Articles

Dear Editor/Publisher,

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." This powerful quote has been attributed to Albert Einstein and forms the basis for my letter today.

Why is this quote pivotal to my letter? As a former journalist who minored in Mass Communication at the University of Tampa twenty years ago, it has become extremely sad for me to see the state of our deteriorating press on St. Maarten as it pertains to fairness, accuracy and content from all forms of media, with particular emphasis today on our print media. Having been on the receiving end of that bias more times than I care to think about, Victorious Living has decided to address this issue head on, not only in addressing the blatant bias of our print media but also the poor journalistic ethics that in particular the Today sometimes exhibits.

As we have looked at the trends over the years, it appears as if the emphasis is more on sensationalism; the macabre, gloom and doom than the things that would seek to empower and uplift the people of this nation. For the interest of time and space, I'd like to first address the most recent biased and inaccurate reporting from the Today Newspaper of Friday March 20th. In this seemingly vindictive and judgmental piece of writing, the writer seems to have gone on a witch hunt to find every reason to turn a perfectly empowering press release which focused on building the leadership capacity of our nation and highlighting one of our young local heroines for taking a stand against pedophilia, to make the initiative of hosting Leadercast seem as the most conniving effort.

What is sadder is that the writer of this article in the Today Newspaper did all types of investigative reporting to determine the cost of a Leadercast license and then went on to express that as a foundation, Victorious Living, a non-profit organization is overcharging. Unfortunately, not once did the Today Newspaper inquire about the event from Victorious Living whose mission is to empower, enlighten, enrich and reconcile the lives of people to our Creator and each other.

Today did not ask any relevant or investigative questions of VLF as a true journalist who has no agendas would have done. The Today did not consider the fact that Victorious Living has been empowering hundreds of families, young people and individuals in St. Martin and beyond for thirteen years and does not rely upon Government subsidy. Rather, VLF utilizes Leadercast as an empowerment tool and a fundraiser to be able to offer our community much needed emotional and life empowerment support.

The American Press Institute states: "...Merely engaging in journalistic-like activity – snapping a cell-phone picture at the scene of a fire or creating a blog site for news and comment – does not by itself produce a journalistic product. Though it can and sometimes does, there is a distinction between the act of journalism and the end result. The journalist places the public good above all else and uses certain methods – the foundation of which is a discipline of verification – to gather and assess what he or she finds."

Sadly, the Today Newspaper did not see it fit to contact the source of the press release in addition to his other sources to provide a story that was for the public good. He announces costs of the event; but does not inquire about the cost for the food at the event, the sound; the venue; permit and all other costs to be factored in, in addition to raising funds so that the work of the foundation continues to transform the lives of hundreds of people.

The American Press Institute's research-based online document, Journalism Essentials, states: "Journalism is our modern cartography. It creates a map for citizens to navigate society. As with any map, its value depends on a completeness and proportionality in which the significant is given greater visibility than the trivial. Keeping news in proportion is a cornerstone of truthfulness. Inflating events for sensation, neglecting others, stereotyping, or being disproportionately negative all make a less reliable map."

Last year for Leadercast 2014 the Today newspaper took another cheap shot at the event; which I only responded to in a private e-mail to Mr. Haar concerning the sordid and inaccurate reporting that was done. This time around, we could not be silent, because over the past five to seven years, we have watched in amazement at the biased and unethical reporting conducted by the Today and other media at strategic times which make us wonder if the intent of the paper is to only destroy the moral fiber of this community.

If that is the case, as a people, and a citizenry, St. Martiners should not allow themselves to be held hostage by persons who do not have St. Martin at heart. It is therefore time for change. It is time for the media to police itself; it is time for us to uphold fairness, truth, justice and the overall good of our society. We therefore request the Today newspaper to retract its very defamatory spin on Victorious Living's recent press release and reprint it fairly.

To the entire community of St. Martin, we need leaders who are worth following. That leadership is also necessary in our media. We must demand a higher caliber of journalism in our print and mass media than we are currently getting. Victorious Living is about empowering others as we are empowered to impact the lives of people positively. As the visionary of Victorious Living I want to remind each citizen as Martin Luther King once said: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." It is time to take a courageous stand for the truth and justice in our land, regardless of the costs!

Sincerely,
N. Erna Mae Francis-Cotton, MA, DD
Visionary, Victorious Living Foundation

My Name is Jean Marie NGORE TRAORE, I have an US $ RBC bank account with an ATM card from RBC.
My first complaint was because, all the file received from the bank were in euros, I said, I had not an euro account in your bank. The mistake was changes after October 30 2014.

My main concern is about ATM withdrawals, the limit is 500 us $ a day. In my bank file cash withdraw on the same day can reach 1.500 us $ for one day.
Because of this kind of errors, almost 5.000 us $ are missing from my account, due to the fact that the bank file mentioned same amount is withdrawn two times even three times the same day. (Beyond 500 us $ we cannot withdraw any money the card is blocked).

I have a lawyer Vivian Choennie at FOX LAW. This mail is just to inform you that all the troubles about RBC cards are not resolved yet.

Best Regards

Jean Marie N'GORE TRAORE

The sentence handed down by the court of first instance of St. Maarten, today, March 6, 2015. Has had an earth-shaking impact among operators of "adult entertainment " centers on the island. It might well spell the death-knell to the "whore-house business" as we know.
What the Judge said:
Mr. Jaap van den Heuvel well as his company, Lunteren N.V. have both been found guilty of " intentionally recruiting, transporting, transferring and or housing the six women mentioned as victims in the indictment, with the intention of putting these women to work as prostitutes, or with the intention of exploiting them."
Van den Heuvel was accused of providing rooms for these women at Bada Bing, where he set them to work as prostitutes. He furthermore exploited these women by making them pay US$60 per day for a room which they shared with one or more women, while they had to work and live in these same rooms. The women also had to pay for their airfare and for condoms. They were told when they could leave the premises and when they could return. They were given only one day off per week and had to pay a certain amount of money each time they left the premises with a client.
The court ruled that these women were abused because van den Heuvel knew they were poor and vulnerable. The women stated that because of their dire financial circumstances they really had no choice. The accused therefore knew that these women were vulnerable. One of the co-defendants even stated that they recruited women from Santo Domingo because they "wanted to do this work". The women were saddled with a start-off debt which they had to repay with the money they earned from prostitution. The court therefore considered it proven that the accused abused these women by using his power over them to recruit them as prostitutes. This according to the court also proved that the women were trafficked. The court furthermore considered exploitation proven because the women could not decide when, where, and with whom they wanted to work. They were not paid any salary but yet they were obliged to be at Bada Bing from5 pm, and to work from 10 pm to 5 am. Whenever a client wanted to take them out he had to pay Bada Bing US$150 from which the girls received nothing! The girls could not decide where they wanted to live, but were obliged to stay at Bada Bing. They slept two or three to a room, and didn't have their own bed, but had to share a double bed with someone else. For these poor accommodations they paid US$60 per day (US$1,800 per 30 day month), which amount was withheld from the money they earned from prostituting themselves. These circumstances led the court to conclude that van den Heuvel took advantage of the vulnerable position of these women and exploited them. Van den Heuvel was he leader in charge of this behavior at Bada Bing.
What this ruling means for other brother owners
Reading this must have shivers down the spines of the other brother operators. It accurately describes their "business model". This means that as of immediately, all brothel owners can be arrested for engaging in trafficking women and exploiting them. They will therefore have to undertake urgent action before the prosecutors office puts them all out of business, or in jail with Jaap van den Heuvel. A modus operandi which was followed for the sixty years since Campo Alegre opened its doors for business in the 1950s is suddenly threatened, its very existence called into question.
The Paradise in Munich Germany:
Recentyl, "Le Point", a French news magazine published an article about attempts in France to criminalize prostitution by prosecuting the customers. They referred to an article in the "Daily Mail" of London, in which an extensive report was published about club "Paradise" in Munich Germany. Perhaps the club owners in St. Maarten would like to take a look at that business model. Paradise rents rooms for 175 Euros per night to prostitutes who work for their own account. They do not live at the club, and do not work for the club. They only rent rooms there. The city has licensed the club for the purpose of prostitution, but the operators neither recruit nor manage the girls. The keep the place clean and provide security, but the girls are strictly independent operators. How the girls arrive at the club is not their concern, so they cannot be charged with neither human trafficking nor exploitation of vulnerable women. Of course, others do the dirty work of procuring the women, but the club stays safely out of the shadows. It is something whore-house operators in St. Maarten might want to start thinking hard about.

Former Prime Minister and initiator of the U2 Can Move Fitness Program

I wish to start by expressing my continued support for the different activities that are geared towards a healthy lifestyle for all.
However, cognizant of the constrains many women face, especially where physical activity is concerned, I warmly endorse activities, business-sponsored or otherwise that offer women the opportunity to stay fit. "It's good for business."
I also ask motorists to be conscious of the many persons who use our roads to "be on the move", bikers included.
The health benefits of even moderate activity are enormous.
Walkathons are a favorite activity on St. Maarten and with this in mind, the U2 Can Move organization has planned a walkathon for Saturday, March 7th, 2015, starting at 5.30 am at the John Larmonie Center on the Longwall road. T-shirts will be provided.
However, this is not your ordinary walkathon, but rather one, accompanied by the brass band, so participants can work up a good sweat, at least those who can and others will walk at their leisure. There is no age limit.
This walk will take participants around the Great Salt Pond, back to the John Larmonie Center, where breakfast will be served. There is no cost involved, and groups are encouraged to participate as well.
The date for the walkathon has been chosen to coincide with International Women's Day, which is annually celebrated on March 8th. This year's international theme is MAKE IT HAPPEN. (More on this theme in a subsequent release.)

CURACAO Civil Aviation Authority

Curacao Civil Aviation Authority has not made significant efforts over the past several years to facilitate a change in civil aviation laws required to enable the island countries of Curacao and Sint Maarten to return to Category 1 rating needed to meet the minimum international standards in civil aviation safety.

When the new aviation company AVA Airways announced their intention and desire to enter into the commercial aviation environment on the Caribbean Dutch Kingdom Island Countries of Sint Maarten and Curacao. Honestly I was hoping they can fill a void in the air transportation industry. I started out both excited and enthusiastic about the prospects of them reaching their goals in the long term and getting to see if the wheels of government were turning in the right direction in the short term towards handling the delicate process of bringing AVA goal to fruition.
Having personally made inquiry and seen that the AVA group including its co founder Olivier Arrindell had done most of their homework, in lieu of aircraft purchases, such as meeting with Airbus regional representatives and aircraft certified mechanics, members of Parliaments and political parties, FAA advisors, the CCAA Director Mr. Derby and their administrators, the groups financial backers and general consultants in the field of aviation, I decided to comment on this matter to bring a certain light to this topic of interest. This critique and opinion was brought about when certain issues on the matter were presented within the public domain.
As a Sint Maartener and resident who happens to be a holder of a Department of Transportation private pilot certificate with over 1100hrs in single and multiengine land airplanes beside having flown locally and in the America's. As well as, having achieved the rank of Captain in the USAF Auxiliary "Civil Air Patrol" being qualified in the area of Search and Rescue, communications, ground and air searches (including pilot, observer and scanner)..Thus I have become familiar with the National Aviation Authority which is responsible for issuance of the Certificate of Airworthiness (standard or special airworthiness certificates), FAA policy and procedures for type certifications, pilot certification, Bi-annual pilot flight reviews, medical requirements and ect...NTSB, Dept of Transportation, everything about airports, controlled and uncontrolled airspace, policies and many other aspects of aviation or things related.
So after reading that an SOAB audit was completed, deficiencies were highlighted, fixed and amended by AVA consultants which resulting in a positive advice report from the SOAB. In that I knew, it would take more than a business plan audit to get any aircraft type to the level of being airworthy or receiving a Certificate of Airworthiness as qualified aviation technical mechanics, and Inspectors had to be available to perform the assessment of any new registration of intended use aircraft ear marked for the AVA venture. This is the first of several major problems that are evidently impacting civil aviation in the Sint Maarten and Curacao.
First and foremost AVA aircraft must be Registered (given a permanent call sign), this is the writing we see boldly written usually aft of the plane. Once registered with call sign and a registered owners name is matched to the aircraft. A document is created that will be placed and available in the aircraft at all times and produced upon request by officials representing civil or military or government agency, as well as litigators and customers with cause. Legally the AVA Airline Group has the responsibility to have its aircrafts registered. With documented proof according to ICAO mandate and ISAS regulation the CCAA is responsible to register any aircraft that has ownership domicile within its territorial domain. So registration is a compulsory task of both the owner and the local civil aviation authority (in this case CCAA). Upon the aircraft being registered it must go through a complete systemic inspection of sort by a qualified (meaning in the type certification of aircraft) aviation mechanic/ inspector who can be contractors or persons working under the employment of the Curacao Civil Aviation Authority. To be then considered airworthy to carry passengers for commence purposes whereby with positive advice result in a Certificate of Airworthiness being issued. The Director doesn't evaluate the aircraft itself, unless he is fully qualified in type and responsibly holds the nomenclature of aviation mechanic/ inspector. Today government transparency issues appear to be common policy. One tries to prevent appearance of conflict of interest. It is likely and a fact that the Director is a politically appointed position making it imperative for a person to hold a single position within the CCAA when issue of Airworthiness Certificate is in question.
The CCAA has to provide their part of this mandated responsibility. The economy of Curacao and Sint Maarten are impacted by their current inadequacy to act as the civil aviation authority. The countries that are under the responsibility of the CCAA need this boost in free market economy. . Not to mention the millions of Guilders, Dollars and Euros that won't materialize into economic revenue for these tourist driven and fragile economies of both Sint Maarten and Curacao. Now a Private entity AVA Airlines has literally shown their business plans approved to the point of needing their aircrafts, now to go through the Certificate of Airworthiness assessment and evaluation.
Many concerned citizens and travelers alike have wondered what it will take to return to the previous status of operation. Most believe the Category 1 safety rating downgrade they heard about, occurred as it relates indirectly to the attacks on the World Trade buildings and the subsequent creation and enactment of the "Patriot Act" (whose impact was felt in the civil aviation arena around the world). But the real story as I understand it is this: THE FAA QUOTES" In conducting its IASA assessment the FAA uses a standardized checklist that groups the ICAO Standards on safety oversight into eight critical elements: (1) Primary aviation legislation,(2) specific operating regulations,(3) organization structure and safety oversight function,(4) technical personnel qualification and training, (5) technical guidance, (6) certification personnel and procedures, (7) surveillance obligations and (8) resolution of safety issues. To achieve Category 1, the country must demonstrate that it meets the ICAO Standards for each of the eight elements. Category 2 means that the CAA was noncompliant in at least one critical element. The IASA assessment typically is conducted over the course of one week by a team consisting of a team leader and at least one expert in operations, maintenance, and aviation law. Each FAA expert works through the checklist with host country officials for each of the critical elements. The team looks at a representative sampling of records and processes, and it follows up with host country aviation officials if deficiencies appear. The FAA assessment focuses on the ability of the host country's aeronautical authorities to oversee the operational safety of its airlines. It does not assess the safety compliance of any particular air carrier (nor address aviation security airports, or air traffic management). Although the FAA assessment team typically visits one or more air carriers during its mission, it does so only to verify the relationship between the carrier and the country's aviation safety officials, not to assess the carrier itself. Finally, the IASA category rating applies only to services to and from the United States and to codeshare operations when the code of a U.S. air carrier is placed on a foreign carrier flight. The category ratings do not apply to a foreign carrier's domestic flights or to flights by that carrier between its homeland and a third country. The assessment team looks at the flights only to the extent that they are a reflect on the country's oversight of operations to and from the United States and to codeshare operations where a US air carrier code is placed on a flight conducted by a foreign operator" END QUOTE.
So as I was saying: The process is being held up by CCAA administrative wrangling, claims of no funding, lack of personnel, lack of specified training programs, or professional development in the areas of concern, or lack of Aviation Laws that are guiding every country in compliance at Category 1 ratings of aircraft safety. Required aviation laws are not within the Edits of Government. Since the countries sort autonomy within the Kingdom. Such laws are so vital that there lack of, led to downgrading to a Category 2 rating. The said combined are needed to recruit and bring in qualified aviation mechanics/inspectors, (whether on contract or an employable inspector) to inspect the A 320 and other newer model aircrafts. This must be done to remain in compliance to FAA, ISAS, the International Civil Aviation Org. (a United Nations Specialized Agency) However this issue prevents direct travel to any US territory by aircraft registered by the CCAA in the present and future until CCAA is operating at Category 1 rating of safety standard. It is also to protect the consumer or traveler and well as those who utilize such aircrafts. Air transportation and air safety go hand in hand. So a standard airworthiness certificate ceases to be valid when the aircraft ceases to be registered and remains valid as long as it meets its approved type design and is in a condition for safe operation, requiring it to receive maintenance, preventive maintenance, and any considerable alteration needed to meet relevant requirements and aircraft standards to remain registered by the CCAA or any other mentioned equivalent embodiments.

Since the FAA downgraded the Category rating after ISAS surveyed results were documented. Curacao and Sint Maarten Airports cost for operation of the aviation business increased significantly including ticketing costs, maintenance, service fees, handling, with marked reduction of scheduled flights in and out of these airports. The FAA made exception for Insel Airways. They continued to fly into USA airspace under stricter scrutiny and inspection upon landing. The FAA then unofficially imposed their compliance and enforcement program on the administrative Directorship of the CCAA to fix the issues of deficiency. At that time the Director of CCAA had to bring the plan of action to remediate all deficiencies according to the surveyed results and the later downgrade specifics. Clearly this plan of action must contain short term goals and a long term goal in staying in compliance at Category 1 rating .The intermediate goal is to return to Category 1 rating. The alternative is to remain at the downgraded status until such things out of compliance are returned to appropriate level.
The downgrade was consistent with the safety ratings from Category One down to Category Two. Before 10/10/10 the Netherlands Antilles held an International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category One rating. After becoming individual countries according to the FAA:
I Quote: A Category Two rating means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards, or that its civil aviation authority- equivalent to the FAA for aviation safety matters- is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record keeping or inspection procedures.
Before 10/10/10 the IASA rating was based on ICAO standards (United Nations Specialized Agency) and not the FAA. (Here is where the Patriot Act did have influence)
So any new company or additional aircraft owned/ registered and operated from either Sint Maarten or Curacao after the downgrade to Category 2 were barred from entering flights into US airports until a return to Category 1 status for the CCAA Countries (Sint Maarten and Curacao). An exception for Insel Air was made; which was allowed to continue flights into US cities under rating Category Two with stronger scrutiny from FAA inspectors.
That brings me back to this crucial point: that CCAA is deficient in areas including, technical expertise, trained personnel, and inspection procedures. Why do I say this? They haven't been able to inspect the aircraft of the AVA GROUP. Why not? They don't have: 1. trained personal to inspect, repair, service the type of aircraft that is used in today's advanced aviation community. 2. The Aviation Laws used by those civil aviation authorities around the world to be in compliance. 3. The Curacao government has not initiated the enactment of laws that will make the both Island countries compliant with the international standard. 4. So the Directorship of CCAA should have informed the government which is responsible for the CCAA about aviation laws currently documented in model form written according to international law. 5. The Model Laws are located in FAA literature.
This downgrade issue originating from CCAA inaptness to rectify these known deficiencies, which result in a great loss of revenue by all parties... with safety concerns being paramount to aircraft certification of airworthiness, the FAA, ISAS, or ICAO will not budge from sustaining the downgrade. As this doesn't affect aircraft based in the USA or Europe transporting and doing aviation commerce between SXM or CUR. Other countries will continue to monopolize the market.
But further downturn in leadership is preventable as it must be that the expectation of the CCAA is to regulate and not to be relegated to being regulated by a foreign agency in which it should have parity. So whenever possible the two should be inter-related but separately controlled as the relationship should be of mutual respect. There should be a creation of an independent safety board to investigate accidents and incidents that take place within the jurisdiction whereby the CCAA directorship/administration position is not in clear conflict of interest, or where personal investment, or gain can be ruled out when it comes to accidents or incidents with aircraft, or criminal shootings in and around airport terminal that is owned and operated outside of the domain of CCAA and by the municipality. As previously, the current Director of CCAA was in a Directorship position with Jamaica's civil aviation authority. When American Airlines had a runway accident and four years were required to complete the investigation while the Director was on seat. American Airline authorities were concern about the length of time the JCAA took to officially document reasonable cause for the said accident. Speculatively, by here-say the results of the findings were alledged to have been documented upon the present Directors (of CCAA) departure from his post in Jamaica.

In order to be pro active I expect that the AVA group boldly support their own interests by lobbying the Parliament Ministers with documented proof of model laws found in FAA literature(that is to enable those unfamiliar with the aviation community issues) and facilitate the process of getting qualified individuals to perform mechanical maintenance, repairs, services, for all of the aircraft that they will be utilizing and to propose to leadership a way in which contract/employment can occur to enable the professional development of existing CCAA inspectors, the support of recruitment to bring in qualified individuals, scholarships to educate much needed (local) aviation mechanics, programs to create inspector level skills, utilization of aircraft manufacturer manuals, webcam training, or instruction by experts in the field for each model of aircraft and through this collaborative effort they come together with CCAA. As leadership initiatives are required in Parliament, CCAA, and AVA Airline Group alike. It is necessary, so that this is not going to be another opportunity lost due to personal differences, conflicts of interest or poor focus on what this will mean for the Island Countries of Sint Maarten and Curacao to the economies of both in the short and long term future.
The people want and need this change in law. While economist says this is impacting revenues, so the country needs change. Parliament need to know what laws to enact. The world is watching to see the stability of the two nations within the Kingdom. This is a good plan that needs to be given a positive report to promote tourism, safe and modern transportation and air travel, economic freedom from Holland, civic pride for the accomplishment, and removing of the deficiencies in the Category Two rating, so as to return to Category One again.
Private Pilot Joseph Okon dated February 19, 2015

Reference: A: MCARs Model Civil Aviation Regulations Version 2.8, Version 2.7, and Version 2.6

1.  Intro to the model civil aviation safety act and model regulations
2. Civil aviation safety act (model law)
3.  Parts 1-11

B: USA Federal Register Vol 78. No. 46/ Friday March 8th 2013 rules and regulations
Title: Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, 14 CFR Part 129 International Aviation Safety Assessment(IASA) program change

1. Summary
2. Effective date April 8th 2013.
3. For further information contact Manager of International programs and policy division(AFS-50) 1202-385-8070
4.  Supplementary information
5. Public expectation of IASA Category Ratings
6. Current IASA determinations for countries http://www.faa.gov/about/initiative/iasa.

Du 21 au 29 mars 2014 une semaine d'échanges autour des pratiques artistiques aura lieu entre deux structures: la Diaspora Vibe Cultural Art Incubator (DVCAI), fondée par la
Jamaïcaine Rosie Gordon Wallace, basée à Miami et L'Artocarpe, structure d'art contemporain basée au Moule.
Le projet est piloté par le Docteur Alix PIERRE, Guadeloupéen et Professeur à Spelman College, Atlanta, USA.
Les artistes de la Diaspora Vibe Cultural Art Incubator (DVCAI) viendront rencontrer les membres de L'Artocarpe ainsi que des artistes de Guadeloupe afin de questionner la
thématique d'«Alternate Currents/New Art from the Diaspora» (Courants Alternatifs / Nouveaux Arts de la Diaspora »).
A l'occasion de cette rencontre, des ateliers seront animés par le Docteur Alix PIERRE, durant lesquels, les artistes seront amenés à interagir ensemble et discuter de leur art. Un travail de
recherche et d'analyse sera mené par le Docteur PIERRE, sur la situation des artistes des deux pays.
En parallèle, la semaine de visites des artistes de Miami donnera lieu à des rencontres avec des étudiants en art, des instances artistiques de l'île, des visites d'ateliers d'artistes et
présence aux RDV culturels du moment. Pour clôturer leur semaine riche d'échanges en interne, les artistes proposeront au public, une exposition collective d'un jour, le :
Vendredi 27 Mars 2015 à L'Artocarpe
16h00 – minuit
Exposition collective
Performance d'Annabel Guérédrat à 18h00
Levée de fonds - Vente d'oeuvres au Art Shop* de L'Artocarpe
Contact presse : Joëlle Ferly
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel : 05 90 90 19 49 / 06 90 30 27 43

L'ACED est en pleine mutation et nous sommes fières d'être acteur économique important à Saint-Martin. A ce titre, j'ai le plaisir d'informer le public sur notre actualité.
Le projet découverte de l'Art est bien lancé, les cours sont assurés les Lundis, Mercredis et Vendredis à partir de 17h00. Le spectacle final est prévu pour les 9 et 10 mai prochain à la MJC de Sandy-Ground.
D'autre part, deux Médiateurs sociaux (Yvette Bastien et Daniel Lucien-Reinette) ainsi qu'une éducatrice spécialisée (Djamila Chaïeb) ont investi le territoire dans le cadre du dispositif « d'animation des quartiers et d'occupation des jeunes du territoire de Saint-Martin ».
Une émission radio baptisée « Voices in Action » a été lancée le 2 mars dernier sur Youth Radio. Cette émission est une solution d'échanges et de discussions entre Jeunes et professionnels, specialistes et travailleurs sociaux etc. Cette émission découle d'un partenariat avec l'association Jeunesse Soualiga présidé par Jean-Marc Gervais. Nous portons ensemble ce projet dans le cadre du lancement de la médiation sociale de rue.
Par ailleurs, une plateforme d'écoute téléphonique 0800 810 301 est en cours d'activation.
Nous entamons la prise en charge d'un groupe de 6 jeunes en décrochage scolaire provenant du Collège Mont des Accords. Ils bénéficieront d'un programme sur mesure.
Dans le cadre de la continuité de ses actions, l'ACED a le plaisir de confirmer un sponsoring de la société Motorworld dans le cadre de l'acquisition d'un Bus Hynday 9 places. Nous sommes très enthousiastes que ce concessionnaire ait accepté de mettre son humanité au profit de notre structure. Ce Bus nous permettra de sécuriser le transport du personnel, des jeunes usagers du pôle Sport impliqués au Volley-Ball, des jeunes artistes dont les cours finissent parfois tardivement. Il s'agit pour nous d'une belle aventure et nous remercions en particulier Monsieur Jean-François Raboteur qui nous a accompagné dans cette démarche.
Audrey Claxton (Présidente ACED)
L'insertion, c'est notre métier !
ACED, The STEP THAT LEADS TO SUCCESS
ACED, THE STEP THAT LEADS TO SUCCESS
6, rue Léopold Mingau – Concordia  Tel 05 90 27 17 16 Fax :05 90 51 98 79  Courriel : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

18 équipes de ''costauds'' (sportifs civils et militaires) se sont donné rendez vous ce dimanche premier mars, en réponse à l'invitation du Club Sport et Loisirs de la Gendarmerie de Saint Martin représenté par Benoît Perrichot et Eric Nadaud.
Les organisateurs du traditionnel Raid des Gendarmes (11ème édition) ont concocté un parcours qui n'a pas laissé les concurrents sur leur faim.
Ce sont Laurent Guy et Boris Villemin, membres du club Sxm tri academy qui remportent la course en 4 heures 58' 40'', après avoir dominé la plus grande partie des cinq épreuves : natation (400 m), VTT (27 km), tir sportif, trail (19
km) et kayak (3km).
La seconde équipe, trisport mixed team, composée de Starreveld Annelies et Quetat Frédéric boucle l'épreuve en 5  heures 02' 45'', 5 secondes avant Brunet Jean François et Le Vot Frédéric du club sxm dreams of trail.
Bravo à tous les concurrents qui se sont inscrits pour se mesurer à la difficulté de cet événement. Finir le Raid des Gendarmes est un succès réel, un dépassement de soi.
Une météo clémente, des concurrents enthousiastes et une organisation réussie ont fait de cette journée sportive un événement salué par tous.
Rendez vous est donc pris pour l'édition 2016.
Le CSLG tient à remercier Super U, partenaire principal, qui a assuré l'intégralité des nombreux ravitaillements et points de restauration de cette longue épreuve.
Erick Ambulance et le docteur NUYTS ont assuré une fois de plus la sécurité de l'épreuve. Merci à eux pour leur fidélité.
Merci encore aux partenaires traditionnels des évènements CSLG : Trisport, ATC, Quicksilver, Wyzo et Goldfinger.
Bravo enfin aux nombreux restaurateurs qui ont invité dans leur établissement les concurrents

J'ai appris avec stupeur la brutale disparition de Monsieur Pierre Beauperthuy, retrouvé mort chez lui dans des circonstances que l'enquête criminelle déterminera.
Monsieur Beauperthuy était une figure incontournable et emblématique de notre territoire, qui avait une connaissance très précise de l'Histoire de Saint-Martin qu'il se plaisait à conter aux visiteurs de sa Old House.
Je tiens à présenter à sa famille et à ses proches, mes sincères condoléances, ainsi que celles de l'ensemble des membres du Conseil territorial.

Aline Hanson
Présidente du Conseil territorial
Collectivité de Saint-Martin

Deadline for applicants is April 2, 2015!

Great Bay:--– The Africa Caribbean Heritage Alliance (ACHA) in cooperation with SXM DOET (a national volunteer initiative) and the National Commission of the UNESCO (UNESCO) is hosting arts competition on the theme: Reconnecting Caribbean with Africa.
Students between ages 10-18 have been invited via the various schools on the island to participate in arts competition. Students can express this theme in short story, essay, poetry, dance, or in visual arts.
All entries should show how Africans contributed to cultural, economic, technological, and environmental issues. Their entry should exhibit the breadth and depth of their research. Eligible contestants will be judged on criteria including originality, creativity, and impact.
All schools are encouraged to participate. The amount of talent on St. Maarten, especially among the student population is admirable and board members of ACHA are excited to see what creative forms of expression these students will come up with. Entries so far have been quite creative and include dance and poetry.
One of the reasons that ACHA decided to do such a contest in an artistic form is to dispel many of the negative stereotypes the public and students have about Africa and African people. Instead of seeing Africa as an impoverished continent filled with political challenges, this contest affords the students to see the mirage of wonderful contributions that have been to mankind from Africans in every sphere of society.
To encourage more student participation, the president of ACHA, Mrs. Okama Brook, has embarked on a school tour visiting various secondary schools in particular, to explain the contest rules and criteria on which they would be judged.
The contest will conclude on April 7, 2015 at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library, where ACHA in cooperation with SXM DOET and the National Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO) launched St. Maarten's first African Resource Center.
Winners will be announced at the celebration of ACHA's 1st year anniversary on April 9, 2015. This celebration will also highlight some of ACHA's plans in the near future. For more information can be accessed at www.afrocaribbeanalliance.org or like Africa Caribbean Heritage Alliance on Facebook or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

CUL DE SAC:--- Competent Communicator Sharon Layne copped the top spot at Sunday night's Speech Contest hosted by the Disciples Toastmasters Club.
The event, which took place at the St. Maarten Academy's academic campus, was a run-up to the Area 26 Toastmasters International Speech Contest, slated for Wednesday, April 1, at the Government Administration Building. Layne will be going up against the winners from Philipsburg and Soualiga Toastmasters Clubs.
Layne's win Sunday night came one week after the original contest date for the club was postponed because at that time (March 22) she had lost her voice. Her speech title parodied her entrance into the 90-year-old organization some two years ago and gave the audience a glimpse of what Toastmasters has to offer. Her use of effective speech techniques gave her the edge over the other contestants, Mrs. Patricia Jardine-Peter, who emerged second place; and Mr. Clayton Felix, in third place.
During her interview with Contest Chair Kim Lucas-Felix, Layne explained the motivation for joining Toastmasters.
"Sometimes in life we procrastinate because we do not have anything better to do, [but] I am inspired by anything that stimulates my intellectual ability and joining Toastmasters was just that."
A teacher by profession, Layne said the camaraderie of her home club, as well as the opportunity to educate and inspire others, motivated her to keep excelling, of which she is no novice. She has earned a myriad of accolades both in her homeland Guyana as well as on St. Maarten, among them graduating the best secondary teacher in Guyana in 1992, being named bantamweight champion in 2006, and being crowned the St. Maarten Mature Queen in 2012-2013.
Asked what is her secret to success, Layne smoothly responded, "Hard work and dedication. It is a drive...If you are doing something, practice is important. Also reading your [Toastmasters] manuals to know what is expected of you."
Should she not be able to compete on April 1 at the Area level, Toastmaster Jardine-Peter will be the club's alternate.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the Democratic Party and Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams along with the party's advisor Emil Lee stressed that the government of St. Maarten should provide the parliament of St. Maarten with the answers to the question they posed to the government and government owned companies.
Wescot Williams told reporters at her bi-monthly press conference on Tuesday that the functioning of government is a two way street. "Government has to work with Parliament and vise-versa. Government cannot expect Parliament to work with them and they in turn refuses to provide information to Parliament when they request it." Wescot Williams made clear she has no intention of stalling any meetings of Parliament even when it comes from the government, she said it was regretful with what transpired on Monday when the Central Committee of Parliament on Monday could not take place due to a lack of quorum. The Democratic Party Member of Parliament said that on Monday she arrived at the meeting late since she attended a funeral and before she could have checked the list and sign in the chairman of Parliament dropped the hammer and closed the meeting. "It's never my intention to stall meetings because I know that both government and parliament have to work together. I personally had a lot of questions that I wanted to pose to the two Ministers that were present because government is boasting on transparency especially in the draft ordinance on the Integrity Chamber but they are contradicting themselves when it comes to providing parliament and the people of St. Maarten with information." Wescot Williams further explained that they have been asking about the St. Maarten Tourism Authority (STA) that has to be established and while not able to receive that information they read on SMN News that a candidate of the UPP received a marketing contract from government. Wescot Williams said the same happened with government owned companies especially the St. Maarten Harbor Group of Companies (SMHGC) and GEBE. Wescot Williams lamented on the fact that Members of Parliament have to pick up bits and pieces of information from the media and other places. She said just recently they saw in the letter the Minister of Finance Martin Hassink on behalf of government sent r to the CFT where he mentioned the Social Economic Plan, and the restructuring of the tax system, yet parliament does not have this information. She said the current government is in office just over one hundred days and they still cannot present the parliament and the people of St. Maarten with a governing program. In the same letter to the CFT; the Minister of Finance stated he intends to collect some NAF.720M from the private and public sector. She said that there should be a bureau to handle matters of the private and public sector. Wescot Williams said that the government need to get their acts together and provide the information parliament (opposition) requested. She said there should not be another situation like what transpired at the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF). Wescot Williams further explained that the Democratic Party requested information on several topics such as the short term labor contracts, the St. Maarten Medical Center and other health related issues, the St. Maarten Tourism Authority (STA) and the Timeshare legislation, notwithstanding information from the government owned companies. "Government continues to belie (contradict) themselves while they are preaching about transparency they are withholding information from Members of Parliament sitting on the opposition benches."
Government should look at its budget now --- Devaluation of Foreign Currency will affect the Economy – Emil Lee.
Advisor to the Democratic Party and businessman Emil Lee called on government to pay keen attention to the devaluing of foreign currency and how it will affect the budget of Government. Lee said government should not wait until the end of the year to try and make amendments to the budget when they could not collect what they anticipated.
Lee said the Euros dropped drastically so is the Canadian dollar which means that the tourism market will be affected. He said travelers from Europe will not travel as much because coming to St. Maarten will cost them more. Lee further stated that while there is a potential problem with the devaluing of the Euros the government of St. Maarten still does not have a sales representative in Europe to market the island. Secondly, he said residents of the French side will start shopping on their side of the island because the Euros and Dollars is almost the same. "Supermarkets on the French side begin advertising more to attract customers on their side of the island, meaning supermarkets on the Dutch side will lose monies. Lee said another thing government has to take care of is paying the sales representatives in North America whom he said were not paid since March 2014. "How do you expect people to push the island if they are not being paid for over a year?" Lee said that St. Maarten was somewhat lucky these past months because of the heavy winter season in Canada and the United States because travelers came to the island despite the high prices to escape the cold weather and snow storms.
Asked by SMN News if Parliament received the information they requested from GEBE regarding the MOU they signed with a company from the Dominican Republic and the advice for the long lease to be granted to Rainforest? Wescot Williams said to date they have not gotten any response from government but the Democratic Party will continue to ask for the information each time a meeting of parliament or Central Committee is called.

Boulders and Trenches were placed at Le Galleon Beach to Hamper Easter Picnic.

Le Galion:--- Several residents of French Quarter and from other parts of the island had to rescue some tourists that were blocked in by the Naturelle Reserve Tuesday morning.
On the scene at Le Galion Beach the residents namely Junior and Mr. Brooks said that persons working at the Reserve Naturelle especially the department head who had to run from Ile de La Reunion would have to leave the island and go back to where he came from if he intends to destroy the culture of the St. Martin people.
Both French Quarter residents said a heavy equipment went to Le Galion Beach and place huge boulders at certain entrances and they even dug trenches in certain areas to hinder the local population from celebrating the Easter weekend.
"Can you imagine the workers of the Reserve Naturelle blocked in some tourists that are frequent visitors to the island and they could not get out from where they was. The man and his daughter got injured trying to remove the boulders in order to get out. Many of us here had to go to their rescue to open up a passage way for the tourists to get out, but by the time we were done the family were full of bruises and they were definitely upset with what happened to them. This is the Easter weekend coming up and you can see local families are already up here with their children starting to picnic and the Reserve Naturalle is trying to infringe on our culture. It seems as though they want to destroy families."

Mr. Brooks and Junior both of French Quarter said that the Reserve Naturelle is stopping the young boys from catching crabs in the area. "Our youths come here to catch crabs for their families and they also sell to get some pocket change and not even that they are allowed to do because the Reserve workers are stopping them. It seems to us that these people prefer our youngsters steal instead of working to make an honest living."
When SMN News reporter was leaving Le Galleon a worker from Reserve Naturelle was driving up to the beach where the incident with the tourist occurred. The worker said he made a tour of the area before the boulders were placed up and the trenches were dug. However, he could not say how the tourists were blocked in if he really toured the area prior to putting the boulders at the entrance where the tourists were blocked in.

 Click here to view more photos of Le Galion Beach Blockage

PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- On Monday, March 30 Minister Plenipotentiary, Hon. Josianne Fleming–Artsen received a courtesy visit from the Dutch Second Chamber of Parliament Secretary General T.N.I. (Tim) de Lange.

Minister Fleming-Artsen described the meeting as fruitful and informative in connection with the current status of committees that exist in the Second Chamber. De Lange also highlighted certain aspects of the Dutch First Chamber of Parliament.

The Minister and De Lange also discussed the upcoming Inter-Parliamentary Consultation (IPKO) that is scheduled for May 27-29 in The Hague, the Netherlands.

A delegation from the Parliament of Sint Maarten will travel to the Netherlands for the IPKO consultation.

De Lange was accompanied by Dutch Kingdom Relations Commission Assistant M.J. (Maya) Visscher-de la Combe.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):--- Head of Facility Management Rick Martina at the Ministry of General Affairs recently returned from attending a conference in Miami that featured Mobotix security cameras.

The Government of Sint Maarten received a participation award as an end user of Mobotix surveillance equipment which is used to monitor its facilities and keep civil servants and members of the Council of Ministers safe and secure.

Mobotix has been producing megapixel cameras exclusively since 2003 and is regarded the global leader for high resolution video systems.

Breathe-IT is an information and communication technology company who is the authorized distributor of Mobotix technologies. Breathe-IT was founded in 2006 on Bonaire with the goal to offer up to date, quality network management and installation services, computer hardware and software, computer accessories and security devices.

Breathe-IT has been the authorized distributor of Mobotix since 2007, and created the first Mobotix training facility in the Caribbean in 2012.

The security of government facilities falls under the Department of Facility Management. In 2014, Martina attended a course with respect to the technology being used.

Martina at the conference was able to gather information and get to see first-hand the latest in camera technology. The trip is related to having cameras installed in the new Government Building. There will be a Security Room where security staff will be able to monitor the entire complex and its outside perimeter.

The Government already has various Mobotix cameras installed in different offices and at several facilities such as the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure, Public Service Center Simpson Bay, Department of Civil Registry, and the Government Administration Building.

The company that installs the government security cameras is Security Concepts & Solutions NV.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Thursday, March 19th, 2015 President of the Chamber of Commerce President Peggy Ann Brandon met with the Quarter maker of the Integrity Chamber, Mr. Richard Begina and Mr. Marc Arnold Department head of the Department of Interior and Kingdom affairs. Parties exchanged views on how an integrity chamber established could successfully function and duly support our community. Parties underscored the importance of good communication between entities and the business community to further support integrity throughout the business community. Properly established with clear authorities and procedures within our legal framework are just some of the prerequisites for success of the Integrity Chamber.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Saturday March 28th 2015 at about 9.30 p.m. a report came into the Police Central Dispatch of a possible shooting which took place on the corner of Zagersgut road and Tassel road in Cul-de-Sac
The forensic department went to the scene and collected evidence for the investigation. In the meanwhile Detectives spoke to potential witnesses, because, it is still unclear what took place and why. According to the information that came in the shooting took place after a heated argument between two unknown men. Thus far into the investigation no one seems to have been injured.
The police would like to ask witnesses to come forward and inform them via the (anonymous) tip line #9300 or talk to one of the detectives in person about what happened on that Saturday around 9.30 p.m.

KPSM Police Report.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday, March 23rd 2015, an 18-year old school girl reported herself at the police station in Philipsburg. She claimed she wanted to apologize to a 14-year old school girl whom she fought with shortly before. At that time police officers had no information about the fight this girl was talking about because there were no reports of the incident. Because it is not possible for the police to arrest someone without charges being pressed against them, the young girl was sent home.
On Wednesday, March 25th, a 14-year old girl came to the police station to file an official complaint of an incident which took place on Monday March 23rd. She told the police officers that she was harassed by an 18-year old in the vicinity of L.B. Scott road. The 18-year old started hitting her old until she fell to the ground where the 18 year old continued to beat her. The victim lost consciousness during the assault and had to get medical assistance because of her situation. The incident was taped by bystanders and posted on social media websites. After recuperating from the assault the victim decided to press charges against the 18-year old schoolgirl.
On Friday, March 27th, the 18-year old schoolgirl (suspect) was arrested by police officers in connection with this case and taken into custody by the Prosecutor. The investigation by the police department continues. The principals of both schools the girls attend are cooperating in the investigation; the detectives have constant contact with them to inform them about the case. Also the CPO of the St. Peters area is assisting the detectives with this serious case.

KPSM Police Report

Three MPs Supporting Government Off island --- Opposition did not sign in.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee meeting called on Monday to discuss the draft ordinance to establish the Integrity Chamber could not be held on Monday since three of the ten Members of Parliament supporting the government of St. Maarten were not present for the meeting.
Member of Parliament Franlin Meyers, MP Leona Marlin-Romeo and MP Maurice Lake sent in their notification of absence because they are all off island.
At the meeting on Monday were seven of the ten members majority, they were leader of the UPP MP Theodore Heyliger, MP Silvio Matser, MP Johan Janchi Leonard, MP Tamara Leonard, MP Cornelius de Weever and MP Lloyd Richardson.
Inside the chamber were the Members of Parliament sitting on the opposition benches who did not sign in to form the quorum. The meeting will have to be called at a later date.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Saturday, the 4th of April, the Philipsburg Jubilee Library will be hosting its grand annual Easter egg hunt, in collaboration with the Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise. The event, which is for children aged 4-10 years old, will take place at the library from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm.
During the Easter egg hunt, there will be lots of fun activities, such as: face painting, games, storytelling and, of course, the Easter egg hunt. All children taking part in this event will receive a special "goody bag" to take home. Registration fee will be $5 per child. Pizza, drinks and snacks will be on sale.
The Easter bunnies will be paying the library a visit again this year to make their special face painting creations. During storytelling, children will listen to some of the dedicated Story Time volunteers, while they read from their favorite children's stories about Easter.
To participate in the Easter egg hunt, please register at the library before Thursday, April 2nd. Space is limited, so parents are urged to register their child as early as possible to secure their spot. For more information, call the library at 542-2970.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday, March 27, Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs and Fire Chief Clive Richardson reviewed the uniform troops of firefighters who stood outside Government Headquarters in Philipsburg.
The review of the uniformed officers was part of Firemen's Week that concluded on Saturday evening with the annual Firemen's Ball.
The fire services fall under the prerogative of the Ministry of General Affairs which is headed by Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs. "I would like to say thank you to the men and women who serve their country as being part of the Sint Maarten Fire Department. Our firefighters are always on standby to respond to an emergency situation, whether it's a bush fire, somebody trapped in a car, responding to a building fire, clearing the road because of an oil spill, or even rescuing a dog or cat.
"You can always count on them to be there for our community. We must be all proud of the men and women that serve, and I take this opportunity off to salute our fire fighters on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten and the community," Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs said on Sunday.
Fire fighters from the Princess Juliana International Airport as well as a contingent from the North side of the island, the Collectivite of St. Martin, were also present to celebrate Firemen's Week. After the inspection, the fire fighters marched through the streets of Philipsburg.

PHILIPSBURG:---  Honorable Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs has stated that as part of the integrity process for the government structure of the country, one aspect would be that all civil servants should have taken the oath when they were employed.

Civil servants who were not sworn in after October 10, 2010, have now done so during the past two weeks. They came from the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment & Infrastructure, Ministry of General Affairs, Civil Registry Department, Ministry of Finance and Facility Management.

The oath taking is part of the integrity compliance within the Personnel & Organization Department. 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.

"The oath taking is part of the standards of conduct within the civil service organization of the Government of Sint Maarten. They are standards for ethical conduct that promote common values and define the behavior and performance expected of a civil servant.

"The public administration is dependent on its civil servants carrying out their function in a competent manner, integrity, impartiality, independence and discretion. It is incumbent that civil servants adhere to the highest standards of conduct when executing their work on a daily basis.

"I take this opportunity to once again congratulate all those from the various ministries and departments who have taken the oath during the past two weeks," Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs said on Sunday.

UPP Leader bit off more than he could chew --- political pundits.

PHILIPSBURG:--- With the political shambles within the United Peoples Party several persons such as Minister of TEATT Claret Connor and UPP candidate Julian Rollocks do not know what tomorrow will bring for them. Currently, several persons within the community especially those that were on the UPP slate are monitoring the current developments closely especially trying to figure out how the current coalition will deal with Minister Claret Conner who will have to leave his Ministry for MP Leona Marlin- Romeo. Some of the UPP candidate and supporters said they want to see if Minister Claret Conner with resign from his post or if the UPP leader and his cronies will bring a motion of non-confidence against him in order for him to get out of the Ministry. While many are focusing on the next move the UPP is going to make one other person that does not know his fate is UPP candidate Julian Rollocks who managed to seal an agreement with the Minister of TEATT Claret Conner to market the island abroad. Even though the agreement is in place the final documentation is not yet ready and one still have to wonder if the price is right and if the Governor of St. Maarten will sign the Landsbesluit when it reached his desk. Not to mention the last Landsbesluit that was sent to the Governor for Rollocks was rejected by Governor Eugene Holiday because the project was not placed on bid. This time the Minister of TEATT worked a bit smarter by making the price much lower.
SMN News contacted Julian Rollocks for a comment on the agreement he has with the Minister of TEATT Claret Connor, Rollocks said at this current moment he is not able to make any statements since he himself does not know what his future holds. Rollocks further stated that in a week time he think he will have more information and will be able to make a statement.
Several political pundits said that the leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger bit off more than he could chew when he got several persons that were supposed to be sitting on the opposition benches to form the current coalition.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Honorable Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Claret Connor while attending the Seatrade Cruise Conference in Miami, Honorable Minister Claret Connor also took the opportunity while in the United States to meet with key airlift partners, namely American Airlines, Jet Blue and Delta Airlines.
Minister Connor on Sunday stated that it was very important to understand the areas of business development, and how all stakeholders could further maximize on opportunities. The Minister pointed out that the country is very busy during the high season (November to May) and the objective now is to stimulate more business during the off season (June to October).
"The airlines are willing to adjust schedules to accommodate business. They can change an aircraft on short notice as well. These are a plus for the destination. You may have groups that would like to hold an event and also those who organize conferences during the off season, and if the airlines are willing to accommodate the additional travelers, this is where we all have to come together including the hotel sector and promote event/conference business that would benefit all in the long-run," Minister Hon. Claret Connor pointed out.
Minister Connor first met with Gary Alfson the Director of Marketing Development for Mexico/Caribbean and Latin America Division of American Airlines. The meeting was mainly an introductory one aimed at fostering closer ties with those stakeholders responsible for transporting a large number of the visitors that frequent the destination.
Accordingly, the discussion was very informative and insightful. Alfson explained some of the challenges American Airlines are facing pertaining to the cost structure and congestion for the island. While the JFK (John F. Kennedy) service is seasonal due to various challenges, the Miami flight is holding its own thus far.

It is the intention to have more follow-up meetings with American Airlines representatives in Dallas, the Headquarters to ensure continued service to Sint Maarten, as well to discuss potential marketing strategies to further stimulate travel to the destination.

American Airlines has a long standing relationship with Sint Maarten providing service to this destination for some 30 plus years.

Minister Connor also traveled to New York to attend the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) meeting at the United Nations Building, and used this opportunity to meet with Jet Blue officials on March 19. In this meeting he discussed ways of strengthening the current partnership. To this end, the Minister will be looking at ways and means of developing strategic marketing actions that would be mutually beneficial, going forward.

Puerto Rico has the urgent attention of both parties as it is not performing as anticipated. The Jet Blue representatives and Minister Connor discussed this service extensively and plan to develop a strategic plan of action to stimulate growth and awareness from this market to Sint Maarten.

"Jet Blue continues to expand its services to the Caribbean and we need to ensure that we are a part of this expansion process from the onset," said Minister Hon. Claret Conner. He further added, that Sint Maarten is also on Jet Blue's radar for added service from the Southern Region of the United States.

Currently, Jet Blue offers direct service from New York, Boston and Puerto Rico to Sint Maarten. The possibility exists for added service from the North Eastern region to Sint Maarten. These talks will continue in the near future.

Minister Connor and his team also traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to pay a courtesy visit to Delta Airlines, Delta Vacations & MLT Vacation on March 24. The airline currently provides direct service from Atlanta to Sint Maarten four times weekly, as well as direct service from New York four times weekly. During the winter season, the Delta service is weekly, but reduced during the summer months due to the load factors.

Atlanta visitor arrivals are reasonably strong, as well as those out of Minneapolis, based on the information shared in the meeting with the Delta officials. However, the island will still have to be more visible in these areas to further stimulate the awareness of the destination.

"It is imperative that we stay in touch with these partners on a regular basis to ensure that we are always aware of changes in their operations that could affect this destination in one way or another", said Minister Hon. Claret Conner concluded.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM)--- The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA) department Collective Prevention Services (CPS), says the World Oral Health Day held on March 20 was a success.

32 senior citizens made use of the free dental check-up that was provided and were able to get additional information from specialist on site.

The activity was for seniors 60 and over. It took place at the Ministry of Public Health, Vineyard Building Office Park from 4.00pm to 6.30pm.

CPS started one month ahead of World Oral Health Day with a Poster Competition in the country's high schools.

Out of the eight schools, four participated. Winners are Learning Unlimited with first place (Michele Mardorf & Harsha Parchani), second place was St. Maarten Academy academic (Armani France) and third place Learning Unlimited (Jade Durand).
In the morning of World Oral Health Day Friday, March 20th apples and water were delivered to all second grades.

The activity was formally opened by Drs. Joy Arnell, Acting Secretary General of Ministry VSA, who complimented CPS for choosing the country's seniors as a target group to pay special attention to for this commemoration event.

The outreach with the senior citizen went well, dentist Hilda Guevara donated her time and attended to 32 senior citizens. Guevara received an award of appreciation from Dr. Virginia Asin, Department Head of CPS, for volunteering for this activity.

Dr. Guevara has been with the Mobile Dental Program since 2009 up until 2013, and is still a very willing partner in community projects.

Nutrition information was given by nutritionist Swinda Richardson and oral hygiene information by Irma Knight.

The Oral Health Team was under the leadership of Irma Knight, Youth Dental Program Coordinator, and included Swinda Richardson, Elcita Atkins, Shardina Blomont, Irene Serfilia, and Lionel Fransisca.

The activity was organized in connection with World Oral Health Day which is celebrated annually on March 20. It is an international day to celebrate the benefits of a healthy mouth and to promote worldwide awareness of the issues around oral health and the importance of looking after oral hygiene to everyone old and young.

90 per cent of the world's population will suffer from oral diseases in their lifetime. The theme for 2015 was 'Smile for life!" and has a double meaning: 'lifelong smile' and 'celebrating life'.

For more information on Oral Health Care, you can reach CPS at 542-3003 or 542-2078.

American Care Clinic plans to work closely with SMMC and SZV

PHILIPSBURG:--- The group of American doctors that are representing Dr. Samuel Hess and the Wathey family will soon finalize their agreement to construct an American Care Clinic in Simpson Bay which would cater mainly to tourists.
The Care Center will be built in Simpson Bay close to Royal Palm Hotel. The Wathey family and the group of doctors including Dr. Samuel Hess began negotiations since 2010. SMN News understands that a team representing the American Care Center were on the island this past weekend and an agreement was reached.
However, Al Wathey said when he was contacted that he could not make a statement because the last thing he heard from the investors were that they were busy finalizing their financing for the project. Dr. Samuel Hess told SMN News that they will be visiting the island mid- April 2015 (between the 15th to the 20th April) with the intention to close off the agreement since they already have their specialists and other staff in place. Dr. Hess said their intention is not only to provide care for visitors to the island but their intention is work closely with the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC). He said they also intend to work with SZV to provide care for locals if and when they are referred to the American Care Center by SMMC and other medical practitioners. "If and when patients are referred to us we will provide the services if we have the specialists. We would not be working like the other tourism based care centers who just provide care for tourist, our intention is to work with the local population, SMMC and the doctors on the Dutch side of the island."Dr. Hess said that they intend to meet with management of SMMC when they return to the island next month and to also seek an appointment with SZV. "We met with these persons in the past but now that we are closer to realizing the project we have to meet with these two bodies to ensure a working agreement is in place." Dr. Hess made clear that their intention is to provide services to the local population and not just tourist. He further explained that the project took longer than expected because government changed a few times. The developer said they are working very closely with government and other stakeholders especially now that the government on St. Maarten is looking into improving the St. Maarten Medical Center.
Asked if they have a valid license Dr. Hess confirmed that they are in possession of a license but they have not yet requested a building permit from the department of VROMI. Asked when they intend to begin construction of the Care Center Dr. Hess said they wished they had a year ago but that did not happen. The American Care Center will be providing plastic surgeries, oncology and radiation treatment, as well as knee and spinal surgeries.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Rotary Club of St. Maarten Mid Isle recently organized the 5th edition of its Charity Motor Treasure Hunt. Eighteen cars with teams of 4 people participated in this year's treasure hunt. Each team donated $500 in order to participate. The route started at the Kimsha beach in Simpsonbay and covered a large part of the Dutch side of the island. Each team had to follow the route according to the script given and answer questions based on clues that they would find on the route. They also had to answer a number of riddles and were required to do a little activity at three set places on the route. A small section of the French side was also included when participants were asked to climb to the highest point of St. Louis and take a selfie.
All participants had lots of fun on the route. There was food and drinks available after the route for the teams while the points were tallied.
There were prizes for Best decorated vehicle, best team costume and the prize for the treasure hunt.
Oysterbay Resort's Lost Tourists won the best decorated vehicle, SOL #2 Shell Lubes Placed second while BDO Pirates placed third
In the category Best Dressed Team, The winner was Sol 1 SOL go Further, in second place was Oysterbay Resort's Lost Tourists and in third place was SOL 2 Shell Lubes.
The treasure hunt was won by Oysterbay Resort's Lost Tourists with 308 points, Second was Nagico 1 with 306 points and third place went to Asha Steven's Hillside Christian School with 304 points.
The first place team won $1500. Second place won $1000 and third place won $500. There wer also lots of nice prizes in a raffle for all present. Raffle prizes included hotel stays at Mary's Boone Hotel, Sonesta Great Bay and Oysterbay. There were also other lovely prizes donated by Kwik Bargains, Value Jewelers.
Rotary Club of St. Maarten Mid Isle will hand over all funds raised from the Charity Motor Treasure Hunt to Digikidz for their project to bring technology into the schools. Rotary Mid Isle would like to congratulate all the winning teams and thank all sponsors for their contribution in making this a very successful fundraising event.
For more pictures of this event please view our facebook page: www.facebook.com/rotarysxmmidisle

PHILIPSBURG--The Social Economic Council (SER) Sint Maarten and the University of St. Martin (USM) are presently conducting a joint research, focusing on why some graduates from secondary school in Sint Maarten return and others do not. Many of us are familiar with the scenes at the PJIA airport of family members saying goodbye to their children who leave the island to further their studies. The decision to pursue a study abroad is very personal and sometimes a difficult decision. After completing their studies our students are faced with another choice, to return home or stay abroad and build their futures in another country. SER and USM have created an online survey to help the community better understand the decision and factors that play a role to return or not. The online survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/remigrationtosxm.
We kindly ask you to participate in our research by going online and filling out the survey. SER and USM encourage all persons to share the link with family and friends who fall in the following categories:

•  Persons who graduated from secondary school in Sint Maarten, and are now studying abroad.
•  Persons who graduated from secondary school in Sint Maarten, studied abroad, and are now living abroad.
•  Persons who graduated from secondary school in Sint Maarten, studied abroad, and returned to Sint Maarten not longer than 10 years ago.

It should take you about 15 minutes to complete the survey. We also invite everybody to use social media and spread the word about the survey. You can also go to www.sersxm.org to find the link.
SER & USM thank you for taking time out to contribute to the survey.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The day started with some light shattered showers and cloud cover, but finished with blue skies and a bright sun. With only two full days of games left to determine this year's finalists, the "heat is on" for the teams to give it their all.

Results of Saturday March 28, 2015:

Game 1: Category 7+U
Learning Unlimited Hotshots vs Sr. Regina: result 5 – 0 (at halftime 3 - 0)
Goal scorers L.U. Hotshots: Ajani Blake with 3 goals, Marnix Beishuizen and Marshall Leone with one goal each.
A solid performance by the players of L.U. Hotshots. Sr. Regina put up a good fight, however was unable to put one between the posts.

Game 2: Category 7+U
Leonald Connor vs Dr. Martin Luther King: result 2 – 0 (forfeit)
Dr. Martin Luther King was not able to field a team in time. A friendly game was played with the players that were present.

Game 3: Category 7+U
Learning Unlimited Strikers vs Sr. Magda Rockstars: result 0 – 4 (at halftime 0 – 1)
Goal scorers Sr. Magda Rockstars: Yannick Mingo and Owen Christian both with 2 goals. They were assisted by Jeremiah Telemacque and Daniel Tjon-Tam-Pau.
The game was 0 – 0 until just before halftime. Taking the lead late in the first half gave Sr. Magda Rockstars the confidence to really go for it in the second half.

Game 4: Category Girls 13+U
Leonald Connor vs Dr. Martin Luther King: result 3 – 2 (at halftime 1 - 1)
Goal scorers Leonald Connor: Jahnilla Priest, Karoline Quispe de los Santos and Dorothy James each scored one goal.
Goal scorers Dr. Martin Luther King: Shaney Joachim and Kaleisha Davis each scored one goal.
Dr. Martin Luther King started strong and scored first with a goal from its youngest player Shaney Joachim a.k.a. Faith after an assist by its oldest player Kaleisha Davis. For a while it looked like the team would cause an upset, however Leonald Connor regrouped in time to tie the score before half time. In the second half Leonald Connor was able to dominate the game a little more, but the game could go both ways until the final whistle.

Game 5: Category Girls 13+U
Hillside Christian All Stars vs Sr. Regina: result 2 – 0 (forfeit)
Due to miscommunication Sr. Regina unnecessarily forfeited the game. The team reported the day before that they were not able to field a team. The opponent was informed accordingly, however on game day the Sr. Regina team showed up to play. The team ended up playing a friendly game instead.

Game 6: Category Girls 13+U
Hillside Christian Angels vs Sr. Magda: result 0 – 2 (forfeit)
For reasons on known, Hillside Christian Angels was not able to field a team. Sr. Magda played a friendly game instead with the players present.

Game 7: Category 9+U
Sr. Magda Athletics vs Sr. Regina Masters: result 7 – 1 (at halftime 5 - 1)
Top scorer Sr. Magda Athletics: Gianni Fer with 4 goals and 1 assist. Useful players were Salim Fleming with 3 assists and Amani Vanterpool with 2 assists.
Goal scorer Sr. Regina Masters: Ishrael Charles scored the lone goal.
With today's victory Sr. Magda Athletics secured a place in the 9+Under final scheduled for May 23.

Game 8: Category 9+U
Learning Unlimited vs Sr. Magda Energetics: result 1 – 1 (at halftime 0 - 0)
Goal scorer Learning Unlimited: Connor Schripps-Ewing scored the lone goal after an assist from Sharky Nowek.
Goal scorer Sr. Magda Energetics: Jorginho Singodikromo scored the lone goal after an assist from Safin Basir.
It was a real nail biter for the two teams since a lot depended on the outcome of this game for both teams. Both teams really needed a win to have the best changes of making it to the consolation finals. Now they were totally depended on the outcome of the other games. Luckily for them, Sr. Regina New Stars managed to win from Leonald Connor and Combine Silly Shooters won from Charles Leopold Bell that same day. Therefore, Learning Unlimited and Sr. Magda Energetics will face each other again in the 9+Under consolation final scheduled for May 23.

Game 9: Category 9+U
Charles Leopold Bell vs Combine Silly Shooters: result 0 – 9 (at halftime 0 - 4)
Top scorers Combine Silly Shooters: Matteo van Bekkum had 3 goals, Quincy Busby and Xabel Dias both had 2 goals and 1 assist. Harrison Hobgood was a very useful player with 3 assists.
Charles Leopold Bell was well aware that a win was needed. The team, however, sadly had to miss its top scorer for this important game. Combine Silly Shooters played a solid game, with a good balance regarding its defense and offense. With today's result Combine Silly Shooters secured their spot in the 9+Under final scheduled for May 23.

Game 10: Category 9+U
Sr. Regina New Stars vs Leonald Connor: result 4 – 3 (at halftime 2 - 2)
Goal scorers Sr. Regina New Stars: James Plas, Thomas Plas and Loet van Sleeuwen each scored a goal. The last goal in favor of Sr. Regina New Stars was an own goal by Leonald Connor.
Goal scorers Leonald Connor: Antony Gumbs scored 2 goals and Iverson Powell scored one goal after an assist by Dylon Seth.
Sr. Regina New Stars is a players selection of indeed 'new stars' that are developing their skills. The team, with the youngest age average in the 9+Under category, managed to win one game in pool play and lost two games already in the second round. All though this was not for the lack of trying, because the New Stars played every game with a lot of energy and passion. In their game versus Leonald Connor everything finally clicked. The team took the lead and even though their opponent Leonald Connor never gave up, they managed to secure a well-deserved win. Leonald Connor was still very much a contender until this game for a consolation final spot, however it needed a win to remain a contender. Sr. Regina New Stars victory spoiled their changes to great relief of Learning Unlimited and Sr. Magda Energetics, which now are secure regarding their spot in the consolation final.

Game 11: Category 11+U
Sr. Magda FC vs Dr. Martin Luther King: result 5 - 4 (at halftime 2 - 1)
Goal scorers Sr. Magda FC: Jaden Leonard with 3 goals, Jamir Cuvalay and Ceth Codrington with one goal each.
Goal scorers Dr. Martin Luther King: John Richardson, Malachi Serrant, Edelberth Sparen and Derik Neale each score one goal.
Sr. Magda FC took the early lead but was not able to hold on once the second half started. Dr. Martin Luther King managed to get on top with a score of 3 – 4. Sr. Magda FC had to give all it had to change the tide, but in the end it paid off. Both teams provided a great game for the spectators to watch.

Due to the Easter Break games will continue on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

Great Bay:---- On Saturday, March 21, 2015, the Africa Caribbean Heritage Alliance (ACHA) in cooperation with SXM DOET (a national volunteer initiative) and the National Commission of the UNESCO (UNESCO) and the Philipsburg Jubilee Library launched the First ever Africa Resource Center at the Library.
The Africa Caribbean Heritage Alliance (ACHA) founded in April 2014 is geared towards positively reconnecting Africa and the Caribbean through the areas of heritage, culture, economics, education, travel, transport, etc. Founded by Okama Ekpe Brook, who has worked for the United Nations in different parts of the world and is now based in St. Maarten, ACHA is uniquely based in the hub of the Caribbean, St. Maarten. Mrs. Brook, originally Nigerian, fell in love with St. Maarten and the Caribbean. Her background working in nation building has uniquely given her a perspective on the relationship between Africa and the Caribbean that can be strengthened and nurtured.
The launching of the Africa Resource Center is part of ACHA efforts to continue on its mission of assessing the feasibility of positively reconnecting the continents, His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday cut the ribbon to officially open the Africa Resource Center. With the opening of the center he commended the SXM DOET organizers with the inclusion of this project in its island wide volunteers program and applauded the partnership between the African Caribbean Heritage Alliance, the National Commission for UNESCO and the Philipsburg Jubilee Library for the efforts to make this relevant heritage project possible. He expressed the hope that the center through centralized collection and availability of information will contribute to a greater knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the Africa-St. Maarten Heritage.
The program was facilitated by Ralph Cantave, one of the ACHA volunteers who found out about the project through the SXM DOET initiative. Ms. Brook, President of ACHA welcomed the participants noting that Africa as the second largest continent in the world after Asia with a population of almost one billion spread across 54 countries. Ms. Brook further noted that Africans and Caribbean people share much ancestral history and cultural heritage that provides a fertile ground for partnerships. Africans and people of African Descent are strategically spread across the entire globe. The Resource Center is a unifying point of convergence; a place and space where people can go to relax, to conduct research, to access certain resources or to watch a movie, listen to music or just to read a book that creates more awareness about the potential of Africa as it relates to the opportunities with the Caribbean, she concluded. In addition ACHA, on the occasion of their 1st anniversary, in collaboration with SXM DOET and the St. Maarten National Commission for UNESCO is organizing an art and essay competition among the high schools titled: The Role of Africans in St. Martin: Reconnecting the Caribbean with Africa. The winning entries from the high school pupils are scheduled to be announced on April 9, 2015. The deadline for the contest has been extended until Thursday April 2nd.
Other persons addressing the gathering included Monique Alberts, Director of the Library and Marcellia Henry, Secretary General of the National Commission for UNESCO. Mrs. Alberts spoke on the rich history of Africa and highlighted the array of literature available at the library that will contribute to the development of the Africa Resource Center. While Ms. Henry touched on a number of key matters including United Nations Decade for People of African Descent noting that this declaration provides the opportunity for United Nations, UNESCO, Member states, civil society and other organizations to implement programs and execute activities that focus and promote African ancestry's recognition, justice and development. Moreover, in proclaiming this Decade, United Nations and the international community recognize that people of African origin represent a group of people whose human rights must be promoted and protected. In doing so she like the other speakers emphasized that with the Africa Resource Center St. Maarten is joining the international community.
In her closing remarks, Ms. Brook thanked SXM DOET, Be The Change Foundation, Oranje Funds and Prince Bernard Foundation for making this event possible. Without the tremendous contributions of all the volunteers, this will not have materialized so well. All your volunteer efforts are greatly appreciated. Beyond this event, all the volunteers were reminded to continue to promote the Africa Resource Center to their friends and all the exciting upcoming activities of ACHA. Individually we can make a big change, but collectively, we can change the world for the better. Continue the facilitation, networking and recognition of volunteerism within the Sint Maarten society.

The program included poetry, speeches, book handover, and unveiling of the Africa Resource Center. The networking social was accompanied with servings of chicken jollof rice and pastries. More information can be accessed at www.afrocaribbeanalliance.org or like Africa Caribbean Heritage Alliance on Facebook or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten's Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson on Friday said he stood fully behind the position of the police union NAPB with regards to the involvement of others in St. Maarten's justice chain who has tried to "justify their own ineffective presence" and "unjustly marginalized our local law enforcement agencies."

"A Minister of Justice of Sint Maarten cannot stand idly by whilst others whose performance does not justify their arrogance in unjustly denigrating local law enforcement agencies," Richardson said firmly in addressing reports of so called assistance for St. Maarten.

The Minister told the gathering that though government has not been able due limited financial means to timely deliver all that has been considered necessary, gradually all is being done to do so. "And that is a fact. Many personnel backlogs have been eliminated and/or corrected and that work continues. The increase of the size of the force can only happen with the increase of the financial means of the country. That is also presently being tackled," he said.

"We will have to do what we have to do on our own, with the means that we have. It will take in some cases a little longer. We do it with pride and conviction. To those who because of this want to abuse this situation to try and justify their own ineffective presence, by attaching all kind of strings to their offer of help and in so doing unjustly marginalize our local law enforcement agencies I say: think again. To those I say: when you are gone and you have not helped us to structurally improve our situation, we will be worse off than before. In that case I say: then we will do it on our own strength and with the cooperation of other regional countries that do respect our autonomy and appreciate our achievements notwithstanding our limited means, the Minister stressed.

Improving

Minister Richardson pointed out that St. Maarten's police force can be proud of its performance which has contributed to the downward trend in crime from 2010 through 2014. With the exception of 2014 in which gang related attempts at serious body harm and/or murder showed an increase, nearly all other types of crime are showing a steady decline such as breaking and entering in homes, cars, thefts, physical abuse, sexual abuse. The performance of the force in the area of High Impact Crimes such as murders, bank robberies and holdups, has been impressive

All of this, he said, was done one by a police corps that carries out its job 24/7 365 days a year and that should have a capacity of at least 350 fte's (full time equivalent) officers, but today is at level of around 220 fte's. By comparison, he continued, Monaco a state in the South of France that I had the opportunity to visit has a population of about 33.000 a daily influx of around 40.000 from France and Italy and a tourist product of say 500.000 per year. For that task they have a force of 600 officers. St. Maarten's police force has the challenge to ensure the security of a population of 55.000, with a neighboring population of 40.000 on the French side, between which there is daily and frequent interaction as well as a tourist product of 4 to 5 million a year.
The Minister said, that this challenge could only be taken on successfully when the officers are dedicated to their job, take pride in their work and are prepared to make sacrifices to hold the standard of St. Maarten at its highest possible peak.

"The police officers of St. Maarten feel personally challenged when a HIC takes place and are ferociously committed to solve those crimes that form a mayor threat to society. They are only capable of doing this with the limited resources we have if they dedicate themselves to achieving the highest quality of work," he said.

"It is therefore the responsibility of government to within the means they have to see to proper training and education, equipping the force sufficiently to do its work, securing their salaries, rights, obligations and making sure that in this dangerous work the officers themselves have facilities that help protect themselves and carry out their work as safe as possible."

"That is why government has facilitated training and education until now and will continue to do so by establishing a modern training center where all kinds of operational training (shooting, apprehension, car apprehension, exercise, self-defense, etc.) will take place (BBW) The government is also in the process of upgrading and expanding the Justice Academy, where the BPO (a class of 20) has recently started and a tailor made BPO for the BAVPOL police officers of 2011 is been developed and other necessary training and education is and will be taking place for the different law enforcement agencies.

"Furthermore the police force has been supplied with modern interceptors that have been an example to other police corps (Curacao and Anguilla). Modern interrogation facilities have been established and we are in the process of establishing a forensic lab. Recently a project has been initiated with the intention of providing affordable, modern and secure housing for law enforcement officers, etc. etc."

Minister Richardson acknowledged there is more to be done, but used the opportunity to re-state a famous quote, slightly adjusted, to fit St. Maarten's situation: "Rome was not built in a day" and I add "in St. Maarten it takes just a day longer".

