Articles

First of all: We wish each and everybody a prosperous New Year! We hope that we can make a new beginning as a community in which we will help each other to reach our goals on an individual level and as a community.
So often we are taking things for granted. One of those things is the "never ending supply" by our Mother Earth to fulfill our needs. We seem to forget that Mother Earth doesn't make plastic bags, glass bottles, batteries, paint etc. On the contrary, these products are severely damaging her. Knowing that is the case, why do we still harm her? And more particular: why do WE allow this to happen on OUR island SINT MAARTEN? On the other hand, Mother Earth is supplying us with her energy from what we call "natural resources". Natural resources are for example: sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat.
It is good to see that there are several individuals and groups who take it upon themselves to initiate clean ups. Tons of garbage is being gathered by these individuals and groups, trying to eliminate the negative effect of pollution on this island. We applaud these individuals and groups who take their time to clean up after other people. If only everybody had the same mindset as these individuals and groups...After all, it is a PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY to clean up after oneself and not of government or volunteers.
As mentioned before, Mother Earth is also supplying us with (unlimited) energy from natural resources. For years we hear rumors about the burning of garbage from the dump in town, changing it to usable energy for the island. Next to that, we hear about the plans for the BES islands using windmills and wind turbines to generate electricity. We also learnt about tax incentives when purchasing solar panels for either businesses or private homes in the Netherlands.
The three mentioned rumors/examples should be made a reality by our government. Get rid of the dump in town and use our daily garbage to create energy, use windmills and wind turbines to create energy and use tax incentives for businesses and individuals to purchase and use solar panels. If we as citizens also do our part and take our responsibility in cleaning up after ourselves and help keep our island clean, we will continue to be proudly saying that we have a beautiful island. Let's go green in 2013!...#sxmmovement

Soualiga Social Movement

One of my family members had a problem with her ice make/water dispenser on her frige. She called a repairman and he let her to know that her frige was old and it could not be repaired. He disconnected the water pump and cut the hose to the water dispenser collected his fee and left. Years later on a visit to this family member I requested ice for my drink and she told me this story. Anyway to make a long story short, she now has both ice and water again thanks to our perseverance (we repaired it ourselves).

Another family member let me to know she took her car to a repair shop in Cole Bay, the same shop that prompt this letter/article. She took her car in for repairs and wind up taking back there four time, before taking it elsewhere to fix the problem.

In another case, I took my truck for body repair and paint to a shop in Cole Bay, which will remain nameless, but the name starts with the letter Hassell's. As usual the work was to take two weeks and it was three days longer. Fine I receive the truck with poor finish bad workmanship and lights not working. I came to an agreement with Management to return the truck to rectify the problems. Six weeks later return the truck and it was like déjà vu the same thing all over again, the paint job was even worse this time, and the same problem of the lights not working AGAIN!! As they say in dutch "een ezel stoot zich geen tweemaal aan dezelfde steen" (a donkey don't stomp its foot twice on the same stone). So what does that make me? Now management again is asking me to return the truck for a third time to rectify the problems. I ask.

Is a lack of skill, integrity and professionalism among these so called tradesmen?

Whilst there is no consumer protection on St. Maarten and there seems to be no laws in place to aid us from these predictors, perhaps now more than ever there should be some procedures set in place at least to report these businesses. If nothing but a data base that one can request information about the business before you do business with them. At least you would have an idea as to type of people running/working at the place. The reputation, skill, integrity or the lack there of. As people have dealings with these establishments one could report to this agency good or bad and one can obtain there info before losing their money to them.

People come to SXM from all over the Caribbean and clam the mechanics, masons, electrician etc. But we here on the island have now way of verifying there skills, until after the work/mistake has been made. That would be like me immigrating to Guyana claiming I'm a airline pilot, and the boss just hands me the keys for the plane and say "boy hurry up take them passengers to St. Maarten come back" without knowing if I could fly or not!!!

Ceci Scott
PS: There are no keys to an airplane....

We are closing in on that special day December 25, when the time of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is going to be celebrated by many. I say many because the truth is told not everyone will see it as a time of celebration. There are many who have lost a loved one, there are many who are ill there are many who are unemployed, there are many who are facing all sorts of challenges and the list goes on. Many or most of you will agree with me that 2012 has been an extremely difficult year in all aspects of our society. I will not go into the details thereof but will suffice by saying that we can't change the past. But we can influence our present. We can do it. I have called for and probably might have to organize it and that is a meeting with all stakeholders to see how we can deal with our present social and economical situation. We can do it. We can truly build a strong St. Maarten if we understand that everyone has to contribute to its development. Government is responsible for managing the affairs of the people but cannot do it alone. I had a discussion with a tourist from Canada. We were talking about the issue of national health care where it is said that Canada has the best system. He said to me some people who can afford it complain because they have to pay more for others to benefit. And then he said something very interesting, the strong should help the weak. And let me add this, we are our brother's keeper. We have to help each other. There is more that can be said but it will be at the expense of being repetitive. I believe we know what has to be done. I want to take this opportunity to on behalf of my family and myself wish everyone a Merry Christmas as we remember the true meaning of that day and as we prepare for 2013 a healthy and prosperous New Year. We can do it.

Member of Parliament George Pantophlet

In Part 1, I ended with a chart depicting the velocity of money trend from 1900 – 2007. Interesting to note that the lowest levels ever for the velocity of money were 1.17 in 1932 and 1.15 in 1946. The decade of the 1930s saw the Great Depression in the United States and many other countries. During this decade large numbers of people lived in poverty, desperately in need of more food, clothing, and shelter. Yet the resources that could produce that food, clothing, and shelter were sitting idle, producing nothing. At the worst point of the Great Depression, in 1933, one in four Americans who wanted to work was unable to find a job. Further, it was not until 1941, when World War II was underway, that the official unemployment rate finally fell below 10%. There seems to be a very strong correlation between the velocity of money and purchasing power. The velocity of money seems to be the heartbeat of an economy.

In the example of the Capitol Hill Baby-Sitting Co-op we saw how an agreement that was meant to be beneficial for the members turned out to be worthless simply because each chose not to use their coupons for the purpose for which it was intended but to hoard it (store it up). I think the statement by Bernard Lietaer is good to bring into the picture at this time which goes "While economic textbooks claim that people and corporations are competing for markets and resources, I claim that in reality they are competing for money, using markets and resources to do so." The implications of this if true are immense. It means then that today, money will never serve its main purpose of being a medium of exchange because it is seen as a source of power and the more of it that one possess the merrier and thus it is hoarded which inevitably defeats the purpose for which money was ultimately created.

Silvio Gesell, in the book called "The Natural Economic Order" had this to say about Money. "Money is an instrument of exchange and nothing else. Its function is to facilitate the exchange of goods, to eliminate the difficulties of barter. Barter was unsafe, troublesome, expensive, and very often broke down entirely. Money, which is to replace barter, should secure, accelerate and cheapen the exchange of goods. That is what we demand of money. The degree of security, rapidity and cheapness with which goods are exchanged is the test of the usefulness of money. If, in addition to this, we ask that money shall cause a minimum of trouble by its physical properties, we make a claim that is valid only if the purpose for which money exists is not thereby defeated." http://www.utopie.it/pubblicazioni/gesell/free_money.htm

Now what if in the example of the Capitol Hill Baby-Sitting Co-op where one coupon entitled the bearer to one half-hour of sitting time lost value in that each month that passed by, from the date of issuance, the coupon lost value to the tune of 5 minutes? It means that after 6 months a coupon would be worthless (coupon expiration) and new coupons would need to be issued. If you had a 100 dollar bill that lost value at 1% per month would you still hoard it? Well some persons would because they are technically doing it now considering savings are less than 1% and inflation is over 4%. Nonetheless, the point I am trying to make is that we need to find a way to maintain a minimum velocity factor that will prevent recessions while keeping speculation at bay. So we need to maintain a level of velocity that is beneficial to the economy but without increasing the money supply unnecessarily. The money supply is the last thing that is needed to be increased because the world is awash in money (credit rather) despite what others may believe. Furthermore, here in St. Maarten in particular banks are over liquid. Therefore money is being hoarded.

