue the investigation. Jacob said financial investigations are normally huge and it would quite some months before it is completed. Jacobs further explained that one person was arrested identified as A.C.G. and no monies have been seized in the ongoing investigation. Jacobs said at this time it is not possible for investigators to say exactly how much money was involved in embezzlement.
SMN News further learnt that a well known accountant related to the Prime Minister of St. Maarten was questioned in the Westin investigation and an ongoing investigation that involves a well known businessman in Cay Hill. Last week Thursday, the police and tax department raided the businessman's house and business place. At the time, Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos said that the police and tax department were busy investigating a case of fraud.

NAGICO Insurances made a contribution on Wednesday to the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) to cover the total sponsorship of the annual Calypso competition held each year during the Carnival celebrations.

According to a release from the insurance company; "NAGICO understands its role as a social partner of the community and has taken the initiative to assist the SCDF by ensuring that local artists have a platform to display their talents."

NAGICO's contribution this year will not only cover the total sponsorship of the Senior Calypso Finals, but will also include the Calypso Eliminations Show.

"We are extremely happy that NAGICO has again stepped up to the plate again this year and thrown their support behind the SCDF," Erno Labega; treasurer of the foundation said. "We know that times are hard and when you have a company willing to support a cause to keep culture alive, we really do have to let them know how much we appreciate it."

As a sign of their gratitude, the SCDF has announced that both shows will be named after NAGICO; The NAGICO Calypso Eliminations and the NAGICO Calypso Finals. The sponsorship given by NAGICO will provide the first, second and third place prizes for the Calypso finalists. The official presentation of the cheque was made by NAGICO's two Marketing Assistants; Lisa Brown-McKay and Annemiek Meussen in their newly renovated Customer Service area.

Philipsburg:--- President of the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) Claire Elshot told reporters on Thursday during the Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Unions press briefing that the WITU will dispatch a letter sometime on Thursday to request information on the Cost of Living Adjustments.
Elshot said her members exercised patience and waited until the 2012 budget was approved by Parliament and now that the budget has been approved they have been contacting her to find out what is the union's next move. Elshot said the letter will be sent to the Ministers of General Affairs, Finance, and Education and the WITU will be asking the various Ministers to make the payments by June 2012 since the COL payments for 2010 were to be made since January 2012.
Elshot also informed the media that they have taken note of the consumer price index which is now 5.2%. She said that this trend has become very worrisome for the union since it goes to show that the cost of living on St. Maarten is rising on a yearly basis. Elshot said the union is claiming the 2010 COL but right now there is another 2% that has been added to the cost of living on St. Maarten. The WITU President said the consumer price index which was released earlier this week makes it even more difficult for the unions to look at any other way of indexing the teachers and civil servants salaries. She said the unions are unable to look at other means of indexation because workers would lose their purchasing power and they might end up falling into the poverty stream. "Eradication of poverty has been on the agenda of certain groups and the unions would have to continue being the watchdog for their membership."
The WITU president said they will be questioning government on behalf of the pensioners who did not receive certain monies that are due to them prior to the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles. Elshot said the pensioners got some monies last year but that was for the year 2010. However, pensioners that are former civil servants did not receive their pension calculation and these pensioners are now claiming these monies retroactively. Elshot said one of the major concerns for the unions is the Cost of Living Adjustments for both the active and inactive civil servants, teachers and pensioners.

Effective April 13, 2012, the Department of State will adjust visa processing fees for all missions worldwide. The fees for most nonimmigrant visa applications and Border Crossing Cards will increase, while all immigrant visa processing fees will decrease. Please note that the U.S. Consulate General in Curacao does not process all Non-Immigrant Visa (NIV) applications. Those individuals applying for E, H, K, and L category visas must apply at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas. The U.S. Consulate General in Curacao does not process any Immigrant Visas or Border Crossing Cards. For detailed information, please visit our website at: http://curacao.usconsulate.gov/

The U.S. Department of State is required to recover, as far as possible, the cost of processing visas through the collection of application fees. For a number of reasons, the current fees no longer cover the actual cost of processing nonimmigrant visas. The nonimmigrant visa fee increase will support the addition and expansion of overseas facilities, as well as additional staffing required to meet increased visa demand.

Although most categories of nonimmigrant visa processing fees will increase, the fee for E visas (treaty-traders and treaty-investors) and K visas (for fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens) will decrease.

Nonimmigrant Visa Processing Fees

Because of a reallocation of costs associated with immigrant visas, all categories of immigrant visa processing fees will decrease.

Immigrant Visa Processing Fees

Cay Hill:--- Seven Seas Water (St. Maarten) on Friday made a donation of $2000.00 to the St. Maarten Science Fair Foundation.

Representing Seven Seas Water was its St. Maarten Managing Director Franklyn Richards.

In making the presentation he remarked: "We at Seven Seas Water (St. Maarten) believe that with this donation we have contributed to the purpose of St. Maarten Science Fair Foundation -- in getting students interested and involved in Science and Technology from a young age"

He added that support for the science fair and the foundation is vital "to inspire youth to pursue a professional career in one of the areas of Science which we, as Seven Seas Water (St. Maarten) envision would help with building and maintaining country St. Maarten".

Richards said that the company feels "proud to be part of this annual event".

Philipsburg:--- During the last traffic controls held by the police, a false license plate was intercepted. During the control the driver of the vehicle with license plate P-1078 could not produce, his valid driver's license, a valid insurance policy for the vehicle he was driving, a valid test card or the receipt showing that he had paid the road-tax for 2012.
At the same time, the patrol noticed something strange about the color of the license plate. Taking a closer look at the plate which was also covered with transparent plastic, the investigating officer noticed that the license plate in question was an outdated plate which was painted yellow to match the 2012 license plate. The driver of that vehicle was fined for all of the infractions and his car was towed away and impounded.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) will be embarking upon a public consultation process with respect to the drafting of "development plans" for country Sint Maarten.

The input of the community is considered paramount in this process and in order for the right choices to be made, the community has to have a say by giving their views with respect to the spatial national development of the country.

The drafting of the development plans will take approximately 24 months and the aforementioned plans will guide the future spatial development of the country where it relates to government and private land.

The first two draft plans in preparation are Simpson Bay (includes Beacon Hill, Simpson Bay Lagoon) and Conservation areas (hilltops, Emilio Wilson Estate, Bishop Hill Plantation, Geneve Bay).

The first town hall meeting will be held in Simpson Bay on Thursday, March 8 in the Allen Halley Sports & Recreation Center starting at 7.00pm. Residents of Simpson Bay and Beacon Hill and surrounding areas are invited to come to the meeting.

The second town hall meeting is related to Conservation Areas and this one will be held on Thursday, March 14 in the Belair Community Center in Cay Hill starting at 7.00pm.

The Zoning Ordinance (EROP) prescribes that development plans are established regulating the development possibilities and land usage on the Dutch side of the island.

The planning process consists of the following steps for public participation and support for each of the plans:

• an inventory of wishes in town hall meetings that will result in a memorandum of principles for the development plan;
• a consultation concerning the choices that have to be made for the preparation of the preliminary draft development plan;
• finally your opinion with regards to the proposals in the preliminary draft development plan, which will be presented in a public hearing.

The Government believes that the public and stakeholders must have a say in the preparation of the plans, and must also have the opportunity to (public) review and give comments on the draft plans before they are sent to Parliament for approval.

Philipsburg:--- In the very near future the Sint Maarten Police Force, will be changing their strategies on doing police work by going into "Community Policing". On Friday March 2nd at approximately 11:00am, the five senior officers that were chosen to be "Neighborhood Officers" were presented to the Minister of Justice Mr. Roland Duncan. This project is spearheaded by Police commissioner Carl John, who has been working very diligently to get this project off the ground. The officers in question are Majors H.E. ROMEO-CRISTINA, F.N. RICHARDS, E.S. JOSEPHA and brigadiers M.L.R. SIRVANIA and J.F.J. STATIE.
Community Policing is a collaborate effort between a police department and community that identifies problems of crime and disorder and involves all elements of the community in the search for solutions to these problems. It is founded on close, mutually beneficial ties between police and community members. Community policing is not soft on crime. On the contrary it can significantly improve the ability of the police to discover criminal conduct and activities, clear offenses, and make arrests.

Minister Duncan congratulated the officers and encouraged them to go out into the neighborhoods and create a communication network between private citizens, businesses, community councils, and other
organizations, to help combat crime and make these neighborhoods safer and to improve livability. Finally, the Minister wished the officers much success in the difficult task that lies ahead of them.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Committee of Parliament on Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations, will meet on March 06.

The committee will discuss a draft report with respect to the Kingdom Visa Law. The report is the Parliament of Sint Maarten's responds to the Dutch proposal of the introduction of one visa law for the entire Kingdom. The position of the national chamber of parliament will be sent to the Dutch Second Chamber of Parliament.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday morning at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament on Wilhelmina Straat #2.1 in Philipsburg.

The committee is headed by Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Roy Marlin, Chairman, MP Hon. Dr. Ruth Douglass, Vice Chair, MP Hon. Patrick Illidge, MP Hon. William Marlin, and MP Hon. Frans Richardson.

The committee meeting will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 20 and via Pearl Radio FM 98.1. The audio will be carried via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Sint Maarten students studying in Holland will be invited to attend the first student forum under the theme, "To Study Successfully and to Return Successfully," to be organized by Stichting Soualiga Foundation (SSF).

Vice Prime Minister Hon. Theo Heyliger says he fully supports the initiative to organize a forum for Sint Maarten students studying in the Netherlands under the aforementioned theme, and appeals to businesses to support forum.

The student forum is slated for April 20 in Bodegraven, the Netherlands.

The main goal of the student forum is to bring together students, recent graduates and young professionals to discuss and document factors that affect the academic performance of the students in the Netherlands as well as look at how they can return to the country successfully after completing their studies.

SSF's current initiative is to help students facing difficulties in achieving their goals during their studies in the Netherlands, and student dissatisfaction about limited opportunities graduates/young professionals face when returning to the country.

"We have achieved country status within the Kingdom. To move on in joining the international community of nation states and be a full autonomous country, we need to build country Sint Maarten at this level with Sint Maarteners equipped with a high level of human capital in promoting the economic growth and well-being of our country.

"Governments the world over have been confronted with so-called 'brain drain.' This phenomenon is believed to have had adverse effects on economic growth, education, income distribution and welfare. There are factors that determine brain drain, such as push factors and pull factors.

"The outcome of the student forum will give the political establishment an idea on moving forward. One idea is to set-up a data bank to identify and localize Sint Maarten students and professionals living and working in developed countries; and another idea is to assist in the creation and consolidation of the Sint Maarten Diaspora living in North America, Europe and wherever they can be found," Vice Prime Minister Hon. Theo Heyliger said on Sunday.

SSF was launched on October 11, 2011 and is not only for students but all Sint Maarteners living in the Netherlands with respect to social and cultural needs.

Mission

St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry Board Member Tamara Leonard and Executive Director Claret Connor were tasked by Chamber President Arthur Bute to explore additional areas of cooperation between Sister Cities St. Maarten and Tallahassee, Florida. The main goal was to drum up new opportunities for business (broadly), cultural exchange and future development.

Since the sister city has been in existence, the focus and success have been in the area of education. St. Maarten students have been benefitting from the in-state tuition at state universities.

Moving Forward

Leonard and Connor honed in on aspects of the sister city agreement that have never explored to a great intent. Stemming from this, a series of meetings were held and contact made for future projects in the areas of Commerce, Community, Culture and Chamber Relations.

From those meetings, it was determined that opportunities for St. Maarten businesses and budding entrepreneurs are many. Tapping into these require swift actions in partnerships and projects on which the Chamber together with its counterpart in Tallahassee can make in-roads.

Commerce: Meeting with Mayor John Marks

A meeting was held with Tallahassee Mayor John Marks III about the investment opportunities on St Maarten via tourism development. The mayor is very interested in creating linkages and exchanges with St. Maarten.

Projects on their linkages and exchanges have to be developed and further worked out for optimal benefits.

Energy: The sister city agreement has the potential to open St. Maarten to China, specifically the City of Rugao as Tallahassee and Rugao are now sister cities and through this, ongoing development of trade and energy production are possibilities to explore.

A meeting was with held with Florida Representative Michele Vasilinda and Dean Minardi of Bing Energy. Bing is currently exploring the production of new energy technology in China.

New tech apps: Chamber representatives met with Florida Representative Alan Williams about exploration into waste management, certification and various educational avenues including online employee recruitment services and computer applications. Projects are to be followed up on.

Culture: Meeting with Florida House Representative Hazelle P. Rogers

Participation in Florida's International Caribbean Day Celebration from the standpoint of exposing Tallahassee and other residents of Florida to St. Maarten's unique offerings and culture was the highlight of a meeting with Florida House Representative Hazelle P. Rogers.

Opportunities for sports tourism are also available. Tallahassee Tourist Director Mr Lee Daniel indicated that they are home to avid mountain bikers, bikers trails and rivers and hosts a series of competition annually. A recommendation is to have a team of St. Maarten cycle enthusiast be part of an exhibition or competition in Tallahassee. This will create linkages with cycling clubs and eventual exchange visits.

Another sport gaining ground in Tallahassee is disc golf. Disc golf is a disc game in which individual players throw a flying disc into a car or at a target. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, "The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the disc." This is a niche business opportunity for a St. Maarten entrepreneur.

Community: Why not visit your sister city?

Tallahassee officials are working to upgrade its regional airport to an international one. Adding St. Maarten as a preferred (in demand) destination can help this goal with the spin off being an expanded Florida tourism market for our country. A meeting on this topic was held with Tallahassee Tourist Director Mr Lee Daniel.

One approach to this goal is exposing residents of the sister cities to what each destination have to offer without an extensive marketing campaign. The use of strategically placed billboards in both "cities" can make residents more aware of the link between Tallahassee and St. Maarten while suggesting "why not visit your sister city?"

Leonard as a board member recommends an immediate project in this regard to showcase St. Maarten to their City of Tallahassee via the local media by inviting the top three media houses, television and radio and newspapers and to send their journalists to this year's Carnival celebrations.

A programme for the trip will be developed to ensure maximum exposure of the destination and the sister city agreement. Complimentary airfare and accommodations can be worked on. (Further details will be worked out if project is accepted by board.)

An exchange trip for St. Maarten media to cover the International Caribbean Day Celebration will be worked on with the Tallahassee-St Maarten Foundation and the Florida Chamber of Commerce. This will further highlight the sister city agreement and opportunities for business and trade developments.