GREAT BAY:--- "I Am Beautiful CARIBBEAN," the Natural Hair & Skin Health Workshop Tour is scheduled for Saturday, March, 28 at 7 PM, at Carl's Unique Inn in Cole Bay. Admission to the workshop is $10, tickets are available at Van Dorp bookstore, said Rochelle Ward, tour organizer and owner of Don't Break the Comb (DBC).
On Sunday, March 29, the hair and skin health tour will be hosted in Anguilla by Nails R Hair. "Participants can expect informative workshops with hair demos, giveaways and sessions on loc maintenance and skin care," said Ward. DBC is hosting the St. Martin leg of the I Am Beautiful CARIBBEAN tour.
There are three guest speakers for St. Martin and Anguilla. "Guest speaker Petra Matthews of Nat'ral Xpression in St. Thomas is a hair braider and loctician extraordinaire. Speaker TaNesha Barnes is a licensed esthetician and owner of Solace Hair and Esthetics Studio in Connecticut. Her T. Barnes Beauty brand consists of spa services, retreats, workshops, her own organic skincare and mineral cosmetic line," said Ward.
"The third speaker is Kim Aska. The Puerto Rico-born mother of three lives in St. Thomas. Aska blogs about her natural hair journey, which began in March 2010. She has over 2,800 subscribers on her Youtube channel, islandgurl3601," said Ward, who is a leading St. Martin blogger; published poet and high school teacher.
"The guest speakers have a wealth of information to share with our friendly island and our sister island. This is exactly what health and beauty care entrepreneur Denise Benjamin hoped for when she started I Am Beautiful Caribbean in 2011. Benjamin's idea of an ongoing tour, a kind of a wellness caravan, is one that would bring beauty care awareness, support and education, and make the latest and greatest hair care brands accessible to people in the Caribbean," said Ward.
"Top natural hair brands and body treatment products such as Alikay Naturals, Obia Natural Hair Care, Sweetsoulmajic, Tropic Isle, The Honey Pot and Komaza Care will be available at the weekend workshops," said the organizer. Ward is also known for DBC's highly successful hair and beauty care events at the annual St. Martin Book Fair in early June.
For more information about this weekend's "Natural Hair & Skin Health Workshops," the organizer Rochelle Ward can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHILIPSBURG:--- SMN News learnt that the Leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger has given interim Minister of VROMI Marcel Gumbs the green light to sign off on the building permits for Taliesin Construction in order for the company to finalize the Fixed Based Operations (FBO) project at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE). According to an UPP insider the party leader has decided to sign off on the pending permits because MP Matser have been behind the interim Minister of VROMI to sign off on the permits but the Minister allegedly said that the only way those permits will be signed is if MP Heyliger approves them.
SMN News learnt that MP Matser have been going after his party leader and the Prime Minister he "Heyliger" appointed to sign off several building permits that they have held up because several persons on St. Maarten are without work.
On Thursday the coalition partners met and it was decided that the interim Minister of VROMI should sign off on the permits if they have to keep the current government in place.
While Taliesin Construction won the bid at PJIAE in which five companies participated, other construction companies have decided that they will challenge the bidding process because they said the owner of Taliesin Construction has a child with a sister of the Managing Director of PJIAE and therefore the bidding process was not free and fair but was granted to someone that has relations with the managing director of PJIAE.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee of Parliament will meet in public session on March 30. The Minister of General Affairs Hon. Marcel Gumbs will be present for the House session.

The public Central Committee meeting is set for Monday at 2.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The three point agenda is: the draft National Ordinance for the establishment of a Integrity Chamber; second agenda point is approval of the travel schedule for the year 2015 in connection with Committee and Board of Directors meetings of the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino); and the third agenda point is approval of the composition of the delegation and provisions for General Assembly of Parlatino from May 15-16.
Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

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

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

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Martin United Ministerial Foundation will be hosting its 9th Annual St. Martin Believers' Connection Convention at the L.B. Scott Sports Auditorium, Long Wall Road, Philipsburg, St. Maarten, Dutch Caribbean
from Thursday, April 23rd – Monday, April 27th, 2015. Under the theme:
"OUT OF THE ORDINARY COMES THE SPECTACULAR".
The Guest Speaker will be Bishop Robin Dinnanauth of Emmanuel Full Gospel Assemblies, Queens, New York, USA.

Conference with Bishop Dr. Annette Lazarus-Rose of Bethesda Healing Center, Brooklyn, New York

April 29th Singles Night at the New Testament Baptist Church at 7:30 pm.

April 30th Couples Seminar at Christian Assembly Tabernacle at 7:30 pm.

This is your year for your deliverance, healing, restoration of relationships and blessing.

Come out and receive it!

PHILIPSBURG:--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) in collaboration with the Police Department, has authorized the road closure of the Wrigley Street in Colebay (conjunction between Welfare Road and Tropicana Casino) to accommodate the large funeral attendance expected for the late wife of Pastor Franklin Bell, Mrs. Josiane Bell-Carty Monday March 30 between the hours of 12:00 and 4:00PM.
Motorists and residents commuting to the airport, Simpson Bay area or points beyond are advised to utilized the alternative route through Wyoming Street. Larger vehicles heading to said areas must avoid these routes between the hours of 12:00 and 4:00PM and use the Causeway Bridge as an alternative to arrive at their desired destination.
Motorists and residents are requested to be mindful of the accommodations made to assist the funeral arrangements.
Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconvenience that this may cause.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Sunday March 29th cycling race will be held by the "Dutch Riders Cycling Club Mo Trouble". The race is scheduled to start at 09.00 a.m. in front of Mini Food Market on the Welfare road Cole towards the Cause Way Bridge via Union road and then over the Simpson Bay bridge towards Cole Bay. The race will come up Cole Bay hill towards Philipsburg via Bush road and Long wall road, Little Bay road and back to Welfare road Cole Bay via Link One.
Once on Welfare road the race will head towards Philipsburg again via Cole bay hill, A.J.C. Brouwers road, Bush road, Long wall road, Little Bay road, Link One and back to Welfare road Cole Bay. This will be done twice.
The last lap will take the race via Cole bay Hill, A.J.C. Brouwers road, Church hill round about and back to Cole via A.C.J. Brouwers road, Osborne Kruythoff round about, Union road, Cause Way Bridge and finish on the Airport Boulevard in front Mini Food Market.
During this race traffic will be interrupted shortly at the intersections along the route of the race. All drivers should be very cautious while using these roads.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:---On March 10th, 2015, a black Hyundai Elantra was discovered hidden in a container which was under investigation by the police. The vehicle was transported to the police station in Philipsburg, because at the time the owner couldn't be found.
Police officers did research on all the details of the car, but still did not manage to locate the owner. The gendarmerie on the French side of the island was also informed; however no reports were made regarding this vehicle.
The police would like to return the car to its rightful owner and this person should come to the police station and claim his or her vehicle.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:---  In celebration of World Poetry Day, the Readers are Leaders group organized a Poetry Evening on March 18th entitled: "Expression of Words". Young poets from St. Maarten Academy, St. Maarten Vocational Training School, St. Maarten Academy PSVE, Sundial, and St. Dominic High School participated in the event.
The Philipsburg Jubilee Library, Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise and the Sint Maarten National Commission for UNESCO would like to congratulate the Reader Are Leaders Board for a fabulous evening of poetry.
Special thanks also go out to the guest poets: La Rich – Lucinda Audain, Julie Alcin and Lenworth Wilson Jr. for sharing their love and passion for the art of the spoken word to the next generation. Also, to the Elemental Jedi Dancing Crew for their spectacular performance.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday, March 27th, 2015, in keeping with the National Ordinance on the General Pension Fund Sint Maarten, the General Audit Chamber issued their report on the review of the 2012 financial statements of APS to Parliament and to the Minister of Finance. The 2012 financial statements of the APS cover the period from January 1st, 2012 until December 31st, 2012, and were issued by the APS on August 12th, 2014.
The reports represents the second review of the APS by the General Audit Chamber. By law, the fund is subject to annual review. The results of the review indicate areas of improvement over the previous year's audit,. For example, the coverage ratio increased from 99,8% in 2011 to 100,4% in 2012. A coverage ratio of at least 105% is considered the benchmark in the Netherlands for avoiding shortages. Moreover, the 2012 financial statements of the APS reported a realized return on the investment portfolio of 5,5 percent.
The General Audit Chamber has however, identified a number of areas of concern based on the audit. Besides the financial statements themselves, the legal compliance with the National Ordinance General Pension Fund Sint Maarten as well as Governance, Compliance and Risk Management were evaluated.
The General Audit Chamber determined that APS's claim against government at the end of 2012 of ANG 53,0 million is significant. The claim increased over the previous year (2011) when the amount of the claim was ANG 38,4 million. The General Audit Chamber recommends that attention is given to achieving a satisfactory settlement of the claim in order to prevent a loss of capital at the pension fund. In addition, the General Audit Chamber noted that the files of the APS are not complete in terms of participant data. This situation therefore increases the probability that the actual pension obligation as of the end of 2012 could be higher than the amount reported in the APS financial statements (i.e. ANG 433.501.000). These facts and uncertainties contributed to the General Audit Chamber refraining from issuing an opinion on the 2012 financial statements. We also were unable to conclude definitively whether the financial position of the fund was sound at the end of 2012.
In terms of legal compliance in 2012, the General Audit Chamber noted a number of items requiring attention, among which was the timely submission of budgets and financial statements as well as making annual reports publicly available.
The APS, in the opinion of the General Audit Chamber, was found to have a sound risk management system for investments – in terms of the general design – in 2012. Our recommendation in this regard to the APS is to improve the communication in terms of the investment committee. In addition, the General Audit Chamber suggests that the APS actively pursue dialogue with government regarding concerns related to the current pension regulation based on the results of their Asset-Liability-Management study.
The sustainability and soundness of the fund is of paramount importance to all stakeholders.

The report on the 2012 Financial Statements of the General Pension Fund Sint Maarten (APS) is available in both English and Dutch on the website of the General Audit Chamber (www.arsxm.org).

Click here to view report done by General Audit Chamber on Pension Fund

PHILIPSBURG:--- Media One Corporation, parent company of radio station X104.3 "Your Xtreme Party Station" is pleased and excited to announce the start of a new era in morning radio on Monday 30, March 2015. Etienne the Kid and The Morning Zoo will be the newest addition to X104.3 Xtreme weekday lineup, broadcasting live from 6-9am.
Etienne the Kid and The Morning Zoo is all about good times on radio. The on air team is geared up to fascinate the audience with local, entertainment & sport news, morning guest, island gossip, Club Mix Morning Edition, phone taps, and a wide variety of the hottest hits from both yesterday and today just to name a few.
We encourage listeners to be part of the show by calling in, following on social media or online and of course by listening live, said Felix Brown Marketing official at Media One Corporation. "It was a very interesting journey to put this morning show together, from concept to content, to finding the right people to be involved however, we now have a morning show that will certainly transcend all boundaries and be well accepted by listeners.
The Xtreme weekday lineup will now be Etienne The Kid and The Morning Zoo (6-9am), Devonte (Mid-morning), Nachum "Frankiebaby" Frank (Afternoon drive), On-Air with Ryan Seacrest (Evenings) and Guest Dj Radio Mixshows (Late-Nights) to end the day.
For more information be sure to listen to X-104.3 FM, check out our Facebook page at X1043, Instagram & Twitter at X1043SXM, call the X-line at 721-543-9104 or visit our website at www.x1043.com.

PHILIPSBURG: --- PHILIPSBURG: --- Former Member of Parliament Romain Laville was arrested on Thursday by the detectives of the Landsrecherche that are investigating the gun threats he made against former Member of Parliament Jules James and musician Isidore "Mighty Dow" York.

SMN News in its report early Friday morning stated that the former Member of Parliament was released Thursday night in order for him to go home and get his firearms  licence and report back to the Landsrecherche Friday morning. When SMN News contacted press prosecutor Tineke Kamps on Friday morning she said Romain Laville was still in custody and was undergoing interogation.
Press Prosecutor Tineke Kamps confirmed that Laville was arrested on Thursday by detectives of the Landsrecherche. He is suspected of making gun threats against Isodore York on November 28, 2012, and gun threats against Jules James on June 11, 2012 and the possession of fire-arms. Prosecutor Kamps said when Laville was arrested  the detectives confiscated two firearms during the arrest. Laville she said remains in custody and now under interrogation.

On Friday afternoon when SMN News contacted Kamps for an update on whether or not the former MP will remain in police custody and if the fireams the police confiscated were licenced firearms  Kamps said in an email which reads "We recently heard from the detectives of the Landsrecherche that Laville was released from his pretrial detention yesterday night! At this point we are investigating if he had a valid authorization for the firearms." It is rather unfortunate that the Prosecutors Office released incorrect information even though they were provided with the information SMN News recieved prior to publishing this article.

Pointe Blanche:---At least three fire trucks responded to the A. C Wathey Cruise Facility early Friday morning as the Harbor called for assistance when they learned that the Carnival Cruise ship had severe smoke coming from its engine room.
Passengers that existed the ship were overheard saying that the smoke was severe. SMN News learnt that the smoking began shortly before the ship came in to dock and as soon as they docked they got the passengers off as they continue the source the cause of their mechanical problems.
Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson confirmed that there was some sort of smoking or small fire on board the Carnival Cruise Ship and that the fire department is busy dealing with the problem. SMN News will bring you more information on this latest development as soon as it becomes available.

Port St. Maarten pleased with protocol procedures after Carnival Liberty smoke alarm

POINT BLANCHE:--- Port St. Maarten – Port St. Maarten management are very pleased with emergency protocol procedures that were carried out Friday morning after crew onboard Carnival Liberty were alerted to a bow thruster overheating.
Carnival Liberty crew followed shipboard procedures related to the smoke alarm and after some time everything was back to normal.
The St. Maarten Fire Department as part of standard procedure under such circumstances was called to the port.
After the all clear was given, the fire trucks returned to their base in Cay Hill.

COLEBAY:--- On Friday, Motorworld made a generous donation to The Anchor Holds-Judith Gayle and The Gayle Brothers Live in Concert event that will be held tonight at the Celebration Palace. Marketing Officer Lorenzo Gomez welcomed the International Gospel Artiste (pictured in the far right) to the shores of St. Maarten. Also pictured are promoter Stephen Gayle (second right), promoter Torana Granston (far left) and Lorenzo Gomez (second from left). Photo Courtesy: Motorworld.

Government stand to lose Naf1.6M per year --- Reliable Sources.

PHILIPSBURG: --- Rainforest Adventures allegedly got what one could describe as a steal of a deal from the interim Minister of VROMI Marcel Gumbs and Leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger.
In an advice it is stated that Rainforest Adventures will get 375,000 square meters land in long lease at the Emilio Wilson Estate that the Government of St. Maarten bought for USD17M. The developer Rainforest Adventures will pay government NAF2.00 per square meter instead of the NAF. 6.70 per square meter that locals are paying for their long lease land annually. Rainforest Adventures will be paying NAF.700.000.00 per year instead of NAF. 2.3M meaning the government of St. Maarten will be losing some NAF.1.6M if the deal goes through with Rainforest Adventures. SMN News understands that in exchange for the deal Rainforest Adventures will contribute $1.25 in head tax to assist the St. Maarten Harbor Group of Companies.
SMN News further understands that one of the projects that Rainforest Adventures intend to construct at Emilio Wilson Estate is a zip-line. The developers it is further understood will be constructing other tourist attraction sites but they have not yet made that known to anyone.
In a press briefing held by the National Alliance faction on Thursday the leader of the National Alliance William Marlin stated that he heard of the long lease and advice but said he was waiting to see how much government will least the estate for since government invested $17M to purchase the Emilio Wilson Estate for the people of St. Maarten.

Pond Island:--– TelEm Group's internet service was again affected Thursday with the loss of mobile data and internet service to customers throughout St. Maarten.
Service was affected for two hours, between 4:30 pm and 6:30pm, while technicians took urgent steps to isolate new IP addresses that were again flooding the company's switching equipment.
Technicians reported that the problem was under control within an hour, but it took another hour to bring systems back up to allow for several tests to be carried out to ensure the suspect IP addresses were no longer affecting the network.
Manager, Engineering and Planning, Mr. Jed Carty, said the pattern of disruption of the latest IP addresses are similar to patterns reported earlier when systems were interrupted for a longer period. He said, this time round, as with a similar outage Tuesday, technicians were able to take action before serious damage was caused.
"Once we take delivery of and install the type of equipment recommended by experts who are familiar with these matters, the manual monitoring and action we are taking now will be carried out automatically," said Mr. Carty.
He said TelEm Group is continuing to monitor these interruptions and has asked customers to continue to be patient while the company works on providing permanent solutions to the current problem.

PHILIPSBURG:--- In keeping with its corporate responsibility and social mandate, the SXM Airport on Tuesday made a donation to the principals of Step Out Promotions who will be hosting International Gospel Artiste Judith Gayle on St. Maarten this weekend.
Gayle, will be on the island to headline a benefit concert that will be held at the Celebration Palace on Friday March 27, 2015 at 7:00 pm.
SXM Airport's Marketing Officer Maggie Gumbs said that her company was pleased to be associated with the event, which brings together Judith Gayle and the Gayle Brothers a family of musical ministers, all of whom will be visiting St. Maarten from parts of Europe, the USA and the Caribbean. They will be supported by other local artistes in a phenomenal display of musical talent. The Anchor Holds-Judith Gayle and the Gayle Brothers Live in Concert is a collaborative effort of Pastor Stephen Gayle and Step Out Promotions.

ABOUT THE MAIN ARTISTE: JUDITH GAYLE

Judith Gayle was born in Clarendon, Jamaica and began her musical in the 1980s with secular artiste and as a cabaret singer in some of Jamaica's most prestigious hotels. In 1999 she converted to Christianity and began singing of resilient hope and unrelenting faith even amidst numerous personal struggles. Her talent brought her before great churches in Jamaica and eventually gained her a place on the international scene as she began performing in Canada, the U.S.A, England and the Caribbean.
A hard worker, Judith has produced four anointed and versatile Gospel albums; The Sun Shines Again, Broken to be Blessed, Designed to Worship and I Believe. She has also published two books: Preserving the Soul and Broken to be Blessed, Destined to Win. In August 2013, she graduated from Canon University with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Theology and is now an ordained minister. World renowned Gospel singer Pastor Donnie McClurkin has dubbed her the "Jamaican Whitney Houston."
This 2 time Marlin Award Nominee and winner of the Jamaica Mega Jamz award for Best Female Artiste maintains a busy schedule with television and radio appearances globally. She is currently a resident of New York City and can be contacted by visiting her website www.judithgayle.net. Her music can be found onitunes.apple.com, www.reverbnation.com www.jango.com , www.cdbaby.com andwww.youtube.com.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A total of 250 persons were served by Tzu Chi Foundation and some 60 received free Thai reflexology foot massages as well as back massages from the foundation at the Lion Rudy Hoeve Health and Wellness Fair last Saturday.

The massages were popular amongst attendees with people lining up to wait for a massage even before the fair officially began. For some, it was the first time they received a massage.

Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs was amongst those who enjoyed the massage. Volunteer Claire Elshot said the Prime Minister indicated that the massage was refreshing and would be a welcomed treat at least one a month. Elshot said the Prime Minister also pledged his support for Tzu Chi's mission.

The massages were performed by a team of five Tzu Chi volunteers led by massage therapist Roger Yee-Fong.

In addition to the massages, Tzu Chi also had free sugar free lemon drinks and vegetarian snacks such as vegan sandwiches, eggless cupcakes and callaloo patties etc for attendees. The sugar free lemon drinks was appreciated by many particularly the diabetics who tried it.

Tzu Chi literature was also on display as information about the foundation was also shared with guests. A total of 15 Tzu Chi Foundation volunteers participated in the activity and some 35 new persons registered to support the foundation's fund raising drive with its recycled Bamboo Banks (collection boxes). The Prime Minister was amongst those who signed Tzu Chi's support list and requested 20 of the bamboo banks. He was happy to see that the bamboo banks were made from used water bottles. Elshot said Gumbs also supports the idea of having the bamboo banks at various Ministries in government.

Tzu Chi volunteer Bradly Attyl said the experience at the fair had been a fantastic one for him. "What captured me was that so many people came to get a massage. I was honoured to have given a massage the honourable Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs," he said. "People were happy and satisfied and it gave me a nice feeling. As Tzu Chi founder Master Cheng Yen says: 'Every drop of water makes a river.' Let us continue to walk in Tzu Chi's path."

Volunteer Shung Hing said participating in the fair under Tzu Chi's banner gave her an opportunity to work together and bond with other volunteers. "It was great seeing the people enjoy our relaxing foot massages. Even more satisfying when they said it was worth the wait."

Elshot said she too enjoyed the opportunity to give massages.

Tzu Chi Commissioner Sandra Cheung thanked all those who, in one way or another, contributed to Tzu Chi's successful participation in the fair. She singled out Yee-Fong for encouraging Tzu Chi to participate and the Fair organisers for providing the forum for Tzu Chi and other groups to participate.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Interim Minister of VROMI, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs on Thursday signed the agreement with Mr. Eric van Putten of Designer's Choice N.V. for the sewage connections to the homes and properties directly along the main road in Middle Region.

The agreement is valued at Naf. 450,000, financed by the government of St. Maarten. After signing the agreement the Prime Minister immediately instructed the Ministry of VROMI section New Works, to look at connecting the homes in the higher elevations next.

From 2009 thru 2011 the upgrading of Middle Region was carried out with funding from the 9th European Development Fund (EDF) program. The main road of Middle Region was upgraded with the implementation of a sewage network system and sewage laterals with the adjoining house connection inspection pits to later connect the adjacent properties and homes. Government also invested NAf 2.5 million for the construction of boundary walls on the East and West sides of the Middle Region main road.

The government of St. Maarten made the commitment as part of the project agreement with the EU, to ensure that the homes in Middle Region would be connected onto the main sewage line at its expense to eliminate running sewage water onto the streets. To this effect, a terms of reference (TOR) was prepared and placed on public tender for the project: Design and Build Remedial House Connections St. Maarten East. The TOR includes connections for the districts of Philipsburg (phase 1) and Middle Region (Phase II).

The tender proceedings were held on December 4, 2014, with three companies participating in the public tender. The signing on Thursday had to do specifically with phase II of the project. It is urgent for the government of St. Maarten to complete the connections of the properties to the sewage line to avoid jeopardizing the agreements with the EU about other similar funding arrangements projected for the areas of Dutch Quarter (10th EDF) and Cole Bay (11th EDF).

Designer's Choice N.V. is expected to complete the work in three calendar months. Mobilization should begin next week.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister of St. Maarten Marcel Gumbs on March 13 met with the National Development Plan program. The meeting was attended by Department Head of BAK, Mr. Marc Arnold, Senior Policy Advisor & National Development Program Coordinator, Mrs. Okama Ekpe Brook, Program Manager & Millennium Development Goals Coordinator Ms. Loekie Morales.
During the meeting, Prime Minister was updated on the status of the project Building a Nation: St. Maarten National Development Plan and Institutional Strengthening. He was also informed about the ongoing process to recommence the community based and thematic dialogues as well as the role of the different groups that constitute the institutional framework such as the National Development Plan Steering Committee, the National Development Plan Working Group, and the Inter Ministerial Working Group.
The strategy prepared by the BAK NDP Team is a plan of approach which includes table top discussions with relevant stakeholders, bilateral meetings in the preparation of position papers that will form the basis for the upcoming dialogues, presentations to the Secretaries General, Council of Ministers and Parliament. The thematic dialogues will take place in April and recommence after the carnival break. A consultant has been hired and will come on board in April to support efforts of the BAK NDP Team towards ensuring a quality Vision and National Development Plan.
The National Development Plan Steering Committee met on Thursday March 26th from 3:30-4:45PM to deliberate on the plan of approach and their role in it.
The PM noted that the government is making all efforts to engage with willing individuals, organizations and institutions for the collective development of the country and was pleased that the team had provided a constructive process that will provide guidance for the long term development of our country.
Details of the project can be found on this website www.sintmaartengov.org and click on the link special campaigns. You can email the Team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or check out our faceboook page: St. Maarten National Development Plan.

PHILIPSBURG:--- After an intense tripartite meeting between the minister of Public Health, Mrs. Rita Bourne-Gumbs, Director of SMMC Mr. Kees Klarenbeek and ad interim Director of SZV Mr. Glen Carty last week Thursday March 19th at the Westin regarding the hospital care in St. Maarten, a protocol between the three parties was signed to bond their cooperation intentions.
Prime Minister Gumbs opened the official meeting to sign the protocol on Thursday, March 26, and thanked everybody for their presence. With the signing of the protocol minister of VSA said she was looking forward to their future working relationship and their plan to work out a business plan for the improvement of the SMMC. Mr. Carty thanked everybody behind the scenes who worked on the preparation of the tripartite as this brought the good spirit for the tripartite meeting last week, resulting in this protocol: "Everybody, advisors and lawyers behind the scenes worked together showing the cooperation that is needed for the future".
Mr. Klarenbeek in his turn thanked everyone for the recognition of the situation; "I am glad that we are at the same page for looking for sustainable solutions for the healthcare on St.Maarten".
The three parties signed the protocol, witnessed by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance. Ms. Luzz-Marie Tuitt as member of the council of SMMC, signed on behalf of Chair of the council Mr. Robert-Jan James.
On the signing of the protocol Mr. Carty also handed over a letter to SMMC stating SZV's willingness to assist in the financial situation of SMMC.
Prime Minister Gumbs closed of the session with expressing his expectations of the follow up: "The three parties must realise the seriousness of signing this protocol. The protocol states the development of the business case for the SMMC within three months and I expect that everyone will do their best, leave the past in the past and successfully realize the plans in this protocol on time. No more excuses". The prime minister rooted for professional conversations and meetings between the three parties to resolve any execution hurdles together.

PHILIPSBURG:--- After being persecuted for five years for alleged money laundering and embezzlement and only after I demanded closure of the preliminary investigation and/or the case, I was acquitted by the Court of First Instance of all money laundering. I was moreover acquitted for four (4) of the eight (8) embezzlement charges and sentenced to one (1) day of jail time, conditional, with a probation term of also one (1) day for the remaining four (4) charges of embezzlement. This, whilst the Court of First Instance explicitly cleared me from having personally benefitted in any way, shape or form from the established embezzlement cases, other than having partaken in an organized Christmas dinner for employees-of the Tourist Department and invited guests. The crime I committed was apparently that I ate and drank at said Christmas dinner.
I was thus solely sentenced according to the Court of First Instance for contributing to the usage of funds destined for payments of general tourist expenses, for other government related expenses, namely maintaining the Tourist Bureau in New York. The Court of First of Instance thereby considered that for the charge of embezzlement to be legally proven, it is not required for someone to have personally benefited by acquiring goods/properties.
The only reason why I was given a conditional sentence of one (1) day with an unusual probation term of also one (1) day is that according to the Court of First Instance it is by law not possible to find me guilty, without imposing some form of punishment.
The punishment imposed by the Court of First Instance is a clear indication of its assessment of the culpability in this case. I have been taking through the wringer, made subject to the strong arm of the judicial force, for using funds from government to pay for other government expenditures, whilst the Sint Maarten Government structurally failed to timely fund the accounts for the New York tourist office as well as the local office It is not me who invented and sanctioned this payment form. This payment form found is birth in the mere necessity to have the New York tourist office remain operational, an office that catered to the backbone of the Sint Maarten tourism economy. I continued an established practice, sanctioned and known by the Sint Maarten Government for years that structurally funded that office too late. In essence, I am been investigated for five (5) years, prosecuted and now being punished for carrying out my duties as a civil servant and acting for the benefit of the Sint Maarten Government and public. While most of our visitors from North America come from the New York Tri-State area, the St. Maarten Tourist Office in New York was closed in 2010 and remains closed. Is tourism really our bread and butter?
I have mixed feelings about this verdict. On the one hand, I'm glad to be acquitted of all the severe charges and feel vindicated by the fact that the Court of First Instance established that I did not profit in any way from using funds for a different public purpose than intended, an act that can still legally be qualified as embezzlement. I understand that using funds for a different purpose than intended, even if it's used to pay for other tourist related government obligations, can in the opinion of the Court of First Instance also be qualified as embezzlement. On the other hand, I am not keen on having a criminal record, even one for a mere conditional one (1) day jail sentence, with a probation term of one (1) day that in practice will cease to exist, one day after the verdict becomes irrevocable, unless I'm found guilty of committing a crime that same first day after the verdict becomes irrevocable. I fought hard to redeem my good name and honor and for principal reasons, I am considering filing a partial appeal. The main question that remains that in my opinion has not been, satisfactorily and/or sufficiently answered is if one can be guilty for doing his work, as approved by direct superiors and accepted not to say institutionalized by their employer, in this case the Sint Maarten Government.
I also must wonder in looking at the verdict that was handed down why I had to be persecuted and shamed for the last five (5) years for personally benefiting from public funds and why the Public Prosecutor found it necessary to subject me to the full force of justice for matters that are, by lack of other means, now punished with a one (1) day conditional jail sentence that will go away in one day.
The Public Prosecutor office cannot convince me that they were really after me. From the onset and certainly the questions posed to me during the investigation it is obvious that they were trying to get at –a- highly placed official(s). The million dollar questions remains, was this case really necessary and was it fair to succumb me to through criminal persecution for obvious alternative motives/purposes?
Today the Public Prosecutor can say, apparently even without shame, that she is glad with the outcome. Glad with an acquittal for all money laundering charges a dismissal of 4 of the 8 embezzlement charges and a symbolic sentence of 1 day for using government funds for other government purpose. The public prosecutors sentiments should be taken with a grain of salt, certainly considering the enormous waste of tax payers money in persecuting me for 5years in what for me has been an obvious attempt to try to get to others.
During the last 5 years I suffered serious health issues –largely also- because of the constant harassment and stress of being the subject of a criminal persecution. For this harm done to me, I cannot be made whole.
For 5 years I kept my piece and did not speak out. It is time that the Sint Maarten Public obtains a correct understanding of matters and hopefully starts asking itself if we as local Sint Maarteners, should continue to condone the misuse of our criminal prosecution system by in essence a small group of temporary contracted workers for in my opinion obvious attempts to influence the Sint Maarten Political landscape.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Maurice Lake seems to have gotten exactly what he wanted from the leader of the United Peoples Party in order for him to remain a member of the United Peoples Party and to keep the shaky coalition in-tact.
SMN News learnt that MP Maurice Lake wanted to remain in his position as the Minister of VROMI when the UPP/De Weever coalition was formed but his party leader Theodore Heyliger allegedly denied him his request stating that he did not do what he "Heyliger" wanted him to do while he was a Minister. According to the information SMN News received is that MP Heyliger recently made a deal with MP Lake to make him the Minister of VROMI if he stays with the UPP and he will also have a 100% guarantee that if the government should fall he will get back his seat as an Member of Parliament since that is the arrangement he will make with the incoming Member of Parliament Maria Buncamper Molanus.
Sources within the UPP camp said Heyliger is having major problems with all Members of Parliament that was elected on the UPP slate since he decided upon himself to remove Minister Claret Connor without consulting with them. The source further stated that even the coalition partners are in disagreement with Heyliger's decision to give Independent Member of Parliament Leona Marlin- Romeo a Ministry at this time because when they negotiated with Marlin- Romeo she agreed to accept the vice-chair of parliament for her support.
The UP insider said that the UPP members had decided that they will all appoint the Ministers when the coalition was formed but that did not happen. The source said that Heyliger made the appointments of the Ministers by himself and the only Minister they were able to appoint was the Minster of TEATT Claret Connor who will soon be out in the cold because Heyliger suddenly decided to give Independent Member of Parliament Leona Marlin- Romeo the Ministry that Minister Connor has which created an uproar within the UPP camp. "It's not one or two MPs from the UPP camp that are upset but it's all of them. The MPs within the UPP camp feel as though they are treated as puppets because they are not even allowed to ask a question or make a comment when it comes to the functioning of government, those UPP MPs felt that there is no unity within the party and what has happened is that they have to submit themselves to a dictator who does not want any other MP from the UPP to shine. This is not about the people that were elected it's all about Heyliger." The UPP insider said when Maurice Lake was Minister of VROMI he came up with a project to construct the Simpson Bay boardwalk but because the idea did not come from Heyliger he shot it down." The UP insider said that the UPP MPs are not even free to speak to each other because the moment Heyliger sees one of his MPs speaking with another one he believes they are forming a plot against him.
VORST ESTATE.
According to the UPP insider the politicians on the opposition benches are not doing enough to bring government to its knees. "Can you imagine former Minister Maurice Lake signed an agreement to purchase the VORST Estate for $495.00 per square meter and the opposition did not force to see the agreement the former Minister now Member of Parliament signed? In that agreement a portion of the monies were to be placed in a separate account, that money allegedly was to be split up among those that were instrumental in getting the sale go through, but when the opposition and former Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams refused to sign off on the purchase agreement and to make up a Landsbesluit the leader of the UPP went to the family and asked them to drop the price in order for the sale to go through. The Vorst family agreed to drop the price by one million USD dollars because that was the amount they agreed to put on a separate account as a commission for the former Minister and his team who worked on the purchase agreement. Now that the family dropped the price it is alleged that the former Minister went to look to see if anything will be placed in the "cookie jar" for him and it is then he found out what his leader told the family to do in order for the sale to go through, meaning if the purchase goes through there will be no commission for the former Minister and his team.
Jobs for Locals --- MPs want Arabs out of Government Building.
The UPP insider also said that MP Franlin Meyers and MP Tamara Leonard wanted the Minister of Finance to get rid of two assistants that are working with the Ministry of Finance, they are Ludwig Ouenniche and Ramzy Dennaoui.
The source said that the two Members of Parliament felt that there are too many young people who campaigned for the UPP during the 2014 parliamentary elections based on a promise that they will get a job within government. The UPP insider said that the two MPs that approached Heyliger felt that Ouenniche is old enough and he does not need to be in government while they felt that Dennaoui is an Arab who could find work within the business community. The source further explained that when the MPs approached Heyliger on this matter he bluntly to refused to remove the two persons claiming that both of them were appointed by the Minister of Finance Martin Hassink.
Matster and Heyliger Warfare – two male crabs can't live in the same hole.
As for the feud between MP Theodore Heyliger and Silvio Matser who cannot be reached the insider said that Heyliger threw Matser "under the bus" because Matser is someone who could get things done and he is not afraid to stand up and ask questions or make comments and this is something Heyliger cannot deal with. "MP Matser is not afraid of Heyliger and he constantly questions him or puts him on the spot that is why he Heyliger chose to go to the newspaper and threw MP Matser "under the bus" while he is off island. It's like having two male crabs living in the same hole." The insider went as far as stating that Heyliger would say that he does not want a convict in his camp but so far he has not given Matser a letter requesting that he resign from his position in Parliament.
The insider alleged that MP Matser went to question the Prime Minister on some building permits that are being held up at the Department of VROMI and when he approached the Prime Minister he was told that the only way those building permits will be signed is if MP Theodore Heyliger approves them. Efforts made to reach MP Matser and MP Theodore Heyliger proved futile on Thursday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- In follow-up to a divinely inspired spark, the Honorable Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs in partnership with Jacqueline Louis, Founder of the "Woman to Woman, Phenomenal Women Radio Program", and President of the Phenomenal Women Foundation, are proud to present the "Phenomenal Women's Forum." This ground-breaking event is scheduled for Sunday, March 29, 2015 and marks the grand finale of the celebration of Women's History Month, which is recognized during the month of March. This exclusive celebration will include a "Fancy Hat Competition" and a toast to the 4th Anniversary of the Phenomenal Women program which is broadcast live on SOS Radio 95.9FM every Sunday from 12:30-1:30PM to engage, educate and empower women.
"The Women's Forum is an interactive event to bring together women of influence from distinct sectors and organizations throughout the community of St. Maarten/St. Martin. It serves as a platform to discuss pertinent issues affecting women's socio-economic development, wellness, prosperity and progress. The goal is to develop action points that will drive the necessary changes to build a better and brighter future for our entire community, in solidarity," shares Minister Bourne.
The 'Phenomenal Women's Forum' is a historic undertaking as it would be framed around open discussions to develop more cooperation among women to stimulate a stronger collective will and drive towards our common causes. In an effort to propel the agenda of women's issues, rights and recognition to a higher level, the topics of discussion will include but not limited to: Education, Youth & Adult Education/Training/Professional Development; Healthcare–Insurance, Sports, Active Lifestyles; Spirituality; Youth; Culture; Abuse–Domestic Violence, Rape, Incest, Child Prostitution; Business–Career & Entrepreneurship; Financial Planning; Sexuality–Family Planning, Teenage Pregnancy; Law-Legal Rights and Crime– Prostitution, among other areas of interest.
The event co-partner, Jacqueline Louis further shares the following: "The purpose of the 'Phenomenal Women's Forum' is to tap into the minds, hearts, and souls of women to develop a sense of common understanding, collaboration of personal/professional agendas, and forge a sense of unity. Through working together, women can achieve more, and make a profound impact as business and community leaders. This has been a long-standing vision of our efforts through the Phenomenal Women program. We are truly honored and grateful that Minister Bourne shares in this vision, and has taken the necessary steps towards inspiring and instilling this initiative among local women, which resonates among women worldwide," states Louis.
The event sponsors include the Ministries of ECYS & VSA, SHEER Restaurant, SOS Radio95.9FM, IMBRACE, and Clara Reyes with the NIA.
For further information, please contact Jacqueline Louis (721) 581-7973 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--– The Fire Department is calling on the community to be very conscious by not throwing out lighted cigarettes or matches that could result in bush fires due to the dry spell that the island is currently experiencing.
Persons, who would like to burn bush or garbage in a built up area or on a hillside for agricultural activities, are requested to refrain from doing so, and contact the fire department for advice.
The inappropriate use of fire can endanger lives, property and the environment in these dry weather conditions.
Fires can get out of control. A person can help by reducing bush fire hazards by acting responsibly.
Those seeking information can contact the Fire Department at 542-1215, 542-1217, 542-6001 or in case of an emergency 919.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Committee of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs (CECYSA) of Parliament, will meet in public session on March 27.

The Permanent Committee meeting is set for Friday at 1.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is a presentation by the Department of Youth Affairs and a consultant from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) about the current children's rights activities on the island, and a summary of the recent "Children Rights Round Table Conference," that was held in January 2015.

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

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

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

GREAT BAY:--- "I Am Beautiful CARIBBEAN," the Natural Hair & Skin Health Workshop Tour is scheduled for Saturday, March, 28 at 7 PM, at Carl's Unique Inn in Cole Bay. Admission to the workshop is $10, tickets are available at Van Dorp bookstore, said Rochelle Ward, tour organizer and owner of Don't Break the Comb (DBC).
On Sunday, March 29, the hair and skin health tour will be hosted in Anguilla by Nails R Hair. "Participants can expect informative workshops with hair demos, giveaways and sessions on loc maintenance and skin care," said Ward. DBC is hosting the St. Martin leg of the I Am Beautiful CARIBBEAN tour.
There are three guest speakers for St. Martin and Anguilla. "Guest speaker Petra Matthews of Nat'ral Xpression in St. Thomas is a hair braider and loctician extraordinaire. Speaker TaNesha Barnes is a licensed esthetician and owner of Solace Hair and Esthetics Studio in Connecticut. Her T. Barnes Beauty brand consists of spa services, retreats, workshops, her own organic skincare and mineral cosmetic line," said Ward.
"The third speaker is Kim Aska. The Puerto Rico-born mother of three lives in St. Thomas. Aska blogs about her natural hair journey, which began in March 2010. She has over 2,800 subscribers on her Youtube channel, islandgurl3601," said Ward, who is a leading St. Martin blogger; published poet and high school teacher.
"The guest speakers have a wealth of information to share with our friendly island and our sister island. This is exactly what health and beauty care entrepreneur Denise Benjamin hoped for when she started I Am Beautiful Caribbean in 2011. Benjamin's idea of an ongoing tour, a kind of a wellness caravan, is one that would bring beauty care awareness, support and education, and make the latest and greatest hair care brands accessible to people in the Caribbean," said Ward.
"Top natural hair brands and body treatment products such as Alikay Naturals, Obia Natural Hair Care, Sweetsoulmajic, Tropic Isle, The Honey Pot and Komaza Care will be available at the weekend workshops," said the organizer. Ward is also known for DBC's highly successful hair and beauty care events at the annual St. Martin Book Fair in early June.
For more information about this weekend's "Natural Hair & Skin Health Workshops," the organizer Rochelle Ward can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHILIPSBURG:--- Management of Postal Services St. Maarten (PSS) has decided to reinstate Alex Richardson who was suspended after he threatened to shoot one of his co-workers. Sherman Serastis of St. Maarten Communication Union (SMCU) told SMN News that he was invited to attend an emergency meeting on Wednesday. Serastis said at that meeting he was informed that management has taken a decision to reinstate Alex Richardson since according to their legal advisor PSS do not have sufficient grounds to dismiss him from his job.
Serastis said he informed management that SMCU does not agree with their decision and should Richardson show up to work the workers of PSS will walk out since they do not intend to work with Richardson again. Serastis said last week Wednesday the workers took action because management was not dealing with the matter. Serastis further explained that while management of PSS kept bringing up that a criminal complaint was filed against Richardson. He said what the management of PSS does not understand is that SMCU has nothing to do with the criminal complaint since that is something the judicial system will handle in their own time, but Richardson who is part of management also violated the labor agreement when he threatened to shoot his co-worker. Serastis made clear that the safety and security of PSS employees are no longer secured since someone from management threatened to shoot one of his co-workers. He said that Richardson admitted to making those statements while he did it in the presence of the Human Resource manager. "Having someone that has such a temper puts the workers safety at risk and no one in their right minds will take that risk if they are representing workers. He said after he informed management of PSS that the workers will maintain their stance and walk off the job should Richardson return to work then they both decided to involve the labor mediator who will try to find a solution on how management should proceed with Richardson. It should be noted that Alex Richardson already had a fight in the finance department sometime in 2010 at the Finance Department and he was suspended from his job, therefore this is not the first time Richardson had temper problems on the job. Last week SMCU said management informed them that Richardson was undergoing anger management treatment.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Nine foundations are competing for a chance to receive an undisclosed amount of cash from The Anchor Holds-Judith Gayle Concert.
The benefit concert is set for this Friday March 25, 2015 at the Celebration Palace on Bush Road from 7:00 pm. It will feature musical entertainment from the International Gospel Artiste along with a family of musical ministers and local acts.
The organizers Step Out Promotions say that they are pleased to give back to the Community of St. Maarten.
The foundations selected are COME Centre, Safe Haven Foundation, Victorious Living Foundation, Women of Worth and Purpose Foundation, ASA/No Kidding With Our Kids Foundation, Helping Hands Foundation, St. Maarten Seniors Citizens Recreational Centre and the Sister Basilia Centre.
An online poll was opened three weeks ago to encourage persons to vote daily for their favorite foundation. It can be accessed by visiting www.pollcode.com/215113149.
On the night of the concert, the monetary donations will be presented to the top two foundations before the concert crowd.
The Anchor Holds-Judith Gayle and the Gayle Brothers Live in Concert is sponsored by SXM Airport, Motorworld, Radio Maranatha, Step It Up A Notch Boutique, Carl and Sons Bakery, E ZE General Construction, Travel Planners, S & S Fire Safety, Global Purpose Ministries, Thy Kingdom Come Ministries International, C & L Catering, Royal Palm Beach Resort and VIP Guards and Errands.
Tickets to the event can be purchased at the Family Bookstore, Negril Restaurant, Rebuilding the Wall Book Emporium (Marigot), Faith Beauty Salon, US Nails, Oniel's Photo Studio, New Birth Boutique and Step Out Promotions Office at the COME Centre.
For more information the general public is asked to call telephone numbers 523-0901 or 523-9553 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry (COCI)and the University of St. Martin (USM)collaborated on a Pre-USM "Work Experience Program" as part of the Chamber's 20/20 Vision: "Home is Where I Prosper" Education Initiative. The dual purpose of this program is 1) to encourage the business community to exercise social corporate responsibility and aid in strengthening St. Maarten's up and coming young professionals and 2) to enhance the skills of Pre-USM students via an internship through which they can learn, experience workplace ethics, professionalism and personal responsibility. COCI exposed students to workplace introductions, expectations such as " dressing for success", interview tips, etc. and played a pivotal role in guiding students with Resume building and personal branding sessions. The program's run date is March 3rd - May 31st, 2015 and COCI strategically placed over 18 Pre-USM students in internships across various organizations and industries in St. Maarten.
In this first update session, students described what they were learning and how the experience impacted them thus far. Board Member Nzinga Lake made a presentation on the importance of being apart of this Pre-USM Program 2015 as an intern. "You have being given this wonderful opportunity to create long lasting relationships with your supervisors and co-workers and in the future you can use those lessons learned in establishing a successful business" said Lake.
COCI would like to extend gratitude to companies who partnered with us to make this program possible; N.V. GEBE, Windward Islands Bank, Maduro & Sons Inc., Leonard Enterprises N.V., Henderson Insurances, Baker Suites, Bureau Telecommunications and Post St. Maarten, Women's Health Services N.V., Telem Group of Companies, Antek IT Solutions, Brison Tax & Accounting, Department of Economic Licenses (Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication). Stakeholders in the business and surrounding communities are encouraged to contact us for further information/inquiries via email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and/ by phone: 1-721-542-3590/95 during operational hours Mondays – Fridays:8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On March 15,2015 the group of illegal workers of Surinam whom was working for Telem left the island without being deported from the island.

In the mean time the SMCU is aware that Telem requested work permits for this group of Surinam workers. SMCU is still of the opinion that this group of Surinam workers infringed with our laws and that they had to be deported with a penalty that they are not allowed to return to the island for a period of one year.

In the mean time SMCU send a mail to the head of the labor affairs department requesting that this office assures that these group of Surinam don't get working permits for the reason of the infringement of our laws. The names of the groups of illegal workers from Surinam could be collected by the labor inspector department to verified that those are the same names who had work at Telem and that they were stop by the department.

On Monday March 16,2015 management and union had a meeting in connection the Surinam workers. mrs Etnel was surprise that the union went to the media with the matter and didn't wait to speak to her, but Mrs Etnel forgot that management and union had a meeting on February 27,2015 where management and union agree that management would of opened the bid. So that the local contractor would get the opportunity to take part in the fiber project and three local contractors name was mention. SMCU don't understand how Mrs Etnel could be surprised with our action since management didn't lived up to the agreement reached on February 27, 2015.

Now Mrs Etnel is indicating that the fiber project is a pilot project where we from the SMCU are employees of the company and know that pilot project already took place and that now the project fiber to the home has started.

Mrs Etnel indicated that no biding would be open for the project that cost more or less a quarter of a million guilders. This practice of the company is against all norms and method of the company.

The board of directors up to now has not fall in to the matter or try to find out what is going on with the illegal workers nor the bidding for the project.

Here again is where SMCU is indicating that Telem needs a CEO urgently and that the board of directors are not functioning in their supervisory roll. SMCU also want for the council of ministers to dismiss the board of director and install new members on the board that yes can function.

SMCU has not yet received an answer from the letter sent to the prime minister in connection with the meeting SMCU had requested.

What was notice by SMCU that member of parliament Mr. Christopher Emmanuel posted some questions and investigation in the illegal workers, but SMCU find that an investigation in Telem also has to be requested to investigate the board of directors and the management team of Telem which is not functioning.

SMCU Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- After two full days of working under the hot sun, NIA's volunteers came out in droves to complete the beautiful, vibrant mural stretching along the Pondfill Road and Long Wall Roads. In cooperation with SXM Doet, the National Institute of the Arts (NIA) was one of many foundations across the Dutch Kingdom to participate in this years Doet- two national days of volunteering. The spirit of volunteerism was on proud display at NIA where kids of all ages, along with adults came forth and truly exemplify the essence Doet.

"The kids are very excited, they've shown up both days and have been integral to how well the mural looks. It's very interesting how art brings people out, pulls people in and gets them involved- it's hard to stay away from the vibrancy of the colors along with the excitement and energy permeating the space." Albina Matuzko (NIA Staff)

A highlight of the day was when Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Rita Bourne-Gumbs showed up, grabbed a brush and stepped right in with the rest of the volunteers. Her presence reaffirmed that volunteering is for everyone. No person is ever too little or too big to get involved with their community and become a volunteer.

NIA would truly like to thank everyone who came out and showed up to help paint the mural. Because of all the helping hands, this year's SXM Doet was a huge success and we look forward to creating more opportunities for volunteers to partake throughout the year. Gratitude is also extended to the creators of SXM Doet for the opportunity to be a host site for this years Doet.

Toronto:--- For over 15 years, the steering committee for the STEP Caribbean Conference has been meeting to produce of the world's best attended and most talked about trust conferences. What makes this off-shore financial services conference so unique is the ability of these steering committee members to work together for the good of the region and for the benefit of their individual jurisdictions – all at the same time.
Unlike other initiatives in the region that attempt to bring together disparate and distinct countries, the STEP Caribbean Conference not only manages to put aside individual country and branch agendas, but also manages to attract international delegates and sponsors and most importantly speakers to the table each and every year.
The STEP Caribbean region, part of the larger STEP worldwide association is fast becoming one of the most influential and largest regions in the STEP world. For the first time ever, the former STEP worldwide chair, Helene Lewis was from the BVI, marking a turning point for the global association.
"Not only has STEP Worldwide recognized the importance of the region in the global trust sector, but this conference has become one of the "must attend" events of the year" commented Lewis. "Every year for the past fifteen years, we welcome the world to one of our member jurisdictions and every year, they come in droves to the conference."
This year's conference in St Maartin, hosted by Anguilla, promises to deliver more of the same. Conference chair, Carlyle Rogers is confident that delegates will come away from the conference fully equipped to deal with the on-going turbulence of the sector on a macro scale.
"Our delegates know that they are going to be connected with senior colleagues, speakers who are clearly thought leaders in their areas of expertise and a host of new business connections and opportunities," commented Rogers.
For a list of participating jurisdictions, the steering committee, conference program, speakers, to register for the conference or become a sponsor or exhibitor, please visit:
www.stepcaribbeanconference.com

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday March 25th the police recruits that are presently in training got a chance to experience what it is like to conduct or be part of a traffic control. The recruits were under the guidance of senior officers with many years of experience in police work. The recruits were quite enthusiastic and are very eager to learn.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the National Alliance William Marlin clarified on Wednesday when he was asked if he will lead his party in another parliamentary election. Marlin said that during the National Alliance congress in 2014 he along with the members of the National Alliance agreed that he will pass on the leadership of the party to its deputy leader Silveria Jacobs who was duly elected deputy leader. Marlin said that right now he is in a transition period as one could see that all press releases and invites are coming from the deputy leader of the National Alliance. Marlin said that one should also realize that the decision was not based on the amount of votes he got during the last election but should understand that it was a decision taken by the party and that contributed on how the voters vote on August 29th 2014. Marlin said that he will contest the other elections and if elected he will continue to serve his country just like he did over the years.
When asked if she was ready to take on the leadership of the party any time soon should there be early elections. Jacobs said that she did not want the press conference they called on Wednesday to refocus on who would lead the party instead she would prefer if members of the media would focus on the issues they raised. She further stated that the current leader William Marlin is a great asset to the National Alliance and one must know that there is always need for "pitbulls" to bite into certain issues when they arise.

People are fed up and wants to know what the UPP was Ready to do.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The four members of parliament from the National Alliance faction told reporters during a press briefing on Wednesday that they would like to know what the United Peoples Party was ready for when they campaigned in 2014 Parliamentary elections and won seven of the 15 parliamentary seats. Leader of the National Alliance William Marlin said it's very much unfortunate that the party that claimed they were ready cannot even produce a governing program or have a full cabinet in place to run the affairs of the people. "Both the people of St. Maarten and the National Alliance wants to know what the UPP was ready for, were they ready to govern the country and bring about the changes necessary in health care, social assistance, education, and improve the run-down infrastructure? As the National Alliance analyze the political situation, it's clear that those on the UP slate were only ready for themselves. They were ready to cut more deals and conduct their own private business, while using the infrastructure of government as their personal business enterprise to carry out their own agenda. Right now the people of St. Maarten are hopeless, they are tired of what they are getting, and they are also tired of what they are hearing and what they are not hearing from government."
Marlin said on the part of Government there is a tremendous silence and when Ministers are called to Parliament they are not ready to provide the answers and information Parliament requested. "The Ministers constantly would say they did not get the information, or they simply cannot provide the information that they were asked to submit to Parliament." Marlin said when they consulted with some of the Government owned companies they are told they are still waiting on government to approve certain things for them. Marlin said that one would think that after the formation process took place a complete cabinet would have been installed and a governing program would have been made available to the people and to parliament.
Deputy Leader of the National Alliance Silveria Jacobs in her remarks said the most burning issue at this present moment is the lack of a governing program. MP Jacobs said three weeks after the August 29th elections the first coalition was able to put a governing program in place which was based on strategic objectives that were linked to each Ministry.
She said that the current coalition is in office for almost one hundred days and to date there is no governing program which would allow parliament to hold a sensible debate. She said while the current coalition is in government for about three months the people went to the polls over five months now and they are still waiting to see progress, and to hear from their government. MP Jacobs said all the people are hearing about are the 'pet' projects of the UP Members and their coalition partners. She said on Wednesday morning she was listening to MP Frans Richardson who was on a radio program who said that he participated in the 2014 parliamentary elections because he wanted to get the opportunity to govern his country and he could not do so from the opposition benches. "When I listened to the MP I see there are people with their own objectives and I don't see a unified approach as to how this coalition would run the country, this is indeed a grave concern for the people of this country." MP Jacobs said she believes that government must go to Parliament and inform both the people and parliament what their goals are and what they aim to achieve within the next four years or at least this Parliamentary year. She said they want to know what is government's priority because the first coalition had that clearly outlined in their governing program as well as to how they had intended to secure the finances to execute their vision.
Furthermore, MP Jacobs said that it is almost impossible for one Minister to hold the Education, Health and Labor portfolios for so long since both of them are very heavy portfolios. MP Jacobs said they asked about the state of education on St. Maarten and they were promised to them, she said that since 2011 this was promised and to date it is not delivered. She said the current situation is an insult to the people of St. Maarten and it's time for the government to start acting responsively because they were elected to represent all the people of St. Maarten.
MP Christopher Emmanuel said that it is clear that the current coalition does not have any leadership. "There is one individual "Theo Heyliger" that has been controlling government." Emmanuel said that was blatant in the Parliamentary meeting held on Tuesday to discuss the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation. He said it is impossible that the Prime Minister would tell Parliament that he could not get information from a foundation for the past three months to submit to Parliament. He questioned the type of leadership St. Maarten has. He said Marcel Gumbs is the Prime Minister that holds the Housing portfolio yet he is saying he cannot obtain the information Parliament requested. "This is the person heading the Council of Ministers and is responsible for housing yet he says he cannot obtain information. That shows that something is wrong with leadership in St. Maarten." Emmanuel said it's been three weeks now the National Alliance submitted a request to the chair of Parliament requesting an urgent meeting of Parliament to further discuss Checkmate Security and the St. Maarten Harbor Group of Companies and to date the chair of parliament has not scheduled the meeting. He said he listed a number of questions regarding the contract because it is not normal for a government owned company to amend a valid contract and increase its fees for that company by $2M. Emmanuel said that the strategy from the current coalition is to keep the matter quiet and soon enough people will forget. He made clear that will not happen because the National Alliance will continue to hammer issue until they get the answers they need. He said the people of St. Maarten has a right to know what is taking place in their country. Emmanuel said that there are number of issues affecting St. Maarten especially when it comes to government owned companies and the services they are offering to its people. "This country is being controlled by one individual and that person is Theo Heyliger who campaigned that the UP was ready, one thing I can say is that the National Alliance is ready to govern this country and to move it forward. People can laugh as much as they want but one must know that St. Maarten is facing a crisis because the country is lacking leadership. The current coalition is busy cutting deals in Santo Domingo with Rainforest Adventures and they are not addressing the issues affecting the people. It is unfortunate that the individual that is holding the country hostage is no longer a visionary, and I really believe in any other democratic country that would be called dictatorship."
MP George Pantophlet said that he too listened to MP Richardson who was on the radio trying to dance his way out of why he supported the current coalition. MP Pantophlet said that the people of St. Maarten are suffering while politicians are pursuing their personal agendas. He said it's clear to everyone that only one set of people benefitting from the economy. MP Pantophlet said after he spoke about the high fuel costs for months if not years it decreased somewhat but in less than one month the same fuel clause begin increasing rapidly. MP Pantophlet said he submitted a letter to the Minister of Economic Affairs asking some specific questions and so far he did not get a response from the Minister. MP Pantophlet said when one look at the high cost of living including gasoline and other merchandize it is clear that those that are benefitting at the mercy of the people will not change their modus oprandi. The MP said that there is $20.00 on the GEBE bill which they said will not be removed. He said they know exactly who is benefitting from these monies.
MP Pantophlet said the National Alliance intends to call the Minister of Finance to Parliament for him to explain to the people of St. Maarten why he has someone on the job who openly admitted that he cannot handle the job he is given. MP Pantophlet said very soon the workers at inspectorate of taxes (audit department) will take industrial actions because they cannot get along with the head of the department who made clear that he cannot handle his job. Due to this the workers and the current head are at loggerheads because he is making policies that are in conflict with the LLMA.
The Member of Parliament said that when the former government was in office an MOU was signed with SOAB for internal controls but as soon as the government changed that MOU was abandoned, basically they dismantled the department and the person who was working there was sent back to her former function. Pantophlet said that during one of the central committee meetings they were told that two financial controllers left and to date the positions are not filled. These are some things the Minister of Finance will have to explain to parliament very soon.
Another issue MP Pantophlet raised is the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SMCDF). He said that 70 year woman who held a booth for 19 years was denied one this year,. He said the person was not given a warning, but she was told that she could not get a booth because of hygienic reasons, yet they did not put anything in writing. MP Pantophelt further stated that the SMCDF will soon have to open their books to Parliament.
Leader of the National Alliance William Marlin further explained that he understood that government signed a long lease with Rainforest Adventure for part of Emilio Wilson Estate. He said he did not see the long lease, but he is curious to know the price of the long lease that was signed especially knowing how much government paid for the estate that was supposed to be the people's patrimony. Marlin said he is also looking forward to hear what the acting Minister of VROMI will say about that when he is called to Parliament especially knowing that government wanted to buy the VORST Estate for $495 per square meter.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Culture Hon. Rita Bourne-Gumbs welcomes the unveiling by the United Nations (UN) of a permanent memorial in New York on Wednesday, March 25 honoring the victims of the transatlantic slave trade.

The permanent memorial is entitled 'The Ark of Return,' and is designed by Rodney Leon, an American architect of Haitian descent. It pays tribute to the courage of slaves, abolitionists and unsung heroes while promoting greater recognition of the contributions made by slaves and their descendants to societies worldwide.
The transatlantic slave trade is unique within the universal history of slavery for three main reasons: its duration of approximately four centuries; those victimized: black African men, women and children; and the intellectual legitimization attempted on its behalf, the development of an anti-black ideology and its legal organization, the notorious Code noir.

As a commercial and economic enterprise, the slave trade provides a dramatic example of the consequences resulting from particular intersections of history and geography. It involved several regions and continents: Africa, America, the Caribbean, Europe and the Indian Ocean.
The transatlantic slave trade is often regarded as the first system of globalization. According to French historian Jean-Michel Deveau the slave trade and consequently slavery, which lasted from the 16th to the 19th century, constitute one of "the greatest tragedies in the history of humanity in terms of scale and duration".

The transatlantic slave trade was the biggest deportation in history and a determining factor in the world economy of the 18th century. Millions of Africans were torn from their homes, deported to the American continent and sold as slaves.

The transatlantic slave trade, often known as the triangular trade, connected the economies of three continents. It is estimated that between 25 to 30 million people, men, women and children, were deported from their homes and sold as slaves in the different slave trading systems. In the transatlantic slave trade alone the estimate of those deported is believed to be approximately 17 million. These figures exclude those who died aboard the ships and in the course of wars and raids connected to the trade.

The trade proceeded in three steps. The ships left Western Europe for Africa loaded with goods which were to be exchanged for slaves. Upon their arrival in Africa the captains traded their merchandise for captive slaves.

Weapons and gun powder were the most important commodities but textiles, pearls and other manufactured goods, as well as rum, were also in high demand. The exchange could last from one week to several months.
The second step was the crossing of the Atlantic. Africans were transported to America to be sold throughout the continent. The third step connected America to Europe. The slave traders brought back mostly agricultural products, produced by the slaves. The main product was sugar, followed by cotton, coffee, tobacco and rice.

The circuit lasted approximately eighteen months. In order to be able to transport the maximum number of slaves, the ship's steerage was frequently removed. Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, England and France, were the main triangular trading countries.

PHILIPSBURG:---The Kingdom delegation to the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59) struck a powerful image to many in attendance over the last two weeks.

CSW59, which ran from March 9 to March 20 and was themed, "Beijing+20", brought together country representatives and leaders of non-governmental, faith based and civil society organizations to review the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, adopt a new political statement, share information on their countries advances and challenges and offer opportunities for discussions on how to further emancipate and empower women in the coming years.

The Kingdom delegation was led by Minister Jet Bussemaker of the Netherlands and was also comprised of ministers from each of the other countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Minister of Education, Family Policy and Lifelong Learning, Michelle Hooyboer – Winklaar represented Aruba, Minister of Social Development, Labour and Welfare, Ruthmilda Larmonie – Cecilia represented Curacao and Sint Maarten was represented by Minister Plenipotentiary Josianne Fleming – Artsen who attended on behalf of Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports and Public Health, Social Development and Labour, Rita Bourne – Gumbs.

During the CSW59 time was allotted for each country to present a seven minute statement to the General Assembly on its vision for women in the next decades. Minister Bussemaker presented this statement on behalf of the Netherlands with the three other ministers sitting beside her. She was clear that while she read the statement it was on behalf of the entire delegation and Kingdom.

"Mister / Madam Chair, the Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of four autonomous countries: Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands. It is therefore that we are proud to be here together at this CSW with four ministers from all our countries and I feel privileged that I can make this statement also on their behalf," Bussemaker read.

Bussemaker noted that while some advances had been made over the past years, there were still areas which needed considerable effort and collective input for improvements to be realized.

"Twenty years after Beijing we are forced to conclude that the position of women and girls around the world has improved only marginally.

This shows that agreements on paper are not sufficient. We need to achieve more if we are to ensure that women and girls can actually go to school. Can be financially independent. Can be free of discrimination. And can feel safe. As a society, we have to take our responsibility. This applies across the board: from governments to schools, from sports clubs to the United Nations," she added.

"It's up to us to support the brave women around the world who dare to take a stand to improve the position of women. The support we are providing through inclusive finance is an excellent example. By providing micro loans to help women set up small businesses, we are helping them to become financially independent. Alongside the old boys' network, it's time to establish a great girls' network, and why not at a global level? Women need to help each other. Our generation stands on the shoulders of previous generations. It's our duty to stand strong and offer that same support to the generations to come. Change starts with you and with me, and with what we do when we leave this room. We cannot hide behind organizations and institutions, and we cannot look away from what is happening in our own back yard," the Minister read.

Then Minister ended by acknowledging the He4She campaign, which she said has been one of the most effective campaigns concerning gender in United Nations history.

"This campaign emphasizes that working towards equal rights is not simply a task for women. Men too can speak out in support of gender equality. One of many reasons why we should look to the future with hope!" the minister concluded.

After the statement many in attendance remarked that the presence of the four female ministers and their support staff struck a powerful chord with them, because the picture they presented illustrated exactly the kind of emancipation and empowerment of women that the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action spoke about some twenty years ago.

Throughout the conference each minister had the opportunity to speak at different events and each acknowledged that while the Kingdom of the Netherlands has been and continues to be a forerunner in the women's emancipation and empowerment movement there is still work to be done on all fronts in each of the four countries.

PHILIPSBURG:---  Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee Integrity will meet in a House session on March 26.

The Ad Hoc Committee meeting is set for Thursday at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is related to a discussion on setting the perimeters for the Permanent Committee Integrity.
Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

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

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

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):--- The National Disaster Management Organization on Sint Maarten, through the Office of Disaster Management (ODM) in Cay Hill which is located at the Fire Department will be participating in a regional Exercise called Caribe Wave Lantex 15 on Wednesday, March 25.
The purpose of the exercise is to assist tsunami preparedness efforts in the Caribbean and Adjacent regions, including US and Canadian Gulf and east coasts.
Caribe Wave Lantex 15 is a Caribbean Tsunami Warning Exercise and the Sint Maarten ODM will be testing its communication channels and delivery of the dummy warning messages received from the US Pacific and National Tsunami Warning Centers and disseminated to all stakeholders.
The dummy warning messages are issued to test communications with Tsunami Warning Focal Points and Emergency Management Organizations.
Two exercise scenarios are planned. One entails a tsunami generated by a magnitude 8.5 earthquake located just north of Panama in the southwest Caribbean Sea.
The second scenario is a landslide offshore Florida which generates a tsunami.
The Intergovernmental Coordination Group for Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (ICG/CARIBE EWS) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the US National Tsunami Hazard mitigation Program, are the entities involved in carrying out the tsunami exercise on March 25.
The tsunami warning exercise is being conducted to assist tsunami preparedness efforts throughout the Caribbean region. Recent tsunamis, such as those in the Indian Ocean (2004), Samoa (2009), Haiti and Chile (2010), and Japan (2011), attest to the importance of proper planning for tsunami response.
Historical tsunami records from sources such as the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center show that over 75 tsunamis with high validity have been observed in the Caribbean over the past 500 years.
These represent approximately 7-10 per cent of the world's oceanic tsunamis. Earthquake, landslide, and volcanic tsunami sources have all impacted the region. Since 1843, almost 3,500 people have lost their lives to tsunamis in the Caribbean.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):--- Collective Prevention Services (CPS) of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), says that tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a burden around the world as nations came together on Tuesday, March 24 to raise awareness about TB on World Tuberculosis Day.
This year's theme is: "Find, Treat, Cure TB."
The World Health Organization's (WHO) End TB Strategy envisions a world free of TB with zero deaths, disease and suffering.
It sets targets and outlines actions for governments and partners to provide patient-centred care, pursue policies and systems that enable prevention and care, and drive research and innovations needed to end the epidemic and eliminate TB.
On World TB Day, the WHO calls on governments, affected communities, civil society organizations, health-care providers, and international partners to join the drive to roll out this strategy and to reach, treat and cure all those who are ill today.
37 million lives were saved through effective diagnosis and treatment between 2000-2013; and 480,000 people developed multidrug resistant TB in the world in 2013.
The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) joined the Region on Tuesday in observing the day. TB ranks as the second leading cause of death from infectious disease, after HIV.
TB remains a public health priority for the Caribbean region with more than 30,000 new cases occurring every year. Persistent cough, fatigue, fever, night sweats, and weight loss are common signs and symptoms of TB, and persons experiencing these symptoms should consult their doctor.
TB remains a major global health problem, responsible for illness among nine million new people each year, and deaths of 1.5 million, according to CARPHA.

Technical Director Stresses need for continued vigilance and heightened security at all times

Pond Island:--– TelEm Group's Technical Department has confirmed that internet and mobile data services were restored at approximately 10:00 am Tuesday morning following a second outage of service at the start of the business day – the first outage occurred Monday after a reported cyber attack on company equipment.
According to Chief Technical Officer (CTO) Mr. Eldert Louisa, Tuesday morning's outage was caused because a number of IP addresses were not being routed properly throughout the public internet system. He said that situation is under control and is being closely monitored for any other suspect activity.
"Data services for mobile subscribers should now be available along with the internet connections of ADSL subscribers," said Mr. Louisa. He said however, in the event DSL customers are not connected, they should re-set their modems before calling the TelEm Helpdesk at Tel: 548-HELP (548-4357) for further assistance.
"We believe this morning's outage is a residual effect of the cyber-attack we experienced Monday. We prepared for such an eventuality by closely monitoring all systems, so we were able to respond quickly and decisively to restore data and internet services once unusual activity from one IP address was noticed," continued Mr. Louisa.
He said Monday's cyber-attack has once again brought attention to malicious forces around the world who take pleasure in causing disruptions of this kind.

"We do our best to maintain high security protocols and to be alert at all times, but even with the best ISP's some attacks manage to get through. We therefore have to find new counter-measures to deal with sometimes newer and more sophisticated attacks," said Mr. Louisa.
The Technical Director said the company will also be revisiting its own processes and procedures as it relates to an oversea company charged with maintaining a defensive wall against such attacks from the outside.
"We will be checking with the security company to see why they did not intercept this attack and whether their system or ours have been compromised in any way," said Mr. Louisa.
He confirmed a similar report from the company immediately after Mondays interruption in service, that TelEm Group is also in contact with other experts in the field regarding other permanent responses to this latest assault on the company's networks.

Pond Island:---  Wednesday the 25th day of the month and at exactly 12: 25 pm in the afternoon, promoters of the upcoming TelCell Night of the Hit-Makers carnival concert will be offering tickets at a greatly reduced price of $25 dollars to music and dance fans.

The tickets are being sold at the TelEm Group main building on Pond Island on a first-come-first-served basis.

It's part of a 25-25-25 promotion to whip up interest in the hottest act for carnival this year, making tickets more affordable for families and groups of persons seeking to purchase multiple tickets.

"Last time we did this we had a sell-out of the number of tickets reserved for the reduced price promotion, so I am advising everyone, early, to line up if they have to, for the 25-25-25 sweep to make use of this great deal," said show promoter in collaboration with sponsor TelCell, Berteaux "Mr. Rude" Fleming.

He said in anticipation of a rush for available tickets, a sales team will be setting up two separate stations for one hour only starting dead on 12:25pm and ending at 1:25 pm sharp – unless all tickets are sold out before the allotted time.

The sale is once again being held to generate interest in the show that boasts of having the largest dance floor in the entire region, featuring some super-hot Caribbean artistes, amongst whom is a re-energized Destra, Youth Waves, Kerwin Du Bois, Carimi and Era.

PHILIPSBURG: --- The National Alliance Faction in Parliament has given Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs two weeks to gather all information regarding the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation if not actions will be taken against the Prime Minister for failure to provide information to Parliament.
In the continuation meeting held on Tuesday Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs informed Parliament that he did not receive the information they requested from the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF). The Prime Minister said the only document he had in his possession was the letter sent to the Managing Director Henry Lynch and Emilio Kalmeria who were suspended then terminated on February 4th 2015. The meeting on Tuesday was a continuation meeting to discuss the suspension of the managing director and director finances of SMHDF, and why did the former Minister of VROMI Maurice Lake chose to stop a forensic investigation that the board of SMHDF commissioned with SOAB. The meeting was requested by Members of Parliament of the National Alliance Faction.
In a point of order during the meeting MP William Marlin informed the chair of Parliament that on January 26th 2015 the Prime Minister indicated to Parliament that as soon as he has more information from SMHDF he will forward it to the Parliament of St. Maarten but that did not take place up until Tuesday when the meeting was called for the third time. MP Marlin said that it's almost two months now the documents were promised and prior to continuing with the meeting he wants to know if the Prime Minister was in possession of the remaining documents that parliament requested.
Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs then informed Parliament that he did not get any documents Parliament requested. He said the only document he had was the letter given to the persons that were suspended/dismissed. Prime Minister Gumbs said he had no problem sharing that document with Parliament. Prime Minister Gumbs further stated that he requested SMHDF to provide government with several documents including the articles of the incorporation for the foundations, the audit reports and the copy of the assignment letter to SOAB and copy of the letter or email to SOAB by former Minister Maurice Lake to halt the investigation. Prime Minister Gumbs said that he did not receive any of the documents he requested even though he sent a follow up letter to the SMHDF and SMHFF.
Therefore, Member of Parliament and leader of the National Alliance William Marlin asked that the meeting be adjourned for another two weeks which will give the Prime Minister enough time to get the information Parliament requested in order for Parliament to have a proper debate.
MP Marlin said based on the information provided by the Prime Minister he wants to make clear that it is Parliament's duty to supervise government. He said that SMHDF is not a government owned company instead it's a foundation and if they cannot get pertinent information they requested then what should Parliament do? MP Marlin further questioned how they could proceed with the meeting and having a sensible debate? He made clear that it is unacceptable that three months after a crucial situation the Prime Minister showed up in Parliament empty handed. MP Marlin proposed that the meeting be adjourned again which would give the Prime Minister a second chance to get the information from the SMHDF. He said that if the Prime Minister cannot secure the information they requested then they will have to take another route or take other actions since it is unacceptable for the Prime Minister to show up to Parliament without the necessary information they requested. MP Marlin also insisted that a date be set for the continuation of the meeting and to ensure that he sent the requested documents before the meeting is called again.
MP Leona Marlin Romeo asked that the Prime Minister bring to Parliament the financials for the years 2011, 2012, and 2013 since three persons were dismissed from their functions and according to her this information can be found online.
The meeting will reconvene on April 7th 2015 at 2pm.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Daycare division of the Inspectorate of Health, Labor and Social Development held an informative session on March 13, 2015 at the A.C.Wathey Conference Hall. The session, which was the first of three for the year, was facilitated by the Head of the Daycare Division, Mrs. Denise Cornet.
The purpose of the session was to inform Daycare center owners/providers about regulations that apply to them and understanding those which will help enhance the standards of their centers.
The session was attended by 31 daycare center owners/providers established on the island. The providers in attendance acquired a wealth of information from senior government officials representing various ministries as well as semi-government agencies:
Mrs. Dana. Kweekel, legal advisor for Inspectorate of Health, Labor and social Development, provided information pertaining to the ordinance governing day care establishments and the operating of such.
Mrs. Esther Halley, Head of the Registration Department at SZV provided information pertaining to the importance and prerequisites required for registering the center's employees;
Ms. Parveen Broertje, Manager Levy Department at SZV informed the gathering about compliance by the employer.
Mrs. Gwendolyn Mossel, Coordinator Legal Affairs & Policy and Mr. August Emmanuel, Head National Reporting Bureau on Human Trafficking provided information pertaining to the requirements and application procedure for residency permits.

Mrs. Shirley Priest, Section Head Employment Permits at the Labor Department spoke about the process with respect to application procedures for employment permits.
Mrs. Ruth Patrick, Office Manager and Mrs. Esmina Joseph, Administrative Support Staff of the Chamber of Commerce provided information about the registration of a foundation and/or business. Also representing the CoC was Ms. Sharlise Phillips, Member of the Board, who discussed the subject of "the opening and closure of a business".
The information session culminated in a "Question and Answer" session and social gathering. The Inspectorate's organizes such sessions for specifically the providers to inform them on the various aspects of inspection and control.