If government has no interest in going into the banking business to help lower the playing field, then another way is to charge a small fee for the use of money. Money is a public medium of exchange agreed upon by consensus of the community. Therefore national money is publicly owned and not privately owned. A small fee charged for the use of money together with a sales tax structure would mean that both wage tax and profit tax can be abolished. This charging of a fee for the use of money was experimented with back in a small town in Austria in the brinks of the recession of 1932 – 1933 and proved to be extremely successful. This experiment is known as The Wörgl Experiment. In 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression, the small town of Wörgl in Austria successfully experimented with its own local currency (in the form of a stamp scrip). Based on the thinking of Silvio Gesell, an early 20th-century economist, and designed to stimulate the local economy, the new currency helped put the population back to work, and inspired many other communities to want to follow its example, until the experiment was abruptly terminated by Austria's Central Bank in 1933. To read more on this experiment see further reading at http://www.lietaer.com/2010/03/the-worgl-experiment/

How much such a system could generate in revenues for government? That would be an interesting research project to undertake to find out by creating a financial and economic model to determine whether a fixed or percentage fee might be best as well as to determine the best rate under various conditions. But in essence it would mean that current account and normal savings deposits at the end of each month would be charged a fee. Currency in circulation will not be charged a fee as this is money circulating and is assumed to be generating funds for government via sales tax. Is it equitable, justified, or fair for Government to charge a fee for the use of money? Well, first of all banks already do this. For example the bank takes $3 or 0.522 % monthly off of my dollar account for so called administration charges whether I use the money or not. Secondly, we know longer use commodity money nor is money backed by gold, silver, or anything tangible. Therefore the existing money system should only serve as a medium of exchange and not also function as a store of value. Savings or store of value purposes should be accomplished by other means such as investments in: real estate, businesses, stocks, bonds, gold, silver, etc. Thirdly, because money was primarily concocted to alleviate bartering, in the bartering era if you hoarded perishable commodities (grain, tobacco, corn, cattle, etc) you would experience a lost in value over time.

Emilio Kalmera

Member of Parliament and Faction Leader of the National Alliance George Pantophlet wants to know when the threats will stop. He was really annoyed by the press release that appeared in last Friday's news paper of the Daily Herald entitled: "Casino operators association disagrees with fees increase". The Member said that before he got involved in politics, he heard and read about multinational Corporations impact on governments all over the world. The intimidation tactics they used to get their way. Today he finds himself dealing with such institutions. What annoyed the Member of Parliament are the following statements and he paraphrases, if government increases additional fees on top of those currently paid it will inevitably force the operators to implement drastic cost cutting measures that will result in a zero or at worst negative effect on Government's coffers. The Member of Parliament would like to know if these institutions are up to date with their Naf 25 million fees which date back to 2001 because this is negatively impacting the coffers of government. Are they willing to come clean and open their books to government as to what revenues were generated the last 10 years? He knows this will never happen. See the Pelican Resort saga. And don't talk about the last 5 years because we all know of the Global Crisis that started in 2007. The association also mentioned the increase of these fees having a negative impact on the labor market as well as the economy as a whole. The Member of Parliament would like casino operators to explain to the people of St. Maarten what impact the short term contract better known as the 6 month contract is having on the labor market and the economy of St. Maarten. The casino operators association also said that the fees could tip the scale to the point where the operators would no longer consider it viable to keep open the doors of all currently operated casinos. Should the Member of Parliament then understand this to mean that these mostly foreign owned casinos will be handing in their licenses so that government can issue them to local St. Maarten persons who have requested casino licenses in the past but could not obtain one because of the moratorium? Why are they issuing these threats? For some 20 years or more they are paying the same fees. Not even this they are doing. And what have they contributed to St. Maarten? Social problems domestic abuse and you name it. The Member of Parliament said that the Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt did not impose the fees the way the former Minister of Finance did with the Turnover tax? Of course these casino operators did not complain because they don't pay turnover tax. What about the other businesses who have to pay turnover tax? The threats have to stop.

Member of Parliament George Pantophlet

This article does not professed to give the solution(s) to our current financial situation but it is intended to provoke out of the box thinking to help solve our big problem which in turn can have positive benefits in other areas of society and our economy.

To begin I want to start with the excerpt of an article I read a good while back entitled "How Did Economists Get It So Wrong?" in the New York times, published on September 2, 2009, by a gentleman called Paul Krugman who won the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science. (Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/magazine/06Economic-t.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

Paul gave a practical example of how a recession occurs. He states.....I like to explain the essence of Keynesian economics with a true story that also serves as a parable, a small-scale version of the messes that can afflict entire economies. Consider the travails of the Capitol Hill Baby-Sitting Co-op. This co-op, whose problems were recounted in a 1977 article in The Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, was an association of about 150 young couples who agreed to help one another by baby-sitting for one another's children when parents wanted a night out. To ensure that every couple did its fair share of baby-sitting, the co-op introduced a form of scrip: coupons made out of heavy pieces of paper, each entitling the bearer to one half-hour of sitting time. Initially, members received 20 coupons on joining and were required to return the same amount on departing the group. Unfortunately, it turned out that the co-op's members, on average, wanted to hold a reserve of more than 20 coupons, perhaps, in case they should want to go out several times in a row. As a result, relatively few people wanted to spend their scrip and go out, while many wanted to baby-sit so they could add to their hoard. But since baby-sitting opportunities arise only when someone goes out for the night, this meant that baby-sitting jobs were hard to find, which made members of the co-op even more reluctant to go out, making baby-sitting jobs even scarcer. In short, the co-op fell into a recession.

What Paul describes in his example is paramount in understanding the plausible solution that will be advocated in this article to balancing our country's budget. But before I go on to describe this solution one more ingredient needs to be explained which is called the velocity of money. In the published work done by Irving Fisher in 1912 entitled "The Purchasing Power of Money: Its Determination and Relation to Credit, Interest and Crises." Fisher employed what he called the equation of exchange to demonstrate the relationship between the quantity of money and the price level. He expressed the equation of exchange as: MV = PT where: M = Money (the average amount of money in circulation in the community during the year) V = Velocity (the average rate of turnover of money) P = Price level (the weighted average of all prices) T = Trade (the volume of trade). The statement MV = PT must always be true, given the preceding definitions for M, V, P, and T. Essentially, it means the amount spent (MV) is always equal to price of all the things bought (PT) for any particular community during any given period of time. MV is the quantity of money (M) multiplied by the number of times that money is used during the period (V). PT represents the price (P) of each product multiplied by the quantity purchased or the volume of trade (T). Fisher explained it as follows: In each sale and purchase, the money and goods exchanged are ipso facto equivalent; for instance, the money paid for sugar is equivalent to the sugar bought. And in the grand total of all exchanges for a year, the total money paid is equal in value to the total value of the goods bought. The equation thus has a money side (the left side of the equation) and a goods side (the right side of the equation). The money side is the total money paid, and may be considered as the product of the quantity of money multiplied by its rapidity of circulation. The goods side is made up of the products of quantities of goods exchanged multiplied by their respective prices. It is important to point out that the right side of the equation, PT, is equivalent to total economic output. It represents the price level multiplied by the volume of trade, or, in other words, the value of everything produced and sold by a community during a certain period of time. The value of all goods produced and sold by a country during one year is that country's gross domestic product, or GDP. Therefore, MV = PT = GDP. Of course today, M is equivalent to Credit therefore the formula today should be CV = PT but that is another topic for discussion.