Simpson Bay:--- Last Wednesday February 29, 2012, the Sunrise Rotary Club treated the children from Crystal Home to a night of fun. The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise supports the Crystal Children's Home and has assisted the Home on many occasions. Besides financial support the Sunrise Club also organizes fun activities for the children, who the Club considers to be a part of the extended Family-of-Rotary.

This time the group of four girls and four boys was taken to Kookamanga's for dinner and a paintball game. Watching another group go at it got some of them a bit scared. But when it was their turn they all put on their gear and got a gun to join in the game. It sure was a lot of fun. To everybody's surprise the smallest girl turned out to be victorious!

The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise thanks Mr. Sprott and the team from Kookamanga's for their support in making this a fun evening for children who deserve a break!
This will surely be repeated soon.

Pointe Blanche:--- On Tuesday March 6, 2012 at approximately 10:00am an "Emergency Response Training" exercise was held at the A.C. Wathey Cruise Facilities. This training was done by the Sint Maarten Port Authorities in collaboration with emergency services on the island and the representatives of the Norwegian Cruise Line.
The purpose of this training was to evaluate the response time and the coordination between the different departments in case of an emergency. Traffic going towards the Point Blanche area was diverted for a short period allowing the emergency services to get to the cruise facilities. At the pier a mock evacuation of over 1400 crew members took place by representatives of the cruise ship. This short safety training was a success and showed that in case of emergency all emergency services are capable of responding in time and through proper coordination getting the job done with as least casualties as possible.

Philipsburg:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams disclosed on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers press briefing that she received a letter from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands Uri Rosenthal informing her of the European Union's decision to implement stronger sanctions on Iran.
Wescot Williams said the letter St. Maarten received is dated February 23, 2012 which informed St. Maarten of the Temporary Resolution of the European Union which she said is an extension of the sanctions taken in 2010. "Basically what is being asked is that since the Netherlands is a member of the European Union the Kingdom has to comply with the regulation i.e. the sanctions implemented by the European Union. The Countries of the Netherlands are being asked to follow suit."
The Prime Minister said she already brought the letter to the attention of the Council of Ministers but St. Maarten has not yet taken a stand on the matter. She said St. Maarten will do so shortly and they will get back in touch with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands cognizant to the International dimensions of the matter at hand.

Soualiga Foundation (SSF) is extremely grateful and encouraged by the support and endorsements received so far from dignitaries both on Sint Maarten and in the Netherlands.

After announcing plans to host a student forum with the primary purpose of documenting factors that affect the academic performance of Sint Maarten students in the Netherlands, SSF has received much praise from diverse government officials.

Hon. Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, Hon. Vice Prime Minister, Mr. Theo Heyliger, Minister of Education, Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, and Minister of Health Care, Social Development & Labor, Dr. Cornelis de Weever, have all encouraged the initiative. Three of the ministers have also indicated their desire to be present for the event, and are looking into their schedules to see if this will be feasible.

The Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten, Hon. Mathias S. Voges, has also pledged his support and made his Cabinet’s facilities available to the foundation.

“It is very encouraging to see that our goals are shared by dignitaries such as these. We are of the opinion that this is the way that we can do our bit to help build and develop Country St. Maarten. These endorsements further confirm to us that Soualiga Foundation is on the right track, and that we are contributing to the nation-building process”, said Mr. Perry Geerlings, SSF’s chairman.

“I know that this subject is close the hearts of the ministers. SSF wants to work closely together with them to better streamline our common goals and efforts, particularly where it concerns the return of our people to St. Maarten”, he continued.

The organizing committee, whose members are Carol Voges (Treasurer), Aishira Cicilia (Secretary), Maria Charles, Deshanna Richardson and Vayolette Laguerre (Public Relations/Communications), Garrick Richardson and Melissa Gumbs (Members) and Perry Geerlings (Chairman), are in full swing with regards to preparations, and has found a good cooperative partner in the S-4 Foundation.

The S-4 Foundation has enabled SSF to reach, inform and motivate students and graduates to take part in the Forum. “We are aiming at preparing the participants as much as possible prior to the date of the forum, in order to make their contribution and input to the discussions and solution-finding a comprehensive and valuable one”, Mr. Geerlings said.

During the forum, students, recent graduates and young professionals will review the following topics of discussion:

Section 1: Studying Successfully/Not Successfully

• Educational Factors
• Personal Factors
• Social Factors
• Financial Factors

Section 2: Returning Successfully

• Why is it important to return to Sint Maarten?
• What are the criteria for a successful return?
• What do you feel is the government’s role in this?
• What is your own role in this?
• Why would you not return to Sint Maarten?

Section 3: Creating Solutions

• What are possible solutions for the improvement of negative areas?

Registration for the event began earlier this week.

SSF encourages the business community to support its goals and efforts in any way they can. Interested supporters, donors and sponsors are urged to contact the foundation at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone us at 0031-70-215 60 67.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Ombudsman Office recently signed a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the Director of the National Ombudsman of the Netherlands in The Hague.

The SLA allows for the National Ombudsman to render the Ombudsman of Sint Maarten human resources assistance for up to a period of six-months.

Ombudsman Dr. Nilda Arduin said on Friday that the SLA is a major step forward in the development of the countries own bureau.

The Ombudsman is tasked with investigating the conduct/behavior of Government and other Administrative bodies as a result of complaints or on own motion.

Governments must be held accountable in the relationship between citizen and government. The National Ordinance Ombudsman is meant to provide the citizen additional protection against conduct of government and to promote good governance.

Every person has the right to have his/her affairs handled impartially, fairly and within reasonable time by government; the right to good administration.

SIMPSON BAY:--- Deputy Prime Minister Theo Heyliger, with responsibility for the airport, joined a delegation of Princess Juliana International Airport operating company (PJIAE) in a specially-convened meeting on March 6 with Sol top brass, including CEO Gerard Cox, to demand permanent solutions to the recurrent fuel shortages that have been affecting the airport and airlines servicing the destination since the beginning of the high season.
The meeting, held at Sol's offices in Cay Bay, discussed among other issues Sol and Chevron's implementation of a 50% restriction, which was in place from the period of March 2 – 4, 2012, during the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta weekend.
Sol attributed the spate of fuel shortages that has hit St. Maarten and affecting the whole island, in part to what it called an un-forecasted 15% increase in fuel sales this season.
The jet fuel supplier noted that the spike in sales came as a result of increased demand.
According to Sol, due to the increase in uplifts, the fuel required at the airport surpassed usual requirements during the high season. This has affected Sol's and Chevron's ability to provide sufficient fuel given the current storage capacity in St. Maarten.
Asked why St. Maarten seemed to be most affected by fuel shortages compared to other islands in the region, Sol noted that storage is not as big an issue on other Caribbean islands, as in St. Maarten.
As a result of the fuel issues it is facing in St. Maarten, Sol has increased its jet fuel storage capacity in Antigua from 60,000 barrels to 97,000 barrels to allow for quicker transporting of fuel to St. Maarten when needed, it was further revealed.
Sol further explained that based on the current storage capacity, should there be any influxes in demand or setbacks in shipping at supply sources, it would take two voyage rotations, which usually equates to two weeks, to restore fuel supply to a normal position. As customary, all fuel that arrives at port is sent to Antigua for recertification and the time involved in this process would also need to be considered.
Another reason Sol gave for the recent shortages is the numerous challenges faced by its main supplier, Petrotrin in Trinidad. However, Sol maintained that an increase in storage capacity in St. Maarten would put Sol in a much better position to deal with any unforeseen challenges that may arise during the peak season.
Addressing the issue of storage, Deputy Prime Minister Heyliger, reiterated that he had recently signed the building permit for the construction of the storage tank.
"St. Maarten continues to be an important market in Sol's business portfolio and we remain committed to resolving the problem with jet fuel supply at PJIA," said Andrew Niles, General Manager of Sol Aviation Services.
Stressing that indeed, the "solution is the tank," Sol further disclosed that construction is set to begin on March 19 with completion expected by October 31, 2012.
The new tank will have a storage capacity of 34,000 barrels and when coupled with existing storage will give a net increase of some 29,000 barrels. The tank is being designed and built by Sol.
The PJIAE delegation, which included Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Directors, Clarence Derby and Managing Director, Regina La Bega, also discussed with Sol plans for relocating the fuel farm at the airport. This will allow for an expansion of the storage capacity of the fuel farm as well.
Communication was another issue the two parties discussed at length with PJIAE demanding that Sol informs it of any imminent shortages/restrictions in a much more timely manner to allow for timely dissemination of this information to stakeholders and to enhance proper crisis management. Poor and last minute communication of the recent stock-outs have only worsened an already bad situation.
To help manage the fluctuating fuel uplift demand, Sol requested that all airlines provide their projected jet fuel daily requirements at airports across the region, including PIJA, to ensure service quality and availability, seeing that demand is a major factor.
In an effort to improve communication, it was agreed that Sol would also meet with the stakeholders at the airport.
"PJIAE is in the business of attracting airlines to this destination, and one thing for sure, we cannot afford for the current situation with fuel shortages to continue because of its negative effects not only on the image of the airport as an international airport, but also on St. Maarten as a leading tourist destination," said PJIAE managing director La Bega – who has repeatedly indicated the need for all operators, including Sol, to meet soon-to-be established performance standards.
Deputy PM Heyliger, in summing up the position of St. Maarten, said adequate storage capacity requires that the supplier(s) guarantee on-island stock that would last a period of at least two weeks. "This is what we are looking at to solve this situation with jet fuel shortage that has been happening too frequently now," he said.

Philipsburg:--- Former Commissioner of Public Works Roy Marlin hired the Independent Consulting Engineers (ICE) in 2006 to conduct a feasibility study on the road infrastructure of St. Maarten. According to information released to SMN News, ICE suggested in their report to government that it would be more feasible for government to construct a tunnel under the Simpson Bay Lagoon instead of a causeway (bridge).
The ICE report further stated that a tunnel would be more costly than the bridge but its maintenance fees would be less over a long term period while the Government of St. Maarten will be able to preserve the Simpson Bay Lagoon environmentally as well as island's main source of industry: tourism through the marine industry. The Simpson Bay lagoon is the flagship of the Caribbean, all yachts come here before taking off on their journey and dividing it into two or three parts would definitely affect the marine industry.
Constructing another bridge over the lagoon would further destroy the environment since there are already two bridges in the lagoon, namely the Simpson Bay Bridge and the Sandy Ground Bridge on the French side of the island. ICE further stated that constructing a causeway would divide the lagoon into two parts which would eventually impact the marine industry on St. Maarten. However, like every other report, the ICE report on the road infrastructure can be considered incomplete since there were no environmental study conducted prior to them submitting their report to government. ICE stated that the causeway is more cost efficient but somehow they did not include the maintenance of the causeway compared to the tunnel they suggested, neither did they mention the environmental implication another bridge would have on the lagoon.
Sources within government apparatus said that the former Democratic Party commissioners had several drawings made on the causeway they intend to build long before these studies were conducted. "They wanted to build this bridge but they never conducted a study on the traffic, they asked ICE for the infrastructure study and that is how the links such as links 1 to 10 came into being. Government has an inflated plan for this bridge since they did not seek to conduct any technical studies for the bridge. One of the VROMI heads wanted to bring in some professionals from the Netherlands to conduct the necessary traffic studies for the construction of a causeway but government threw the suggestions through the window since their minds were already made up with the construction of the causeway. Basically, deals were already made and they had to be kept. "
SMN News learnt that advisors to the former government suggested that the Dutch and French side should join hands to construct the tunnel since that would allow them to access European funding geared at assisting members of the European Union that has development plans. "When this information surfaced one of the Democratic Party commissioners invented (Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Cooperation (SLAC) to dictate what will happen at the Simpson Bay Lagoon. An investigation was also conducted to see if the European Development Funds would be available for the construction of the tunnel instead of the causeway. "A tunnel will not obstruct the movement in the lagoon and it will also make St. Maarten unique since it would have been the only one in the Caribbean. However, those that held the power were not interested in safeguarding the economy and the environment. Their sole interest is to make money through these projects. They already have intentions to sell the land around the causeway for further development since they intend to link the causeway to link 4 and link 10. That plan was somehow interrupted when one of the commissioners got into legal loggerheads with a well known Cole Bay family for the use of their land to construct a road. "While all of this was in the planning stage, lands were swapped with a businessman in Lowlands and Port de Plaisance. It is there the Dutch Village deal was made for the Harbour," the source said.
The source further explained that the former commissioners were not interested in conducting studies instead they were busy working on projects that will fulfill their own self interests. Another project that got a negative advice from the former head of VROMI was the Ring Road government is trying to construct around the Great Salt Pond. "We already have a Ring Road , the only thing that has to be done is cleaning and proper maintenance but a certain commissioner did not see things this way. That commissioner at the time was only thinking about projects where he could make his money. It was the Dutch Village at the Harbour, Ring Road, and the causeway, having three projects running at the same time would bring more monies into their pockets while the environment and the country's economy would suffer. These projects sparked one of the island council members to ask for clarity on the floor of the island council some years ago about the intended causeway, since he heard certain commissioners were busy making deals off island with investors and the island's people were not even consulted for such projects.