Sucker Garden:--- The Ladies Basketball Championship came to a close on Sunday March 22nd as the LBC All First Team and LBC All Second Team which consisted of the top 14 players for the season played against each other for one last fun game. The LBC All Second Team really came out to play and neither team lead by more than 5 points in the first half.

The LBC All Second Team played a very good third quarter and lead by 7 after the third quarter. The LBC All First Team really stepped up their defense in the fourth quarter that lead to easy scores and they came back and won the game 58-51.

The LBC All First Team was lead by Claudia Fleming with 17 points, Daricia Arrindell with 10 points and Jamaiah Newton-Herbert with 9 points.
The LBC All Second Team was lead by Diasha Ferdinand with 13 Points, Shandria Lake with 11 points and Wendy Jack with 10 points.

The Walichi Basketball Association would like to thank all the fans that came out on Sunday to enjoy the game but also all those who came out throughout the Ladies Basketball Championship season.

PHILIPSBURG:---- On Saturday, March 21, the Social Economic Council (SER) bid farewell to union stalwart William Reed. Mr. Reed was a member of the SER from its inception in May 2011. As the SER ordinance stipulates a maximum age of 70, Reed had to step down as a member of the SER upon reaching that age.
In the presence of his family and colleagues William Reed was praised by Chairwoman Oldine Bryson-Pantophlet and former Chairman Arthur Bute for his contribution during the establishment phase of the SER. The SER was one of the new institutions established after October 10, 2010 as a result of Sint Maarten attaining country status within the Kingdom. Chairwoman Oldine Bryson-Pantophlet referred to Reed's strong opinions, his decisiveness, and the manner in which he spoke his mind during the meetings.
His now former colleagues can recall Reed's outspokenness during the handling of the Dollarization and short term labor contracts advice, he would often stress the significance of mistakes made in the past and the importance of getting things done in the right way.
SER substitute member Aurillio Baly praised Mr. Reed for his mentorship role and advice he received throughout the years. He stressed that Mr. Reed always maintained his composure and knew what to say at the right time.
In his farewell speech Mr. Reed thanked fellow members, staff, government departments, for their contributions to the buildup process of the SER. He considered it a team effort and stressed that he will always be there for the SER. In closing he wished the institution guidance and perseverance with its work.
The SER was privileged to draw of the expertise of William Reed with an impressive career spanning decades as a union leader. Mr. Reed's contribution to our community is well documented.

Pond Island:---  Judges have started scouting St. Maarten's hottest Latin dance spots in search of the island's hottest bachata dance couples.
Starting at La Bamba in Simpson Bay, Tuesday night, judges will be naming the first winning couple after assessing all couples on the dance floor.

The judges move on to Rancho, also in Simpson Bay on Saturday, March 28th to find the second winning couple and then to Son Latino on the A. Th. Illidge Road on Sunday March 29 to select the final winning couple.
Once all three winning couples have been named, the judges will ask guests at the three nightspots, along with members of the public to vote for their favourite bachata dance couple, by sending an SMS message to 7511 choosing Couple #1, Couple #2 or Couple #3 as the overall winner.
The couple with the most SMS votes will be officially announced as St. Maarten's hottest bachata dance couple during the April 28th Latin night in which top Latin acts Grupo Niche, Miriam Cruz, Frank Reyes and La Nueva Escuela will be performing.
The event is being organized by Montage Events, in collaboration with mobile provider TelCell.
Grisha Heyliger-Marten of Montage N.V., is encouraging members of the public to turn out at each location to have fun, support the local dancers and help the judges select the best dance couple from each of the three locations being scouted.
"TelCell is making it possible for latin-music and bachata fans to also have a say by sending an SMS message to 7511 from each of the locations voting for their favourite couple," said Grisha.
She said even those who cannot see the dancers in person tonight or on any of the other nights, can still see how they perform when a recording of their bachata dance routines are posted on TelCell and Montage facebook pages after the three finalists have been named.

Pond Island:--– TelEm Group has traced a five hour interruption in company's high speed ADSL internet service to malicious hackers who directed a cyber attack aimed at bringing down the Internet Service Provider (ISP) network.
Logs reviewed by technicians last night showed unusual activity from one particular IP address Monday afternoon with increasing broadcasts from the same IP address for a number of hours until the network was compromised and brought down.
According the Manager, Network Engineering, Mr. Jed Carty, the attack was directed against TelEm Group by malicious person or persons who so far have not been identified.
"We have reported the incident to the relevant authorities who make it a point of following the IP address trails of such attacks to identify where they are coming from and to warn other ISPs around the world about their operations," said Mr. Carty.
He said Monday's cyber attack left customers throughout the island without mobile data and ADSL internet connections for close to five hours while the malicious IP address and other suspect IP addresses were isolated from the company's switching equipment.
"No ISP is totally immune from such attacks, but we will be monitoring all broadcasts more closely over the coming days to guard against any new attacks and to be ready for an immediate response should another attack occur," assured Mr. Carty.
He said customers literally flooded the company's Helpdesk for the best part of the day Monday enquiring about the outage.
"Up until late last night the Helpdesk was still assisting customers with reconnections and reconfigurations," said Mr. Carty. He advised customers to unplug and restart their modems as a first step to getting their connections restored and also advised customers to call TelEm Helpdesk on Tel: 548 – HELP should they still be experiencing difficulty.
Mr. Carty has meantime apologized to customers on behalf of TelEm Group management for the interruption in service.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Last week approximately 80 staff members of Seventh Day Adventist, Asha Stevens and Helmich Snijders Christian Schools spent two afternoons on training themselves in the use of ICT and Technology in the classroom. The level of excitement was very high and overall teachers were very happy with the practical approach of the workshops.
A total of 21 workshops were conducted. Teachers had the opportunity to choose from 12 different topics based on their interest and skills. Among the different workshops were sessions that focused on how to integrate technology in the FBE learning centers, focusing on differentiated and personalized learning. Teachers Prince and Williams shared with their colleagues the advantages and possibilities of combining the use of ICT and our national curriculum.
Another very popular workshop, presented by Ms. Clara George, introduced teachers to the miracles of Augmented Reality. Mrs. Georgiane Henriquez introduced participants to the wonders of digital storytelling, the modern way of the old-fashioned way of telling stories. The Philipsburg Jubilee library let the teachers practice with the use of 'Animoto', a very user-friendly program that allows easy video making. Myrna Richardson explained on how ICT can be used with children who have special learning needs and Uredise Stanford let the teachers practice with QR codes and document cameras. Marcus Nicolaas conducted two workshops focusing on computer arts and the digital board software 'Classflow',which was launched last year and can be used with any digital board.
A webinar was held for teachers who wanted to learn more about 'Easytech' an online ICT curriculum model that offers ready available ICT classes, but also allows teachers to create their own lessons using ICT in the regular subject areas.
The IT managers of the schools gave some deeper insight in the working of SkoolControl, the management software program that supports the network and all devices for students and teachers.
Teachers received the workshops very well, which became obvious through the evaluation forms that were filled out at the end of the sessions. With a grading scale of 1-10, the average score of all workshops was 8.4, which can be considered as an excellent score and shows the quality of the workshops and the high interest of the teachers. Almost all teachers shared that they had an excellent experience, that the content of the workshops was really helpful for their daily teaching and that they are looking forward to more ICT related professional development training.
The Foresee Foundation/DigiKidz team is planning to have a full two-day regional conference on the integration of ICT in teaching later this year. This conference will be sponsored by UNESCO, who encourages 21st century learning and the increased use of technology in schools.

GREAT BAY: --- NAGICO Insurances; is extending a big thank you to the community of St. Maarten, especially to the emergency services, which supported the NAGICO to NAGICO (N2N) Cycling race over the weekend.
NAGICO is the title sponsor of the N2N race which kicked off Friday night on the Causeway Bridge. The competition drew scores of excited onlookers and participants who, followed the race over the weekend, from the Dutch to the French Side of the island where it ended in a nail biting finish with the winner; Nicholas Dumont crossing the finish line with just 1 second before the second place winner.
"This was indeed the largest turn out we have had in this our third edition of the N2N race and we want to thank the Red Cross and the Police for doing an awesome job," a press release issued by NAGICO stated. "It is very commendable that even with the increase in the number of supporters, the police were able to manage the traffic and do crowd control, allowing us to have a seamless incident free three day event and for that we want to acknowledge their services and thank them for their contribution."
The N2N race is a collaborative partnership between NAGICO and the Velo Club de Grand Case (VCG).

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Thursday March 19th, 2015 the first Tri-Partite deliberations were held at the Ministry of Justice on the A.Th Illidge Road. In attendance were the Ministers of Justice of Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten, respectively the Honourable Minister Arthur Dowers, the Honourable minister mr Nelson Navarro, and the host of this meeting the Honourable Minister Dennis L. Richardson.
The purpose of this deliberation was mainly to focus on justice related issues all three Kingdom partners are being confronted with in terms of Immigration, Cooperation in the area of combatting international organized crime, and other pertinent matters. The Ministers were joined by their respective Secretary Generals.
An interactive presentation was given to the Ministers of Justice of Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten, about the Justice Information System (JIS) which is currently in the process of development on Sint Maarten.
The JIS is being developed to interactively link in the first place the entire Justice chain which will aid in the exchange of information between departments and other law enforcement entities as well as support policy development at the Ministry of Justice.
A bidding process was carried out based on a well-defined project proposal entailing the wants and needs identified by the Ministry of Justice and there supporting entities. The well renowned firm KPMG was awarded the contract to design and execute this project.
An interactive demo of the use of this system was given on Wednesday March 18th , with the Court of Guardianship as the entity utilizing the system. A presentation on its use and the need for such was given to those in attendance by the Director of the Court of Guardianship, Richelda Emanuel.
The Tri-Partite deliberations will continue to take place on a quarterly basis as all parties have indicated the need, willingness and necessity.

ANGUILLA:---  The St. Maarten Golf Team was crowned the 2015 Champion of the annual 3 country golf tournament between Anguilla, St. Martin and St. Maarten. After 5 years, the 20 member St. Maarten Team finally succeeded in winning this prestigious cup.

The tournament that was held in Stableford format took place at the Greg Norman designed Golf Course at Cuisinart Golf Resort in Anguilla and was a true battle that went right down to the wire. When all scores were added up only 1 point separated champions St. Maarten who scored 555 points, with runner up St. Martin who scored 554 points. Anguilla took 3rd place with a total of 532 points.

With a golf course in pristine condition, blue skies and light winds, all ingredients were there for good scores. The 20 member St. Maarten Golf team led by Captain Keith Graham rose to the occasion and scored more points than any of the winning teams in previous years. The top scorers on the St. Maarten team were Marc Grenouilleau (40 points), Marc van Iersel (38 points), Rodney Tackling (35 points) and Howard Hobgood (34 points).

A special thanks goes out to the Cuisinart Golf Club and their Golf Staff that in collaboration with the Anguilla Golf Association once again, organized a wonderful and flawless event. After the fierce battle all teams enjoyed a delightful lunch in great camaraderie at the Golf Course.

The St. Maarten team consisted of members of the St. Maarten Golf Association SMGA. For this occasion, the SMGA took the opportunity to give back to their membership by sponsoring the registration and participation fee for all members of the team.

The 20 member St. Maarten Golf Team consisted of the following players: Keith Graham, Kit Lee, Howard Hobgood, Reginald Bates, Marc Grenouilleau, Peter Parisi, Rodney Tackling, Stanley Samuel, Sam Bashir, Joanna Ambron, Marc van Iersel, David Ward, Gitte Poulsen, Frank Jespersen, Ricardo Perez, Sidsel Jacobsen, Richard Gibson, Tony Burn, Jesus Rivera and our last minute super substitution Jonathan Haillant!

For more information on tournaments or SMGA membership please contact the Golf Shop at the Mullet Bay Golf Course or like us on Facebook for the latest news: https://www.facebook.com/St.MaartenGolfAssociation

Saunders Welcome Sign not paid for --- procedures were not followed.

PHILIPSBURG:--- There seems to be more in the mortar than in the pestle when it comes to the construction of the FBO section at the Princess Juliana International Airport. SMN News learnt that the Fixed Based Operations (FBO) project that have to be constructed at the Princess Juliana International Airport is creating more problems even though Taliesin Construction legally won the bid. According to information provided to SMN News some five companies were invited by PJIAE to submit their bids for the project. They are Windward Roads. MNO, Design Choice, Taliesin Construction and a Curacao based Construction Company. Of the five Taliesin Construction won the bid but today the construction company it is alleged is having problems executing its work because both the Prime Minister of St. Maarten and leader of the United Peoples Party are upset that PJIAE did not invite LICCOM to participate in the bidding process. Sources said that LICCOM and PJIAE were in court, thus PJIAE did not invite the company to participate in the bidding process.
SMN News learnt that the Prime Minister allegedly sent out a 'text message" to someone informing them that if the contract is not given to LICCOM he will not sign the building permit.
Another issue pending is the remodeling of the Central Bank that Taliesin Construction has to execute because they also won the bid for that project. SMN News learnt that the building permit for this project is also not signed since it has to do with Taliesin Construction.
SMN News highlighted some of these issues in a previous article regarding building permits that are sitting at the Department of VROMI unsigned.
Another issue that is plaguing MP Maurice Lake is the payment that has to be made to 2nd Avenue, the company he instructed to make the "WELCOME Sign" and place it in Saunders. Sources close to the former Minister said the former Minister of VROMI Maurice Lake gave 2nd Avenue instructions to build the sign without following procedures, this they said took place during the 2014 Parliamentary elections. The sources said that there is an outstanding bill for 2nd Avenue for $35,000.00. (NAF.60.000.00). A bill Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs will not sign off since procedures were allegedly not followed.
The source said MP Lake have been sending tons of emails to Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs requesting that he signs off on these payments and advices he left unfinished at the Department of VROMI but PM Gumbs it is alleged refused to deal with anything that seems political or illegal.
SMN News learnt that while Taliesin Construction seems to be having issues to execute its projects, discussions are underway with LICCOM to construct a second prison in Pointe Blanche. SMN News understands that this project will cost some NAF.10M and no bidding took place.

WILLEMSTAD:---- embers of the U.S. Consulate General Curaçao attended a ceremony on March 23rd, 2015 to commemorate the graduation of Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard watchstanders who have completed training on a newly installed search and rescue system. The system, known as "SAROPS" was purchased by the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard from the United States Coast Guard and installed at the Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) located on Parera Naval Base in Curacao. The new system will be used by the RCC to conduct search and rescue throughout more than 300,000 square kilometers of the Southern Caribbean.
SAROPS, or Search and Rescue Optimal Planning System, is a comprehensive search and rescue planning system developed by the United States Coast Guard for the planning and execution of almost all SAR cases in and around the United States, major portions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the Caribbean. Built into the system is the ability to access global and regional wind and current data sets making SAROPS the most comprehensive and powerful tool available for maritime SAR planners.
A team comprised of Search and Rescue experts from the United States Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington D.C. and SAROPS technicians from the Command, Control & Communications Engineering Center in Portsmouth, Virginia have traveled to Curacao, to install SAROPS and provide training in its use. Senior SAR expert, Rich Schaefer is leading the U.S. Coast Guard team. "SAROPS will greatly improve the modeling and search and rescue tools available to the watchstanders in the RCC and will result in more effective and efficient search efforts by the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard" said Mr. Schaefer. "Our team has been very impressed with the knowledge and professionalism of the watchstanders".
Commodore Hans Lodder, Director Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard says: "It goes without saying that saving people or ships in distress is one of our most important tasks. Now with SAROPS, I believe that the RCC is better prepared and equipped for Search and Rescue. Although it's important to have proper tools, the real quality in the end is determined by the personnel".
Consul General Moore was at a conference in Washington D.C. and unable to attend Monday's ceremony, but he had this to say about the coordination between the Dutch Caribbean and the U.S. Coast Guards: "Many people are aware of the tireless coordination between our Coast Guards to interdict drugs, so I believe it is important to raise awareness of
the many other ways in which we work together. This coordination will save lives of mariners in distress. What could be nobler than that"?
To accommodate the RCC's active schedule, the training is being provided in three sessions. RCC is the 5th foreign national SAR authority to obtain SAROPS. Other national administrations using SAROPS include: Malta, Mexico, Vietnam and Lebanon.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Tax Refund is a problem for the Sint Maarten tax community for decades. After conducting a thorough research B-Parker concludes that although in the local Tax Legislation it is mentioned that the taxpayer has the right to their tax refund, it is not stated when the taxpayer is entitled to it, is it 9 months, 1 year or 5 years. From several corners it is assumed that it will come automatically, but what is the time lapse that the Tax office is obliged to comply with in regards to the refunds.

Another question that arise is, if there is a possibility that the entitled refunds may become aged(verjaring) and what the tax payer must do to resurrect his refund rights as the tax legislation does not mention this subject in any paragraph. The Tax office guideline (inspectie beleid) is not disclosed to any taxpayer making it a tool to create unbalanced conditions in which the taxpayer is unfortunately stripped from his rights for fiscal transparency.

The Tax office has the authority to present an tax bill within a period of 5 years of a fiscal year, and therefore creates the buffer between tax payment and refund, a 5 year bracket is created, and in addition the Tax office can claim your tax refund rights aged and therefore is forfeit. It's the similar condition when the tax departments links the late filing of the tax returns to the refund which is a very unbalanced approach to condition a tax retaining environment. It is rather strange that this matter has remained a grey sector in the SXM Tax legislation for decades and is still an enigma for many on how to get a hold on their tax refunds short term.

A very unbalanced situation is the fact that the Receivers office will not set off refunds to open tax assessments, creating extra pressure on any taxpayer.

Another subject that becomes a discussion is, if the tax payer is entitled to interest on the refund. In any civil case if you are non compliant in payment the judge rules that you have the right to an interest income. The tax legislation has no defined article in which the interest right is even discussed. It is understandable that the Taxpayer feels like he is in a dungeon without any escape.
The unbalanced treatment and behavior in the implementation of the tax legislation triggered the Junior associates of Benjamin & Parker (www.ciara-sxm.com ) to organize the first Tax Express Clinic on April 11+12 at the Sunfed Building from 8.30 am to enlighten the taxpayer more about the matter and bring relief to the taxpayer awaiting his refund. For this event Mr. Jandroep, Tax Administration Specialist will be flown in to address this important topic with the SXM community and the business circle . The objective for this event is to bring tax solutions in a very practical way, assisting the taxpayer not on what to do, but how to do it to secure their tax refunds.

The SXM community is requested to take part in this event by making sure you reserve your appointment. Attend this event is your right to know, the truth about how the mechanism works in regards of your tax dollars. The contact persons for the

PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will meet in a public plenary session on March 24. This session is the continuation of the initial session that was held on December 22, 2014. On March 11, the meeting was called, but due to a lack of a quorum,, it could not continue and is now being reconvened.

The plenary session is set for Tuesday at 2.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is the request to the Governments Accountants Bureau SOAB to carry out a forensic investigation into the operations of the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF); the decision of the board of the SMHDF to suspend several members of the management team and the request of the Honourable Minister of VROMI, Maurice Lake to the SOAB to withdraw the current process with immediate effect.

This meeting was requested by the following parliamentary factions: National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. William Marlin, Democratic Party (DP) MP Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams, United St. Maarten (US) Party MP Hon. Frans Richardson, and NA MP Hon. Christophe Emmanuel.
Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

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

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

Pond Island:--- TelEm Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Mrs. Helma Etnel, says TelEm Group's involvement in carnival this year will be bigger than ever – thanks to the company's continued good relations with event partners, Xtratight Entertainment and the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF).
Mrs. Etnel made the bold pronouncement during a press conference last week to spotlight the upcoming Night of the Hitmakers musical extravaganza slated for the Festival Village April 24.
"We are proud to be the main sponsor for the Night of the Hitmakers where we can show our support, not only to the music culture of the Caribbean and the artistes who perform, but also to provide some entertainment to the St. Maarten community," said Mrs. Etnel.
Mrs. Etnel was especially pleased to hear from SCDF President, Michael Granger, that five airplane charters are fully booked to bring carnival revelers from Aruba to be present for the Night of the Hitmakers concert featuring a host or Caribbean and local performers. For Mr. Granger, this alone shows how the show has grown and its importance to carnival overall.
According to Mr. Granger the Night of the Hitmakers event is a "Flagship" show for Carnival. He thanked TelEm Group for sponsoring the event, and also for being the main sponsor of SCDF once again this year.
Promoter and Director of Xtratight Entertainment, Berteaux "Mr. Rude" Fleming is promising another night to remember when crowds show up to dance on the region's biggest dance floor to the sounds of Kerwin Du Bois, Destra, Carimi, Era and Youth Waves.
"Last year's Night of the Hitmakers was unforgettable, this year it will be an unforgettable extravaganza with another surprise to keep music lover talking long after the show has ended," said "Mr. Rude.
He told last week's press conference about the fantastic relationship that has development with the event's main sponsor, TelCell, and indeed the relationship that the show now has with all of its sponsors.
TelEm Group Manager, Marketing & Sales, Mr. Emile Van Der Weerd revealed that on top of the sponsorships, TelEm Group and TelCell will be featuring prominently in the various carnival activities, including a significant presence in the Jouvert Jump Up, Carnival parades and also at the Festival Village.
"We have a very special promotion for carnival in which we will be giving free phones to customers who top up their mobiles with US $100," said Mr. Van Der Weerd.
He said there will also be free wi-fi provided by TelEm Group at each event along with small promotional giveaways.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Several announcements during the past week have bolstered the confidence of the DP faction in some of our vital organizations to bring about the collaboration that is so necessary to move our country forward.

The agreement between the SHTA and USM and the partnership created, bodes well for the future of our country. This is the only way lasting progress will be achieved where the empowerment of our people is concerned. If we want to penetrate the labor market with local and homegrown professionals, we need to give them the tools to do and become exactly that.

Businesses that invest in the development and growth of their workers will thrive and when businesses thrive, our economy offers more opportunities for more people.
This is in stark contrast to the heavy-handedness propagated in some circles of our government today.

Every opportunity that provides the potential for increase of our human capital and contributes to our human development should be wholeheartedly embraced.

What is however regretful is that our government itself remains mum on its stance regarding these vital institutions.
We know e.g that a tertiary education draft law is on its way to Parliament.
How does this draft law jive with the ( new) ambitions of the USM?
Does this law offer the flexibility to USM to pursue its objectives?

Similar comments can be made regarding the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC). It is long overdue that the stakeholders in our public health sector have sat together to address the financial woes of our hospital. This is a most welcomed initiative and none too soon.

Nevertheless, our hospital is plagued by some serious and immediate financial issues. Our hospital needs the envisaged urgent improvements like yesterday. Our professionals at the SMMC have for too long been asked to "make do, better times are ahead".

Too many of our patients still need to be sent abroad at a growing cost, both to government and the patient who has to leave our shores.

We want to elevate SMMC to a regional hospital, but charity (proper and affordable health care) begins at home.

My urgent appeal to the government is therefore 2-fold:

1. Inform Parliament, USM and the general public what government's stance is regarding the USM and what actions will/has government initiate(d) to help realize USM goals and plans.
2. What are government's IMMEDIATE plans for the SMMC to turn things around at this institution and guarantee its survivability and sustainability?

DP Press Release.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Sint Maarten Nature Foundation is hosting two researchers from the Van Haal Larenstein Institute of Science who are conducting shark and ray research on Sint Maarten. The two researchers Jens Odinga and Olivier Kramer, are working with the Nature Foundation on researching the amount, type and location of sharks and rays in territorial waters, both of which have been protected on the island since 2012.

The researchers are being conducted using a system called Baited underwater Video Systems, or BRUVS that consist of tourist-grade "Handicam" video cameras in simple underwater housings made of PVC pipe with a bag of 'Japanese Bait' on the end of a bait. The housings are held in steel frames and are deployed and picked up after an hour of filming on the seabed.
The BRUV method has been developed by scientists of the Australian Institute of Marine Science in order to monitor the vast areas of deeper inter-reef and shelf habitats inaccessible to research divers so that important bioregions there can be included in marine protected areas.
BRUVS.
On Sint Maarten the BRUV System is being used in shallow waters as a simple and cost-effective way to monitor the shark population. BRUVS are non-invasive, give permanent records and are remotely controlled, so the animals get closer to the camera and are widely used in shark research in Australia, Fiji, South Africa and many other locations. The data collected will be used to establish behavior and migration patterns and species numbers which can then be used to support fisheries management and mapping for breeding grounds both inside and outside of the Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area.
Those who are interested can visit the Nature Foundation YouTube Page YouTube/NFSXM to see videos of the BRUVS in action.

PHILIPSBURG:----  United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Maurice Lake says the social media rumours and the story in a daily newspaper over the weekend where it mentions that he is involved in a plot to throw down government and send home the Cabinet of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs as untrue and baseless.

MP Lake who is currently off island says that he was informed about the rumours that started on Facebook and later moved to the blogs.

"There are individuals who sit in front of a computer everyday with nothing to do and try to create news by telling fibs that are untrue. It is sad that many people go based on hearsay and social media chatter which are fabricated for amusement, but at the same time it creates uneasiness amongst the populace. I have been through a lot where a lot has been said about my person when people attempt to scandal your name, but the truth always prevails in the end.

"I know its Carnival time, and the Carnival fever is getting hotter as Carnival gets closer, and this is basically the start of fictional stories. Probably in the weeks to come you will hear more which is unfortunate. I encourage you to check out in the Bible, second cimothy, chapter 1 to 5.

"I take this opportunity to commend the Daily Herald newspaper for not running with a story that is based on rumours. Responsible journalism is key to newspapers integrity and reporting," UP MP Hon. Maurice Lake said on Sunday.

"Let me be very clear. This UP MP Maurice Lake have not had any discussions with anybody about a change in government. Any issue that I have with my party I discuss internally and try to seek solutions there. I won't go and throw down government to put the country in jeopardy just like that. My allegiance lay with the United People's party, the people of this country, and the coalition.

"Nobody talks on behalf of MP Maurice Lake. If I have something to say, I will say it directly to the person. I do not know where this rumour started, or who started it, but it's the figment of somebody's imagination. People use social media and fake names to write all kinds of untruths. It's an individual(s) who just wants to create hysteria amongst the population which is very unfortunate and irresponsible. The person(s) who started this melly should correct what they have written.

"As I have always stated, we need to raise the bar in politics in order to take our country to the next level. The people of this country are tired of hearing every couple of months that the government will fall. This is also not good for our investment climate. Investors won't be interested in investing in a country that gives the perception of political instability.

"If I have grievances about something, I will discuss this internally with my party, just like I have done in the past, and will always continue to do so in the future. This is about our national development, about the development of our people and the country, and moving forward. That is my primary focus, economic development, job creation and building homes for our people, and continuing to raise the quality of life.

"We need to complete the finalization of the two additional ministers to the Cabinet. The execution of the governing program also needs to move forward because the people want to see things happening. I was elected to work in the interests of the small man, and I intend to fulfill that obligation bestowed upon me by the electorate," UP MP Hon. Maurice Lake concluded on Sunday.

PHILIPSBURG:---  The Central Committee of Parliament will meet in public session on March 24.

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

The three point agenda is: a presentation on the role of the Council of Advice and the working relationship between the Council of Advice and Parliament; second agenda point is related to the approval of the composition of the delegation and provisions for the Tripartite and Inter-parliamentary Relations Consultation (IPKO) to be held in The Hague, the Netherlands from May 25-29.

The third agenda point is approval of the composition of the delegation related to Aruba's national celebrations of Flag and National Anthem that took place on March 17 and 18.
Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

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

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

Building Permits not Signed by Acting Minister of VROMI --- Reliable Sources

PHILIPSBURG:--- The situation at the Ministry of VROMI is not only disturbing to the former Minister Maurice Lake now Member of Parliament whom it is said tendered his resignation from the United Peoples Party prior to leaving the island. SMN News understands that several Members of Parliament from the UP faction was not speaking to Lake who began sending out some anti-government press releases about two weeks ago. SMN News learnt that the MP felt he was set up by his own party with the purchase of the VORST Estate and now that the family lowered the sales price by USD$1M and it is budgeted in the 2015 budget the Prime Minister refused to sign off on the payment for the property which would avoid government from having another court litigation. The former Minister even faced a motion of non-confidence while being the Minister of VROMI. Former Minister Maurice Lake was caught lying to Parliament about the purchase agreement of the Emilio Wilson Estate. Lake even went as far as saying he found the agreement that was put in place by former Minister William Marlin in an envelope stuck in cornor of his office one year after taking office. Yet the copy he took to Parliament bore the DIF registration number when the agreement was registered at General Affairs by former Minister of VROMI William Marlin.

He was severely criticized for purchasing the VORST estate for $495.00 per square meter. It is not clear if any Member of Parliament will support the purchase of the estate even though the price decreased by USDS1M.
SMN News learnt that the acting Minister of VROMI and Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs refused to sign off on several building permits, one such permit belongs to Taliesin Construction who won the bid for the construction of the Fixed Based Operations (FBO) section at the Princess Juliana International Airport. The source said that the Prime Minister received orders from the leader of the UP not to sign off on the building permit because he does not like the contractor that won the bid. However, SMN News could not confirm the allegation since everyone from the UP camp are tightlipped while Member of Parliament Maurice Lake has left the island.
Another building permit that is not being signed off is the one for development of Simpson Bay area that that involves the Gioa's. Residents of Simpson Bay have been protesting this project therefore it is still not clear why the Prime Minister refused to sign off on the project.
SMN News further learnt that several permits for the cleaning of trenches are not being signed off and these are some of the things that brought MP Maurice Lake to his wits ends because he promised several youngsters in various districts jobs but because the  permits are not being signed off the projects are being delayed.
An insider at the Ministry of VROMI told SMN News that there are so many advices that were left behind by the former Minister that the current acting Minister refused to touch. Some of them involves the cleaning of trenches to contain the chikungunya virus.
Besides the grievances from MP Maurice Lake the United Peoples Party (UPP) have problems with several of their Members of Parliament that forms the current coalition. One of the issues that is also burning is the fact that the party leader Theo Heyliger chose to give Independent Member of Parliament Leona Marlin the Ministry of TEATT without consulting with his deputy leader Franklin Meyers who appointed Minister Claret Conner. Efforts made to reach the UP Members of Parliament proved futile on Sunday knowing that they all seem to have issues with their leader.
A political pundit told SMN News that right now the Members of Parliament that are mumbling and grumbling will settle back down and hold on to the huge salaries they all have including the traveling benefits because many of them will not get re-elected if they have to face the voters once more.

While MP Maurice Lake has refused to answer his phone on the information SMN News received he told another media outlet he did not say anything to anyone about pulling his support from the United Peoples Party. Obviousbly the Member of Parliament thinks that everyone on St. Maarten forgot his habit of lying for almost everything.
PRIME MINISTER LOOKING TO DISSOLVE PARLIAMENT.
SMN News further learnt that Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs main focus at the moment is to dissolve the Parliament of St. Maarten and call for new elections. A source close to the Prime Minister said that PM Gumbs will not do anything that he does not agree with and if it means that he has to dissolve the Parliament of St. Maarten to get rid of what they describe as selfish Members of Parliament he is ready to do just that. SMN News further learnt that the Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs already secured the support from his entire cabinet to dissolve the parliament of St. Maarten and call for new elections.

Click here to read one of MP Lake anti-government press releases.

Fete to fitness Jump-up a success.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The yearly "Fete to fitness Jump around Town up" which was organized by the Sint Maarten Carnival Development Foundation which was held on Saturday March 21st was well attended by revelers and onlookers was a great success. The jump up started on time at 08.00 p.m. on the Sucker garden in the vicinity of Monchi's Bar and headed towards the Philipsburg area via the Freedom Fighters round about, down the Walter Nisbet road making a left turn via the Long wall road onto Front street and then making a circle around the town and ending in Front of the Festival Center. The jump-up arrived on time and the entire event did not have any incidents in which the police had the act or intervene. The police department congratulates the SCDF for a well organized event and also congratulates all the revelers for their cooperation en their good conduct during the jump-up.

Two young men arrested suspected of robbery.
Two 18 year old men were arrested by police on Saturday March 21st after an attempt was made to rob two supermarkets in the Dutch Quarter area. At the first supermarket the manager succeeded to close the door just in time to avoid being robbed. The culprits then took off on foot. Within minutes after this report another report came into the Central Dispatch of another ongoing robbery at a second supermarket. After committing their act the suspect also fled on foot. A description of both suspects at both robbery locations was given to the Central Dispatch which in turn passed that information on to the investigating officers. During the investigation the officers located a group of young men standing at a residence in Zorg en Rust. They also spotted two men of that group which fit the description of the suspects in the two robberies. Both men were arrested on the scene and taken to the Philipsburg Police Station where they remain in custody for further investigation.
Man dies from fall.
On Saturday March 22nd at approximately 11.20 p.m. a police patrol was directed to the Princess Heights to investigate a case involving a man who after stepping out of his car had fallen and injured himself and also not showing any signs of life. On the scene the investigating officers encountered the body of the male victim who indeed was not showing any signs of life. The victim had also suffered severe trauma to the back of his head. According to witnesses the victim was severely under the influence of alcohol and when he stepped out of his vehicle he lost his balance causing him to trip and fall from a height of approximately six feet over a low wall to the ground. Dr. Douglas arrived to the scene a pronounced the death of the victim. The Forensic Department was on the scene collecting evidence while Detectives are busy questioning witnesses to determine what exactly happened. The victim in the meantime has been transported to a morgue. The investigation is ongoing.
Teenager arrested for illegal weapon possession
On Sunday, March 22nd at approximately 11.25 a.m. while driving through Aaron Jacob drive a police patrol saw a young man standing on the porch of a house on that street. They noticed that the youngster had a long object resembling a rifle in his hands. The patrol immediately approached the youngster who tried hiding the object. When the officers confronted the young man on his porch they found, what was a home made handgun and which was loaded with a .38 caliber bullet. This weapon and ammunition were confiscated for further investigation. As the investigation continued the officers located the object that the suspect tried to hide, which was a home made rifle. This rifle was also loaded with a .38 bullet and had two live attached to it. This rifle and ammunition were also confiscated for further investigation. The 16 year old suspect was arrested on the scene in the presence of his mother. The suspect was brought to the Philipsburg police station for further investigation.
The young suspect is very creative and talented in being able make these weapons however; these weapons in question, if operated correctly, would be able to fire-off a live round. However because of the poor material that the chamber and the barrel are made of it could be very dangerous to the one firing the weapon and also others. The investigation is in the hands of the detective Department.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- All scheduled games were played as teams managed to field enough players. This was, however, no easy feat on Saturday, March 21, due to the traffic congestion in the area. The traffic congestion was caused by the bicycle races that passed the area throughout the morning hours. Some parents and coaches reported to be stuck in traffic for over an hour. An alert went out from the SMSEF on Friday, March 20, via e-mail and Facebook, when they were made aware of the potential transportation problems for the teams. All teams were advised to leave on time and anticipate temporary road closures along the way. Even though teams still had to deal with the traffic congestion, they did manage to field a team to play according to schedule. Some players, however, had to join their team after the start of their game. It was a great day of soccer with a lot of close scores and comeback stories.

Results of Saturday March 21, 2015:

Game 1: Category 9+U
Combine Silly Shooters vs Sr. Regina New Stars: result 7 – 0 (at halftime 1 - 0)
Top scorer Combine Silly Shooters: Xabel Dias with 5 goals. Quincy Busby was a useful player, he scored once and assisted three times. Sr. Regina New Stars put up a lot of resistance in the first half. In the second half Combine Silly Shooters stepped it up to ensure the victory.

Game 2: Category 9+U
Learning Unlimited vs Leonald Connor: result 6 – 2 (at halftime 2 - 2)
Top scorer Learning Unlimited: Sharky Nowek with 3 goals and 1 assist.
Goal scorers Leonald Connor: Omario Jones and Anthony Gumbs both with one goal.
The first goal for Learning Unlimited was an own goal by Leonald Connor. The teams were tied at halftime. The second half made the difference.

Game 3: Category 9+U
Sr. Regina Masters vs Sr. Magda Energetics: result 2 – 4 (at halftime 1 - 1)
Goal scorer Sr. Regina Masters: Alexander Mulder with 2 goals.
Goal scorer Sr. Magda Energetics: Safin Basir with 4 goals. He was assisted for the first goal by Ishmael Abrams.
It was not until the second half that Sr. Magda Energetics started to dominate the game, which was partly due to the late arrival of key players.

Game 4: Category 9+U
Sr. Magda Athletics vs Charles Leopold Bell: result 6 – 4 (at halftime 3 - 1)
Top scorers Sr. Magda Athletics: Amani Vanterpool and Gianni Fer both with 3 goals and 1 assist.
Top scorer Charles Leopold Bell: Bernardo Nisbeth-Lopez with 3 goals and 1 assist.
Charles Leopold Bell started strong in the second half trying to close the gap of the first half. Charles Leopold Bell managed to come close. Sr. Magda Athletics, however, recognized the danger and regrouped. Sr. Magda Athletics scored some additional goals to secure the lead.

Game 5: Category 11+U
Leonald Connor vs Sr. Magda FC: result 3 – 4 (at halftime 1 - 1)
Top scorer Sr. Magda FC: Jamir Cuvalay with 4 goals (the last one was a penalty kick).
Goal scorers Leonald Connor: Tyrese Whyte with 2 goals and Drae Murray with 1 goal.
It was a hard and passionate game from both sides. After the first half the teams were tied and the end result could go in favor of either team throughout the second half. Just before the end of the game a penalty kick was awarded to Sr. Magda with a tied score of 3 – 3, which tipped the scales. Leonald Connor was unable to come back to tie the game after that.

Game 6: Category 11+U
Sr. Regina Goal Getters vs Learning Unlimited Goal Machines: result 3 – 4 (at halftime 1 - 2)
Goal scorers Learning Unlimited Goal Machines: Noah Ledee with 2 goals and Jan Lucas van der Plas and Oliver Hobgood both 1 goal each.
Goal scorers Sr. Regina Goal Getters: Reshawn Eustase with 2 goals and Richard Day Day with 1 goal and 1 assist.
Both teams were undefeated until today. It was a close game throughout. Learning Unlimited Goal Machines remains as the only undefeated team in the 11+Under category.

Game 7: Category 11+U
Sr. Regina United vs Dr. Martin Luther King: result 5 – 3 (at halftime 3 - 2)
Top scorer Sr. Regina United: Tomas Bouman with 3 goals.
Top scorer Dr. Martin Luther King: Malachi Serrant with 3 goals.
It was a hard fought game between two teams who gave it all looking to win a deserved game as a reward. Today it was Sr. Regina United that claimed the fruits of their perseverance by not giving up.

Game 8: Category 13+U
Leonald Connor vs SXM Schools United: result 4 – 0 (at halftime 1 - 0)
Goal scorers Leonald Connor: Isael Medina-Bran with 2 goals; Durvane Solomon and Gamy Charles with 1 goal and 1 assist each.
Contrary to the end result, it was a tight and exciting game for the spectators to watch.

Game 9: Category 13+U
Ruby Labega vs Charles Leopold Bell: result 4 – 3 (at halftime 4 - 1)
Top scorer Ruby Labega: Ricardo Somers with 4 goals.
Goal scorers Charles Leopold Bell: Abijah Adamson with 2 goals and 1 assist and Trace Fisher with 1 goal. Paul Attyl was a useful player with 2 assists.
The game appeared to be played at halftime, however Charles Leopold Bell was inspired by Coach McKenzie to try to change things around in the second half. And to the delight of the spectators they almost succeeded! A great game from both sides.

Game 10: Category 13+U
Genevieve de Weever vs Dr. Martin Luther King: result 7 – 5 (at halftime 5 - 1)
Top scorers Genevieve de Weever: Jamard Fleming with 3 goals and 1 assist and Ranjer Tejaolas with 2 goals and 1 assist.
Goal scorers Dr. Martin Luther King: D'Angelo Thompson with 3 goals and Kuzari Simmons with 1 goal.
A great comeback story by Dr. Martin Luther King in the second half, however Genevieve de Weever ensured to keep a minor gap in its favor.

Game 11: Category 13+U
Sr. Magda United Stars vs Oranje Combine: result 17 - 0 (at halftime 12 - 0)
Top scorers Sr. Magda United Stars: Jeremy Hooi with 7 goals and Jolian Peterson with 6 goals and 3 assists. Paul Speetjens was a useful player with 2 goals and 4 assists, as well as being the goal keeper in the second half.
Sr. Magda United Stars did not take it easy on newcomer Oranje Combine. With the eye on the price there was no place for mercy. Even though the score does not tell the tale, the Oranje Combine players made big improvements in their game especially by its goal keeper.

Games will continue on Saturday, March 28, 2015.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday March 20th and Saturday March 21st the St. Maarten Zoo took part in the volunteer initiative SXM DOET with the "Fence Painting" project. The St. Maarten Zoo has been undergoing a "facelift" during the past months and SXM DOET provided the perfect opportunity to continue with these renovations. During the two day SXM DOET a large section of the perimeter fence at the front of the Zoo was first primed and then painted white.

Over 40 volunteers, both children and adults, came out during the two days to help the St Maarten Zoo. RBC Royal Bank saw the Zoo's SXM DOET project as an ideal team building opportunity, as they were present with more than 35 volunteers.

Many local businesses also assisted the St Maarten Zoo with the purchasing of the materials necessary for SXM DOET. Sherwin Williams donated paint, SXM DOET's partners Kooyman and Divico Cash&Carry provided the Zoo with vouchers to purchase the necessary materials needed and donated ice cream. Heavenly Water, another SXM DOET partner, donated several cases water. Lunches were donated by Topper's Restaurant and Skip Jack's.

On behalf of The St. Maarten Zoological & Botanical Garden Foundation, we would like express our sincere gratitude to SXM DOET for including St Maarten Zoo as a one of its initiatives and for all volunteers and sponsors for their contribution.." statement from Amy Arrindell President of The St. Maarten Zoological & Botanical Garden Foundation.

Pond Island:--- TelEm Group and partners, BDO Accounting and Bureau Telecommunication and Post (BTP) received a "tremendous" response from St. Maarten's shopping public during a food drive Saturday.
Shoppers at both Sunny Foods Supermarket on the A.T. Illidge Road and Grand Marche Supermarket on the Bush Road we today thanked by the collectors for giving generously to the New Start Foundation foster home for kids located in Mary's Fancy.
The food collection drive was part of a day-long volunteer effort sponsored by TelEm Group, BDO and BTP under the Kingdom-wide DOET volunteer program. The program is sponsored by the Oranje Fonds organization in the Netherlands, and encourages communities and organizations throughout the Kingdom to volunteer their time and energy towards deserving causes in their respective communities.
"We were amazed at the response we received and on behalf of all our collectors, we would like to thank everyone who gave so generously to our food drive. All the items collected twill go to more than 29 foster children in the care of the New Start Foundation," said Sharalee lint, coordinator of the TelEm Group and partners event.
She said the project also included the building of a Gazebo at the foster home location, which despite a slow start Saturday morning, is now well under way.
The coordinator has thanked personnel of TelEm Group and BDO for volunteering their time and effort Saturday towards the cause and management of both companies, along with the Bureau of Telecommunication and Post for providing funds towards the event.
TelEm Group Chief Financial Officer, Mrs. Helma Etnel, has thanked her staff for turning out Saturday and Mrs. Link for including the company in the DOET volunteer program.
"We are always happy to do our part for the community, giving something back whenever we can, especially to those with the most need," said Mrs. Etnel.

PHILIPSBURG:---  Postal Services St. Maarten (PSS) N.V.in collaboration with the Department of Education has announced the start of an island-wide contest to find the island's best young letter writer.

Youth between the age of nine (9) and fifteen (15) have until the deadline date of April 17, 2015 to write an attention-grabbing letter under the theme "Tell us about the world you want to grow up in."

The best letter selected by a panel of judges will be entered into an international letter writing competition organized by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) each year, where Platinum, Gold and Silver medals are awarded to the three best letters from around the world.

PSS N.V. says it is the first time St. Maarten will be entering the prestigious contest, which, in the past, was open only to one representative from either Curacao, Aruba or St. Maarten.

"Due to the cooperation of the postal authorities in Curacao and Aruba and also due to a special request to the UPU, St. Maarten has been granted permission to present a letter writer from the island for the first time. We are very exciting at the prospect and would encourage all of the island's youth and schools to submit their letters for the contest," said PSS N.V. in a prepared release.

The local postal authority will be awarding some fabulous prizes of a Kindle Fire, E-reader and Smartphone to the local Platinum, Gold and Silver prize-winners respectively.

PSS N.V. has thanked Acting Head of the Division for Education Innovation, Ms. Oralie Boirard, for agreeing to have her department coordinate the promotion and of the letter-writing event and make contact with the island's schools.

"We are all agreed that this competition will do a lot to focus the attention of our youth on something that is very positive for the youth, the schools they represent and also for Country St. Maarten," said PSS N.V. Commercial and Business development Manager Ms. Zaira Paulo.

Ms. Paulo says the names of the local winners will be officially announced on April 27 after which the top letter will be submitted to the UPU before the deadline of April 30.

Once final judging takes place, a grand ceremony will be held for the international winners on October 9th– World Post Day - when the anniversary of the foundation of the UPU is celebrated.

Ms. Paulo said in a world where communication is dominated by e-mail, online gaming, blogging, internet and SMS messaging, the importance of clear letter writing has never been more important.

"That is why the UPU is keen to remind populations about the power of the written word and the sending and receiving of mail in the traditional way," continued Ms. Paulo.

"The letter-writing contest is part of our contribution towards educating our community by promoting good writing, grammar and spelling skills amongst our youth," said the PSS N.V. Commercial and Business Development Manager.

The organizers and coordinators of the letter-writing contest are meantime advising all schools and potential contestants to read the rules of the contest thoroughly to ensure they comply with all the requirements regarding the theme, word length and ways of submitting their entries.

Copies of the rules are available upon request at any Post Office branch or from the Division for Educational Innovation (attention Mr. Marvin Woods) – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Pond Island:--- TelEm Group is joining with partners Bureau of Telecommunication and Post St. Maarten, and accounting firm BDO St. Maarten B.V. this Saturday to volunteer their services under the St. Maarten DOET program.
One team of volunteers from TelEm Group and BDO will be collecting foodstuff outside Sunny Foods and Grand Marche Supermarket Saturday morning, while a second team from the same two companies will be building a gazebo for foster children of the New Start
Foundation foster home located in Mary's Fancy. The kids will also receive all foodstuff collected.
Materials to build the outdoor structure is being provided by TelEm Group and BTP with labour provided free by workers of TelEm and BDO.
TelEm Group, Chief Financial Officer, Mrs. Helma Etnel, praised staff for giving their time to assist those in the community most at need.
"It's a great gesture that the company backs all the way," she said.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Managing Director, BDO St. Maarten B.V., Ms. Marcia Illidge, and Mr. Ryan Wijngaarde of BTP St. Maarten, both of whom were also pleased to be on board on this program with TelEm Group.
Saturday's volunteer effort is the brainchild of Ms. Sharalee Lint who got the three groups together to help with a useful community project for kids – joining thousands of volunteer efforts completed under the DOET volunteer drive.
"The New Start Foundation is doing a great job of looking after children in a safe and homely environment and deserves any help we can give," said Sharalee, who meantime also thanked the group of volunteers for standing up to the plate.

Prime Minister plans to dissolve Parliament early next week to stop formation of another Government. Reliable Sources.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Several fractures in the United Peoples Party/ De Weever/ Marlin- Romeo and US coalition seems to be beyond repair that Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs have decided that he will send a Landsbesluit to the Governor of St. Maarten to dissolve the Parliament of St. Maarten before another government could be formed. It is not clear if the Prime Minister will get his way in order to stop the formation of another government or the get rid of certain Members of Parliament since the country is not yet in a crisis.
According to information provided to SMN News MP Maurice Lake has pulled his support from the current coalition for several reasons, one being the VORST property that the Prime Minister refused to sign off on the payment for the family who intends to take government to court. SMN News understands that MP Lake submitted his letter to  the UPP and the Governor of St. Maarten on Friday.
SMN News learnt that MP Maurice Lake who was the former Minister of VROMI cannot get none of the projects he initiated signed off by Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs the current acting Minister of VROMI. MP Maurice Lake is currently off island and could not be reached for an official comment. However, several persons within the UPP said MP Lake pulled his support from the the current coalition on Friday because he said he had enough.
SMN News further learnt that MP Franklin Meyers who obtained over 600 votes and MP Tamara Leonard are also at odds with their party leader who chose to give the Ministry of TEATT to Independent Member of Parliament Leona Marlin- Romeo who only obtained 245 votes on the US slate then jumped ship and joined hands with the UPP/De Weever Government. SMN News further understands that when Marlin- Romeo negotiated with the UPP she settled for the Vice Chair of Parliament but since the US Leader joined the coalition and obtained the Ministry of Justice she too decided to make demands for a Ministry. The UPP insiders said that the deputy leader of the UPP Franklin Meyers and MP Leonard are extremely upset that their party leader would give Marlin-Romeo the Ministry of TEATT when they were the ones instrumental in appointing Minister Claret Conner whom they said studied Tourism. They said the two UPP MPs are not at all satisfied because their party leader did not even consult with them prior to taking a decison to remove the Minister they appointed.
Another upheaval in the coalition comes from the De Weever's camp the source said the UPP leader went ahead and negotiated a bond issue with the Central Bank for the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) without involving MP De Weever the former Minister of Health.
As for MP Silvio Matser it is understood that he too is not at all pleased with the way the current government is running because in his view certain MPs including the UPP leader are only doing things that are benefitting them and not the country. SMN News learnt that Master does not want to part of a Government that is not taking care of its people but are busy enriching themselves. MP Matser is also off island and could not be reached.
According to the information SMN News received is that MP Theodore Heyliger is getting blows within his own party and he felt the only thing to do right now is to dissolve the Parliament of St. Maarten to get rid of the Members of Parliament who does not agree with his way of running the country. However, the dissolving of Parliament could only take place if there is a crisis in the country and the 15 Members of Parliament that are currently in Parliament are not able to form government. Due to all the current developments SMN News learnt that the UPP and its members met at Chippie's Café Saturday morning to see if they could iron out their issues but MP Silvio Matser, MP Maurice Lake and MP Cornelius de Weever did not attend the meeting since all three of them are currently off island.
SMN News is watching the political development rather closely and will bring you more information as becomes available.

PHILIPSBURG:---  Recently, the Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL) received a donation by the Indian Merchants' Association (IMA) for the purchase of a new network server.
The PJL is a place, not only for reading, it is also a multimedia center where the general public can go to use the internet, study, make homework assignments or do research. This is an essential service for schoolchildren, especially those who do not have access to books, computers or internet at home. They can do their assignments at the library with all the facilities needed. Hundreds of schoolchildren visit the library on a weekly and sometimes even daily basis to do their homework.
Two weeks ago, the library had some technical problems with the network server for the public computers of the library. The server crashed, which meant that a number of students who were in the library could not finish their school assignments that evening. This server has also had to be repaired numerous times since it was acquired in 2004. However, thanks to the generous donation of the Indian Merchants' Association it was possible to replace the faulty network server with a new one.
The Philipsburg Jubilee library and its library patrons are very grateful to the Indian Merchants' Association for said donation.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Friday, March 20, 2015 National Institute of the Arts inaugurates SXM Doet by painting the mural surrounding the John Larmonie Center. Kids and adults alike started bright and early Friday morning, volunteering their time and artistic skills to bring vibrant colors to the (200 meter wall) which stretches along the Pondfill Road and Long Wall Rd. SXM Doet is a national two days of volunteering in which foundations throughout the Dutch Kingdom Sint Maarten, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, and Statia create projects that encourage the local community to get involved, interact and share in the spirit of volunteerism.

Its a wonderful way to bring the community together while also helping local foundations complete large-scale projects that would normally take more time and resources without the helping hands of the community. Kids from local schools- Charlotte Brookson Performing Arts Academy, Sister Borgia, Saint Dominic, Caribbean International Academy (CIA) and Saint Joseph, brought their youthful exuberance along with dedicated parents, teachers and friends . With over 165 registered volunteers NIA is off to a great start and is looking forward to more people coming out to participate Friday and Saturday, March 21. If you are looking for a great way to get involved with your local community, this would be a wonderful place to start. All helping hands are needed and appreciated as a little support goes a long way.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations (CKAIR) of Parliament will meet in session on March 23.
The Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations meeting is set for Monday at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The eight point agenda for the meeting is approval of the decision list regarding committee parliamentary business for the 2014-2015 period; proposed Kingdom law regarding the Treaty of the Council of Europe related to violence against women and domestic abuse; proposed Kingdom law regarding the International Treaty for the Removal of Wrecks; proposed Kingdom law regarding the Security Policy of the European Union; changes to the Regulation related to the Treaty on Whaling; an email in connection with the questions for the Kingdom Council of State; the outcome of a meeting of the Commission for Kingdom Relations of the Dutch Second Chamber of Parliament; and preparations for the Inter-parliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) that is scheduled between May 25-29 in The Hague, the Netherlands.

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

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

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

PHILIPSBURG:--- SXM Airport representatives will be making a presentation on March 23 to the Permanent Committee of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunication (CTEATT) of the House.

The public Permanent Committee meeting is set for Monday at 2.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is a presentation on the state of affairs at the Princess Juliana International Airport also known as SXM Airport.

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

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

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

PHILIPSBURG:--- APS, St. Maarten's general pension fund administrator is extending its apologies for a delay in the payments for seniors.

Pension payments are expected to be deposited into accounts of pensioners by early next week.

APS explains that the present development is a result of various technical issues encountered with the recently upgraded Payroll Ultra system. This system is what APS uses to process payments to the banks.

APS extends deep apologies to pensioners and thanks them for their understanding.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Walichi Basketball Association will officially close off the Ladies Basketball Championship 2014-2015 season with an exhibition game between the "LBC All First Team" and" LBC All Second Team" which will showcase the top 14 players in the league.

The All-LBC Team is composed of two five-woman lineups—a first and second team, comprising a total of 10 roster spots. For the exhibition game 2 players were added from the top 14 to make a rotation of players to play the game.

The "All-LBC First Team" Consists of :

Guard: Claudia Fleming , Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls
Guard: Chantel Hodge, Thunderz
Forward: Jamaiah Newton -Herbert , MGM Lightning
Forward: Jakisha Brooks , Learning Unlimited
Center: Tiana Lionel , Thunderz
6th Woman: Daricia Arrindell, Learning Unlimited
7th Woman: Micaela Galva , MGM Lightning

The "All-LBC Second Team" Consists of:

Guard: Wendy Jack, Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls
Guard: Selah Fleming, Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls
Forward: Joyette Lloyd, Thunderz
Forward: Kayla Robinson , MGM Lightning
Center: Cardillia Nicholas , Bush Tea Remedy
6th Woman: Diasha Ferdinand , Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls
7th Woman: Shandria Lake , MGM Lightning

This game will take place on Sunday March 22nd at 3pm at the Melford Hazel Sports Complex in Sucker Garden.

Following the game there will a small award ceremony to award the Season's Most Valuable Player (MVP) , Best Defensive Player, Most Improved Player, top 20 players in the league for the season amongst other awards.

We would like to invite everyone to come out and enjoy a fun and competitive game.

Pembroke Pines, FL:--- The Florida-Caribbean had a busy last day of Cruise Shipping Miami (CSM), with multiple meetings and a closing event for attendees to celebrate the end of CSM and finalize deals with the attending Member Line executives, presidents & CEOs.

Meetings took place throughout the day for destinations' private and public sectors and cruise line executives to discuss operations and route for the future, including Business Research & Economic Advisers (BREA) discussing their upcoming economic impact study of Caribbean and Latin American destinations, as well as Oaxaca, Mexico's Secretary of Tourism and Economic Development Government.

"Our meetings and events make it possible to take advantage of what Cruise Shipping Miami offers," said Michele M. Paige, president of FCCA. "This global event gathers some of the most prominent cruise executives and stakeholders, and we pride ourselves on ensuring that these key entities meet to discuss crucial operational issues and develop relationships that pave the way for future business."

The closing event gathered nearly 500 at LIV in Fountainebleau, Miami Beach. Cruise tourism stakeholders could finally take off their dress shoes and put on dancing shoes while enjoying the opportunity to network with Member Line presidents, CEOs and executives who decide where ships call, what to sell onboard and how to invest in infrastructure.

"FCCA's closing event for Cruise Shipping Miami gives a unique chance to interact with the cruise industry," told Micky Arison, chairman of Carnival Corporation and the FCCA, who was on-hand at the event, along with Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. "Building relationships with the industry's decision makers paves the way for successful operations and dealings, and the FCCA and its events always offer that."

The event was made possible by the featured sponsorship of the ports of the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with the supporting sponsors: American Guard Services, Bacardi, Costa Maya, Isla Cozumel, Mexico Tourism Board, Port of Houston, PPI Group and Puerto Rico Tourism Company.

These functions were just a few of the FCCA initiatives during CSM that help members and attendees maximize their chances to target cruise line executives, presidents and CEOs. Multiple meetings and receptions took place throughout the event, and the annual FCCA Gala featured a sit-down dinner with executives selected by attendees.

PHILIPSBURG:--- For the first time in St. Maarten an inter-island gymnastics competition was held on March 14, 2015 at Asha Stevens Gymnasium, presented by Club de Gym Saint Martin and National Institute of the Arts (NIA). Forty students under the age of twelve were judged by St. Maarten judges who were trained under Comité Régional of Guadeloupe (Gymnastics Local Committee of Guadeloupe). Mme Pujol, a representative of the French Gymnastic Federation came from Guadeloupe to supervise the entire event.

The guidelines were based on elementary gymnastic basics, and are the same used in Europe and the rest of the Caribbean gymnastics federations. The competition was organized around basic gymnastic skills of alignment, strength and flexibility. All gymnasts were awarded a certificate of participation. To succeed in the parcours the students needed at least 12 points out of 20, and those that received these points were awarded a certificate of achievement. The top three scoring the highest points received the medals listed below.

It was well attended by family and friends of the talented participants and showcased the potential displayed by St. Maarten's young gymnast in training. NIA sends heartfelt congratulations to Director, Gratienne Riom, teachers Doris Barbes from Club de Gym Saint Martin and Peggy Oulerich Head of the Dance Department at NIA and all staff members and students on a well executed event.

The medals awarded are as follows:

Category 1- Level 1
(Born 2009)
Rejal Peterson (Gold)
Nyah Kalmera (Silver)
Jayda Frederic (Bronze)

(Born 2008)
Ramlall Laya (Gold)
Antonio Roland Kenya (Silver)
Fleury Camille (Bronze)

(Born 2005/2006/2007)
Stomp Nubia (Gold)
Naudin Sarah (Silver)
Clemence Gerling (Bronze)

Category 2- Level 2
(Mixed age competition- 2004/2005/2006)
Halley Valerie (Gold)
Brooks Ellis Gabrielle (Silver)
Christina Trinity (Bronze)

International publisher Chambers & Partners has launched its global ranking of law firms Chambers Global for 2015. This year six Dutch Caribbean law firms and eleven individual lawyers have been
ranked. This results in the same total of ranked firms and individuals as last year.

Spigt Dutch Caribbean and VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne are the two firms with the desired Band 1 firm status, like last year. Spigt Dutch Caribbean remains in Band 1, despite of partners Karel Frielink and Annemarijke Bach Kolling leaving the firm recently. VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne is the only firm with four individually ranked specialists. None of the other firms provide more than one ranked lawyer, now that Karel Frielink has joined BZSE Attorneys at Law.

On VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne, Chambers says: "This local powerhouse has offices on every island in the Dutch Caribbean and attracts praise for its capacity to handle both local and international mandates." Spigt Dutch Caribbean is described as a firm that "handles a broad range of general commercial issues for a client base that includes a significant number of Dutch organisations". The other ranked firms are HBN Law, SMS Attorneys at Law, Soliana Bonapart & Aardenburg and STvB.

The annual global ranking is based on recommendations of clients and peers, and therefore offers an
independent evaluation for organizations that are looking to instruct a lawyer.

Source: Dutch Caribbean Legal Portal

Noot voor de redactie:

1.  De website Dutch Caribbean Legal Portal biedt een complete database van juridisch nieuws, contacten, wetten en jurisprudentie met betrekking tot Suriname en de Nederlandse Cariben (Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire, St. Maarten, Saba en St. Eustatius). Doelgroepen zijn juristen, lokale en internationale bedrijven en individuen, als ook buitenlandse partijen die zaken (willen) doen in Suriname en de Nederlandse Cariben.
2. Dutch Caribbean Legal Portal heeft momenteel een gemiddeld aantal van 8.000 unieke bezoekers per maand; dit aantal groeit gestaag. 35% van deze bezoekers is afkomstig uit Curaçao en 15% van de overige eilanden van de Dutch Caribbean. 10% van deze bezoekers is gevestigd in de Verenigde Staten en 30% is afkomstig uit Europa.
3.  Voor meer informatie kunt u terecht op www.dutchcaribbeanlegalportal.com.
4. Voor vragen kunt u contact opnemen met Marjolijn Verwater, Content Manager (T +5999 5128172, E This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

PHILIPSBURG:--- The news of a recall originates from Kraft Foods. Kraft Foods is recalling 242,000 cases worldwide of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese because some of the boxes may contain metal fragments.
The recall only applies to the following item:
Macaroni and Cheese 7.25-ounce boxes of the original flavor of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Dinner. With "use by" date of Sept 18, 2015 – Oct 11, 2015 with a code of "C2" on the bottomIf you have the product listed above please DO NOT use these products. THROW THEM AWAY.

All food establishment (minimarkets, supermarkets, etc.) are hereby instructed to remove these products from their shelves or storages and destroy these.

PHILIPSBURG:-– Rotary Assistant District Governor, Rebecca Low, announced today that in the last week, over 2500 children, educators and coaches participated in Rotary-led sports activities and training camps as part of Rotary International's newest global initiative, Vocational Training Teams. This Vocational Training Team hails from Rotary District 7090 (Niagara, Canada and northern New York state) and will be on island until March 31.

Assistant District Governor Low stated, "we are very thankful that this team is sharing their time and talents with children, teachers and coaches on our island. From dusk until dawn this team's presence can be seen and felt – from being in classes alongside teachers to playing with kids in both formal and informal after-school activities. Lifelong relationships are being forged."

A vocational training team (VTT) is a group of Rotarian and non-Rotarian professionals who travel to another country either to learn more about their profession or to teach local professionals about a particular field. Hands-on activities vary from one team to the next but may include training medical profes¬sionals on cardiac surgery and care, sharing best practices on early childhood education, or explaining new irrigation techniques to farmers. This team's focus is sport education and physical literacy for children with the ultimate goal of working with children and introducing them to playing sports that can form the basis of healthy active lives, make good nutritional choices, reduce childhood obesity and gender disparity.

Visiting team leader, Lezlie Murch, shared, "this team has been welcomed with open arms by both the public and Catholic school systems, the coaches and the schools, and the government of St Maarten, but what has struck us is how excited and engaged the children are. They have so much energy and we are touched they have embraced us as family. We hope we have touched their lives as much as they have touched ours." Team Leader Murch is in the process of establishing on-going relationships with local educators and programmes with a view to collaborating again in the near future.
Two of the five team members are Rotarians. The Team Leader and Rotarian is a former youth exchange student to Bolivia and is the President of a full-time high performance sports facility and private school. She is joined by team members that work in the fields of: mental health education; self-defense and martial arts; career PhysEducation and curriculum development; community recreation department; as well as a member of two Canadian championship teams (basketball and football) that also happens to teach sports by incorporating music with dance and physical activity. The team visiting St Maarten arrived March 10 and will be in Anguilla next week returning to St Maarten at the end of the month.

If you are interested in learning more about Rotary and Rotary's initiatives contact any of the three Rotary clubs in St Maarten.

The Cayman Islands Health Services Authority (HSA) held an event at Grand Old House to officially celebrate its latest achievement - accreditation of the Pathology Laboratory by the Joint Commission International (JCI), the leading international healthcare accrediting body.

The accreditation of the Cayman Islands Forensic Science Laboratory by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Mutual Recognition Arrangement (LLAC-MRA) and the Forensic Quality Services Accreditation (FQS) was also celebrated at this event. This accreditation means the Cayman Islands Hospital's Forensics Laboratory is the only accredited laboratory in the Caribbean British Overseas Territories.

The HSA's focus on providing services that inspire confidence, deliver professionalism of the highest quality and ensuring reliability for both health care professionals and patients has been a key priority. The latest accreditation award was facilitated by Dr Delroy Jefferson, HSA Medical Director, and has been accomplished as a result of the hard work and dedication of the staff in both the Pathology and Forensics Laboratories.

"Accreditation demonstrates that our labs are committed to f the highest standards of quality and safety, and we can deliver our services with confidence and pride, both internally as a medical team as well as to our valued patients", Dr Jefferson said.

The forensics lab was established in 1999 and offers expertise in a number of areas including forensic biology and DNA testing, DNA data basing services, forensic toxicology testing, forensic drug analysis, pathology, and forensic criminalistics testing in selected areas. JCI accreditation of the Pathology Lab includes the blood bank which is compliant with international standards.

Lizzette Yearwood, HSA's CEO stated, "This accreditation is not only a benchmark of quality delivered at the time of the audit, but provides a continuous stream of improvement opportunities for the HSA for the future – ensuring that we keep up with international protocols and standards of the highest quality."

Cayman Islands Premier and Health Minister, Hon Alden McLaughlin, said he is proud to have this new achievement fall under his Ministry and congratulates all of the staff for their hard work to reach this achievement.

"Delivering a first class health care experience is what we strive to achieve and I congratulate all of the health care providers that have been involved in attaining the best accreditation status in the Caribbean, instilling international standards, pride and confidence in the Cayman Islands."

PHILIPSBURG:--- MPs  Silveria Jacobs, Christopher Emmanuel, George Pantophlet and Johan Janchi. Leonard accepted the invitation of the Parliament of Aruba to attend their celebrations on the occasion of the anniversary of the Dia di Hymno Y Bandera di Aruba held on March 17 and 18 this week.
The commemorative ceremony of their path to the freedom to self govern within the Kingdom was highlighted with historical facts, wreath laying, singing of the National Anthem and other songs to commemorate the flag and history of Aruba and its people.
A cultural manifestation featured winners of national poetry contests and national pride songs all written, arranged and performed by Arubans, especially the Youth. What was missing was a certain flair or aspect attributed to San Nicholas where many Windward Islanders and other migrants settled decades ago.
The official ceremony on Aruba Day March 18 featured speeches, music and dances by the youth and other cultural groups as well as a parade featuring uniformed groups, sport teams, cultural groups, clubs, community groups, equestrian, and vintage automobiles.
It was a great to experience how Aruba celebrates its National Day, however MP Jacobs noted that the lack of participation by the opposition at a National Celebration was a disappointment. The MP saw this as an opportunity to meet, greet and share ideas with our sisters and brothers with whom we share a connected history on the island.
The St. Maarten MPs did use the opportunity to meet informally with some Members of Parliament from Curacao and the Chair of Parliament of Aruba drs. Mrs. Marisol Lopez-Tromp who hosted a lunch for the guest MPs.

PHILIPSBURG:--- While off island MP Jacobs heard of reports of violence against teachers during this week, and of possible actions by the teachers and unions.
The notion of increasing violence in schools is a direct result of rising violence in society. Several years ago teachers, social workers and school managers got together and worked out a discipline policy framework for Public schools, which remained untouched for years. During her tenure as Minister, MP Jacobs initiated the Education Conferences which highlighted these same challenges and the department of Education was charged with the task to present a discipline policy, taking the discipline framework into consideration, which would give national guidelines to deal with violence in schools.
In recent meetings of Parliament the current Minister of Education was asked about said policy and parliament was informed that it was still being worked on. MP Jacobs believes that teachers would want this to have a certain priority seeing the circumstances which can occur daily and will continue to push forward to see this policy finalized and executed.
The importance of parental responsibility in teaching discipline cannot be underscored more. Such a policy should also define parental liability.

NAGICO to NAGICO annual cycling race.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Thursday March 19th representatives from NAGICO N.V., representatives from Sint Maarten/Sint Martin Cyclers Club Association and the Police Department held their final meeting for this upcoming weekend Third Annual NAGICO to NAGICO cycling competition. This meeting was to finalize all arrangements to make sure all is in place where safety is concerned.
Between Friday March 20th and Sunday March 22nd a total of four races will take place involving both sides of the island. As a result hereof there will be many road closures and traffic diversions during the time the races are taking place.
Race # 1:
Friday March 20th the Causeway Time trial. From 06.30 p.m. to 10.00 p.m. the Causeway Bridge will be closed to all traffic including pedestrians in both directions at the East- and Westside round about (End of runway of the PJIA). The race will start and end at Eastside round about (Union road /Bell view side). During the race no onlookers or supporters will be allowed on the bridge. Only persons who are in the possession of a NAGICO badge and are assisting or taking part in the event will be allowed on the bridge.
All drivers coming from the Princess Juliana International will be able to use the Simpson Bay bridge to come into the Philipsburg area and surrounding. Going through Cupe Coy, Low Lands and Sandy Ground would be an option to get to Marigot and surrounding. The East side round about will also be open for those drivers coming from the Cole Bay area and going into Marigot.
At the end of the race the Causeway Bridge will immediately be reopened for all traffic.

Race # 2 (A):
Saturday March 21st, at approximately 08.15 a.m. the "Senior race" will start at NAGICO building in French Quarter and head towards Coralita to the Oyster Pond Border. The race will come over to the Dutch side on the Oyster Pond road the vicinity of Casa Blanca passing Rice Hill gardens, Intersection at Bishop Hill, Tata the bus driver road about turning right heading back to French Quarter. This will be done seven times. Once the race is on the Dutch side all traffic will be stopped by police officers and volunteers until all riders have crossed back over to the French side. At the end of the "Senior race" and "Junior race" will take place from the same starting point and ending point (one lap only). This race will end at approximately 12.00 p.m. at which all roads will again be open to all traffic.
Race # 2 (B):
Saturday March 21st, at approximately 03.15 p.m. a time trial race will take place starting at Papa's Grill (Steven bar) on the Sucker garden road and then via the Freedom Fighters round about, Walter Nisbet road, Salt Pickers round about, Walter Nisbet road, Percy Labega Street, Long wall road, Kerkhof steeg, Little Bay road, Link One, Octavius Richardson Street, One tete Locke Round about and ending at the Alexis Arnell road.
Along the route of this race there will be police officers and volunteers who will assisting in making sure that the traffic continues flowing coming into and leaving the Philipsburg area. This race will and at approximately 05.00 p.m.
Race # 3:
The third and final stage of the NAGICO to NAGICO will be on Sunday March 22nd and will start 08.15 a.m. at NAGICO main office on the Cannegieter Street, D.A. Peterson Street, Salt Picker round about, Walter Nisbet road, Freedom Fighters round about, Walter Nisbet road, Salt Picker round about, Walter Nisbet road, Percy Labega Street, Long wall road, Kerkhof Steeg, Little bay road, Link One, Octavius Richardson Street, One Tete Locke round about, Alexis Arnell road, Round about top of Cole bay hill, A.J. C. Brouwers road, Osborn Kruythoff round about, Union road, East side round about (Union road- Belle View), Cause way Bridge, West side round about (End of PJIA runway), Airport Boulevard, Rhine road until the border.
The race will then go over to the French Side via Low Lands and return to the Dutch Side at Oyster Bay road, Bishop Hill road, Tata the bus driver round about turning left and going back to the French side via French Quarter.
The race will again come on to the Dutch side via Belle View on to the Union road, East side round about, Cause Way Bridge, West side round about, Airport Boulevard via Rhine road back to the French Side.
Three laps will be made around the Simpson Bay Lagoon involving the Union road, Cause Way Bridge, Airport Boulevard, Rhine road to the French side. The race will end at NAGICO Insurances on Rue de la Republic in Marigot.
The holding up of traffic will last until approximately 11.30 a.m.
NOTE:
The Police Department and organizers are asking all drivers for the fullest cooperation by following the directions the police officers and volunteers who will be carrying red flags, to make this event a successful and safe one. At the same time they are asking the entire community to come out with family and friends to support this event which has grown tremendously over the past three years.

GREAT BAY:-- Final preparations for the 3rd annual NAGICO to NAGICO (N2N) Cycling race were in high gear yesterday as all stakeholders and organizers met with the emergency services to review the plans for the exciting event which takes place this weekend, starting tonight.
NAGICO Insurances; the title sponsor in collaboration with the Velo Club de Grand Case (VCG)met with the police, Red Cross at the police station to go over the safety protocol and cycling route.
"Our highest priority at this time is the safety of our riders and road users during our NAGICO to NAGICO cycling races," Lisa Brown; Marketing Supervisor of NAGICO said. "We have been receiving tremendous support from the police where road safety and usage is concerned and we really want to extend our thanks to them for this. I also want to use this opportunity to urge motorists to exercise caution and care on the road, especially during the races, as we have over 60 riders registered to compete and this includes children."
The race will take place from March 20th – 22nd with the route as follows:

• March 20th: Stage 1- Time Trials 2km
• Start time: 7pm - Causeway Bridge (Bellevue)
• Finish 9:30pm: Causeway Bridge (Bellevue)
• Mach 21st: Stage 2- Race, 85km
• Start time 8am: NAGICO Quatier d 'Orleans
• Finish 10:30am: NAGICO Quatier d 'Orleans
• March 21st: Stage 3 – Time trial, 6km
• Start Time 3:30pm: Sucker Garden
• Finish 5:30pm: Top Link 2
• March 22nd: Stage 4- Race, 110km
• Start time: 8am: NAGICO Philipsburg
• Finish 11:30am: NAGICO Marigot
• All are invited to come out and support the event.