Now why is the velocity of money so important to grasp together with the example of the Capitol Hill Baby-Sitting Co-op? See below chart and stay tuned for part 2 to find out.

Emilio Kalmera

Leaders from across the globe over the past days have expressed sympathy to the people and Governor Dan Malloy of the US State of Connecticut, where last Friday a shooting rampage took place at an elementary school leaving 20 children (12 girls and eight boys aged between six and seven) and seven school staff dead. The attack can only be described as senseless and incomprehensible.

The gunman, a 20-year old committed suicide, but also took the life of his mother prior to committing his horrific act at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. It has been said that the gunman suffered from mental illness.

Mental health conditions affect millions of people in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 151 million suffer from depression and 26 million people from schizophrenia; 125 million people are affected by alcohol use disorders. As many as 40 million people suffer from epilepsy and 24 million from Alzheimer and other dementias. Over 840,000 people die by suicide every year.

Effective treatment of most mental disorders is possible. The image of mental illness is contaminated with images of violence. People with mental health conditions are among the most marginalized and vulnerable groups. They are often excluded from mainstream social and economic activities, as well as from decision-making on issues that affect them.

Sint Maarten has its own Mental Health Foundation that caters to close to 400 patients and clients (2009 figures).

In the Connecticut school case, several weapons were found at the scene which brings to the fore gun control. Similar acts of mass killing where a gun(s) were used have taken place in different countries leading to stricter gun laws and the ban of semi-automatic rifles. In some instances, hand guns were banned.

Unfortunately, tragic events such as these lead to action. This should not be the case! Pro-activeness should be the order of the day rather than allowing the loss of innocent lives to dictate the way a society should act. This alone is incomprehensible. Why not learn from the mistakes of others, the lack of action by others?

As a new country, the well-being of our people is essential to the future of our nation. Mental health improvements are central to a nations' development.

Positive mental health is linked to a range of development outcomes and is fundamental to coping with adversity. Poor mental health impedes an individual's capacity to realize their potential where they remain productive citizens making a contribution to their community.

Therefore, in order to improve a population's mental health, programmes have to be implemented to ensure effective treatment, prevention, and promotion. Programs must be made available to all people who need them. The time is ripe for an overview and intervention measures by all stakeholders with respect to where we stand as a country on mental health and mental illness.

Roddy Heyliger

Member of Parliament and Faction Leader of the National Alliance George Pantophlet says that finally we are getting somewhere. The Member of Parliament was referring to statements made by the Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt on increasing of the casino fees. He has been addressing this issue of the casino fees as far back as 2005 when it was revealed during the then Budget debate that the casino's had owed some 5 million guilders in fees and as recent during discussions on the 2012 Budget for country St. Maarten when the outstanding fees totaled some 25 million guilders. He said he is very happy with the fact that the Minister does not give lip service as was done in the past but is a man of action as he (the Minister) has held and plans to hold more discussions with said organization as to the way forward. The Member of Parliament understood that the fee which was instituted years ago was a prerogative of the casinos themselves who preferred this alternative rather than to divulge how much revenues they generate. Government has no information as to what these casinos generate on a monthly or annual basis since they pay no turnover tax. It is a pity that the increase in casino fees did not take place years ago. Looking at the many services and institutions now falling under the responsibility of country St. Maarten many gaps would have been filled. It is imperative that government finds ways and means of generating revenues especially from institutions that have generated millions and millions of guilders on this island. Another issue of severe importance is the establishing of the casino gaming board a topic that has been ongoing for quite some years now. And finally I think it is time we start looking at the matter of amending the law on tax holidays to determine whether large investors will continue to be given a 10 year tax holiday and in addition to this give small business (income yet to be predetermined) a tax holiday as they are the true backbone of our economy. We are finally getting somewhere.

Member of Parliament George Pantophlet

Most will doubt that it is pure coincidence that former Minister of Public Health, Social Development & Labor Mrs. Maria Buncamper-Molanus, affectionately known as Marietje, would out of nowhere show up on a local talk show just a couple of days after Minister of VROMI William Marlin, clearly communicated to parliament that the sale of economic rights is NOT illegal. Yes, the same William Marlin who from his usual opposition seat demanded that she resigned when accused of the exact same thing, yes he admitted in Parliament last week was it is not illegal. Putting the absence of political hindsight aside, it was nice to hear what she was up to.
What was most intriguing was to hear that Marietje, an already active Rotarian, will be the president of the local Rotary Club Foundation in 2013. We may all know about the wonderful social charity work the Rotary Club does in St. Maarten. A quick internet search would show the following events since last July; handing out 700 dictionaries in schools, the appreciation ceremony for 75 health care workers, significant contributions to the white and yellow cross, special education and youth golf, USD 12,000.00 for equipment in SMMC, financial commitments to the Mental Health Foundation and the handing out of 160 food hampers. Marietje said on air that she realized that while giving out those baskets of food to the needy that the need for help has increased on Sint Maarten and that all of us should be more involved in assisting our neighbor.
We are of the opinion that a great example is being shown here and we would further like to say to our parliamentarians, that instead of going overboard worrying about which board member sits on what board, maybe parliamentarians should follow Marietje and get on board of being directly involved with helping the people of St. Maarten through social events and charity (they are earning whopping salaries for doing what?). We have many great foundations that are doing great work in our society. Marietje, after giving season greetings made sure to spread a message of charity and helping our neighbors which is one of the things that the Soualiga Social Movement stands for.
So, to all politicians past and present, get on board and join activities to help the general situation in St. Maarten. Get your hands dirty (in a good way) by working to help out however you can in society. Society cannot always wait on parliament to get things done. Get on BOARD and help the people or the same people may get BORED with you. Actions speak louder than words. #sxmmovement

Happy Holidays from the Soualiga Social Movement

Is it fear? Is it desperation or is it simply the need to survive?

We often hear the cries of hardworking, dedicated, struggling employees, who are forced to sign multiple 6 month or 1 year contracts, depriving them of any opportunities to upgrade their living conditions, while being employed with the same employer for years. How long will this form abuse be allowed to continue or accepted?

While we continue to look towards Government for solutions we fail to realize that we, as a people, hold the keys to open many doors, unleashing opportunities and solutions locked within. When will we build determination to say: no more, NOT in SXM.

Entering into a Labor contract or agreement should not be a negative thing. To the contrary it should be looked upon as a positive means to mutually establish what is expected by/of both parties based on the conditions set in such a contract. Many persons, not understanding the true meaning of this process, accept terms and conditions which results in the famous statement: "abuse" of the 6 month/1 year contract.