Willemstad, CURACAO:--- The Board of Financial supervision (College financieel toezicht - Cft) observes in its sixth half-year report that in the coming years Curaçao and Sint Maarten face various challenges to maintain their public finances in due order and to improve their financial management, that in addition to the trials the countries' economies will endure from the international conjuncture. Curaçao will have to demonstrate that its ambitious reform plans will actually be implemented, whilst Sint Maarten has to accomplish a lot with the listing of all effects the aging of the population has on the long run on the public finance. Furthermore, both countries, but particularly Sint Maarten, will have to achieve a great deal in order to improve the financial management. This is very important, considering that sound financial management is a crucial condition for diligent budget management.
Cft acknowledges that both countries have made progress. Curaçao has ambitious plans to reform the public health sector and the old age pension, in order to improve the long term sustainability of the budget. The cooperation and communication with Sint Maarten has improved considerably in the recent period. The Cft office that was opened on January 17th, 2012 in Philipsburg will have to fortify this upward development.
In 2012 the Board shall monitor the ambition time planning of the reform measures closely, together with Curaçao and, in the event the planning is not kept, the Board shall also see to it that adequate securing measures be taken. In its half-year report Cft also perceives risks regarding the planned construction of a new hospital. Currently the new hospital has not yet been provided for in the budget, reason why there is no clarity about the financials framework and the possible risks of a new hospital for the government budget. Clear is though that the new hospital can only be exploited in a financially sound way if the many reform measures are actually implemented. Cft shall therefore always consider these reform plans and the construction of the new hospital connected with each other.
With regard to Sint Maarten Cft has expressed its concern about the soundness of the income estimate in the 2012 budget. An important revenue increasing measure for 2012 is the taxing of non-residents with real estate on Sint Maarten for rent income. Cft welcomes this type of initiative to increase income, but it also foresees risks with regard to the practicability of such measure. In 2012 the Board shall utilize a concrete time planning drawn up by Sint Maarten to monitor this measure. If during the year it appears that the projected revenue will not be realized, Cft will see to it that adequate measures will be securing be taken to maintain the budget in balance.
Another point brought to attention in the half-year report is the financial position of the government companies and foundations on Curaçao and Sint Maarten. For both countries Cft has received the financial statements over 2008 and 2009 (though just partly). Based on this – incomplete – information Cft draws the conclusion that the financial situation of some of the larger government companies and foundations on Curaçao is critical. On Sint Maarten the situation up to and including 2009 seems less alarming. Since the countries are considered implicitly as the guarantors of the government companies and foundations, it is important to diligently bring clarity into the financial situation of these entities. That is why in 2012, together with both countries, Cft will make an inventory of the current financial statements of the government companies and foundations, based on the most recent financial statements. This way there will be a better view on the budgetary risks for the countries, so policies can be developed to control the risks and take necessary measures.

...

PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will meet in public session on March 15 at 10:00am to discuss a four point agenda.

The first agenda point is incoming documents; second agenda point is, establishment of a permanent commission for National Expenditures; third point, establishment of a Commission "Political, Municipal Integration" of the Latin American Parliament.

The fourth agenda point is the National Ordinance related to changes in the Criminal Code with respect to extraordinary investigation methods for law enforcement organizations.

The Thursday meeting will take place in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament on Wilhelmina Straat #2.1 in Philipsburg.

There will be another plenary session on the same day at 2:00pm regarding policies and the national 2012 budget.

The committee meeting will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 20 and via Pearl Radio FM 98.1. The audio will be carried via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and www.sxmparliament.org.

Philipsburg:--- The report that was put together by former Lt. Governor Denis Richardson and Joan Dovale-Meit on the request of the Public Prosecutors Office showed that the lack of a Ministerial decree and policies are the main causes of the chaos with the Brooks Tower Accord 2 procedure.
The 15 page report states that the verbal decrees issued by the Minister of Justice Roland Duncan was misinterpreted since those verbal instructions had to be executed over a period of time. The project leader and the helpers who executed the BTA 2 project bypassed the verbal instructions maybe out of goodwill since they had no written guidelines such as policies and Ministerial decrees to follow. The report states that the lack of concrete directives caused severe administrative confusion.
Direct consequences derived from time constraints, lack of capacity, and lack of knowledge which led the workers to have their own interpretations, make mistakes and abuse the intake, processing, and delivery of the of documents. There are clear indications that mistakes were made during the intake, processing and delivery of the permits. Some of the people who requested the BTA permits knew some of the helpers and collaborators of the project and they received priority treatment. Due to the chaotic circumstances there was no longer equal treatment to the dossiers. There is also evidence that shows that some of the workers committed criminal offenses when handling the files because they had their self interest as their goal.
Questions arise about to the wrongful handling of the BTA 2 procedure as whether it has compromised the labor department and the census office. If the latter turns out to be so then government trust has been breached.
Another major hindrance to the entire procedure is the lack of proper transfer from the Minister of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles Magali Jacoba to the Minister of Justice of St. Maarten Roland Duncan. The report further stated that the Minister of Justice of the former Netherlands Antilles Magali Jacoba had written policies and Ministerial decrees that the workers used as guidelines during the execution of Brooks Towers Accord 1. However, the workers that worked for the former Minister of Justice were laid off by September 30, 2010. Even though ten persons that worked during the execution of BTA 1 were rehired by the St. Maarten's Ministry of Justice these helpers who were not hired on a permanent basis had no guidelines to work with during the execution of BTA 2.
Another flaw during the execution of the BTA 2 procedure is the lack of proper staffing. The writers of the report further states that the project leader was overwhelmed with work due to the massive turn out of people who showed up to regulate their status during the extension period from November 24th to December 31st, 2010. There are indications from the documents and email communications that showed that focus was placed on the amount of intake due to the time constraint rather than on procedure.
SMN News will bring you more on the BTA 2 report in other publications.

Marigot:--- French and European citizens comprising of 17,765 registered voters residing on St. Martin will be heading to the polls this Sunday to vote for the 26 member Territorial Council. The first round of the Territorial Elections is scheduled for March 18th 2012. This is the second time St. Martin's citizens are called to the polls to elect the members of the council since St. Martin obtained its separate status of article 74 of the French constitution.
Currently, there are six political parties on St. Martin that are contesting the first round of the elections. They are Union Pour les Progres headed by Louis Constant Fleming, Generation Solidaire headed by Louis Jeffry, Team Daniel Gibbs headed by Daniel Gibbs, St. Martin Pour Tous headed by Marthe Ogoundele Tessi, Rassemblement Responsabilitie Resussite headed by Alain Richardson, and the Movement for the Advancement of the People headed by Louis Mussington.
These parties consisting of 26 candidates have a few more days to gather the full amount of voters to elect them to office for the next five years.
Should Sunday's first round not see a party win by a sufficient majority a second round will be held on Sunday March 25 as per the electoral code. If this is the case, following submission of lists, the campaign restarts again on Wednesday March 21 at midnight and ends on Saturday March 24, 2012.
The elections will be governed by the services of the Préfecture, Collectivité, and the Tribunal of St. Martin.
Voters are asked to take note of the thirteen polling stations throughout the French side of the island. The polling stations are as follows:-

1. Hotel de La Collectivité
2. Number 2 Nina Duverly School
3. Nina Duverly School;
4. Hervé Williams School
5. Hervé Williams School
6. Sandy Ground School
7. Sandy Ground School
8. Bâtiment Communal, Friars Bay
9. Bâtiment Communal, Friars Bay
10. Primary School, Grand Case
11. Kindergarten school, Grand Case
12. Kindergarten school French Quarter
13. Primary School French Quarter

Philipsburg:--- The President of the Windward Island Chamber of Labour Unions Theophillus Thompson expressed concerns on a current trend which he intends to discuss with government. Thompson made the statements during the union's press briefing on Thursday. Thompson said recently the unions on St. Maarten have noticed that employers are no longer hiring new workers instead they are turning to the employment agencies on St. Maarten whom he said are operating against the law.
Thompson said St. Maarten never signed on to the ILO convention which would allow employment agencies to provide workers for companies. He further explained that because of the current trend, workers on St. Maarten would no longer have job security. "There will no longer be permanent job for locals and persons residing on the island legally. Furthermore, these employment agencies are exploiting workers. They don't provide health care benefits and the workers' taxes are not being paid."

Philipsburg:--- The President of the Workers Institute for Organized Labour (WIFOL) Theophillus Thompson confirmed on Thursday during the union's weekly press briefing that he has begun some investigations about the Simpson Bay Resort Management Company (SBRMC). Thompson said he has heard rumors indicating that the Hard Rock Café Franchise is interested in purchasing the former Pelican Resorts Club.
The WIFOL President also confirmed that the attorney representing the resort submitted a request to the Court of First Instance asking that the ongoing court case be postponed since he would be off island.
SMN News was contacted by several persons last week who indicated that the attorney and the current owners of SBRMC are negotiating the sale of the resort and that they would request that the case which was scheduled for March 14, 2012 be postponed. One of the persons who contacted SMN News also suggested that one of St. Maarten's Ministers is behind the sale and purchase of the former Pelican Resorts. SMN News further learnt that Hard Rock Café in Florida already purchased the former Pelican Resort Club and that the name of the resort will be changed to Hard Rock Resorts. SMN News also learnt that Member of Parliament Jules James has submitted his resignation to SBRMC. However, the information we received could not be confirmed since both management and the attorney representing the resort are tightlipped.
Thompson said that he too received the same information and he immediately started to investigate and that is how he learnt that Hard Rock Café is a franchise company in several countries. He said he also learnt that the franchise of Florida is the one interested in purchasing the resort.
In the meantime, Thompson said he also submitted a request to meet with the Minister of Economic Affairs and Tourism and whenever that meeting is convened he will be confront the Minister with the information he received to see if those in government would be able to shed more light on the developments at the Simpson Bay Resort Management Company.
Thompson also raised concerns about the welfare of the over 50 women that are working for SBRMC. He said just recently International Women's Day was celebrated and the women working at the SBRMC have not been paid since last year. Thompson said it's a pity that one of the Members of Parliament who is also the manager of SBRMC was allowed to lay them off and has since refused to pay them.
The WIFOL president said that while women throughout the world celebrated their day, the female workers of the Simpson Bay Resort Management Company were not so fortunate.
He said the ILO recognizes International Women's Day especially due to their contribution in the work force and therefore women have earned the right to equal pay and the right to vote.

Philipsburg/Marigot:--- Guyanese residing on St. Maarten/St. Martin can now breathe a sigh of relief now that they can obtain their machine readable Caricom Guyana Passports on the island.
Guyanese citizens residing on St. Maarten/St. Martin no longer have to travel to Guyana to obtain their travel document since Guyana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has allowed Diane Douglas to process the machine readable passports from St. Maarten. Douglas can be reached at the Horizon View Hotel on Front Street or at +1721-5261925.
Just recently the Government of Guyana announced that they have authorized all honorary consuls in Caribbean to issue the document.
Guyana has not appointed a consulate on the island because of bureaucratic procedures. However, they have acknowledged Douglas as the person that assists Guyanese on the island. The police and immigration department on the St. Maarten have been working with Douglas when they are in need of assistance with Guyanese that find themselves in problems with the law. It should be noted that the Guyanese Association on St. Maarten is dysfunctional and the members on the board do not provide services to the Guyanese citizens residing on the island.
Guyanese citizens are urged to make use of the services locally and not to take any risks sending their passports to consulates outside of St. Maarten since they would have to pay additional shipping fees. Consulates traveling to St. Maarten to provide the services will charge applicants extra monies to process their application since the consulates in question would have to cover their travel and accommodation expenses. Since the announcement by the Guyana Government authorizing the consuls to process the machine readable passports, it is clear that consuls in the neighboring islands are trying to exploit Guyanese living on the St. Maarten/St. Martin. For more information on the renewal and application of Guyanese passports, citizens of that country are asked to contact Diane Douglas.

Sucker Garden:--- On Wednesday March 14, 2012, the victim with initials K.P.N. from China, stated that on that same day at approximately 8:00pm two unknown young men, one of which was armed with shotgun, stormed into the Rainbow Supermarket which is situated on the Sucker Garden road.
The suspect with the shotgun threatened to use the weapon while the other suspect jumped over the counter and stole the money from the cash register. After committing their act, the suspects fled the scene on foot. This case is being investigated by the Special Robbery Unit.

Marigot:--- The Gendarmes arrested a resident of Grand Case who shot an alleged thief in his face early Wednesday morning. A press release from the Gendarmerie states that the resident was awakened when his dogs began barking around 5am in the morning. Upon making checks outside of his residence, the resident noticed someone breaking into his car that was parked on the road. The resident then took his rifle and shot in the direction of the person breaking into his vehicle. The alleged thief was shot in his face. The victim, a resident of Dutch St. Maarten was hospitalized at the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital prior to him being flown to Martinique for further medical treatment.
The press release states that the Gendarmes have since launched an investigation into the shooting incident.

Philipsburg:--- President of the Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Unions (WICLU) Theophillus Thompson is urging the youths of St. Maarten that are involved in the production of videos to participate in the international contest organized by the International Labour Organization(ILO). Thompson made the announcement during the WICLU weekly press conference on Thursday. Thompson said the ILO has sent out an invitation to youngsters between the ages of 18 to 29 years via the WICLU. The contest is aimed at featuring how the job crisis is affecting them. Winners from the various islands participating will receive an all expense paid trip to Geneva Switzerland to attend the ILO youth employment forum which will be held from May 23 to May 25, 2012.
Persons that are interested in participating on St. Maarten are requested to attend an information session on Sunday at the WIFOL building on the Pondfill at 4pm. All videos for the contest must be submitted no later than April 10, 2012.

Philipsburg:--- Workers of the Postal Services of St. Maarten (PSS) were taken aback on Friday morning when Nieuw Post Netherlands Antilles (NPNA) workers showed up at the location with a truck and removed several pieces of furniture from the Post Office building. SMN News reporter was on hand to capture photos of persons taking the furniture from PSS to the NPNA location Soualiga Service Point (SSP).
According to information and documents provided to SMN News, NPNA informed the Director of PSS Denicio Richardson that NPNA will remove their moveable properties and PSS also has to compensate NPNA for the use of their furniture since October 15, 2011. NPNA offered the PSS director an opportunity to discuss the purchase of the furniture at a reasonable price but the Managing Director of PSS did not grasp the opportunity to buy out the much needed furniture to continue PSS operations.
SMN News has been reliably informed that the feud between the Supervisory Board of PSS and its Managing Director is ongoing thus leading to NPNA's action. The source said that the Director of NPNA Franklin Sluis contacted the President of the Supervisory Board of PSS Hubert Pantophlet and requested a desk from PSS so that he could continue his operations at SPP but the Managing Director of PSS refused to cooperate with Pantophlet and Sluis. Therefore, the NPNA Managing Director Franklin Sluis had no other choice but to take appropriate action and remove a number of desks and other furniture that were being used by PSS.
SMN News further learnt that the PSS Managing Director is no longer communicating with the supervisory board, instead he is dealing directly with the shareholder representative the Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams. Sources close to the Supervisory Board said that the shareholder representative has so far refused to take the necessary steps or corrective measures to resolve the ongoing feud because the Managing Director of PSS is backed by three Members of Parliament who once threatened to throw the current coalition government in shambles if the Managing Director of PSS is removed.
The source said that PSS is cash strapped and now they have to find monies to buy back the necessary furniture that is needed to continue their operations.
President of the Supervisory Board Hubert Pantophlet could not be reached for a comment.
In the meantime, the Managing Director of PSS Denicio Richardson said that PSS could not do anything legally to stop NPNA and the matter has to be dealt with by the shareholder representative of St. Maarten.
It should be noted that while NPNA has been removing all moveable properties from PSS, such as computers, vehicles, and furniture, St. Maarten still has 25% shares in NPNA.
Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams could not be reached for a comment on Friday morning.