Miami Beach, FL:--- The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) loaded Cruise Shipping Miami (CSM) attendees with meetings and networking opportunities yesterday, including private meetings between cruise executives and destinations' private and public sectors, a reception that linked Platinum Members and cruise line representatives and a Gala that gathered over 400 cruise tourism stakeholders, including over 50 Member Line presidents, CEOs and executives that decide where ships call, what sells onboard and how to invest in infrastructure.

"The FCCA is crucial to maximizing time and opportunities during this busy week," told Micky Arison, chairman of Carnival Corporation and the FCCA, who was on-hand at a reception that took place in the FCCA's CSM booth (#695). "Time becomes extremely limited throughout Cruise Shipping, and the FCCA makes it possible to meet with some of the industry's most important stakeholders."

Meetings took place throughout the day for destinations' private and public sectors and cruise line executives to discuss operations and route for the future. These meetings included Antigua & Barbuda's status on dredging St. John's Harbor and enhancing St. Johns; Curacao's Rif Seaport Project; El Salvador's ports and updates on the Central America Cruise Summit it will host from May 13-15, 2015; St. Kitts' five-year strategy to continue developing cruise tourism; and Ecuador's introduction of its minister of tourism, Sandra Naranjo, to the FCCA Member Line executives.

ProColombia sponsored a private reception hosted at the FCCA booth for Platinum Members and guests to target the attending executives, enabling discussions ranging from business operations and recent happenings to family and plans for the week. The reception also celebrated the Sabor Latino Joint Cruise Alliance, a tailor-made cruise itinerary to discover Latin influences, featuring Aruba, Colombia, Curacao and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The evening featured the FCCA's biggest event of the day, and all of CSM, the 21st
annual FCCA Gala. Over 400 attendees joined for a unique opportunity for anyone interested in cruise tourism business to network with 50 cruise line executives from various sectors and even presidents and CEOs hosting private tables."FCCA events always give me an opportunity to meet valuable industry stakeholders," said Adam Goldstein, president & COO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., who hosted a Gala table. "These are the people who have ideas and projects I want, and need, to know about."

These decision makers served as table and evening hosts, with registration including the selection of a cruise executive to join for a sit-down dinner with a side of productive talks and relationship building.

Plus the entire audience was on-hand for a 90-minute reception and silent art auction with a collection from Park West Galleries preceding the dinner and giving a chance to meet the attending presidents and CEOs, including Christine Duffy, president, Carnival Cruise Line; Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president & CEO, Celebrity Cruises; Karl Holz, president, Disney Cruise Line; Orlando Ashford, president, Holland America Line; Richard Sasso, president & CEO, MSC Cruises (USA) Inc.; Andy Stuart, president & COO, Norwegian Cruise Line; Michael Bayley, president & CEO, Royal Caribbean International; Adam Goldstein; and Richard Fain, Chairman & CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.

"The FCCA Gala facilitated networking between Member Line executives and cruise tourism stakeholders, while contributing to a good cause-the FCCA Foundation," told Michele M. Paige, president of FCCA. "Of course it is crucial to link anyone doing business in the cruise industry with decision makers from the cruise lines, which is the best way to build understanding and business relationships, but even better is benefitting the citizens from Latin America and the Caribbean."

All proceeds benefitted the FCCA Foundation, the non-profit, charitable organization that funds humanitarian causes in the Caribbean and Latin America. Most recently, about 7,000 underprivileged children had something to celebrate because one of the Foundation's annual events, the Holiday Gift Project, delivering presents, festivities and smiles.

Both the Gala and FCCA Foundation's efforts were possible because of the feature sponsorship of Port Everglades and partner sponsorship of PortMiami and Port Canaveral.

WILLEMSTAD:--– According to the 2nd semiannual report for 2014 of the Board of financial supervision the public entities develop themselves at different paces. At times Bonaire has difficulties with keeping the budgeting process in control, Sint Eustatius struggles with internal procedures, while Saba expects a positive accountant's declaration soon. President Age Bakker: "Increasingly a differentiated form of supervision is necessary for the public entities."

Budget execution
The budget execution of Bonaire was fidgety last year, since it included a great number of mutations. The Board has urged Bonaire to structure the process in such a way that the execution of the budget will show a more stable pattern. The expectation is that the budgets of both Saba and Bonaire will have a positive result. Bonaire has implemented extensive budget adaptations during the year 2014 whereby investment means were also made available.

The budgeting process of Saba showed more calmness: the expected realization for 2014 remains close to the calculated budget. During the past year Sint Eustatius tried to prevent a budget deficit with (incidental) corrections. The most recent information shows that the year will probably finish with a deficit. The exact result will have to show in the 2014 annual report.

Financial management
During the past year Saba focused on implementing the last improvements on the area of financial management, to consequently get an approving control declaration for the annual report for 2014. The results of the interim control by the accountant confirm that Saba is on the good road.

On Bonaire in consultation with the Cft a radical improvement plan for the financial management was set up in 2014, in order to enable the handling of the gaps which were identified by the accountant. By executing the plan, which will run its course in 2015 as well, Bonaire will be able to better predict the risks for the budget in the future, which in turn will result in a more stable budgeting process. The improvement plan contains a reorganization of the finance department of the public entity. Bonaire has also improved its cash management during the past year, resulting in a better view on the available cash.

In 2014 Sint Eustatius had some difficulties with implementing improvements in the area of financial management. As a consequence there is now a backlog in the points of improvement that were agreed upon with the Cft. Sint Eustatius also has the challenge to correctly execute (legal) internal and external procedures, among others in the area of personnel. The Cft and the public entity are discussing how this can be improved in the future.

WILLEMSTAD:--- For the third consecutive year, the U.S. Consulate General Curaçao, in cooperation with the organizers of the Curaçao International Film Festival Rotterdam (CIFFR), is organizing a series of workshops March 25-29. The workshops will focus on showing students and others how they can become filmmakers themselves.
The U.S. Consulate has invited Kathryn Dietz, a successful documentary maker, producer, writer, director, and adjunct professor at the Massachusetts College of Art & Design, to direct the workshops. Mrs. Dietz is the founder of the Filmmakers Collaborative, which organizes the Boston International Kids Film Festival. This three-day festival of films by, for, and about children provides classes, workshops, and mentoring opportunities for children and adults. is very popular in the Boston area.
Mrs. Dietz will lead workshops, classroom presentations, and screenings with students and teachers at Maria Immaculata Lyceum and the U.S. Consulate.
For opportunities regarding private tutoring sessions, including reviews of film products with Mrs. Dietz for anyone interested in documentary making, please visit the CIFFR facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CuraçaoIFFR or contact Sulin Passial at education@Curaçaoiffr.com for registration.
The Filmmakers Collaborative is a U.S. nonprofit organization that was established in 1987 to provide grants management and educational programming for independent filmmakers and young emerging media professionals. Mrs. Dietz has produced documentaries about Egypt, Japan, China, and various cities in the U.S.
Mrs. Dietz is the producer, writer, and director of Big Little Town: The Story of Needham, which is a 60-minute film made to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Needham, Massachusetts.
In addition, she produced "Eleanor Roosevelt," which is a 2 ½ hour documentary on the former first lady of the U.S. The documentary received a Gold Camera and a Chris Award from the Columbus International Film & Video Festival. Many of her other productions have received awards at film festivals around the world.

PHILIPSBURG:---  The Parliament of Sint Maarten is now represented in the Standing Committee of Eurolat (European Union and the Parliament of Latin America - Parlatino), namely the Committee for Sustainable Development, the Environment, Energy Policy, Research, Innovation and Technology.

President of Parliament Hon. Dr. Lloyd Richardson, is currently in Panama attending the Directors meeting of Parlatino that started on Monday, and attended by the Vice Presidents of Parlatino where the parliamentary year plan of activities is compiled for the year (2014-2015).

President Richardson was invited to attend meetings of Eurolat, a meeting of representatives of parliaments from the European Union and Parlatino, which started on Tuesday and runs through Thursday.

A written request for the Parlatino floor sent on March 1, 2015, was given to Senator Angel Rodriquez, President of the Venezuelan Parliament, and Vice-President for Venezuela in Parlatino, to address the situation between Venezuela and the United States.

After a lengthy deliberation on the matter, an agreement on the resolution was sought from the member countries to, "reject the measures adopted by the government of United States, as being in flagrant contravention to the basic principles of international rights" etc.

The Dutch Caribbean countries with representatives at Parlatino namely, Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten, abstained from voting based on not having the legal authority to solely decide on matters of foreign affairs. Foreign Affairs is a responsibility of the Netherlands.

On Monday, during the board of directors meeting, the following agenda points were handled besides the preliminary activities and reports:

1. Approval of the convention of Cooperation between the Andine Parlament and Parlatino.
2. Approval the Resolutions and Projects of Generic laws for adoption in the following plenary session of Parlatino,
3. Calendar of meetings of the permanent committees to take place during the months of April-December of 2015,
4. Approval of events that Parlatino has been invited to, or obliged to attend based on own interest and rights,
5. Financial report on the state of quota payments by the member countries. (Sint Maarten is up to date with its annual payment)
6.  Choosing of topics for adoption in the following plenary sessions and introductory debates and suggestions of additional topics,
7. Approval of the entire agenda for the upcoming plenary sessions.
8. Turkey was accepted as an observer member in Parlatino

All documents related to the above meeting are privy to the public of St. Maarten through the auspices of the Secretariat of Parliament.

Cole Bay:--  Ford representative Farid Fritz visited St. Maarten at the local Ford dealer ship, Caribbean Auto on Union Road Cole Bay to provide training to service and sales staff. Staff were trained in service and sales techniques to improve their customer service and their knowledge of service and sales techniques. There they learned about Ford's patented Keys To Service Excellence.

COLE BAY:--- Motorworld sponsored a brand new Hyundai H-1 bus to the ACED Foundation on March 16, 2015. The ACED Association is a social awareness group whose focus is mediating between young people and professionals, specialists and social workers and the sponsored bus will allow them to transport personnel, athletes and young artists associated with ACED to and from their respective vocational locations.
Motorworld recognized the need for secure transportation for members of the ACED association and as a good corporate citizen donated the Hyundai bus. Mr. Jean-François Raboteur, Sales Manager Motorworld French side, was on location for the official hand-over of the keys to ACED representative(s) and was the brainchild of the project.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Chuchubi Foundation events for Aruba Day (March 18th 2015) was termed a big success. The two- day event, started on March 17th 2015 with the launching of the book "Calypso and resistance in Aruba" by Mr. Gregory Richardson and the documentary film on "Mighty Lords, Kings and Queens - Calypso and the politics of recognition in Aruba" by Ms. Sharelly Emanuelson. This event saw a large cross section of the community who were born on Aruba or lived on Aruba. During the film those present, expressed their recognition of certain Calypsonians and familiar songs from "back in those days." During that event Ms. Ruby Bute an Arubian who has made her mark in the arts world of Sint Maarten, was recognized by the Chuchubi Foundation. Ms. Bute was also very much impressed with the documentary and commented on "the good old days as a Village Girl in San Nicolas."
The Prime Minister Mr. Marcel Gumbs addressed the gathering and congratulated all Arubians on their Flag Day.
The celebration continued with morning ceremony at the Philipsburg Methodist Church which was well attended. A special guest was the Minister of Justice the Justice Minister of Aruba, Mr. Arthur Dowers who addressed the worshippers and was glad to be a part of the Chuchubi activities in recognition of Aruba Day. The service was also attended by The Minister of Justice of St.Maarten, Mr.Dennis Richardson. The hoisting of both the Sint Maarten and Aruba Flag was done while the national anthems were sung. The ministers enjoyed the warm fellowship with the members of Chuchubi Foundation, while sipping on their cup of "bush tea."
The day ended with a "meet and greet" at the Soualiga Garden Bar at the Emilio Wilson Park, where the vice president of the Chuchubi Foundation presented Minister Dowers with a plaque in commemoration of the Chuchubi activities for the 2015 Aruba Day celebration in St. Maarten

The Chuchubi Foundation thanks one and all for their presence and support, in particular the Arubians, and friends of Aruba, who made this celebration of the 2015 Aruba Day a big success!!.

Deadline to Apply is 5 p.m. on March 30, 2015

THE CARIBBEAN:--- St. Maarten students and industry professionals are encouraged to apply for a scholarship from the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF) so they can pursue higher education or professional development in the tourism and hospitality field. Scholarships are awarded with support from CHTAEF sponsors including Virgin Holidays, Interval International, FirstCaribbean International Bank, Johnson & Wales University and Florida International University.
CHTAEF is accepting applications for its scholarship program until March 30, 2015 at 5 pm Eastern Caribbean Time. Applications are available in English and Spanish via: http://caribbeanhotelandtourism.com/CHTAEFapplication.php or by contacting Anenda Zaandam, Executive Director, St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association, (721) 542-0108 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Applications must be submitted with the approval of the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association in order to be considered.
Scholarships are awarded for study at any approved college or university including, but not limited to, the University of West Indies and local community colleges throughout the Caribbean.
Scholarship recipients will be advised of their approval status and, if accepted, the amount of their award, no earlier than May 25, 2015.
"We encourage all of our hospitality students and professionals to apply for scholarships offered by the CHTA Education Foundation," said Anenda Zaandam. "The tourism industry is a vital economic resource for our country and these scholarships present an opportunity for motivated individuals to pursue higher education and career training regardless of financial need," added Zaandam.
"Education and training are essential in order to be successful in any work field and through our scholarship program, CHTAEF is offering students and professionals financial assistance to pursue their careers in the hospitality and tourism industry," said Richard S. Kahn, chairman of CHTAEF. "Since 1987, we have awarded approximately US$2 million in scholarships and grants to applicants and we have observed many successful scholarship recipients build exemplary careers in the tourism and hospitality industry," said Kahn.
In 2014, CHTAEF awarded US$136,308 in scholarships to 29 Caribbean nationals pursuing a higher education or professional development in hospitality and tourism after receiving more than 60 applications.
CHTAEF awards worthy Caribbean nationals who demonstrate a strong commitment to the hospitality and tourism industry with scholarship money to enhance or further their expertise. This includes academic tuition scholarships, short-course professional development tuition scholarships, work experience placement opportunities, and grants for tourism and hospitality teachers for furthering their education or to gain industry work experience.
Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 571-436-4386 for more information.
CHTA Education Foundation
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF) was established in 1987 as a stand-alone non-profit / tax-exempt organization, through which scholarships and special assistance would be made available for the education of Caribbean hotel industry personnel and students pursuing careers in tourism.
As part of its mission, the Education Foundation provides people throughout the Caribbean region with an awareness of the industry's varied career opportunities, as well as technical and professional development.
Since 1987, the Education Foundation has awarded approximately US$2 million in scholarships and grants to applicants who demonstrate a strong commitment to the hotel and tourism industry.
The Education Foundation is also active in supporting Haitian students & industry personnel following the devastating earthquake in January 2010 by facilitating a holistic Spoken English/ Practical Hospitality Skills training project in Port au Prince, leading to Haitian students moving to various Caribbean colleges to study for their Associates and Bachelors degrees, so able to return home and be major catalysts in the uplift of Haitian tourism.
For more information, visit www.chtaeducationfoundation.com or www.Facebook.com/CHTAEducationFoundation, call (571) 436-4386 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHILIPSBURG:--- Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise hosted "Shine like the Stars in the Universe" Day Camp. The camp was geared toward girls' ages 12-18 years of age. The topics that were presented were Communication, Fitness & Nutrition, Leadership, Culture, Etiquette and Fashion.

The girls were welcomed by Camp Facilitator Keysy Ramirez. President Virginia Asin opened the event by emphasizing the Rotary's mission to empower and build confidence in today's youth. President Asin was then joined by Rachel Doorson for the invocation.

The event started with the communication topic "The Art of Conversation". It was presented by Rotarian Okama Ekpe Brook. She presented the topic by first having the girls introduce themselves to each other and continued the discussion on the importance of communication and the different types of communication. She used this opportunity to demonstrate communication by talking about the current National Development Plan and shared some questions to discuss in open conversation to get input and feedback on the plan.

The fitness and nutrition segment was headed by the visiting Vocational Training Team from Niagara, Ontario, Canada. The girls were led in a fitness routine and were given the opportunity to lead the routine as well. The instructor was very encouraging to the girls and even encourage them to not be afraid to lead even if they were nervous or might make a mistake.

The leadership portion was of the camp was given by Micaela Hart, President of the Rotaract Club. Ms. Hart gave a presentation of what it means to be a leader. She explained that being a leader was a lot of responsibility and was hard at times, but can also be rewarding.

The girls also learned about St. Maarten culture with a spirited and lively presentation by Rotarian Marcellia Henry in her capacity as Secretary General of UNESCO. Ms. Henry gave examples of the intangible and tangible objects that made up St. Maarten culture. She stressed the need for the young ladies to know about their culture so that it may be passed on to future generations. In addition she suggested books on St. Maarten's culture like "The National Symbols of St. Maarten" by Lasana Sekou, which is available at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library.

Lastly, Francis Mathew professionally known as Mr. Fierce the Catwalk Professor gave a presentation on Etiquette & Fashion. He discussed the art of being a lady. He demonstrated how to walk, talk, sit, communicate, make friends and start a conversation. This was done very interactively by giving scenarios of a meeting and having the girls do impromptu role play. He instructed the young ladies how to eat and drink. He had each girl one by one demonstrate how they eat with a knife and fork and use their napkins. He taught them how to pour from a bottle into a glass and stressed the fact that ladies don't drink from a bottle. Demonstrating how a lady should pick up something from the floor brought much laughter to the group.

The girls also received a dress and t shirts per group and some decorating material. They had 15 minutes to come up with a fantastic design; dress a group member to model it and also present it to the audience during the fashion show. After which the girls rocked the catwalk.

At the closing awards were given to Best Catwalk, Ms Congeniality and Ms Leadership. The girls had a fun but informative day.

President Virginia Asin was pleased with the turnout and would like to thank all the presenters and Paula Gordon and her associates for partnering with them on this initiative and looks forward to next year's camp.

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

GREAT BAY:--– The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA) Collective Prevention Services (CPS), is inviting senior citizens to a World Oral Health Day free dental check-up on Friday, March 20.

The activity is for seniors 60 and over. It will take place on Friday at the Ministry of Public Health, Vineyard Building Office Park from 4.00pm to 6.30pm.

The activity is being organized in connection with World Oral Health Day which is celebrated annually on March 20. It is an international day to celebrate the benefits of a healthy mouth and to promote worldwide awareness of the issues around oral health and the importance of looking after oral hygiene to everyone old and young.

90 per cent of the world's population will suffer from oral diseases in their lifetime. The theme for 2015 is 'Smile for life!" and has a double meaning: 'lifelong smile' and 'celebrating life'.

Look out for the dental mobile which will be on site. Those requiring additional information can call Irma Kinght-Gumbs at 543-2070 or 520-6811.

Philipsburg:---"Registrations for Leadercast, a one-day leadership event broadcast LIVE from Atlanta, GA to hundreds of locations around the world, are filling up fast," revealed St. Maarten organizers, Victorious Living Foundation. The over one hundred registrants to date for Leadercast 2015 comprising community, Government and business leaders underscores that many leaders on St. Maarten see the necessity for us to improve our leadership capacity.

This year's Leadercast is scheduled for May 8th at the Belair Community Center and runs from 8:30 am until 5:00 p.m. The speaker lineup includes:

• Andy Stanley - Leadership author and communicator
• Malala Yousafzai - Nobel Laureate; Founder, The Malala Fund
• Ed Catmull - President of Pixar & Disney Animation Studios
• Seth Godin - Best-selling Author
• Rudy Giuliani - 107th Mayor of New York City (1993-2001)
• Aja Brown - Mayor, City of Compton
•  Bill McDermott - CEO of SAP AG
• CMDR Rorke Denver - Navy SEAL Commander & Author
• And more!

Last year, over 130,000 leaders from 35 countries attended Leadercast. Now, in its 16th year, this full day, experiential conference is on track to reach its largest audience to date. On St. Maarten, the momentum and anticipation of Leadercast 2015 is mounting amongst past participants many of whom have registered already for Leadercast on May 8th 2015.
"It was a great experience to have attended the Leadercast 2014. I gained lots of information which is an added value to my position as manager," said Acting Head of the Division for Educational Innovation in her evaluation of the event last year.
Leadercast exists to positively change the way the world thinks about leadership. This year's theme—The Brave Ones — challenges leaders to lead with a sense of Bravery, possessing a posture of unrelenting boldness.
Teenager Mhakeda Shillingford, who is also the Vice President of St. Maarten Youth Parliament and a member of the Kingdom Youth Parliament, stated of Leadercast 2014, "The conference was inspiring." Mhakeda recently founded PEP- Patrol to Expel Pedophiles on St. Maarten and has been asked by Victorious Living to share briefly why she started the organization and how persons could help to protect our children on St. Martin. Considering that Leadercast's focus this year is bravery, Victorious Living deems Mhakeda an appropriate local young heroine to share at Leadercast as she stands up to the scourge of pedophilia in our society.
"Bring your friends, business partners or team members to experience Leadercast and discover what it means to be a leader worth following," stated Victorious Living organizers.

For more information about Leadercast, visit www.leadercast.com. To register or partner with Victorious Living Foundation, call (721) 524-8731/1-542-2652; visit them at Royal Palm Plaza Front Street#92, Unit 2-3 or http://www.victoriouslivingsxm.org/events.html.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Following a meeting with representatives of the St. Maarten Communication Union (SMCU), Wednesday afternoon, management of PSS N.V. issued the following statement regarding industrial action taken by postal workers earlier in the day.

PSS N.V. management is presently dealing with a serious incident which allegedly took place on company premises involving a member of the management team and a member of the postal staff.

Management is working diligently to bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion by speaking with all parties concerned, but at this stage, management cannot be guided by demands to enforce any actions unless and until all facts pertaining to this incident are collated, assessed and conclusions drawn.

Management assures all personnel of PSS N.V. that their safety and well-being in the workplace and in the execution of their postal duties is paramount at all times and without exception.
We have appealed to personnel for their continued patience while steps are taken to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.

CUL DE SAC:--- The Management of St. Maarten Academy's academic campus would like to inform all parents of students in Forms 1 to 4 that there will be a Parents' Evening on Thursday, March 19, 2015 from 5:30pm to 7:00pm.

Parents are encouraged to attend the meeting along with their children to discuss their child/children's progress for Term 2. Parents who do not show up for this meeting will be called in to the school subsequently. All students have been given letters to take home.

Report Evening for Forms 5 and 6 will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2015 from 5:30pm – 7:00pm.

Additionally, parents of students in Forms 5 and 6 are informed that internal Pre-CSEC/CAPE (Mock) Examinations for Forms 5 and 6 will begin on Thursday, March 19, 2015. This is a very important juncture in your child's life and should be taken seriously, says Principal, drs. Tallulah Baly-Vanterpool.

All students in Forms 5 and 6 are required to report to school each day at 7:30am. Any child arriving late will not be given extra time. Students in examination classes are also required to wear the school uniform according to the school's dress code and have materials for that day's examination.

Each student has already received a schedule for the Pre-CSEC/CAPE (Mock) examinations, which will end on Wednesday, April 8, 2015. Pre-CAPE Examinations for Form 6 will end on Wednesday, April 1, 2015. The last day for school for students of Forms 5 and 6 is April 17, 2015. It is mandatory that all students attend classes until April 17, 2015.

The guidelines for the external Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations as well as the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), which are both administered by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) have also been given to students.

CSEC Spanish/French orals (external examination) will be administered during the period April 13 – 16, 2015.

Parents are being encouraged to monitor their children's preparation during this very important time of their high school lives, especially during the Carnival vacation.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Committee of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs (CECYSA) of Parliament, that was scheduled for March 20 has been rescheduled at the request of the St. Maarten Lions Club and will take place on April 7.

The Permanent Committee meeting is set for Tuesday at 9.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The first agenda point is a presentation by the St. Maarten Lions Club regarding under-age drinking and parental responsibility. The second agenda point is approval of the decision lists CECYSA Parliamentary Year 2014-2015, no. 1-6.

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

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

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

WILLEMSTAD:--- U.S. Ambassador Timothy R. Broas concluded his visit to the Dutch Caribbean on Tuesday. Accompanied by U.S. Consul General James Moore, he met with meet with distinguished members of government and parliament, and leaders in education, the arts, and the media in Curaçao, Sint Maarten, St. Eustatius, and Aruba.
Timothy Broas was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands on January 6, 2014. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 13, 2014. Ambassador Broas presented his credentials to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander on March 19, 2014, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Last week, Ambassador Broas met with government and Parliament leaders in Curaçao.
This week, in Sint Maarten, Ambassador Broas met with Governor Eugene Holiday and Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs. In St. Eustatius, he met with Governor Gerald Berkel and toured the historic Fort Oranje – the site of the "First Salute," and the first international recognition of American independence. And in Aruba, Ambassador Broas met Governor Fredis Refunjol, Prime Minister Mike Eman, President of Parliament Marisol Lopez-Tromp, and several ministers of the Prime Minister's cabinet.
The visit of Ambassador Broas coincides with the 65th anniversary of the Roosevelt House and the opening of an exhibit to commemorate this unique gift from the people of Curaçao to the people of the United States. During the commemoration, Ambassador Broas said:
"During the past year, I have been struck by the extraordinary depth of relations today between the United States and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In numerous ways, and not merely economic, we are forever invested in each other's future. Our friendship and cooperation is rooted in a proud and intertwined history. Thank you for warmly welcoming me to the Dutch Caribbean where I had the pleasure of learning firsthand about this important – and beautiful – part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. "

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA) Collective Prevention Services (CPS), would like to remind residents of Dutch Quarter that the Mobile Health Clinic Bus, will be in their neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon near the Mc. Donald's establishment to carry out medical screening of persons who are interested.

Residents of the Dutch Quarter area and surrounding environs are invited to come out between 4.00pm to 7.00pm to this community outreach activity.

Screenings for glucose, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, weight and BMI, hip and waist ratio, will be carried out on the spot.

The visit to the various districts is to raise individual awareness on healthy lifestyles, health determinants and health disparities, and to raise individual awareness on healthy lifestyles.

The primary mission is to deliver prevention services to the people of the nation.

The mobile health bus will be visiting a district each month or according to health calendar observances of the department.

If any Non-Governmental Organization's would like to collaborate activities with CPS, please feel free to contact Collective Prevention Services 542-2078 / 3003, Coordinators; Nirmala Vlaun, Public Health Nurse This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Swinda Richardson, Public Health Dietician/Nutritionist This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Pond Island:--– Lions president, Lion Sunil Khatnani, has praised TelEm Group for its continued support of the Lion Rudy Hoeve Health & Wellness Fair, powered by TelEm, which gets underway at the Festival Village Saturday with a record number of booth-holders slated to take part.
According to Lion Sunil, this is the fourth year that the government-owned telecommunication company has shown its corporate citizenship by sponsoring a project that is vital to the community's continued health and wealth.
"Thanks to the donations and assistance of TelEm and other sponsors in the St. Maarten community, we can once again host this ever-growing event which is now one of the largest health and wellness fairs in the Caribbean today,"noted the Lions president during a short check presentation at the TelEm Group main building on Pond Island Tuesday.
Veteran Lion, Mr. Wally Havertong, says this year's event will be bigger and better than past events with three new organizations, The Sickle Cell Foundation, the Downs Syndrome Foundation and the Tzu Chi Foundation, scheduled to promote their respective causes at the health fair for the first time.
Lion Wally said the event will once again attract a host of people in the community, including senior citizens who can take various health checks, including checks for diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and other ailments, and the youth, who can take HIV/AIDS tests if they wish.
"This year we have arranged to have a person at the fair to address seniors and those approaching retirement age about the steps they need to take to register for their pensions and many will be able to register at the fair right away," continued Lion Wally.
He said the organizers of the event have also arranged to have a podiatrist (foot doctor) at the fair to check the feet of diabetes patients and advise them accordingly.
Also on hand will be representatives of the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) who will be inviting persons in the community to register into a brand new registration system at SMMC that is designed to make visiting and getting treatment at the local hospital a snap.
He has advised seniors who will be attending the fair that they can eat at least two hours before taking any tests – this to ensure they are strong and well once they arrive.
"A lot of seniors believe they cannot eat anything at all before having a test done, but that is not the case. Once they eat two hours before arriving they will be fine," continued Lion Wally.
He said once again the health fair is being dedicated to the late Lion member Rudy Hoeve, after whom the fair is named. He said Mr. Hoeve was especially concerned about health issues related to sight and how the Lions could help alleviate some of these issues while he was an active member of the service club.
"We began the health and wellness fair with 15 booths seven years ago, and on Saturday we will be hosting 38 booths in the Festival Village," said Lion Wally, indicating the tremendous growth of the event, which is provided free to the St. Maarten community.
He joked that the annual Lion Rudy Hoeve Health Fair would not be complete without the traditional Zumba exercise routine that will be taking place to warm up participants and visitors, starting at 9:00 am sharp, encouraging everyone to come out to dancer-size with ZUMBA.
The Lion Rudy Hoeve Health and Wellness Fair is scheduled to begin at 9:00 am in the morning and continues until 4:00 pm in the afternoon.
The organizers say parents and guardians with children at the fair can rest assured that accommodation is being made to keep their children entertained with activities and games while they are having their tests done or visiting the booths.
"We expect a tremendous turnout and want to encourage everyone to come out and take advantage of all that is being offered from some top experts in the health field on St. Maarten," said Lion Wally.
On behalf of TelEm Group, Lead Customer Service Representative, Suraj Ramdas, presented a check to Lion president Sunil with best wishes for the day.
He said TelEm Group management is always keen to provide for the community it serves and will be encouraging its own personnel to visit the booths and also make use of what is being offered.

SAINT-MARTIN:--- Exquisite Designs & Decorations Event Planners owned by Jelani Fleming is organizing Easter Eggstravagance 2015 to be held on Saturday April 4th 2015 at the Sandy-Ground Cultural center. The event starts at 1pm to 7pm.

Mainly an indoor easter egg hunt, this year Jelani expanded event by giving local entrepreneur the opportunity to have a stand where they will thereof sell their various products. "This time around I chose people who have just started business or people are not quite known as yet in the community" said Mr. Fleming.
Vendors at Easter Eggstravagance 2015 are MEALS on the GO owned by Amanda W., Cheese Cakes Delights owned by Asheda M., iCandled SXM by Tomika G., Cotton candy & more by Anne - Marie G. and Bouncing Castles & other activities by Ashana P.
According to the organizer, this event isn't just about making money for oneself but also about giving back to the community. He added that at the end of this Easter event, a donation will be given to Association Tournesol which is presided by Ms. Bernice Brooks on behalf of his company and the participating vendors.

For brief information, association tournesol is an organization dedicated to people with special needs or who are disabled.

In closing, Jelani encourages the general public to support this local, innovative but above all creative event. Tickets are sold in advance at 10€ for children between the ages of 3 to 12 by the organizer himself, including 1 free egg hunt session and a complimentary cupcake, Parents enter free.

For more information call Jelani at 0690.22.21.81 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Tuesday March 17th at approximately 03.45 p.m. a police patrol was sent by the Central Dispatch to the cruise vessel "Independence of the Seas" which was docked the A.C. Wathey Cruise facilities, to investigate a case involving a crewmember who was caught bringing drugs on board. On the scene the officers spoke to the security officers of the cruise vessel in question who stated that a male crewmember had left the ship earlier during the day had returned to the ship and during the security search they found a small package containing a white powder hidden in his underwear. After this white powder was tested by the ships security it was proven that this substance is cocaine. The 30 year old suspect was arrested immediately by police and taken to the Philipsburg police station where he remains in custody for further investigation.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Lions recently hosted Lion members from various neighboring islands for the "Zone 2B Meeting" and the "Region 2 Meeting" which was held at the remodeled Sonesta Maho Beach Convention Center.
The theme of the Region 2 Meeting was "Together we Strive, Together we Succeed". Region 2 Chairman Lion Corinne E. Forbes, MJF from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands was on hand to preside over the official Region 2 Meeting which was attended by various Lions from U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts and St. Maarten. Updates were given by the various Zone Chairmen from Region2 on the status of the clubs in their zones.
Immediate Past President for the St. Maarten Lions Club and Zone Chairman for 2B Lion Claudio Buncamper chaired a successful Zone Meeting a day before the Region2 Meeting. He gave an extensive report on the state of the various Lions Clubs under his Zone which includes, Anguilla, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten. All Presidents in Zone 2B gave presentations on state of their clubs which included information on membership, financials and projects.
Local Club President Lion Sunil Khatnani of the St. Maarten Lions Club was very happy with hard work and efforts by the local organizing committee under it's Chairman Lion Frank Elstak, MJF and stated; " The St. Maarten Lions Club was honored to host the Region 2 meeting and we hope that the efforts of the organizing committee succeeded in making our visitor's stay on St. Maarten really enjoyable one".
The various meetings started with an extensive workshop on protocol conducted by Past District Governor Lion Maxime Larmonie, PMJF and ended with a farewell dinner and dance with DJ Petty hosted by the St. Maarten Lions Club. Sponsors for the Lions Region 2 Meeting were the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau and the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino.
The next major event for the St. Maarten Lions Club is the hosting of the visiting District Governor Lion Isaac Soloman, MJF from St. Vncent and the Grenadines on Thursday, March 19th. The District Governor will be auditing the local club along with the St. Maarten Leo Club(Alpha) and the St. Maarten South Leo Club(Omega). The other major event this week is the upcoming Lion Rudy Hoeve Health & Wellness Fair 2015 which is powered by Telem Group of Companies. This is being held on Saturday March 21st at the Festival Village from 9am - 4pm and all tests are totally free to the general public.
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PHILIPSBURG:--- Based on recently completed survey work the Mangrove Reforestation Initiative of the area surrounding the Simpson Bay Causeway has resulted in approximately 700 square meters of valuable Mangrove Habitat supporting a number of bird and wetland species. The Nature Foundation initially planted more than 500 square meters of mangroves after the construction of the Causeway and one year after the completion of the project did numerous follow-up surveys in order to determine the success of the project.

In the initial stage of the project juvenile mangroves were removed and were replanted at various locations around the island. Follow-up stages included reforestation techniques, monitoring, replanting initiatives and ecosystem management of the area. Based on all of these initiatives a total of 7850 new mangroves covering an area of 600 square meters was recorded during follow-up monitoring on the 13th of January 2014 and an additional 100 square meters during monitoring recorded late in February 2015. The survey also established numerous wetland bird species and seagrasses during the monitoring. There was also a reduction of the algae bloom which affected the area during the summer of 2014. This is considered a successful reforestation project and one of the most successful mangrove reforestation initiatives on St. Maarten to date and has started to provide mangrove seedlings for other areas surrounding the Simpson Bay Lagoon. The area has also become one of the most ecologically significant mangrove habitat in the south-eastern section of the Simpson Bay Lagoon.

Mangrove forests are under severe pressure and disappearing at an alarming rate and it is estimated that about 60% of the total mangrove areas have disappeared. All four species of mangroves were recorded at the Causeway namely Rhizophora mangle (Red mangrove), Avicennia germinans (Black mangrove), Laguncularia racemosa (White Mangrove) and Conocarpus erectus (Buttonwood).

Invertebrates were also recorded including Queen Conch (Strombus gigas), Cushion Stars (Oreaster reticulata), Sea Cucumber (Holothuria mexicana), and the Upside Down Jellyfish (Cassiopeia frondosa).

Mangroves also act as a filter for water being washed off the land by preventing harmful sediments from smothering the coral reefs, including those of the Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area. By establishing themselves successfully, the mangrove trees have the potential to become a thriving habitat for many other plants and animals as well as an important nursery for many species of fish. Fish using the mangroves as a nursery include Schoolmasters (Lutjanus apodus), Gray Snapper (Lutjanus griseus), Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) and the Foureye butterfly (Chaetodon capistratus).

Miami Beach, FL:--- The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) commenced the first day of Cruise Shipping Miami's (CSM) delegate functions with a day of events fostered to promote understanding and relationship building between cruise executives, FCCA Platinum Members and partner destinations.

"The FCCA is crucial to maximizing time and opportunities during this busy week," told Micky Arison, chairman of Carnival Corporation and the FCCA, who was on-hand at a reception that took place in the FCCA's CSM booth (#695). "Time becomes extremely limited throughout Cruise Shipping, and the FCCA makes it possible to meet with some of the industry's most important stakeholders."

"Our meetings and events make it possible to take advantage of what Cruise Shipping Miami offers," said Michele M. Paige, president of FCCA. "This global event gathers some of the most prominent cruise executives and stakeholders, and we pride ourselves on ensuring that these key entities meet to discuss crucial operational issues and develop relationships that pave the way for future business."

A series of meetings took place between FCCA Member Line executives, partner destinations and Platinum Members, including the U.S. Virgin Islands; Sinaloa, Mexico; Quintana Roo, Mexico; Barbados; API Sonora; a Caribbean and Latin American delegation discussing German-speaking tour guides to enhance the guest experience for German brands like TUI Cruises and AIDA; and a meeting with Karl Holz, president, Disney Cruise Line.

Plus the FCCA booth hosted a private reception for Platinum Members and guests to target the attending executives, enabling discussions ranging from business operations and recent happenings to family and plans for the week.

These functions were just a few of the FCCA initiatives during CSM that help members and attendees maximize their chances to target cruise line executives, presidents and CEOs.

Today will also feature receptions and meetings at the FCCA booth (#695), along with the 21st annual Gala, which will take place at the Miami Beach Convention Center and allow over 400 attendees to sit down for dinner and discussions with an executive of their choice, as well as interact with the numerous other executives, presidents and CEOs at a 90-minute cocktail reception and art auction. There will also be a private closing event tomorrow to let FCCA members and executives wrap up conversations and finalize deals.

Director Threaten to shoot workers.--- Alex Richardson now taking psychological therapy to control anger. Workers to resume work on Thursday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Workers of the Postal Services of St. Maarten (PSS) have decided to start industrial action on Wednesday morning hoping that management and the Police Department will to take the necessary actions against one of the directors of the company whom they said walked inside of PSS and threatened to shoot all the workers. Sherman Serastis of the St. Maarten Communication Union (SMCU) told SMN News in telephone interview that Alex Richardson had a dispute with one of the workers and he walked into the premises threatening to shoot the workers. Serastis said that a criminal complaint was filed with the Police Department but so far nothing happened. He further explained that this incident took place some three weeks ago and the management of Postal Services St. Maarten promised to deal with the situation but so far noting has been done. Serastis said that the director also violated the labor agreement which clearly states that threats cannot be made on the job. He said right now the union has the criminal case they flied and the labor violation to deal with.
Serastis said this morning (Wednesday) the workers felt they had enough and have decided to demand justice by going into industrial action. At the time SMN News wrote this article management of PSS decided to address the issue with the SMCU representatives that are on the location.SMCU met with management, and management informed them they  suspended Alex Richardson with pay but the workers felt that the action management of PSS took were not severe enough. SMCU representative Sherman Serastis said that the workers said unless management impose a heavier punishment on Richardson they will not return to work. SMCU representatives feel that Richardson should be suspended without pay and forced to enroll in anger management program.
Serastis said the meeting between management and PSS will resume at 3:30pm on Wednesday to see what decision management of PSS has taken now that they have discussed the matter with the union.After the meeting on Tuesday afternoon with management of PSS Sherman Serastis told SMN News that the workers of PSS have decided that will not work along with Alex Richardson because they longer feel safe for their lives and security. Serastis said management informed the SMCU that Richardson began psychological therapy on Tuesday to work on his anger. However, the workers of PSS feel that even though Richardson is seeking help they will not work with him because of serious threats he made to one of their colleagues. Serastis said management informed SMCU members that they will be seeking legal advice to see what other step they could take against Alex Richardson. Serastis said that the SMCU gave management of PSS three weeks to come back to them with the decision they have taken. Serastis further explained that the SMCU will dispatch a letter to the management and supervisory board of PSS on Wednesday confirming all that was agreed upon on Tuesday's. Serastis also confirmed that the workers will return to work as usual on Thursday.

 Click here to view warning letter issued to Alex Richards on March 6th 2015

PHILIPSBURG:--- United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Maurice Lake is in full support of raising the drinking age and commends the St. Maarten Lions Club for its initiative to see the age limit raised as well as Teen Times with respect to their recent survey on the issue which underscored that the majority of people is in favour of raising the age limit.

Lake also stated that he did some research about the minimum legal drinking age and how this varies around the world. The St. Maarten Lions Club which as a civic organization has youth alcohol abuse as one of their main topics for 2015. Teen Times in recently published a survey it conducted on the issue and publicly supports the Lions in its efforts.

"The majority of countries have set the drinking age at 18. There was a big debate on lowering the drinking age from 21 on CBS News where the Universities and some organizations feel it is not working and forcing a lot of teenagers to find ways to circumnavigate the law by going underground in basements and seeking alcohol from the black market.

"I believe we should set the drinking age based on our culture and taking the young people's input into consideration. Teen Times has been the voice of the young people for many years. The youth of Sint Maarten can use Teen Times to voice their opinions about community ills and/or approval of any topic. I have to commend Micheal Granger, Teen Times Coordinator and his team for doing a great job with the youths of this country so almost two decades," MP Maurice Lake said on Tuesday.

"As an MP, I wanted to know for a fact if a supermarket would sell a young underage person alcohol. A young individual that I know went to the store and they did sell him the alcohol. About two weeks ago, I observed three under age students walking through Ebenezer with a beer in their hands like if it is the norm and just playing macho," the MP said.

To prove a point, Teen Times writers also wanted to show the public how easy it is for minor to purchase alcohol. Two of the young writers went into a store, purchased hard alcohol without being questioned by store attendants. The writers and their photographer captured the exchange and published it in a recent issue.

"The point I wanted to make is we need to do a better control and re-enforce existing laws where it concerns the selling of alcohol to minors. As Teen Times stated in their report, why do authorities allow clubs to permit entrance to minors without controlling these clubs.

"It should be a collective responsibility of the parents, community in general, Police, Community Councils, schools and Council of Churches in dealing with this matter. We need to get back to basics on how our parents brought us up and a community raising a child.

"I know we live in different times, but the principles and morals are the same. We might not control everything but we can contain the underage drinking by educating the public, the business establishments that sell alcohol, and youngsters about underage drinking and about respecting the law.

"I support the survey from Teen Times with the majority based on the snap online survey via Facebook using Teen Times page (with 5,000 friends) who want the legal drinking age raised from 16 to 18 years. I believe that at 18, one is more responsible for his/her actions, and are fully aware of the consequences of their actions. So, if we want to get serious about the current drinking age, we need to get serious about enforcement as well," MP Maurice Lake concluded.

Large Pod of Dolphins Spotted Last Few Days

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Nature Foundation is urging all vessels to exercise caution and report sightings of marine mammals. Over the last few days the Foundation has been noticing a large number of dolphins on the south and western side of the island. "When we were returning from a patrol in the Marine Park we noticed a large pod of bottlenose dolphin feeding and playing right outside of Fort Amsterdam. We stayed around the vicinity to ensure that boaters where aware of the pod and also had the opportunity to interact with the animals safely.

Numerous other species of whale and dolphin, including humpback whales, sperm whales and several other types of dolphins, make their home in local waters. This year the Nature Foundation will once again bring greater awareness to the general public about St. Maarten's wild Marine Mammal Population and conservation issues faced by Marine Mammals in local waters. The Nature Foundation also hopes that St. Maarten will become a signatory to the Marine Mammal Sanctuary currently being established in the North Eastern Caribbean.

If the public is interested in participating in the marine Mammal census they can send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and request a sighting form.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Police shot to  a suspect known as "Bolita" from the island of Dominca that was wanted in an attempted murder investigation. According to information reaching SMN News the suspect was shot Tuesday afternoon in the vicinity of Montessori School and Island Water World in Cole Bay by officers working at the Simpson Bay Police Outpost. Police had a warrant out for "Bolitia" who was wanted for a stabbing "chopping" incident that left a national of Jamaica dead in 2013. According to information SMN News received from well placed-sources the suspect escaped police several times as he was spotted a number of times in the Cole Bay area

The victim that "Bolita" stabbed was in a coma for some two weeks before he succumbed to his injuries. Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson confirmed that there was a shooting but said he was not at liberty to release much information at this time.Press Prosecutor Tineke Kamps confirmed that a suspect known as "Bolita" was arrested today(Tuesday afternoon). He was arrested for an attempted manslaughter. During his arrest he was shot by the police, in his butt/buttocks.

Wanted suspect" shot by police.

On Tuesday March 17th at approximately 04.45 p.m. several police patrols were sent in the Cole Bay area to search for a for a suspect known to police as "Bolita" and for whom a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Public Prosecutors Office since August of 2013. "Bolita" has managed to avoid his capture since he has been suspected of murder and severe ill-treatment. When the patrols went into the area in order to locate and arrest "Bolita", he took off running through the neighborhood, again trying to avoid his arrested. The police chased the suspect on foot through the area while he kept jumping over fences onto the numerous properties in the area. While the suspect was being chased by police he was ordered repeatedly to stop and turn himself in but, he refused to do so. The officers chasing "Bolita" fired several warning shots however he refused to stop and continued trying to escape. "Bolita" who is considered extremely dangerous was then shot in his upper left leg by one the officers. After being shot the suspect continued running but shortly after was apprehended by the police. The suspect was treated on the scene by paramedics and then transported to the Sint Maarten Medical Center for further treatment. Detectives were on the scene talking to witnesses while the Forensic Department was collecting evidence. Further details regarding this incident will follow as they become available.

KPSM Police Report.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Council of State of the Netherlands (Raad van Staten) of the Netherlands has rejected St. Maarten's candidate former chairlady of Parliament Gracita Arrindell. The current government had proposed Arrindell to take up the vacant seat in the Raad van Staten when the UP/ De Weever coalition was formed.
SMN News has been reliably informed that the decisions for rejecting Arrindell as a candidate is that she is under qualified and does not have the experience that is required to be on the council. This is not the first time a candidate have been rejected by the State.
Arrindell was supposed to replace now Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson who left his post to take up the position as Minister of Justice of St. Maarten.
Efforts made to reach Arrindell on Tuesday for a comment proved futile as she did not answer her phone.

PHILIPSBURG:--- As of March 1st 2015 several services within the Judicial Department have strongly intensified their cooperation in the field of border controls and human trafficking/human smuggling.
Under leadership of the Police Force the three above named services will cooperate on border controls in the 'Back office' team at the airport. The new 'Human trafficking/Human Smuggling' team is housed in the police substation in Cole Bay/Cay Bay. Because of this cooperation investigating so called 'migration crime' will get a huge impulse. Controls on human trafficking and human smuggling will be intensified.
Both teams are going to concentrate on the exploitation of employees in the working fields such as security, supermarkets, restaurants etc.
This cooperation means a fortification for the investigation of these forms of criminality. Separate incidents will be handled, but also joint projects and controls will be conducted. In addition the members of both teams will be able to manage and to register data and information in an accurate manner. Because of the intensification of the cooperation between the different services, of which the Coastguard and Customs are also a part of, the coordination to solve the problems in the area of human trafficking and smuggling and border controls is going to be a lot stronger.
All members of both teams have a lot of experience within their working field, but their knowledge in that field is going to get a refreshment because of the extra training programs in which practical behavior and recognition of human trafficking and human smuggling are involved.

Two suspects arrested for fire-arm possession.
Based on information that reaching a police that a man who was visiting a popular adult entertainment club located Simpson bay a search was done in the room the male suspect was in. During a search of this apartment a fully loaded 9 millimeter pistol was found in the garbage bin. The suspect was arrested on the spot. As the investigation continued the investigating officers learnt that another suspect was held up in another room. The officers also went into this room and did a search. During this search fully loaded caliber .40 pistol was found under the mattress. This male suspect was also arrested and both fire-arms were confiscated. The suspects were both taken to the Philipsburg Police Station where they remain in custody pending further investigation.
Man stabbed in the vicinity of Atlantis Casino
On Tuesday March 17th at approximately 04.30 a.m. a police patrol and paramedics were sent in the vicinity Atlantis Casino to investigate a stabbing. On the scene the investigating officers encountered the victim who was lying on his stomach and bleeding from a stab wound to left side of his stomach and another stab wound to right side of his neck. The victim stated that he was stabbed by a tall and slender man local mail. The victim was treated on the scene by paramedics and then transported to the Sint Maarten Medical Center for further treatment. The victim did not explain the reason why this incident took place; however there are many rumors circulating regarding the cause of the incident. The investigation is ongoing by Detectives to determine who the suspect is that is responsible for the stabbing and why.

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT / Road closure and traffic diversions
In connection with upcoming "Fete to Fitness Jump-up" which is scheduled for March 21st 2015 the Police Department is taking the following traffic measures on the date mentioned. The jump-up will start at 08.00 p.m. on the Sucker garden road in the vicinity of Monchi's Bar and will be taking the following route: Sucker garden road - Freedom Fighter round-about – Salt Picker's round-about – W.J.A. Nisbet road – Percy Labega Street – Long wall Road – Front Street Emma plein – Welvaart brug – W. Buncamper Road – Freedom Fighters round-about – W.J.A. Nisbet Road – Salt Picker's Round- about – Soualiga Road and end at the parking lot in front of the Festival Village.
05.00 p.m.:
Front Street will be closed to all motor vehicle traffic. Al alleys connecting to Front Street from Back Street will also be closed. All alleys connecting Front Street to the boardwalk should remain clear in case of emergency. All residents and business operators, hotel operators should take good note of this information. Hotel operators should inform the clients of this temporary traffic measure. Parking in Front Street during the passage of the jump-up is not allowed. Vehicles found parked in Front Street will be towed at the owners cost. This traffic measure will remain in place until the jump-up has cleared Front Street. All drivers should take good note of this measure.
07.30 p.m.:
Sucker garden road closed at the entrance to Guana Bay road. No traffic in the direction of Arch road. Sucker garden road closed at the entrance to Arch Road. No traffic in the direction of Guana Bay road. Sucker garden road closed off at the Freedom Fighters round-about. No traffic in the direction Guana Bay road.
08.00 p.m.:
Buncamper road closed off at the Freedom Fighters round-about. No traffic in the dirction of the Freedom Fighters round-about. W.J.A. Nisbet road closed off at the Salt Pickers round about. No traffic towards Freedom Fighters round about.
08.30 p.m.:
W.J.A. Nisbet road closed off at Voges Street. No traffic on the W.J.A. Nisbet road. Soualiga Boulevard closed off at the Salt Pickers round about. No traffic in the direction of the Salt Pickers round about. D.A. Peterson Street closed off at the Salt Picker round about. No traffic in the direction of the Salt Pickers round about. W.J.A. Nisbet road closed off at the Codville Webster road. No traffic in the direction of the Salt Pickers round about.
09.00 p.m.:
W.J.A. Nisbet road closed of at the Hensey Beaujon Street. No traffic in the direction of the Salt Pickers round about.
09.30 p.m.:
W.J.A. Nisbet road closed off at Percy Labega Street. No traffic in the direction of the Salt Pickers round about.
09.40 p.m.:
Long wall road closed at Prins Bernard brug and Back Street. No traffic will be allowed on the Long wall road. Kerkhof straat closed off at Front Street. No traffic in the direction of Kerkhof Straat and Front Street. Little Bay road closed off at Front Street. No traffic in the direction of Kerkhof straat and Front Street.
11.00 p.m.:
Juancho Yrausquin Boulevard closed off at Welvaart brug. No traffic in the direction of Buncamper Road. Buncamper road closed off at the Freedom Fighters round about. No traffic in the direction of the Juancho Yrausquin Boulevard.
11.15 p.m.:
Sucker garden road closed off at Freedom Fighters round about. No traffic in the direction of W.J.A. Nisbet road. W.J.A. Nisbet road closed off at the Salt Pickers round about. No traffic towards the Freedom Fighters round about.
11.30. p.m.:
Soualiga Boulevard closed of at the Rock salt road. No traffic towards the Salt Pickers round about. D.A. Peterson Street closed off at the Salt Pickers round about. No traffic in the direction of the Salt Pickers round about. W.J.A. Nisbet road closed off at Codville Webster road. No traffic in the direction of Salt Picker round about.
NOTE: After the jump-up has reached its final destination, the Salt Pickers round about will be partially closed until all pedestrian traffic has diminished. Motor vehicle traffic will only be allowed on the W.J.A. Nisbeth road in the direction of the Prins Bernard brug and the Salt Pickers round about. All other main roads, streets and alleys will at that time be open to all traffic.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, Mrs. Rita Bourne-Gumbs, issued her decision March 10, 2015 in connection with the review of the appeals submitted by the SVOBE School Board regarding the compensation for Sundial School and Milton Peters College.

The Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, expressed that she was pleased that this case is being concluded and that SVOBE will be compensated for the short fall in its subsidy for the academic years 2011-2012 to 2012-2013. This will facilitate the continuity and the quality of education within the Sundial School and Milton Peters College.

"It is my desire to work closely with SVOBE and other school boards to continue to enhance efficiency and accountability for the funding of schools as these costs have been increasing and currently stand at approximately 100 Million Guilders for the funding of Educational Institutions." Minister Bourne-Gumbs said.

The decision was made after the Minister received the advice of the appeal committee appointed to review the contested decisions and after the results of an independent evaluation of the compensation scheme was obtained from SOAB.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports is in the process of amending the compensation scheme to further improve the means by which educational institutions are funded. This process is to be concluded within the first half of this year, after which the formal ratification process will begin.

Largest Offshore Financial Services Conference Urges Delegates To Consider "Global Dynamics, Regional Solutions"

TORONTO, ONT:--- Touted by organizers as the largest financial services conference in the region, STEP CC 2015 promises to tackle the tough issues facing trust professionals head on.
Under the theme "GLOBAL DYNAMICS, REGIONAL SOLUTIONS" this years' conference has a stellar line of speakers drawn from the financial services sector and trust sector from around the world. Set to run from May 4 - 6 at the Westin Resort in Sint Maartin, the conference is looking to welcome over 200 delegates from around the region and around the world.
"Increasingly trust professionals are facing a myriad of issues on a daily basis and change seems to be the only constant", stated Carlyle Rogers. "This conference will provide delegates with thought leadership on a variety of topics and we have stayed true to our mandate to bring together subject matter experts to Sint Maartin from around the globe."
Thirteen jurisdictions in the Caribbean region are participating in this years' conference from The Bahamas to Panama with each jurisdiction sitting on the steering committee and assisting in the development of the program.
Registration is open now and although sponsorship opportunities are almost sold out, there are a few opening.
Another addition to this years' conference is in the works and involves the media.
Media from around the region and around the world are invited to join the conference delegates at a media familiarization tour the Saturday prior to the conference and media round table sessions during the conference.
The goal of the media events is to begin an informed conversation around the future of IFC's in the region and also to explore the macro trends that are affecting these IFC's on a daily basis.
A white paper will be developed as a result of these conversations.
A limited number of complimentary hotel spaces have been set aside for media interested in registering for the FAM tour and The Anguilla Tourist Board is also inviting media to join the for a sister FAM tour to Anguilla. Please register for the media slots by April 3, 2015. Travel and expenses will also be covered for qualified journalists.

PHILIPSBURG:--- At least two Chief Inspectors of Police that have been holding their positions for some years now have to wait much longer before their scales and salaries can be adjusted.
SMN News learnt that the Governor of St. Maarten returned the advices sent to him to adjust the scaling and salaries of Chief Inspector Ricardo Henson who have been heading the department of communications at KPSM for some six years now. While Henson is a department head his scale should now be at 12 which will give him a salary increase and an increase in his pension benefits. Another Chief Inspector that has to wait much longer is Carlyle Rogers, Head of the Simpson Bay Police outpost.
According to information SMN News received is that the Governor found more mistakes in the advices  that was sent to him for approval thus he returned them back late last week for corrections.
Last week Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte told SMN News that the advices were by the Governor and that both officers will soon get their scales and salaries adjusted. De Witte said the advices was sent twice in 2014 and both times they were sent back. He said when he made the statement to SMN News last week he had no idea that the advices were sent back due to mistakes. De Witte said that he was informed by one of the officers who have been waiting for is adjustments  he checked with the Ministry and he was informed that only late last week the Ministry got some correspondence from the Governor and the intention is to look for the advices to see what mistakes were made and to have them corrected and sent back to the Governor in order for these officers to get what is rightly due to them.

WILLEMSTAD:--- On 10 Mar 2015, 110 children and staff from 11 different partner organizations were invited for an exclusive "Kids Day" tour of the U.S. Forward Operating Location (USFOL) in Curacao. The participants were given a close view at the USFOL's capabilities in aircraft rescue and fire prevention, aircraft maintenance and sustainment, and airport safety and security.
This event was a combined effort involving 33 volunteer staff from the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and the HATO International Airport.
The USFOL's continued partnership with local organizations demonstrates their eagerness for community involvement and their long standing appreciation for the hospitality received from the citizens of Curacao.

Henry Lynch is expected to become Chief of Cabinet – Government in Shambles – Reliable Sources.

PHILIPSBURG: --- Member of Parliament Leona Marlin- Romeo is expected to appoint the husband of her aunt Ernest Sams, a pensioner from GEBE as Minister of TEATT. SMN News has been reliably informed that MP Marlin- Romeo contacted two other persons who declined the offer. Those persons are the former wife of MP Maurice Lake Marla Shemont who is currently working at the Tourist Office citing that her family does not agree for her to take up the position. MP Romeo – Marlin then approached DCOMM employee Marsha Beauperthuy Gumbs, the first cousin of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs who also declined due to several reasons. It is understood that Beauperthuy- Gumbs outlined the law to the MP making her aware that she cannot be part of the Council of Ministers when her first cousin is the Prime Minister. She made clear that it is illegal and therefore is not interested in leaving her position at DCOMM to take on a Ministerial position. Secondly the source said that Beauperthuy-Gumbs also declined the offer because MP Marlin Romeo wants to appoint her campaign manager Henry Lynch as chief of cabinet who was dismissed on February 4th 2015 from the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) SMN News contacted Beauperthuy-Gumbs for a comment on whether or not she was contacted but she decline to comment.
SMN News further learnt that the MP then chose her aunt's husband Ernest Sams who recently went on pension. Sams was working for GEBE.
SMN News further learnt that due to the deal the leader of the United Peoples Party (UPP) Theodore Heyliger made with his coalition partners has caused the government to become very shaky. The sources said that several MPs is not supporting their party leader who wants to remove Minister Claret Conner from his Ministry to accommodate MP Leona Marlin and place Minister Conner at the Ministry of VROMI. SMN News further understands that the current development will cause St. Maarten a second rounds of government instability. The source said they want to know what type of integrity and transparency Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs spoke about at his inauguration speech if he is allowing these types of nepotism to take place in his cabinet. According to several supporters of the UPP the current situation has brought on severe stress on the UPP leader causing him to become very disgusted with his own elected officials and supporters.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The University of St. Martin in collaboration with the St. Maarten Chinese Community Foundation is offering a course in Basic Mandarin.
St. Maarten is an international island; people from near and far have made this island their home. A case in point is the Chinese with their elaborate language, rituals and culture. To further the harmonious living together, USM and the St. Maarten Chinese Community Foundation saw the need to educate the residents of St. Maarten on Mandarin which is the official language of the People's Republic of China.
The Hospitality Industry stakeholders are in the process of initiating marketing efforts geared towards the Chinese market. USM will function as a platform to prepare persons to better engage cross-culturally with these new Chinese tourists to the island.
This two months course is considered a pilot and a symbol of the intention to make St. Maarten hospitable to the People's Republic of China.

Tuition fees to participate in such course will usually be over $800; however the charge to participate in this course will only be $200. The largest part of the tuition is covered by the Chinese Merchants Association as their contribution to the St. Maarten society.
The course will be led by instructors Mr. Linguyn Gao, Mr. Steven Huang and Ms. Isabella Lu.
They will employ a style of language learning familiar among diplomats who need to be conversational in Two months.
Classes are scheduled to commence on April 8 to June 5, 2015. Classes are held every Wednesday and Friday from 7:00 – 8:30pm at USM. Persons interested in participating can visit the USM Student Service Center, call 542-5171 or e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHILIPSBURG:--- In celebration of World Poetry Day, the Readers are Leaders group are organizing a Poetry Evening entitled: "Expression of Words" Students from the various schools will be expressing their poetic talents through various artistic forms.

The public is invited to come out and encourage our youths. The stage is also open for those that would like to participate by sharing in the poetry readings. Please contact Maryland at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library.

World Poetry Day is a time to appreciate and support poets and poetry around the world. World Poetry, which is observed on March 21st, is one of the UN Observances that the Sint Maarten National Commission for UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Culture, and Scientific Organizations) supports, and this year the Readers are Leaders Board is holding a poetry day to commemorate this international day.

The Readers are Leaders program, which is coordinated by the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise and the Philipsburg Jubilee Library promotes literacy by encouraging high school students to read at least one book per month, and encourages them to express themselves through various literary and art forms.

Sucker Garden:---  The road to the championship continued last Friday as the Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls won 34-29 in game 2 of the best of 5 series to take an 2-0 lead. Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls was lead by Claudia Fleming with 17 points, 8 Rebounds, 2 Assists and 2 steals and the Thunderz was lead by Chantel Hodge with 23 points, 17 rebounds, 3 Steals and 1 assist.
The finals continued on Sunday with game 3 . Thunderz lead by 11 after the first quarter but the Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls outscored Thunderz 21-7 in the second and third quarters to take the lead they never relinquished. Both teams played tough defense and Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls held on against a Thunderz come back and won the nail biter 26-25 and win the Ladies Basketball Championship sponsored by Motorworld and Jeep.and are the 2014-2015 Champions. Claudia Fleming lead her team in game 3 with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists and Chantel Hodge lead the Thunderz with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 3 Steals.
Claudia Fleming was named the Finals MVP after leading her team to victory and averaged 13 Points, 7.7 Rebounds, 2.3 Assists and 2.3 Steals in the 3 games.
Lorenzo Gomez, Marketing Officer at the main sponsor Motorworld was on hand to present the trophies and congratulate both teams on a job well done.
The Walichi Basketball Association would like to thank everyone for coming out throughout the season and during LBC March Madness.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday 13th February 2015 the Rotaract Club of St Maarten Sunrise donated four (4) computers to the Charles Leopold Bell Primary School in Cole Bay as part of its Rotaract Week celebrations.
The Donation was a project the Rotaract Sunrise did in collaboration with Scotia Bank to provide learning tools to Schools with a need. Rotaract Sunrise Community Service Director Alexi Flanders sprearheaded the effort that collimated in the handover ceremony that took place at 10 am on the school premises. Club President Micaela Hart officiated the hand over to School Principal Alice Samuel who expressed her gratitude for the donation. The Rotaractors were then caught completely off guard as the children simultaneously began a thank you song in honor of their donation.
Once again the Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise would like to thank Scotia Bank for their assistance in making this project possible and reaffirms its commitment to assisting our communities on St. Maarten

WILLEMSTAD:--- The U.S. Consulate General Curaçao commemorated the 65th Anniversary of the Roosevelt House on Friday, March 13, 2015. In honor of this milestone, U.S. Consul General James Moore opened an eight-panel exhibit featuring photos and the history of the longstanding diplomatic relationship between the Dutch Caribbean and the United States. The exhibit was developed in partnership with the Curaçao Maritime Museum and the National Archives Curaçao.
In honor of this occasion, U.S. Consul General welcomed Curaçao Governor Lucille George-Wout and Prime Minister Ivar Asjes as well as other dignitaries to view the exhibit. At the unveiling, Consul General Moore said:
"From a centuries-old trading relationship, the ties between the United States and the Dutch Caribbean have endured, evolved, and kept pace with the times. It is a shared history and rich
heritage in which we can all take pride, as this exhibition depicts. I would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the Curaçao Maritime Museum and to the National Archives Curaçao for their generous support that made this exhibition possible."
The 65th Anniversary of the Roosevelt House also coincided with the visit of U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Timothy Broas, to the Dutch Caribbean. Ambassador Broas said in his remarks:
"I am honored to be here to join you in commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Roosevelt House, which is a fitting symbol of the perpetual friendship between the United States and the Kingdom of the Netherlands."
On October 31, 1945, the Netherlands and Curaçao officially bestowed the gift of the Roosevelt House and the property on which it stands to the United States, and President Truman accepted the offer on April 13, 1946. Named after the visionary leader of the Allied Forces and a U.S. President with Dutch roots, the property was named "Roosevelt House." The official ceremony took place on March 15, 1950. The gift, in recognition of American protection of the islands during World War II, was an initiative from and funded by the people of Curaçao through the "Staten."
Sixty-five years later the world has changed dramatically, but the friendship between the U.S. and the Dutch Caribbean remains steadfast. The Roosevelt House continues to be a symbol of both the United States and Curaçao's history and heritage. It represents a significant moment in the history of both the United States and Curaçao. And most importantly, it will remain a symbol of cooperation, friendship, and gratitude for many years to come.
The exhibition will have a permanent home in the Curaçao Maritime Museum where the public can experience the history of the unique friendship between the U.S. and the Dutch Caribbean islands.

WILLEMSTAD:--- U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands Timothy R. Broas visited the Dutch Caribbean this week. Accompanied by U.S. Consul General James Moore, Ambassador Broas will visit Curaçao, Sint Maarten, St. Eustatius, and Aruba and meet with distinguished members of government and parliament, and leaders in education, the arts, and the media.
Timothy Broas was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands on January 6, 2014. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 13, 2014. Ambassador Broas presented his credentials to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander on March 19, 2014, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
During his visit to Curaçao, Ambassador Broas met with Governor Lucille George-Wout, Prime Minister Ivar Asjes, President of Parliament Mike Franco, and several other ministers of the Prime Minister's cabinet. Ambassador Broas also met with leaders in education and the arts who are deepening U.S.-Curaçao collaboration. Examples of collaboration include the increasing number of students from Curaçao who choose to pursue higher education in the U.S., a prominent U.S. filmmaker and producer who will be a featured speaker at the Curaçao International Film Festival Rotterdam, and the Smithsonian Institution's ongoing collaboration with the Seaqaurium on deep reef research.
The visit of Ambassador Broas coincides with the 65th anniversary of the Roosevelt House and the opening of an exhibit to commemorate this unique gift from the people of Curaçao to the people of the United States.

GREAT BAY(DCOMM):---  Head of the Collective Prevention Services (CPS) of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), Dr. Virginia Asin, travelled to Panama last week to attend the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Regional Stakeholders' Meeting on Cooperation among Countries for Health Development (CCHD) in the Americas, including South-South and Triangular Cooperation (TrC).

South-South Cooperation (SSC) has become more important in the efforts of the United Nations (UN) system to promote sustainable and equitable development.

Dr. Asin stated that the goal is to improve, expand, and make more strategic, PAHO's technical cooperation modality of cooperation among countries for health development, in the framework of the 2013 PAHO policy and resolution on Cooperation for Health Development in the Americas.

Dr. Carissa Etienne, Director of PAHO was present for the entire conference and conducted the opening and closing sessions. Dr. Etienne addressed the diversity of competencies and experiences of the people from across the region, pointing out that every woman and child has the opportunity to live a life of productivity and with dignity.

Dr. Asin added that the purpose of the meeting is to engage Member States and key stakeholders in the development of strategies and mechanisms for enhancement of PAHO's CCHD modality of technical cooperation and the implementation of the CHD policy.

"The objectives and expected results were to obtain from stakeholders strategic and technical input for, and recommendations for the enhancement of, a draft strategic framework for advancing PAHO's facilitation of, and contribution to, CCHD, including SSC and TrC.

"Secondly, review policies and initiatives being advanced by PAHO Member States in the field of CCHD involving different variants of SSC and TrC, and the roles of national authorities, regional and sub-regional integration and cooperation.

"Thirdly, to identify opportunities, themes/areas, and strategies for cooperation among countries for health development, including SSC and TrC in the Americas and beyond, amenable to support from bilateral and multilateral development agencies.

"Fourthly, to establish a community of practice and a virtual space for regional dialogue among all interested stakeholders on CCHD, to facilitate the development of strategies for sustained CCHD and the implementation of the CHD policy.

"The stakeholder's meeting discussed many issues and programs that have been successful. More than 7000 projects carried out between 2007 and 2013 with positive results. Human development was the key and is the purpose of SSC, and it warrants a change in thinking and practice with the accent placed on expansion of human capacity with the ultimate goal is to 'live a life that is worth living.'

"The meeting is the first step to the implementation of the resolution adopted in 2013 during the Directing Council where Sint Maarten was part of the discussions," Dr. Virginia Asin said on Monday.

PAHO Director Dr. Etienne at the closing of the conference told country delegates and other participants that wisdom, experience and knowledge exist within the various countries. She thanked everybody for their recommendations which charts the way forward bring a mix of mind sets and richness to the table.

Dr. Etienne added that PAHO will coordinate, integrate, support and facilitate the process while each respective country retains leadership and sovereignty.

The meeting took place at the Marriott Hotel, Panama City, Panama.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday March 11th the police department started their control on motor vehicles with unpaid road tax. To date a total of 150 motor vehicles have been controlled. A total of 90 fines have been given and a total of 42 vehicles have been towed. The controls will continue and intensify. All motor vehicle operators should make sure the road tax for their vehicle has been paid and all other documents are in order. This information is to avoid any unnecessary inconvenience.

KPSM Police Report.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday March 16th during a short ceremony, the 20 police recruits who are in training were sworn in by the Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson. The ceremony took place in the conference room of the Police Head Quarters in Philipsburg. After the recruits were sworn in the minister clearly gave the recruits a stern message regarding integrity and the responsibilities they have to taken on when carrying out their duty. The Chief of Police Peter de Witte, The Acting Chief of Police Carl John, the Academy coordinator Inspector Keturah Brown and Class-instructor Inspector Norwin Villareal along with other colleagues were also present during the ceremony. Peter de Witte spoke briefly to the recruits encouraging them to put their best foot forward and make Sint Maarten proud.

KPSM Police Report.

PHILIPSBURG:--- In connection with the training presently ongoing for the recruits of the Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM) the entire community is hereby informed that a section of the property of the "Emilio Wilson Estate" will be used as a shooting range. The section of property that will be used is the same section that was formerly used as a shooting range. These trainings will take place on Saturdays from 08.00 a.m. until 12.00 p.m. The community should take good note of this information and pay attention when in the area.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- The family members of the young lady by the name of: Ana Cathuisca ARRINDELL, 19 years old and residing in Cole Bay are requesting the assistance of the public to help locate this young lady. Cathuisca left her home on the Wellington road on September 3rd 2014 to run a few errands and since then has not returned. Family members have done their utmost, by calling and making contacts with other family members, friends and acquaintances to try to locate Cathuisca but to no avail. Cathuisca left the home without taking any personal belongings or other items with exception of her passport.
The police department has been informed of this situation and has been looking for Cathuisca but has not been successful in locating her. The family members have now decided to go public. The police department is requesting anyone who may have any information or may know the where about of Ana Cathuisca Arrindell should call the police department at 54-22222 ext 128 to share this information.

KPSM Police Report.

More than 'bricks, bars and cameras' needed within prisons in Sint Maarten, notes council

PHILIPSBURG:--- Representatives of the Council on Law Enforcement on Monday presented its report "the security and the safety in the detentions facilities of Sint Maarten" to St. Maarten's Minister of Justice, Dennis Richardson. Making the presentation to the minister were Franklyn Richards, Representative of the Council on Law Enforcement and Mr. Gerard van Voorst, Chief Inspector of the office of the Council on Law Enforcement on Sint Maarten.
The report was drafted in the wake of the Council on Law Enforcement having examined the security of - and the safety in the Point Blanche and Simpson Bay prisons. In addition -at the request of the Minister of Justice- the Council investigated a serious violent incident that took place on September 11th 2014, within the walls of the Point Blanche facility.
The report underscores that the importance of security of – and safety in prisons cannot be underestimated. Society should be able to rely on the fact that incarceration of convicted criminals will have its judicial effect and protect society against further crimes. The government has the duty to ensure the safety of personnel in the workplace of facilities and a safe confinement of detainees, says the report.
The focus of the council's report is not only placed on community safety, taking into consideration eventual protection from escapes out of prison. The report also focuses attention on the internal security, to the extent that a safe working environment for staff at the institutions is maintained as would be the case with the safety of prisoners during their detention. An additional point of interest, in the report, was the incident of September 11th, 2014 at the Point Blanche facility.
The Council is certainly impressed with the great dedication, which many display in keeping the institutions operational, even under difficult circumstances.
The report mentions that attention is being paid to construction initiatives that benefit safety and security. Since mid-2013, the facility in Pointe Blanche has begun renovation, taking place in phases. Progress is being made in introducing additional security and safety, by implementing mechanisms that would minimize the risks of an escape. The report notes that tools such as camera surveillance and intercom promote the safety of both staff and inmates.
An acceptable level of security and safety, however, calls for more than 'bricks, bars and cameras'. And in areas other than construction and facilities, an extremely worrisome situation is present. Three structural factors affect security and safety within the prisons in a negative manner: under staffing, quality and integrity of personnel.
On the basis of its research, the Council has presented 15 recommendations to address the current situation. Each of these recommendations is to contribute towards marked improvements. Substantial effect, however, will only be achieved when this multifaceted issue is approached integrally, warns the council.
In 2011, the progress committee of St. Maarten which monitors the action plans adopted in the framework of the constitutional reform of 2010, expressed doubts regarding the resolving of the problem of shortage of detention locations without the assistance of the Kingdom partners.
The Council now doubts whether St. Maarten, without employing the opportunities available through its Kingdom partners, will be able to solve the challenges regarding detention capacity as well as that of safety and security of the institutions.
The scope and dimension of the problem, and the extent to which it has been consequently lagging behind in following up on findings and recommendations, are not a cause for optimism of the Council.