The true abuse of these contracts starts and ends with our Department of Labor failing to fulfill their duties in the best interest of parties concerned. Labor contracts should be approved by the Dept. of Labor but are they? They are often times vague and misleading but the fear of being dismissed forces many to sign such contracts over and over again and these cases comes to light only when the bomb explodes or not even then.

We continue to tolerate situations where persons who are/were tasked with upholding the "Labor Laws" contributes to such abuses, making the many perceived rumors facts. There is little trust remaining in the impartial judgment of the Labor Department. So what could or should be done to remedy conditions of abuse and or unlawful dismissals while bringing awareness of the Labor Laws to both the employers, employees and general public? Despite having Labor Mediators, Unions and a dismissal committee, the abuse of workers continues.

Serious consideration should be given to the establishing of a Labor "Task Force/Watch Dog" unit, tasked with (but not limited to) the revision, reporting and monitoring of all Labor matters, independent of but in close collaboration with the Labor Department. Too long have these tears fallen on "def man's ear" as with the exploitation of, especially, the lower income workers. Our objectives, as a people, must be to create a society where all is treated in a respectful and humane manner. #sxmmovement.

Soualiga Social Movement

Today our minister of economic affairs will go to parliament to answer questions posed by our elected representatives. We'll hear a lot of rhetoric and grandstanding. "The People" will be said a lot, because "we" apparently "want to know". There's lots of stuff I would like to know! But let's try to elevate the level of the discussion somewhat and not stray into personal attacks and being negative.

Several reports have been published by the economic affairs department that pertain to the state of the economy in recent times. One was an economic outlook 2012-2013 commissioned by government. One was an outlook 2012 -2013 prepared by government and one is the first half 2012 economic indicators report. I have provided the links below.

http://www.sintmaartengov.org/Government/Ministry%20of%20Tourism%20Economic%20Affairs%20Transport%20and%20Telecommunication/DeptofEconomyTransportationTelecommunications/Documents/2012%20Half%20Year%20Economic%20Report.pdf

http://www.sintmaartengov.org/Government/Ministry%20of%20Tourism%20Economic%20Affairs%20Transport%20and%20Telecommunication/DeptofEconomyTransportationTelecommunications/Documents/Economic%20Outlook%202012-2013%20%20-%20Web.pdf

http://www.sintmaartengov.org/Government/Ministry%20of%20Tourism%20Economic%20Affairs%20Transport%20and%20Telecommunication/stat/Documents/Economic_Indicators_Qrt_2-2012.pdf

I don't think these reports have received the adequate attention from parliament or the respective ministers. Considering the talk of increased taxes, national health care and considering the Audit Chambers reports on the financial state of affairs I feel that these to reports should get a closer look.

First off, the commissioned report indicates that we can expect at best 0% growth. Our locally produced report indicates 5% growth. This may not seem like much but based on GDP as per the report of 1800 Million Nalfs per year that amounts to 89.5 Million Nafls, this difference is equal to 21% of governments budget and amounts to a difference Nafl 1830.00 per capita. Imagine what you could do with an extra $1000. I'm surprised these reports are published side by side with such a glaring difference. Did economic affairs read the reports?

Our governments budget of 420 million Nafls, equates to Nafl 10,244.00 per person. ( yes ten thousand guilders ) This is based on a population of 41000 as per these same reports. It would be nice to receive the census figures almost 2 years after the census was done. This number means that for the 41000 people living here ( again as per their own reports) Each person needs to produce Nafl 10244 FOR government. This in a combination of Taxes, Labor, price inflation etc etc. Call it what you like, it is taken from your productivity

On to economic indicators and specifically TOT. the economic indicators report shows that roughly 72 million guilders was collected in TOT over the first six months. This is Nafl 1756.10 per person. Taking some liberties with the numbers. i.e. first 6 months of the year are better than the second half. Lets say there will be 100 Million in TOT collected for 2012. Lets move to GDP again taking some liberties we can find that consumer spending makes up about 1400 million of GDP. As per the same reports allocation expenditure I think we can probably say about half that amount is subject to TOT due the component of items not subjected to TOT. that leaves about 800 Million.

100 million in TOT equals 13% of that 800 Million in consumer spending. This means that for every dollar the consumer spends on a TOT item or service, government collects 13 percent. That means that if something should cost $ 1.00 in a free and open market, here its will cost $1.13 I feel that this number may actually be higher, and I refer to ex-ministers Shigemoto's comments in May, that replacing TOT with VAT would lead to a much higher percentage ranging 10% to 22%.

So next time you are standing at a register and wondering why things are SOOO expensive. Think about the 10000 guilders you need to supply to government this year. Think about the math and think about what you are paying for. It is not price gouging by greedy merchants! It is government spending that needs to be financed. Government spending in and of itself is not a bad thing, as long as we receive fair market value. But in our specific case, How is your road? How is your hospital? Do you feel that you and your property are safe? Does your future look bright? Do you think any of our representatives would make those salaries in the private sector?

Today our minister of economic affairs will be bickering with parliament about the harbor board. All indications are that tomorrow alone our government will overspend the budget by about 82000 nafls.
Our minister of finance is looking at ways to increase revenue without considering reducing the budget.

Taxation and redistribution of resources should not be political. It is not financial in the sense that it can be influenced by bookkeeping, you can probably make it look pretty for a little while but you cannot fix a broken system by cooking the books. Taxation should be treated as purely economical. It concerns all of us, our well being and our potential for growth. It concerns the value of our money, how we spend our money, how we invest our money and what we can expect as returns in the future. We are allocating scarce resources and need to do this diligently with an eye for the future and our next generation's future.

Maybe today one of our parliamentarians will ask our minister of Economic affairs some real questions pertinent to the economic survival of the 41000 people paying for their time.

Another Concerned SXMer

Our economy is supported by one pillar: Tourism. Different sectors/spin offs of our economy are thriving well because of this pillar. Think about our Marine sector, Hotel-Restaurant-Bar sector, Retail sector etc. As a matter of fact tourism is the main reason that our island was able, and continues to be able, to develop and provide bread and butter to us all. Sint Maarten has been progressive, assertive and innovative in becoming a tourist destination. But are proven results a guarantee for the future? What when Cuba opens up its borders? What when the surrounding islands catch up with us as a tourist destination? What in case of a natural disaster (remember the hurricanes)? These possible and not unlikely situations could take place on/for Sint Maarten and put Sint Maarten, and thus its people, in some serious problems.

A diversified economy is an economy that is being supported by more than one pillar like trade, manufacturing, tourism, agriculture etc. The advantage of a diversified economy is clear: if one pillar of the economy has no growth, or even has a decline, the over-all economy might still be "booming". A diversified economy basically guarantees government steady revenue from taxes and not in the last place over-all job security for the people of Sint Maarten. The latter primarily, because individuals would less rely on seasonal jobs/contracts and the opportunity to find placement in a different segment of the economy if their segment is "slow".

Creating a diversified economy on Sint Maarten brings along two major subjects: Socio-economic landscape and Human Resources. First we need to determine what we want Sint Maarten to look like in, let's say, twenty years from now when it comes to the sorts and amount of businesses, the environment and the people living in this environment. What and which businesses are owned by "local" people and for what and which businesses do you look for foreign investors? Human resources are key in this aspect, because you want to use as much human resources possible which are currently legally registered on Sint Maarten.