Click here to view the letter sent to Managing Director Denicio Richardson from NPNA.

Click here to see an inventory of the items supposedly belonging to NPNA.

Philipsburg:--- The coast guard tried to provide assistance to a yacht that caught fire outside of St. Maarten shortly before 10am. SMN News learnt that the yacht was over one mile away from the coastline and as such the fire department was not able to provide much assistance.
Several other boats and seamen that were in the immediate vicinity tried to assist the crew by throwing water on the yacht. An official at the fire department said that they did not have a boat on hand to go on sea but the coast guard was called in to provide assistance. The official said that despite the efforts of the coast guard and others in the area the yacht eventually sank.

Marigot:--- The court in Basse-Terre sentenced a man that fired three shots at two men in French Quarter on March 11, 2012. A press release from the Gendarmerie states that the man was sentenced on Friday March 23, 2012 to five years imprisonment with one year suspended and two years of probation.
It appears as though the man was involved in a dispute a few days earlier with two brothers and he returned with a gun and shot them both in their face and arms.

In an unrelated case, another man who stole jewellery from his neighbor in Concordia on March 26, 2012 was sentenced to two years in prison. The suspect was caught and sent to Guadeloupe for trial the next day. He also received one year suspended sentence and two years probation. The culprit in this case is a well known thief in the neighborhood.

On Monday March 26, 2012, neighbors reported to Police aux Frontières seeing a man walking around naked at a residence in Baie Nettle. He was detained by a patrol who took him to the Gendarmerie station in Marigot where he was questioned. However, during a momentary lapse of attention by his interrogators, the suspect was able to escape.
The Gendarmerie is appealing to the public to contact them on emergency number 17 if they know of the whereabouts of the suspect, or have information that would lead to his recapture.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Persons interested in Graphic Design Xpress course being offered by the University of St. Martin in conjunction with KGraphix, have just one week to left to still apply for the course.
There are still some spaces open, USM officials said on Monday while urging persons interested in graphic design to take advantage of the opportunity. They reiterated that in an effort to make this program affordable to all interested participants, USM is offering a payment plan option for those who qualify.
A significant amount of persons have indicated their interest in the course and these persons are urged to come into the University to complete the necessary formalities. Once all formalities are completed by the students, the course is expected to now begin in April and not this week, the officials added. They reiterated that it is only logical for the course to run with sufficient enrollment.
Graphic Design Xpress is new accelerated program and a two-level course, designed by KGraphix and is facilitated by USM. Level one will meet six hours a week for a period of three months. Level two will begin subsequently for the same period of time.
One of the main aims of the program is to provide participants with basic computer skills and creative talent the necessary tools and skills to launch a lucrative freelance design business or to be employed as a qualified Graphic Designer. Students do not have to leave the island to get this type of education and participants can make extra money from graphic design, USM officials noted. The course will be taught by Mr. Kevin Baly, owner of KGraphix and designer.
In the first level of the course, participants will learn the basics of Graphic Design, color and fonts, Adobe Photoshop for Beginners, Adobe Illustrator for beginners, Logo Design 1 and Web Design Xpress (Very basic web design using templates).
The second level of the course will include the following classes: Logo Design II, Advertising and collateral Design, Adobe Photoshop-Advanced, Adobe Illustrator- Advanced, Adobe InDesign Basics, portfolio preparation, Print production workshop and Build your Freelance Business.
Upon completion of this course, students will benefit from having real-time experience working on one real project during the Level II course. Each student will receive a Certificate of Completion after meeting all the requirements for the classes and course.
Persons interested in the Graphic Design Xpress course can visit the University of St. Martin Student Service Center to complete an application form or call us at telephone 542-5171 extension 1000.

UD will assume its responsibilities as Opposition within the Territorial Council announced Daniel Gibbs today. He will become once again president of the Movement as of this week. " The electorate body that supported TEAM Daniel GIBBS, by more than 43 % of its voters last Sunday conferres to UD a legitimacy of which we are proud. Daniel Gibbs expresses his thanks to all Saint-martiners for their great support to his team and renews his commitment to work in the general interest of St Martin, in total transparency. " More than 4000 votes casted on our list, he pursued That makes UD the strongest political movement of St Martin without alliances made to conquer power by all means and without artifice in our program, we approach this mandate with requirements.

The crisis that touches St Martin did not disappear, by enchantment, last Sunday evening. Every day about twenty unemployed persons are added to the painful list we know of. The new president and his group made the commitment in front of all the Saint-martiners to reduce unemployment and to tackle it immediately. UD will not hesitate to give its support to the government of the Collectivity when real solutions are put on the table to fight against this plague. We are asking the RRR, to begin it's mandate, in the first days, with the following commitments we consider essential:

• Launch the call for bids on the Sea front project
• Launch the agreement on the cruiseship terminal for the Port of Galisbay
• Set up elements for the creation of the 2000 jobs promised with the free-zone
• Repatriate the center of decision of the SEMSAMAR on St Martin and to settle the question of the legitimacy of some of its subsidiaries;
• Make public the audit on SEMSAMAR.
• Settle definitively the financial dispute with the French State.

We also wish, concluded Daniel Gibbs, that this administration will act fairly and in a bi-partisan manner with persons who did not support them. This is a Democracy requirement. We also hope that non-elected persons do not have decision making powers which are prerogatives held by the elected representatives of RRR.

Philipsburg:--- The Minister of Justice Roland Duncan has issued another letter to the Chief of Police Peter de Witte informing him that he must remove the temporary station heads from the Philipsburg Police Station and the Simpson Bay Police Outpost. The Minister has denied Inspector Randolph Bloieman the position of division head of the Philipsburg Police Station citing a report Bloieman wrote against the Brooks Tower Accord 2 which landed a number of persons behind bars. At the time, Bloieman was working with the immigration department when he wrote the report specifically highlighting the lack of proper procedures. Bloieman received the highest score in the interview that was given to the four candidates that were interested in the vacancies last year October.
The Minister of Justice also denied Inspector Carlyle Rogers his position of the Simpson Bay division head claiming that Rogers needs to choose between the union and the police force. Currently, Rogers is the President of the NAPB St. Maarten. It is understood that the Minister of Justice is angry at the unions who are fighting against the division of the immigration and police departments. Both officers once received warning letters from the Minister when they allegedly incited a number of immigration officers to engage in a protest action and demanded to meet with the deputy Prime Minister Theodore Heyliger. SMN News learnt that both Rogers and Bloieman received their letters on Thursday informing them that the Minister is not in favor of them operating as division heads even though he denied them their promotions. SMN News has been reliably informed that the Chief of Police explained to the Minister of Justice that he did not have anyone on staff to replace the two men who are leading the two divisions and their services were needed for the Christmas and Regatta seasons. The source said the Chief of Police also informed the Minister of Justice that St. Maarten is preparing for its annual carnival season and the two men would be needed for this period but the Minister has already made clear that the reasons given by the Chief of Police is unacceptable and he would therefore have to make a new proposal for the two positions.
SMN News further learnt that Rogers approached his party leader the Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams and Deputy Prime Minister Theodore Heyliger on the matter but no one wants to intervene on their behalf. It is also learnt that both veteran officers are considering taking the matter to court. Neither of the two officers could be reached on Thursday for a comment.

The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau hosted DJ Power and crew on the island. DJ Power is shooting a portion of his music video for the hit single" Fly so High".
Fly so High is a high energy, feel good uplifting song by award winning DJ Power with Machel Montano(featured on Pitbull's hit single "Alright") and Kardinal Offishall (hit single " Dangerous" featuring Akon).
DJ Power is an award winning DJ/remix producer and master at pleasing crowds in the clubs and radio. He has been featured in the NY Times; Scratch magazine, Fader, and Riddim magazine. Power has appeared on numerous TV and radio stations such as MTV, BET, MUCHMUSIC, Hot 97NYC,BBC UK,FLOW 93.5fm Canada, Japan FM Networks, and SBS (Australia) to name a few.

The song and video will begin with shots on St. Maarten and there will also be shots from Toronto and Trinidad in the video. There will be shots of both Machel Montano & Kardinal Offishall singing in the video.
The video is scheduled to be released end of April. For more information visit www.djpowermusic.com

On Sunday, April 1, 2012@ 3:00pm we are inviting everyone to come and participate in the clubscene shoot at Bliss nightclub. Everyone is welcome and it is free of charge. Dress to impress!!!!!!!

Philipsburg:--- Minister of Justice Roland Duncan told reporters on Wednesday that there is no law or policy that authorizes tow trucks on the island to tow away vehicles that are parked illegally in Philipsburg. Minister Duncan said he already informed the police chief that the tow trucks are operating illegally and they are to use clamps rather than having people's vehicles towed away. "If it's absolutely necessary to tow away someone's car then the police should do it themselves, they have a tow truck to do that."
Minister Duncan said he does not know who established the amount of monies people are to pay these tow trucks when their vehicles are towed away. He said tow trucks are supposed to have a process verbal authorizing them to tow away vehicles and if they do not have that then people should also file injunctions against these tow truck companies. The Justice Minister said that the tow trucks companies have requested a meeting with him and he has no problem seeing them but he would have to let them know that they are operating in violation of the law.
He urged vehicle owners to file a complaint with the police when their vehicle is towed away. "When you realize that your vehicle was towed file a complaint with the traffic department to say your vehicle was stolen," Minister Duncan said. The Minister said the island and its people have to restore sanity in society. "Right now buses stop here, there, and everywhere and they disrupt traffic when bus drivers refuse to adhere to the traffic laws. Even drivers who stop anyhow to either give other drivers a pass is acting against the traffic laws."
The Minister said that several businesses and residents are in the habit of placing signs to block parking spaces in Philipsburg. He said that no one has the right to block parking spaces and blocking parking spaces is illegal. The only people that are authorized to designate parking spaces is the Government of St. Maarten and it must be done via a decree.

Marigot:--- The thirteen women on the slate of "Team Daniel Gibbes" met with members of the media on Thursday to express the reasons why they chose to postulate themselves for the March 18th Territorial Election and why they chose Daniel Gibbes list over the others. The women made clear that women represent 50% of the voters but most importantly they are the pillars of the social, educational, and family structure on the island.
They said that when they look at the social epidemic facing St. Martin they had no other choice but to make themselves available to work in the interest of the island and the younger generation. Helen Hunt a former civil servant for the commune and Collectivity said she was forced to take leave of absence when she realized the incumbent government headed by President Frantz Gumbs was not willing to do anything to develop St. Martin and its people. Hunt said she submitted several projects to the Management of the Collectivity during her stint working for them but these projects were placed in a draw and no one including the President approved it. The former civil servant said that she even approached the President with a delegation and asked him to approve a project where she would train her colleagues on the functioning of the Community Councils but that too he refused to allow. "The Community Councils were established based on an advise of 1997 which had all the elements on how those councils should function but the incumbent government installed the councils but did not provide the assets and materials which would allow the councils to make their contribution to the development of St. Martin. "When I requested my leave of absence those in the Collectivity thought I wanted to enter politics but that was not my intention. I was so disgusted that I needed to get away from St. Martin to find myself. However, when I came back to the island I read a newspaper article on the decision Daniel Gibbes took to leave the Union pour les Progres and then I said finally someone has the gaul to fight back and to do what is right for the people of St. Martin." Hunt further explained that St. Martin does not have the financial capability to do many things but if the government had shown some type of willingness they would have been able to assist the various associations to obtain funding from Interreg and other European funds that are available to St. Martin. "You know St. Martin has a lot of associations with good intentions but they all need help to put together projects so they can obtain those funds and the government that sat there for five years was not willing to assist its people to move forward." Hunt said that the other five political parties approached her and asked her to join them but none of them convinced her that they were ready to work for St. Martin.

Dominique Aubert told reporters that she knows that monies would be needed to run St. Martin but besides that, government has a lot of work to do to redevelop the social fabric on St. Martin. "Right now the students attending our schools needs attention, they need to know how important it is to be respectful, and how important it is to hold a job. We don't need monies to visit the schools and encourage our youths to stay on the right track. We have parents that are entering the schools and are attacking teachers we don't so much money to make them know that these types of behaviors are not acceptable." As for Sofia Carti, she said the other political lists were seeking native St. Martiners to be on their list. Carti said she was not born on St. Martin but she was raised here and for her St. Martin is her home, besides that she has vested interest on the island. She says she is still very young and stands ready to work for the development of the youth and the island. Another young vibrant woman on Team Daniel Gibbs is Valerie Damaseau. Damaseau readily admitted that St. Martin does not have money but she believed that Government must do more to attract foreign investors to re-invest in the island. She said the incumbent government did not seek to redevelop the French side instead they look at ways and means to tax the poorer people. She said she cannot understand why the incumbent government did not develop a strong youth policy, or a strong business development plan for the island. Damaseau said that Daniel Gibbes is the leader of their list but it will take joint efforts to develop the island. She urged her other colleagues to prepare themselves for the election slurs that will be flung at them during the campaign that is scheduled to start Tuesday March 5th. "I want to urge you to try and heal quickly after the election and to accept the outcome of the election on March 25th.

Click here to view the women on Team Daniel Gibbes sharing their views on Thursday.

 

1. GIBBES DANIEL Notaire Diplômé
2. AUBERT DOMINIQUE Directrice de centre de formation
3. CHARVILLE JULES Gérant d'entreprise
4. MANUEL - PHILIPS ANNETTE Cadre de banque
5. HENOCQ CHRISTOPHE Directeur du Musée, directeur d'association
6. ASCENT – GIBBS MAUD Retraitée de l'État
7. RIBOUD DOMINIQUE Dentiste
8. HERAULT MYRIAM Commerçante
9. HABICHDOBINGER STEPHANE Assistant de direction
10. RAMPHORT MARIE DOMINIQUE Expert-comptable
11. WILLIAMS RÉMY Homme d'affaire
12. HUNT HÉLÈNE Administratrice
13. CHARLES DANIEL Entrepreneur
14. DAMASEAU VALÉRIE Directrice d'entreprise
15. PAROTTE GEORGES Chauffeur de taxi
16. CARTI-CODRINGTON SOFIA Entrepreneur
17. LAKE AMBROISE Responsable exploitation aéroportuaire
18. GAMIETTE MARLÈNE Gérante de société
19. WELLINGTON LUC Entrepreneur
20. TONDU CAROLE Directrice de centre de formation
21. CHARBHE RAJ Auxiliaire financier
22. THEMINE RYTA LAURE Psychiatre
23. DELDEVERT GUY Entrepreneur
24. ARRONDELL MARIE-ANNICK Technicienne d'Intervention Social et familial
25. HANSON EUGÈNE Entrepreneur
26. HUNT JUDITH Assistante dentaire

 

The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) has given individual calypsonians as well as the bands their own events to compete in for Carnival 2012 and anticipates "exciting" results and enjoyment for the public.