Pond Island – TelEm Group's Technical Department has informed that there will be a series of quality assessment tests on the company's copper network starting in Simpson Bay Tuesday night and ending in Belvedere during the early hours Thursday morning.
The assessments are being carried out to evaluate the signal strengths of the copper network in preparation for a new ADSL network infrastructure to meet increasing demand for TelEm Group's high-speed internet service.
Work is scheduled to begin on the following dates and in the following areas between the hours of 12:00 midnight and 5:00 a.m. during which temporary interruption in voice and internet service can be expected.

Tuesday March 17th, 2015 : Simpson Bay, Cole Bay, Cupecoy.
Wednesday March 18th, 2015: Philipsburg, Point Blanche, Cayhill.
Thursday March 19th, 2015: Ebenezer, Dawn Beach, Belvedere.

TelEm Group management has meantime apologized to customers for any inconvenience caused.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Over the years the department has noted a steady increase in the amount of vacancies registered on a monthly basis in connection with employment permit applications. Most recently, the Head of Labor Affairs and Social Services Peggy-Ann Dros disclosed during an interview on Inside Government that 90% of the vacancies registered in 2014 were in connection with an employment permit request. This demand on the department has resulted in the need for more concise and accountable administration to address the needs of all clients utilizing the various job placement and employment permit services. To address this emergent demand, on March 30, 2015 the department will implement new procedures that will offer the business community and the Department of Labor Affairs the opportunity to work closely together to streamline, unify and promote accountability. The new procedures will aim to enhance the administration in the two following areas for businesses and job seekers.
The procedures will target vacancies that are in connection with an employment permit first time application and renewals that have not surpassed three years. The department will issue official letters to the business representatives that will provide insight on the availability of suitable applicants for the registered vacancies during the period of validity. The companies will then be required to submit the issued letter to Section Employment Permits when applying for a renewal or first time employment permit.
The department in addition will also provide clear information to job seekers as it regards the assessment results and job search activities executed on their behalf by the job placement team. The information provided to the jobseeker is important as 60% of the clients at Social Services belong to the labor market and are therefore eligible for employment. This information is valuable insight for the team at Social Services in accordance with existing legislation as some of the job seekers may be receiving financial assistance or plan on applying for financial assistance.
On March 30, 2015 in accordance with legislation the department will also provide more detailed guidelines to the business community as it regards AB 2013 GT. No. 357 article 9 of the National Ordinance; "the company needs to demonstrate that sufficient effort has been exerted to source suitable applicants from the local labor force". The department will require all businesses per this date to adhere to a few additional stipulations, which will be monitored closely by the various sections.
In anticipation of the implementation date the department will host an information session for invited guests and the general public at large about the new working procedures. The information is important for persons charged with the administration for HR affairs and the processing of employment permits. More information will also be available online via the website www.sxmlaboraffairs.com. The community is asked to monitor the government information page during the coming weeks as more information will be made available.

Budget cut by almost Naf.2M, MPs Travelling continues.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Sara Wescot Williams shared much concern on the parliament's budget for the year 2015 on Monday at a press conference. Wescot Williams and the party's advisor Emil Lee said that they are of the opinion that the Parliament of St. Maarten should sit down and discuss its budget since the budget for 2015 was cut by almost Naf. 2M. Wescot Williams said that while Parliament received this large budget cut so far the Parliament of St. Maarten have not seen it fit to discuss how they will cut their spending. She said most of the monies which is a bit lower than Naf. 11M goes to the salaries of Members of Parliament and their travelling allowances while the rest is spent on other costs. Wescot Williams said that so far the individual factions does not have a budget of their own and what is more alarming is that a mere .58% ( Naf.75.000.00) is allocated for legal and expert advice.
While that amount of monies is available for legal and expert advice MP's who wishes to tap into that money for legal advice has to go through a long procedure because the monies are being controlled by Government since Parliament does not have its own accounting in place. "Besides that whichever MP or faction needs finances for legal advice they have to submit a request to Parliament and they also have to motivate their request before it is being approved.
Wescot Williams further explained that former Members of Parliament who were not elected on August 29th 2014 still have to be paid for a period of time. As for the last election some five MPs were not reelected and the sum of NAF. 1.968.199.00 has to be set aside to pay these five Members of Parliament who were not reelected. Both Wescot Williams and her advisor Emil Lee said that they believed that the Parliament of St. Maarten has revisit this because this could really hamper the budget in the future. Wescot Williams said what if in the next election none of the current Members of Parliament are not reelected then most of the budget has to be set aside to pay the non-elected MPs, except those that reaches the age of 60.
Asked if the MPs that were civil servants still have to be paid, Wescot Williams said that do have to be paid the difference of what they are making now compared to what they were making while in Parliament.
Wescot Williams further explained that the Lions club requested to meet with Parliament to discuss the campaign they are currently running on underage drinking. She said that meeting was set for Friday but the Chairman of Parliament chose to postpone the meeting because most of the MPs are leaving the island to attend Aruba Day celebrations. Asked by SMN News if she will be going to Aruba for their celebrations Wescot Williams said that she respectfully declined the offer.
When SMN News asked the MP what is her opinion on St. Maarten's participation in the Parlatino meetings the Democratic Party Member of Parliament further explained that there were some discussions to limit the attendance of the Parlatino meetings but that discussion did not finalized. Asked if the MPs that attended the Parlatino meetings during the last governing period submitted reports to Parliament on what the meetings were about and how St. Maarten benefitted she said that has not happened because they claim that reports are being set out by the Parlatino organization.
Wescot Williams also mentioned that to date they have not gotten the documents they requested from the St. Maarten Harbor Group of Companies.

Click here to view the breakdown of St. Maarten's Parliament budget compared to 2013.

PHILIPSBURG:---  Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo says statistics continue to show that Sint Maarten is still considered and favoured as the duty free shopping hub of the Caribbean.

"The time has come for the establishment of a Consumer Protection Agency. Consumer protection laws are in existence; however, there are no bodies to execute the said laws.

"Millions are spent in purchases on this island and yet both local consumers and transitional consumers purchasing goods are still not privy to the support of a consumer protection agency.

"In addition, many locals are subjected to questionable acts of financial institutions but are left hopeless because of the lack of support from such an agency. Despite the existence of general laws on consumer protection there are insufficient laws that protect the people from ill practices of financial institutions and laws that protect the consumer from themselves.

"Consumer Protection laws are created to protect and prevent the engagement of fraud, theft, and biased practices from both large and small companies. Nothing is produced on the island, and everything consumed is imported, it leaves one to question why provisions have not been made to allow disputes and complaints to be handled by a Consumer Protection Agency before using the judicial system.

"There is no doubt that consumers on Sint Maarten have experienced some sort of dispute about low quality, inferior products, counterfeit products being purchased, identity theft or even being a victim of scrupulous business practices such as disputes with both banks and notaries.

"From the many complaints experienced by consumers it is imperative that an entity be established, similar to the American Better Business Bureau, or the KIFID and the "Autoriteit Consument & Markt" in the Netherlands to handle matters of disputes affecting all consumers.

"As Member of Parliament, I am proposing that the discussion on establishing a Consumer Protection Agency be tabled for immediate discussion with the Chamber of Commerce, BTP-SXM, SER the Central Bank, the Notaries, the Government of Sint Maarten and Parliament as co-legislator.

"There must be a department or an entity that promotes and assists in enforcing consumer laws. An entity that is accessible to assist when a consumer law has been broken. This entity can serve as a mediator or facilitator to the court system on everyday matters and threats related to the abuse of the consumer.

"A consumer in Sint Maarten has the right to know their rights and be protected by the country in which goods or services were purchased or rendered for direct use or ownership," concluded Independent MP Hon. Leona Marlin-Romeo.

The MP plans on forwarding a letter to the respective minister on this matter as it is with the utmost urgency that such an agency be immediately established as the subject matter affects all of us, MP Leona Marlin-Romeo said on Sunday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Getting feedback in a positive constructive manner is at the core of self-development. The art of effective evaluation is at the center of how Toastmasters clubs get their members to improve in their self-esteem, self-confidence as well as overall development.
Imagine being able to present in front of three audiences in a matter of 45 minutes and receive feedback on practically every public speaking aspect from three different groups. That was the purpose of the Disciples Toastmasters Club recent meeting. Held at the St Maarten Academy, the Club organized a special meeting, which is similar to Speed dating, but was entitled "Speechstation". Three stations were set up with a speaker at each station and an evaluation team for each station. Speakers were required to deliver their presentation on three separate occasions and benefited from evaluations from each team.
Patricia Peter, Johnny Joe and Sharon Layne were the featured speakers and were delighted with the opportunity to receive feedback and improve on the spot as they delivered their speeches. The concept was initiated by the Club's Vice President Education Kimasha Williams who is a dynamic officer of the club. Club President Linda Moise-Flanders expressed her satisfaction in the manner in which the grounds of the St Maarten Academy was transformed into speaking stations for the purpose of the meeting and was pleased at how smoothly the evaluation teams moved from one station to the other and provided valuable feedback. She thanked all the members from the other Toastmasters clubs who came out and supported this great initiative.
Disciples Toastmasters Clubs meets every second and fourth Sunday at 4.45pm at the St Maarten Academy academic section in St Peters. The club is an open club and anyone is invited to join.

PHILIPSBURG:---  Once again on March 18th is Aruba Flag Day and the Chuchubi Foundation on St. Maarten is bringing once again all Arubians and lovers of Aruba together to celebrate this national holiday with Aruba. However, no motor cade is planned for this year informed the board.

Tuesday March 17, 2015 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm:

• Join Chuchubi Foundation at their Award Ceremony, book launch and a documentary on Calypso in Aruba.
• Wednesday March 18, 2015: Aruba Day!
• 6:00 am -7:00am: Join Chuchubi Foundation at the Philipsburg Methodist Church for a church service followed by the hoisting of the St. Maarten and Aruba Flag respectfully.
• 7:00am - 7:30am. Light snack to be served on the grounds of the Philipsburg Methodist Church.
•  7:00pm – Midnight:
• Aruba Day Meet & Greet party at Soualiga Restaurant (Emilio Wilson Park Restaurant) with DJ Eazy Rick
• The Chuchubi Foundation is looking forward in seeing all persons to their events and is thanking all in advance for their support.
• Barbara Warren, Secretary – Chuchubi Foundation

PHILIPSBURG:--- Assuria N.V., the largest financial group in Suriname and parent company of Gulf insurance Ltd., recently acquired majority shares in MEGA Insurance Co. Ltd., a key player in the Life Insurance industry in Trinidad & Tobago, to further strengthen its investment position in Caribbean markets.

The strategic move is in line with the regional development- and expansion strategy of Assuria, and is aimed to further invest in the fast evolving insurance markets and to continue to provide customers with state of the art insurance products & services.

The Central Bank of Suriname and of Trinidad and Tobago both approved the acquisition whereby Assuria N.V. obtained 77% of the shares in MEGA Insurance. The takeover will bring financial strength and technological expertise to MEGA Insurance, while the Assuria Group will now have an ideal platform for expanding its life insurances operations in wider Caribbean markets.

The acquisition will create good opportunities for Assuria's subsidiary company 'Gulf Insurance' that is currently operating in different Caribbean territories including St. Maarten, Saba, Statia and Curacao. Ms. Nadira Hellendoorn, Branch Manager of Gulf Insurance stated: "We are very pleased with the strategic alliance between Assuria and MEGA and we look forward to work together with the dedicated and knowledgeable staff of our new sister company for the further enhancement of our insurance portfolio. Collaborations like this will add value to our operations and is something our customers will definitely benefit from". More Information will be made available via the company website: www.gulfinsuranceltd.com.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Committee of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs (CECYSA) of Parliament, will meet in public session on March 20 instead of March 17.
The Permanent Committee meeting is set for Friday at 9.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The first agenda point is a presentation by the St. Maarten Lions Club regarding under-age drinking and parental responsibility. The second agenda point is approval of the decision lists CECYSA Parliamentary Year 2014-2015, no. 1-6.

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

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

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

PHILIPSBURG:--- Divico has partnered with SXM DOET to be part of the two day kingdom wide volunteer event on March 20 and 21.
Divico is offering a 10% discount for all participating organizations and offering some free items as well. Manager Nisha Khatnani applauded our efforts and looks forward to partnering again next year.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Mr. Gregory Richardson will be presenting his latest book titled "Calypso and Resistance in Aruba". Mr. Richardson explore the various perspectives in the field of Calypso in the Dutch Caribbean specifically Aruba.
Calypso is often associated with various themes such as "double entendre/double meaning; multi-lingualism; melee/gossip; humor; social/political commentary and self reflection. In the book these themes are elaborated upon. Author, Mr. Gregory Richardson MSc. functions as a lecturer and researcher at the Instituto Pedagogico Arubano.
The Film "Mighty Lords, Kings and Queens and the politics of the recognition" reflects on the diversity of Aruba's community. The film provides a platform for the several Calypsonians to voice their opinions on the state of this art form in Aruba. The film was conceived and produced by Ms. Sharelly Emanuelson who is a Dutch Caribbean film maker with a Masters in Artistic Research.
The book and film launch is scheduled for Tuesday March 17, 2015 at the University of St. Martin, commencing at 7:00pm. The general public is welcomed to attend.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Academy P.S.V.E hosted its first ever Counter Ad/Product Activity on Friday 13th March: Upgrade, Redesign an existing product or start from scratch. This activity in the form of booths at the school came to life when students from fourth form showcased their products that they made, upgraded or redesigned.
The purpose for the activity was to challenge students to use their natural, God given talent as a means of gaining a competitive edge in society. The project encouraged students to think outside the box and gave them that drive to own and operate their own business. It also led to a greater understanding of many aspects of Administration and Commerce which is our area of study.
Students created a detailed plan of their product or invention. In the plans, the developmental steps were planned, preliminary drawings were made, materials listed, and testing the product was planned out. Their presentations included company t-shirt, business cards, posters and a 2-3 minute video advertising their product. To culminate the event students had to demonstrate an ability to sell their product to investors.
The products were judged by school personnel an outside sources: Mr. Eddy Laurence- Owner if Eddy's designs specialized in woodwork, Ms. Ramonda Hanze – Management PSVE, Ms. Macy Pantophlet-Barnes- English teacher, Mr. King IT teacher and School Fit PSVE, Mr. Paul Woods- School Fit PSVE.

Harbour View/ The Valley:--- His Excellency Governor Eugene B. Holiday paid an official visit to Anguilla on Friday, March 13, 2015, aimed at the further fostering and strengthening of relations with Sint Maarten's neighbors in the region. The visit was the Governor's second official visit to Anguilla and focused on the potential for greater exchange in education, culture, and trade. Governor Holiday was received by the Governor of Anguilla Ms. Christina Scott, at the Governor's residence. The Governor paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Home Affairs and Education, Jerome Roberts where they discussed developments in education.
Governor Holiday's program also included a number site visits. The first was to Big Spring one of only two cultural heritage protected areas in Anguilla. It is known for its petroglyphs which date back to the time of the Taino. He continued with a visit to the Heritage Museum where curator Mr. Collville L. Petty gave a general explanation to the Governor about the Museum's impressive collection on Anguilla's history. In the area of education Governor Holiday visited and got an update on the background of the annual 'Fun Day' program organized by the SEN (Special Education Needs) for challenged children. He also received a tour at WISE (Workshop Initiative for Support in Education) which focuses on educating students at risk who are practically inclined.
Governor Holiday concluded his visit with a brief visit to one of Anguilla major hotels, the recently re-opened Malliouhana Hotel, followed by a meeting with the Board and Management of the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce.

PHILIPSBURG:---  The Rotary Club of Sint Maarten Sunrise hosted a luncheon at the Waikiki Beach Restaurant for all foster parents, owners of foster homes and mentors on Sint Maarten. The purpose of the luncheon was to offer them a fun filled day and to express admiration for the task they took on voluntarily.
Foster parents take on a very responsible task to care for children that, for varying reasons, cannot stay with their biological parents. They take on the role of a parent and in addition also the role of a social worker, a counselor and a mentor. From the smallest babies to the 17 year olds, are placed in their care to help raise them to become worthy citizens of Sint Maarten. The event was an opportunity for the parents and mentors to meet; a moment of bonding and sharing experiences.
Dr. Virginia Asin, President of the Rotary Club Sint Maarten Sunrise, in her address complimented the parents and the mentors for the noble work they do. "Rotarians are guided in their live and professions by the four way test" said President Virginia. "You are here today, because although you are not Rotarians, you passed the test with flying colors. This is our way of saying thank you and to encourage you to keep doing what you do" President Virginia continued.
Among the guests at the luncheon were the Assistant District Governor Rebecca Low, with members of the Vocational Training Team from Canada that are currently visiting Sint Maarten for workshop with school children and teachers in several areas. Also at the luncheon were Rotarians and spouses of Rotarians, the President of Rotaract Sunrise, Micaela Hart and some of her fellows from their club. Among the guests were also a representative of the Family Guardianship and the Director of the Court of Guardianship Ms Richelda Emanuel. The organizing committee also consisted of the Service Director Agnes Mary Kapoor, Membership Director Okama Ekpe Brook and Rotary Fellow Valda Woodley Hazel.
The parents and mentors received an award of appreciation for the noble work they do.
Aspecial thanks goes to the Manager of the Waikiki Beach Restaurant, for their generous gesture and their wonderful service.
Rotary Sunrise meets at Philipsburg Jubilee Library Conference Room every Tuesday mornings at 7:00am for fellowship and breakfast. For more information on the club visit us at sxmsunrise.org or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., we are also on Facebook: Rotary Club of Saint Martin Sunrise

PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament George Pantophlet will be submitting some questions to the Minister of Finance Mr. Martin Hassink regarding the setting up of an internal control department. The Member is looking forward to these questions being answered in writing. He needs clarity on this matter since claims have consistently been made by former Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt that during his tenure this was done. The Member of Parliament understands that there was an agreement signed between the SOAB and government. This agreement apparently has in it that the SOAB would set up the internal control department within 2 years, write the internal control process and also train the employees. In addition to that a Director for the department would be recruited. The Member is requesting the Minister to provide him with a copy of the agreement signed between government and the SOAB. Another matter of importance is the fact that the Minister of Finance informed Parliament during the discussion on the Financial Statement of 2011 that two controllers had left. One from the Department of Education and the other from the Department of VROMI. What was interesting is that the controller from VROMI was transferred to concern controller. The questions on this matter the Minister will have to answer are; who authorized the transfer and who is then authorized to approve the financial transactions for these two ministries now that they don't have controllers and why did the controller of Education leave? I guess the same methods will be used in finding the two Ministers that are still needed for VROMI and Health. The Member said the issue of having proper financial control is vital for governments operation. The General Auditing Chamber in its report stated and he quotes: There was inadequate internal control procedures noted at all ministries. As a result the annual financial statements include numerous errors and uncertainties end of quote. The report amplifies the need for having a proper internal control department in place.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Honorable Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Claret Connor visited the Methodist Agogic Center (MAC), St. John's Campus and spoke to the 3rd grade students of campus 1 & 2 about Tourism and how it affects their lives.
The visit is in keeping with the Ministry's vision, which is to create greater awareness and understanding about the industry and the importance to the economy and by extension, the citizens of this country.
Minister Connor was very impressed with the knowledge the students have about Tourism, and how it contributes to the island. The students were very eager to answer questions posed by Minister Connor.
The Minister shared his beliefs in what Tourism being part of our everyday lives means to him. He reminded the students that even in their young age their knowledge and input in making tourism successful depends on them as well.

He encouraged the students that each of them has the key for our success as an island that lives primarily from tourism. That means that their attitude towards one another, to the parents and family at home, to their neighbourhoods and the communities must all be positive in order for the island to develop properly.

"I must commend the MAC for including Tourism in their curriculum, and providing the teachers and students, with the information about this very important industry.

"What better place to start, than with those who are expected to take up the baton in the near future. Tourism is indeed Every Body's business," Minister Claret Connor further stated.

Minister Connor reiterated to the students that the key elements they must have are positive attitudes; hard work in school; commitment to each other and our communities; respect and a spirit of conservation for our environment; and understanding the importance of our island culture.

Minister Connor concluded that the aforementioned key elements would guarantee a great visitor experience and will encourage persons to return for many more visits, as these qualities expressed the best in us.

The Minister presented a booklet on tourism and a goodie bag to the students & teachers. In return, the MAC form 3 students presented Minister Connor with a token of appreciation for visiting their school. It is the intention of the Minister, going forward, to visit the other schools in the coming weeks ahead.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The second half of the SMSEF Interscholastic Soccer Tournament started today. And what a day it was, with a lot of great soccer and three tied games to show that more and more teams are becoming each other's equals. Who will make it to the finals? No one has secured a spot in the final as yet, which makes each game a mini champion's game of its own. The 'beautiful game' at its finest!

Results of Saturday March 14, 2015:

Game 1: Category 13+U Girls
Hillside Christian All Stars vs Hillside Christian Angels: result 10 – 0 (at halftime 6 - 0)
Top scorers Hillside Christian All Stars: Desreena Boston with 6 goals and Caitlin Amatkasmoeri with 2 goals. Abbigail Baptist and Zanzi Brook contributed each 1 goal.

Game 2: Category 13+U
SXM Schools United vs Dr. Martin Luther King: result 3 – 3 (at halftime 1 - 2)
The goal scorers for SXM Schools United were Jean Jacques Craane, Gilmar Blackman and Amadeus Aventurin.
The goal scorers for Dr. Martin Luther King were Rinela Sparen, Abel Urighe Jean and D'Angelo Thompson.

Game 3: Category 13+U
Charles Leopold Bell vs Genevieve de Weever: result 5 – 5 (at halftime 3 - 3)
Top scorer Charles Leopold Bell: Abijah Adamson with 4 goals and 1 assist. Paul Attyl scored the 5th goal. Assists were made by Wade Andernon, Malcolm Spence and Darwin Pena-Ventura.
Top scorer Genevieve de Weever: Ranjer Tejaolas. Allen Rodrick and Jamard Fleming both made 2 assists, as well as 1 goal each.
The two teams kept each other in check from the start, with a tied score at the half as well as at the end. A well-deserved result for both sides.

Game 4: Category 11+U
Leonald Connor vs Learning Unlimited Legends: result 7 – 0 (at halftime 7 - 0)
Top scorer Leonald Connor: Tyrese Whyte with 6 goals. Drae Murry scored one goal. Instrumental to the win was Philando Parchment with 3 assists.
Learning Unlimited put up a valiant fight with a minimum number of players versus a complete Leonald Connor squad.

Game 5: Category 11+U
Sr. Regina Goal Getters vs Sr. Magda FC: result 8 – 5 (at halftime 6 - 1)
Top scorer Sr. Regina Goal Getters: Richard Day Day with 5 goals and 1 assist. The other Sr. Regina goal scorers were Jadon Gumbs with 2 goals and 2 assists and Kevin Tjaden with 1 goal.
Top scorer Sr. Magda FC: Jamir Cuvalay with 3 goals and 2 assists. The other goals were scored by D'Angelo Bute and Jaden Leonard.
In the first half Sr. Magda FC was overrun by Sr. Regina Goal Getters. In the second half it was the other way around and Sr. Magda controlled the game coming close but not enough to force a tie. A great game from both sides.

Game 6: Category 11+U
Sr. Regina United vs Hillside Christian: result 3 – 3 (at halftime 2 - 1)
Goal scorers Sr. Regina United: Divano Job with 2 goals and Christian Foeken with 1 goal.
Goal scorers Hillside Christian: Adel Ibrahim with 2 goals and Rovais Panka with 1 goal.

Game 7: Category 11+U
Learning Unlimited Goal Machines vs Dr. Martin Luther King: result 11 – 1 (at halftime 5 - 0)
Top scorers Learning Unlimited Goal Machines: Noah Ledee with 6 goals and 3 assists and Jan Lucas van der Plas with 3 goals and 2 assists.
The lone goal scorer for Dr. Martin Luther King was Malachi Serrant.

Game 8: Category 9+U
Sr. Magda Athletics vs Sr. Regina New Stars: result 7 – 0 (at halftime 4 - 0)
Top scorers Sr. Magda Athletics: Gianni Fer with 4 goals and Salim Fleming with 2 goals. Goal keeper Keith Gittens scored from his own penalty area surprising his colleague on the other side.

Game 9: Category 9+U
Learning Unlimited vs Combine Silly Shooters: result 2 – 4 (at halftime 1 - 3)
Goal scorers Learning Unlimited: Ghassan Yousef and Connor Scripps-Ewing both with 1 goal. Sharky Nowek was instrumental with 2 assists.
Top scorer Combine Silly Shooters: Xabel Dias with 3 goals. The 4th goal was scored by Matteo van Bekkum.

Game 10: Category 9+U
Charles Leopold Bell vs Sr. Magda Energetics: result 4 – 1 (at halftime 3 - 1)
Top scorer Charles Leopold Bell: Bernardo Nisbeth-Lopez with 4 goals. Davare Gray was instrumental with 3 assists.
The lone goal scorer for Sr. Magda Energetics was Safin Basir after an assist by Lorenzo Tjon-Tam-Pau.

Game 11: Category 7+U
Learning Unlimited Hotshots vs Sr. Magda Rockstars: result 1 - 2 (at halftime 1 - 2)
The lone goal for Learning Unlimited Hotshots was scored by Marshall Leone.
The top scorer and only goal scorer for Sr. Magda Rockstars was Jamir Cuvalay who scored twice (once from a penalty kick).
Both teams did not give each other an inch in the second half, as a result the half time score was the final score as well. A great game for the spectators.

Games will continue on Saturday, March 21, 2015.

PHILIPSBURG:---The Permanent Committee of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs (CECYSA) of Parliament, will meet in public session on March 17.

The Permanent Committee meeting is set for Tuesday at 9.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is a presentation by the St. Maarten Lions Club regarding under-age drinking and parental responsibility.

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

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

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

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Saturday March 14th at approximately 04.40 p.m. a police patrol was sent to a home on Betty's Estate road to intervene in a dispute. On the scene the officers knocked on the door of the home which was immediately opened by a female. At the same time the investigating officers smelled the strong scent of marihuana coming from the inside of the house. As he officers continued there investigation the noticed that the female became quite nervous and started behaving suspicious. The officers then spoke to the male occupant of the house who also behaved quite suspicious. Suspecting that illegal drugs were in the house a search was done in the house. During this search a large amount of ammunition, a taser, weighing scales, several plastic bags containing a large amount of marihuana and other drugs paraphernalia was found and confiscated. The 29 year old male victim was arrested on the spot and taken to the Philipsburg Police Station where he remains in custody for further investigation.

Armed robbery on Front Street
On Saturday March 14th at between 10.30 a.m. and 11.00 a.m. two armed men stormed into Little Europe Jewelry Store on Front Street in the vicinity of Emma Plein. With guns in their hands and threatening to use them the suspects robbed the establishment of a undisclosed amount of jewelry. After committing this act the robbers fled out of the establishment and jumped into an awaiting "get away" car with heavily tinted windows and took-off in the direction of Sucker Garden. This vehicle in question was later found in the Sucker garden area. The Detectives were on the scene questioning witnesses while Forensic Department was collecting evidence. The vehicle in question was reported stolen and it has been confiscated for further investigation.
Cause Way Jump-up a success
The 2015 Cause Way jump-up was a success. The parade which was well attended started on time in the vicinity of Kim Sha Beach and made its way via the Simpson Bay Bridge, Airport Boulevard, over the Cause Way Bridge, Union road, Welfare road and ending at the starting point. The jump-up also ended on time without any incidents. The police department wants to commend the revelers for their cooperation and good conduct.

KPSM Police Report.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Ad Interim Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Rita Bourne-Gumbs was informed by management of SZV on the current situation as it relates to the ongoing investigation into the alleged selling of medical cards.
Minister Bourne-Gumbs was assured that the matter is being addressed with urgency and that the consequences will match the misconduct. The honorable Minister was guaranteed that SZV's, ability to handle the matter is forthcoming, based on the plan of action that was presented to her during an extensive relevant meeting with the management of SZV.
The Management has promised to keep the Minister updated during and after the investigation.

PHILIPSBURG:--– United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Maurice Lake would like Government to make use of local contractors in the various districts when it comes to district community improvement.

"As a duly elected representative of the people, I have a lot of persons approaching me that are not working, and not much is happening within the districts since I left office as the former Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Minister VROMI) almost three months ago. As an UP MP I am allowed to also be critical of Government, because our one goal together is a better quality of life for all our people.

"As a voice for the local people in Parliament, I have to pass legislation, but also to speak out to create jobs for the local contractors and young professionals on the island. I hear the voice of the people every day about jobs and Government needs to focus on this as well. As the former Minister of VROMI, I also faced a very challenging 2014 budget, but with my Back to Basic skills, I hit the ground running and tried my best to meet the needs of the local people in the different districts, and it was a success.

"I created jobs for local contractors, and worked very closely with the private sector in public/ private partnership projects. I assisted with the purchase of the Emilio Wilson Estate, acquired the land Over the Bank and the Vorst land purchase, with the whole objective and goal to create job opportunities for our people, and housing for those who need a home.

"As I stated during the 2015 budget debate, during my time in office, Government has implemented a program where local contractors are involved in doing different types of work. As a former Minister of VROMI, a term of reference was drafted to tender a two year trench cleaning project to keep local contractors employed so they are able to feed their families. These types of programs are necessary in such a small society as ours.

"We need a more improved Maintenance Plan in the different districts to address the running water on the road and other small maintenance issues such as fallen down signs, pruning of trees so they don't damage NV GEBE low and high tensions lines, and cleaning recreational areas throughout the districts. I must commend the Ministry of VROMI with continuing to meet with the different Community Councils in the different districts, but there must be a plan of action from the ministry site inspectors with timeframes from the Ministry to address these urgent issues. Maintenance of the small simple things makes a big difference in the districts.

"As a community-minded person, some of the residents also have to take some pride and respect their neighbours within the community, and stop running the water within their district and start working along with their community council to find solutions. Government has their part to do but as a community we got to do our part and instil pride, respect and togetherness to make our districts cleaner and safer for everyone to enjoy as a community.

"This is the time we need to start to create job opportunities for our local contractors and young professionals in the different districts. We have a lot of young people unemployed, and we need to address this as soon as possible, and get away from the myth that our young people don't want to work. I have seen our young people clean with pride within the districts and also work in top positions in the public and private sectors, once given the opportunity. This is one issue I championed during the past parliamentary election campaign, and is a top priority for me as an MP.

"In closing, our country is top in the Caribbean in a lot of areas, but it is high time that Government and Parliament start empowering our local people to be tops where it concerns jobs and other relevant areas in the country," MP Hon. Maurice Lake said on Sunday.

PHILIPSBURG:---  At the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 59) in New York, on March 10, Minister Plenipotentiary, Hon. Josianne Fleming – Artsen read a statement outlining the position of women on Sint Maarten at a briefing with the Kingdom of the Netherlands delegation members and non-governmental organizations.
The delegation members and representatives of various Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are in New York attending the Commission on the Status of Women themed Beijing+20.

The statement which was approved by Sint Maarten's Minister Bourne – Gumbs, stated that while much has already been done for women on Sint Maarten, there is still more work to be done.
"We know that when women are poor, it affects not just them, but their families and society on a whole. In light of this, more focus must be given to elevating women from poverty and providing them with tools to make their lives better.

"Entrepreneurship is one way in which we can invest in our female population. By stimulating their interests in business and then providing them with the structural support to engage with those pursuits we can create opportunities not just for them and their children, but also for persons in their wider communities," the statement said.
Minister Bourne – Gumbs statement also spoke to a subject which was highly debated during several CSW 59 sessions thus far; that of the role of men and boys in women and gender development.

"Compulsory education ensures that our girl children receive education on equal footing with our boy children. Trends indicate that girls outperform boys throughout elementary school, secondary school and tertiary education and while we must complement our educational system for the success of our girl children, we must also examine the causes for male underperformance, dropouts and failures. It is not our aim that girls and women run ahead of males, but that we create a society where there is balance and equality.

"Sint Maarten remains committed to examining the ways gender development must address the gaps in raising successful and engaged boys and men. There is a need for men and boys to participate in gender and women's development, because in the end we still want both groups to live, work and develop side by side, so that we can have a better Sint Maarten for all," Minister Fleming – Artsen read.

It also reflected on the unique position that the islands of the Dutch Caribbean find themselves in; parts of both the Kingdom and the region, which brings distinctive experiences both ways.

The Minister's statement noted that more dialogue and sharing of best practices much take place between Sint Maarten and the other partners in the Kingdom and also between Sint Maarten and other Caribbean countries.

"Sint Maarten also supports further and future networking with Kingdom and Caribbean partners to determine best practices and ways forward for women and gender development. The Kingdom of the Netherlands has long been a forerunner on women and gender development and there is much that we can learn from them.
"The Caribbean is a unique region with many similarities and many islands share connections with Sint Maarten as it pertains to challenges concerning women's and gender development. Regionally, we must work together to chart paths forward for the successes of our female population," Fleming – Artsen said.

The statement concluded by noting that Sint Maarten will continue to actively pursue gender equality and women empowerment in ways which would impact both the individual and the collective.

"The theme for International Women's Day 2015 is Empowering Women - Empowering Humanity: Picture It! On Sint Maarten we can not only picture it, but we are working continuously towards it, because we know that to empower a woman is to empower a family and to empower a family is to empower a community and to empower a community is to empower a society and to empower a society is to empower us all.

"That is our ambition that is our vision that is our mission," the statement concluded.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The stage is set for the 7th Annual "LION RUDY HOEVE HEALTH & WELLNESS FAIR" organized by the St. Maarten Lions Club. The Fair is scheduled for this coming Saturday March 21st 2015 from 9.00 AM to 4.00 PM at the Festival Village.
This year's Fair will once again be powered by TELEM, which is the cooperate co-sponsor of the annual fair.

Interest for the Fair has been growing each year and this year no less than 25 organizations, foundations and institutions involved in health care and wellness will be participating in the Fair bringing to the public very vital information, carrying out several examinations and presenting various items, equipment and products for healthy living and eating.

Three new foundations have joined the Health & Wellness Fair, they are: Sickles Cell Foundation, Down Syndrome Foundation and the Tzu Chi Foundation.

The Diabetes Foundation will be carrying out their usual blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar testing and this year they are flying in a Podiatrist from Curacao to do foot examinations particularly for diabetics but also for anyone wanting to examine their feet for safety.

The AIDS Foundation will be carrying out complete HIV/AIDS tests and special counseling.

Love of Kids will give general information on dyslexia and have special books on dyslexia and distribute brochures.

Positive Foundation will offer free breast cancer screening, provide breast cancer awareness literature and demonstration on how to do breast self-examinations.

Alpha Health Care will have all sorts of health equipment, health supporting items on display.

Enable Holistic Therapy will besides giving the necessary information and instructions on occupational therapy will be launching its Less Screen, More Play Campaign particularly for children showing them that they should get more involved in outside games rather than only being on their IPhone, IPad, Tablets etc.

SXM Heart & Stroke Foundation
Will have a Cardiologist on the spot to do testing and give information to the public on how to prevent stroke and heart failure.

Sickles Cells Foundation a new Foundation will be teaming up with the St. Maarten Laboratory Services to do Sickle Cells screening and will hand out brochures on the disease.

Alzheimer Foundation will give counseling, doing the memory test and give a calculation of the scores to be taken to the family physician.

Public Health Department will be showcasing the new Mobile Health Bus and will focus on their campaign "Get Checked". They will also raise nationwide awareness about health, health determinants and health disparities and raise individual awareness on healthy lifestyle.

St. Maarten Medical Center will be collecting patient demographic information to fully update their new Hospital Information System. Their topic will be "Electronic Health Record". The results will immediately be passed on to their hospital system via internet.

Inner Harmony Wellness Center will offer free nutritional evaluation tests, will also test for proper minerals, and digestive issues.

Mental Health Foundation will give general information and distribute brochures on dementia etc.

Down Syndrome Foundation a new foundation will distribute vital information on down syndrome.

Tzu Chi Foundation is also participating for the first time and is offering the public free vegetarian snacks and most importantly will be offering free total massages, feet massages and Thai Reflexology and Therapeutic Chair massages.

SZV is back on the Fair and will concentrate on PENSION and its requirements, registration of employees and compliance of employers and make appointments and will be handing out a Seniors Health Brochure and a healthy eating booklet for kids.

White Yellow Cross will give general information on home care and will have a dietician on the spot to give information and answer questions.

W.I.E.M.S will again be part of the Fair and will teach the public special CPR application and other health specifics.

ZUMBA is back at the Fair. I & I Fitness Gym will be there with its ZUMBA TEAM and they are also inviting the general public to come out and do some ZUMBA exercises and stay fit. I&I will also be part of the Fair and will give vital information on why exercising is so important to remain healthy. Special tips for Senior Citizens on exercises which can be of importance for their health, balance and correlation.

For the kids the Lions are offering special kids movies and games upstairs at the Festival Village. Lions will be supervising the children while they enjoy the movies and games while they will be treated to snacks and drinks and in the meantime their parents can do their various tests and get information without worrying about the kids.

The Lions are very thankful to all organizations, foundations and institutions for once again taking part in their annual Health & Wellness Fair and offering their services and experience to the public at large.

The Lions are urging the general public to come out in great numbers to get their testing done, get information and learn how to live a healthier life.

The Lions are also urging everyone to take the results of their tests and examinations to their family doctor. AND REMEMBER ALL TESTS, EXAMINATIONS ETC. ARE FREE OF CHARGE.

General Controls began Friday.

PHILIPSBURG: --- A large scale investigation is underway at SZV after the new management discovered that an employee is suspected of selling SZV cards to people that are not legally insured and they are registered under several bogus companies. Last week Member of Parliament Franklin Meyers announced through a press release that he is monitoring the investigation. SZV confirmed in a short statement that there is an ongoing investigation but due the nature of the investigation no details could be released.
SMN News learnt that the discovery was made in January 2015 by the new management and SZV started an internal investigation with their own team of investigators. Management of the Health Insurance Company then went ahead and hired external experts to work along with their internal expert to determine how many cards were sold.
Last week SZV filed an official complaint with the Public Prosecutors Office while they also have other judicial experts working on what is termed as one of the largest investigations on the island.
Further investigation by SMN News shows that the selling of SZV medical insurance cards go way back to when the Brooks Towers project started. A well-placed source said that this investigation could well shake up the island especially knowing that St. Maarten is under the microscope for integrity issues because this involves the labor department, the chamber of commerce, immigration department and several bogus companies that are signing working documents for foreign workers.
"Can you imagine how many persons could obtain the Dutch nationality illegally because they obtained their residency illegally declaring that they are working for companies that does not exists and even got medical insurances illegally."
According to information SMN News gathered is that the team of investigators and the prosecution will be focusing on several persons who took monies from people to sign for working and residency papers especially during the Brooks Towers 1 and 2 period.
As SZV and the other judicial authorities widen the scope of the investigation they began  a general control last week where companies will be controlled. The unannounced control are conducted by the SZV, Labor and Immigration officers.
Efforts made on Saturday to reach press prosecutor Tineke Kamps on Saturday proved futile as she could not be reached by telephone or email. SMN News will bring you an update as soon as Kamps can be reached.

Pointe Blanche:--- We have been following with keen attention all the activities that have been taken place at the harbour group of companies over the last couple of years. In a media report some time ago the CFT stated that the Harbour Group of Companies refused to open its books for the government of St. Maarten, the shareholder of the company. Based on the 2013 financial statements acquired by one of the dailies many irregularities were mentioned in the article. Perhaps it is time for us to revisit that article again. It was stated that the board members were paid approximately U.S. $ 8,000.00 a month for attending only four meetings for the year; advances in the tune of some $ 160,000.00 were given to employees and last but not least the loan agreement between St. Maarten Crane Co. N.V. a subsidiary of St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies and Octavio Holdings, Inc. established in Panama with a whopping interest rate of 8%, the highest amongst all the loans at the harbour.
In September of 2012 the Cruise Terminal building was expanded adding two commercial spaces and increase the size of the office of the CEO. During a debate in parliament one of the MP's stated that the project was costing the harbour some $ 1.3 million dollars, a hefty sum of money for that project. The OSPP would like to know what the cost of this expansion was. Who was the general contractor and the sub-contractor involved in this project? Was there a lobbyist involved? If yes, how much was this lobbyist paid and who is the lobbyist? Is the lobbyist a member of parliament or affiliated to any of the parties in parliament or independent members at this moment? In a previous press release we stated that whatever happens in the dark will surely come out in the light. We also talked about ship jumpers, church jumpers and now party jumpers and that all of them are doing it for their own personal interests and certainly not for the people.
On the front page of one of the dailies on March 6, 2015, the headline stated that a major seafront project ready to go 'full steam', St. Maarten Quarter Development NV. These investors have met with the government and the parliament of St. Maarten and have made a beautiful presentation. All indications are that this project is good for St. Maarten, it will provide employment opportunities for our people and it is good for our tourist product. The article also stated that the general contractor for this project is Ballast Needam. The OSPP wants to know what type of guarantees are there to make sure that the local contractors would participate in this project and after it is completed that our people will find employment at this establishment.
Too often we hear when a presentation is being made to the government that employment opportunities will be given to our people only to find out that it was only part of the presentation to sell their plans. But that the investors have different ideas about the participation of the local contractors and their employment plans once they have all the permits and guarantees from the government. The only persons who benefits outright from these types of projects are our scrupulous politicians and the lobbyists. Most of the times if not all the times the politicians are in the pockets of these investors and would not raise a finger when irregularities are brought to their attention
It is very ironic that while all the celebrations were taken place regarding the St. Maarten Quarter Development project on March 9, 2015 Zebec Development N.V. wrote an article in the other daily indicating that they are embroiled in litigation with the harbour in the tune of some 100 million United States dollars. This project also indicated that the economic impact would be significant just like St. Maarten Quarter Development N.V.
The OSPP would like to know why the harbour engaged in a project development (Harbour Village) with Zebec Development N.V. in 2010 knowing that they had made some commitments some eight years ago to St. Maarten Quarter Development N.V. Could St. Maarten in particular, the harbor carry out these two major projects at the same time? Was the same land/waterfront going to be used by the two developers? Why does one project have priority over the other since both of them indicated that the economic impact for St. Maarten would be significant? Are there lobbyists involved in these projects also? If yes, who are these lobbyists and are they affiliated to any of the parties or members of the government?
While we agree that St. Maarten must take a lead and not be caught with her pants down once Cuba opens up, we should not do it recklessly and definitely not for the sake of some lobbyists and scrupulous politicians. The OSPP strongly supports parliament issuing an urgent instruction to the government to have an operational audit done at the harbour, better late than never. Many of the concerns of the people would then be brought to light for once and for all. The people still wants to know amongst other things about the security contract with Checkmate with an increase of 2.2 million United States dollars. This issue should not be swept under the rug because of the St. Maarten Quarter project that is about to come on line.
Let's get serious St. Maarten we need an operational audit done at the St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies and let the chips fall wherever they have to.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise will be hosting "Shine like the Stars in the Universe" Day Camp. The camp is geared towards girls ages 12-18. The camp will be held on Sunday, March 15 at Royal Palm Plaza, Front Street 92, next to Arabella Rose Boutique. The camp will be from 12 pm-6pm. The topics to be presented are Fitness & Nutrition, Leadership, Culture, Etiquette and Fashion. The camp will be led by Rotary Sunrise New Generation Chair Paula Gordon. There is a $20 participation fee with lunch being included. Registration can be done on sight however space is limited and early registration is suggested.

For more information about the camp and to register please contact Ms. Gordon at 580-0100 or facebook: Pea Gordon.

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

PHILIPSBURG: --- Several veteran and long standing police officers who have been waiting for their promotions are now peeved at the police management team whom they said are handpicking persons that are not qualified for top positions while officers of the force have been waiting for years to get their promotions.
Some of the officers spoke to SMN News on the condition of anonymity on Friday said that Jadira Gjisbertha, a scale 9 officer was chosen to take up a scale 12 position which was vacated by Pico Simmons who went on pension. The officers said that Gjisbertha will become the head of the fraud, narcotics and firearm department. "Here you have someone that will jump from scale 9 to 12 while there are other officers who cannot get their promotions even though they are in their position for years." The officers said that the Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Richard York have been sitting in his positon for five years and to date he cannot get his right scale and salary.
They said York sits in that position for so many years with a scale 11while he was supposed to get scale 12 as a Department head. SMN News learnt that York had to take the Minister of Justice to court in order to get his salary and scale fixed.
They even said that the head of the detective department Denise Jacobs was on the committee that chose her friend Gjisbertha to apply for the position which she did and was chosen for the position even though she is only a scale 9 officer.
The officers said Ricard York took the Minister of Justice to court because not having the right scale has been affecting his benefits and ultimately his pension. Another officer that has been sitting for more than 5 years in his position and did not get that his right scale is Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson. The officers said that Henson is supposed to also move up to scale 12 because he is the head of the communications department since former Chief Inspector Johan Janchi Leonard vacated the position to enter the political arena. When SMN News contacted Henson on his predicament he said that he preferred not to speak about the issue because it will be arranged shortly.
The officers said while several officers got their promotions due to political influence many of them are still waiting for their positions. The officers said Head of the Philipsburg Patrol Division Randolph Bloieman got his position from former acting Minister of Justice Roland Tuitt with whom he has family ties. Officer Benjamin Gout was also a lucky officer to get his position when he became head of the Traffic Department while Carlyle Rogers is still waiting for his  right scale and salary. Rogers was appointed head of the Simpson Bay Police Outpost but his salary and scale remained the same.
According to the officers the incoming Chief of Police Carl John is facing some issues with his screening because those that are responsible for the screening wants to screen John twice. They said that when John was informed about the situation he contested it because those responsible wants to re-screen John even after he is appointed Chief Commissioner of Police. John was supposed to take up the helm of KPSM since December 2014 when he was selected by the committee that did the selection process last year. However, the screening process is now taking place.
In an invited comment Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte said that he sent several advices to the Ministry for the officers to get their scales and correct salary. De Witte said in the case of York he sent five advices, three of which was treated while York and another person file went missing. He said the same happened with Bloieman and Rogers. De Witte said Bloieman got his appointment scale and salary but Rogers did not because there was a mistake in the advice and that has been corrected and is now going through the process. De Witte further stated that the same applied to Henson, all of which he said will soon be regulated.
As for the appointment of Jadira Gjisbertha De Witte said he will not comment ongoing solicitation process. He said he has no knowledge on the screening of Acting Commissioner of Police Carl John and the only person that can say why the process was delayed is the Minister of Justice.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA) Collective Prevention Services (CPS), would like to inform the community that the Mobile Health Clinic Bus, will be in Dutch Quarter near the Mc. Donald's establishment on Thursday afternoon, March 19 to carry out screening of persons who are interested.

Residents of the Dutch Quarter area and surrounding environs are invited to come out between 4.00pm to 7.00pm to this community outreach activity.

Screenings for glucose, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, weight and BMI, hip and waist ratio, will be carried out on the spot.

The visit to the various districts is to raise individual awareness on healthy lifestyles, health determinants and health disparities, and to raise individual awareness on healthy lifestyles.

The primary mission is to deliver prevention services to the people of the nation.

The mobile health bus will be visiting a district each month or according to health calendar observances of the department.

If any Non-Governmental Organization's would like to collaborate activities with CPS, please feel free to contact Collective Prevention Services 542-2078 / 3003, Coordinators; Nirmala Vlaun, Public Health Nurse This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Swinda Richardson, Public Health Dietician/Nutritionist This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):---  On Tuesday, March 10, 2015, the Council of Ministers (COM) met with the Ombudsman, Nilda Arduin and her support staff, Secretary General Patricia Philips, and Legal Advisor Marlon Hart.

The Ombudsman informed the Council regarding its research of administrative bodies ('zelfstandige bestuursorganen') and the definition thereof.

The Ombudsman is, pursuant to article 78 of the Constitution of Sint Maarten, charged with the investigation of the behaviour of administrative bodies of the Country.

It is important to establish which administrative bodies fall under the mandate of the Ombudsman. The process started soon after 101010 and is now close to completion.

A tentative list of possible applicable administrative bodies has been presented to and discussed with the Council of Ministers.

A final list will be established by the Ombudsman taking into account the received feedback from the Council based on the forthcoming advice from the Department of Legal Affairs & Legislation.

PHILIPSBURG:---  Minister Plenipotentiary Josianne Fleming - Artsen is currently in New York as a member of the delegation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and joined by support person from the Social Development Department, Sint Maarten, Lysanne Charles – Arrindell.

Minister Fleming - Artsen, representing Minister the of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports and Public Health, Social Development and Labour, Rita Bourne – Gumbs, joined Minister of Education, Culture, and Science and delegation leader, Jet Bussemaker of the Netherlands, Minister of Family Policy and Lifelong Learning, Michelle Hooyboer - Winklaar of Aruba and Minister of Social Development, Labour and Welfare, Ruthmilda Larmonie - Cecilia of Curacao for the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 59).

The 2015 session revolves around a twenty year review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, which seeks to empower women and bring about gender equality.

Since arriving in New York on Sunday, March 8, the Minister Plenipotentiary has attended daily briefings with her counterparts and the Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Karel van Oosterom.

She also took part in the official opening ceremony of the session at the United Nations General Assembly and witnessed the confirmation of the political declaration concerning the reaffirmation of the Beijing declaration and platform for action, which recognized and reinforced the goal to achieve gender equality.

The political declaration further affirmed and welcomed the progress made in the 20 years since Beijing, but indicated concerns about the slow progress and major obstacles that still impede the realization of the stated goal.

It was noted that no country was able to achieve full gender equality and that there is still work to be done across the board on the 12 critical areas of concern. The political declaration also recognizes that new challenges have emerged and reaffirmed the political will to tackle said challenges.

The document urges countries to, "take concrete actions for full, effective, and accelerated implementation of Beijing declaration and platform for action. To recognize the important role of the UN entity for Gender equality and Empowerment of Women. To recognize the full engagement for men and boys for the achievement of gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, and commit to engaging all stakeholders for the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls."

"We commit to use all opportunities and processes in 2015 and beyond to accelerate and achieve full and effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action to achieve concrete results in each review cycle and strive for full realization of gender equality and empowerment of women by 2030," the drafters of the document concluded.

In addition to attending the official opening of the session and sitting in on the Kingdom statement, which was also read before delegates from around the world in the General Assembly, Minister Fleming – Artsen and Charles – Arrindell of the Department of Social Development were also attending important side events on a number of topics including the participation of men and boys in gender development, women's empowerment and the economy, women and health, women and LBTI discrimination, women's shelters and women and intergenerational dialoguing, women and the Caribbean community, and women and the environment.

Minister Plenipotentiary Fleming – Artsen also indicated that while Sint Maarten has already accomplished a lot as it pertains to women, including women in high level positions across all segments of our society these sessions illustrate that there is still much more that must be done.
"Sint Maarten stands out when we compare how many women have been appointed in high places in our country. We can be proud that our women have achieved so much but in areas such as entrepreneurship women are lagging behind. There is a lot of work to do.

"A subject that is very challenging for Sint Maarten is the discussions on LGBT and LBTI. We must address this. We need to nourish and enrich our men and our boys, for, to achieve gender equality we need both women and men to be involved," stated Minister Plenipotentiary Fleming – Artsen.

The Minister Plenipotentiary will remain in New York until next week and expects to attend more sessions in order to gain insights into best practices that can be used for Sint Maarten and also in order to network with Kingdom and Caribbean partners.

St Maarten Academy:--- The Disciples Toastmasters Club recently held a day of Celebration and achievement. The Toastmasters meeting, held at its usual location the St Maarten Academy saw the introduction, induction and welcome of three new members to the Club. The celebrated new members are Mrs Sheryl Carty-Fleming, Mrs. Hilda Brown-Carty and Mrs Clara Cuvalay.
Three members were recognized for earning educational awards. Both Toastmasters Fran Constantine, who serves as the Club's Sergeant-At-Arms, as well as Patricia Peter, Club Vice President Membership received their Competent Leader award. Club President Linda Moise leading by example earned her Advanced Communicator Silver (ACS) award. In an invited comment on her achievement Mrs Linda Moise responded "I am very happy with this accomplishment, I am now only two series away from my triple crown for the term 2014/15. I have already accomplished my CL, now my ACS and I am now only missing my ALB". Triple Crown is a special recognition awarded to any Toastmaster who accomplished three designation during the Toastmasters year, which runs from July 1st to June 30th.

The highlight of the evening was when Mentor/Leader/Motivator extraordinaire Sinatra Rouse received her Distinguished Toast Master award (DTM). Distinguished Toastmaster is the highest award a member receives once completing both the educational and leadership tracks of the program. Ms Rouse who is a revered member of Disciples Club shared the following thoughts with us. "In order to become a DTM, there is a list of requirements that were challenging to obtain. Becoming a DTM has been on my new year's resolution lists for the last five years. Having to work around other Toastmasters agendas was a never ending puzzle since this is all for self-growth and development. Over the years, the different projects have taught me to be more patient and I have obtained a network for a lifetime. I had to listen better, think faster and then speak. My Heartfelt words of thanks goes to all Toastmasters who have encouraged and challenged me to grow and reach higher heights. Every question has an answer, we just have to find it. I am here to assist any Toastmaster with their projects and ideas; all they have to do is ask" DTM Sinatra concluded.

Vice President Education Kimasha Williams, who organized the celebration and recognition evening was delighted to give special recognition to DTM Sinatra as the Club ended the evening with a toast for all the achievements.

Contributed by Clayton Felix

PHILIPSBURG:---  St. Maarten Academy PSVE, an institution that empowers and equip students with a foundation in academic, technical and life skills, had its first Open House on Thursday March 12th 2015.
The Open House was for all parents of students who are preparing to write the upcoming Foundation Based Education (FBE) examinations and for everybody else who was interested to get more information about the school.
The Open House started at 6 pm with an official part where the Principal Mrs. Solange J. Duncan welcomed everybody, introduced her management team Ms. Monique Beek, Mrs. Barbara Enjingiri- Cocks, Ms. Ramonda Hanze, Mrs. Michelle Richardson, her teaching staff and administration staff.
The Curriculum for the Basis Vorming classes (form 1+2) was introduced and explained to the parents, while the subjects for Form 3+4 with specialization in Administration and Commerce were also mentioned. All present were able to follow the information through the they received brochure.
After the official part, the tour for the parents started: the parents were able to have a taste of the different sections: Technical Science, Care, Physical Education, Cultural + Artistic Formation, Math, the different languages, Student Care Department and the Library. From each subject the parents received information and were able to see some performances and/or get a little taste of what the students will be learning.
During this event there were around 40 parents and students attending
The school put their utmost best to present a good program, decorate the school and gave everybody a warm welcome.
For more information about the St. Maarten Academy P.S.V.E please contact the school at telephone number (+1721) 5484821. You can also visit the school to get more information.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Undersigned Member of Parliament George Pantophlet is requesting in accordance with article 62 of the Constitution that the Minister of Economic Affairs Claret Connor provide him with the answers to the following questions:

1. How long does the reserve at the gas stations last? And how often is gasoline delivered to St. Maarten?
2.  What are the dates of delivery to St Maarten over the last 2 years?
3.  When is the last time gasoline was purchased by Sol and Texaco?
4.  How many days does it take for the tanker to arrive from Trinidad with the gasoline?
5. What is the amount of gasoline delivered each time to St. Maarten?
6. Can he be provided with a copy of controls done at the gas stations over the last 2 years?
7. What is the status of the measuring tank?
8.  When was the last time it was used to control gas stations?
9.  How long does the reserve at the bulk stations of Sol and Texaco last?

These questions are in lieu of the fact that on February 27, March 5 and March 9 gasoline has been increased by some 0,25 cents.
Explanation needs to be given to the public of St. Maarten as to reasons why in contrast to when the prices go down the increase takes place at a very rapid pace.
Awaiting the answers in a prompt and speedy manner,

PHILIPSBURG:--- If you are asking yourself, "What can I be?" come to The St. Dominic High School's information evening on the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme on Thursday, March 19 at 7 p.m. Interested students and their parents are invited to learn more about this internationally recognized pre-university programme. Information will be available explaining the subject prerequisites and the application process. During this session, prospective applicants will also have the opportunity to sign up to shadow an IB student for a day at St. Dominic High School. St. Dominic High is one of 2,627 schools around the world offering this curriculum, as well as, the first government subsidized school in the Caribbean authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) to offer the Diploma Programme for students aged 16 to 19. The IBO collaborates with schools, governments and international organizations in over 140 countries to develop and offer challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment in order to achieve its mission of developing inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. Students who are interested in the journey associated with learning, want to create opportunities for themselves, are driven to be successful and desire a more challenging curriculum that encourages them to think critically, to become internationally-minded, to reflect on their learning, and to develop research skills are welcome to attend this information evening on Thursday, March 19 at 7 p.m. in the school's auditorium.

NAGICO Awards three teachers for long service

GREAT BAY:--- NAGICO Insurances has joined with the Methodist Agogic Center (MAC) in celebrating their 39 years of existence. The celebration which is centered on appreciating the staff, culminated with a staff recognition dinner at Royal Palm Hotel on Friday night.
Amongst those recognized were three teachers, who have dedicated more than 30 years of service to the school; they are: Mrs. Sheila Kelly, Ms. Claudette Roach and Mrs. Juliana Hodge.
"NAGICO Insurances is honored to be part of this celebration, because teaching is one of the most valuable professions there is;" Marketing Supervisor Lisa Brown said. "Teachers mold lives and without them there would be no other profession. So we want to extend appreciation and congratulations to the MAC school and to the teachers for their daily contribution of inspiring and impacting our lives and the lives of our children."
NAGICO Insurances made a presentation of professional supplies as well as fully paid spa treatments for the long service recipients. The school on behalf of their Executive Director Mrs. Rose Hughes-Coram extended thanks to NAGICO for their contribution to their milestone accomplishment.

Pond Island – TelEm Group today informed of the cutover of a TelEm Group cabinet on the Walter Nisbeth Road tomorrow (Saturday March 14) causing interruption in service to customers in the immediate vincinity.
The work will commence early Saturday morning from Office World to Carl & Son's and then between Caribbean LOTTO and Auto Depot.
The cutover is scheduled for completion eight hour after the start of work by Zone #1 technicians resulting in an expansion of the network in the above-mentioned areas.
Technicians will also take the opportunity during these works to place overhead drop wires underground.

PHILIPSBURG:--- This Saturday March 14, 2015 in collaboration with Club de Gym Saint Martin, The National Institute of the Arts
(NIA) will be holding the first island wide gymnastics competition at the Asha Stevens Campus in Cay hill.

Grattiene Riom, the Director in charge of the trainer course and technical component training is supported by teachers Doris Barbes from Club de Gym Saint Martin and Peggy Oulerich Head of the Dance Department at NIA.
The purpose is to further develop the sport of gymnastics on the island between the French and Dutch sides.

The competition will involve 40 students under the age of 12 and are judges representatives from the Comité Régional of Guadeloupe (Gymnastics Local Commitee of Guadeloupe). Also in attendance will be Mme Pujol, a representative of the French Gymnastic Federation coming from Guadeloupe.

The parcours are based on the elementary gymnastic basics, and are the same parcours used in Europe and the rest of Caribbean gymnastics federations. To succeed in the parcours the students must have at least 12 points on 20. It is organized around basic gymnastic skills of alignment, strength and flexibility.
Please join us as we show support to these hard working young athletes. Seating is limited, please call 543-0600 or Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Bureau Telecommunications and Post St. Maarten (BTP-SXM) represented by Ryan Wijngaarde met with core members of the CSR committee of the Caribbean Telecom Association (CANTO) in Trinidad this week for the kick-off of a regional E-waste project.

The session was chaired by Mr. Julian Wilkins, Chairman of the board of Directors of CANTO. Objective is to raise awareness amongst telecom providers in the Caribbean region regarding the global Electronic Waste problem and to assist them in finding sound solutions for the collection and disposal of end of life (EoL) mobile phones. CANTO's project team, a unique collaboration between providers, regulators and suppliers, is working diligently to establish guidelines, papers and best practices for the industry.

Reason for CANTO to create awareness for this issue is because E-waste is harmful to the environment. Electronic devices, such as mobile phones, can contain toxic and hazardous materials and when those electronic products are burned or put in a landfill, those toxic substances - such as mercury, cadmium, chromium and lead - can leach into our soil and water.

Director of BTP-SXM, Mr. Anthony Carty sustains the initiative for a regional approach to tackle the issue effectively. "The global volume of e-waste generated annually is almost 90 millions of tons, and figures shown that the volume is going up in a rapid pace. It's very concerning since it's causing significant environmental pollution and health risks. As the regulatory body in the Telecom industry we will continue to assist CANTO in creating awareness for this problem and work towards a sound solution for the disposal of End of Life mobile phones in St. Maarten".

PHILIPSBURG:---On March 11, 2015 an article was published by attorney Jairo Bloem entitled "SMHDF dumps Lynch for financial mismanagement". From December 12th, 2014 I have remained silent pending a so called forensic audit of alleged allegations. However, since attorney Jairo Bloem decided to go public prior to a court hearing, many persons have been contacting me and my siblings asking the questions: why I did not pick up on these so called irregularities within the foundation, how could I leave such happen under my watch, or asking if I had a role to play in this affair? Because of these questions from the public, I decided to break my silence to clear the air just a bit as the reasoning for all this fiasco is more personal than anything else.
Disclaimer: It has never been my intentions to throw anyone under the bus. I was of the belief to leave the past be the past and look towards the future. However once people begin to question my professionalism, integrity and name, one can only imagine that I must defend myself from all false accusations and if this means that some persons will be exposed, then so be it. In life, one should be vigilant of their actions because every action comes with consequences.
There are lot of issues and concerns that can be discussed but these will be for another forum when the time is right. For now the main focus will be on how attorney Bloem and the board conducted their affairs. I understand making money above all is everything to some people, but at least do it to also uplift your professionalism, instead of making law and order come across as being a mockery of justice; at least that is how I perceive it to be at this stage.
Besides Mr. Lynch and I,another colleague received a letter on August 12th, 2014 signed solely by attorney Jairo Bloem with subject matter of suspension pending an SOAB investigation. It is either that Mr.Bloem have trouble in the English language or maybe he had an off day, I cannot be certain, but not only was the letter filled with mistakes but all three of us received a letter with the same content as if the director, myself, and my colleague formed part of general management ("bestuur"). As far as I am aware I have a labor agreement with the foundation which the director signed off on. If I was appointed by a board, I wish they would have told me so and not left me in the dark all this time. A wise attorney would have written either three separate letters or two with different wording.
Artikel 7 of the articles of incorporation of the SMHDF states: "De stichting kent de volgende organen: a. het bestuur; b. de raad van commissarissen". Artikel 8 point 1 states: "Het bestuur bestaat uit één of meer personen. Het aantal leden wordt door de raad van commissarissen vastgesteld. Indien het bestuur uit een person bestaat, heeft deze de title van algemeen directeur. Indien het bestuur uit meer dan een person bestaat, heeft één hunner de titel van algemeen directeur en hebben de overige leden (of: heft het andere lid) de titel van directeur. De algemeen directeur wordt door de raad van commissarissen als zodanig in functie benoemd". Artikel 3, the first and second sentence states: "De raad van commissarissen benoemt, schorst en ontslaat de bestuursleden. Een besluit tot benoeming, schorsing of ontslag van een lid van het bestuur kan alleen worden genomen met algemene stemmen in een vergadering waarin alle leden van de raad van comissarissen aanwezig zijn".
Considering the articles of incorporation and what transpired on December 12th, 2014, attorney Bloem acted as though he was both the board and a public prosecutor with a warrant to suspend as the letter received from him was only signed by him while he demanded the keys to the building, office, and other access doors and we had to leave the premises. Even the locks of the main office was changed because I normally arrive early to open up and this day my keys could not open the locks and there were three security guards minding the building that morning when I arrived, which I thought to be out of the ordinary. All of this drama was concocted by the board instead of doing what should have been done, which was to call a meeting with management to discuss matters before taking such extreme measures as though we are criminals. The reasoning that led to the motive to suspend was stated in the letter as follows (verbatim): "Recent extensive meetings conducted between the Supervisory Board and employees of SMDFH revealed that there are serious suspicions of fraud, embezzlement, violation of human resource procedures, forgery of documents and deliberate mismanagement of funds and assets of SMDFH, also through and thus by SMHFF. These preliminary findings are consistent with data shown to and researched by the Supervisory Board." First of all the abbreviation used by Bloem for the housing foundation is incorrect. Secondly, two senior seasoned board members had resigned leaving two newly appointed board members on the board and they took it upon themselves to bypass the director to talk and conduct meetings directly with employees and used this as a bases, without having any discussion with the director, to act in the manner they did. Signed minutes of such meetings would also be interesting to see. Furthermore, I understood that Bloem is a criminal lawyer. So I guess he was somehow hallucinating to believe he is authorized to do the work as the public prosecutor without having to carry out the proper procedures as would a prosecutor. So I must congratulate Bloem as he has now joined the ranks of the "Super" board of SMHDF who does things above the law and against corporate governance.. At the time of Bloem serving his letter, the board was not present. To date, I have yet to see a resolution from the board in regards to the suspension of Mr. Lynch, much less myself and my colleague. Signed minutes of the meeting(s) where a decision was made to conduct the affairs in the manner that they did would also be interesting to see. I understood that there was no resolution at that time as there were only two members on the board after the additional two senior seasoned members had previously resigned and from the two new remaining members, one had to travel for medical treatment. It appears that Bloem advised the remaining board member to appoint someone to the board in a hurry as when you check the chamber of commerce information, a young person with the initials J.P, who conveniently works in a similar capacity in the same Ministry in Government as the board member who had to travel due to medical reasons, was put on the board the same day of the suspension. Even if they signed a resolution after the fact (by back dating), JP could not have had sufficient time to read the many documents to form an adequate opinion to sign off on a resolution with far reaching consequences. If he did sign then he is a fool and it would be questionable if sensitive documents were given to him to read prior to becoming an official board member which would also be a breach of confidentiality. I have many more questions, facts, and documents in my possession to address but as I stated, I won't discuss such in this forum, as I do my utmost to be professional.
Clearly corporate governance was violated as the board acted contrary to the articles of incorporation. Bloem now gives the impression that a lawyer can show up by any company and tell who ever to hand over keys and serve a letter of suspension all on his own and that would be considered lawful. If that is how the law works than we have some serious issues in this country to address besides the many others on the plate already. Furthermore, the prior chairman had convinced the board to engage the services of HBN law for a retainer fee. The agreement officially expires the end of March 2015 so it behoves me why Bloem was chosen to represent the board to incur additional legal expenses.
In the suspension letter of attorney Bloem he states the following: "Please be informed that SMHDF will maintain you informed with regard to the progress of the to be conducted investigation and, as soon as is possible, the moment whereon the suspension will be terminated. The findings of the investigation will be discussed with you. You will moreover be granted the opportunity to provide your feedback thereon and, if necessary, give reason and account." Well at least he got the abbreviation correct in this statement. Noteworthy is that March 12th, 2015 makes it three (3) months since my colleague and I have been suspended with pay. However we are still awaiting the opportunity to be heard. But in the mean time the director was fired based on an internal investigation which no clarity until this date was sought by my person, who functioned in the capacity of Finance Manager, Additionally, the investigation was also not conducted by any professional third party accounting firm. The board alluded to accusations that the then minister of VROMI stopped SOAB from conducting the investigation. Later we were told by the former minister in a recent meeting with parliament, of which the board was invited but refused to attend, that he did not stop SOAB from conducting any forensic audit. Who is telling fables it is not entirely clear. However, at the time of the suspension, BDO accounting firm was still busy wrapping up the 2012 audit. BDO was also the one that conducted the operational audit on SMHDF which was ordered by the then Minister of VROMI of which their report of findings and recommendations was never discussed more less ratified with the prior installed board, even after numerous requests by Mr. Lynch to have this done. BDO therefore could have conducted the internal financial investigation which would have been independent and unbiased considering that many of the accusations does not reconcile to the financial data I have in my possession up until a certain date. In addition, KPMG was assisting me with the clean up and revamping of the administration project and I gave KPMG accessibility to the accounting system where we spent many hours cleaning up the administration within the 2012 financial year so that BDO could finalize the 2012 audit. Because KPMG played a vital active role with assisting me with the cleanup project, they could have also been asked to conduct an independent investigation. The prior chairman had also engaged KPMG to do a follow-up quick-scan, where like BDO's operational audit, a report was prepared with findings and recommendations which to date was never discussed with the board despite numerous requests to do so by Mr. Lynch. Yet Bloem stated that the interim management, the same persons who the director had plans to terminate the labor agreement with as part of his HR restructuring plan since 2011 as they are part of the long standing non performing employees, conducted the internal investigation with a newly appointed financial supervisor hired in December of 2013 and the former supervisor who abandon the organization in 2012 by going on vacation to Holland and never returning, but was later rehired in December 2013 by Mr. Lynch, despite me not being in agreement, as she had not only abandon the organization when it needed her most but she is also a contributor of why the administration was in a mess in the first place. In other words the internal investigation is bias as these persons do not poses the competence to conduct a forensic audit. The two interim managers that were appointed by the board have been in the organization for more than ten years with one being the manager of technical services and the other as manager of housing services. Based on the evidence and knowledge I have of the foundation, I can only conclude that the board, the two interim managers, and attorney Bloem acted out of personal or bias reasons but they were only part of a bigger plot from higher powers.

WILLEMSTAD:--- The Board of financial supervision Curaçao and Sint Maarten observes in its second semiannual report for 2014 that the budgetary discipline has increased in both countries. For Curaçao this translates itself into a surplus on the normal service and for Sint Maarten into a slight deficit of almost ANG 8 million. At the same time the risks outside the direct influence environment of the government increase. Chairman Age Bakker: "In both countries we see a better management concerning the execution of the budget. However, several risks remain present, especially with regard to the governmental companies and social funds."

Budget execution 2014
Despite the significant challenges Curaçao had with the AOV, the tax income and the government companies, it closed the year 2014 with a surplus. This surplus was used to compensate the deficits realized during the period of 2010-2012. During the years 2013 and 2014 Curaçao has managed to almost completely compensate the incurred deficits. Now there is space to settle the reserves in the social funds and to build up a resistance capital.

Sint Maarten still has difficulties letting the tax income keep up with the economic growth. The initiatives to let the government companies give a contribution to the state budget also face start up difficulties. The expectation is that 2014 will be closed off with a deficit of almost ANG 8 million. The incurred deficits since 2010 will have to be compensated, which represents a heavy load for the budget.

Budget 2015
During the second half of 2014 Cft gave its advice on the draft budget for 2015 of Curaçao as well as for Sint Maarten. In the adopted budgets this advice was not processed sufficiently; for that reason after the adoption of the budgets the Cft again submitted an advice. For Curaçao it mainly concerns the necessary measures to decrease the deficits in the AOV fund and the elaboration and execution of action plans to make the four ailing government companies (CDM, ADC, Aqualectra, Cpost) become solid again. In the meanwhile the necessary agreements have been made with Curaçao so Cft may give the budget 2015 a definite positive advice.

Sint Maarten still has the challenge to increase tax incomes, whereby a reinforcement of the tax office and also an improvement of the compliance should have the highest priority. The Cft requested a more detailed explanation from the government for the estimated revenue in the budget of 2015. Besides Sint Maarten still deals with substantial payment arrears at amongst others the APS and SZV, for which a solution should be found on a very short term. Finally the Cft also has expressed its thoughts about the compensation of the realized deficits, and the level of the proposed investments of Sint Maarten.

Financial management
Both countries have caught up substantially with respect to producing and controlling the annual reports, but there is still a backlog in the evaluation and adoption of the annual reports by Parliament.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams has dispatched a letter to the chairman of Parliament regarding what she termed as the mis-use of Parliament by members of the Council of Ministers. MP Wescot Williams reffered specially to the meeting that is called for Friday. Below is the letter sent to the Chair of Parliament. The MP also sent a second letter to the chairman of Parliament requesting information and clarity on the TEATT meeting that was held last week and adjourned. The contents of that letter follows the first one.