The next step would be a logical one: prepare your human resources to match the market(s) which you envision. This means no more and no less than to educate your people. Not only on an academic level of education, but also on a vocational level of education. If you have fifty thousand lawyers, forty-nine thousand and nine-hundred and fifty will be unemployed. We need mechanics, plumbers, electricians, cooks, butchers, gold smiths etc more than the twenty-five CEO's in our hotels and casinos. When it comes to other projects initiated by our government they should also take this in account when building bridges, tunnels, stadiums, government owned hotels and the likes. #sxmmovement

Soualiga Social Movement

In these challenging times we rightfully monitor every move made by our government. We pay our fair share in taxes and thus demand full account on how our government is spending (or not spending) our collective funds. But...how much do we rely on our government?

There are many social ills in our society just like in any other society, but do we seriously expect our government to take care of all the issues that we are facing as a community? The majority of us feel like it is not our problem, because we are not the ones stealing or we have clothes on our back and food to eat that we worked hard for. But what is the drive for someone to steal? Why is someone hungry? Why someone hardly has any clothes? The less fortunate in our society did not choose to be without money.

We grew so accustomed of complaining about the things that our government does not do, that we totally forget that WE are the ones living in this community and that WE as a community carry responsibilities for each other and our environment. Is it so hard to give the clothes that you don't wear anymore to charity? Is it so hard to spend some time with youths and guide them in sports? Is it so hard to drive an elderly person to, for example, SZV so that the elderly person can take care of his/her business? Is it so hard to do some shopping for someone who is disabled or less mobile in any other way? Is it so hard to skip a movie or a night out and donate some money to a school in a nearby district? Is it so hard to help keep our streets clean? Is it so hard to help making sure that our children playgrounds are glass free?

We all know the saying: "Today for you and tomorrow for me". Ask yourself what YOU have done lately. We will leave you with the following quote:

"However capable and skillful an individual may be, left alone he or she will not survive. When we are sick or very young or very old, we must depend on the support of others. There is no significant division between us and other people, because our basic natures are the same. If we wish to ensure everyone's peace and happiness we need to cultivate a healthy respect for the diversity of our peoples and cultures, founded on an understanding of this fundamental sameness of all human beings."
Dalai Lama
#sxmmovement

Soualiga Social Movement

I am concerned about the management styles at some Public Schools. It seem as though some of these managers have forgotten where they came from and that teachers are the ones who make the schools function. Teachers are being treated like robots and some animated figures without brains in some schools. The managers seem to think that they know it all. Many teachers are in fear of victimization. There are some managers who do not have the qualifications as their teachers, both a first and second degree. They can only sit in there offices. When teachers are absent, these managers cannot even hold the affected classes. Now the schools have management teams which are made up of the principal, adjunct principal and the student care coordinator. This new body does not enhance the functioning of the schools because they do nothing. They sit in their offices or they sit together to plan what next to do to harass the teachers. Take for example the SCC at the LCS, this individual does nothing for the benefit of the students but she flounces around and is into everything. She thinks she in the principal. Teachers are daily being reduced to become the most disrespected members in the education system. Something must be done to address this situation and restore teachers' dignity and pride. I am a parent and friend of many teachers at all of the various schools. Look out for the next article.

Karol Klass

While certain members of Parliament clearly have other priorities than reviewing and passing legislations, one fact became abundantly clear. Government should refrain from getting involved in promotions/throwing parties and concentrate on the "people' business.

We are being faced with many seriously pressing issues, one of which being our "BOB" (boys on the blocks). As early as 6:30 in the morning the gathering begins until late into the night. Where are we, at present, with the GB3 program? What is being done to really get our boys off the blocks" by providing employment/business opportunities? Another urgent matter facing us for quite some time now is the deplorable conditions of our "public" schools qua cleaning and minor maintenance. It is clear that the present systems/contracts are not working. The question is, why not link the two and find a permanent solution?

We recently found, almost, one million Guilders to have some of our leaders play party/event planners. Why can't we find a fraction of one million Guilders to employ/contract our own to work and maintain our schools? Government owned companies all seems to be doing just fine. Why not seriously invest in both our schools and "BOB"?

How many "Public" schools do we have on the Island? Let's say 15, meaning that we can "start" by putting, at least, 15 "BOB" to work as follows. Give them a Contract (SLA) of let's say 1.700,00 US$ p/m, supply them with startup tools, fi, rakes, shovels, brooms, gloves, garbage bins and bags, paint, items used for painting, potty etc. Based on their age brackets, medical insurance, pension plans and life insurances should be extremely low while saving Govt. thousands in taxes and medical coverage annually. Give them an incentive to start their own small businesses, resulting in a win, win situation.

Over a period of time persons, now employed by Government (public works) or with Contractors used by Government will be going on pension. By using these "BOB" to fill those voids will secure a permanent flow of employment while minimizing new "BOB" by means of rotation. The same system could be used for our young women reference cleaning services. What would this cost Government? Using rough calculations we are looking at (start up): 15 persons x 1.700, 00 USD x 12 months = 306.000,00 USD per year plus tools. If properly implemented, this should be an investment that will not fail but rather, will "kill 2 birds with one stone. It is time to start investing in our own first. Think about it. #sxmmovement.

Soualiga Social Movement

My science teacher in Phoenix once informed me that time, space and matter are absorbed within a black hole. But this principle does not hold true on Statia where a black hole has appeared in the accounts of the Island's Road Fund.
As I listened to the radio broadcast of last week's Island Council meeting, I could but only wonder if the Commissioner who is responsible for the Fund would resign. He promised to resign on an earlier occasion and failed to live up to such a promise.
He was nominated by independent Council member Millicent Lijfrock-Marsdin. And it is she that now insists that he should go. Her argument is simply that the Fund and other elements of the Commissioner's portfolio have not been managed efficiently. Why she appointed the hapless Commissioner in the first place and then decided to ditch him midterm is perhaps another story. Her explanation that a 'woman is allowed to change her mind' may now wash perfectly with the good citizens of Statia. But self-justification on the basis of gender may well be an issue come election time.
However, she is supported by the majority of island council members and for good reasons. Several weeks ago, accountants Price Waterhouse Cooper were instructed to review the accounts of the Road Fund. Their attempts to examine the books have been somewhat frustrated.
By his own admission, Commissioner Schmidt states that since the inception of the road fund, there has not been a dedicated administration. Moreover, the secretary who happens to be a relation has kept the administrative books. There was no bookkeeping and consequently no financial statements other than the basic documents such as bank statements, invoices etc.
The question quite naturally arises, who benefited from the Fund? In the absence of audited statements, the Island and Executive Councils have a clear duty to obtain a full account of the use and sources of a Fund it created in 2004.
The only supporting voice for Schmidt on the Council floor last week was Franklin Brown (PLP) whose cable laying business has benefited considerably from infrastructure development on the island.
Millicent Lijfrock-Marsdin has done well by taking a stand. Nevertheless, her voters might not appreciate Schmidt's replacement with her cousin if current rumors come to fruition.
But will the Commissioner do the right thing and resign? Science predicts that Space time will slow down at the very edge of a black hole. The same cannot be said for Schmidt's resignation. His clock is accelerating at warp speed. He promised to resign at the end of November and has not. Failure to honor this promise will prompt a constitutional crisis. A vote of no confidence will clearly place the coalition parties between a Golden Rock and a hard place.
My teacher hailed from Phoenix but nevertheless, all parties should now do the right thing to avoid anymore mythical beasts arising from the ashes.
Watch this Space!