The SCDF has introduced the Road Jam competition (a renaming of the road march competition) specifically for the bands along with the Band of the Year competition. For the individual calypsonians there will be the Calypso Eliminations, Calypso Finals and the Soca Monarch competition. The latter will be soca "up-tempo" not soca "groovy".

The Road Jam and Band of the Year titles has prize monies of US $2,500 each while the Calypso king/queen will maintain his or her US $10,000 prize and the Soca Monarch will take home US $5,000. Additionally, calypsonians get US $200 each for submitting their music sheets on time and US $750 for the 10 singers who make the Calypso finals.

The SCDF has 25 calypsonians registered to compete in the calypso competition and 15 in the Soca Monarch competition. Five bands are registered for the Band of the Year title and Road Jam title. "When taking all prize money collectively, the SCDF and its corporate sponsors are committing almost US $30,000 to calypso alone. If you compare that throughout the Caribbean, that's second only to Trinidad," President of the SCDF Stuart Johnson said.

"The board of the SCDF unanimously decided for these four competitions after taking the suggestions and ideas from many singers and band leaders over the years into consideration. We believe that the general public will be very excited about what we have planned for all of the events. For the Soca Monarch competition for example we are working on an added attraction for that night and for the Calypso Eliminations we have our honoring of Carnival legends ceremony which we believe the calypsonians themselves will be proud to be part of," Johnson explained.

He added that aspects for each of the four competitions will be promoted separately over the next few weeks leading up to Carnival. "We have already heard the calypso songs starting to hit the airwaves and we look forward to hearing those from the bands hopefully very soon. As usual, we hope to get the support of the general public for all of our local events," Johnson said.

Johnson said news about the troupes and the parades will be announced after the Heineken Regatta.

Marigot:--- Six political parties on the French side of the island have officially declared their candidacy for the March 18th Territorial Election. The six parties officially submitted their lists of candidates at the Prefecture of St. Martin and St. Barthelemy on Friday March 2, 2012.
Prefet Philippe Chopin has released a decree with the names of each political party and the candidates on each list that will be contesting the first round of the Territorial Election which is slated for March 18th.
They are "Team Daniel Gibbs 2012" headed by former second Vice President of the Collectivity of St. Martin Daniel Gibbs, "Saint Martin Pour Tous" headed by the former first Vice President Marthe January ép. Ogoundele Tessi, Rassemblement Respnsabilite Resusssite headed by Alain Richardson, Movement for Advancement of the People headed by Louis Mussington, Union Pour Les Progres headed by Louis Constant Fleming, and Generation Solidaire headed by the former fourth Vice President Louis Jeffry.
In the meantime, three political parties also submitted their lists to contest the March 18th Territorial Elections in St. Barthelemy. They are "Tous Pour St. Barths headed by Benoit Francois Slyvian Chauvin, St Barth D'Abord headed by Bruno Irenee Magras, and Saint Barth en Mouvement headed by Maxime Antoine Desouches.

Click here to view the lists and the candidates contesting the March 18th Territorial Election on St. Martin.

Click here to view the lists and the candidates contesting the March 18th Territorial Election on St. Barths.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Vice Prime Minister Hon. Theo Heyliger visited several primary schools on Friday where he gave out pencil cases to the children.

This he has been doing for the past six years. The cases contain pens, ruler, sharpener and markers. The total number of pencil cases to be given out is 6000.

The schools that he visited were Christian Hillside, Ruby Labega, Prince Willem Alexander, St. Dominic Primary, Sister Magda and the Methodist Agogic Centre.

Philipsburg:--- On Tuesday February 28, 2012, the "Readers are Leaders" Club presented a cultural evening to celebrate Black History Month. The gathered young crowd were presented with poetry, songs and dance.

"Readers are Leaders" is a reading program organized and supported by Philipsburg Jubilee Library and the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise. The goal is to stimulate reading by teenagers and to show that reading is fun! The participants are challenged to read a number of books and submit reports about the books they read.
The winner of last year's Readers are Leaders competition, Luis Hartault, was the M.C. for the evening. He presented the enthusiastic spectators with various performances by students from St. Maarten Academy, and St. Maarten Vocational School, who an excellent job.

For more information check out the Library's website: http://www.stmaartenlibrary.org/readers-are-leaders-reading-all-secondary-school-children

Marigot:--- A 19- year old woman residing on the Dutch side of the island will have to spend the next 18 months in a Guadeloupe jail for attempting to smuggle marijuana into the St. Barthelemy.
A press release from the Gendarmerie states that on February 29th, 2012, the woman was a passenger on a boat that traveled from St. Maarten to St. Barths and while disembarking in Gustavia she was controlled by the Gendarmes who found the illegal substance which was concealed in her handbag.
The Gendarmes found several packets of the illegal drugs amounting to 7.5kg carefully wrapped and stashed away in the young woman's handbag.
She appeared before the judge on Tuesday and was sentenced to 18 months behind bars.

Philipsburg:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams announced that St. Maarten will be attending the Soualiga Event that is being coordinated by St. Maarten's Minister of Plenipotentiary in the Netherlands. The forum organized by the Soualiga is aimed at encouraging St. Maarten's students living in the Netherlands to return home upon completing their studies. The Soualiga Foundation also intends to apprise non St. Maarteners in the Netherlands on the current situation in Country St. Maarten. Prime Minister Wescot Williams said it is the intention of herself and the Minister of Education Dr. Rhoda Arrindell to attend the forum.
The Prime Minister also announced that a job fair will be held early May 2012 by "FRED" which is geared towards attracting students who recently completed their education there. She said St. Maarten will try to convince its students to return home to fill the critical vacancies that exist in government.

Marigot:--- Over 30 students from the St. Maarten Academy school and their teachers were taken on a field trip to the Decheterie (waste sorting center) in Galisbay Saint Martin.
The field trip was organized by the St. Maarten PRIDE Foundation and EPIC as part of the foundations educational component on solid waste issues. The decheterie is a drive through center where residents of the French Side can drop off their waste in specially marked containers. Students learned about sorting their waste and practicing responsible waste management. Manager at the center Anthony LeFur gave a full length explanation on how the center depends on residents to drop off their small and large waste into the bins, when full, his team then takes the waste to the landfill in French Cul de Sac for further separation. Much of the waste collected such as cardboard, plastic bottles, household waste like refrigerators, stoves, and the E-trash like computer monitors, cellular phones, small batteries and car batteries are sent to recycling facilities off island.
The waste sorting center also has specially designed bins for old paints, solvents, aerosol cans, used cooking oil and used motor/engine oil.
The entrance is free for all French Side residents.
LeFur explained that waste cardboard and plastic bottles from bottled water are brought to the center in great quantities; they are easily recyclable as recycling companies overseas are interested in this waste.
Since the decheterie is subsidized by the French government, it is open to French Side residents only.
Students and teachers were much surprised by the center's efficiency, no smell, no eye sore, as one would expect from a waste collection site. St. Maarten PRIDE Foundation thanks Ambassador of waste Ms. Nicole Piper for her assistance in making the arrangements for this field trip.

MONDAY MARCH 12	6pm	PUBLIC MEETING SPRING/CONCORDIA
TUESDAY MARCH 13	6pm	PUBLIC MEETING SANDY GROUND
WEDNESDAY MARCH 14	6pm	PUBLIC MEETING CCI
THURSDAY MARCH 15	6pm	PUBLIC MEETING FRENCH QUARTER
FRIDAY MARCH 16	6pm	PUBLIC MEETING GRAND-CASE
SATURDAY MARCH 17	6pm	PUBLIC MEETING MARIGOT

Great Bay:--- Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever would like to congratulate the St. Maarten Alzheimer's Foundation on the occasion of becoming a member of the Alzheimer Disease International (ADI). Earlier this week the Council of Alzheimer Disease International approved St. Maarten's application and they became a member.
Unanimously all organizations present at the annual ADI Council meeting approved the proposal of the board of ADI to accept the application of the St. Maarten Alzheimer Foundation. "I would like to congratulate the foundation on their achievement, as this means a lot for St. Maarten and the cause," said Minister De Weever.

Great Bay:--- The Department of Collective Preventive Services recently received the annual Caribbean Surveillance Award, third place, which was given out during the 28th Caribbean Expanded Program on Immunizations Manager's Meeting held in Barbados February 27, 2012 – March 2, 2012.
"I would like to congratulate management and staff for this achievement, and I would like to encourage them to continue the good work and to raise the bar and aim for receiving first prize next year," said Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius de Weever.
An annual Caribbean Surveillance Award has been established to recognize countries that have performed outstandingly on the surveillance component of their program during the previous year. The award is based on two main criteria: on-time reporting and the percentage of sites reporting to CAREC. The award consists of a certificate and the inscription of the name of the country on a plaque that is kept by the winning country during the following year and until a new country is selected to receive the award. The award is announced during the annual Managers' meeting. Dominica is the recipient of the 2011 Surveillance Award. Awards for the second and third places went to Antigua/Barbuda and St. Maarten, respectively.
Participants at the 28th Caribbean EPI Managers' Meeting sincerely congratulate these countries for being the recipients of awards and extend their compliments to all their health workers for such outstanding performances.

Philipsburg:--- Police and Forensic specialists are busy investigating the death of a Guyanese huckster who operates his roadside business at Welgelegen Road, Cay Hill. The body of the businessman was found shortly after 11am Sunday morning on the staircase of Yogesh Commercial Center. Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson told reporters that a woman that was heading up to the second floor of the building discovered the body on the staircase in a pool of blood. Henson said there is a gaping wound on the man's head which caused excessive bleeding. However, the police forensic team found other signs that warrant further investigation to determine whether or not a crime was committed.
Prosecutor Bart den Hartigh said in an invited comment that preliminary investigations show that the man probably died from a medical condition. Den Hartigh made clear that the investigation is not complete and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.
SMN News managed to identify the dead businessman as Ezard Barker who was also a former employee of Checkmate Security. Sources close to late Barker said he was suffering from a severe heart condition and that he was ailing for quite some time now.
The discovery of the body drew a large crowd of people to the area which was sealed off with crime scene tape. On the scene, there were a number of police cars and two ambulances. Prosecutor Den Hartigh was among some of the high ranking police and detectives at the scene investigating. Also in the parking lot of Yogesh Center was the white Hyundai truck filled with ground provisions that was driven by the late Ezard Barker.

Click here to view more photos of the scene where the late Ezard Barker's body was found.

St. Peters:--- On Monday March 12, 2012 at approximately 7:30pm, two men, one of them armed with a shotgun, dressed completely in black with their faces covered stormed into Manchung Supermarket on the L.B. Scot Road.
According to the manager with the initials S.L., the security-guard and him were both threatened by the robber with the gun while the other robber removed the cash from the cash register. After taking the cash they both fled the scene in the direction of the MAC School. This case is under investigation by the Special Robbery Unit.

Philipsburg:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams expressed her concerns on the parliamentary meeting requested by the National Alliance which in her view will preempt the public meeting of parliament to discuss the 2012 budget.
Those meetings are scheduled to begin on Thursday where the National Alliance has called the Minister of Finance and the other Ministers to explain their involvement and compliance process, policies and rules set by the Minister of Finance.
The National Alliance Faction also wants the Ministers to substantiate the policies and rules that were used in draft 2012 budget.
Wescot Williams said that that the requested meeting is remarkable based on how it has been formulated and she is of the opinion that it was done in such a way to preempt the public meeting to be held on the draft budget.
Wescot Williams said the budget process is regulated by the laws and other regulations which have not been changed. She further explained that government and its departments have many desires on the things they would have liked to do but the sky is not the limit when it comes to their finances. Therefore, the various Ministries are obligated to come together with the Ministry of Finance to see what they can execute based on the projected income.
Wescot Williams said when one reads the request submitted by the National Alliance it might sound as if the Government did not comply with the law when they drafted the 2012 budget.
The Prime Minister further explained that the current government made great strides when it comes to the compliance of rules and regulations in drafting the budget.
The Prime Minister also called on Parliament to revisit the public nature of the central committee meetings that are being held. She said the reasoning that central committee meetings were public in the Netherlands Antilles is partially valid. She said if the central committee meeting on the budget were closed then there would have been more active deliberations taking place between government and parliament. Wescot Williams said closed door meetings give parties more freedom when discussing and deliberating.
It should be noted that while the government of St. Maarten was forced to make several cuts to balance its 2012 budget, parliament is currently paying the radio and cable television stations for each live broadcast that is undertaken.

Philipsburg:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot-Williams confirmed on Wednesday that government is still to finalize the financing of the Corporate Governance Council. SMN News asked the Prime Minister on Wednesday for an update on the finalizing of the finances of the Corporate Governance Council and she said the monies were made available but discussions were taking place on the collection procedures.
The Prime Minister said that while the law is very brief on the financing of the council she believes that the expenses the council endured over the years will be paid retroactively whenever the process is finalized. The council has submitted their annual budget based on the law every year since they were established. The Prime Minister said that since the years have already passed the council will be compensated based on the expenses they endured.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The University of St. Martin (USM) and the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen in the Netherlands recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding enabling USM to offer the first two years of two of the Hanze University's Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) programs in English.
This will go into effect as of the next academic year or August 2012. The two programs that will be offered at USM are International Business and Management Studies (IBMS) and International Facility Management (IFM).
"USM is very happy to be able to add these two accredited programs of Hanze University especially since both are very relevant for the island's economy. Students who choose these programs not only stay longer on the island while studying, but they also have - after finalizing their study successfully - a realistic chance of finding a rewarding job on St. Maarten," says USM President Annelies van den Assem.
USM's Business Division Head Erwin Wolthuis, confirms that the curriculum offered will be the same as the one at the Hanze University and all tests and exams will be set in close cooperation with the Hanze University. After students have successfully fulfilled all the requirements of the first two years at USM, they can enroll straight into the third year at the Hanze University.
Students will benefit from staying longer on St. Maarten, as compared to leaving straight after graduating their secondary education, says Wolthuis. He adds that students, in the meanwhile, will still be exposed to a very international environment in year 3 and 4; not only because the student population of these programs is very international, but also since both programs have a compulsory international internship in the second phase of the education.
"USM is both pleased and proud to have this partnership with the Hanze University, since it is known as a provider of quality higher education. Not only are both programs accredited by the NVAO, but they both have received additional recognition as well," says Wolthuis, reiterating President van den Assem's statement.
The IBMS program of The Hanze University scored very high in the 'Keuzegids Hoger Onderwijs 2011' and the IFM program is also recognized by the International Facility Management Association (IFMA).
Persons interested in these programs can contact the University of St. Martin's Student Service Center at telephone 542-5171 ext. 1000 and provide their contact information so that they can be presented with more information prior to the start of registration and classes.