To
The Chairpersons of Parliament and the HCSDL Committee of Parliament,
Respectively Dr. Lloyd Richardson and Dr. V. H C. de Weever

Marrch 12, 2015

Dear Sirs,
On March 4, 2015, members of the HCSDL Committee of Parliament received a convocation for meeting of this committee to be held on March 13th at 2 pm.
The proposed agenda reads:
1. A discussion on FRED and Sint Maarten's participation in this.
2. The Counterpart Law policy and the Implementation guidelines
As documentation for this meeting, the members received a FRED flyer and the Counterpart Regulation, as approved by the Council of Ministers on August 12th 2014.
Permit me some general remarks:
It is my feeling that committees of Parliament are being used more and more without consideration for the Parliament itself. Topics for committee meetings are chosen at whim without any motivation or relevance.
Note please that the general rule is that Parliament refers letters, proposals etc. to the respective committees.
Committees of Parliament are not independent bodies, but created to facilitate the workings of Parliament, by doing preliminary research for Parliament and reporting via the Central Committee of Parliament.
Another worrying aspect are the invitations by some of the parliament committees to civil servants. Firstly this must always be done via the Minister concerned.
However, when there are clearly issues that warrant a political discussion, then the Ministers should come before Parliament.
When civil servants attend committee meetings and are questioned by members of Parliament, some members see this as an affront.
And now to the agenda:
1. A discussion on FRED and Sint Maarten's participation in this.
With what purpose was this flyer sent to Parliament? What is the Government's position on St. Maarten's participation in Fred? Will government participate? How will they participate? Is there sufficient budget for a meaningful participation? If government will participate, how will they attract persons, with a personnel freeze as announced by government?
If government wishes to fill vacancies, what about the applications of St. Maarten graduates already submitted to Government?
2. The Counterpart Law policy and the Implementation guidelines
Will we be discussing the relevant law and if so with what objective? Is the meeting only informative? Then what is new? What is expected of the HCSDL committee on this agenda point?
Are there any new developments or decisions by government on this matter? Will the Minister respond to the outstanding questions by Parliament on this topic?
All in all, I wish to respectfully submit that Parliament guards against misuse or wrong application of the rules governing the functioning of Parliamentary committees.
If I were asked, I would submit the following priorities for this committee.
o Plans for SMMC urgent upgrades and the financing thereof.
o Changes to the medical insurance laws and expanded coverage for vulnerable groups, such as the elderly.
o Payments to care providers and institutions.
o Changes to the Civil Code with respect to labor contracts and maternity leave.
o "Ley di Bion"
Etc.

Respectfully submitted,

Sarah Wescot-Williams,
Member of Parliament (DP)

To
The Chairperson of Parliament
Dr. L. Richardson

In the TEATT Committee meeting of March 10th, Minister C. Conner requested that questions related to agenda point number 2 of that meeting ( The moratorium policy on taxi, bus and tour licenses and the recommendation the PWC report on the policy), be submitted prior to the meeting being reconvened. (the meeting was adjourned after the first agenda point).

The Minister also announced that he has decided to keep in place the moratorium in the area of public transportation (Bus, Taxi, Tours, T&G), as per ministerial decision of February 19th, 2014.

Based on the above mentioned, I submit through you the following questions and observations to the Minister of TEATT, the Honorable Claret Conner.

•  Can the Minister inform Parliament what the total picture is of the public transportation field: how many permits in each area, given out at what time (year), starting with the year 2010?
• How many permits were issued since the February 2014 moratorium? Please provide Parliament with the lists of permit holders (Bus, Taxi, Tours, T&G)
• Are all permits issued in accordance with the National Ordinance on Public Transportation? If not, what does the Minister plan to do to correct this situation?
• What other policies does the Ministry apply a/or adhere to as far as it pertains to requests for taxi, bus etc. permits. (Are there quotas, specific target groups etc.?)
• Is the public transportation committee operational? If not, why not? If yes, has the committee advised government on all permits issued since 2010? If not, on how many did the committee not advise on?
• How many taxi and bus permits have been issued to companies?
• How does the minister plan to curb the illegal leasing of taxi and bus permits?

Please provide the present waiting lists for taxi, bus and tour licenses.

Points of recommendations (to be included in the Minister's announced plan):

•  Develop a system to enforce the laws and implement control mechanisms.
•  Decide on the approach to the gypsy phenomenon.
• Develop a strategy for off-season business for taxis etc.
•  Finalize Plans for a public transportation system.
•  Make policies public.
•  Implement recommendation of the PWC report regarding a public roster of licensees in all categories.

Pond Island:--- TelEm Group's mobile provider, TelCell, today informed customers and the public about an expected interruption in TelCell's voice and data mobile service due to a scheduled maintenance window tonight (Thursday).
The maintenance window will affect 2G voice and data service only, therefore mobile voice and data customers utilizing the 3G network will not be affected.
The maintenance window will be used to replace faulty cards associated with the Enhanced Base Station Control (eBSC).
Work will commence at 11:00 pm and is scheduled to be completed at 2:00 am Friday morning.
The maintenance window is being coordinated by Manager, Network Operations, Mr. Julien Lake.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Committee of Health Care, Social Development and Labour, will meet in session on March 13.

The public Permanent Committee meeting is set for Friday at 2.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The first agenda point is a discussion about the Flinx Recruitment Expo for the Dutch Caribbean, or commonly known as FRED and Sint Maarten's participation in this. FRED is scheduled to take place in June 2015 at the Rotterdam World Trade Center in The Netherlands.

The second agenda point is a discussion about the counter-part law policy and the implementation guidelines.

Representatives from the Department of Labour, Labour Affairs, and the Department of Education will be present for the meeting.

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

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

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

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Committee of Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure of Parliament, will meet in public session on March 13.

The Permanent Committee meeting is set for Friday at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is related to a presentation by the Nature Foundation of St. Maarten on a proposal to protect trees.
Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

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

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

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday February 27, 2015 in accordance with the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code, The Yacht Club Isle de Sol, an IGY MARINAS Destination, provided their contract Security staff of INSEMA Group NV with a scheduled ISPS Code training. The training was facilitated by local Recognized Security Support Organization (RSSO) OSSEM Solutions NV at the National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA) in Cay Hill. With this training the professional standards of The Yacht Club Isle de Sol will continue with the goal to not only meet the mandated compliance, but to exceed these standards and provide a safe, secure and enjoyable haven for all those who visit. Most recently Isle de Sol Marina also complied with National and International security requirements in regards to updating their Security Management Program, which consist of Port Risk Assessments and Port Facility Security Plans through their Security Advisor OSSEM Solutions. Isle de Sol will continue with various other trainings throughout the year and are presently in the planning phase of conducting a Bomb Threat Drill for Marina personnel and stakeholders. Director of Marina Operations and Planning for IGY Marinas Mr. Brian Deher commented that "We are extremely pleased with the level of commitment and training that the Insema N.V. guards have demonstrated and we are thankful to have professional security consulting locally available on St. Maarten rather than having to incur the added expense to fly security experts in from abroad. IGY has been working with OSSEM Solutions N.V. on our ISPS compliancy for over a year now and we've had tremendous results. OSSEM Solutions has helped IGY find a balance between heightened levels of security while simultaneously working with us to improve customer service which is often times sacrificed in order to achieve the levels of security needed in order to be ISPS compliant." When asked about the costs to run training programs and to maintain ISPS compliancy Mr. Deher remarked "our costs are in line with those of previous years and our forecasts going forward are based on nominal increases associated with cost of living escalations and depreciating assets that may need to be upgraded or replaced but other than that there are no material changes to our general security budget anticipated."

Sucker Garden :--- St. Maarten - The Walichi Basketball Association will be hosting its second Celebrity game back by popular demand. It was first held during the LBC All Star Weekend last December and was met with laughs and excitement.
Sunday's game will consist of actors, singers, DJ's, radio personalities and others.
Coming back again for a rematch will be Darin "King Vers" Hodge (Actor, Musician), Tasha "Dj Biggers" Brooks (DJ), Elliot "Junior Lion" Laurence (Actor, Musician), Latoya Lake (LBC Commentator), Dutty Sham (DJ/Radio Personality), Nasmarie "SoloKween" Doran (Singer/Producer) , Da Brat (Rapper). New celebrities added will be Duncan "Deviage" van Heyningen CEO of Deviage Entertainment, Calvin "Producer Cali" Mardembrough (Musician/Producer), Shakiel "IceBoy Slim" Dormoy (Rapper), Lorenzo "Sigma Defense" Lorenz (Musician), Big Twin and Raissa "NappiBoi" Lake-Gumbs (DJ).

The LBC Celebrity Basketball Game will take place on Sunday March 15th at 3pm at the Melford Hazel Sports Complex in Sucker Garden. Game 3 of the LBC Finals between Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls and Thunderz will start at 5pm after the LBC Celebrity Game.

Come out and support and cheer on your favorite celebrity and team to victory.

PHILIPSBURG:---  St. Maarten needs airlift. The island cannot be dependent upon North American traffic anymore..." This is according to Olivier Arrindell, Chairman of AVA Airways.
Recently Mr. Arrindell and The President of AVA Airways Mr. Giovanni Atalita presented AVA Airways plans to the Ministry of Transportation, Civil Aviation and Economic Development, "One of our main objectives is to learn from the past and to propose a bold new direction for commercial aviation in St. Maarten. St. Maarten's economic situation needs this at the moment. St. Maarten's only local airline, Winair is going through some financial tough times. This doesn't give much hope for the airlift and the economy of the island," Arrindell stated.
"Right now, the fastest growing market for St. Maarten and the Caribbean is Latin America and it's mostly premium traffic. Meaning, Latin America does consist of more countries and not only Panama. I understand that St. Maarten has a historical connection with North America, but right now it's time to expand our borders. There are other markets out there," Arrindell indicated.
Olivier Arrindell has been in the aviation business for almost a decade now. He said that one of the things he always sees is that Aviation companies in St. Maarten do not focus on new ideas. "It feels like the airlines, especially in St. Maarten are stuck in time. "They tend to follow the same ideas that others have done in the past. This does not work anymore. You have to be innovative. This is the only way you will survive now," Arrindell said.
The tourism sector on the island is complaining. How is St. Maarten going to survive with a low rate of overnight tourism! Hotels will not survive. I really hope that the government is doing something about this. When we presented our plans, the Secretary General Mr. Miguel de Weever along with the Director General of Civil Aviation Mr. Louis Halley, who is responsible for the aviation sector, expressed that the idea of AVA Airways turning St. Maarten into an East West hub is an ideal concept for island.
AVA Airways will start its operations with the A319/A320 aircraft types. The Airbus A320neo family is a family of aircraft under development by Airbus replacing the predecessor A320 family (now A320ceo (current engine option).The letters "neo" stand for "New Engine Option" and are the last step of the modernization program A320 Enhanced (or "A320E") which was started in 2006.
According to Mr. Arrindell this type of aircraft fits perfect into AVA's operations on an East West hub.
"AVA Airways will be a pioneer in Latin America and the Caribbean. From the way we sell our tickets to the services we offer on our aircrafts, to even which type of aircraft we will use, will be completely innovative, especially for an island like Curacao," said the airline chairman.

submitted by Olivier Arrindell

PHILIPSBURG:--- The University of St. Martin (USM) collaborated with the Windward Islands Bank Ltd. (WIB) to offer its Middle Management employees a set of academic courses with the objective to update their skills in Business Administration, and offer them the opportunity to gain a USM's Associate of Arts degree.
The program for the WIB employees, which consisted of the components, Business and Marketing, Business Communication, Management and Human Resource Management, Accounting and Finance, was held at the training facility of the bank. The USM instructors of the Hospitality and Business Divisions, Dr. Natasha Gittens and Mr. Erwin Wolthuis, led the courses.
The successful participants were awarded 12 university credits. With these credits those WIB employees who choose to continue their studies at USM will have a head start in obtaining their Associates of Arts Degree.
The certificate presentation ceremony was held on Friday February 27, and was attended by the following dignitaries, MP. Maurice Lake, MP. Silveria Jacobs, MP Corneluis DeWeever and MP. Tamara Leonard.
Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs Mrs. Rita Bourne-Gumbs and Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications, Mr. Claret Connor addressed the participants. Both lauded their achievements and encouraged the participants to continue in their quest in obtaining an academic degree. USM and WIB were also commended for their joint initiative.
Managing Director of WIB, Mr. Derek Downes, who tasked Mrs. Sherry-Anne Mc Namara –Casey of the WIB Human Resource department to initiate a project geared towards the academics upgrading of the employees, stated that he was satisfied with the results and extremely proud of his staff.
USM will be seeking to continue its collaboration with the WIB and other business on the island as it takes its task of improving educational resources of St. Maarten seriously.

Killer claimed that he was living next door to her with his girlfriend a Custom Officer, a blatant lie says Isidora.

BELVEDERE:--- Jenifer Isidora, the mother of slain Akeem Isidora is trying to come to terms with the brutal murder of her 22 year old son Akeem Isidora who was assassinated by an off duty police officer identified as Rishmer York last week Wednesday night. She said her main concern right now is if the cold blooded killer is being protected by his uniform. Ms. Isidora told SMN News on Thursday that if the killer was someone else the police would have picked up the suspect until it is time for him to appear in court. While the Prosecutors Office declared Officer Rishmer York is a suspect he is still a free man roaming the streets.
Ms. Isidora said when she was questioned by the Landsrecherché last week she told them neither her or her late son do not know the officer that shot her son to death. At that point the detectives informed her that the officer told them in his sworn statement that he was living next door to her apartment in Happy Estate with his girlfriend "Vivica" whom they said is a custom officer. She said at that point she had to inform the police that the female custom officer does not live with her parents and the officer who shot her son does not live with her neighbors. The bereaved woman said even the parents of the custom officer told her they don't know Officer York and that they never met him.
Ms. Isidora said that Akeem and Vivica grew up together in the neighborhood and they were always friends, she said when Akeem's girlfriend left the island to go to the Netherlands "Vivica" used to plait her late son hair, furthermore, she used to sit and chat with the boys in the neighborhood and even looked television with them.
Ms. Isidora further explained that she does not know if her son was in contact with "Vivica" while he lived in the Netherlands but what she knew is that when her son returned to St. Maarten her son told her "Vivica" was not speaking to him and she was looking at him rather funny. However, she did see her son and "Vivica" speaking on their porch one afternoon with some other boys when she came home from work prior to his murder. The bereaved mother said that she cannot say for sure that her son did not have a sexual or personal relationship with "Vivica" because she was never interested in looking into those things, what she knew is that they grew up together and have always been friends. Ms. Isidora said "Vivica" had a boyfriend that used to work at RBC bank and based on information reaching her that young man was also being harassed by Officer York. "I don't know what Vivica told the officer she now dating, and I don't know if jealousy played any role in her son's cold blooded murder. This could be a possibility because none of us know the officer personally and we never saw him in the area prior to the shooting. All I know is that my son told me this officer was harassing him constantly and he even arrested him in his neighborhood for not having his identification card. Asked if she mentioned all of this to police she said the detectives that questioned her did not ask her those questions.
The woman said earlier that day (February 4th 2015) neighbors including her late son told her that Officer York was in the area driving around and he slowed down when he saw her son and pointed his service weapon at him and told him his days are numbered before he returned to the Netherlands. Ms. Isidora said she was not at home that day because she was working but several of the neighbors including her late son told her that afternoon that the officer was in the neighborhood in a white car and when he saw Akeem he slowed down and pointed his service weapon at him.
Ms. Isidora said that it took the mother of the custom officer almost one week before she approached her to express her condolences because her neighbors are devastated knowing that their daughter and Akeem grew up together and they were always good friends.
Ms. Isidora maintained that on the night of the murder the officer dropped "Vivica" at her parents' house and he went and parked next to a car that Akeem was driving. She said Akeem went to get something from the car when the officer stuck up his middle finger at her son and that started a dispute. She said when she heard the noise she immediately went outside and as soon as she reached at the back of the dark tinted Kia jeep she heard the three shots that were fired. "When I heard those shots I ducked, and when I got up I started to look for my son Junior because one of the bullets was fired at him but he pulled aside and escaped the gunshot. When I saw Junior was okay I then started to look for Akeem and then the neighbors showed me he was on the ground where he died. "Ms. Isidora said that on the night of the shooting the forensic department was on the scene, they were there the following day gathering evidence and it took them two days to realize that one of the bullets fired that night was missing. She said two days later two detectives came back looking for the bullet and it was found in a wall where her son Junior was standing. "When those detectives found the third bullet they called the forensic department who removed the bullet and scrape the ground next to where the third bullet was found and took it away. Ms. Isidora said that two bullets hit her dead son and the third was found in the wall. She said that both of her sons speaks to "Vivica." Asked if there were other boys in the neighborhood that must have fired a shot at the officer while he was speeding away. Ms. Isidora said that no one was outside when it happened and only three shots were fired in Happy Estate. However, she said she cannot say if anyone was under the open space where the boy's hangout at the time. However, she maintained that neighbors were looking through their windows and they saw what happened and most of them spoke to the police. "Up to yesterday the detectives were in the area and they took away one of the neighbors to take her statement.
The brother of late Akeem Lake said that he knows the custom officer because she is their neighbor. However, he said that he was not close friends to the young woman because they are not of the same age. Junior said he will soon be making 30 years so the most he will say to young lady is "hello" but his dead brother and her were very good friends. Asked how he felt since the shooting incident he said there is no words to describe his feelings.
In an invited comment press prosecutor Tineke Kamps said the autopsy will take place soon and the body will be released immediately after. (The autopsy might take place on Thursday) . When asked how many bullets police sent for forensic testing Ms. Kamps said she is not the prosecutor handling the case, but after checking with the prosecutor that prosecutor said she could not release that information because it might interfere with the ongoing investigation. Police at first said that there was a shootout in Happy Estate. They said that the off-duty officer fired his service weapon  in defence when a gang of boys attacked him and fired shots at him. So far it seems as though police only found the three shots at the scene that the mother and neighbors said were fired that night that claimed the life of 22 year old Akeem Isidora.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (hereafter TEATf) fully endorses the "Battle of the Fittest Basketball Tournament", which is being organized by the "Together We Can Foundation", slated to commence on July 17th through July 19th, 2015, on St. Maarten.

The Government of St. Maarten remains committed to the development of our youth. "Sports" therefore provides the opportunity for this development because of the cohesive and unique way it connects young people and their communities. The Ministry of TEATT for this reason will embrace any such events and/or tournaments where specifically our young and emerging athletes are provided with the platform to profile their talents.

On behalf of my ministry, I am pleased to inform you that I have no objections to your request for the name of the "Ministry of TEATT" as well as the Government of Maarten's logo to be printed on all promotional materials intended for the event; at no financial obligations to my ministry.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Between 9.30 A.M. and 6.00 P.M. on Friday March 6th, a burglary was committed in a house on Tigris Road in Cupe coy.
The residents of that home locked their doors properly, but strangers took the opportunity to break down a door and entered the house. The burglars managed to get access to the safe that was in the residence and took a large amount of jewelry with an undisclosed total value.
Attached to this press release are some pictures of some of the items that were stolen. If anybody has witnessed this burglary, or have any information that can lead the Police Force to the suspects of this burglary, please get in contact with the police department and share the information with one of our detectives. If you prefer to remain anonymous you can call our tip line on #9300.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Police Force of Sint Maarten is without any doubt doing its utmost, to protect you, your family and your property, in combating crime and criminals. The Public Relation Office of the Sint Maarten Police Force is therefore offering the entire community, the following safety tips, to help them prepare against crime.
Remember the 3 A's of Crime Prevention

1. Be Aware of your surroundings at all times.
2.  Be Alert to suspicious people and vehicles.
3.  Avoid dangerous situations.

If you are out for the evening:
- Turn on lights, radio or television so that it looks like some-one is at home.
- Lock all doors and windows well, even if you are just leaving for a few minutes.
- Don't display items where they can be seen from the outside.
- Park your car in a well-lit area and make sure all windows and doors are
locked.
- Avoid carrying a large amount of cash. Don't flash cash around and carry it in a safe place on you.
- If you have to use the ATM-machine, pay close attention to suspicious persons hanging around the machine. If that's the case pass up that machine and find another.

- Carry all wallets in the front pockets and carry purses close to your body.
- Keep your children close to you while attending any activities and don't let them get separated from you.
- Pay attention to persons walking in front and behind you. (Especially in crowded places favorable for pickpockets)
- When returning to your vehicle or your home, have your keys in your hands ready to open the door.
- Before entering your vehicle, check front and rear and seats for any one that may be hiding there. Lock doors immediately after entering.
- Ask your neighbor to keep a watchful eye out for you.
- Drinking and driving is a danger to everyone. Remember that the risks of drinking and driving are not worth it. If you choose to drink, don't drive.
Make use of a designated driver or public transportation. (Taxi or bus)
Make sure that you know where your kids are at all times and that they
are safe.

Most of all on behalf of the Police force of Sint Maarten, through the Public Relation Office, "We wish the entire community of Sint Maarten and it's visitors a very safe and meaningful Carnival Season."

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prosecutor's Office in conjunction with KPSM will implement a new and stricter policy for this carnival season which kicks off on Saturday.
Chief Prosecutor Ton Maan told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday that persons who misbehave and are arrested by police for crimes committed during the carnival season will have an opportunity to pay a fine immediately at the Police Station or they will be indicted and prosecuted on June 3rd 2015 if they chose not to pay the fines.
Maan said he hopes that the new and stricter policy will serve as a deterrent this carnival season. He made clear that the policy applies to everyone including visitors to the island and persons that are under the influence of alcohol. The fines he said range from Naf. 100 to Naf.600 which must be paid immediately. Maan stressed that persons who do not comply to the orders given by police can also be arrested and be fined or face prosecution on June 3rd 2015. Persons who are caught fighting could be fined Naf. 100 but those that ill-treat another person would have to dig deeper into their pockets and pay as much as Naf. 600. Persons that commits worst crimes and carry weapons will be arrested until they are prosecuted.
Head of the traffic department Benjamin Gout told reporters that the policy that KPSM in conjunction with the prosecutor's office chose to implement this year was used both in Curacao and Aruba and it showed very positive results therefore KPSM chose to adopt the policy in order to make the carnival season much safer.
Gout said that this Saturday the first Carnival jump up will be held in Simpson Bay starting from Kimsha Beach to the Causeway and back. He urged road users to monitor the news because there will  be several road closers that will affect the traffic. The first road closer will be at Billy Folly Road (entrance to Pelican) at 7:30pm by 8pm the Airport Boulevard in the direction of Simpson Bay leading up to the round-a-bout. At 8:25 the east side of the round will then be closed to allow the three troupes that will be participating in the Causeway Jump up to get on the causeway. Gout said that each of the closers will last about 40 minutes or less. At 9pm Union Road will be closed to traffic going towards the Causeway (drivers coming from the French side should pay close attention to this road closer). When the revelers cross over the Causeway then police will close off Well Road at 9:40pm while Orange Grove Road will be closed at 9:45pm. Then old Cake house road will also be closed at 10:10pm at 10:30 the Cole Bay Round a- bout will be closed at 11pm. The Billy Folly Road will be closed for the second time that evening at 11:40pm along with the round-a-bout by the Airport Boulevard. Gout said that the time span for these road closers might be shorter because police tried their best to make a much better calculation than last year, however, this depends on how quickly the troupes move. All roads should be open and free by midnight. However, revellers will have an after party at the Soggy Dollar Bar.

GENERAL POLICE ORDINANCE

1. Not following commands by a police officer (art. 3)

NAFLS 100,-/$56,-

2. Disturbing the parade (Art. 4)

NAFLS 100,-/$56,-

3. Fighting in public (Not ill-treatment art. 24)

NAFLS 100,-/$56,-

4. Removing, replacing or taking down of a police barricade (art. 24)

NAFLS 100,-/$56,-

5. Throwing of bottles (art. 25)

NAFLS 100,-/$56,-

WEAPON ORDINANCE

6. In the possession of a weapon (not a fire-arm) or an object to be used as such.

NAFLS 500,-/283,-

PENAL CODE

7. Resisting arrest (art. 186)

NAFLS. 300,-/$169,-

8. Not adhering to an order given by a police officer (art.190)

NAFLS. 500,-/$283,-

9. Insulting an officer on duty (art. 278 jo. Art 279)

NAFLS. 300,-/$169,-

10. Verbal threat (not group/gang related) (art. 298)

NAFLS. 500,-/$283,-

11. Ill-treatment (art.313)

NAFLS. 600,-/$339,-

12. Destruction of property (art.366)

NAFLS. 300,-/$226,-

OPIUM ORDINANCE (DRUG LAW)

13. Possession of Cocaine up to 03 grams

NAFLS. 300,-/$196,-

14. Possession of Cocaine more than 03 grams, but less or equivalent to 05 grams.

NAFLS. 500,-/$283,-

15. Possession of Marihuana 05 to 20 grams

NAFLS. 250,-/$141,-

16. Possession of Marihuana more that 20 grams, but less or equal to 30 grams

NAFLS. 500,-/$283,-

17. Possession of 06 to 10 Xtc-pills

NAFLS. 500,-/$283,-

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday March 11th, 2015 members of the 78 Inc Entertainment Foundation officially launched Caribbean Flag Fest 2k15, which will be held on April 18th, 2015 at 8:00pm at the St. Maarten Festival Village. This show will be one of the first shows carnival revellers can look forward to for the 2015 Carnival Season. The show will feature some of the hottest bands from St. Maarten and the Caribbean region. Performing will be Venomous Poizon Band from St. Thomas; Small Axe Band from St Kitts; Tripple Kay Global from Dominica; Pantha Vibes International from Anguilla and TJT Band (formerly RespeK Band) from St. Maarten.
Deejays for this event will be DJ Vybz and DJ Cd Rankin. Entertainer and singer King Vers will Mc the show.
Coordinators said the show promises to be "the biggest" jam session for Carnival 2015 with it's theme: "Come represent your flag and wave your rag...We are Caribbean".
"It will be a jam band concert with a band clash undertone where some of the best bands from the surrounding islands will be performing live on stage alongside local deejays". "Caribbean Flag Fest 2k15 aims to bring back the culture and flavour of carnival with high energy soca music. The show will feature Hot Soca Jam Session music. The show promises to give you a work out when you wave your rags and jump up to the music and much more. This is a no heels event and the crowd is encouraged to come out early with their flags and rags and jam the night away to this pre jouvert jam."
78 Inc Entertainment Foundation was established in 2006 by a group of young professionals born in 1978, who wanted to give back to and promote their local community. Their goal is to provide and promote wholesome entertainment in the areas of music, sports, theatre and through any positive means. The group is happy to rock carnival with Caribbean Flag Fest 2k15.
General admission to the show is US $35 per person. Persons can double their fun by getting two tickets for just US $50 until April 6 or until supply lasts. Tickets will be available from Tuesday April 16th, 2015 at both locations of Van Dorp; Adolphus Richardson Office Supplies; DP Gas Station in Dutch Quarter/Belvedere and all three locations of United Telecommunications Services (UTS) (which will be offering Chippie specials) or by calling FUBU promotions at tel. +590 690 75 51 73.

Log on to www.78inc.com and like their page for more information and updates and giveaways and download link for the promotional cd mix.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Honorable Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Mrs. Rita Bourne-Gumbs would like to encourage all stakeholders involved in unfortunate negative issues or experiences at NIPA, to contribute to solving these issues via the proper channels.

The Minister has placed NIPA as a priority issue for the Ministry specifically within the Division of Inspection, the Division of Examinations, the Department of Education and the Staff Bureau.

"Unfortunately, government is sometimes the last to find out about serious issues and the details of those issues, because people can be resistant to filing official complaints through the correct departments or divisions," Minister Bourne-Gumbs remarked.

The Ministry was made aware of long standing issues and strained relationships between students, teachers, management and the board of the school. Parliament has met officially with some of the stakeholders where different opinions were communicated to the country's highest body.

The relevant departments have been diligently handling the issues as presented to them and, along with Minister Bourne-Gumbs, hope to offer a way forward soon so that the school can get back to developing and fostering a positive learning environment aimed for success.

The Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament

Prepared pursuant to the recommendation of the Integrity reports.

1.  Purpose of the Code
2. The purpose of this Code of Conduct is to assist all Members in the discharge of their obligations to Parliament and the public at large by:
3. (a) establishing the standards and principles of conduct expected of all Members in undertaking their duties;
4. (b) setting the rules of conduct which underpin these standards and principles and to which all Members must adhere; and in so doing
5. (c) ensuring public confidence in the standards expected of all Members and in the commitment of Parliament to upholding these rules.
6. II. Scope of the Code
7. The Code applies to a Member's conduct which relates in any way to their membership of Parliament. The Code does not seek to regulate the conduct of Members in their purely private and personal lives or in the conduct of their wider public lives unless such conduct significantly damages the reputation and integrity of Parliament as a whole or of its Members generally.. The obligations set out in this Code are complementary to those which apply to all Members by virtue of the procedural and other rules of Parliament and the rulings of the Chair, and to those which apply to Members falling within the scope of the Ministerial Code.
8. III. Duties of Members
9.  By virtue of the oath, or affirmation, of allegiance taken by all Members when they are elected to Parliament, Members have a duty to be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty the King, his heirs and successors, according to law.
10. Members have a duty to uphold the law, including the general law against discrimination.
11. Members have a general duty to act in the interests of the nation as a whole; and a special duty to the public.
12. Members should act on all occasions in accordance with the public trust placed in them. They should always behave with honor and integrity, including in their use of public resources.
13. IV. General Principles of Conduct
14.  In carrying out their parliamentary and public duties, Members will be expected to observe the following general principles of conduct identified by the Ad Hoc Committee on Integrity in its report as applying to holders of public office. These principles will be taken into account when considering the investigation and determination of any allegations of breaches of the rules of conduct in Part V of the Code.

"Selflessness
Holders of public office should take decisions solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends.
Integrity
Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might influence them in the performance of their official duties.
Objectivity
In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.
Accountability
Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.
Openness
Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.
Honesty
Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.
Leadership
Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example."
V. Rules of Conduct

1. Members are expected to observe the following rules and associated Resolutions of Parliament.
2. 1Members shall base their conduct on a consideration of the public interest, avoid conflict between personal interest and the public interest and resolve any conflict between the two, at once, and in favour of the public interest.
3.  No Member shall act as a paid advocate in any proceeding of Parliament
4.  The acceptance by a Member of a bribe to influence his or her conduct as a Member, including any fee, compensation or reward in connection with the promotion of, or opposition to, any Law, Motion, or other matter submitted, or intended to be submitted to Parliament, or to any Committee of Parliament, is contrary to the law of Parliament.
5. Members shall fulfil conscientiously the requirements of Parliament in respect of the registration of interests in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. They shall always be open and frank in drawing attention to any relevant interest in any proceeding of Parliament or its Committees, and in any communications with Ministers, Members, public officials or public office holders.
6. Information which Members receive in confidence in the course of their parliamentary duties should be used only in connection with those duties. Such information must never be used for the purpose of financial gain.
7.  Members are personally responsible and accountable for ensuring that their use of any expenses, allowances, facilities and services provided from the public purse is in accordance with the rules laid down on these matters. Members shall ensure that their use of public resources is always in support of their parliamentary duties. It should not confer any undue personal or financial benefit on themselves or anyone else, or confer undue advantage on a political organisation.
8.  Members shall never undertake any action which would cause significant damage to the reputation and integrity of Parliament as a whole, or of its Members generally.
9.  The "Committee" may not investigate a specific matter under paragraph 16 which relates only to the conduct of a Member in their private and personal lives.
10. VI. Upholding the Code
11. The application of this Code shall be a matter for Parliament, and particularly for the Ad Hoc Committee on Integrity.
12. 1The "Committee" may investigate a specific matter relating to a Member's adherence to the rules of conduct under the Code. Members shall cooperate, at all stages, with any such investigation by or under the authority of Parliament. No Member shall lobby a member of the "Committee" in a manner calculated or intended to influence its consideration of an alleged breach of this Code.
13.  The "Committee" will consider any report from the Ad Hoc Committee to it and report its conclusions and recommendations to Parliament. Parliamnet may impose a sanction on the Member where it considers it necessary.

This includes the registration of financial interests held by MPs and the investigation of complaints about MPs who have allegedly breached the Code of Conduct or related Rules.
Key responsibilities

•  Overseeing the maintenance and monitoring the operation of the Register of Members' Financial Interests
•  Providing advice on a confidential basis to individual Members and to the Committee on Integrity about the interpretation of the Code of Conduct and Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members
• Monitoring the operation of the Code of Conduct and Guide to the Rules and, where appropriate, proposing possible modifications of it to the Committee on Integrity
• Preparing guidance and providing training for Members on matters of conduct, propriety and ethics
•  Receiving and investigating complaints about Members who are allegedly in breach of the Code of Conduct and Guide to the Rules, and reporting her findings to the Committee on Integrity
•  The "Committee" also presents an annual report to Parliament on the work of her office

PHILIPSBURG:--- In view of the recent disclosures of the General Audit Chamber and the CFT in 2014, and the hermetic silence surrounding the topic of Tax collection methods in SXM, the Junior Partners of Benjamin & Parker in SXM, are stepping up to the plate to assist the business and small man community by organizing the 1st Tax Express Clinic on April 11 and 12, 2015 at the SunFed Building in Backstreet.

The Tax Express Clinic is a plausible service model of Latin America to assist communities by providing on the spot solutions by explaining the tax payer what to do, how to do it and how our specialists can assist in the process during a 15 minutes consultation.

The panel of experts consist of B-Parker Certified Tax Administrators and Tax Controllers, Partners of Benjamin & Parker (www.ciara-sxm.com) and other invited Tax professionals. For this special event Mr. Terence Jandroep Regional Director and Tax Administration instructor of B-Parker will be flown in to address "Tax Refunds Management" for tax payers that are seeking alternatives to obtain overpaid taxes.
In the Tax Express Clinic the following cases will be addressed:
Tax Refunds Management-Tax Liens and confiscations-Tax Office Back log Tax Collections-Protest letters and Appeals management- and other disclosed tax problems

The taxpayer must bring the following documents for the consultation:
Receiver's Office tax list
Submitted Protest letters and rulings (Beschikkingen)

The cost of the consultation is $20,= to cover expenses of the professional flown in for this historic event, and giving the community this unique opportunity to obtain solutions to their problems on the spot at an accessible fee. As a Bonus we will raffle a test case completely free for the small business enterprises and tax payers within the Income tax environment. Visit www.ciara-sxm.com

PHILIPSBURG:--- The public meeting called by the Parliament of St. Maarten to further discuss the develepments at the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF)and SOAB saw a boycott from all members of the United Peoples Party faction including their coalition partners. Member of Parliament Cornelius de Weever was seen in the House of Parliament before the 10h on Wednesday morning but disappeared when the meeting was about to start while MP Frans Richardson informed the chair of Parliament that he would be late for the meeting. The attorney representing SMHDF sent out a press release on Tuesday night informing the general publing that the Managing Director Henry Lynch was suspended was fired on February 4th 2015. In that press release SMHDF outlined a number of their findings and they also stated that a forensic investigation is currently ongoing while they reserve the rights to take further legal actions against Henry Lynch.
Faction Leader of the National Alliance William Marlin asked the chair if the MPs that gave notice of absence gave reasons for their absence. The chair responded by saying that MP Meyers went off island for medical purposes while MP Frans Richardson indicated that he will be late.
The chair adjourned the meeting which he said he will schedule for a later date. Chairman of Parliament MP Lloyd Richardson asked apologized for the inconvenience caused on Wednesday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Supervisory Board of Directors (SBD) of Postal Services St. Maarten (PSS) recently had a meeting to discuss a number of matters concerning the ongoing progress of PSS.

Stuart Johnson currently the vice-chairman has been unanimously chosen by the entire SBD to become the second Chairman of the board since its October 2010 inception.

Johnson has been serving since August as Interim-chairman which was a decision taken by former Prime Minister and former Shareholder of PSS Sarah Wescot-Williams who informed the SBD that is was done due to Mr Hubert Pantophlet resigning as the then Chairman of the board.
Mr. Pantophlet was requested by the shareholder to remain as a member of the SBD.

"I humbly accepted the role I've been full-filling for the past months," Johnson reacted in saying.

"Since accepting the role we've seen the opening of the harbor branch of PSS, the completion of the CLA with the SMCU, the first ever vehicle policy of the company and most recently the new uniforms for employees," Johnson said.

"PSS belongs to this country and I'm calling on all stakeholders as well as the community at large to embrace this company which is hundred percent owned by people of St. Maarten as a government owned company," Johnson concluded.

Interim-Managing Director of PSS Antonia Wilson said, "We congratulate Mr. Johnson on his new post and look forward to our ongoing healthy working relationship with the SBD."

For more information about products and services available at the Postal Services St. Maarten, visit or like on www.facebook.com/post.stmaarten or call + (1721) 542-2289.

GREAT BAY:--- A representative from Collective Prevention Services (CPS) of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), Maria Henry, travelled to Trinidad & Tobago in the first week of March where she took part in a Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Consultation on Chikungunya in the Caribbean.

The forum was held under the theme: "Chikungunya in the Caribbean: Meeting Today's Challenge and Preparing for the Future."

The objective of the meeting was to review currently available knowledge, and build a shared understanding of the Chikungunya situation in the Caribbean.

Secondly, to learn from the experience of individuals, countries, agencies, and organizations and identify opportunities to mitigate the challenges posed by Chikungunya.

Thirdly, to identify, recommend, and communicate actions based on the above; and to develop and strengthen a multi-sector collaborative response to the challenges posed by Chikungunya in the Caribbean.

Up to February 2015, there are more than 800,000 suspected cases in the Caribbean and Latin America. The chikungunya virus emerged in the Caribbean back in 2013.

The impact on health and the economies of the Region CARPHA described as considerable, especially as a significant proportion of persons affected have long-term complications of joint pain and impairment of function.

Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.

The consultation brought together international health experts from across the Region, as well as other parts of the world, representing different fields of activity related to Chikungunya and other mosquito-borne diseases.

The aim of the meeting was to support the Caribbean in its response to the Chikungunya epidemic and the growing challenge to health, social and economic systems.

The topics addressed included the Long Term Impact of Chikungunya, Surveillance and Outbreak Response, Entomological Surveillance, Control and Management, Clinical Care and Services, Laboratory Services, Research and Innovation, and Communication Strategies and Experiences.

The consultation was funded by the European Union, and took place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

PHILIPSBURG:--- We would appreciate it if you could place this notice in your daily bulletin, and have it posted there until Friday, April 10th 2015.
The members of Journey for Education are proud to announce their annual walkathon:
Date: Saturday, April 11th 2015
Time: 5:00 am to 8:00 am

The route will be from Le Grand Marché Bush Road, Welgelegen Road, Link One Phase Two, Cole Bay Hill, Union Road, Causeway, ending at Pine Apple Pete.
A breakfast consisting of salt-fish, journey cakes and bush-tea will be served at the end of the walk.
Price per ticket is Fls. 18.00, US$ 10.00 or Euro 10.00, and is available from the following Journey for Education Board members:
Ms. Marie-Louise Boasman: (The office of Michmar Agencies at the Yogesh Building)
Mrs. Paula Fleming: Cel. 520-5231
Ms. Margarette Williams: Cel. 581-8195
Ms. Valerie Brazier: 522-9047
Ms. Rosalia (Rosie) Richardson: Cel. 550-5545
Mr. Rolando Tobias: Cel. 586-5915
Mr. Bernard Richardson: 5800054 (Michmar Agencies at the Yogesh Building)
Mr. Recaldo Ward: 580-8748

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Department Head of the Public Service Center, Emilia Thomas recently returned from a working visit to the Netherlands, where she visited the public service centers in the Municipalities of the Hague, Zoetermeer and Stichtse Vecht. The purpose of the visit was to (re)-establish working rapport with said municipalities in view of Government's commitment to improve its efficiency and vision to further expand its services to the public by creating a "one-stop shop" operation. The visit to the Netherlands was co-coordinated by Mr. Perry Geerlings, Director at the Office of the Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague.

Thomas said that the trip was extremely successful. We were able to view first-hand the front- and back office operations at the respective centers. Presentations were made by various management teams about their operation's success as well some of their challenges. One of the highlights during the visit was that to the Call Center at the "Stadsdeelkantoor Centrum" in the Hague. Call Centers in the Netherlands are part of the normal operations at the public service centers. The purpose of these centers is to assist all citizens by providing pertinent information about all government services and products. This information can range from inquiries with regard to the application of processing of a passport; to a citizen reporting about uncollected household waste, making an appointment for a service or informing about requirements for applying for study financing just to name a few. It was an impressive operation that we were able to witness at these Centers. The use of (innovative) modern technology, online- and digitalized service processes are standard, which ensures that effective and efficient services are provided to all. Government's ICT Information Analyst, Ms. Caren Matthew also travelled along on this working visit to witness first-hand how the systems used there could work within the Government of Sint Maarten's infrastructure.

Thomas said that the way we provide services to our citizens are changing especially in view of new technological advances. The visit clearly underscored the need to focus on improving access to government services and information through the integration and the seamless workflow of the various processes. As stated before, this form of service delivery aims to bring government services and information together in a way that it is easily accessible to all. Citizen's service satisfaction is our ultimate goal. This is the premise on which the Public Service Center St. Maarten was established. Thomas said that it is our intention going forward to learn from the experiences and make use of the expertise as witness at the public service centers in the Netherlands.

Health care in disarray, Civil Servants being victimized through Evaluation Process.

PHILIPSBURG: --- Denicio Connor, long time member of the Windward Island Civil Servant and Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) spoke out Monday on the various issues the WICSU/PSU is facing and he felt that the only option left is for the WISCU/PSU to hold its general elections to salvage the credibility of the union. Connor said he raised his concerns on numerous occasions with the board, mainly the President Derie Leonard and the General Secretary but despite all of that the board of WICSU/PSU refused to do anything to deal with the various issues facing civil servants and members in the private sector they represent.
Connor said the current board consists of family members of the President who said that she stepped down in a newspaper article to take up the Mediator position at the Department of Labor while the Vice President who was appointed was pushed aside since he has no signing power. Connor said for the past three years the board of WICSU/PSU have not been doing anything with the activities of the union. He said the former Prime Minister and now Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams wanted to establish a platform for the union to negotiate a Collective Labor Agreement (CLA) for civil servants but the union did not react to the proposal. He said Wescot Williams also wanted to establish a consumer organization which would have helped civil servants save monies when shopping. Connor said both of the recommendation by the former Prime Minister were shelved because the WICSU/PSU board did not react to the proposal claiming it was a hoax" How can anyone in their right minds say these two proposals were a hoax when they did nothing to establish any of them, both proposals have been pending for three years now. Besides that the WISCU/PSU chose to take government to court on the Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA), even though they were advised not to pursue the matter legally, but the board decided they will go to court and they lose the case. There were talks that the union will appeal the verdict but to date the membership do not know if the case was appealed or not" Connor said that even though he is an active member and a member of the GOA he does not have the facts on what the board does. He said he is very much concerned because the decisions taken by the board of WICSU/PSU affects the lives of the civil servants including their income. He said the issues facing the membership is too big of an issue to have it sit on the back burner and this is one of the issues he has with the board members. He said that the board of the union should have called a closed door meeting and inform its membership on the status of the COLA court case but to date that is not done. Connor said the loss of the COLA has affected the civil servants and in the meantime government came up with a new strategy which in his view is to victimize the civil servants. Government has decided they will do an evaluation of each civil servant annually and this in his view is a way to victimize civil servants. He said based on the evaluation civil servants will again lose monies. He said in the past government would give every civil servant a standard increase, today that has changed. Civil Servants will get an increase or decrease based on the evaluation. He said several members raised concerns on the evaluation process but the union turns a blind eye the plight of its membership.
As for healthcare he said that is in pure shambles even though they have a document that outlines the steps that has to be followed but it appears as though SZV is doing what they want "People that are sick and needs proper health care has to run back and forth to get what they need because there is no straight program that SZV follow. Connor said the main issue with this situation is that there is no system in place where victims of SZV could lodge their complaints. He said the union is the body that has to represent its members and the board is also not doing anything to address the issues. Connor said there is draft law in place and the board of WICSU/PSU should be the one to approach SZV but so far they have not done anything. He said that he does not believe that issues such as this should be left untouched because it then becomes a presidency.
Connor said that even though he received a memo that stated that election will be held on March 20th 2015, there is no election committee in place which means that the election that is set is unconstitutional and the date that is set is fictitious. He said that even though the General Secretary said a General Membership meeting will be held and an election committee will be put in place, up to this day nothing has been done because the board is dragging its feet. Connor said the board is not doing their jobs on representing workers and because of this every effort should be made to salvage the WICSU/PSU.
Connor said that the talks that the current President negotiated a position that she was supposed to take up at the Labor Department is not a rumor or a story people created. He said the President Derie Leonard told several persons this including the board. She even sent a letter to the former Minister of Labor who promised her the position. Besides that she is the one that published in the newspapers that she has stepped down to take on another position. "Derie Leonard is her own enemy because she talks too much especially on this issue because she probably felt she could blackmail the former Minister to get the position even though she knew it was a conflict of interest and that is the main reason she sent a letter to the former Minister to say she vacated the position as President of the WICSU/PSU." He said he don't know what really transpired but the President is the one telling everyone that she will be next mediator at the Department of Labor. He said the President of the WICSU/PSU announced in the newspaper that she stepped down from the Presidency to take up another position. He said that the President has taken a back seat and have not been dealing with the issues facing the members. Connor said one of the main concern right now is that WICSU/PSU does not have an active president and that is his concern because he is speaking on behalf of several members that are also concerned.
Connor admitted that the position that the President of WICSU/PSU negotiated with the former Minister of Labor creates a conflict of interest. He said what is amazing about the entire situation is that prior to the Parliamentary elections held on August 29th 2014 the board and membership of WISCU/PSU agreed in a meeting that they will not endorse any politician that is seeking public office. He said WISCU/PSU board agreed to keep their distance but today they saw the table turned right before their eyes. "The reason the board and its members decided to keep their distance is because labor has a lot to do with politics but it should not be intertwined with politics. While the decision taken by the President is her prerogative the union and its membership has to distance itself from such."
In invited comment General Secretary of the WICSU/PSU William Reed he said that he has to sit with the board to set a date for the general membership meeting, and to establish an election committee as well as a new date for the elections to be held. Reed made clear that the WICSU/PSU is much bigger than any one person and indeed there are matters that have to be straightened up. He said that the organization has been in existence for the past 36 years while he became a member in 1997.
When asked what kept back the establishing of the platform to negotiate the CLA for civil servants with government. Reed said he began campaigning on this issue since St. Maarten was part of the Netherlands Antilles and he used to attend CPSA conference and saw that it was possible for the union to negotiate CLA's with government. He said by attending these conferences he saw where British countries were negotiating CLAs with government. He said he also brought it up when he was part of the GOA in the Federal Government and today they are negotiating but St. Maarten has not started negotiations. He said that WICU/PSU did exchange information with the GOA and module was put in place but he believe that was placed on the back burner (stagnated) because the WICSU/PSU initiated the court case against government.
He said that he believe that the process the former Prime Minister started went on the back-burner when the union decided to take government to court on the COLA issue. As for the establishment of the consumer organization he said he could not say why that fell through because the President of the WICSU/PSU was dealing with government (GOA) on that matter.
Asked why the union did not follow through on these issues  if it was because the board of WICSU/PSU felt that it was a hoax or if it is because the President of the union got herself involved in politics and negotiated a position for herself at the expense of the civil servants? Reed said that even though he is the general secretary of the WICSU/PSU he does not know why the consumer organization became a stalemate because the board neither the president did not apprised him.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Sint Maarten Housing Development Foundation ("SMHDF") wants to hereby inform the general public that the service agreement with Mr. Henry Lynch has been dissolved as per February 4, 2015, with immediate effect. This, following the suspension by SMHDF of Mr. Henry Lynch dated December 12, 2014.

In the time period between the suspension with pay and the decision to terminate the service agreement with immediate effect, SMHDF commissioned further investigations into the previously established financial irregularities within its organization. The results of those further investigations performed by also by the newly appointed interim management team coupled with unsatisfactory, incomplete and untruthful answers given by Mr. Lynch during the first time that an opportunity was given to him by SMHDF to give reason and account and his subsequent refusal after that first meeting to attend further meetings to explain matters, necessitated the immediate termination of his service agreement. This termination decision was premised on amongst others the following grounds:

1. the structural employment by Mr. Henry Lynch of employees of SMHDF to work on personal projects of companies of Mr. Lynch. Mr. Lynch consequently partially financed the construction of the projects of his personal companies at the expense of SMHDF (read: the general Sint Maarten public and more in particular its less affluent citizens);
2. the structural use by Mr. Lynch of the credit card of SMHDF for personal use for in total more than Naf 100.000. - over the course of the years. The expenditures or not, at least not properly and truthfully accounted for;
3. purchasing building material on the account/expense of SMHDF whilst only providing SMHDF with some of the goods purchased and as such retaining or causing the remaining purchased goods to be retained by third parties or by himself;
4. violation of the entertainment allowance more than Naf 35.000.- for the year 2014 and making expenditures that completely do not fit the goal and scope of business activities of SMHDF. Mr. Lynch untruthfully denied that he had an entertainment allowance and as such limit for such expenditures;
5.  violation of his gas allowance with more than Naf. 2,900.00 years 2013 and 2014, whilst untruthfully maintaining that the gas allowance did not apply to him;
6. violation of the telephone allowance with more than Naf 16,000.00 for the year 2014 whilst untruthfully maintaining that these extra expenditures were sanctioned by the Supervisory Board in 2011;
7. structurally not complying with various reporting obligations pursuant to the Management Rules and Regulations;
8. structurally not complying with the obligations to provide external auditors with information, causing that to date there are no financial statements for the book years 2013 and 2014 and only recently SMHDF managed to obtain a draft financial statement for 2012. In the time period between 2007 – 2011, thus before the management tenure of Mr. Lynch, the financial statements were always finalized in time or were only very shortly delayed. The structural and far-reaching violation of the obligation to provide information, also towards the investigators that performed so-called quick scans, is according to SMHDF clearly a part of the larger scheme by Mr. Lynch to justify personal expenditures, at the cost/expense of SMHDF;
9. deliberately allowing a certain contractor using three (3) companies that are clearly linked to this contractor, possibly by means of so-called Strawman-constructions, to participate on various occasions in public tenders as if they were separate companies. The consequence thereof is that of the 19 projects realized in 2013, 13 were granted to in essence one and the same contractor, for in total Naf 3,614,217.30;
10. publishing whilst being suspended various work related threats on a Facebook page.

Presently, the commissioned forensic audit investigation is still ongoing to more in particular to determine the scope of the total financial damages suffered by SMHDF, as a consequence of referenced financial irregularities.

SMHDF retains all rights and defenses to take further appropriate judicial actions against Mr. Henry Lynch.

CAY HILL:--- For the first time, on Monday, March 2, 2015, the outpatient department administered chemotherapy treatment via an elastomeric pump.
An elastomeric pump is a light weight disposable pump that can be used to give medications such as chemotherapy. The balloon pump squeezes the chemo-medication out of the balloon through the tubing via a catheter into the patient's blood stream.
Patients who need to get chemotherapy for extended days in the hospital may receive a "pump". This is a small disposable pump that is attached to the patients' catheter (port). The pump is carried in a pouch that can be worn around the waist. The pump enables the patient to receive chemotherapy safely and comfortably outside of the hospital, so the patient can continue life's daily activities while the pump is attached.
Milagros Serrano, Head Nurse Oncology at HIMA Cancer Center in Puerto Rico, instructed the Outpatient Department oncology nurses on the use of the pump. Nurse Serrano supervised the administering of the medication into the pump at the Cay Hill Pharmacy. She then supervised and gave support as the nurses connected the pump to the first patient, Ms. Grace Nisbeth. "I'm so happy to be part of this history in this hospital," said Nurse Serrano.
Surely, Nurse Serrano was not the only happy person! Grace was excited about being the first chemotherapy patient at the SMMC to receive treatment with the pump. "I am very optimistic, I have excellent oncology nurses," she said, "they are very knowledgeable and compassionate; a good combination! So I am not nervous."
Ms. Nisbeth was diagnosed with cancer in June 2014. The retiree enjoys reading and gardening. With the pump, she can tend to her garden while she gets her treatment. "There is nothing like being in your own home, doing whatever you want, whenever you want to," Ms. Nisbeth said.
When the nurses connected Ms. Nisbeth to the pump she said, "Great, I'd be home by five o'clock".
Previously, every three to four weeks, Ms. Nisbeth would spend two and a half days in the hospital in order to get her full chemotherapy treatment. Now, this time is remarkably shortened to a few hours during which she will get standard chemotherapy via an Intravenous line.
Ms. Nisbeth returned to the hospital to remove the pump three days later; the flow of medication was too slow in the beginning and had to be adjusted the following day. Normally, the chemo pump would be used for two days at home.
At her outpatient visit, Ms. Nisbeth spoke about receiving her treatment at home, "It was comfortable. I enjoyed the freedom of being able to move around and eat whatever I want, sleep in my own bed." Even with the support of her sisters at home, Ms. Nisbeth felt independent about her care while using the pump. In comparison to the way she would receive her treatment before, she said, "This is a much better idea! There isn't much to manage with a chemo pump. I would encourage anyone taking chemo to use this." Ms. Nisbeth thinks the chemo pumps are a good step forward.
Indeed, the chemo pumps are just one of several steps forward the outpatient department is taking. The Outpatient Department gave its first Chemotherapy treatment in a small office in 1997. The treatment was given once a week due to the fact that, at that time, the oncologist would visit from Curacao on Thursdays and leave on Saturdays. Giving chemotherapy on Friday also gave the patients time to recuperate in the weekend before going back to their daily activities. Years later, chemotherapy was moved to the patient ward where all intravenous therapies are given on the traditional Fridays.
This is going to change to a full daily treatment later in March with the move to a new oncology/chemotherapy room. Chemotherapy being available every day of the week will give the patient more flexibility in their daily schedules. Now, with the introduction of the chemo pumps, some patients can have greater flexibility.
"We want to give our patients the advantage of being treated in their own environment. The pump is safe and requires less handling and administering of medication, which also reduces the chances of making errors," said Nurse Jasmien Cijntje, supervisor outpatient department.
The patients can call on the nurses anytime if they feel uncomfortable or experience any problems with the pump. If they cannot come to the hospital, our nurses will go to them to assess the situation.
The outpatient department hopes to offer the pumps to more patients in the near future.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee of Parliament will meet in a closed door session on March 12 regarding a study that was carried out about the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten (CBCS).

The Central Committee meeting is set for Thursday at 2.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is a discussion about the PricewaterhouseCoopers report that was made about CBCS.

The Minister of Finance Hon. Martin Hassink will be present for the House session which is not open to the public due to the sensitivity of the report content.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Ladies Basketball Championship March Madness continued last Friday in game 3 of the final 4 as all 4 teams fought for a spot in the championship round.
The suspenseful night began with a game between MGM Lightning and Thunderz. The game was tight in the first and was tied at the half. The Thunderz used a 9-0 in the third to increase their lead and even though MGM Lightning fought back it was too late. Thunderz won the game 35-32 and advanced to the finals.Thunderz was lead by Chantel Hodge with 21 Points, 6 Rebounds, 1 Steal, Yolanda Jeffers with 6 Points, 13 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 3 Steals and Joyette Lloyd 3 Points, 12 Rebounds, 6 Steals, 1 Assist.
MGM Lightning was lead by Jamaiah Newton-Herbert with 10 Points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Asts, 3 Stls, Shandria Lake with 8 Points, 6 Rebounds, 1 Assist and Micaela Galva with 6 Points, 3 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 2 Steals.

The second game of the night was between Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls and Learning Unlimited. The game was tight throughout and was tied after the third quarter. Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls started the quarter on a huge run to blow the game open and in turn win the series. Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls Won 59-37 and was lead by Claudia Fleming with 20 points, 11 Rebounds, 10 Assists, 5 Steals, Selah Fleming with 20 Points, 6 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals and Diasha Ferdinand with 12 Points, 4 Rebounds, 4 Steals, 1 Assist.
Learning Unlimited was lead by Daricia Arrindell with 17 Points, 2 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steals, Jakisha Brooks with 9 Points, 19 Rebounds, 3 Steals, 1 Assist & 1 Block and Rachael Degroot with 9 points, 12 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steals

The Championship started on Sunday between the two top teams in the Ladies Basketball Championship. Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls took the lead in the first quarter and never looked back. They lead by 7 at the half and outscored Thunderz by 12 in the third quarter to blow open the game and win 57-32 in game 1 of the best of 5 series.
Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls was lead by Wendy Jack with 19 points, 13 Rebounds, 3 Steals and 1 assist and block, Diasha Ferdinand with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals and Claudia Fleming with 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 1 assist.
Thunderz was lead by Joyette Lloyd with 16 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 assist and 1 block and Chantel Hodge with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 Steals.

Game 2 will take place on Friday March 13th at 7pm, game 3 on Sunday March 15th at 5pm after the LBC Celebrity game rematch at 3pm at Melford Hazel Sports Complex in Sucker Garden.

Come out and support your team to victory!

PHILIPSBURG:---  The House of Parliament will meet in a public plenary session on March 12. The Minister of Finance Hon. Martin Hassink will be present for the session.

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

The first agenda point is incoming documents; the second agenda point is a draft National Ordinance to establish the National Annual Statements of the country for 2011.

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

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

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

PHILIPSBURG:---  The Department of Statistics (STAT) published a Yearbook at the end of 2014. It is a user-friendly; a compact publication based on the latest statistics on a range of topics from St. Maarten's population, to health & education to tourism and transport and much more.

The Yearbook is available digitally at www.stat.gov.sx and priced at ANG 25.00 for print copies which can be bought at the Receivers Office.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday, March 6th, 2015 Oldine Bryson-Pantophlet , Chairwoman and Gerard Richardson, Secretary-general (SG) of the Social Economic Council (SER) provided a delegation of members of the Youth Parliament of Sint Maarten with a presentation on the advisory body.

Chairwoman Oldine Bryson-Pantophlet gave an outline of the workings of the advisory body mainly on the role of its members and staff. In addition information was provided as to when an advice was considered a SER topic. The Secretary-General outlined the role of the SER within the community and gave various examples of past and present topics that were covered by the SER.

Chairwoman Oldine Bryson-Pantophlet stated that the SER works for government and can submit solicited and unsolicited advice to the various ministers through the Minister of General Affairs. In certain specific cases if requested by parliament, SER also renders its advice, even though this is not explicitly stated in the law.
The members of the Youth Parliament were allowed to pose their questions with regard to the role of the SER, government and parliament after the presentation.
In an continued effort to inform the public on the workings of the SER, the advisory body welcomes similar meetings with government, government owned companies , non-profit organizations, community councils, youth organizations and unions. Interested parties should contact the SER on the following phone numbers 542-4060 or 542-4065 to schedule a presentation.

For more information on the SER, please visit the website www.sersxm.org

Says Surinamese Contractors should be deported.

PHILIPSBURG:--- President of the St. Maarten Communication Union (SMCU) Ludson Evers has issued a strong call on government to follow the rule of law on St. Maarten. Evers said that after the press conference he held with members of the media last week, management immediately instructed the six Surinamese contractors to stay away from work. He said the inspectorate of labor also visited TELEM and they informed management that these workers cannot work for TELEM unless their working and residency documents are in order. However, the union wants to know why the inspectorate did not issue a fine to TELEM because he knows that when any company hires illegal workers that company is given a fine of up to Naf.10.000.00 per person. Evers said he was expecting the immigration department to pay a visit to TELEM and to also pick up the six contractors and deport them but that did not happen. Evers claims that TELEM has submitted a request for working documents for these Surinamese to work on a project that they are paying NAF.250.000.00 to do while there are enough local contractors and unemployed people on St. Maarten that can do the work. Evers said based on the information he received TELEM is paying the Surinamese contractors $25.00 to $35.00 per hour per person. He said management of TELEM claim that these contractors are cheaper than the other ones they contacted but according to him there is no contractor on the island that is paid that kind of monies. He alluded that there is no respect for the agreement TELEM has with the workers that became redundant when the company restructured. He further stated that management of TELEM is not even respecting the laws of the country and that is the union's main reason for calling for the resignation of the supervisory board.
Evers further explained that when companies submit requests for working documents for foreign employees those persons have to remain off island until their permit is granted. He said the six Surinamese are not working but they are still on the island as their working documents are being processed. Evers said if the Ministers both Labor and Justice should sign these work and residency permits then he will file a complaint with the Ombudsman and people higher up because St. Maarten already has integrity issues. Evers also confirmed that the union requested a meeting with the Prime Minister who is the shareholder representative of TELEM and to date they did not get a response from the Prime Minister regarding their request for a meeting.
Evers further stated that the project that TELEM gave to the people management of TELEM hand-picked without putting it on a bid can be done by locals who already did the hardest part of the work already. He disputed the claim that the project is a pilot project and that TELEM lacks manpower. Evers said that management of TELEM refused to hire people. "There are a number of vacancies in the customer service department and management refuse to hire people. There is also two positions that are vacant in the technical department and again TELEM refused to hire people to fill these positions. They have been hiring foreign contractors and refused to even put a local person alongside these foreign contractors for training. They are hiring these foreign contractors that would pack their bags and leave when they fail instead of hiring local people whom they could train to do the work they need to get done. I am man that supports upgrading the skills of locals because these locals will remain on the island with their skills."
Evers said the main fiber optic cabling was conducted by local contractors and he sees no reason why the "super geniuses" from Suriname were brought in.
Asked by SMN News if he Evers has a company of his own Evers first denied that he has a company since he is an employee of TELEM but later admitted that he does have a company and does work on the side but he does not work on contracts for TELEM.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Information reaching SMN News states that the management of KPSM has taken a decision to suspend officer Rishmer York who was involved in an incident at Happy Estate Belvedere that left 22 year old Akeem Isidora dead.
According to the information SMN News received is that the Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson went along with the decision taken by the management of KPSM to suspend officer York to allow a full an transparent investigation that led to the death of Isidora whom it is said by relatives and neighbors was shot last week by officer Rishmer York a frequent visitor of Happy Estate. The mother of the late Akeem Lake said she almost got run over by the officer who fired three shots at her son who was speaking to him next to his dark tinted Kia jeep.
The woman said that York arrested her son a week before he shot him to death in the Belvedere area because he did not have his identification card on him and even though she came out with his passport York took her son to the Philipsburg Police Station. She said that York and other officers of the law were constantly harassing her son and on the day of his murder York was in Happy Estate driving around and he slowed down his vehicle and pointed his gun at her son. She said that York went as far as telling her now late son that his days are numbered before he return to the Netherlands. Several neighbors including children submitted statements at the Landsrecherche who is currently investigating the events that occured that evening prior to the brutal death of Akeem Isidora. Neighbors in Happy Estate told SMN News that York might be wearing a uniform but he is a known trouble maker with youths in the area, they said that York is a frequent visitor to Happy Estate because he frequents a female that lives in the vicinity where the murder took place last week.
The relatives of the late Akeem Isidora told SMN News last week that York and other officers were constantly harassing Akeem who returned from the Netherlands on November 14th 2014 and was scheduled to leave on March 12th. The elder Isidora said that her son was involved in a stabbing incident that left Otmar Leonard dead when he was 17 years old. She said eversince her son got out of prison police have been targeting him and that was the reason she sent him off to the Netherlands.
Efforts made by SMN News to confirm the suspension with management of KPSM proved futile while Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson could not be reached by telephone on Tuesday.

However, press Prosecutor Tineke Kamps confirmed that officer York has been suspended. She said that is not a decision of the Prosecution. As for the ongoing investigation Kamps said that York remains a suspect in the ongoing murder investigation but so far he has not been arrested.

POWER HOUR was a success, now it is time to GO DOMINATE TAXES!

Great Bay:--- NFOBIZZ made an announcement that it will host its first intensive training for the year on March 31, 2015 at the POWER HOUR recently. The POWER HOUR, which was held on March 4, 2015 at the Belair Community Centre, attracted more than 60 participants from both the Northern and Southern sides of the island. Minister of Finance, The Honorable Mr. Hassink was also present.
The Bureau of Intellectual Property (BIP) informed those present on what they can register with office and how that can be done in the near future. The i-envelope, where one can register an idea or concept, sparked much conversation in the question and answer segment that followed.
Mr. Robert Judd, the country manager of CIBC who gave the keynote address, emphasized the importance of ensuring that the finances of the business are in order and gave concrete tips on how to do so. In talking about longevity in business, Mr. Judd stated, "The customer is not always right. They just have to feel as if they are".
Ife Badejo, Founder and director of INFOBIZZ, announced "GO DOMINATE", a training series that delves in various aspect of business that is needed in order to succeed. Launched during the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2014, the first GO DOMINATE of 2015 will take place on March 31, 2015.
Entitled GO DOMINATE TAXES, the first training session will deal with the challenges many entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations have with their taxes and show them ways how to handle their taxes effectively. INFOBIZZ has partnered with key stakeholders to provide accurate and relevant information.
Preregistration for the GO DOMINATE opened at the POWER HOUR and is now open to the entire public. In order to preregister, please contact INFOBIZZ at +1-721-523-1842 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. As this training session has limited seating registration is required.
The board and team of INFOBIZZ will like to thank David's Company, Sheer Restaurant, Michelle's Glamour Salon, Jolie Duzon, Chai Concierge, Bureau for Intellectual Property and Mr. Robert Judd for making this POWER HOUR possible.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The 14th St. Martin/St. Maarten Annual Regional Trade Show (SMART) is slated for May 13-15, 2015 at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino where the region comes together once again to support, interact and promote tourism to the Eastern Caribbean. Attendees to last year's event concurred that it was the best SMART so far and organizers are set on surpassing everyone's expectations with the upcoming event.
St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association and the L'Association des Hoteliers de St. Martin in conjunction with the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau and the L'Office du Tourisme de St. Martin are expecting numerous Tour Operators, Travel Agents, Travel Writers, and Event Planners from the US, Canada, Europe, and Latin America to return to the island for this important event. The tradeshow provides a unique opportunity for local and regional hoteliers and activities providers to present their tourism product, network and negotiate prospective business opportunities. In addition to the pre-organized appointments, throughout the trade show, participants may also set up additional appointments.
SMART 2015 kicks off on Wednesday May 13, 2015 when delegates have the opportunity to meet and mingle with their peers at the Welcome Reception, before a full day of business where participants have set up appointments with travel partners and wholesalers as well as hotel and excursion operations for one-on-one discussions on potential business ventures. The welcome reception will be hosted around the newly opened five-star Sonesta Ocean Point Resort which is the newest and exclusive addition to the Sonesta Group on St. Maarten. The event will be closed off with an impressive and memorable Farewell Party.

After years of success and progress, in addition to St. Martin/St. Maarten, other islands attending this event now include Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Saba, St. Barth's, Statia, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Barbados. It has become a very significant event for the entire region in recent years, one that should not be missed.
Registration forms and details will be available on the SHTA website www.shta.com or by contacting the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 542-0108, Monday to Friday.

Donation Earmarked for Camp Goldendog

SIMPSON BAY:---  Team Goldendog accepted a donation of $3,050 from Blue Water Premium Rums from the proceeds raised from the Launch Party and Bankie Banx Charity Concert held on February 26, 2015 at the Red Piano. All proceeds will be used to held build Camp Goldendog, Dutch St. Maarten's first animal shelter and sanctuary, according to Team Goldendog Founder and Chairman, Jeffrey Sochrin. This donation was announced live on St. Maarten's Island 92 radio.

President and CEO of Blue Water Premium Rums, J. Scott Sitra stated, "We are thrilled to help the island dogs and to help create Camp Goldendog as a true animal shelter and sanctuary on Dutch Sint Maarten. At Blue Water Premium Rums, we believe in a culture that supports the community we belong to and we look forward to continuing such community efforts in the future".

Mr. Sochrin added, "I simply want to thank Mr. Sitra and the entire management team at Blue Water Premium Rums for their heartfelt support of Team Goldendog, especially our Camp Goldendog sanctuary initiative. I would also like to thank the staff and owners of the Red Piano for hosting such a great evening of fun and entertainment, along with BIG Photo Booths SXM. Finally, a special thank you goes to Bankie Banx and the Concepts for an evening that will never be forgotten. To everyone who made the evening possible, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. There is a four legged friend out there that says thank you too!"

If you are interested in adoption or supporting Team Goldendog, or getting involved with us in any way, please call Chairman Jeff Sochrin in the US at 001 (203) 878-3884 or on St. Maarten at +17215866634. You can also email us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL) would like to remind the general public that on Thursday, March 12th, there will be an informative workshop on how to download e-books from the library's website. At the workshop you can also learn what types of e-books, audiobooks and e-readers are available at the library. The workshop will be provided by Ans Koolen and library systems administrator Francia Housen.
The workshop, which starts at 6:00 pm, is completely free of charge and people of all ages can attend. Please bring along your own device (tablet, phone or e-reader) so that you can start downloading your e-books at the workshop right away.
Register in advance for this workshop at the library's Circulation Desk or contact Francia Housen at telephone number 542 2970 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Airport Road:---  on February 26, WINAIR held their quarterly marketing meeting with the British Virgin Islands in Tortola at the BVI Tourist Board in Roadtown. WINAIR reported the results of the first year it has been flying to Tortola since December 15 2013. Over 7100 passengers have been transported to date between St. Maarten and Tortola, with increase of loadfactors from 35% to 55%. 993 flights were executed between the two islands for 2014. "We see the growth and potential of this route but need also the commitment of the BVI to make this a yearround sustainable route" says Michael Cleaver President and CEO of WINAIR.
WINAIR flies twice daily between Tortola and St. Maarten and overnights 4 times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday to oddering connection with COPA Airlines and Caribbean Airlines.

About Windward Island Airways International (WINAIR):
Windward Islands Airways International N.V. better known as WINAIR is a Government owned regional airline and was founded in 1961. The airline operates 4 de Havilland Twin-Otter aircrafts and 1 ATR-42. WINAIR has provided safe and efficient air transportation in the Caribbean for more than 54 years. WINAIR offers daily connections from its main gateway, Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten to the islands of Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barth, Nevis and St. Kitts, Tortola, Dominica and Guadeloupe. It has interline partners with 12 airlines from North America, South America, Europe and the Caribbean, giving WINAIR greater depth and reach, as well as giving the passengers greater access to the destinations with value added services such as checked through baggage. WINAIR also provides charter services to most Islands in the North Eastern Caribbean and offers Cargo and Quickpac service to all its destinations. The WINAIR team of 130 employees is continuously involved in training to ensure the highest level of safety and proficiency is delivered. With hundreds of years of combined experience in aviation, our entire WINAIR team is committed to your comfort and safety every step of the way.
Website: www.fly-winair.sx

Retreat Estate:---  His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday paid a working visit to the Ruby Labega Primary School on Thursday, March 5, 2015. This working visit is part of the Governor's program to obtain a firsthand view of developments in the community and forms part of his objective to promote Education, Culture and Sustainable development. Upon arrival he received a warm welcome from the pupils who sang the school song. Thereafter the Governor was invited to take a shot from the free throw line to start a short basketball game in which the pupils demonstrated their skills. During the visit the Governor was informed about developments and a number of programs at the school by the school manager, Mrs. Esther Jeffers-Cannegieter, deputy school Manager Ms. Gustina Lake and other staff members. Governor Holiday concluded his visit with an extensive tour of all the classes of the school interacting with and answering questions from the pupils. In his discussions with the pupils he emphasized the importance of education and good behaviour. The Governor participated in an interactive class of group 8, where the students showcased what they knew about the role of the Governor. The class ended with the students asking questions to the Governor of the about the role of the Governor such as what the day to day activities of the Governor are and also what the challenges the Governor encounters. Governor Holiday concluded his working visit by expressing his appreciation to the School manager and her staff for the important contribution they are making to Sint Maarten through the education of our youth.

PHILIPSBURG:--- In another closed door meeting of the Permanent Committee presentations were made to members of Parliament by the SMMC director, SZV interim CEO as well as by government as to where they are now.
Strangely enough, members of the NA faction in Parliament had requested a Central Committee meeting with these same entities back in December which had been convened after the budget meetings and for which a postponement was requested by the entities mentioned above so they could meet in a workshop and come with an action plan moving forward to address these issues.
Evidently, while it was commendable that all involved see the importance of the issues at hand and have mentioned their willingness to work together, it is clear that the meeting was premature as the Conference/workshop is planned for March 19th and how the entities will actually work together has not been ironed out.
It is the belief of the NA faction that the outcome of said conference would have formed a better basis for the requested meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament which should in fact be open and give the general public a clear picture as to the state of affairs of our medical institutions as well as to hear the commitment expressed by all towards finding a viable solution to the challenges in health care that St. Maarten is currently facing.
In the end, it boils down to commitment by the government to save this institution from ruin, preserve the livelihood of SMMC's employees, as well as to facilitate the finances for the necessary expansion, upgrades to the infrastructre as well as the adjustment in tariffs to meet the needs of the hospital and the people of St. Maarten.
We look forward to the presentation by SMMC, SZV, Ministers of VSA and Finance after the conference is held as do the people of St. Maarten.
The NA faction also strongly believes that transparency is being threatened with the constant need to discuss these challenges in private.
The Beach policy meeting planned for Tuesday is another such case where the need for privacy has not been made clear and does not have our support.