Concerned Citizen

Approximately 90% of the time I am proud to be from Holland. But around November, when December 5 is approaching, shame is taking over. The Dutch celebrate a national holiday, somewhat like Christmas, on December the 5th called Sinterklaas. The discussion around the racist elements of this holiday is going on for quite some time, but many have either missed it or ignored it.
Let me start with some back ground information. Sinterklaas is based on a historical figure, Bishop Saint Nicolas. The story has changed many times in the course of time. Initially, in the 15th century, Sinterklaas was not a friendly Bishop. It was terror that made the children obey him. In the 19th century they gave Sinterklaas a counterpart in order to clear his bad image. The servant got blamed, he was painted black, or in Dutch: "de zwarte piet toegespeeld". From then on Sinterklaas was the friendly white master with a scary black servant (Zwarte Piet).
At some point in time it appears as if the Dutch realized it was racist, because they came up with a story for the kids. Zwarte Piet was not a servant anymore, but a friend of Sinterklaas. His skin color was not black; he was just dirty from soot. Zwarte Piet furthermore became friendlier. He however was still the spitting image of black face. To put icing on the cake, Zwarte Piet surprisingly enough multiplied by dozens.
So from November up to December 5, Holland looks like this:

If you claim that the image of Zwarte Piet is offending and racist, you better be well prepared for some nasty name calling. A lot of grown ups instantly turn into high school bullies when you criticize Zwarte Piet. We have seen what happened to Sint Maartener Quinsy Gario in Dordrecht; he got arrested because he was wearing a shirt with the print 'Zwarte Piet is Racisme'. Although he was not prosecuted, he was publicly ridiculed and insulted. I have seen many discussions in Holland end with the remark 'go back to where you came from', which basically implies that the opposing party of Zwarte Piet has to go back to Surinam or the former Netherlands Antilles, the (former) colonies, where - ironically enough - the same Dutch people paint their face black for personal enjoyment. Can the opposing party then say to the painted black Dutch people that they have to go back to where they came from?? No they cannot, because that is disrespectful right?

Right now I'm ashamed to be from Holland, ashamed to have a 'tradition' this tasteless, and moreover I'm ashamed of the intolerant, uncompassionate and ignorant response to the Zwarte Piet is Racism Campaign. Do not come with the same excuses over and over again: 'but it's tradition', 'but it's nice for the children'. The children do not determine what is right or wrong. We do. And Black Face is wrong, period.
Don't be mad at me for telling it how it is, and don't tell me to go back to where I came from.... I rather stay far from Holland until the present image of Zwarte Piet is defeated.

Hedy Kockx

Let's say for argument sake that in the next election there are 15 seats up for grabs and there are 15,000 eligible voters. That would mean that a party needs 1,000 votes to get a seat. I will leave the distribution of so-called "remaining seats (rest zetels) out of the equation for simplification, but note that it is highly improbable that a party will get EXACTLY the amounts of votes necessary for one or more seats. In our present system for this example let's say that a party with 23 persons on a slate gets a total of 8,000 votes as follows: The leader gets 3,000 votes, one candidate (call him B) gets 1,550, another (call him C) gets 990, another (call him D) gets 320, another (call him E) gets 300, F gets 250, G gets 200, H gets 170, I gets 150, J thru V each get 76 votes, and it does NOT matter where they are in terms of position on the party slate. According to our electoral law, in this case the leader with 3,000 votes and candidates B through H become Parliamentarians (8 of the 23 candidates that ran). While it takes 1,000 votes for a PARTY to get a seat, it only takes half of that (500 votes), plus 1, for an INDIVIDUAL to qualify as having received enough PERSONAL votes to win his/her own seat UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE PARTY ON WHICH HE/SHE RAN. In this example, that means that ONLY the party leader (3,000 votes) and candidates B (1,550 votes) and C (990 votes) have received more than the required 501 votes on their personal names, to qualify for their own seat in Parliament, representing the party on whose slate they were a candidate (and based on that party's proposed governing program/philosophy -and thus, promises to the voters-, reason for which the votes were cast on that party). So now the party has a 1 seat majority in the 15 seat Parliament and guess what: In our present system WITHOUT LOYALTY TO PARTY, OR LOYALTY TO THE PARTY LEADER, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THE NEW PARLIAMENTARIANS BECOMES A POWER BROKER within his/her party. This causes Governments that have only slim 1 or even 2 seat majorities, to be at the mercy of the whims of 1 or 2 Parliamentarians. Anytime "the POWER goes to their head", or they do not think progress is made fast enough with the projects they promised the voters on the campaign trail, or they feel they are not getting what is "due to them", trouble starts. I support the initiatives of the PM and hope that the changes she envisions include: Any Parliamentarian occupying a seat in Parliament NOT acquired by preferential votes, CANNOT "steal" the party's seat and declare him/herself Independent. If the person can no longer support the party on which slate he/she acquired a seat, there is only one choice, resign and the next highest vote getter of that party in the last election gets to move into Parliament. What our young country needs is stability in Government. Parties need to be voted into office on the strength of their party programs (not party gifts) to be presented prior to elections and only the voters should decide whether or not a party stays in power at the end of the 4 year term, based on performance, leadership and overall quality of work; this decision must not be left up to one or more disgruntled parliamentarians occupying a seat, notwithstanding their poor performance at the poles. The tail should no longer be able to wag the dog. And then there is the issue of campaign donations by well-to-do, but less than well-intended people and companies looking to ensure post election-win Government favors and/or contracts....... Another can of worms that needs to be opened and addressed.

Michael J. Ferrier

Suite à l'opération coordonnée associant la DCCRF et la gendarmerie nationale, réalisée le mercredi 5 décembre 2012, à l'initiative du Préfet délégué et du vice-procureur de la République sur des établissements de plage situés dans le quartier des terres basses, deux arrêtés préfectoraux portant suspension de l'activité de ces établissements jusqu'à constatation de la mise en conformité ont été notifiés le 20 décembre 2012.
Le 21 décembre 2012, une opération associant la DCCRF, la gendarmerie nationale, la police territoriale a été menée aux fins de procéder à la consignation du mobilier de plage utilisé par les dits établissements.

L'échelon régional de l'INVS a réuni le Comité d'experts des maladies infectieuses et émergentes de Saint Martin, le 18 décembre 2012, afin d'analyser la situation épidémiologique de la dengue. Les dernières données transmises par le réseau sentinelle local à la cellule de veille sanitaire de l'Agence de santé de Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthélemy confirment le passage en phase de vigilance.
L'Agence prévoit de continuer ses actions de pulvérisations dans les zones de quartier les plus touchées.

Compte tenu des conditions climatiques favorables au développement des moustiques, la préfecture de Saint-Barthélemy et de Saint-Martin demande à la population de mettre en oeuvre les mesures de prévention sans délai, de manière rigoureuse. C'est en effet à ce stade qu'elles sont les plus efficaces pour éviter le passage en épidémie de dengue.