As part of the upgrading and training of the Police Department, on Thursday March 15 and Friday March 16, 2012, a total of 30 police sergeants (hoofdagenten) sat their exams in the subject "Advanced Spanish Conversation Techniques." This course was given by Mr. Yorandy Provance who is a teacher at the Milton Peters College. Mr. Provance along with police Inspector Tico Gonzales who is an instructor at the Police Academy in Curacao (O.R.V.) gave the candidates their exam. The results of the exam will be announced at a later date.

Marigot:--- Leader of the Union pour les Progres Louis Constant Fleming has decided to respect the wish of the people shown on Sunday. In a press release, Constant Fleming said that his party will remain vigilant but they have decided not to form any alliance neither support any of the two parties that will be participating in Sunday's run-off election.
Below is the press release issued by the President of the Union pour les Progres Louis Constant Fleming.

The results of the territorial elections of March 18, 2012, expresses clearly the will for a change of governance by the people of Saint-Martin.
The Union for Progress (UP) list hereby takes act of this expression, and considers consequently that it is not useful to exercise the option of maintaining its list for the runoff scheduled next Sunday, March 25.
We hereby sincerely thank all the electors who went to the polls last Sunday to exercise their voting right, and more so those who placed their confidence in the UP Party.
As far as the second round is concerned, since the values and the ideas of the UP Party are not represented within the two lists that remain, we shall abstain from any alliance and/or support.
Any association or shown support of any of the UP candidates, members, or even supporters with one of the remaining lists shall solely engage their individual responsibility and in no case the party's.
In the same way, we shall not be giving any direction as where to vote.
We are counting, as we have always counted, on the responsibility and the conscience of the electors so that this coming Sunday they shall take the decision that will do the less harm to the people and the future of Saint-Martin.
The UP Party, now a well structured political party, will remain vigilant and attentive to all the decisions and measures that will be taken in the future by the new territorial council.
As Senator of Saint-Martin, I will be at the disposition of the future Territorial Council to support and relay their propositions and their requests that would be in the general interest and the development of Saint-Martin.

Louis-Constant FLEMING
Senator of Saint-Martin
President of UP Party

Philipsburg: --- The Police and Traffic Department are busy investigating the death of a young man who was struck down on Wednesday afternoon on Zagersgut Road in the vicinity of People's Supermarket.

Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson said that the police are busy questioning the driver of a white Caravan that struck the victim down while he and another young man were walking alongside the road.

Henson said the victim has been identified as G.A.R., 22 years old from the neighboring island of Anguilla. The police spokesman said the victim was staying with some friends on the island temporarily.

Police have since confiscated the body for an autopsy to be performed to determine the exact cause of death.

Reports reaching SMN News state that the young man probably died from drowning since the victim fell in a nearby trench when he was struck. Henson confirmed that the body of the victim was removed from a nearby trench. He later confirmed that the victim may have died from drowning after he was knocked unconscious and fell the trench.

Sources close to police also states that while the young man received a hard blow from the accident, there are also indications that water was inside his lungs. Thus, it was deemed necessary for an autopsy to be performed.

The Law in Focus invites you to tune in this Thursday March 22, 2012 at 9:30PM, Channel 15, to learn more about Caribbean Integration; a lecture presented by Dr. Hans Breeveld, a Caribbean Political scientist.
With news in the media that Sint Maarten is seeking associate membership in Caricom, the history of Caricom and the need for Caribbean integration discussed from a scientific point of view is timely.
Thinking outside the box is how Dr. Breeveld puts it.
"The Law in Focus" is an informative and educational program for the entire family, aired every Thursday night from 9:30 – 10:00pm on Sint Maarten T.V., Channel 15, with rebroadcasts on the Wednesdays following from 6:00 - 6:30pm, on Mondays on Cable TV Saba and Tuesdays on Cable TV Statia from 7:00 – 7:30pm. The program is aired on Statia radio on Tuesdays at 12:30 noon with a repeat on Sundays at 6:00pm. The public is encouraged to send questions on legal issues to email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Compared to a 2009 environmental project of four Rotaract clubs in Swaziland which teamed up to plant 1,000 trees at a school in the Ezulwini Valley in an effort to combat deforestation, this effort doesn't seem so impressive. However, the Rotary Club of St. Maarten is extremely proud to be part of the 2012 National Tree Day activities on St. Maarten.

While the official Tree planting took place in the morning by the dignitaries, The Rotary Club Of St. Maarten through their donation of USD 1000 participated in the less formal activity of planting eight Mahogany trees along side the Walter Nisbeth Road opposite the Central Bank.

The project as part of a larger environmental campaign fit ideally into Rotary's environmental areas of service for the 2011-2012 Rotary year. Representing President Rebecca Low of the Rotary Club of St. Maarten was board member Maria Buncamper. Jay Haviser and Chris Maas, SIMARC students and volunteers all pitched in to plant trees which will hopefully become a permanent part of the enhanced environment in the Philipsburg area. SIMARC has been able to secure the maintenance of the trees through Clean St. Maarten which is currently in charge of watering the trees and plants along the road in that area.

Rotary hopes that the community will continue to become more enthusiastic about and involved in National Tree Day in particular and the improvement of our environment in general. Just imagine if every school child planted just one tree every year what a difference that would make to our environment.

Marigot:--- The voters of St. Martin gave the Rassemblement, Responsabilite, Reussite (RRR) a clear and resounding mandate on Sunday March 25th when 56.85% of the votes that were cast were in favor of the RRR. Leader of the RRR Alain Richardson and his wife Nadia who was clearly emotional and in tears surrounded by their team members walked to the Collectivity where they witnessed the speech given by the opposition leader Daniel Gibbs.
The results show that 5451 persons voted for the RRR party, with that amount of votes the RRR party got 17 seats in the Territorial Council while the opposition Team Daniel Gibbs got six seats from the 4137 votes cast in their favor. Team Daniel Gibbs got 43.15% of the votes cast. There are a total of 17,909 registered voters of which 9,871 voted during the second round on Sunday with 283 blanks or null votes.

The new team will be sworn in on Sunday April 1, 2012 where the President of the Council will be elected. Even though Alain Richardson headed the RRR list and he will most likely be the next president of the Collectivity of Saint Martin that only takes place when the council is inaugurated.
Supporters of the RRR converged outside of the Collectivity as early as 7pm Sunday night to witness the change the wanted. Most of the RRR supporters dressed in their traditional red shirts waved their red flags and screamed to the top of their voices when the results were announced. RRR won in 11 of the 13 polling stations. Leader of the RRR Alain Richardson thanked God, the churches, and the people of St. Martin for the confidence they placed in him and his team this time around. He said while the people placed their confidence in the RRR, it is St. Martin that won since the work has now begun for the island. Richardson and his team openly reminded the people that while they won the election locally they still have to go back to the polls in June 2012 to elect a deputy and for sure the RRR will need them again. The RRR leader also thanked the MAP, and St. Martin Pour Tous for endorsing the RRR for the second round while he also expressed gratitude to the Union pour les Progres for putting St. Martin first when they stepped out of the race. Richardson also thanked the French voters who live on the Dutch side of the island but made sure they voted in favor of the RRR. He said when the other political parties were about dividing the island the RRR focused on unity.
Richardson told the people of St. Martin that while Obama said "they can" St. Martin did it at the polls on Sunday. He constantly reminded the people that even though they worked hard to win this election, the work for St. Martin has now begun.
Leader of TDG, Daniel Gibbs also thanked his voters while he congratulated the winner of Sunday's election. He said that the election results show that there is democracy and that must be respected. Gibbs said he is thankful for the amount of votes his team received because his party is young and they did not get any support from the other parties that participated in last week's election. Gibbs also vowed to continue the hard work, he said his intention is to represent the people who placed their confidence in them from the opposition benches.
It is clear that the people of St. Martin wanted a change which they expressed at the various polling stations. The RRR victory also brought an end to the Fleming's era.

Click here to view photos of the election on Sunday March 25, 2012.

Click here to view the Official Results released by the Prefecture of St. Martin.

	RRR	Team Daniel Gibbs	BLANK VOTES	Total Votes Per Bureau
Hotel de La Collectivité (Bur 1)	236	273	11	520
Number 2 Nina Duverly School (Bur 2)	538	224	25	787
Nina Duverly School (Bur 3)	627	342	32	1001
Hervé Williams School (Bur 4)	400	336	30	766
Hervé Williams School (Bur 5)	444	244	25	713
Sandy Ground School (Bur 6)	303	296	10	609
Sandy Ground School (Bur 7)	323	269	9	601
Bâtiment Communal, Friars Bay (Bur 8)	326	230	28	584
Bâtiment Communal, Friars Bay (Bur 9)	381	221	15	617
Primary School, Grand Case (Bur 10)	375	632	33	1040
Kindergarten school, Grand Case (Bur 11)	385	256	16	657
Kindergarten school French Quarter (Bur 12)	537	471	19	1027
Primary School French Quarter (Bur 13)	576	340	25	941
Total Votes Per Party	5451	4134	278	9863
Percentage	56.85%	43.15%	3%

Philipsburg:--- On Sunday March 25th at approximately 2:00pm, a Simpson Bay Police patrol along with patrols from the Zero Tolerance team were directed by the Police Central Dispatch to Yang Yang supermarket on the Well Road for an armed robbery which had just taken place. The suspects took-off on foot through the neighborhood after committing
the act. The two suspects were armed with a machete and a handgun and had injured one of the victims by hitting him in his head with the butt of the gun.
While the patrols were on their way to the scene the description of the suspects was also given through them. During a
search of the area a man was spotted coming out of the bushes. The man in question with the initials R.F.A.Y. from Sint Maarten matched the description of one of the suspects in this robbery and was arrested on the spot. He denied having being involved in the robbery. During a search in the bushes where the suspect was arrested the patrol found the machete and other clothing that were used during the robbery. The other suspect managed to avoid his capture. This case is under investigation by the Special Robbery Unit.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Former queen of several pageant, local entrepreneur and board member of the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce Tamara Leonard took some time last Friday night to lay a reality check on the contestants of the 2012 contestants for Teen and Senior Carnival Queen Pageants.
Leonard was invited to talk to the contestants about friendliness with Mr. Friendly, the mascot of St. Maarten Superhost, another initiative of Leonard's. While Mr. Friendly did make an appearance, Leonard decided to go a little deeper with the contestants of both pageants.
She impressed upon them that by being in the pageants, their lives have automatically elevated to the realm of ambassador. As a result, she asked the contestants to realize and respect the importance of that title. She told the girls that being in the pageant will have a direct impact on their lives, sometime not always good.
Leonard arranged the contestants in a half circle in front of her and asked them one simple question: "Why are you in this pageant." She told each contestant that they are representing her and every other St. Maartener even in the local Carnival pageants and even more so if they win and have to travel as queen.
When speaking about their aspirations, Leonard shared excerpts from her own life story, one of a parent fighting her way to four college degrees and of a person who still has many goals to reach, no stopping in sight. Most importantly however, Leonard told the contestants that she too basked in the spotlight of the pageants.
"But it's one thing to be in the spotlight where it's all about you, it's quite another to be that person to inspire others," Leonard told the contestants, stressing that as young people they should always strive to inspire others, their peers in particular, through good positive deeds. She urged them to use the pageant to be more than just a contestant.
She also encouraged the young ladies to stay up to date with what is going on in the news and with their island. Leonard focused heavily on the importance tourism and gave the contestants example of how their stated future professions could impact tourism. She went on to congratulated them for taking the step to participate in the pageant
Mr. Friendly appeared during the night to present each contestant with gift items and a certificate with the friendly pledge written on it. Each contestant pledged to be friendly to her family and friends and everyone she meets as of the date of receiving the certificate. They pledged to join Mr. Friendly and St. Maarten Superhost in bringing back friendliness to the island.

Philipsburg:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams announced on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers press briefing that government has received the decision taken by the President of the Joint Court of Justice regarding the appointment of the seventh member of the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten.

Wescot Williams said the former Prosecutor General of the Netherlands Antilles Robert Peters was appointed on a temporary basis. Wescot Williams further explained that the President of the Court of Justice also expressed hope that the two countries would find common ground in finding a permanent member to fill the position.

The Prime Minister said that the government of St. Maarten has looked at the appointment on a broader picture and while she knows the appointed person she hopes that he will demonstrate fair judgment in matters relating to the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten.

Wescot Williams said her government also took note of the measure of the credit restriction taken by the President of the Central Bank Emsley Tromp. She said she also took note of the request submitted to the Chairlady of Parliament by the Members of the Democratic Party faction in Parliament and the independent Member of Parliament Patrick Illidge. The Prime Minister further explained that the Government will be meeting with Tromp during his consultation meetings here and they intend to dialogue with him to find out why there was need to impose such restrictions. The government she said has to look at the matter in a macro-economic prospective as prices have increased over recent months.
In the meantime, the Prime Minister confirmed on Wednesday that the Council of Ministers is leaning towards dollarization for St. Maarten and they intend to take their views to Parliament and to the people of St. Maarten.