PHILIPSBURG:--- An investigation is currently on the way at the Social and Health Insurance Funds SZV into allegations of an employee selling SZV cards to people who are not properly registered or who are not actually paying premiums.
United People's (UP) party deputy leader Member of Parliament (MP) Franklin Meyers said Monday he is eagerly awaiting the results of the investigation.
"This situation, if proven as true, has severe consequences for the viability of SZV, for the country and for every hard working person on St. Maarten who pays their premiums every month as the law prescribes," he said.
Meyers was made aware of the alleged card selling scheme recently. He took the opportunity to voice his concerns to SZV representatives in a closed session of Parliament's Permanent Committee for Public Health, Social Development and Labour on Monday morning.
"When I learned about the situation I had planned on raising my concerns with SZV. Subsequently, a meeting was called by SZV on other topics and I took that opportunity to bring my concerns there," said Meyers.
The investigation is ongoing and SZV was not in a position to share details with MPs or the public.
"I commend the SZV team for what appears to be their diligent response to report of the card selling. I await the outcome of the investigation. I hope the situation is not too widespread so as to jeopardize this vital aspect of our social system," said Meyers.

CUL DE SAC:---  St. Maarten Academy on Monday (March 9) unveiled its signature project - The Wall of Achievement – at the school's general assembly. This was the brainchild of one of the school's business teachers, Ms. Keturah Thompson. The structure was designed by Mr. Henry Thomas, Art teacher and Academy graduate.
The Wall of Achievement highlights the most recent graduates of the school in ten areas - Most Outstanding Academic Performance; Outstanding Contribution to the School; Outstanding Leadership; Outstanding Athlete; Best Mathematics, Language, Business, Science, Social Science and Expressive Arts.
Also recognized are alumni who have contributed notably to this island and still continue to contribute in the areas of government, education, the arts, business, and communication. They are used as role models for others to follow.
This project had its genesis in 2011 when Ms. Thompson felt that students who do well must be given the spotlight in a tangible way.
"This shows in a very visible manner how well we at the St. Maarten Academy, the first English medium school in this country, have done over the years in providing a stellar education," Thompson stated.
Guest speaker and Academy graduate, Sidonia M. Hodge-Lacorbiniere, Head of the Department of Education, Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports regaled the students with her experiences at the school, her struggle with some subjects, and her passion for others. Although she left the Academy some 25 years ago, Mrs. Hodge-Lacorbiniere said she built on the foundation in education she received at St. Maarten Academy, "much like the education that is being delivered to students today."
"It is an education that is innovating and growing and staying true to the concept of the Academy as envisioned by the founding fathers when the school opened in 1974," Hodge-Lacorbiniere said. She also lauded the school for starting the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE). Her parting words were especially inspirational. "I am who I am because I was born in St. Maarten [and] because I attended the St. Maarten Academy. My gifts and talents and those of my peers were nurtured in this environment. Within these walls I never doubted my ability, because my teachers never did. I encourage you not to despise your humble beginnings. Every experience was meant to enrich your life and nothing good or bad will be wasted. Lastly, recognize that to whom much is given, much is required. Your family is awaiting your contribution. Your community is awaiting your contribution, and St. Maarten is awaiting your contribution. The world is awaiting your contribution and I am looking forward to seeing your name on the Wall of Achievement," Mrs. Hodge-Lacorbiniere told the student body.
Thereafter, in the presence of the school's principal, Drs. Tallulah Baly-Vanterpool, Mrs. Hodge-Lacorbiniere unveiled the Wall of Achievement.
Ms. Thompson also recognized the contribution of the school's former principal, Mr. Shareed Hussain, to whom the idea was pitched some four years ago.
"[He] was very instrumental and inspirational in the very beginning stages, especially with procuring the sponsorship of NAGICO Insurance. The project was sponsored to the tune of US$1,500. NAGICO was fully on board when they heard of this idea. When we experienced hiccups, our capable principal, Drs. Tallulah Baly-Vanterpool stepped in and provided further assistance at the right time. This project was also supported by the FAVE school board, especially in the final stages. This is truly a St. Maarten Academy project, since it was eventually built by a true craftsman, a parent of this school Mr. Shiwgobind," Ms. Thompson explained.
Visitors to the school can view the Wall of Achievement as they enter the campus.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will meet in a public plenary session on March 11. This session is the continuation of the initial session that was held on December 22, 2014 which is now being reconvened.

The Acting Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Marcel Gumbs, will be present for the public plenary session of the House of Parliament.

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

The agenda point is the request to the Governments Accountants Bureau SOAB to carry out a forensic investigation into the operations of the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF); the decision of the board of the SMHDF to suspend several members of the management team and the request of the Honourable Minister of VROMI, Maurice Lake to the SOAB to withdraw the current process with immediate effect.

This meeting was requested by the following parliamentary factions: National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. William Marlin, Democratic Party (DP) MP Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams, United St. Maarten (US) Party MP Hon. Frans Richardson, and NA MP Hon. Christophe Emmanuel.

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

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

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

PHILIPSBURG:--- Management and staff of Postal Services St. Maarten (PSS N.V.) are keen to make positive first impressions with customers and visitors to their three postal branches with new staff uniforms.
This week personnel began greeting customers dressed in new uniforms, sporting smart new designs that carry the red, white and blue of PSS N.V.
Postmen have also been given a "spruce-up" with new uniforms to carry out their postal rounds.
First to congratulate staff on their new appearance was Interim-Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Directors, Mr. Stuart Johnson, who was especially pleased that the initiative to brighten up their look came from the PSS N.V. workers themselves with the support of management.
"I personally commend any effort that staff take to put their best foot forward to make the best impression they can on their customers and visitors to our main post office and postal branches," said Mr. Johnson.
He also revealed that the designs for the new uniforms were made in-house, demonstrating the creativity and resourcefulness of the PSS N.V. workers also.
The Supervisory Board Chairman made the comments during a visit to the main post office, (day of the visit) where he was welcomed by Interim Managing Director, Ms. Antonia Wilson. Also present during the visit was representative of the St. Maarten Communication Union (SMCU) Mr. (name of the representative here).
Ms. Wilson said PSS N.V. the new uniforms are designed not only to look good, but also to convey the image of professionalism and courtesy to customers, which staff does their best to achieve at all times.
"We intend to embrace the new look with pride and we are already encouraged by the positive response we have already received by customers who have already seen our staff in their new outfits," said Ms. Wilson.

PHILIPSBURG:--- In February of this year, the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise, in collaboration with the Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL), hosted the annual Readers are Leaders Black History Month Celebration.
Readers are Leaders is a reading program where the goal is to encourage reading by teenagers and to show that reading is fun. Reading is important to develop yourself, to develop imagination and curiosity and it lets you think outside the box. Aside from the reading challenge, the Readers are Leaders program also challenges students from various high schools on the island through contests, in which they can sing, read poetry and speeches and dance.
The competition started off with music and the reading of the famous Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speech 'I have a dream'. Later on in the evening, students of the St. Maarten Academy, St. Maarten Academy PSVE and St. Dominic High demonstrated their poetic talents. There was also a wonderful drumming performance by the students of the St. Maarten Vocational Training school, and dancing by students of Milton Peters College and an incorporated group from the different high schools. Aside from the performances by the talented students, there were several quiz rounds about famous black persons throughout the evening. The students also got a chance to win top ups for their cell phones, sponsored by Rotarian Bernadette Davis, by participating in the quizzes that were held at the event.
Adriana Bisasor of St. Maarten Academy PSVE was awarded with a top up voucher for her rendition of a speech of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., while Erdade Sainmervil of St. Dominic High won a prize for her original poem. Three other students from St. Maarten Academy, St. Maarten Vocational Training School and Milton Peters College were also awarded with top up vouchers for winning on the quizzes.

Significance

The transatlantic slave trade resulted in the forced movement of over 12 million Africans to the Americas. Although many coastal shipping points are known, they do not necessarily reflect the slaves' actual ethnic or geographic origins. We obtained genome-wide data from 17th-century remains of three enslaved individuals who died on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin and use them to identify their genetic origins in Africa, with far greater precision than previously thought possible. The study demonstrates that genomic data can be used to trace the genetic ancestry of long-dead individuals, a finding that has important implications for archeology, especially in cases where historical information is missing.

Abstract

Between 1500 and 1850, more than 12 million enslaved Africans were transported to the New World. The vast majority were shipped from West and West-Central Africa, but their precise origins are largely unknown. We used genome-wide ancient DNA analyses to investigate the genetic origins of three enslaved Africans whose remains were recovered on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin. We trace their origins to distinct subcontinental source populations within Africa, including Bantu-speaking groups from northern Cameroon and non-Bantu speakers living in present-day Nigeria and Ghana. To our knowledge, these findings provide the first direct evidence for the ethnic origins of enslaved Africans, at a time for which historical records are scarce, and demonstrate that genomic data provide another type of record that can shed new light on long-standing historical questions.

Author Affiliations

• Centre for Geogenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark;
• Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, 2300 Leiden, The Netherlands;
• Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305;
• Program in Biomedical Informatics and Department of Statistics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305;
• Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322;
• St. Maarten Archaeological Center, Philipsburg, Saint Martin;
• Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, OX1 3QY Oxford, United Kingdom;
• AMS 14C Dating Centre, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark; and
• Unidade de Xenética, Departamento de Anatomía Patolóxica e Ciencias Forenses, and Instituto de Ciencias Forenses, Facultade de Medicina, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15872 Galicia, Spain

Edited by Rick A. Kittles, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, and accepted by the Editorial Board February 2, 2015 (received for review November 17, 2014)
Credits: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Up-to-date law book provides a complete overview of the most important changes in tax law as applied by 1 January 2015 in St. Maarten, Curaçao, the BES islands and Aruba.

PHILIPSBURG:--- PwC Dutch Caribbean has published a new edition of the law book "Fiscale Wetgeving 2015". As usual, in this new edition all relevant laws with regard to direct taxes and social security law and the growing number of treaties are included, as applied by 1 January 2015. This collection of tax laws is particularly of interest for the tax practice and for fiscal education.

Early this year, many changes in tax laws in Curaçao and Aruba came into force. In St. Maarten, the most important changes are related to the introduction of the trust and associated tax changes. In Curaçao important changes have been introduced in the income tax and profit tax, as well as some changes with regard to the wage tax. Tax rates have been reduced, but also a number of deductions have been limited or have disappeared completely. The introduction for the cash registration (kasregistratie) system and in connection with it the possibility of closure of businesses by the Tax Department are an important update for Curaçao as well. In Aruba, the main changes are the tax litigation procedure, which will now take place before the Court of First Instance (Gerecht in Eerste Aanleg), with the possibility of appeal to the Tax Appeal Court (Raad van Beroep). Also changes have been made in the Contractor Chain Liability Law (Wet Ketenaansprakelijkheid).

"We are aware that it is a challenge to keep up with the laws and regulations concerning tax matters. Especially since it changes with great regularity on the islands. Tax laws and regulations form an increasingly important part of the legislation of a country. Having relevant knowledge in this area becomes therefore even more important. By issuing the publication "Fiscale Wetgeving" annually, we are trying to meet the need to maintain an up-to-date overview of rates and regulations in the different islands", says Paul van Vliet, Director at PwC St. Maarten. "In addition, we attach great importance to share knowledge with our customers and society. An annual edition of this publication, such as "Fiscale Wetgeving 2015" fits well with this objective", said van Vliet.

The pocket edition of the law book can be obtained through our offices in St. Maarten, Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire. For more information or orders can be called with +(721) 542 2379. In addition to the pocket edition, an interactive digital version of "Tax Legislation 2015" is available. This document can be downloaded free of charge from the website of PwC (www.pwc.com/dutch-caribbean).

PHILIPSBURG:---- 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 and other beaches on the island. 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 of the Nature Foundation.

Sea turtle population numbers have plummeted to dangerously low numbers throughout the past century due to human impacts, bringing many species close to extinction and causing them to be listed as critically endangered. In order to reverse this trend, all sea turtle species are now protected by international laws and treaties as well as local laws. Based on ARTICLE 16 and 17 of the Nature Conservation Ordinance St. Maarten it is illegal to kill, wound, capture or pick up sea 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. The Foundation conducts various activities with regards to nesting females including beach surveys, nest excavations, tagging activities, and nest success research. The Foundation also relies heavily on volunteers to assist it in its Sea Turtle activities and welcomes any volunteers who would be interested in working with sea turtles. 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 the sea. This year the Nature Foundation also urges 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. 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:--- On Sunday, March 8th at approximately 05.50 p.m. a phone call came in to the Police Central Dispatch stating that three unknown men armed with guns had just stormed into the Thai Wong Supermarket located on the Wellington road and robbed the establishment. The Central Dispatch also received a complete description of the suspects. After committing this act the suspects fled the scene on foot.
Shortly after this information, the Police Central Dispatch again received information that the suspects in this case had jumped into a small white Suzuki vehicle with license plate 0062AAB and drove into the direction Union road.
Immediately all police patrols were informed of the incident. The investigating officers were also given the description of the suspects and vehicle they were using as a "get away vehicle." A few minutes later the suspect vehicle in which three men fitting the description of the armed robbery suspects was spotted by a patrol on the Union road in the vicinity of the "Pet shop". The suspects were ordered the stop the car.
All three suspects 16, 19 and 20 years old were immediately arrested. During a search of the vehicle two pistols were found. The suspects along with the confiscated vehicle and firearms were taken to the Philipsburg Police Station where they remain in custody for further investigation.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Tax Administration, div: Receiver's office, hereby informs the general public, that in cooperation with Police Dept. (KPSM), controls on payment for Motor vehicle taxes 2015 will commence as of Wednesday, March 11th, 2015. During this time, all vehicles must carry the 2015 plates and must be visible to the police. This means, plates covered with tinted plastic that are not legible are not allowed and the driver can be fined. In accordance with art. 25 of the Motor Vehicle tax ordinance, drivers/owners of vehicles who are non-compliant with the above-mentioned will be fined Naf 300.00. In addition to the fine, drivers will have to endure the inconvenience of having their vehicles confiscated.

What to do in the event your vehicle is confiscated.
In the event your vehicle is confiscated, you must go to the Receivers office with valid insurance and inspection card and pay the motor vehicle taxes for the vehicle.
The tariffs for the motor vehicle taxes 2015 are as follows:

License Plate Gasoline Diesel
Category Nafls. Nafls.
M or P 275.00 + 12.50* 750.00 + 12.50*
TAXI 275.00 + 12.50* 550.00 + 12.50*
R- 300.00 + 12.50* 750.00 + 12.50*
BUS/G/T
-35 passengers or less 275.00 + 12.50*
550.00 + 12.50*
BUS/ G/ T
-36 passengers or more 1250.00 + 12.50*
1250.00+ 12.50*
V-
Weight less than 3500 kg ( 7700 lbs) 275.00 + 12.50*
750.00 + 12.50*
V-
Weight more than 3500 kg (7700 lbs) 1250.00 + 12.50*
1250.00 + 12.50*
* price of the plate
After making payment to the Receiver, you proceed with your motor vehicle tax receipt to the Police Department. The Police Dept. will provide you with a release form, with which you will go to the towing company specified on the release form in order to retrieve your vehicle.

How much will this cost?
In order to retrieve your vehicle, you will first have to pay to the towing company up to $ 85.00 towing charges and $ 15.00 per day storage fee.
Based on art. 25 of the Motor Vehicle tax ordinance, you will also have to pay the fine of Naf 300.00, issued by the police. This must be done at the Receivers office.

Philipsburg: The Electoral Council would like to remind all eight registered political parties that the annual report for 2014 should be submitted to the Electoral Council before April 1st, 2015, as stipulated in article 27 of the National Ordinance registration and finances of political parties. This means that the final day to submit the annual reports of the political parties is Tuesday March 31st, 2015. The annual report should include:

•  The composition of the board during 2014.
• The amount of contributing members at the beginning and the end of 2014.
• The amount of contribution received during 2014.
•  An overview of activities carried out in 2014.

The 2014 annual report should be accompanied by a financial report as laid down in article 28 of the aforementioned National Ordinance which states that the financial report should at least include:

•  The financial position at the start and end of 2014.
•  A specified statement of income and expenditure, as well as an auditor's report by a registered accountant regarding the accuracy of the financial report.
• Donations of ANG 5,000 or more from a source other than an individual donor.
• The total amount of donations other than contributions from party members.

The Electoral Council would like to remind all parties concerned that violation of and non-adherence to the National Ordinance registration and finances of political parties may result in a penalty being imposed.
The Electoral Council is currently in the process of finalizing the review of the registers of donations of the candidates and the initial review of the donations registers of the political parties.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Committee of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunication of the House will meet in a closed door session on March 10.

The Permanent Committee meeting is set for Tuesday at 2.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The first agenda point is the beach policy and public access to the beaches of Sint Maarten.
The second agenda point is the moratorium policy on taxi, bus and tour licences and the recommendation from the PricewaterhouseCoppers report on the policy.

This session of the House is not open to the public.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee Integrity will meet in a House session on March 10.

The Ad Hoc Committee meeting is set for Tuesday at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is related to a discussion on setting the perimeters for the Permanent Committee Integrity.

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

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

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

PHILIPSBURG:--- A happy International Women's Day to all women here at home and abroad. As women we have come very far and now can hold some of the most influential positions and make a huge difference for our children and our people.
With increasing strides in gender equality, most girls born within the last few decades can dream unrestricted under the latest trend of "Girls Rock!" Let us strive to make that even more of a reality for our girls right here at home.
On March 8 we are honored as women, but I challenge all women and those who love and support them to honor the women in your lives each and every day.
Women are the roots of our moral and value system and the ones charged to nurture, teach compassion and love and we have proven that we can also lead.
Stand tall and proud as a woman today and every day and make it your business to be a leader in your homes, community and wherever you may work or play. You can make the difference.
Happy International Women's Day to all girls and women.

PHILIPSBURG:--- During the Heineken Regatta weekend the games continued at the Johan Cruijff Court in Belvedere. It was a beautiful but windy day, which challenged the players regarding their technical skills. On this day also the last games were played in the A and B pools of the 9+U category and the 13+U category. After the first round one team each in the 9+U and 13+U category will be eliminated. The results and standings will follow in the beginning of the week, as well as the new schedule for the teams in these categories.

Results of Saturday March 7, 2015:

Game 1: Category 7+U
Sr. Regina vs Sr. Magda Greenboys: result 0 – 1 (at halftime 0 - 1)
The lone goal of the game was scored by Sr. Magda Greenboys in the first few minutes of the game. The goal scorer was Elaijah Baker after an assist by Jayden Blomont. After the quick goal both teams were able to counter each other's moves with sublime defensive efforts.

Game 2: Category 7+U
Dr. Martin Luther King vs Sr. Magda Rockstars: result 0 – 2 (forfeit)
A friendly game was played with the one player of Dr. Martin Luther King who showed up on time and Sr. Regina players present who were willing to play a second game. Therefore the shirts of Sr. Regina were used in order to put on a uniform looking team, which explains the accompanying pictures. In the second half of the game Dr. Martin Luther King players replaced all the Sr. Regina players on the field.

Game 3: Category 13+U
Charles Leopold Bell vs Dr. Martin Luther King: result 6 – 0 (at halftime 5 - 0)
Top scorers Charles Leopold Bell: Abijah Adamson and Trace Fisher both scored 2 goals and made 2 assists.
Dr. Martin Luther King team valiantly regrouped in the second half after the disastrous first half, but was unable to put one between the posts. A great effort from both teams.

Game 4: Category 9+U
Leonald Connor vs Sr. Magda Athletics: result 0 – 1 (at halftime 0 - 1)
The lone goal scorer for Sr. Magda Athletics was Gianni Fer. The game was a nail biter as both teams created numerous opportunities, which were voided by great defensive plays by the defenders and the goal keepers on both sides of the pitch.

Game 5: Category 9+U
Combine Silly Shooters vs Dr. Martin Luther King: result 7 – 1 (at halftime 1 - 1)
Top scorer Combine Silly Shooters: Xabel Dias with 5 goals.
The lone goal scorer for Dr. Martin Luther King was Richie Ellis.
During the first half Dr. Martin Luther King put up a good fight against the offensive onslaught of the Combine Silly Shooters skilled forwards. At halftime the score was tied. After some strategic directions at halftime the Combine Silly Shooters were able to breach the Dr. Martin Luther King defenses in the second half. The change in tactics proved to be very successful resulting in the one-sided looking end score of the game.

Game 6: Category 9+U
Learning Unlimited vs Sr. Regina New Stars: result 9 – 1 (at halftime 7 - 0)
Top scorers Learning Unlimited: Sharky Nowek with 5 goals and 1 assist and Connor Scripps-Ewing with 3 goals and 2 assists.
The lone goal scorer for Sr. Regina New Stars was Thomas Plas. The Sr. Regina New Stars were unable to put the ball in the back of the net until the end of the game when Thomas Plas finally managed to put it past the L.U.'s goal keeper. A feat which he appropriately celebrated, because the New Stars really tried hard to make a goal and definitely deserved to get rid of the nil.

Game 7: Category 9+U
Sr. Regina Masters vs Charles Leopold Bell: result 2 – 6 (at halftime 0 - 5)
Top scorers Charles Leopold Bell: Bernardo Nisbeth-Lopez with 3 goals and 3 assists and Davare Gray with 2 goals and 3 assists. Charles Leopold Bell played great in their new uniforms.
Goal scorer Sr. Regina Masters: Ishrael Charles with 2 goals after 1 assist by Alexander Mulder.

Game 8: Category 11+U
Sr. Regina Goal Getters vs Learning Unlimited Legends: result 2 – 0 (forfeit)
Learning Unlimited Legends did not have enough eligible players. A friendly game was played versus a team of volunteers.

Game 9: Category 11+U
Sr. Regina United vs Learning Unlimited Goal Machines: result 3 – 12 (at halftime 1 - 6)
Top scorer Learning Unlimited Goal Machines: Noah Ledee with 4 goals and 3 assists
Goal scorers Sr. Regina United: Divano Job with 2 goals and Tomas Bouman with 1 goal.

Game 10: Category 13+U
SXM Schools United vs Genevieve de Weever: result 3 – 6 (at halftime 2 - 4)
Top scorer Genevieve de Weever: Jamard Fleming with 4 goals. Allen Rodrick was instrumental to the win with 4 assists.
Goal scorers SXM Schools United: Jean Jacques Craane with 2 goals and Gilmar Blackman with 1 goal and 1 assist.
SXM Schools United put on a great game with only four players versus a strong Genevieve de Weever.

Game 11: Category 13+U
Leonald Connor vs Sr. Magda United Stars: result 9 - 2 (at halftime 4 - 0)
Top scorers Leonald Connor: Gamy Charles with 5 goals and Isael Medina-Bran with 3 goals and 1 assist
Goal scorer Sr. Magda United Stars: Jolian Peterson with 2 goals after 1 assist by Paul Speetjens.
A strong game by the Leonald Connor side who dominated the game from the start. It was not until the end of the game when Sr. Magda was able to pass Leonald Connor's goal keeper Bernard Nisbeth. Bernard Nisbeth displayed great keeper skills with swift reflexes and amazing saves.

Games will continue on Saturday, March 14, 2015.
A general remark regarding the forfeiting of games due to incomplete teams (less than 4 eligible players at game time):

It is not possible to grant a team additional time before starting a game besides the time stated in the rules and regulations of the tournament. It would otherwise be impossible to stay within the allotted time frame for all the games to take place during the game day. On average 12 games are played each game day, an additional five minute delay for each game would already amount to one hour of delay at the end of the day. The organization is ensuring that all the games start on time. As such there is no reason why teams should not be present at the scheduled time, since these times are communicated way in advance to the teams. A five minutes respite is already given to the teams in accordance to the rules for which the game schedule makes allowances. It is therefore important that teams do not cut it close when considering transportation and preparation times before their games. At all times the organization tries to arrange a friendly game to make it possible that all those that showed responsible behavior are rewarded for doing so. Parents are especially encouraged to support their child's timely attendance. It is not nice for the teammates, the coach and their opponents, that players do not show up on time or are absent without giving prior notice. There is only so much that coaches and the organization can do to facilitate each team's attendance. It needs to be supported by all involved.

On the Occasion of International Women's Day.

PHILIPBURG:--- International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries on March 08. The annual celebration gives countries, organizations, and individuals the opportunity to recount, celebrate the many achievements and accomplishments of women regardless of their origin, cultural and ethnic background, political affiliation and the like. It is also a time to assess and evaluate what has been accomplished and what gaps still remain in the quest for gender equality and development.

The first National Observance of Women's Day began in 1909 on February 28th in honor of the Women in the Garment Industry in New York who strike and protested against poor working conditions.
In September 1995 the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, signed the historic roadmap which focused and give emphasis on 12 critical areas of concern; signatures to this declaration envisioned a world where each woman and girl can exercise her choices, such as participating in politics, getting an education, having an income, and living in societies free from violence and discrimination.
This year marks twenty years since this declaration was signed. Since then, there have been many strides made, action galvanized in these 12 critical areas. However, there is still a lot to be done.
To this end, the theme of this year's International Women's Day is the clarion call of UN Women's Beijing+20 campaign "Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture it!"-Join governments and activists across the world in commemorating the ground-breaking Conference of 1995.

We here on Sint Maarten have reasons to celebrate and be proud of our accomplishments in what we have achieved in the last twenty years. We have given women the opportunity to access education on all levels and ensure equal pay. With the institution of Women's Desk, Safe Haven, a shelter for Battered Women has also been secured.

This does not mean that it is time to sit back and relax, there is far more work to be done in getting women in more stable positions, in particular in the area of family development.
The high rate of teen pregnancy, and the countless women, who live on the periphery of poverty just to mention a few. It is therefore imperative that we continue to identify and employ meaningful ways, holistic approaches and strategies and inclusive methodologies in strengthening the position of women.

When the women is strengthened and empowered, her family benefits. When the family of the women benefits, society benefits on a whole.

Wanted in murder investigation of Lizcania Maduro and Dutch Quarter Shootout.

St. Peters:--- A man wanted in the Lizcania Maduro murder investigation and another shootout in the Dutch Quarter area has been captured by police late Saturday afternoon. The wanted suspect is well known to police and others as Flamingo.
According to reports from persons in the St. Peters area they heard a number of gunshots being fired in Raspberry Road. One resident said that a number of police was also in the area surrounding a suspect that is wanted by police.
Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson said in an invited comment that one of the CPO's got information that "Flamingo" was seen in the St. Peters area. Police had a warrant out looking for Flamingo in the murder investigation of Lizcania Maduro and also another shooting in the Dutch Quarter area.
Henson said when Police got that information they headed to the scene but the wanted man upon seeing police began to fire shots at the police. Police return fire but no one was hurt the early evening shootout.
Henson said there was a standoff because the suspect ran in a house to hide then he ran from that house to other house in a bid to escape. Police managed to convince his father and other relatives to speak with the wanted man that was deemed armed and dangerous. He said there was a standoff but the suspect father managed to convince him to get out from the bushes where he was hiding and surrender to police.
The police spokesman said there were two other men with Flamingo at the time he was spotted, one of the two men was also arrested. He said that the gun that Flamingo used to fire a number of shots at police was not found and they are busy combing the area to find the weapon with the K-9 dogs and extra manpower. Police is also looking for the other man that was with Flamingo at the time he was spotted in Raspberry Road.

For more information on the Liscania "Bebe" Maduro murder read full story at the link bleow

http://www.smn-news.com/st-maarten-st-martin-news/16674-attorney-at-law-edwin-maduro-speaks-out-says-that-government-did-not-pay-pathologist-updated.html

Wanted suspect in shoot-out with police.

On Saturday March 7th at approximately 06.50 p.m. the Central Police Dispatch received information that the suspect well known to police as "Flamingo" was seen sitting with two other men on Raspberry Road in Sint Peters. A warrant for the arrest of "Flamingo" was issued for quite some time in connection with several ongoing criminal investigations on the island. "Flamingo" has been able to avoid his capture and is considered to be "armed and dangerous". After receiving this information, several patrols were sent to the area to investigate the situation and to apprehend the suspect.
When the patrols arrived on the scene and the suspect realized that the police was closing-in on him, he took-off running along with the other two men in different direction. The officers started to chase the suspects through the neighborhood at which time "Flamingo" who was in the possession of a fire-arm fired several shots at the investigating officers. The officers in their defense returned fire at the suspect. Immediately the Central Dispatch was informed of the ongoing situation and mobilized several other patrols and sent them to assist.
"Flamingo" and the two other men went into hiding between the buildings of a housing complex on the Raspberry Road. This area was immediately surrounded by the officers who came to assist. Traffic was diverted away from the area and persons living in the neighborhood were told to stay in their homes. Other persons and onlookers in the area were held at a safe distance.
The police then started an intense search of the area to locate the suspect and the other two men. At one point the father of the suspect was convinced he should speak to his son to turn himself in but, before the father could do so the suspect turned himself in as the police kept closing in on him. The suspect was immediately arrested along with two other men and taken to the Philipsburg Police Station where they remain in custody for further investigation.
On the scene the investigation continued by the Forensic Department that collected evidence and the Police K-9 Unit that searched for weapons and other illegal items. The Investigation done by the K-9 unit was very successful as several fire-arms and an amount of ammunition were found and confiscated for further investigation. No one was injured during the entire incident.

KPSM Police  Report

PHILIPSBURG:---  The Central Committee of Parliament will meet in public session on March 9.

The public Central Committee meeting is set for Monday at 3.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda is approval of proposed questions as formulated by the Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations to the Kingdom Council of State.

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

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

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

PHILIPSBURG:---  United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Maurice Lake was invited by the 5th grade Teacher and students of Sister Magda Primary School to speak to the students about himself, and experience working as a former Minister of VROMI and now an MP.

MP Lake was very excited to meet with the 5th grade students to share his background and to provide insight into his current line of work.

MP Lake stated that he attended primary school at the St. Peters Hillside school, followed by secondary education at the Milton Peters College, and then at the Bushiri Hotel School in Aruba.

From Aruba he travelled to the United States to continue with his studies where he obtained three Master's Degrees. At the end of those studies he returned to his homeland to make a contribution and give back in community service to his island.

MP Lake told the 5th grade students that "the expert in anything was once a beginner" who sat in the same classroom as them. He also gave the students 13 tips/strategies to be successful in the classroom and to prepare them for 6th grade and high school.

Some of the strategies included: be prepared; learn time management; learn to read, study and take notes in class; study for tests; have the right attitude; learn to take responsibility; be the best; have respect for authority; ask questions in class; participate; follow the school's rules; present yourself well; and believe in yourself.

The MP also quizzed the students about Government and Parliament structures in which the students' needed a lot of assistance with respect to who is the Prime Minister and what role Parliament plays.

"We need to educate our young people more in this area and encourage them to read the newspapers and listen to the broadcast media news in order to get familiar with our government structure and elected and appointed local representatives.

"Our kids should be taught from elementary school all the way up to the level of the University of St. Martin about the political and constitutional structures of the country. There is a need the need for an instructor content guide about Government and Parliament structures, and the names of our official representatives. This is very much needed and needs to be developed and given to each student in the classroom.

"I plan on following up with Help our Children Foundation which I know was interested in developing such a project for our classrooms. One of the jobs of an MP is to educate the students and people of about how parliament works and what exactly we do.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Teacher Claudine Spier of the 5th grade for inviting me to take part in the writing assignment – for Black History Month - about local representatives and other individuals who have contributed in some form or fashion to the national development of the country," MP Maurice Lake said on Friday.

MP Lake added that he would assist the class in getting an appointment in April to have a tour of the House of Parliament so the students can have an idea about how the facility looks. The MP says other schools are also welcome to make arrangements to visit the highest legislative body of the country.

GREAT BAY:---  On Thursday, March 5, 2015, representatives of the Commercial Development Department of Royal Caribbean Cruises visited with the Council of Ministers (COM) in order to give a presentation regarding the master plan of the project known as 'Sint Maarten Quarter'.

The informative meeting was intended to brief the Council of Ministers on the project developments since the 2008 signed agreements between the Government, the St. Maarten Harbour Holding Company N.V. and the Royal Caribbean Cruises concerning the development of a plot of land adjacent to the port.

The plans include an urbanized waterfront environment with a hotel, food & beverage establishments, retail outlets and attractions including a salt water lagoon.

The Council of Ministers is awaiting the outcome of the advice from the different departments before the master plan can be handled within the meeting of the Council of Ministers for decision making.

The approval of the master plan itself concerns the approval of the conceptual plans. Detailed plans are to follow depending on the Council of Ministers' decision.

The representatives of the Commercial Development Department of Royal Caribbean Cruises provided a presentation on the same topic to Parliament on the same day.

The Government of St. Maarten regulates the prices of petroleum products by imposing a maximum price at which wholesalers and retailers can sell these products on St. Maarten. Due to the ongoing developments on the international level, the prices of crude oil have experienced adjustments. Given the aforementioned, the general public is hereby informed that as of Monday 9 March, 2015
6:00am the maximum consumer prices of ULG and Diesel is adjusted as follows:

UGL
Diesel

Current Price
1.931 Nat/liter
1.534 Naf/liter

New Price
1.999 Naf/liter
1.602 Naf/liter

Below is the complete price buildup showing all components that result in the new prices. All numbers
are rounded to three decimal places.

Price buildup ULG Price buildup
Gasoil
Effective date
Petrotrin Posted Price USc/AG

9-Mar-15 Effective date
213 Petrotrin Posted Price USc/AG

9-Mar-15
203

0.23000

1.999

Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport a1 .602
t • ,IJAR 2_ 2015

PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams dispatched a letter to the chairman of Parliament requesting information on the halting and illegal dredging of the Simpson Bay Lagoon. Wescot Williams commended the Nature Foundation for their swift actions which resulted in the halt. Excerps from the letter sent to the Chairman of Parliament Dr. llloyd Richardson is copied below.

"Firstly, I want to commend Nature Foundation and the Maritime Inspection department for their swift action in connection with halting the illegal dredging that was taking place in the Simpsonbay Lagoon.
However, it should not have gone unnoticed that some persons felt quite comfortable to start this type of work without any time of approval or permit. At least, they were not able to produce this to the inspectors as reported.
I find it hard to believe that this is the case and I therefore ask the Minister to please answer the following question in relation hereto:

1. Has the Minister received a report of these activities by the relevant government organizations?
2.  Was this work indeed started without any type of permission?
3. What exactly was the purpose for the dredging?
4.  Who are the principals involved and will they be held responsible to undo the dredging already done?"

Pond Island:---  Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Mr. Brian Mingo says a fruitful meeting was held with representatives of the Inspectorate of Labour, Friday, during which TelEm Goup's use of five overseas workers was explained along with information about pending applications for work permits for these workers.
"We have been completely open and frank with the Inspectorate, who has taken all the necessary details and has advised about moving forward in the interest of all parties," said Mr. Mingo following the meeting Friday morning.
"We have acknowledged that there are other steps to be taken so that we can continue with a very important Fibre to the Home pilot project and a backlog of repairs and installations that customers have been patiently waiting for," said Mr. Mingo.

PORT OF SPAIN (ILO) :--- A 1.7 million Euro (USD 2 million) Project, signed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) with funding from the European Union in December 2014, was formally launched with the Caribbean Employers' Confederation (CEC) and the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL) at the 9th Caribbean Ministers of Labour Meeting in Nassau, Bahamas.

"The ILO is very pleased to be involved in this project to support both regional and national social dialogue, with members from organizations representing employers and workers, as well as government representatives. We see this project as ensuring policy coherence contributing to regional economic and social integration." stated Giovanni di Cola, Director, ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean.

Last month a planning meeting was held in Port of Spain, comprising 5 board representatives each from the CEC and the CCL, as well as members of the ILO Office DWT and Office for the Caribbean. At this meeting a schedule of activities was agreed on which will run during the first 12 months of the Project. These activities will serve to strengthen workers' and employers' organizations to engage more effectively in social dialogue at the regional level. The aim of the Project is to enable consultation and exchange of information between representatives of governments, employers and workers on issues of regional interest relating to economic and social policy, and to contribute to policy setting in regional forums pursuant to the EPA's Social Chapter.

"This initiative should lift the cooperation between Caribbean governments, labour, and business to a new level, and thereby significantly impacting regional integration and our overall economic and social development." stated Wayne Chen, President, CEC.

The Project, which is financed under the 10th European Development Fund, is aimed at strengthening the implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement, particularly those aspects relating to core labour standards (freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour; the effective abolition of child labour; and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation), as well as to deepening regional integration.

The Project will focus on reinforcing the human and institutional capacity of the CEC and the CCL, to contribute to the effective implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) signed in 2008.

The Project has been designed to strengthen capacity in the 15 Caribbean Community member states of CARIFORUM, to ensure the voice of business and labour is heard in all forums where policy-related, social and economic issues are discussed.

"As President of the Caribbean Congress of Labour, I am truly proud to be at the start of the implementation of the EU-funded programme, at the end of which we will see greater participation of CARIFORUM Civil Society in regional development and integration processes. The opportunity is great as both labour and employers work together for the advancement of the region",said David Massiah, President, CCL.

CEC is a regional organization, with members comprising of national representative bodies of employers in the 22 countries and territories of the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean. CCL is a regional trade union federation.It represents members in 33 affiliated unions across 17 Caribbean nations.

The project "Support to facilitate participation of CARIFORUM Civil Society in the Regional Development and Integration Process: Challenges to CARIFORUM Labour, Private Sector and Employers to fulfil their EPA obligations" will run for 3 years.

PHILIPSBURG:----In the areas of national gender equality policies, and legislation against discrimination based on sex, much has been accomplished.
Nevertheless, progress on the ground remains elusive.

Globally,only about half the world's women are in the labour force, compared to nearly 80 per cent of men – a figure basically unchanged in
20 years. A large gender pay gap hasn't narrowed much, with women still earning on average 23 per cent less than men. And new evidence is emerging that mothers suffer a wage penalty,often over and above the gender pay gap.

The percentage of women in top management and in positions of political leadership has improved. But women head up only 5 per cent of Fortune
500 companies, and only one out of 12 governments worldwide. The percentage of women who work as self-employed or unpaid family members has declined. But women remain over-represented in low-wage employment.

We cannot accept that at current rates of change, it may take more than
70 years for women to achieve equal pay status with men. Nor can we accept that one out of every three women today will suffer some form of physical and/or sexual violence that cripples their ability to work.

On this International Women's Day, it's time to ask the hard questions.
This anniversary should spur us to act, to rethink and to innovate.

What needs to be done?
Support maternity protection and work-family policies:
despite some progress, globally more than 800 million women workers, or
41 per cent, still don't have adequate maternity protection, and take-up rates among men of parental leave are low. Could we not design maternity protection and work-family policies that are more inclusive, and supportive of gender equality?

- Address the issue of care work: The services and facilities that recognize, value and support such work, either paid or unpaid, are generally lacking. Could we not promote a new ethos of "care for work, and work for care"expressed in policies dealing with issues such as maternity, paternity,childcare and elder care needs?

- Support women's entry into the labour force: many women wish to enter the labour market. Could we not give more attention to active labour market policies and create a supportive workplace culture that breaks down occupational segregation, values equitably the jobs dominated by women, and supports quality jobs for women and men

- Act early to close the gender gap: the gap begins in childhood and compounds through the life course. Quality education, training and skills development for girls and boys, women and men, needs to be ensured, together with effective strategies for youth employment.

- Equality for women at work benefits everyone. We need to show men why they need to be part of the conversation, and part of the solution.
Including men in gender equality strategies will be necessary to accelerate change – gender equality is about all women and men, and benefits individuals, families, workplaces and societies.

Promoting decent jobs for women is imperative,now and for the next generation. The future of work must also deal with the future of women at work. It is a matter of rights and what is right for women and for sustainable development.

PHILIPSBURG:--- During the celebrations of Rotary's 110th Anniversary, the Rotary Club of Sint Maarten-Mid Isle welcomed Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs as an Honorary Member.
Honorary membership in Rotary Clubs are recognized to individuals for their unusual contributions to Rotary and society. PM Gumbs for many years have attended the club's various fellowship events, and has also rendered sponsorship to some of the club's community service projects.

PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten Tzu Chi Commissioner and Founder Sandra Cheung was recently awarded with a Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) by the Rotary Club of Sint Maarten-Mid Isle, during Rotary's 110th Anniversary Celebrations at Infinity Restaurant in Oyster Bay Resort.
Rotary-Mid Isle's charter member and past president Charles Davis sponsored the PHF for Mrs. Cheung, for her substantial contributions to St. Maarten. Through her organization, she has helped build, repair and spruce up love homes for families in need, helped with medical expenses for the less fortunate and have done many charitable work with the elderly, physically challenged and incarcerated persons.
Her foundation's regular activities include visiting the St. Martins Home for elderly once monthly to spend quality time pampering clients; visiting prison facilities and spending quality time inspiring inmates and presenting them with gifts and assisting families in the event of disasters.
Her foundation's passion also extended to education, playing a major role in assisting All Children's Education (ACE).
Mrs. Cheung commented that she shares this award with all the Tzu Chi volunteers on St. Maarten who are doing an amazing task at helping the needy on the island.
Mrs. Sandra Cheung is recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow in special appreciation for the ways in which her life exemplifies the humanitarian and educational objectives of the Rotary Foundation.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Last Friday the Rotary Club of Sint Maarten-Mid Isle presented the second check for the breakfast program at Sr. Marie Laurence School.
The funds raised from the Rotary Club's recent Wine Tasting event in November last year are being used to provide breakfast for the children till the end of the school year.
The Mid Isle "Rotary Has Heart" project started when the club learnt about the many children who are attending the school without something to eat.
Rotary-Mid Isle is looking into organizing more fundraisings for similar projects in the near future.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Windward Islands Bank Ltd. (WIB) was very pleased to provide a donation of 14 computers to assist the National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA). The computers will allow Information Technology Students (ITC) at NIPA to complete their homework assignments. NIPA offer students various programs such as; care, nursing, hospitality, construction, automotive and maritime work. NIPA's objective is to help all students (even those in the workforce) succeed in their educational goals and build a stronger community.

PHILIPSBURG--- Former Member of Parliament Patrick Illidge did not get good news on Friday morning when the Court of First Instance rendered its verdict in the bribery charges.  The former Member of Parliament was acquitted on the illegal posssesson charges however Illidge was condemned to 18 months imprisonment, six of which are suspended. The former Member of Parliament was also banned from entering politics for the next five years.
Businessman Jaap Van den Huevel owner of Bada Bing night club was charged with offering of bribe, tax fraud, fencing, human/woman trafficking and using vulnerable women for the purpose of prostitution. Van den Huevel was sentenced to 42 months imprisonment, 12 of which are suspended. His company Lunteren also has to pay a fine of NAf.1.5M. The third suspect Krijn van der Brug  in the Orca court case got a nine months suspended sentence, he was sentenced to 240 hours of community service.
Efforts made to reach both Illidge and Van Heuvel proved futile on Friday as they did not answer their phones.

The Prosecutors Office said in an invited comment that they are quite satisfied with the verdicts given by the court. Press Prosecutor Tineke Kamps said that the prosecution intends to study the verdicts in order to use them in other cases.

Translated version of the verdicts.
The sentence handed down by the court of first instance of St. Maarten, today, March 6, 2015. Has had an earth-shaking impact among operators of "adult entertainment " centers on the island. It might well spell the death-knell to the "whore-house business" as we know.
What the Judge said:
Mr. Jaap van den Heuvel well as his company, Lunteren N.V. have both been found guilty of " intentionally recruiting, transporting, transferring and or housing the six women mentioned as victims in the indictment, with the intention of putting these women to work as prostitutes, or with the intention of exploiting them."
Van den Heuvel was accused of providing rooms for these women at Bada Bing, where he set them to work as prostitutes. He furthermore exploited these women by making them pay US$60 per day for a room which they shared with one or more women, while they had to work and live in these same rooms. The women also had to pay for their airfare and for condoms. They were told when they could leave the premises and when they could return. They were given only one day off per week and had to pay a certain amount of money each time they left the premises with a client.
The court ruled that these women were abused because van den Heuvel knew they were poor and vulnerable. The women stated that because of their dire financial circumstances they really had no choice. The accused therefore knew that these women were vulnerable. One of the co-defendants even stated that they recruited women from Santo Domingo because they "wanted to do this work". The women were saddled with a start-off debt which they had to repay with the money they earned from prostitution. The court therefore considered it proven that the accused abused these women by using his power over them to recruit them as prostitutes. This according to the court also proved that the women were trafficked. The court furthermore considered exploitation proven because the women could not decide when, where, and with whom they wanted to work. They were not paid any salary but yet they were obliged to be at Bada Bing from5 pm, and to work from 10 pm to 5 am. Whenever a client wanted to take them out he had to pay Bada Bing US$150 from which the girls received nothing! The girls could not decide where they wanted to live, but were obliged to stay at Bada Bing. They slept two or three to a room, and didn't have their own bed, but had to share a double bed with someone else. For these poor accommodations they paid US$60 per day (US$1,800 per 30 day month), which amount was withheld from the money they earned from prostituting themselves. These circumstances led the court to conclude that van den Heuvel took advantage of the vulnerable position of these women and exploited them. Van den Heuvel was he leader in charge of this behavior at Bada Bing.
What this ruling means for other brother owners
Reading this must have shivers down the spines of the other brother operators. It accurately describes their "business model". This means that as of immediately, all brothel owners can be arrested for engaging in trafficking women and exploiting them. They will therefore have to undertake urgent action before the prosecutors office puts them all out of business, or in jail with Jaap van den Heuvel. A modus operandi which was followed for the sixty years since Campo Alegre opened its doors for business in the 1950s is suddenly threatened, its very existence called into question.
The Paradise in Munich Germany:
Recentyl, "Le Point", a French news magazine published an article about attempts in France to criminalize prostitution by prosecuting the customers. They referred to an article in the "Daily Mail" of London, in which an extensive report was published about club "Paradise" in Munich Germany. Perhaps the club owners in St. Maarten would like to take a look at that business model. Paradise rents rooms for 175 Euros per night to prostitutes who work for their own account. They do not live at the club, and do not work for the club. They only rent rooms there. The city has licensed the club for the purpose of prostitution, but the operators neither recruit nor manage the girls. The keep the place clean and provide security, but the girls are strictly independent operators. How the girls arrive at the club is not their concern, so they cannot be charged with neither human trafficking nor exploitation of vulnerable women. Of course, others do the dirty work of procuring the women, but the club stays safely out of the shadows. It is something whore-house operators in St. Maarten might want to start thinking hard about.

 Click here to read the decision rendered by the court on Friday morning.

Pond Island:---  TelEm Group gave a warm send off to a team of math students from Milton Peters College Thursday, by presenting them with some warm windbreaker jackets and a cash contribution towards their flight.
The MPC math wizzes will be putting their skills to the test in Garderen, in the Netherlands this weekend where they will compete in the annual Kingdom Math-A-Lympiad 2015.
Before heading for the Netherlands they were presented with their super-warm hoodies by Sales & Marketing Manager, Mr. Emile van der Weerd.

"We know it's cold in the Netherlands right now, so we have taken at least one of the worries away from our island team by presenting them with their own windbreakers so that they can concentrate all their efforts on the job at hand," said Mr. van der Weerd in wishing the teenagers the best of luck.
"It's a fantastic experience for all of them and we want them to fully enjoy that experience," said Mr. van der Weerd.
The MPC Math-A-Lympiad team is represented by: Veerle Bok; Reno Brooks, Mahealeney Kemper and Melissa Mingo. They will also be accompanied by math teachers, Mr. Blankendal and Miss Sno.

PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten is now the Regional Authorising Officer (RAO) for the 11th EDF Regional Program. The announcement was made at the Annual Overseas Countries and Territories Association (OCTA) Ministerial Conference and the 13th Annual OCTA/EU Forum from February 25 to 27 in Tortola. Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs signed the ratification document formalising this status.
This is the result of a nomination proposed by Montserrat in 2014 and ratified by the remaining 11 Caribbean OCTs in a vote by consensus. In this function St. Maarten will be responsible for the coordination, cooperation, programming, implementation and closing of the projects selected within the area of Sustainable Energy and Marine Biodiversity that will benefit all Caribbean OCTs as well as the wider Caribbean region.
A delegation from St. Maarten attended a series of events at the conference, namely, the Regional Conference for Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories, Trilateral Consultations, OCTA Ministerial Conference and the OCT-EU Forum. These meetings are a yearly requirement for the Overseas Countries and Territories.
The St. Maarten Delegation comprised of five (5) persons namely Prime Minister Gumbs who is also the and Territorial Authorising Officer (TAO) of Sint Maarten, he was accompanied by Mr. Marc Arnold, Deputy Territorial Authorizing Officer and Department Head Interior and Kingdom Relations, Ms. Khalilah Peters, Department Head of Foreign Relations, Ms. Olivia Lake, Policy Advisor Donor Coordination and EU Relations and Ms. Carol Voges, St. Maarten Representative in the Netherlands for EU Relations/OCTA Treasurer.
The Regional Conference
The European Commission, in cooperation with the Chairman of the Association of Overseas Countries and Territories (ОСТА) and Premier of British Virgin Islands hosted the Regional Conference for Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories, on February 23 and 24, 2015.

The outcome of the meeting delivered the topics for the 11th EDF OCT Regional Program which were Sustainable Energy and Marine Biodiversity. The regional program will mobilize a grant envelope of € 40 million over the coming six years.

Trilateral Consultations
Each OCT, also attended their required Trilateral Consultation with the European Commission, the member state, in this case the Netherlands and the OCT i.e. Sint Maarten. These dialogues are required at the minimum of four (4) times per year. The consultations concerned mainly the the aspects that relate to the European financial partnerships such as the recently completed 9th EDF, ongoing 10th EDF and future 11th EDF Programmes but also the French Dutch Cooperation program, OP-ETC and the upcoming RAO function that Sint Maarten will represent during the 11th EDF Regional Programme.
Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories Council Meeting
The core objective of this Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories Council is to promote wider regional cooperation within the OCTs. It is presently a political platform to discuss on areas of regional cooperation.
During the meeting, a presentation was given by the Regional Council of Martinique to present the upcoming Caribbean Consultative meeting in preparation for the COP21 meeting to be held in Paris in December 2015. The regional council of Martinique also made use of this opportunity to propose the organization of a forum to allow OCTs and ORs concerns to be better channelled to international organizations.
Further to this, the new Chair, Secretary and Vice Chair were elected. The British Virgin Islands will be the Chair of the COCTC Council as well as Secretary and the Vice Chair is Saba for the period 2015 and thus incoming Chair for 2016.
During this meeting, formal ratification of St. Maarten as the RAO was done through the signing of the ratification document by the heads of the countries represented in the council. This document was later presented to the European Commission.
Ministerial Conference
The Ministerial Conference held on February 26th, 2015 is OCTA's highest body, composed of representatives of each member government in the persons of the heads of government or designated members of the governments of OCTs accompanied by their delegations. The objective of the conference is to define policies, approve budgets and elects the chair of the ministerial conference as well as members and the president of the executive committee. The ministerial conference has all powers necessary to fulfil the association's objectives.

During the Ministerial Conference in BVI, the most noteworthy aspects of the conference included the election of the new OCTA Chair, Prime Minister of Curacao, the Honourable Ivar Asjes, and the OCTA Vice Chair, Prime Minister of Aruba, the Honourable Mike Eman.
The Ministerial Conference also initiated the process of formulating an OCTA strategy for the 2016-2020 period to be adopted at the next OCTA Ministerial Conference. The Executive Committee will consolidate the main conclusions of these discussions and finalize the OCTA strategy by the end of May 2015.
OCT-EU Forum
The core objective of the OCT-EU Forum is to bring together the OCT Authorities with the Member State, members from the EU Commission, members from the European Parliament, the European Investment Bank (EIB), and when appropriate as in this case, member of the Outermost Regions for dialogue. It is an annual requirement as described in the legal basis for OCT-EU partnership, the Overseas Association Decision.
A part of the forum included two round table events with the topics Regional Cooperation: unlocking the potential of OCTs and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources: Thematic Cooperation in the Context of the 11th EDF for OCTs.
The outcome of the meeting delivered the final topics for the 11th EDF OCT Thematic Program, proposed during the OCTA Ministerial Conference which were Sustainable Energy and Climate Change with Focus on Disaster Risk Reduction. The RAO for the Thematic Programme was also elected and will be executed by OCTA due to the global nature of the programme i.e. all of the world's OCTs will be engaged in this programme.
During the forum, the draft Political Declaration and Administrative Resolution proposed during the OCTA Ministerial were approved and signed by each Delegation present. Finally, the draft conclusions of the plenary sessions held during the Ministerial were also finalized and distributed.
In the coming weeks, more information on this as well as the signed declaration will be uploaded on to http://www.sintmaartengov.org

Police Officer pointed a gun at my son earlier in the day by nightfall he shot him to death.

BELVEDERE:--Jenifer Suzanna Isidora and her daughter Shemaiah Daflaar are demanding justice for their son and brother Akeem Isidora that was brutally murdered in Happy Estate, Belvedere Wednesday night by an off-duty police officer identified as Rishmer York.
The bereaved mother told SMN News that she was in her bedroom Wednesday afternoon when she saw a red Kia Jeep with very dark tint parked up across from her apartment. She said the jeep had on its bright lights but the tint on the jeep was so dark that no one could see who was inside the vehicle. Ms. Isidora said she heard some noise shortly after and decided to go out of her house to see what was happening because her 22 year old son Akeem was outside of his house. "I was just behind the jeep when I heard three gunshots, I did not know who fired the shots but the shots were fired by someone that was inside the dark tinted vehicle. I also saw my son Akeem was speaking to someone that was sitting on the driver side of the jeep, while my other son Junior was approaching the jeep. When I heard the shots I ducked and by then the jeep sped off leaving my son to die on the ground."
Ms. Isidora refuted the statements made by Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson who said that the officer was attacked by a gang of boys that were armed. Isidora said there was not much people outside, and definitely there were no other shots fired but the three that was fired by the killer. Isidora said the off duty officer was driving around in Belvedere earlier in the afternoon and when he spotted her son and his friend walking their dog the officer slowed down and pointed his weapon at Akeem and told him that his days are counted before he return to the Netherlands.
'This officer knew that my son was in the Netherlands and he also knew that he was to leave the island to return to the Netherlands on March 12th 2015. My son arrived on St. Maarten on November 14th 2014. He spent the holidays and his birthday here and wanted to stay for the Regatta before returning to the Netherlands to start back school. It's been three years my son was in the Netherlands and I did not see him."
Isidora said that Officer York was constantly harassing her son, once the same officer saw her son at the Gas station and he began dropping words at him and he was seen by Akeem God sister, when the officer noticed that someone was looking at him he jumped into his vehicle and left. Isidora further explained that one week later York saw her son in Philipsburg and again harassed her son. She said her son told her when he got home that he does not know the officer but he has been constantly harassed by him. Isidora said ever since her son got out of prison from the stabbing incident that left Otmar Leonard dead he has been harassed by several police officers. She said a number of police officers have been tormenting her son and to avoid any problems she sent him away to the Netherlands where he spent three years.
Shemaiah Daflaar said that ever since her brother got out of prison he was harassed by several police officers and that was the reason the family sent him away. Daflaar said only last week the same officer York picked up her brother in Belvedere where he is living because he did not have his identification card on him. She said her mother came out with his passport but the officer insisted that he will take him to the Philipsburg Police station and that she should go there with his passport. Daflaar and Isidora said that the officer York knew Akeem Isidora and it is clear that he was a target because from the time he was 15 years old he was harassed by police. Daflaar and her mother said that each time York harassed him he kept saying that he did not know York, they both said that they don't know if York is related to the victim Otmar Leonard. Daflaar said that the police is supposed to protect the people but now police is shooting people and killing them innocently. "I want to know if something happen today who the people of St. Maarten should call because youths are being harassed by the police and are now being shot to death by police innocently. "The police is supposed to protect and guard the people but now it's the other way around."
The mother and daughter said that several persons including children that witnessed the shooting are currently giving statements to the Landsreachere.
Several friends of Akeem Isidora that was on the scene on Thursday said that they saw what transpired. They said that there were no gang or group of boys in Happy Estate when York shot Akeem three times and killed them. It was clear that the youths living in Happy Estate are in a state of shock as they themselves no longer feel safe. "Seeing our friend that we grew up dead so innocently is something beyond their understanding. Most of them told SMN News that they have become the target of the police.
One of his friends who witnessed the shooting said that the police having been harassing youths. The young man said instead of providing work for the youths government is building more cages for the youths (prison cells). He said his brother was also a targeted by police. He said that an officer told his brother that he had a bullet with his name written on it.
The young man said police need to know how to speak to the youths. Most of the time they are the aggressor and when the youths react they are being shot at or arrested.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Roy Cotton Jr. the host of a successful eight year-old radio show, Love and Inspiration states, "I would like to thank all listeners and well-wishers for all their support and commitment towards my radio show, Love & Inspiration since their premiere in August 2011 to last December. It has been my pleasure in presenting to you only a top quality radio show during the past three years." On Sunday December 28th, Roy Cotton Jr., A.K.A. DJ RC hosted the final broadcast of the Love & Inspiration radio show on YR 92.5 FM during which he thanked the management of YR 92.5FM for the great opportunity afforded him to have presented such great radio shows during the past three years.
The Love & Inspiration radio show has been receiving great reviews and extensive exposure; with local, regional and international listenership. February 11th 2014, The Love & Inspiration Show celebrated its 7th anniversary since it premiered on February 11th 2007 on the student radio station at University of Hertfordshire in England.
The Love & Inspiration Show aired on Sunday afternoons from 2:00pm-4:00pm. Love & Inspiration focuses on various topics of interest and in particular topics which enable the listener to experience more meaningful relationships in their lives; friendships, family, love and work relationships. Devoted listeners hear music of excellence; are inspired through exclusive interviews with VIP guests; listen to inspiring love & life changing stories; ask questions on relationship matters and more.
The Love & Inspiration Show has a listenership as far as Russia, the UK and Mauritius. Host Roy Cotton, Jr. states, "My listeners also hail from: Barbados, St. Kitts, USA, India, Nigeria, Hong Kong, Holland, France, and Canada. Their demographics include: persons aged 20 to over 65 who range from bargain hunters to serious investors; the adventurous to the romantic at heart".
Roy Cotton Jr. believes that Love & Inspiration has the capacity to touched lives of many through his Sunday program, which offers help to married couples on how to build a successful marriage and relationship, empower individuals through inspirational interviews with VIP guests and real life changing stories. In addition the radio show will both mesmerize the listener with music of excellence and enlighten the listener with useful information on great getaways, places for relaxation and fine dining.
Therefore Roy Cotton Jr. is all geared up to take his radio show to another dimension through the re-launch of the Love & Inspiration on PJD3 102.7FM this coming Sunday March 8th at 3:00pm.
The Love & Inspiration Show can be heard on Sundays from 3:00pm-4:00pm, sounding even sweeter and better.
In addition, Roy Cotton Jr. hosts two new radio shows "Student Vibes" and "Good Business Cents" which premiered on Saturday December 6th, on Pearl 98.1 FM. Student Vibes is aired during prime time from 10:00am-11:00am.
Good Business Cents airs directly after Student Vibes, from 11:00am-12:00 noon on Saturdays.
Every Saturday, on Pearl 98.1 FM, a verified pool of over 50,000 persons locally and internationally may tune into The Good business Cents radio show.
Roy Cotton Jr. believes that all three of his radio shows, Love & Inspiration, Student Vibes and Good Business Cents have the capacity to empower, guide and offer inspiration to individuals and increase the visibility of businesses to many potential customers locally, regionally, and internationally whilst giving his committed and new listeners only high quality radio programs.
"My dedication to quality broadcasting and to my listeners of the Love and Inspiration show will ensure that the show continues for many more years to come. Thanks once again for your loyalty and support."

Roy Cotton Jr. thanks the partners of his shows, Motorworld/Caribbean Auto, A & F Catering,
I & I Fitness, Island Real Estate Team, Edible Bouquets, Zamar Musical Productions; and extends best wishes to his partners, the community of St. Maarten/Saint Martin, and his regional and international listeners, his family, well-wishers and committed listeners.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Come and learn about the PJ library's great selection of E-books, available free of charge to all library members! On Thursday, March 12th, 2015, your library will host another informative workshop on how to download e-books from the library's website. Participants will also learn what types of e-books, audiobooks and e-readers are available at the library. The workshop will be provided by the library's former director Ans Koolen and library systems administrator Francia Housen.
Thursday's session will be held between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm in the media lab of the library. The workshop is free of charge and people of all ages can attend. Please bring along your own device (tablet, phone or e-reader) so that you can start downloading your e-books right away!
With a maximum of twenty participants, places are limited, so please register in advance for this workshop at the library's Circulation Desk or contact telephone number 542 2970 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHILIPSBURG :--- SXM DOET has been in full swing since its launch in November 2014. SXM DOET is the Sint Maarten edition of the largest volunteer initiative in the Dutch Kingdom, with previously having over 400.000 volunteers participating and over 8.500 projects being achieved Kingdom-wide. This will be the first year that Sint Maarten and Statia will be added onto the list of participating islands within the Kingdom. Locally, SXM DOET is proudly being hosted by the Be The Change Foundation in cooperation with the Oranje Fonds in the Netherlands.

SXM DOET takes place on Friday March 20th and Saturday March 21st, whereby volunteers such as private persons, local businesses and corporations, government officials and their respective departments, as well as church groups, sports clubs, social groups and local celebrities will all have the opportunity to contribute to society in any way they can. These two days are especially dedicated to helping NGOs, schools, health organizations and other community organizations finish odd jobs or start up projects that they wouldn't otherwise be able to get done on their own, albeit due to lack of funding or manpower. The Oranje Fonds has provided the opportunity, through the Be The Change Foundation, to support each project financially as well as giving them a platform to recruit volunteers and create awareness for their cause. To date 44 projects have been registered and a total of more than 550 volunteers are still needed.

The types of projects that are available for volunteering for are: beautification of schools, as well as that of activity and community centers, playgrounds and the library, beach clean-ups, tree planting and gardening, fun days out with special needs groups and the provision of entertainment and games, make-overs and obstacle courses, fixing of sporting facilities, building greenhouses and doghouses, and helping out with food drives and health fair activities.
The opportunities are therefore endless, and anyone with any skill or will can volunteer. The projects are open for registration until March 14th, and registration can be done via the WWW.SXMDOET.COM website.

SXM DOET has thus far been gaining much support from the business community, with collaborative efforts with socially inclined businesses being well under way. The SXM DOET Team is therefore proud to announce its collaboration with Kooyman, Heavenly Waters and Divico.
Many thanks goes out to the business community that has been supporting the DOET initiative thus with its events and promotion, such as Kooyman, Heavenly Waters, Divico, Antillean Liquors, the Belvedere Community Center, Viva Signs, Philipsburg Broadcasting, Island 92 and RMG Designs.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Kooyman has teamed up with Be The Change Foundation and Oranje Fonds to be a part of the SXM Doet initiative. Kooyman aims to aid registered social project organizations and foundations in the realization of their project goals; such as painting, gardening and other actions that may improve the facilities and function of these organizations. Kooyman has pledged to provide all registered SXM DOET participants with an exclusive discount on their purchases towards the completion of their projects on March 20th and 21st. Kooyman will also be volunteering at SXM DOET and urge other to take the step and volunteer as well.

PHILIPSBURG:--- UTS made a financial contribution of $2000 towards the participation of 4 Milton Peters College students to take part in the final rounds of the 2015 Math Alympiad in Garderen, Holland on March 14th and 15th 2015. The students will travel to Holland on Friday, March 6th to compete and will also make use of the opportunity to visit college campuses while there. The school achieves a high ranking each year and the students have high hopes of a positive outcome this year as well. "It is our pleasure to support an initiative where students are encouraged to excel and achieve to the best of their ability on an academic level " says UTS commercial manager, Chrostina Sprock "We commend the students on the many hours spent pacticing and preparing for the competition. We wish them a safe trip and much success during their competition" Sprock continues.

BELVEDERE:-- The detective department is currently investigating a fatal shooting in Happy Estate Belvedere. The shooting is said to have taken place around 7pm Wednesday evening. Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson said that a group of young men that were armed attacked an off-duty police officer in the area. Henson said based on information he received during the attack someone asked " do you want me to shoot you." The police spokesman said shortly after that shots were fired by the group of young men and the off duty officer defended himself by firing back shots at his attackers. "There were an exchange of bullets by the group and the officer defended himself." Henson said the detectives and forensic department are currently on the scene investigating the fatal shooting.

However, the Landsreacherche quickly took over the investigation when it was determined that a police officer was involved in the incident which led to the death of a young man that lives in Belvedere. At this current moment the police spokesman said he cannot say if the fatal shot was fired by the off duty police officer or by someone that was among the group of men. 

Eyewitnesses identified the police officer as Rishmer York who also lives in the area. One eyewitness said that the officer in question was having problems with the group of young men that is always loitering in the Belvedere area. An eye witness said that the officer heard a commotion and he came out of to see what was happening when someone from the group shot at a young man who recently got out of prison and is also wanted by police. The eyewitness said that the young man that was killed had just reached home when he was shot to death. The group of young men then took off after the fatal shooting.

The dead man has been identified as Akeem Isidora, he was involved in a fatal stabbing that left a 22 year old Otmar Leonard from French Quarter dead some two years ago,  Isidora just recently  got out of prison and was wanted by police for another crime.

Residents Claim that Officer is a Cold Blooded Killer.

Several residents of Happy Estate Belvedere contacted SMN News on Thursday morning and stated that the statements made by Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson on the brutal murder in Happy Estate on Wednesday night are completely false. The residents said that Akeem Isidora was killed innocently by Officer Rishmer York. "First of all there was no gang loitering in Happy Estate at the time of the shooting, secondly Akeem Isdora recently came back from the Netherlands on vacation and not recently released from prison" one resident told SMN News. The woman said she was among the persons Akeem was showing his things that he bought when he was killed right before her eyes. I don't know how I will work today because I could not sleep all night. I saw an Officer killed a young man innocently right before my eyes. Officer York pulled his service weapon on Akeem earlier in the day on Wednesday and then around 7pm he approached Akeem who was showing the neighbors the things he bought to go back to school when York approached him and shot him three times then took off in his red car leaving the young man to die on the ground." The resident said that York approached Akeem once and asked him for his identification, then yesterday he pulled his service weapon at him and by nightfall he killed the young man who was due to return to the Netherlands on March 12th 2015 where he is attending school. This officer killed someone in cold blood in front of children that has to go to school this morning." The statements made by Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson is totally false and we expect the police to correct the false statements. There was no exchange in shots. The only person that fired three shots and killed Akeem Isdora in cold blood is an officer of KPSM."
SMN News learnt that York left the scene and went to the Philipsburg Police Station where he was giving his colleagues a false story forgetting that a number or persons including children saw what he did prior to speeding off. An officer who was working yesterday afternoon said that while York was telling his tale two detectives from the Landsreacherche came to the station and took him upstairs and started to question him.
The residents said that York is a troublemaker in Belvedere, almost everyone in the area has a problem with him.
Another well-known resident of St. Peters told SMN News that Officer York ill-treated him while conducting a road control even though he had all his documents in-tact. The resident said when he went to the Police Internal Affairs to file a complaint a relative of York was appointed to take his complaint and he refused because York's father and uncles are officers at KPSM. He said that he had to leave and find another officer that works at KPSM Internal Affairs and filed his complaint but to date nothing has happened.
Prosecutor Tineke Kamps confirmed on Thursday that the officer was questioned by detectives but was not arrested.

SIMPSON BAY:--- Port St. Maarten – The Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority would like to remind the St. Maarten community that in connection with the 35th Edition of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, there will be five additional bridge openings to accommodate the vessels that will be partaking in the annual race.

The first additional Simpson Bay Bridge opening is 8.00AM on Thursday morning, March 5 for outbound vessels.

On Friday, March 6 there will be two additional Simpson Bay Bridge openings, the first one at 8.00AM for outbound and at 6.00PM for inbound vessels.

On Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8 there will be additional openings at 8.00AM for outbound vessels.

Motorists are advised to take note of the aforementioned when planning to head towards the SXM Airport or heading to work in the Simpson Bay, Maho and Cupecoy areas.

The Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority wishes everybody, the participants and visitors who came to the country for the 35th edition of the regatta a safe event and happy sailing.

GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, would like to wish visitors for the 35th edition of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta a safe and healthy fulfilled event.

Recently representatives of CPS met with representatives of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta and the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority to discuss collaboration in providing preventive tips for the participants in taking preventive measures to stay healthy while enjoying an update on different aspects of the regatta.

CPS in collaboration with the Department of Communication (DCOMM), the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority and St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, have issued a flyer with healthy tips and suggestions.

The flyer requests, visitors, sailors, and volunteers to stay healthy during their visit to St. Maarten, and to prevent any possible infectious disease.
"We ask that you be attentive as it relates to the following symptoms which can be attributed to one of the following infectious conditions such as Dengue, Chikungunya, Gastroenteritis Disease.
"If you have any of the following symptoms such as:

•  Fever; Diarrhea, Body pains; Vomiting; Headaches, Joint Pains
• If yes, please contact a physician; minimize personal contact; implement proper cough etiquette, hand and personal hygiene.
•  If you are coughing use proper cough etiquette, cough in the elbow, sneeze or blow your nose in a disposable tissue and put such in the garbage bin. Wash or sanitize your hands immediately after discarding the used tissue.
•  Frequently wash/sanitize your hands properly especially after using the toilet and working with your hands. Before you eat or put food in your mouth make sure your hands are clean.
• Properly use repellent to stop mosquitoes from feeding; at dusk and dawn use proper clothing such as long sleeves and long pants. Don't Drink and Drive and have safe sex – properly use a condom!
•  Properly wear gloves for handling food and cleaning up after a sick person or in general
• Be Safe, Be Healthy & Have Fun"

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):---  On Tuesday, March 3, 2015, the Council of Ministers (COM) received a presentation by the Electoral Council regarding its work in the past year.

The Electoral Council was represented by its Chairman Bert Hofman and Members Linda Richardson and Genara Richardson-Nicolaas.
The Electoral Council was established early in 2014 and the organization had to hit the ground running, because the first Parliamentary elections were planned for later that year.

The Electoral Council is charged with enforcing the law on the registration and finances of political parties and is independent in its dealings, comparable to the High Councils of State of St. Maarten.

The Electoral Council provided several information sessions as part of its information campaign in order to inform the public, the political candidates and the political parties regarding their responsibilities.

Currently the Electoral Council is reviewing the donation registrations of the individual candidates and the political parties.

The deadlines for submitting this information were September 29, 2014 and February 1, 2015 respectively.

The political parties are obligated to submit their annual reports before April 1, 2015. After the review by the Electoral Council, the General Audit Chamber of Sint Maarten will review and provide its comments.

Based on the findings of the General Audit Chamber and the Electoral Council, recommendations will be communicated to the Council of Ministers regarding the processes involved.
The Council of Ministers values the work done by the Electoral Council and its contribution to a transparent and integer electoral process for Country Sint Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG:---  The Sundial school has become the latest recipient of donations made by Seven Seas Waters (St. Maarten). Seven Seas Waters Managing Director, Franklyn Richards on Wednesday presented a cheque of 3500 dollars to the school for its annual breakfast program. The program targets students whom are known to come to school on an empty stomach.
Accepting the donation, on behalf of the school were Miss Jacky Morris, Sundial school teacher at the care department and Mrs. Mireya Regales-Peterson, Sundial school director.
With the assistance of businesses such as Seven Seas Water, Sundial School is confident that a difference can be made in the lives of students in need.
"This is not the first time Seven Seas Waters has been able to assist Sundial in its pursuit to positively influence the lives of young people in need. As such, it's a distinct privilege for our company to support Sundial school for a good cause, once more", says company director Richards.
"Seven Seas Waters continues a tradition, whereby we are always ready to assist institutions in projects which serve to facilitate the learning process for young St. Martiners, who at times need just that additional help to allow them to reach their full potential", added Richards.

PHILIPSBURG:--- It took the following questions to reveal that there is an approved development plan for the Harbor area.
"I would like to be provided with an elucidation of this convocation." "Who are the presenters and what is the objective of this presentation?"

These questions were posed by me, following a convocation for a Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication committee meeting for Thursday, March 5th.

Committee members were invited to the meeting to receive a presentation by the St. Maarten Quarter Development Company (SQDC) NV, without any further explanation.

The above mentioned questions were then "answered" with copies of 2 letters, one of December 18, 2014 from the CEO of the Harbor Group of companies, giving his approval to this master plan and a second letter of February 13, 2015 by the SQDC NV to the government of St. Maarten requesting the final approval from the Government of St. Maarten.

The company is scheduled to meet with the Council of Ministers, also on March 5th. Will the government give its approval to this plan before the meeting with the Parliamentary committee?
Dare the committee of Parliament ask any questions? Are we even allowed to ask questions, this time around to a "third party"?
Will representatives of the Harbor be present, either in the meeting with the Council of Ministers or with the committee of Parliament?
Why was this agreement that allegedly goes back to 2009 not divulged during the presentations by the Harbor Group of Companies to the Parliament of St. Maarten?
What are the parties seeking from Parliament, if anything at all?