Rappel des mesures de précaution et de prévention à prendre pour prévenir et se protéger des piqûres de moustiques AEDES AEGYPTI

L'agence de santé rappelle que pour une lutte efficace contre la prolifération du seul moustique, vecteur de la dengue, l'aedes aepypti, des mesures sont à prendre pour vous prémunir à l'intérieur et autour de votre habitat:

• évitez les piqûres de moustiques le matin et le soir, en utilisant des sprays ou des crèmes répulsifs ; demandez conseil à votre pharmacien
• préférez les vêtements longs le soir
• installez des moustiquaires aux portes et fenêtres, au sein de votre habitat, dormez sous moustiquaire pour éviter les piqûres du matin, en particulier les enfants en bas âge et les personnes âgées
• veillez à éliminer les stagnations d'eau dans vos maisons et autour de vos maisons, car lesstagnations d'eaux claires sont des lieux de reproduction du moustique: surveiller aussi vos pots à fleur et dessous de pot
• protégez la citerne de votre maison de la prolifération de moustiques par une toile moustiquaire
• si votre citerne n'est pas traitée, vous pouvez développer un élevage de poissons golomines qui mangent les larves de moustiques Aedes aegypti et en diminue par conséquent la prolifération
• nettoyez régulièrement vos gouttières, assurez leur vidange en cas de stagnation de l'eau après des épisodes pluvieux
• vérifiez le bon état de votre fosse sceptique
• lors du passage des appareils d'épandage insecticides, ouvrez largement vos portes et fenêtres Il est rappelé que la dengue est une maladie virale, familièrement considérée comme une grippe tropicale, qui se traduit par une forte fièvre accompagnée de maux de tête, de courbatures, d'une fatigue importante qui peut durer plusieurs semaines.

Il est vivement conseillé:

1. D'éviter la prise d'aspirine et autres anti-inflammatoires du fait du risque d'hémorragie et plus généralement d'éviter toute automédication
2. En cas de fièvre, il est conseillé de consulter son médecin traitant qui pourra prescrire une prise de sang. C'est une maladie pour laquelle il n'existe pas de traitement préventif, ni traitement spécifique, ni vaccin à ce jour.

La Délégation Territoriale de Saint-Martin et Saint-Barthélemy se tient à disposition des entreprises, hôtels, gestionnaires d'immeuble pour les informer des mesures à prendre pour lutter contre le développement de moustiques.

Contact : Service de Lutte antivectorielle 0590 27 96 94 ou 0590 27 16 18

Le Dimanche 23 décembre, 2012 se tiendra la traditionnelle parade lumineuse annuelle de Grand-Case.
Elle partira du centre culturel à partir de 19h00.
Elle traversera le Boulevard Bertin-Maurice pour arriver au parking de la Poste et retournera par le Boulevard, pour une arrivée devant le Centre Culturel de Grand-Case.

Venez nombreux célébrer ce moment festif et admirer les nombreux chars lumineux, sans oublier le Père Noël.

JOYEUX NOËL A TOUS !!!

Mardi 19 juillet à 17h30, le conducteur d'un cyclomoteur âgé de 18 ans a perdu la vie alors qu'ilcirculait entre Marigot et Grand Case. Les premiers éléments d'enquête tendent à indiquer que lavictime, bien qu'elle portait son casque de sécurité, n'avait pas bouclé la sangle jugulaire ; lecasque a ainsi été éjecté lors du choc et ne protégeait pas la tête de la victime lorsqu'elle a heurtéle sol. Le simple geste de boucler sa sangle jugulaire aurait de façon certaine permis de préserversa vie sur cet accident.

Ce drame s'ajoute a quatre autres accidents mortels de la circulation survenus depuis le début de l'année 2012 à St Martin. Parmi les 5 personnes décédées cette année sur les routes de la partiefrançaise, 3 étaient des conducteurs de deux roues. Entre 2010 et 2012, 11 conducteurs ou passagers de deux roues ont ainsi perdu la vie et 52 ont été blessés, parmi lesquels certainsgarderont des séquelles à vie. Bien qu'il ait été observé que le port du casque par les conducteurs de deux roues soit de plus enplus fréquent, le respect de cette règle de sécurité demeure largement insuffisant. En outre, lapratique consistant à porter le casque simplement posé sur le dessus de la tête sans que la sanglejugulaire soit attachée est régulièrement observée.

La gendarmerie nationale rappelle que le fait de ne pas porter le casque de sécurité pour lesconducteurs ou passagers de deux roues, ou de porter le casque de sécurité sans l'attacher,
constitue une infraction au code de la route punissable d'une amende de 135 €. Il s'agit en outre de l'unique protection dont disposent les conducteurs ou passagers de deux roues afin de préserverleur vie en cas d'accident.

Une opération de lutte contre la délinquance routière, principalement orientée sur la recherche des infractions liées à la conduite sous l'empire d'un état alcoolique (C.E.E.A), était menée le samedi 15 décembre 2012 de 02h00 à 05h00 par la brigade territoriale autonome de Saint-Barthélémy.
Réalisée conjointement avec la brigade motorisée de Saint-Martin (E.D.S.R de Guadeloupe) et la police territoriale de la Collectivité d'Outre-Mer de Saint-Barthélémy, l'opération mobilisait au total 07 militaires de la gendarmerie et deux agents territoriaux, engagés au niveau de Gustavia.
Une cinquantaine de conducteurs ainsi que leurs véhicules ont été contrôlés, permettant de relever les infractions suivantes:

• 08 C.E.E.A délictuelles - Taux supérieur à 0,4 mg/l d'air expiré - (0,98 - 0,79 - 0,76 - 0,73 - 0,68 - 0,67 - 0,52 - 0,42) ;
• 08 C.E.E.A contraventionnelles - Taux compris entre à 0,25 et 0,39 mg/l d'air expiré - (0,39 - 0,39 - 0,38 - 0,38 - 0,38 - 0,36 - 0,33 - 0,33) ;
• 04 refus d'obtempérer ;
• 01 non mutation de carte grise ;
• 01 défaut de plaques d'immatriculation ;
• 03 pneumatiques lisses ;
• 01 non port de casque.

Maurice Herzog, ancien ministre, ancien parlementaire, s'est éteint aujourd'hui à l'âge de 93 ans.

Résistant au sein d'un bataillon de chasseur alpin, Maurice Herzog aura été une figure de l'alpinisme français en gravissant l'Annapurna avec ses compagnons. Ensemble, ils ouvrirent cette discipline exigeante au grand public.

Haut-commissaire et secrétaire d'Etat à la Jeunesse et aux Sports, il fut un militant de la cause sportive, et contribua à l'émergence d'un modèle où pratiques de masse et d'excellence sont étroitement associées.

C'est sous son égide que l'Union nationale des centres sportifs de plein air (UCPA) a été créée en 1965, pour promouvoir auprès de la jeunesse française l'accès aux pratiques sportives de plein air.

Jean Marc Ayrault, Premier ministre, salue la mémoire de l'ancien résistant, de l'alpiniste, de l'élu et du militant de la cause sportive.

La Préfecture de Saint-Barthélemy et de Saint-Martin et l'Agence de Santé de Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin et Saint-Barthélemy informent la population d'un cas importé de choléra sur l'île de Saint Martin.
Ce cas signalé comme probable par le centre hospitalier, par un communiqué le jeudi 6 décembre 2012, est aujourd'hui considéré comme avéré suite aux examens de vérification de l'Institut Pasteur à Paris.
D'après l'investigation épidémiologique du Pôle de Veille Sanitaire de l'ARS en lien avec la Cellule de l'Institut National de Veille Sanitaire, il n'y a aucun élément en faveur de l'existence de cas secondaires à ce jour. La surveillance est maintenue par mesures de précaution.
Cette contamination fait suite à un séjour à Saint-Domingue.
Pour rappel, l'île comprenant Haïti et Saint Domingue est actuellement touchée par une épidémie de choléra qui est une maladie due à la bactérie Vibrio cholerae. Elle se caractérise parfois par des diarrhées brutales, très abondantes, liquides et claires menant à une sévère déshydratation.
Toute personne qui présenterait ces symptômes est invitée à consulter rapidement son médecin généraliste pour une prise en charge médicale précoce.
Aussi, nous vous rappelons l'importance du lavage des mains :

• avant la préparation et la consommation d'aliments ;
• avant de donner des soins aux enfants ;
• après avoir été aux toilettes.