Philipsburg:--- The owner of the newly constructed five story building in Cay Hill that houses the SZV has threatened to take SZV St. Maarten to court now that they have decided to reduce the cost of the building they wanted to purchase from Orista NV owned by Samir Andrawos.
SMN News has been reliably informed that SZV was negotiating with Orista NV to purchase the building they own in Cay Hill. However, during the negotiations SZV requested Independent Consulting Engineers (ICE) to conduct an independent study on the safety of the building. All of which Samir Andrawos agreed to since he was sure his building was safe and secure.
The source said there were persistent rumors that indicated the building was not safe, claiming its structure was not strong enough to withstand hurricanes, earthquakes and that it was built on a spring (well).
According to the study conducted by ICE which was also approved by PREAM consulting, the building cannot withstand earthquakes and such is necessary since St. Maarten is on the earthquake belt. The report also shows that the building can withstand hurricanes and it is built close to a well but this does not hinder the structure. ICE indicated in its report that the structure can be modified to withstand earthquakes but that would cost an additional one and half million dollars. The source said SZV and Orista NV (Samir Andrawos) had almost completed their negotiations but when SZV received the report they dispatched a letter to Orista NV informing them of the findings of the study. SZV it is understood made clear that they were still interested in purchasing the building but the cost to re-enforce the building has to be deducted.
The source said Andrwos immediately hired the services of the law firm VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne who wrote SZV informing them that their client Samir Andrawos was no longer interested in selling his building to SZV but they were bound by the rental contracts that the former SZV had with Orista NV prior to the negotiations.
It should be noted that SZV was renting a part of the building prior to October 2010 but when St. Maarten became a country and they were installing their own Social Security services they needed to find a larger building that would accommodate the entire personnel of SZV. SMN News learnt that when SZV's legal and financial team checked the rental contract and the space they were renting from Orista NV they quickly realized that it was not feasible for them to continue renting office space for SZV and it would be better if SZV made a onetime investment and purchased a building. This information it is further understood was communicated to Orista NV and they responded by saying they were interested in selling the Cay Hill structure and as such negotiations begun. The source said that the lawyers representing Orista NV even threatened to take SZV to court if they did not honor the rental contract, to which SZV lawyers responded by saying that they were prepared to defend themselves in the court of law should any case be filed against SZV and the government of St. Maarten.
SMN News also learnt that UTS was also interested in purchasing the same building but it is not clear if Orista NV is now negotiating with UTS.

The SHTA and SMTA in collaboration with the SBO and Sundial school have teamed up to revive St. Maarten's culinary competition under its new name: Sint Maarten's Annual Chef Competition. Formerly known as the Taste of Sint Maarten culinary competition, this competition is being organized with the goal of developing a national culinary team for Sint Maarten, which could represent the island at regional and international culinary competitions. Aside from this, the organizers hope to promote St Martin as the Culinary Capital of Sint Maarten as well as promote the importance of hospitality among the Sint Maarten population.
Why the name change? With other organizations using the name to promote their culinary events, the 4 organizers thought it best to avoid confusion and start fresh with a new name, new faces and new rules.
In order to partake in this competition you must be employed at an established restaurant, hotel or resort on the Dutch side, Sint Maarten, and must have the necessary documents needed to travel. The format has also changed:

• The participating chefs have to prepare a 3 – course menu for 4 persons
• Each course will have a Mystery basket with specific ingredients that must be used in the recipe.
• Registration Fee $ 100.00 (Competition is limited to max. 15 Chefs)

Closing date for registration is: March 10, 2012

The competition will be held on March 24 at the Sundial School from 10 am to 6 pm. The competition will be held in two shifts. Group 1 from 10 am – 12:30 pm and group 2 from 1:30 pm – 4 pm. Organizers are looking for sponsors to cover the ingredients and prizes. If you'd like to sponsor the event, please contact the SHTA office on 542-0108 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Chefs interested in participating should send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. requesting the registration form.

Dutch Quarter:--- Two persons were stabbed by a man considered to be the victim of a robbery while in Christina Bar on Friday afternoon. SMN News learnt that two young men who were on a scooter entered the bar and attempted to rob a patron of his gold chain.
Chief of Police Peter de Witte confirmed that the victim defended himself by taking a knife and stabbing both his attackers. De Witte said when police reached the scene they were not able to find the injured suspects.
It turned out that at least one of the injured robbers had to be taken to the St. Maarten Medical Center for treatment shortly after the stabbing.
In an unrelated incident, on Saturday afternoon a man was shot in his lower leg by persons who attempted to rob him of his gold chain on Back Street.
Up to press time the police did not release any information on the two attempted robbery incidents where persons were injured.

Reigning Jr. Calypso Queen Denisia "Lil Blossom" Martimbor and two-time reigning Jr. Roadmarch King Rickyshio Bertie will have to fend off stiff competition for Carnival 2012 if they hope to retain their titles.

The 2012 Junior Carnival Calypso and Roadmarch competition is one of the first events for Carnival 2012, and, according the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) one that will showcase the impressive talent of the island's young calypso singers.
Jr. Calypso Queen Lil Blossom seems already destined for greatness having recently performed in Trinidad to rave reviews. Her winning song of 2011, "Sisters Abstain", was an instant hit that still graces the airwaves today.

Likewise for the two-time Junior Roadmarch King Rickyshio who continue to perform with energy that reminds calypso lovers of his father Ricky "Da Phox" Bertie a veteran Calypsonian and former Senior Roadmarch King.

Lil Blossom will face six young singers looking to dethrone her: Her sister J'onesia "Sunshine" Martimbor, Marieshene "Singing D" Doran, Acquilla "Empress Acquilla" Carty, Rickyshio will also sing calypso as well as his brother Nicholio Bertie and finally Rumari "The Messenger" Rogers. Three of these same singers will also compete in the road march competition.

"This is the future of calypso," SCDF President Stuart Johnson said, adding that much more needs to be done to attract youngsters to the art form of calypso. "We already proud of the seven singers that we have for the junior show and hope they will get tremendous support from the community and the radio stations who we are counting on to play their music. They work as hard as anyone on their performances and asks only to be rewarded with support," Johnson added.

The SCDF has decided to reschedule the Jr. Calypso and Roadmarch competition from April 1, to Saturday, April 14. It will lead the with the Teen & Senior Queen Pageant Speech and Culture Wear competition which will be held on the same day. "That's basically four great, exciting shows in one," Johnson said.

The show will be at the Sonesta Great Bay Beach Hotel.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The University of St. Martin (USM), in collaboration with the Open University in the Netherlands will be offering a Law program, on the basis of a tutor system and distant teaching materials (print and online) that will culminate in a certified law degree (NVAO accreditation).

The intention is to launch a cohort system in a fixed specialized track. This means that the students will all start at the same time in the Fall 2012. This cohort study, in principle, gives the group opportunity to equal guidance to the entire group with the added benefit that students will be able to enjoy collaborative learning.

In the provisional framework the Open University will offer the curriculum materials in print, access to its online teaching environment and the exams. USM will coordinate the training and supervision thereof via a tutor system. The guidance aims to ensure that the cohort of students will maintain the required pace of study. The task of the USM facilitators will be to provide further explanation of the substance in the material, answer questions and assist in preparing for eventual exams. The guidance will be provided by local experts, who all hold a master degree in Dutch law.

The program is scheduled to start in Fall 2012. Persons interested in following this law program are requested to contact the Admission Office at the University of St. Martin at 542-5171 or 542-2356 Ext. 1000 for further information.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Left to right, Minister of Justice Hon. Roland Duncan, Police Major (Analyst at the Info Desk) Angelique Post-Kruithof, Police Major at General Police Services Ramon Krabbendam, Police Spokesperson Ricardo Henson, and Chief of Police Peter de Witte after Post-Kruithof and Krabbendam were sworn in as extra-ordinary police on Monday. (DCOMM Photo)

NAGICO Insurances donated three brand new computers and customized mouse pads to the Windward Island Federation of Labour (WIFOL) Institute on Tuesday to enhance their newly created 40 plus program.
The computers were presented by Managing Director of Claims at NAGICO; Eric Ellis and Regional Marketing Manager; Paul Dijkhoffz, in their newly renovated Customer Service area. 

"We are pleased to be part of a process which affords our older generation the opportunity to become computer literate and to be able to equip the WIFOL with the tools necessary to empower these people."

Theophilus Thompson, President of the workers union said that his institute is geared at making employees more qualified and better able to serve their employers, which will allow for a more beneficial and harmonious working environment and with a donation such as this from NAGICO, they will be able to realize their goal.

"I approached NAGICO with this request for additional computers and today, we are presented with three brand new computers and beautifully designed mouse pads and I am really thankful and appreciative that there are still companies that give back in big ways like this to the community."

Philipsburg: --- The principal of Prins Willem Alexander School was ordered to lift her one week punishment levied on students and teachers of that school. SMN News learnt that the head of Public Education Gwendolyn Davis Holiday visited the school on Tuesday morning to meet with the management team of the school especially the principal who implemented a no break period of one week. SMN News has been reliably informed that the President of Windward Island Teachers Union Claire Elshot met with the department head when she was contacted by several teachers of the school. The source said Elshot wanted to visit her members on Tuesday morning but Davis Holiday brokered a deal with her by asking that she met with the management team first.
SMN News further learnt that the Principal and Management Team of Prins Willem Alexander School decided to punish the teachers and students of the school as of Monday. The actions of the school management took several teachers by surprise since it is unconstitutional of students not to have a break period. The law states that students must be given a 15-minute break period after every two hours and one hour break before afternoon classes commence.
According to well placed sources, the school management took actions to curb the unruly behavior of their students that would go through a broken fence into the neighbor's yard. One source at the school said the teachers were asked to come up with ideas as to how to better manage the students but before the teachers could give their opinion the school management took actions by imposing the no break period for one week.
President of the Windward Islands Teachers Union Claire Elshot confirmed that she met with Davis Holiday and her intention was to visit the school today. Elshot said she entered into an agreement with Davis Holiday when the department head instructed the Principal to lift the punishment she instituted on Monday. Elshot said government mainly the Minister of Education will have to find solutions for the problems the school is facing. "They need to understand that Prins Willem is a special education school and special measures have to be taken to curtail the unruly students. However, teachers cannot be punished for the students that need special care."

PHILIPSBURG:--- A workshop regarding the Strategic Economic Plan 2012-2022 will take place on March 22.

The workshop is an opportunity for the immediate design and execution of a long-term vision and strategic direction dealing with the future and competitive position of Country Sint Maarten.

The rationale for the plan is to bring together key players behind the country's economic and social development, to draft a long-term direction towards a common sustainable goal.

The goal of the envisioned plan is to create broad support for the future strategic course of the country and to achieve a sustainable increase in the standard of living and prosperity for all citizens of Sint Maarten.

The goals should be achieved through education and training; increase employment; increased business activities; growth in foreign investment (Capital and skills/knowledge); well-balanced wealth distribution; social cohesiveness; and good governance.

In developing the plan, requirements are participation; a "can do" attitude; public-private partnership and private financing.

During the development of the plan, some performance metrics of best practices from the World Economic Forum will be used.

The World Economic Forum's Competiveness Report, has over the last three decades, become one of the world's most respected assessments of national competiveness, providing a mirror image of a nation's economic environment and its ability to achieve sustained levels of prosperity and growth.

"The objective is to produce a strategic economic plan for the next 10-years that would guide our country's economic development. This plan is being produced at a time when the world went through the global financial and economic crisis which was described as the most serious since the Great Depression of October 1929.

"As a people and as a country, we must take stock after having gone through constitutional change in 2010, and are currently in the process of building Country Sint Maarten.

"During these periods of progress and positive change, the country has also been confronted with various challenges due to the world crisis, however, we have still been able to present a first balanced country budget in 2011, and will be approving within short the second balanced country budget.

"As a country we cannot lose sight of strategic economic planning and looking at five and 10-years down the road. The workshop is essential in grasping the opportunities of the future for the people of Sint Maarten.

"We want to build a quality society where the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the Sint Maarten people are key to national economic development," Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Hon. Franklin Meyers said on Tuesday.

The process in developing the Economic Strategic Plan will be facilitated by KPMG Advisory Services.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The University of St. Martin (USM) last Friday formalized its relationship with the Securities and Commerce Institute (SCI) so that the two institutions can now proceed with offering the Edinburgh Business School's (EBS) Masters in Business Administration program.
SCI is the approved learning partner of the Edinburgh Business School (EBS), the largest and one of the best MBA programs in the world. Signing the memorandum of understanding on Friday behalf of USM was President Mrs. Annelies van den Assem and on behalf of SCI –EBS, Director Education & Training of SCI Mr. Andrew Forson.
After the signing, there was an information-session, by Andrew Forson, where over 30 people showed a genuine interest in pursuing an MBA degree through this prestigious program. The prospective students were informed about all aspects of the program.

"It was made very clear to them that completing this MBA should not be taken lightly. It involves self-motivation, determination, persistence and, of course, much brain power," says USM Business Division Head Erwin Wolthuis.

He adds that the program offered by SCI-EBS, in conjunction with USM, differs from other online providers of MBA programs, in many ways.

"Each on-line course also has a week of actual classes, hosted at USM, where the professor involved will be flown in. In addition, students have the possibility to ask questions to their professors on a daily basis, while exam training seminars will also be organized at USM in order to increase the chances of success for each student," Wolthuis notes.

The first course for the 2012 MBA program will be in Economics and is scheduled to start in April 2012. The USM Business Division Head adds that USM will also become the official exam-centre for EBS in the North-East Caribbean; making the whole process really efficient for students on the island.

SCI-EBS representatives are still on the island and persons who are interested in the MBA program can contact them by sending an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. As of next week registration forms and procedural instructions will also be available at USM's Student Service Center.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Head of the Civil Registry Department Leona Romeo-Marlin would like to inform the general public that persons with expired driver's licenses can visit the department to schedule an appointment to renew their license.

Driver license holders should not wait until their licenses have expired to get them renewed. The department also no longer upholds the grace period of one-year for expired licenses.

Holders of licenses that were expired between 10-10-2011 and 17-02-2011 will be given the opportunity to renew their driver's license without having to re-sit the exam.

The following documents must be presented at the department for the further processing of the driver's license (holders of a license): valid Dutch passport or Identification Card and Non-Dutch Nationals, a valid foreign passport and a valid original residence permit; doctor's medical declaration; Naf. 10 stamp from Receiver's; original license (Police Report if license lost); one passport picture; Naf. 100; and exams costs Naf. 300.

Services for driver's licenses are by appointment only. All appointments must be honored and if the person misses the appointment it will be rescheduled. No exceptions will be given. Appointments can be made by calling 542-2457 ext. 412.