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister responsible for Aviation Affairs Claret Connor and the Department of Civil Aviation and Shipping and Maritime would like to advise the public against the use of remote piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) in Sint Maarten, particularly in the area near Simpson Bay. This advisory comes in the wake of these aircraft systems being operated off vessels in the Simpson bay lagoon and in the Simpson Bay area adjacent to Runway 28.
These aircraft systems pose a danger to landing and departing aircrafts at the airport and should not be operated in the area or anywhere on Sint Maarten without the express approval from the Department. It should also be stressed that no one shall engage in aerial work in the airspace of Sint Maarten without approval.
Operations that fall under the category of aerial work are aerial photography, aerial mapping, turtle or fish spotting just to name a few. Any individual that wishes to conduct these activities in Sint Maarten must submit a request to the Department of Civil Aviation, Shipping & Maritime Affairs where it will be reviewed and a time and day will be provided when the operation can take place, if approved.
Article 25 of the Aviation National Ordinance prohibits operating objects in the airspace over Sint Maarten in a manner that may threaten safe operations of aircrafts at the airport. Individuals who are found to be operating such systems in violations of this notice will be knowingly endangering air travel to Sint Maarten and will be considered acting in violation of the aforementioned ordinance, for which the individual can be subjected to various penalties and fines.
Aviation safety is the primary concern of the Department and it is in all of our interest that everything is done to prevent a serious aviation related accident from occurring on Sint Maarten. An aviation accident would have serious consequences for the tourist industry which would in turn negatively affect the islands economy.

On Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015 around 5:30 PM a serious traffic accident took place on the Lambert Hassel Road in The Peak. In this accident, four cars were involved.
Two cars were driving from St. John in the direction of Windwardside and thereby frontally crashed into two cars who were driving onto the Lambert Hassel Road from the premises of a business. The drivers of these two cars who were coming from St. John, the 21-year C.M.H. and the 24-year L.E.V.C. and a 22-year-old passenger, were transferred to the hospital for observation. The driver of one of the vehicles that was driving up the road from the premises of a business, the 21-year P.B.J.H., was taken to hospital for observation. The other driver who was involved in this accident, the 59-year-old G.J.G., was unharmed. It can be determined that the cause of the accident is the reckless driving by the drivers who came from St. John, however the police will conduct further investigations as to the cause, extent and circumstances.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Telecommunication Company is busy negotiating with LIME USA as they continue to seek partnership with an another company. SMN News learnt from reliable sources that the talks began sometime in February 2015. SMN News further learnt that the talks with Digicel has concluded but no decision has been taken as to which company TELEM with partner with. According to information provided to SMN News it appears as though TELEM is seeking all the necessary information from LIME USA to see which of the two companies would be more beneficial for them to work with. Talks with UTS/Chippie fell through the cracks when according to our sources that UTS/ Chippie did not provide TELEM with their financials.
Even though TELEM are in talks with LIME and Digicel they remain tightlipped about the ongoing talks.

International Labour Organization (ILO) – 3 March 2015

PORT-OF-SPAIN:---  The Rt. Hon. Perry Christie, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas delivered the keynote address at the Ninth ILO Meeting of Caribbean Labour Ministers held at the British Colonial Hilton, Nassau. Mr. Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Dr. Douglas Slater, Assistant Secretary General, Human and Social Development, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat also addressed the opening ceremony.

The Rt. Hon. Perry Christie referred to the issue of youth employment in the Caribbean, warning that "we ignore it at our peril." He also cautioned that "when people are desperate and they are young and they cannot realistically aspire to a life of dignity in the workplace, then you have trouble on your backyard." He asked delegates to keep this in mind when deliberating during the Meeting. "We have an extraordinary challenge ahead of us."

ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder, highlighted that young people under age of 25, are three times more likely to be unemployed. Current estimates indicate that 75 million people under the age of 25 are out of work.

The Director-General, congratulated The Bahamas on the adoption of a National Tripartite Bill, which was signed by Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, in the presence of the ILO Director-General and of the members of the National Tripartite Council. He also pointed out that social dialogue must be the mechanism through which employment and labour market issues are addressed. Institutionalization of tripartite consultations is important both at the national and regional level.

Mr. Ryder noted that the Caribbean region has been increasing its presence on the global stage, from tripartite representation at the 2014 United Nations Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS Conference), held in Samoa, to a record attendance of Caribbean member States at the last ILO American Regional Meeting held in Lima, Peru in October 2014.

Mr. Ryder also indicated that the ILO Office for the Caribbean will continue to provide technical assistance and resources to the constituents and that it will be reinforced.

Mr. Ryder stated that the ILO is strongly committed to convening the Caribbean Ministers of Labour Meeting every two years, to listen to the constituents and to respond to their needs with practical solutions.

Dr. Douglas Slater emphasized the need for governments to keep pace with skills development requirements for the labour market. He stressed the importance of timely labour market intelligence in the region. In this regard CARICOM supports member States to further develop their capacity in labour market information systems.

The Meeting, organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, brings together 15 Ministers with responsibility for Labour, as well as Permanent Secretaries and high-level officials, from some 22 countries and territories of the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, coordiated by the ILO Office for the Caribbean.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Government of St. Maarten regulates the prices of petroleum products by imposing a maximum price at which wholesalers and retailers can sell these products on St. Maarten. Due to the ongoing developments on the international level, the prices of crude oil have experienced adjustments. Given the aforementioned, the general public is hereby informed that as of Thursday 5 March, 2015 6:00am the maximum consumer prices of ULG and Diesel is
adjusted as follows:

ULG
Diesel

Current Price
1.831Naf/liter
1.430 Naf/liter

New Price
1.931 Naf/liter
1.534 Naf/liter

Below is the complete price buildup showing all components that result in the new prices. All
numbers are rounded to three decimal places.

Price buildup

Effective date
Petrotrin Posted Price USc/AG

Gasoil

Price buildup ULG

Effective date 5-Mar-15
Petrotrin Posted Price USc/AG 200
'------'

0

1.46092

0.07305

1.53397

1.534

Sucker Garden:---  The Motorworld & Jeep & Walichi Basketball Association's Ladies Basketball Championship Final 4 Playoffs began on Friday February 27th as all 4 teams played Game 1 of the best of 3 series. The first game of the night, #2 Thunderz VS #3 MGM Lightning was a wire to wire win for the Thunderz. The MGM Lightning team fought back in the fourth quarter but was unsuccessful and the Thunderz won 36-31. Top players for Thunderz was Joyette Lloyd with 9 points, 16 rebounds and 4 steals and Yolanda Jeffers with 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 assist. MGM Lightning was lead by Micaela Galva with 10 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals and Jamaiah Newton-Herbert with 9 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 1 assist.

Second game of the night was between #1 Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls and #4 Learning Unlimited. Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls held a small lead throughout the whole game. Learning Unlimited fought back and got within 2 points but Lava Girls went on a big run to close out the game and win 50-36. Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls was lead by Claudia Fleming with 15 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 8 steals and 1 block and Diasha Ferdinand with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 assist. Learning Unlimited was lead by Jakisha Brooks with 14 points, 24 rebounds, 4 stelas, 3 blocks and 2 assists and Abby Jones with 4 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists.

Game 2 for both series was on Sunday March 1st and turned out to be two great sets of games. The first game of the afternoon was between #2 Thunderz VS #3 MGM Lightning. MGM Lightning started off strong and lead after the first quarter 11-4, the Thunderz came back in the second quarter to cut the lead to only 15-12. MGM Lightning recovered in the third quarter to lead by 11 points after the third and won the game 32-22. MGM Lightning was lead by Micaela Galva with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals and Jamaiah Newton-Herbert with 12 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist and 1 block.

Second game of the day was between #1 Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls and #4 Learning Unlimited and turned out to be the best game of the weekend and a great way to end the weekend. Learning Unlimited started off the game very strong and lead 16-9 after the first quarter. Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls recovered to take the lead at the half 24-22 and stretched the lead in the third quarter to 41-32. Learning Unlimited fought back with defense and outscored Lava Girls 17-8 but the game went down to the wire and the game went into overtime tied 49-49. Learning Unlimited built a 6 point lead early in the overtime but Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls fought back and tied the game at 57-57. Jakisha Brooks stole the ball and got a layup with 6 seconds left in overtime to give Learning Unlimited the lead and the win at 59-57. Learning Unlimited was lead by the big game of Rachael Degroot with 18 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals and Jakisha Brooks with 18 points, 18 rebounds, 6 steals, 5 blocks and 3 assists. Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls was lead by Claudia Fleming with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 7 steals, 5 assists and 1 block and Wendy Jack with 13 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals.

What a weekend with both series being tied 1-1 a piece. All 4 teams will play the deciding game 3 on Friday March 6th starting at 7pm at Melford Hazel Sports Complex as #2 Thunderz take on #3 MGM Lightning and at 8:30pm #1 Cash 4 Gold Lava Girls take on #4 Learning Unlimited. Winners of Friday's games will win the series and go on to the finals to battle it out for the championship.

All teams are looking forward to seeing everyone come out with friends and family and to cheer on their favorite team to victory.

Ms. Nikeva Stapleton featured artist conducts workshop at screening

Maho:---  On Saturday February 28th students from both sides of the island took part in the Audition and Placement event for Art Saves Lives Foundation Summer Intensive which will be held from June 29-July 4th 2015.
Many students who took part in ASL's 2013 and 2014 Summer Intensives returned to audition for placement in ASL 2015. Workshops this year has now expanded to include classes in Painting on Canvas and Music Production. Ms. Nikeva Stapleton, a Fordham University graduate and an accomplished dancer who has worked with artists Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, and Chris Brown was the featured artist at this year's audition. She was also a part of the faculty of ASL 2014. The Management of Sonesta Maho (Mrs. Patricia Vlaun), Mr. Clarence Derby (Towers at Mullet Bay), and Ms. Majella O'Brien Gallant were all sponsors of the event.
There will be another audition and screening event in May and students are encouraged to visit ASL's Facebook Page for more updates or contact the organization at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

Milton Peters College Students Overall Competition Winner

PHILIPSBURG:--- Four talented students walked away with their very own Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 as a prize and the opportunity to execute their project proposal after winning the first Youth Desk Competition which was held last Friday by the Department of Youth Affairs.
The group consisting of Milton Peters College students Makeel Violenus, Kristen Rojo, Roodjennie Hippolyte and Sandra Cetoute presented their proposal on the theme of Child Abuse under the title "It shouldn't hurt to be a Child". The presentation, which started out with a moving poem on the topic of Child Abuse highlighted the problem on the island and gave a detailed plan on how they thought the victims can get helped.
The other four qualifying proposals being judged that day were presentations from Mhakeda Shillingford, of the Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE) who presented her proposal on "Student Insight Inventory", Sidkenie Toulon of the Charlotte Brookson Academy of the Performing Arts on teenage pregnancy entitled "Live Life before You Give Life", Marie Fidel-Balthazar and Ma-Lysha Cannegieter on " Youth Involvement in the Community" and "Teen Depression" presented by students Leatton Douglas, Shakainah Pompier, Chianti Charles and Shavelle Lourence of the Charlotte Brookson Academy for the Performing Arts.
The students bravely made their presentations before the Honorable Minister of Education, Culture Youth and Sports, Mrs Rita Bourne – Gumbs, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, department Head and other officials of Youth Affairs, and a panel of judges comprising of industry heavyweights Mr. Antonio Aventurin of the Department of Study Financing, Mr. Edsel Hooker of the St. Maarten Sports Federation and Journalist, Mr. Glen Yeung , a Certified Hospitality Trainer, Mr. Marcel Javois , Manager of Simpson Bay Resorts and Marina and Mr. Whitfield Vlaun, Branch Manager of First Caribbean Bank. The judges and the Honorable Minister provided feedback and posed critical questions with regards to their proposals.
Amongst the audience supporting the students were parents, teachers and members of the Youth Parliament of St. Maarten.
The Youth Desk is a project that was officially launched on January 19th of this year by the Department of Youth Affairs. The idea for the project originated as a follow up from the 2013 Youth Round Table Conference.
By means of this competition, the department successfully engaged the participation of the youth by involving them in the planning of certain activities of their interests. Moreover, the members of the panel of judges gracefully accepted their appointments and showed much enthusiasm for project. Department officials stated that they anticipate having much more activities for the youth in the near future and looking forward to more collaboration with the private sector in executing projects. " This is only the beginning of what is to come as we aim to Inspire, Educate and Empower"- stated Ms. Nicole Maccow who is a policy worker and coordinator for this project.
The Department of Youth still encourages all youth between the ages of 12 and 24 years old to visit the St. Maarten Youth Desk on Backstreet # 34, across from Penny's Department Store. Opening hours are Mondays , Tuesday and Fridays from 1.00 P.M. to 5.00 P.M.
For more information, they can contact the Department of Youth Affairs on 54-22056 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . They can also find the Department of Youth Affairs on Facebook: St. Maarten Youth Affairs.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL), in collaboration with Collective Prevention Services (CPS), Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor, are making lesson materials available at the library for educators who wish to incorporate the "OrganWise Guys" nutrition and healthy lifestyle lessons into their curriculum.
The international "OrganWise" project is an effective nutritional and exercise awareness lesson directed toward children. The project presents the inner workings of the human body by using puppets, made up of various organs in the body, to teach children of all ages the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle and which foods are healthy and which are not. Obesity is an important cause for many diseases and the "OrganWise" program aims to tackle this problem by educating children at an early age. When children are taught how and why it is important to live a healthy lifestyle they are more likely to make healthy choices and also educate their parents on healthy meal choices.
In April of 2014, Aukje de Jong, the Program Facilitator representing the library, and Swinda Richardson, a Nutritionist at Collective Preventive Services (CPS), first introduced the "OrganWise" lessons in primary schools and afternoon schools on Sint Maarten. The lesson materials that are now available to educators can be borrowed for 3 weeks. These activity modules can be used as short daily exercises or incorporated into the curriculum with a weekly video. Children learn about health and nutrition through song, when learning timetables or learning words which are drilled as a type of boot camp. Physical activity is also incorporated into the program.
More information about the international "OrganWise" project can be found at www.organwiseguys.com. Information about the "OrganWise" project on Sint Maarten can be obtained from Aukje de Jong, via e-mail address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Calls on Raphael Boasman to vacate his seat as Chairman of the Supervisory Board since he is operating in Conflict of Interest.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Communication Union (SMCU) headed by Ludson Evers along with his other board members told reporters at a press conference held on Wednesday that he would like for the Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs (Shareholder representative of TELEM) and other entities they contacted to deal with an illegal situation that TELEM another government owned company has engaged in. Evers said that TELEM just recently hired eight Surinamese to work on a large project which they did not put on bid, further to that the union said that the foreign workers that were brought in to work on fiber optic cable in the Beacon Hill area do not have working documents to work on St. Maarten. Evers further explained that during the restructuring of the company they have an agreement with TELEM which states that all employees who became redundant due to restructuring will be given first preference to work on projects for TELEM should they open a company of their own. He said the foreign workers were brought in mid-February 2015 and as soon as they were brought in one of the former workers who has his own company wrote a letter to the Prime Minister (Shareholder) representative informing him about the illegalities at the government owned company. He said contractor Alberto Arrindell wrote the Prime Minister on February 17th 2015 and on February 23rd 2015 TELEM management responded to the letter written to the Prime Minister but the reasons given by TELEM is not acceptable to the union. In the letter from TELEM they said that the team from Suriname is cheaper to work with than the ones they approached locally. Further they stated that this particular team (company) has skilled professionals, and they are able to transfer knowledge to TELEM's technical staff. Consideration was given that some 85 businesses required fiber optic connections and there is a lack of manpower and internal resources. Evers said that the union cannot accept any of the reasons given by TELEM to outsource a huge job without putting it on bid, secondly the contractors that became redundant due to restructuring have more than enough knowledge to execute the project. Furthermore, he said that there are other workers that could work with the local companies that are registered on St. Maarten and are paying their taxes and if there is still need for more manpower then St. Maarten has enough young men that are currently unemployed. Evers said Alberto Arrindell responded to the Prime Minister on February 23rd 2015 informing him of the contents of the letter he received from TELEM and he also rebutted the explanations given, one of which includes the cost of maintaining these foreign workers that are working on St. Maarten illegally. Besides that the SMCU has dispatched a number of letters, one to the immigration department, one to the labor department, one to the inspectorate of labor and they are also requesting to meet with the Prime Minister to further discuss the matter.

RAPHAEL BOASMAN acting in Conflict of Interest

Evers said that the union has lost confidence in the supervisory board mainly because the chairman of the board Raphael Boasman should vacate his seat on TELEM supervisory board simply because he has been acting in conflict of interest. "Boasman is the head of the Department of Labor, he is the mediator at the Labor Department and is sitting as chairman on TELEM supervisory board. "This has been going on since 2009 and the SMCU has been hammering on this issue for several years but no one took us on. However, Boasman admitted to the Ombudsman of St. Maarten that he is indeed acting in conflict of interest and could not mediate in any labor dispute at TELEM since he is the chairman of the Supervisory Board." A complaint was filed with the Ombudsman who completed her report on February 12th 2015. Boasman's contract as mediator for the Department of Labor will end on June 5th 2015.
Evers and his other board members said that they wrote several letters to the former shareholder representative former Prime Minister and now Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams and she never responded to their letters. He said that they even discussed the matter with the former Minister of Labor now Member of Parliament Cornelius de Weever and he too did nothing.
Evers said that he is of the opinion that the entire supervisory board of TELEM should leave and new persons should come on board because most of the persons on the board have been there for ten years or less. Besides that he said that since the company has no CEO the management team does what they want. Evers alleged that the management of TELEM has been bribing the members of the Supervisory Board since they are travelling around the world at the expense of the company. Asked if he has proof of his allegations Evers said there are enough proof to back up what he saying. He said one must know that the members of the supervisory board has nothing to do with the daily operations of the company yet they are travelling on behalf of the government owned company to conduct business.

Click here to view letters and Ombudsman report on TELEM.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A presentation will be made to the Permanent Committee of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunication of the House in a closed door session on March 05.

The Permanent Committee meeting is set for Thursday at 3.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is a presentation by representatives of the St. Maarten Quarter Development Company N.V. on the Sint Maarten Quarter project.

This session of the House is not open to the public.

Willemstad:---  The Centrale Bank van Curacao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) has taken note of an anonymous news report suggesting that the President of the CBCS has given a certain bank preferential
treatment in granting that bank permission for a master license for Western Union.
The CBCS emphatically refutes and denies these allegations. The CBCS has never, at any moment, granted permission for a master license, given that – only until last Friday – there was no legislation
concerning the supervision on these master licenses, thus there was no legal framework for the CBCS to act accordingly.
As mentioned, the national ordinance concerned entered into force last Friday and the CBCS is now developing a policy with respect to the application requirements to qualify for a master license
permit. Only when this policy is implemented, will the CBCS start handling applications for permissions. The CBCS confirms that, currently, there are no applications under consideration.
In conclusion, the CBCS emphasizes that no permission for a master license has been granted to any bank or other financial institution. These are false allegations which are not based on any fact
and can only be seen as yet another attempt to damage the reputation of the CBCS and its President.

 Says Benelux representatiosn being worked on ~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Based on discussions that have taken place, Honorable Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Claret Connor, hereby announces that Arkefly will start flying to St. Maarten as of November 2015 using the Dreamliner aircraft.

Minister Connor, his Cabinet and the management of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau recently met with the Arkefly representatives, Rob Oostendorp, Product Group Manager Caribbean, The Americas & Southern Africa, and Sebastiaan de Vries, Product & Purchasing Manager Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao, where the possibility of having Arkefly/TUI provide service to St. Maarten once again.

Subsequently, it was decided that the year round service would resume with operations from Amsterdam to St. Maarten, twice weekly; on Wednesdays and Sundays. The scheduled route for this service is Amsterdam, St. Maarten, Curacao, Amsterdam.

"We are pleased that Arkefly is returning to St. Maarten/St. Martin and already have 14 hotels that will be included in their product line," disclosed Minister Connor.
The Minister added, ... "the added airlift will assist St. Maarten in reaching the leisure travellers which targets a different clientele than those that may travel on KLM."

The first flight is scheduled to land at the Princess Juliana International Airport on Sunday, November 1, 2015 with a Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner, which has a total capacity of 300 seats.
The various classes available on the Dreamliner are: economy, comfort and premium comfort.
In June 2014, Arke became the first Dutch airline to add the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to its fleet. The airline received its second Dreamliner in December 2014, and the third is scheduled for delivery in March 2015.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is lighter, quieter, more fuel-efficient, and above all, more comfortable than the current generation of passenger aircraft.
Arkefly is TUI/Nederlands own airline and part of the extensive TUI international fleet. Arkefly's Dutch fleet includes the Boeing 767-300, the 737-800 and the 787 Dreamliner. Arkefly flies to more than 55 holiday destinations on five continents.

As for representation in the Benelux market, Minister Connor and the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau is going through the process of identifying and subsequently selecting a firm that would once again give St. Maarten an effective presence in this key market. It remains a priority for the Minister and has the urgent attention of the bureau as well.

Young Kings Awards event merged with SXM Weekend of P.O.W.E.R. 2015

PHILIPSBURG:--- GIFTED Foundation will launch the A Betta Tomorrow SXM project with our 3rd annual SXM Weekend of POWER for May 28-31, 2015. This project is in association with A Betta Tomorrow, a Jamaican initiative of Kevin Smith. The launch was previously booked for March 5-7, 2015 but was rescheduled as a merged event with the SXM Weekend of POWER events. Kevin Smith, Rizon and DJ Nicholas will join the Caribbean Gospel Music Tour's cast of BiggerBetterLouder 2015 with Curtis Jordan and a host of other artistes from across the region.

Following on the success of last year's tour of the Sons of Thunder, several gospel artistes and ministers will be visiting our island from across the Caribbean, doing school tours and concerts. GIFTED is focusing on Sint Maarten's young men in 2015, giving recognition to the exemplary young men between the ages of 13 to 20 years, enrolled in high school, who are role models for their peers and making their contribution to a better tomorrow for Sint Maarten. Each high school is able to nominate ONE (1) male student in each of the following five categories: Academics; Athletics/Sports; Expressive Arts (Music/Visual Arts/Dance/Drama); Community Service; and, Leadership. Nomination forms are available at each high school.
Completed nomination forms are to be returned via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by March 31, 2015.

Each nominee may submit a self-motivating video between 60 to 90 seconds via email to the same address, about his personal story and how he is contributing to 'A Betta Tomorrow' for St. Maarten. Videos will be uploaded to GIFTED's Youtube page and shared on GIFTED Foundation's Facebook page. Views, Shares and Likes for each video will add points in the selection of the winner. Video submission deadline is April 17, 2015. Youtube and Facebook views, shares and likes will be counted as of May 31, 2015 at 5pm. All nominees from the different high schools will be reviewed per category and one will be selected for the 'GIFTED Young Kings' Awards. The winners will be announced during the "A Betta Tomorrow SXM" concert on May 31, 2015 at the Port de Plaisance tent, starting at 7pm. Each nominee will be provided with a COMPLIMENTARY ticket to the concert.

All elementary and secondary schools are encouraged to participate in the A Betta Tomorrow (ABT) SXM project, as all schools are eligible to raise funds for their ABT project by receiving 25% of ticket sales for the concert.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The police department has again intensified their general controls as of Monday March 2nd with the start of the Heineken Regatta. This event which has been growing steadily over the years will be given a lot of attention because of the large amount of visitors to the island and the many events that will be held during this event. The police department will be working in close collaboration with the V.K.S., the Coast Guard, Customs, Sint Maarten Sea Rescue Foundation, Immigration, Border Control and Protection, Harbor Group of Companies and the Public Prosecutors Office. The main focus of the entire event is safety and security for all.
The Minister of Tourism the Honorable Claret Connor sat in a meeting On Monday March 2nd with members of the police force and the Acting Chief of Police Commissioner Carl John. During this meeting the minister was informed of the measures that will be taken to safeguard the security and safety during the festivities.
The police department is requesting everyone that when coming out to attend the events to make sure that the documents for your vehicle are in order and that you should walk with proper picture identification at all time, to avoid unnecessary inconvenience.
Results of the ongoing general controls
During the general controls held by police between February 15th and March 1st a total of 135 fines were given for traffic violations. 20 persons were arrested; 3 without identification, 2 illegal status on the island, 1 ill-treatment, 1 attempted break-in, 4 illegal drug possession, 1 fire-arm possession and 8 with an arrest warrant. These controls will continue

Suspect arrested for fire-arm possession
On Monday, March 2nd at approximately 11.35 p.m. information came into the Central Police Dispatch that shots were fired in the vicinity Belair. Immediately several patrols were sent to that area to investigate. The entire Belair area was searched any results. The search continued in the Fort Willem area. There is where a patrol saw a man riding on a scooter and who is well known to police to carry a fire-arm.
The investigating officers stopped this man on the Cannegieter Street in order to carry out a routine search. The man was asked to hand over all documents for the scooter, but could not so. He was then asked to allow them search the scooter, which he agreed. While searching the scooter, a caliber. 45 pistol was found. The suspect was immediately arrested and the fire-arm confiscated. He was taken to the Philips burg Police Station where he remains in custody for further investigation.
Burglary suspect arrested.
The burglary suspect with initials J.C. for whom a warrant for his arrest was issued has been arrested on Pear road in Sint Peters on Monday March 2nd. The arrest took place without any resistance. The suspect was taken to the Police Head Quarters in Philipsburg where remains in custody for further investigation.

KPSM Police Report.

Says Government knows who the owners of companies are that are doing business with Government Owned Companies.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the Democratic Party and Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams and the party advisor Emil Lee expressed concerns on the attitude displayed by some Government Owned Companies. Wescot Williams said that recently the management and Supervisory Board of some of the Government Owned Companies refuses to answer questions posed by Members of Parliament and even refused to turn over relevant documentation. " I am quite disturbed by the attitude displayed by these government own companies towards the Parliament of St. Maarten, also I think that Government is the shareholder representative and Parliament has to seek all they need from these Government owned companies from the Government "the Minister" responsible for each of them. "Today we have to deal with a situation where everything seems clouded or it's confidential or secrecy." Wescot Williams said there is a difference between government and parliament and as long as matters are raised in parliament it then becomes a public matter. She did say that some matters can be dealt with behind closed doors but that can only be done if it's requested.
Wescot Williams told reporters on Tuesday at a press conference that she is particularly peeved at the St. Maarten Harbor Group of Companies (SMHGC) who blatantly refused to give Parliament the contracts they have with Checkmate Security. Wescot Williams said even the Minister claim not to know who the owners of the company are and in her view Government has to have this information. The DP Member of Parliament said that it behooves everyone to know that the Harbor is injecting monies in a Security Company that is having financial problems. "Here you see the Harbor is budgeting monies for training for the staff of this private security company even though they are in financial straits. What I need to know is what will happen to the monies this government owned company invested for training if the company Checkmate Security goes belly up." Wescot Williams said that since the SMHGC is withholding information she requested the chairman of the TEATT committee that handles matters pertaining to SMHGC to call a meeting where they will discuss the annual accounts of SMHGC. She said she explained to MP Frans Richardson her reasons for requesting such a meeting which she said will allow government to give Parliament accountability on the annual accounts that was sent to Parliament. "The secrecy and tight lipped attitude by the companies create a situation where people are making allegations and are speculating because both government and the management of these government owned companies are not being open and transparent." Emil Lee called on the media on St. Maarten to keep the issue alive because that is the only way people will get to know what is happening in their country and the companies owned by government.
Advisor to the Democratic Party Emil Lee said that these Government owned companies must have information on the companies they are doing business with. Lee said what if it turned out that one of these companies is owned by Al-Qaeda then that in itself will threaten the country's economy.
Lee said that the ISPS code clearly define that the ports of entry be fully compliant. He said that the security company owed SZV some NAF2.3M. "That alone could cause this company that is providing security for the port to get involved in illegal activities to gain more monies to pay off their debts." Lee said should that happen then the country's tourism business will be placed at risk. He said after reading the reaction from the former owner of Checkmate Security it raises a number of questions. "The former owner said that Checkmate Security has a contract that is valid until December 2015, so SMHGC now has to say why they re-negotiated the contract and why they did not place it on a bid knowing the amount of monies they have decided to inject in the company.
Wescot Williams they faced the same situation with GEBE when they asked GEBE to disclose with whom they signed an MOU with. "Even though GEBE agreed to send the information in writing to Parliament they are yet to receive it."
Wescot Williams also shed light on the meetings she held with representatives of the Timeshare Industry and the Minister at TEATT.
Wescot Williams said Parliament has to also discuss its budget for 2015 since they did not get the amount of monies they requested. "This means Parliament will not have enough monies to hire people with legal background to assist the various factions. Asked if she thinks that Parliament should cut back on its travelling Wescot Williams said that has to be discussed because the budget given to Parliament was calculated based on the amounts of travelling and it is clear that several Members of Parliament will have to travel less.

Click here to view letter sent by DP Faction on ISPS Code

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Saturday, February 28 at the University of St. Maarten, a certificate ceremony was held for those civil servants who successfully completed the USM course in English and Spanish.

Present at the ceremony were Minister of TEATT, The Honorable Claret Connor, Secretary General, a.i., Ministry Education, Sports and Culture, Jorien Wuite and General Affairs Director of Resources and Support Erno Labega.

The courses were organized by P&O (Personeel & Organisatie) and executed by USM. The funds were made available by USONA with regards to the IVB (Institutionele Versterking en Bestuurskracht/Institutional improvement) project.

To date, more than 200 employees have participated in English, Spanish, French, Customer Service, and other courses for the year 2014. The goal of providing courses is to enhance the level of service in the Government Administration.

The other civil servants who successfully attended courses at USM will be presented their certificates at a later date. These courses are part of a program geared towards civil servants attaining a Liberal Arts Degree at USM.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism Claret Connor on Monday hosted a meeting with all the key players in the organizing and security of the Heineken Regatta. The meeting which was held at the Police Department focused on ensuring a safe and memorable experience for residents and visitors alike by making sure all contingent plans are in place.

The Minister stressed that the Regatta is important to the marine industry which, in turn, is important to St. Maarten. He said everyone will participate and have an enjoyable experience but at the same time, many will also want to take advantage of the situation.

"My approach has always been a proactive one. I called the meeting to make sure all the T's were crossed and I's dotted. We discussed how we will deal with those 'lil issues' that can arise to hamper the overall experience. Also discussed was the chain of command and how government and the organizers will mitigate bad experiences," the Minister said.

Minister Connor said he was proud of how the police have taken the lead and a no-nonsense approach to safety and security. In addition to meeting with Regatta organizers on a prior occasion, the police have also met with the relevant taxi associations to regulate the movement of people and traffic. All plans were shared with the Minister.

Minister Connor asked the public to exercise patience during the days of Regatta as there will be some inconvenience "but it is some inconvenience that will be beneficial to us all in the long run. I ask one and all to support the parties that the Regatta has organized and the overall event which is a terrific showcase for the destination."

PHILIPSBURG:---Member of Parliament Silveria Jacobs while expressing appreciation for the presentation of the multiannual strategic plan by the Harbour Group of Companies via its CEO Mark Mingo during the Committee meeting on Thursday had several questions and observations.
Several issues were raised by the MP pertaining to Government's Program and its subsequent strategic plan, which has not yet been presented to Parliament. Is this strategic plan of the Harbour in line with Government's strategic plan and/or the country's National Development plan? In moving forward, there must be synchronization in setting strategic goals by Government and Government owned companies. This will further eradicate the idea which sadly still exists of said companies functioning as satellites.

MP Jacobs also sought answers to questions in relation to the Harbour's plan to diversifying and enhance St. Maarten's tourist product on a cultural level through investments in real estate. The MP further stated that any plans pertaining to a walkway to town culminating in a walkway to Fort Amsterdam as well as further plans pertaining to the fort and other monuments should include consultation with the Monument Council, Culture Department and Cultural Minister to avoid duplication of efforts and sharing of information. The Harbour CEO was unaware of any developments pertaining to efforts by the Culture Department to get the fort registered on the World Heritage List in order to gain financing for its restoration.

While the Harbour seemed open to these suggestions as well as to ideas centered on government owned companies' responsibility to contribute to the social welfare and the development of our communities and programs which are in dire need of funding, they still seemed bent on maintaining a level of secrecy about other key areas.
The tight lipped attitude of the Harbour pertaining to the apparent 300% increase in the Security contract for the Harbour only creates more sensation and speculation. This attitude only further contributes to the lack of transparency in Government owned companies.

The state of disrepair of the roads and sidewalks in Philipsburg was also noted as an area in which they could contribute, however it is known that the current design and construction to "beautify" Philipsburg is a Harbor investment which has turned into an eyesore and a complete failure. Residents and tourists alike are prone to fall on the sidewalks which are riddled with loose bricks, holes and left over pieces of hardware sticking out of the ground. The dips and ditches created by shifting bricks and/or the sand below has made driving through front and back street more of a high seas adventure.

MP Jacobs further stated that while the Harbor looks at the numbers and St. Maarten's ranking based on the number of tourists visiting our island, the direct economic boom for businesses and the community is not felt.
She further stressed that we should seek to increase in quality rather than quantity as the negative effects on our society when thousands converge on our island at one time makes it unbearable for tourists and residents alike.
The plan to build more shopping and dining areas between Harbor and town can also further diminish the probability of such businesses in the Philipsburg area being able to survive.

The NA MP would like to see a strategic plan from government with priorities listed, and showing how the plans of the government owned companies will contribute to its execution. In this way, Parliament will be able to hold them accountable for the execution thereof.
The people of St. Maarten also deserve to know and have waited long enough to hear from its government in terms of its plans; who the two new Ministers will be; and what their priorities are for 2015 and beyond.

French Quarter:--- Residents of French Quarter were thrown into shock on Tuesday when they heard of the brutal murder of the owner of the Old House "Former Rum Museum" Pierre Beauperthuy.
A tenant that is living on the property told SMN News that she is the one that found Beauperthuy's body on his porch. The woman said when she returned home and did not see "Pierre" she went looking for him and she made the gruesome discovery.
Relatives of the elderly businessman said that they hope a proper investigation is conducted by authorities because when they reached the scene they were not allowed to go inside as the Gendarmes and its forensic team were busy investigating. One of the relatives told SMN News that while the body of their relative was found with gunshot wounds on his balcony, a child found a bullet shell not far from his gate while there was a spot of blood not far from where the empty shell was found. From outside we could see a blood spot not far from the gate, another thing that raises questions for the family is how is it possible for people to shoot Beauperthuy and no one heard the gunshots. We are wondering if he was killed at his house where the body was found or if he was killed elsewhere. We know that the Gendarmes confiscated his car." The relative  further said that Beauperthuy was last seen Monday evening at an event in the Sucker Garden area. "Pierre was a very quiet person and he is not someone that got into trouble with anyone. Some of the people on the scene are now wondering if those responsible for his murder thought he had monies because its the end of the month.
Captain of the Gendarmerie Slyvian Jouault confirmed that they were notified by someone sometime Tuesday morning that Beauperthuy was found dead. Jouault said that he cannot give any details on the ongoing investigations but could confirm that Beauperthuy's body bore gunshot wounds.

Relatives of murder victim Pierre Beauperthuy peeved at newspaper article
Persons claimed that Beauperthuy's Life was Threatened.

 Several members of murder victim Pierre Beauperthuy are very much upset at a newspaper article that they said made more assumptions while a murder investigation is underway. The relatives who contacted SMN News said that how could a journalist interview a relative of the victim who was highly emotional. Secondly they said that assuming that their relative must have committed suicide or robbed even before the investigation started is very much irresponsible since members of the family that were on the scene of the crime does not live with Pierre. The relatives stated that they have been hearing that a certain person threatened to kill Pierre over a property his father owned. That property they said Pierre's father operated a shop. "While we do not know persons from French Quarter told us a particular individual told several persons she would kill Pierre over the property." Right now it is very disturbing to read that our elderly uncle must have committed suicide when he is known to be a very happy and friendly man.
Captain of the Gendarmerie Slyvian Jouault said on Wednesday that there are all types of rumors circulating on the island pertaining to the murder of Pierre Beauperthuy. Jouault said that the investigators have not come to any conclusions as to the cause of death of Pierre Beauperthuy and they are busy investigating all angles of the case to determine exactly who is responsible for the murder of Pierre Beauperthuy.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo said a request was sent on Monday February 23rd 2015 to the Chairman of the Committee Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommuncation Member of Parliament Frans Richardson for a meeting to be held on the current Moratorium Policy on Bus, Taxi, and Tour Permits.

"Clarity is being sought on this matter because despite having a moratorium policy, exceptions were made in the past and permits were still awarded based on the discretion of the minister.

"It is in this aspect that this faction is seeking changes in the process and encouraging the current minister to review the current Moratorium Policy on Bus, Taxi, and Tour Permits. Suggestion will be made in the requested committee meeting," Independent MP Hon. Leona Marlin-Romeo said on Monday.

GREAT BAY:--- From Yvette's Kitchen To Your Table – A Treasury of St. Martin's Traditional and Contemporary Cuisine by Yvette Hyman, is now in its 4th printing, which has just been released here by House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP).
The cookbook has been a bestseller since it was first published in 2011. The island's bookshops have been without the title, however, since mid-2014, when the third printing was sold out, said HNP president Jacqueline Sample.
"Mr. Albert Chance at Van Dorp bookstore and Ms. Karen Richardson of Shipwreck Shops can both attest to the demand for Yvette's cookbook from St. Martin's people and tourists," said Sample.
The new copies of From Yvette's Kitchen To Your Table are now available at Van Dorp, Shipwreck, Yvette's Restaurant, and www.SPDbooks.org, said Sample.
Among the book's 312 colorful pages, St. Martin classic favorites such as souse, Johnny cake, Conch Yvette's, lamb stew, coconut tart, guavaberry and soursop drink are just a few of the over 200 recipes by Yvette Hyman. The award-winning chef also founded, along with her husband Felix, the Yvette's Restaurant in French Quarter.
The 13 chapters of the hardcover book include Appetizers, Soups, Poultry, Fish and Shellfish, Meat, Salads, Dumplings, Rice and Fungi, Breads, and Desserts, said Sample.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (VROMI) conducted an island wide road assessment for scheduled patchworks, which will commence on Sunday in the Lowlands/Colebay area and continue throughout the other districts from 8PM to 5AM daily per assigned schedule.
The assessment was conducted specifically concentrating on potholes on main roads and secondary roads.
Tending roads in the Lowlands area include: Rhine Road, Jordan Road, Maho area: Beacon Hill Road, Simpsonbay: Airport Blvd, Sr. Patientia Road, Welfare Road, Cole Bay: Wellington Road, Well Road, Union Road, and ACJ Browers Road in the Cay Hill area.
Works will adapt schedules according to weather permitting conditions and communicated to the public accordingly.
Motorists and residents are requested to be vigilant and put keen attention while driving in the area, or use alternative routes if possible.

Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconvenience that this may cause.

SIMPSON BAY:--- Port St. Maarten – The Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority would hereby like to inform the St. Maarten community that in connection with the 35th Edition of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, there will be additional bridge openings to accommodate the vessels that will be partaking in the annual race.

There will be five additional Simpson Bay Bridge openings with the first one starting at 8.00AM on Thursday, March 5 for outbound vessels.

On Friday, March 6 there will be two additional Simpson Bay Bridge openings, the first one at 8.00AM for outbound and at 6.00PM for inbound vessels.

On Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8 there will be additional openings at 8.00AM for outbound vessels.

Motorists are advised to take note of the aforementioned when planning to head towards the SXM Airport or heading to work in the Simpson Bay, Maho and Cupecoy areas.

The Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority wishes everybody, the participants and visitors who came to the country for the 35th edition of the regatta a safe event and happy sailing.

PHILIPSBURG:---The Department of Statistics (STAT) announces the end of its Pilot Household Budget Survey. 40 households participated in this practice-run, from February 15th through 28th. This helped STAT to test its fieldwork organisation, interviewers, the burden on households, as well as internal processes such as data validity and editing. Each household has been rewarded with a token of appreciation from STAT's partners namely, Cost-U-Less, Le Grand Marche, Sunny Foods, United Telecommunications and TelEm Group.
In the upcoming weeks, STAT will evaluate the Pilot and make any necessary changes for the official Household Budget Survey which starts on April 1, 2015.
As is the methodology for the Household Budget Survey, households will be contacted directly by STAT beforehand, to notify them of their selection in the sample. Following this, a select group of persons will hand-deliver notification letters and information packages to these households. Prior to the specific survey-period, STAT will confirm the households' participation within a particular time-period. The survey is scheduled to run for 8 months until December 2015.

The Department of Statistics would like to ensure that in accordance with the Statistical Ordinance (AB 2013, GT no.450), participation in STAT surveys are mandatory and all information will be handled confidentially. STAT also thanks the population of St. Maarten for their continuing cooperation.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Chippie, the mobile service of UTS, will once again be one of the major sponsors of the 35th annual St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. The mobile brand with be partnering with the St. Maarten Yacht Club again to support the yearly event which brings many visitors to the island on a yearly basis. The company will also be offering various specials and promotions to the general public at the Regatta parties which will be held this weekend at various locations. "We've developed offers that we are certain our customers will appreciate by adding something extra with a purchase. Who wouldn't like an extra gift when you're buying something.' says UTS Marketing and Communications Officer, Ivy Lambert. 'We have been working with Heineken and the Yacht Club for various years now and we are happy to be able to continue our partnership with them to assist them in staging this event. It gives our island a welcome economic boost at the beginning of slow-season' Lambert continues. CaribServe, the broadband internet service of UTS will also participate as a sponsor of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. The brand is the official internet provider of the event, providing connectivity for real-time racing results on location. In addition there will be complimentary wifi at the yacht club, the VIP areas at each of the night-time Regatta parties, as well as a larger wifi-zone which will be accessible to the general public. 'To make any event a success, good communication is key and we're happy to assist the Yacht Club by offering them our newest technologies to make their work a little bit easier.' Lambert states.

MULLET BAY:---  The St Maarten Golf Association SMGA started preparations for the 23rd annual St. Maarten Open Golf Tournament that will take place on Saturday and Sunday April 18 and 19, 2015 at the Mullet Bay Golf Course.

The last couple of years the St. Maarten Open attracted a large contingent of local players from St. Maarten and St. Martin, as well as some of the most talented and highly competitive golfers from our neighboring islands like, Anguilla, St. Lucia, Nevis, Curacao and Guadeloupe as well as players from Canada, United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Last year a record of 101 players participated in the 36 holes stroke play tournament and the SMGA has high hopes to top that number this year.

This two day tournament is made possible due to our year round major contributors Mullet Bay Resort and Golf Course and B&C Beverages, combined with the tremendous annual support and sponsorships the SMGA received from the St. Maarten Tourist Office as well as a huge amount of local and international businesses.

As always, the net proceeds from this event will benefit multiple local community organizations. From recent Opens, donations have been made to organizations including: LAB Sports Academy, the Generation New Status STM Band, No Kidding with our Kids Foundation, Imbali Dance School, the I Can Foundation, Mental Health Foundation, Key to Freedom, Repair of Broken Walls Community, Art Saves Lives Foundation and in addition the St. Maarten Golf Association Junior Golf program which teaches kids the basics of the game in an after-school program and provides professional instruction.

If your company would like to be a sponsor in this event and have great exposure for your brand and products do not hesitate to contact one of the board members of the SMGA or visit our Facebook site
www.facebook.com/St.MaartenGolfAssociation.

The SMGA is a non-profit organization of avid golfers that promotes the practice of the game of golf and to foster community sense. The SMGA organizes golf matches and tournaments for its members and non-members and donates most of its proceeds that are made through membership fees and during these events like the St. Maarten Open to multiple community organizations on the island.

The Board of the St. Maarten Golf Association
(Keith Graham, Marc van Iersel, Rodney Tackling, Mark Hanauer, Ricardo Perez, Jan Peter Holtland and Ivan Havertong)
www.facebook.com/St.MaartenGolfAssociation

If you like more information about this event or schedule an interview with either the SMGA President Mr. Keith Graham or the SMGA Tournament Director Mr. Rodney Tackling, please call Marc van Iersel at +1721-5202901 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHILIPSBURG:--- Members of Parliament have decided to formulate a number of questions that they will send to the Kingdom Council of State regarding the instructions given to St. Maarten. The members of Parliament met on Monday during a meeting of the Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary relations.
All Members of Parliament that attended the meeting agreed that St. Maarten has to take a stance on the instructions they said were taken illegally since it is not in alignment with the country's constitution and the Kingdom charter.
Questions will be send to the Council of Advice to say which judicial basis can be used by the Kingdom to issue an instruction to the Governor of St. Maarten by Kingdom decree.
Members of Parliament feel that St. Maarten's President of Parliament should meet with the Presidents of Parliament of Aruba and Curacao to better prepare their action plan prior to the IPKO meeting which is scheduled for April 2015.
Monday was the last day St. Maarten had to submit questions and while Government did not consult with Parliament to formulate the questions it clearly states during the IPKO meeting that it is the Parliaments that has the authority to pose questions or even address matters such as these.
One of the issues the Parliament of St. Maarten have decided that they will press forward for establishment of the dispute committee.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday February 27th at approximately 07.15 p.m. during a routine control on the A. Th. Illidge road at a location which is known as a location for drug trafficking one suspect was arrested for the possession of 22 X-TC pills. The suspect was arrested while he was searched along with two other suspects. The suspect was taken to the Philipsburg Police Station and remains in custody for further investigation.

Shooting in Dutch Quarter
On Saturday February 28th at approximately 09.50 p.m. several police patrols, detectives and Forensic Department were sent to the A. Th. Illidge road in Dutch Quarter to investigate an incident whereby shots were fired. On the scene the investigating officers spoke to the victims who stated that they were just about to leave their home on a scooter when they saw an unknown man who was dressed completely in black with a fire-arm in his hand standing in the dark. Without any warning the unknown suspect started shooting at them causing them to speed off with the scooter. While speeding off a third shot was fired at them. Luckily none of the victims were shot. The victims could not give any statement who the suspect is and why anyone would want to shoot at them. On the scene the Forensic Department collected evidence. The Special Robbery Unit went on the question witnesses and is presently continuing this investigation.
Third robbery suspect arrested
The Detective Department is glad to announce that in connection with the ongoing armed robbery of the Atlantis Casino, the third suspect has been arrested and remains in custody for further investigation.

One suspect in attempted break-in arrested
On Monday March 2nd at approximately 01.45 a.m. police patrols were sent to investigate an attempted break-in at Windmill in Front Street. Shortly after that report the Central Dispatch received information that the suspects had fled to the Cannegieter Street. During the investigation witnesses informed the police that the suspects were running in the direction of Fort Willem. One suspect was seen by police running towards the Long Wall road where he was finally arrested. He was taken immediately to the Philipsburg Police Station where he remains in custody for further investigation. The second an possibly third suspect in this case has not yet been arrested.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Tuesday February 24th, 2015 His Excellency Eugene B. Holiday paid a working visit to the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association. The working visit of His Excellency is part of his programme to obtain a firsthand view of developments in the community in keeping with his objective to promote Excellence in Governance.
Governor Holiday was welcomed by interim SHTA Board President Lorraine Talmi and Executive Director Anenda Zaandam. The welcome was followed by an introduction to the Executive Board namely; Mr. Keith Graham – Treasurer, Mr. Ricardo Perez – Secretary and Mr. Paul van Vliet executive board member. The working visit consisted of a dialogue with the association about the current state of affairs within the SHTA and the Hospitality and Trade sectors. In addition the '2015 SHTA New Year Wish list for Government' was discussed.
During the meeting the SHTA was able to voice the concerns of their members with regard to current legislation, integrity, tax legislation, marketing representation of the island, labor laws and the infrastructure. The SHTA expressed their desire to work closely with the public sector to execute a plan of working 'smarter not harder' for the benefit of sustainable living for all on St. Maarten. .
The Governor's visit continued with a tour of the SHTA office and a meet and greet with the staff of the SHTA office. Governor Holiday concluded the visit by thanking the SHTA Board and director for their time, useful input for his various consultations and candor during the meeting and encouraged the association to continue its efforts to strengthen the cooperation between the public and private sector.

TORONTO, ONTARIO :---  Increasing regulation, transparency vs. confidentiality, the new HNW family and the rise of the US as a global "big brother" are all issues facing wealth structuring, financial services and trust and estate practitioner.

STEP CURACAO 2015 will address these and many other issues, macro trends and new developments in the new world of "midshore".

Designed for the mid level to senior practitioner, the conference has attracted delegates and sponsors from around the world.

Set to launch March 12 and 13th at Santa Barbara Resort, a five star resort and conference facility, STEP Curacao 2015 will set the new standard in thought leadership in the financial services sector.

The stellar line up of international speakers includes:

•  Keynote speaker and noted international author and Harvard business professor Niall Ferguson
• Vinod Kalloe, KPMG Netherlands
• Jonathon MacKay, Morgan Stanley, USA
• Oisin Lunny, Open Market, UK
• Jose Abbo, Capital Markets, Panama
• Toine Knipping, Amicorp, Singapore

A unique partnership between STEP Curacao, CIFC and CIFA, the conference will offer a unique look at the IFC of the future – a "midshore" jurisdiction that sets the standards for transparency, compliance and substance.

Delegate registration is open now and a limited number of spots are still available.STEP Curacao 2015 will be held in Curacao March 12 and 13th at Santa Barbara Resort and the full schedule, to register or for further information please visit the website.

www.stepcuracaoconference.com

STEP CURACAO 2015 PREDICTS "MIDSHORE" TO BE THE WAY OF THE FUTURE

CONFERENCE TO PROVIDE VALUABLE INSIGHTS ONTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MIDSHORE JURISDICTIONS

Lead partners and sponsors of STEP Curacao 2015, CIFC and CIFA, are confident that "midshore is the new reality". So confident, that along with the newly minted STEP Curacao branch, they have themed their inaugural conference around this positioning.

STEP Curacao 2015 promises to provide delegates not only with a glimpse of the future of IFC's, but also with stellar new business development and networking opportunities.

Designed to appeal to financial services, wealth structuring and trust and estate practitioners, the conference also boasts a first class line up of regional and international speakers. This conference will also be of special interest to service providers and advisors to HNW families and individuals in Latin America and beyond.

Keynote speaker and noted international subject matter expert, author and Harvard Business School Professor Niall Ferguson will lead the line up of impressive speakers including:

• Jan Kees de Jager
•  Former Minister of Finance, The Netherlands
•  Jose N. Abbo
• Capital Assets, Panama
• N. Gerald Cohen
•  Sutherland/Former Chief Counsel, IRS, USA

The speakers list also includes speakers from the region as well as a number of jurisdiction in Latin America and the US. The program has been designed to provide delegates with state of the art information regarding macro trends, key regulatory issues and informed dialogue on critical issues facing the wealth structuring and financial services professional today.

Conference registration is now open.

Summer Intensive will be held in June 2015

Cupecoy:--- On Sunday February 22, Fred J. Grigsby Jr. and Carol Pope, hosted a fundraising event at their home to raise funds for Art Saves Lives Foundation Summer Intensive which will be held from June 29-July 4th 2015.
Art Saves Lives students were also in attendance and performed spoken word, poetry and dance pieces from the ASL 2014 Intensive. Students from the National Institute of Arts (NIA), also Art Saves Lives Students performed the piece PAC-B 13 for an elated audience. Ms. Nicole De Weever, Founder and President of Art Saves Lives was present to thank Mr. Grigsby and Ms. Pope who she referred to as ASL Ambassadors for giving back to the children of St. Maarten.
Art Saves Lives is currently raising funds for their 2015 Summer Intensive. Artists from all over the world, including St. Maarten will teach classes over a week period. Art Saves Lives is also committed to hosting events supporting the arts throughout the year.
This is the Foundation's third annual Summer Intensive; among the additions this year is a Kizomba class for the parents and other adults not participating in the Day Program. Art Saves Lives is honored to give back to St. Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The driver of the X-trail jeep that was speeding on Bishop Hill road early Saturday morning and ended up in a freak accident that claimed the life of a 46 year old man remains in police custody. Press Prosecutor Tineke Kamps told SMN News in an invited comment that the driver of the vehicle remains in police custody and the prosecutor handling the case have decided to extend the driver/suspect pretrial detention by eight days on Monday morning.
Kamps said the driver who hails from Suriname has been charged with being "guilty of the death of a person" as prescribed in article 320 -321a of the penal code. Kamps said that even though the person death was not planned or the driver did not kill the victim on purpose he is still guilty and responsible for the death of the victim identified as David Charles.
Prosecutor Tineke Kamps said that the detectives and traffic department are still busy with the investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.

PHILIPSBURG:---- Minister of Finance Martin Hassink on Monday said there will be no extension of the deadline to pay motor vehicle tax.

The deadline to pay motor vehicle tax as stipulated in the law was February 28. The Minister said the provision of license plates and all related aspects were on schedule this year and, as such, no extension is warranted.

Now that the deadline has passed, the Tax Administration will inform the Police Department and a date will be set for motor vehicle controls. This will most likely happen sometime after the Heineken Regatta.

Persons who failed to pay their 2015 motor vehicle tax by February 28, 2015, could lose the right to their numbers.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications Mr. Claret Connor, together with supporting staff of his cabinet, met with Management of the Telecom Regulator of country St. Maarten (BTP-SXM) to get a better understanding of telecommunications regulations, recent developments in the industry and for the establishment of a constructive working relationship.
Part of the program was a presentation giving by Ryan Wijngaarde, PR-/ Marketing Manager of BTP-SXM, whereby the regulatory task, main responsibilities and future projects of BTP-SXM were further explained. The presentation was followed by an in-depth session about Quality of Service standards in the Telecom Industry. COO Giovanni King explained the importance of having such service standards in place to ensure consumers will receive the best possible telecom services in the nearby future.
After the presentations of the regulator, Minister Conner outlined the importance of a close collaboration between ministry and regulatory authority to tackle telecom related issues effectively. The minister stated: "it's of great importance that all stakeholders in the industry will come together, think together and work together to further enhance Telecommunications in St. Maarten". The minister further indicated that he will take the first initiative to bring all stakeholders together to discuss strategies for broadband development of the island.
Director of BTP-SXM Mr. Carty indicated that he shares the vision of the minister and is determined to take a leading role in this process. "We have a common goal and BTP-SXM will continue to develop and update policies, implement service standards and provide guidance to the industry and ministry to further improve telecommunication services on St. Maarten".

PHILIPSBURG:--- If you are one of the many shoppers who joined Kooyman for their first ever Home Improvement Fair, last Saturday, you'll know what a huge success the event was. Kooyman welcomed shoppers for a day of product demonstrations, exclusive special and fun and games. The event featured Kooyman supplier companies such as MAKITA Industrial Power Tools, MAPEI tile adhesives, AIR MASTER Windows and Doors and GLOBAL Paint Professionals. As well as local companies such as ROLLFIX Funmiles, Greenfingers, Paradise Pools, Ayman Mattress Factory, City Furniture, ICE/ Valley Estates, DLG Design & Decor, who all were featured exhibitors.
The event featured a food sale by Ms. V's Food Truck who provided all the vendors and participants with mouthwatering Caribbean favorite dishes; Greenfingers also held a plant sale with a number of great garden plants offered at super discount prices. And of course Funmiles was onsite to bring the FUN with their signature Dunk Tank game where shoppers could win up to 1000 Funmiles.
Customers were encouraged to benefit from the special deals available by MAKITA Industrial Power Tools, who slashed prices on special tool sets by almost 40% for that day only. And Miss Makita Maria Alejandra Montoya was all smiles as she greeted customers as she signed autographs.
"We at Kooyman are very pleased with turnout of the event which managed to attract 700+ customers throughout. Despite gloomy weather conditions, our home improvement enthusiasts definitely showed up and took advantage of the product specials," said Kooyman Commercial Officer, Evencia Carty-Seabrookes. "We look forward to holding this event in the future and making this event an even bigger attraction and service to the community of St. Maarten".
Kooyman would like to thank all shoppers who attended and all local partners: FunMiles, Windward Islands Bank, Independent Consulting Engineers/ Vally Estate, Paradise Pools, City Furniture, Ayman Mattrass Factory, Green Fingers, Ms. V's Food Truck and DLG Design and ROLLFIX for making the event a success.
For more information and pictures of past events visit www.kooymanbv.com or check out their facebook page at facebook.com/Kooyman.StMaarten.

WILLEMSTAD:--- In a press release of the Public Prosecutor (OM) Curaçao dated January 22, 2015 it has been reported that the date March 20, 2015 has been set aside to begin the proceedings in the court case "Babel." It is indicated that this will be a pre-trial (regie-zitting).The case will not be addressed substantively. Meanwhile G.F.S. and C.R.v.d.D. are summoned for the session of March 20, 2015.

On G.F.S. is accused officially of forgery (false invoices and false declaration loss diplomatic passport), (passive) bribery, money laundering and breach of the telecom legislation (the holding of so-called "jammers").
C.R.v.d.D. has been accused of forgery (falsification of invoices), money laundering
and breach of telecoms legislation.
The accusations took place on Curaçao, the United States of America (USA), Switzerland and/or Italy and committed in the period between January 2010 and December 2013.

A pre-trial hearing is usually to make a schedule for when the courtcase is dealt with substantively. The Court will indicate how much time the Judge needs to discuss the case file documents with the accused, the Prosecution will indicate how long they will need for the indictment and the defense will indicate how much time the plea session will take.

The pre-trial is also important for the defense to make any (further) research wishes. For example the defense witnesses might indicate for example that they wish to hear more witnesses in the case. The Court will ultimately decide which research
activities will still have take place and will ultimately determine when and where
the trial of the case will take place and how the program will look like then.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The games were played on a mostly overcast day, with high winds, some rain in the morning and bright sun in the late afternoon. Nonetheless, the twelve scheduled games took place without delay.

Results of Saturday February 28, 2015:

Game 1: Category 7+U
Learning Unlimited Hotshots vs Sr. Magda Greenboys: result 9 – 0 (at halftime 5 - 0)
Top scorers L.U. Hotshots: Ajani Blake and Marshall Leone both with 4 goals. The fifth goal was an own goal by the Sr. Magda Greenboys team.

Game 2: Category 7+U
Leonald Connor vs Sr. Regina: result 3 – 0 (at halftime 1 - 0)
Goal scorers Leonald Connor: Roshad Edward, Shamar Weekes and Jeromiah Lee all scored one goal.

Game 3: Category 7+U
Learning Unlimited Strikers vs Dr. Martin Luther King: result 2 – 0 (forfeit)
Dr. Martin Luther King did not have enough eligible players to start the game on time. A friendly game was played instead.

Game 4: Category 13+U
Charles Leopold Bell vs Sr. Magda: result 2 – 4 (at halftime 1 - 2)
Top scorer Charles Leopold Bell: Paul Attyl with 2 goals. He was assisted by Trace Fisher and Wade Andernon.
Top scorer Sr. Magda: Paul Speetjens with 3 goals and 1 assist. Paul was assisted twice by Jolian Peterson. Jaden Carty scored his first goal in the SMSEF Interscholastic Soccer Tournament. Congratulations Jaden!

Game 5: Category 9+U
Leonald Connor vs Dr. Martin Luther King: result 3 – 0 (at halftime 2 - 0)
Goal scorers Leonald Connor: Iverson Powell with 2 goals and Anthony Gumbs with 1 goal.

Game 6: Category 13+U
Oranje Combine vs Genevieve de Weever: result 0 – 14 (at halftime 0 - 9)
Top scorers Genevieve de Weever: Allen Rodrick with 5 goals and 6 assists, Ranjer Tejaolas with 3 goals and 4 assists and Lourens Shurviene with 3 goals.

Game 7: Category 13+U
Leonald Connor vs Dr. Martin Luther King: result 9 – 2 (at halftime 3 - 0)
Top scorers Leonald Connor: Gamy Charles with 5 goals and Durvane Solomon with 2 goals and 2 assists.
Top scorer Dr. Martin Luther King: D'Angelo Thompson with 2 goals.

Game 8: Category Girls 13+U
Leonald Connor vs Hillside Christian Angels: result 7 – 0 (at halftime 2 - 0)
Top scorers Leonald Connor: Karoline Quispe de los Santos with 4 goals and Stephanie Medina-Bran with 2 goals.

Game 9: Category Girls 13+U
Sr. Regina vs Sr. Magda: result 0 – 5 (at halftime 0 - 3)
Top scorers Sr. Magda: Rawlisha Busby with 3 goals and Tajikah Richardson with 2 goals and 1 assist.

Game 10: Category 9+U
Sr. Magda Energetics vs Combine Silly Shooters: result 1 – 4 (at halftime 0 - 1)
Goal scorer Sr. Magda Energetics: Jorginho Singodikromo scored Sr. Magda Energetic's lone goal.
Goal scorers Combine Silly Shooters: Matteo van Bekkum with 2 goals, Quincy Busby with 1 goal and 1 assist and Xabel Dias with 1 goal.

Game 11: Category 9+U
Sr. Regina Masters vs Sr. Regina New Stars: result 7 - 2 (at halftime 3 - 2)
Goal scorers Sr. Regina Masters: Alexander Mulder with 5 goals; Claude Peterson and Zymani Bass both with 1 goal.
Goal scorer Sr. Regina New Stars: The lone goal scorer for Sr. Regina New Stars was Leandro Zabala after an assist by Loet van Sleeuwen. The second goal was the result of an own goal by the Sr. Regina Masters.

Game 12: Category 11+U
Leonald Connor vs Hillside Christian: result 5 - 2 (at halftime 2 - 1)
Goal scorers Leonald Connor: Philando Parchment with 2 goals; Tyrese Whyte, Max Jean Baptiste and Drae Murray all with 1 goal. Drae Murray had in addition 2 assists.
Goal scorers Hillside Christian: Adel Ibrahim and Desreena Boston both with 1 goal.

Games will continue on Saturday, March 7, 2015

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday February 27th at approximately 02.30 p.m. police and Detectives was directed to a home on Claude Estate to investigate and armed robbery. On the scene the investigating officers spoke to the two victims that were in the house at the time of the robbery. The victims stated that an unknown young man had forced himself into the house with a firearm in his hand. At one point the suspect put the gun to the head one of the victims and threatened to use it. The suspect then went over and stole several personal belongings from the victims including two cell-phones. After committing this act the suspect fled to the scene.
Female found dead in her home
On Friday February 27th at approximately 11.20 a.m. a police patrol was sent to Middle Region # 3 to investigate strange situation. On the scene then investigating officers could smell a very unpleasant odor from a decaying dead animal or person. An elderly female who had not been seen for a while should be living at that address. After continuously knocking at the doors and windows and not getting any respond access into the building. Then is when the officers located the advanced decaying body of a female lying on the floor in the bathroom. The body was that of the elderly lady residing at that residence. The doctor who came to the scene stated that the victim had died of natural causes.
Fatal traffic accident
On Saturday February 28th at approximately 06.00 a.m. several police patrols, police traffic department and paramedics were sent to Bishop hill road for a serious traffic accident involving a pedestrian who was not showing any signs of life. On the scene the investigating officers encountered the accident scene that had a lot of material damage. They officers also located the lifeless body of a male victim with initials D.C. (46) under the rear wheel of a backhoe which was parked on the property where the accident took occurred. The victim had also suffered severe trauma to his head and body. The paramedics were on scene but could however not save the victim. A preliminary investigation by the police traffic shows that the driver of a grey colored Nissan X-trail with license plate P-5324 was driving at very high speed on the Bishop Hill road coming from the round about in Dutch Quarter. For unknown reasons this vehicle came off the road and impacted a white Hyundai Elantra with license plate P-9917 which was parked on the side of the road. At the same time the victim who was walking towards the apartment building he lives at, was also struck and ended up impacting a backhoe parked on the property of the apartment building resulting in severe head and body trauma. Dr. Mercuur came to the scene and pronounced the death of the victim. The d river of the grey Nissan X-trail has been arrested for further investigation.

KPSM Police Report.

INFOBIZZ prepares to for the first GO GET IT Edition of POWER HOUR

Great Bay:--- Foundation INFOBIZZ is preparing for the first POWER HOUR for the year under the theme: GO GET IT. On March 4, 2015 at the Belair Community Centre from 7:00 – 9:00 PM, entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial professionals will be able to learn the basics in how to protect their brand or business venture from the Bureau of Intellectual Property (BIP). The Bureau of Intellectual Property is the organization where persons can register copywrights, trademarks, and patents. This can be registered both nationally and internationally. At the POWER HOUR, BIP will giving a presentation on the basics of protecting one's intellectual property.
In addition to information on intellectual property protection, Mr. Robert Judd, country manager of FirstCaribbean International Bank, with decades of business and banking expertise will give 5 tips on how to succeed in 2015.
"We are excited for this first POWER HOUR. Both for 2015 will take place on March 4, 2015 from 7:00 – 9:00 PM and doors open at 6:30 PM. Tickets are $30 including refreshments and can be pre-ordered by e-mailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Registration for vendors is required and is $150 which includes table and chair rentals, tickets for MAX 4 persons, and refreshments. Registration opens on February 10, 2015. Location will be announced shortly.
For further details on POWER HOUR, GO DOMINATE or any other activities, contact Foundation INFOBIZZ at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.facebook.com/powerhoursxm.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament's website has been revamped. The new site is back online in a new format as of Monday, March 2 at the same website address: www.sxmparliament.org.

The Presidium of Parliament was recently given a preview of the site prior to it going live online. It was viewed by President of Parliament Hon. Dr. Lloyd Richardson, 1st Vice President Hon. Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo, 2nd Vice President of Parliament Hon. MP Cornelius De Weever, Secretary General Nancy Joubert, and Webmaster Alvin Prescod.

On the Home Page you have the meeting calendar allowing the general public to know which weeks are sittings of the House. Additional information will be provided with time and agenda points once convocations of house sessions have been communicated to MPs. The page also features a list of documents available for download; audio files; and Parliament TV allowing online viewers to follow House sessions in real-time.

There are also web links to other government entities of the country such as Government of St. Maarten, General Audit Chamber, Council of Advice, Bureau of the Ombudsman and the Social Economic Council.

The Info-links provide easy access to the parliamentary sites of Aruba, Curacao, the Netherlands and the Parliament of Latin America (Parlatino).

The site features information About Parliament: news items; admission members of parliament; meetings; duration of parliament; tasks; rules of order; resignation of members of parliament; immunity; parliament crest; and international relations.

Under the link Organization: the photos and how you can contact the members of parliament; president; vice presidents; secretary general; secretariat; a listing of parliament committees; and parlatino committees.

Under the Document link you will find the following: kingdom charter; constitution; other regulations pertaining to parliament; rules of order; draft national ordinances; questions in writing; parliament annual reports; and motions.
Under the Meetings link you have the audio video archive of past parliamentary sessions as well as the contact information for the House of Parliament.

The site is very easy to navigate and contains a wealth of information about the highest legislative body of the country.

GREAT BAY:--- Family and friends in his native St. Martin are probably over the shock or surprise that Sundiata Lake is a candidate in the March 18 Island Council election of neighboring Saba.
Lake is the number 8 candidate of the Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM). "I plan to focus during the election campaign, and in the Island Council, on Career and Skills Development for all Sabans, especially for our young people seeking meaningful jobs and new career opportunities," said Lake.
The first-time candidate wants to set up a career development center, and an apprenticeship/job training program with a possible tax break incentive for participating companies.
"The Career and Skills Center would inform and guide individuals with regard to present and new job and career options in Saba. This can work in areas such as IT, telecommunications, construction, administration, and health. This program could also attract Sabans studying and living abroad to return home," said Lake.
Lake is an Internet and computer technology specialist, and teaches at the Sacred Heart Primary School in Saba. "I also want to see the development of a working agreement between government and the private sector to provide internship opportunities for unemployed youth and young job seekers. A WIPM government would have to look at the feasibility of an agreement to secure tax deductions for companies that participate in the apprentice or internship program," said Lake.
The leading Saban politician and WIPM principal, Will Johnson, introduced Lake's candidacy to Saba and online publics on January 25. "We are proud indeed to have the grandson of my famous friend and mentor, Joseph H. Lake, Sr., on the WIPM party," said Johnson. Sundiata Lake is also the great grandson of Saba's late commissioner John Arthur Anslyn, said Johnson.
Cross-island candidacies are historically well tested in Caribbean politics but they are never without serious challenges. So Lake takes his connection to Saba a bit further. "I have been visiting Saba with my brothers and sister since I was a child, and lived with my uncle Jimmy Rogers. The people, families, and land of the 'Unspoiled Queen' have always been close to me," said Sundiata Lake.
"My mother, Patricia, is Saban-born. My St. Maarten father, Joseph H. Lake, Jr., and my grandfather, José Lake, Sr. – a great friend of Will Johnson – have always embraced, written about, and defended Saba and her people in their newspapers as a sister nation of St. Maarten," said Lake.
Sundiata Lake will not have an easy run at number 8 on the 9-member slate, headed by Roland Wilson. "I know it will be a challenge as a first time candidate. I decided to run for the Island Council Election and to voice the concerns of the people. I am working at being the people's voice. I am ready to serve," said Lake.
Lake, 39, has lived and worked in St. Martin, England, and the Netherlands, as a graphics designer and IT consultant. He recently took up teaching in Saba, where he lives with his wife and children. Lake has a Bachelor's degree from Miami International University of Arts & Design.
There are two political parties contesting for the five Island Council seats in Saba's March 18 election. The incumbent WIPM now holds four seats. The Saba Labour Party, headed in the 2015 election by Ishmael Levenston, holds one seat. There are two commissioners appointed to the territory's executive branch by the winning party.
The population of Saba is approximately 1,991 people. According to Saba's Lt. Governor Jonathan Johnson in The Daily Herald of February 3, about 1,000 people will be able to vote on March 18.

If the Contracts are not Provided Minister Claret Connor and Supervisory Board Should Resign Immediately.

PHILIPSBURG: --- Member of Parliament Christopher Emmanuel is calling on the shareholder representative of SMHGC Minister Claret Connor to provide parliament with the both the old and new contracts between Checkmate Security and the St. Maarten Harbor Group of Companies (SMHGC). MP Emmanuel said he is giving the Minister until the end of this week to provide parliament with the documents parliament requested. He said last week when the management of the SMHGC attended a meeting in parliament and the documents were requested management of the SMHGC told parliament that they need to check with the Minister and shareholder representative for such documentation. He said when parliament contacted the Minister he informed parliament that he has to check with the management of the SMHGC. "I need to know who really the government of St. Maarten is. Because it seems as though the SMHGC is a government by itself and they run things the way they want to and the shareholder representative does not know or have any grip on how the SMHGC is running its affairs."
MP Emmanuel said if the Minister cannot provide parliament with both the old contract and the new contract by the end of this week then the Minister of TEATT and shareholder representative of the SMHGC should tender his resignation along with the supervisory board. "The reason this Minister should resign is because he is unable to provide the people of St. Maarten with clear cut answers on how the SMHGC could give one company a 300% increase to run its operations. In my view the Minister does not know what transpired with this contract and by extension the supervisory board should tender their resignation because there is nowhere they could justify the increase. Checkmate Security had a bill of $936,000.00 annually, now they got an increase to S3M in two years."
Asked by SMN News if the Minister does not heed his call what other measure he intend to take, MP Emmanuel said he will be sending a letter to President of Parliament, the Council of Ministers especially the Prime Minister as well as to the second chamber in the Hague where he will highlight his concerns and to show that "something" is definitely wrong with the dramatic increase between Checkmate Security and the SMHGC. Emmanuel said further to that he will be calling for a meeting with the Minister and during that meeting he will be tabling a motion of non-confidence against the Minister. Asked how he intend to get support from the ten seat majority to support a motion of non-confidence against one of their Ministers, MP Emmanuel said it is clear he does not have the numbers on his side but it is also very clear that the people of St. Maarten need the answers from both the Minister and the supervisory board of SMHGC. "I know that motion will be defeated but one thing will come out of this is that the people of St. Maarten will wake up and they will see that something is going on between the SMHGC and Checkmate Security."
Emmanuel made clear that he is giving the Minister until the end of this week before he take action.

Activity has Consequences on Environment. Recurring Failure to Provide Permits

SIMPSONBAY:--- During a scheduled Nature Foundation Marine Patrol on Saturday February 28th Nature Foundation Manager Tadzio Bervoets noticed significant dredging and filling in occurring from a barge anchored in the Cole Bay section of the Simpson Bay Lagoon.

Upon further inspection no documents or permits could have been provided by the operator of the equipment nor was there any information available on the nature of the works that were being carried out. Contact was made with the head inspector of the Maritime Affairs department who was picked up by the Nature Foundation Patrol Vessel Yellowtail and proceeded to board the barge carrying out the dredging work. The operator on the dredge failed to present the necessary documents and the order was given to halt all activities while the investigation into the dredging and filling occurred.

The Nature Foundation would like to reiterate that dredging and filling of the Simpson Bay Lagoon or any wetland has significant consequences for the Marine Environment and should be done within strict environmental parameters. All activities should have the necessary permits and documentation in place in the event vessels, barges or machinery is boarded and inspected. Failure to do so can result in a closure of operations.