Member of Parliament George Pantophlet wants to know if everyone is being treated equally. After an operation that is akin to pulling teeth it was revealed that 25.9 million guilders is owed in fees which date as far back as 2001 to present. What is interesting is that in one of the daily newspapers in an article it states "efforts will be made by the Finance Ministry to begin collecting the outstanding amounts." We are talking about 12 years and for all intent and purposes it appears as if nothing was being done to collect this astronomical amount of money which is almost 6% of the Budget. Furthermore, if one would do their calculations they will come to the conclusion that we talking amount an amount of about 2 million guilders annually. The Member of Parliament said that he is meeting persons on a regular basis who are receiving assessments as far back as 1998 and are not given much time to pay. One of them who have a sole proprietorship was assessed for amount of around 20.000 guilders for the period of 1997 to date. The Receiver's told them that it has to be paid in two installments. This is ludicrous. Then my question would be in how many installments is the 25.9 million guilders supposed to be paid over a period of 12 years? The Member of Parliament says that this is the problem he has with the manner in which the receiver's office does its collection. But he understands the politics and so call hands off by government. He can remember when a former employee of the island receiver's went to collect outstanding taxes from a particular resort and was told hands off. This employee ended up being sent to the Netherlands to further their studies. They are presently on the island qualified but not functioning because of politics. And to make matters worse more taxes are coming. The cost way will cost because if one was following the meeting on the 2012 Budget the Minister of Public Works Theo Heyliger in a question posed to him by my person on the cost way said that there is no toll at this time. Finally, let me answer my own question: No everyone is not treated equally.

...

The St. Maarten Nature Foundation would like to remind the community of St. Maarten that Sea Turtle Nesting Season is once again here. Each year between March and November, female sea turtles return to lay their eggs on the major nesting beaches of Simpson Bay, Guana Bay, and Gibbs Bay. There are three sea turtles which nest on St. Maarten beaches, including the Green Sea Turtle and the largest sea turtle species, the Leatherback.

"Sea turtles have existed for well over 180 million years, even before the dinosaurs. St. Maarten is one of the few places in the region that has a nesting population of sea turtles, so we should do all that we can to protect their nesting areas" commented Tadzio Bervoets, Nature Foundation Manager.

Sea turtle population numbers have plummeted to dangerously low numbers throughout the past century due to human impacts, bringing many species close to extinction, 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 or pick-upsea turtles. It is also illegal to directly or indirectly disturb their environment resulting in a physical threat or damage or to commit other acts which result in disturbance of the animal. It is also forbidden to disturb, damage or destroy sea turtle nests, lairs, or breeding places. Also, it is forbidden to pick-up or to destroy the eggs of any species of sea turtle.

The St. Maarten Nature Foundation actively manages the sea turtle population on St. Maarten, particularly during the nesting season. "We conduct various activities with regards to nesting females including beach surveys, nest excavations, tagging activities, and nest success research. However we do rely heavily on volunteers to assist us and welcome any volunteers who would be interested. Beach communities in particular are in the best position to help ensure that females nest safely, that nests are left undisturbed and that hatchlings make it safely to sea. This year we also urge restaurants and beach bars along the major nesting beaches to refrain or limit the use of beach bonfires and artificial lighting which can seriously reduce the survival rate of sea-turtles", commented Bervoets. The Nature Foundation asks that people also do not drive on the nesting beaches and that they walk their dog on a leash. To report nesting activity or illegal activity, please call the Sea Turtle Hotline 9229 or call the Nature Foundation office at 5444267 or email the Foundation at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Philipsburg:--- Despite the early morning showers of rain, several dignitaries including Governor Eugene Holiday attended the National Tree Day planting organized by SIMARC students.
Jay Haviser of SIMARC said that a juniper tree was given to the Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams in the presence of Governor Holiday who represented the Kingdom in the event.
SIMARC students actually planted the tree.
In the afternoon of National Tree Day, the SIMARC students planted 8 mahogany trees on Walter Nisbeth Road, led by Haviser with Elsje Bosch present, and also with Mrs. Maria Buncamper-Molanus of St. Maarten Rotary Club who sponsored the trees this year.

SIMARC is very pleased with this year's National Tree Day, and hope to make next year even better.

Philipsburg:--- On Thursday March 29, 2012, members of the Sint Maarten Police Force acting on a tip of the D.E.A. (Drug Enforcement Administration) were successful in arresting two suspects for illegal drugs possession. The initials of these men are R.F.B. and V.W. originating from the islands of Sint Kitts and Dominica. The arrests took place at around 7:30pm during which time a very large amount of marijuana was confiscated. A hotel room was also searched in connection with this investigation.
The D.E.A. is an American organization that is active worldwide combating the drugs trade and has a very good working relationship with our local police department. An investigation into this case is ongoing.

Great Bay:--- On Wednesday afternoon the Department of Labor Affairs, Section Labor Market held an "Employment Workshop: Find, Get & Keep the Job! The Key to a Better Future" to a cross section of persons at their office on Pondfill.
A packet containing information about St. Maarten's Labor Market, projects/programs, frequently asked questions and an employment handbook were given to the attendees. The afternoons program, started at 3:30PM with an opening by Shandah Philips of the department, followed by an address by Labor Affairs Department Head, Peggy-Ann Dros, a presentation on resume writing by Arden Froston, also of the department, role play, questions and answers followed by snacks and drinks.
The Department of Labor Affairs will be launching a host of workshop initiatives with the main aim being to meet the needs of its customers. The workshops will include a wide range of topics, from 'how to find the job, get the job and keep the job', to workshops for businesses on the formal dismissal process, and workshops specifically for employees on their rights and responsibilities.
The department will also embark on an extensive PR campaign on how their services will upgrade and how they will apply technology to assist people in finding their 'right-job-fit'. In addition, there will also be workshops and discussion forums for unions and their shop stewards. The workshop held on Wednesday, by the Job Placement Officers is a first in many to come. The department will be setting up a vacancy-bank online as well as utilizing the Community Helpdesk locations to form part of that strategy.
Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Minister Cornelius De Weever applauds the department on the initiatives taken as a means of improving the services rendered to the community of St. Maarten.

Dear compatriots,

We would like to express our sincere thanks for your support, and regret that a large majority of you did not properly receive our message and realize the difficulties in which lies our Collectivité. We are saddened by this, perhaps we failed to communicate properly or explain our actions to the voters of this territory. We are especially sad for Saint Martin as we had taken up the challenge of a frank and truthful outspoken conduct, with a clear and realistic political platform, engaging St. Martin on the road to recovery. One of the rules of democracy is the popular consultation and it has delivered its verdict by crediting our party with only 7.4% of the votes cast.
We extend our congratulations to all the lists and mainly RRR, Team Daniel Gibbs, and UP for their scores achieved, allowing them to represent for second round. In line with our policy of dignity and honor, we were ready to contribute our two cents to building general interest if we had been asked. We still call on our supporters to give their support to the RRR team, wishing them good luck for the future.

On behalf of MAP,
Louis Mussington

PHILIPSBURG:--- The general public will soon hear an upbeat, energetic 60-second jingle for Carnival 2012 on all radio stations. Entitled "Carnival Time Again" the jingle was the brainchild of veteran on-air radio personality Grace "Lady Grace" Blijden and sponsored by the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) as part of its marketing activities for Carnival 2012.
With vocals by Shadowman, Terry Seals and Ziggy Ranking, the jingle will be played several times a day on all stations to remind listeners that "fettin' season" and Carnival is soon here. Lady Grace explained that she simply approached Mr. Rude of Rockin' Vibes recording studios for his assistance considering his vast experience in producing music.
In very short time, the vocalists gathered together at Mr. Rude's studio to do their thing. "Wow I was excited to see these three artists in the studio at the same time since each one of them have their own unique style. Well we had a chorus and it was in the studio where the writing began, everybody had an input in putting the lyrics together. I know what I wanted and I was aiming for something that even the little kids could sing," Lady Grace said.
"This is not a song for any competition it's the official song for Carnival 2012 and hopefully with the SCDF's blessings we can have one every year with a different artist," she added. She went on to thank Grisha Marten of Montage Marketing for her cooperation, Mr. Rude and the three vocalists for lending their voices as a contribution towards St. Maarten Carnival.
The jingle will start airing this week. She also asked the general public to listen out for "Dis is where the Flex" Carnival show on 102.7fm starting April 2nd from 6:00pm- 8:00pm. The website www.wheretheflex.com is also being used as the official web portal of the SCDF for Carnival.
"We wanted to give Carnival 2012 an identity and what better way to do that than through music, Carnival is music," Secretary and Marketing Coordinator of the SCDF Mike Granger said. "We are trying many things this year as we move towards establishing a marketing blueprint for the future. The jingle will get you in the mood for mas and we thank Grace, Shawdowman, Mr. Rude and the other vocalists for giving Carnival 2012 a sound of its own," Granger said.

Marigot:--- A confident Louis Constant Fleming surrounded by his candidates presented his list to the media on Friday afternoon at the Lotterie Farm. The sitting senator told reporters he chose to deliver his list at the Lotterie Farm because it was one of the places he visited frequently ever since he was a child. Besides that, Lotterie Farm has developed into a successful business location on the island. Fleming said he wanted everyone to know that the Union pour les Progres did not have a five year term when they entered government. He said when the Collectivity was installed in July 2007 they had no budget and as such they had to function on the commune's budget for the first six months.
"The Collectivity got its own budget in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Therefore, the incumbent government did not have the opportunity to fulfill a full five year term. Fleming also said those that were elected in 2007 to install the Collectivity had a hard time because there was nothing in place for the incoming government. He said the former Mayor cries out now but he should remember he did not make any preparation for transition from the commune to the Collectivity. Fleming said he made clear in his New Year message in 2005 that when St. Martin gets its new status it will take a minimum of ten years to properly install a fully functional Collectivity. Fleming said as the first President of the Collectivity of St. Martin his intention was to not establish the difference between the Commune and the Collectivity. He said the reason behind that was to make sure that the population did not have to suffer during the transition period. Fleming further said that the only reason he has decided to contest the 2012 election is because the people chose his team in 2007 and the work they started then is not yet complete. He assured that his mandate in the senate is until 2014 and he could have chosen to stay there until then and left the political arena with his head high, but for him the development of St. Martin is his priority. The UPP leader said he also chose people he could trust and those he is confident he could work with for a full term. His number two candidate he said has worked in all areas with him and she has been his collaborator as a senator. "Melissa Sedano is someone I can trust and work with while the number three candidate Rene Arnell is not someone new to me, Rene Arnell contested the 2001 elections with me under USM. Today, he is not here because he is in Paris with the Social Economic Council. Claire Javois Guion Fermin, a current Vice President is the fourth candidate, while radio personality Billy D Jacques Hamlet is the fifth candidate, Ida Zin Ka Ieu is the sixth and the incumbent President Frantz Gumbs in the seventh place.
"There are people that are contesting this election because their only interest is to be able to benefit from the Government vehicles, government gasoline, and the indemnities they are going to be collecting. "I came into politics with riches and my interest is to make sure everyone on St. Martin becomes rich but there are people in this election that profits from the poverty of the St. Martin people." Fleming called on the foreigners that are residing on the island to know their place and not to take advantage of the homage they received from the St. Martin people. He said right now there are foreigners that are organizing political lists and contesting in the upcoming election and the native St. Martiners are becoming angrier by the day with this kind of behavior. "I can assure you the list I have presented was not put together by anyone from the outside and we are the ones financing our list." Fleming told reporters that the native St. Martiners do not accept when foreigners interfere in their affairs.
Fleming threw a few punches at the other political parties that are contesting the March 18th and 25th Territorial Election. He said Daniel Gibbes the former second Vice President personally told him that he did not have to pay his own airline tickets and expenses when he was elected in 2007 because there were monies at the Tourist Office where he was the President of the Association.
"In the past there were people who were putting six million Euros on the accounts of an association to accommodate their traveling and other expenses. Now I do not have to hide this I can speak about all what really happened in the past."
The UPP leader assured that he is confident that the voters of St. Martin will place their confidence in him and his team and he is also confident that they will win the election after the first round on March 18th, 2012.

Telecom provider UTS has renewed the website of its popular HEPA free SMS service: hepa.an. Up until recently anyone could send free SMS messages to the mobile phones of UTS customers. Hepa.an has now been integrated into a new free service of UTS called: miUTS (pronounced myUTS) The service is still free to the user. The big difference between the two is that now one will no longer be able to send free SMS messages anonymously.

The motivation behind the change is that the company is striving to achieve a more transparent communications system. A recipient has to be able to see who is sending them a message. "Fortunately the service was not misused on a large scale," says UTS Marketing and Communications Officer, Ivy Lambert. "The service was intended to allow people to stay in contact even if they were out of credit and thankfully it was used mostly for exactly that purpose."

Anyone who surfs to hepa.an now, will be redirected to the new UTS site: http://www.uts.an/miuts/login. To be able to make use of this service though, one needs to be registered, which is free. The site explains that miUTS is intended to be the central point where customers can make use of various free services of UTS. At this moment these free services include sending up to 100 free SMS messages a day and also being able to check the white pages of the telephone book published by UTS in Curacao. The new feature of the SMS service is that now recipients of the SMS messages will be able to see who the message has been sent by and the recipients contact information will also be saved in the Contact List of the account holder to avoid repeated entry of the same information each time you want to send a message. Upon registration on miUTS there is a chance to win various prizes from UTS and in the near future the miUTS service will be expanded to offer some additional services and new functionalities.

Upon registration some personal information must be submitted, such as the users telephone number, address, id-number, birth date the and first and last name. Once registered you will not be sending anonymous messages, but rather the cell number registered under the user profile will be listed as the 'sender'. Before the recipient would only see the number 9999 which was one of the criticisms of the former Hepa service. Text messages could be sent and one would never be able to identify the sender. This meant that on occasion the service would be used to send threatening messages, spread gossip or to transmit incorrect information. Thanks to the introduction of miUTS and the integration of Hepa into the account profile that will no longer be possible. miUTS will be available for all customers in UTS territories: St. Maarten, Saint Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Curacao, Bonaire and Surinam.

Airport:--- The secretary for ABVO complaints and disputes department Kenneth Bremer met with the staff of the Princess Juliana International Airport on Friday morning to update its members on the Collective Labour Agreement discussion that took place between the ABVO and PJIAE.
Bremer confirmed to SMN News that parties had met on Thursday to finalize the Collective Labour Agreement. Bremer said that the CLA expired since 2010 and Thursday's meeting was to discuss the points that parties could not agree upon. He said that at the end of the day the union felt that there was a breaking point because they felt that they could not reach an agreement.
SMN News learnt that the Management of PJIAE was in favor of having the CLA for a period of five years but ABVO and its members only agreed to a three year CLA. Workers stand to benefit an annual salary increase of 7.25% for the first year, 7.75% the second year, and 8.25% the third year. They will also get a one month bonus and vacation allowances annually. Those that participated in the meeting are the workers of the Fire Department, Security, Operations and Accounts.
However, by the end of the meeting with their membership, all parties reached an agreed and the workers of PJIAE gave ABVO the green light to sign on to the new CLA. Bremer said that the workers already got a lump sum for the year 2011 and when the CLA is signed the workers will be paid retroactively to January 2012.