Le 18 octobre 2012 vers 22 heures une rixe éclate après un match de football opposant deux équipes saint-martinoises sur le terrain de Quartier d'Orléans. L'auteur s'en était pris à un joueur de la partie adverse après une altercation durant le match. La victime avait été blessée superficiellement à l'arme blanche. L'intervention des autres joueurs avait permis de mettre fin à cette rixe et probablement d'éviter des blessures plus graves.
L'individu identifié, a été placé en garde à vue le 29 novembre 2012, par les militaires de la brigade de Marigot. A l'issue, il fait l'objet d'une convocation en justice le 07 février 2013, devant le tribunal correctionnel de Saint-Martin.

Le 12 octobre 2012 vers 10h30, un enseignant du collège Mont-Des-Accords de Concordia se fait agresser à la sortie de son établissement, par deux jeunes dont l'un lui fait sonner une corne de brume proche de son oreille. L'enseignant lui fait part de son mécontentement. Il est alors roué de coups par les jeunes et blessé au visage.
L'enquête est confiée à la communauté de brigades de Saint-Martin.
Les investigations réalisées par les enquêteurs, permettent d'identifier les deux auteurs présumés. Ces derniers, ont été convoqués devant le délégué du procureur de la République de Saint-Martin.

Dans le cadre des festivités de Noël, le service Art et Culture de la Collectivité organise un concours de puddings traditionnels, qui aura lieu le samedi 22 décembre prochain, sur le Front de mer de Marigot au niveau de la station de taxi.
Pour les inscriptions, veuillez vous rapprocher du service Art et Culture de la Collectivité, situé à l'ancienne école du bord de mer, ou contactez le service au 0590-29-59-18, ou 0690-88-90-97.

Le jeudi 6 décembre 2012 une opération de lutte contre la délinquance routière a été organisée entre 22h00 et 02h00 à Marigot. 4 alcoolémies délictuelles et 2 alcoolémies contraventionnelles ont été relevées à l'encontre des automobilistes.
Plusieurs infractions au code de la route dont un défaut de permis de conduire et une conduite malgré une mesure de rétention ont été enregistrées par les gendarmes durant cette opération.

L'Avenir Sportif Club de Saint-Martin a fait l'acquisition ces dernières semaines d'un nouvel équipement : un défibrillateur semi-automatique, ou DSA. Cet équipement, dont l'utilisation par le grand public, non médecin, est autorisée par décret depuis mai 2007, a été acheté par le club, sur ses fonds propres.
Il y a longtemps que l'acquisition d'un DSA tenait à cœur au président du club, Patrick Trival, pour qui un tel équipement était devenu une nécessité pour assurer la sécurité des adeptes de l'athlétisme. La proposition de loi déposée le 21 février 2012, visant à encourager la présence de défibrillateur dans les lieux recevant du public, a conforté le président du club Avenir Sportif, dans son choix.
Le samedi 1er décembre, les membres du club ont donc reçu une initiation d'une heure, sur la prise en charge d'une victime qui présente les signes d'un arrêt cardiaque, et sur l'utilisation d'un défibrillateur. Cette initiation a eu lieu dans les locaux de la SNSM, et a été assurée par le médecin urgentiste Lazare Noubou, assisté de François Huc, sauveteur en mer.
Après un bref rappel sur la reconnaissance des signes permettant de reconnaître un arrêt cardiaque, le docteur Noubou a initié les membres de l'association sur la conduite à tenir devant un arrêt cardiaque afin d'augmenter les chances de survie de la victime : « Appeler les secours, masser, défibriller ». La rencontre se terminait par une démonstration pratique sur l'utilisation du défibrillateur, et sur la pratique du massage cardiaque.
Les membres de l'association Avenir Sportif, ainsi que le président Patrick Trival, tiennent à remercier le docteur Noubou et François Huc pour leur avoir prodigué ces précieux conseils, en espérant qu'ils n'en auront pas de sitôt l'utilité, mais qu'ils seront prêts au cas où !

Avenir Sportif Club

Fellow citizens of St. Maarten,

It is with a grateful heart that I take the opportunity to address you as we face another new year.
Grateful for the opportunities that lie ahead and for the accomplishments that are now behind us.
This I do, even as the year 2012, like many before it, will join the ranks of years of global challenges and uncertainties.

St. Maarten during 2012 celebrated its second anniversary of country status -albeit within the Dutch Kingdom- and during that time has faced the challenges of any modern country today.

These challenges manifested themselves especially in the areas of maintaining a robust economy in the face of global crisis and uncertainties, one after another.

A robust economy is a must to generate employment and allow government to provide public services to the people; provide sustainable health and social systems, and take measures to ensure that poverty is eliminated where such exists in our community.Government is enabled to do so through contributions by corporate and individual citizens in the form of taxes and fees for government services.

In both the areas of social services and taxes, the people of St. Maarten can expect changes that will benefit the community at large, such as changes to the tax system as well as pension, health and social reforms.

None of these changes will come without due consideration and consultation, as people's health and livelihoods are not to be taken lightly and changes must be for the betterment of the majority of people.

In the meantime, government has and will continue to implement incremental measures, such as the increase in the pension allowance to Naf. 1000,-- per month, the increase in pension age and changes to some tax and fee structures, such as the vehicle road tax, immigration fees etc.

For a growing country such as ours with the obligations that come with this status, a constant challenge remains the creation of income for government versus its obligations and citizens' expectations.

Government recognizes that this pressure comes at a time, when business is also challenged from different angles, a sluggish economy, fierce competition, cost of doing business,the internet, and several other factors that have surely impacted the "make a fast dollar" mentality and economy of the past.

Government, the private sector and civil society during the past months have demonstrated a keen understanding of these challenges and shown their willingness to work together to come up with the best alternatives for the challenges and choices we face.
This attitude bodes well for the future and creates a solid basis for the dialogue which will commence early in 2013 to chart a long term vision for St. Maarten in the form of a National Development Plan.

2012 has therefore been a learning experience in so many ways and 2013 will put before us questions regarding sustainable development choices for our country going into the future.

Our constitution is a good starting point for government and citizenry to act in tandem, as our young country evolves and we still have the opportunity to shape it into the St. Maarten we envisage for the future and for future generations.

There are however, some values that are not spelled out in so many words, yet they are critical to our further growth as a nation. Respect for country and for one another, leadership by example and time for family and community, especially for our children.

The NA/DP/I3 government which I am privileged to lead will continue to place emphasis on service and doing away with the image of a government and a public service that is insensitive and out of touch.

We will continue to build on the strengths which we have and those are many. Resilience, friendliness, ambition and creativity are some that come to mind.

Government's emphasis on community development and district empowerment is already bearing fruit, as civil society is stepping up to the plate to do their part in promoting the community spirit in their respective districts.

I encourage these initiatives and creativity by the community councils and other volunteer workers. Government is therefore resolute in its determination to fill the void created by the cessation of Dutch social funding through the AMFO funding agency. A St. Maarten Development fund will succeed this agency.

There too, the opportunity exists to create a national social agenda, in which GO's and NGO's will both play a role.

Government will continue to bring the services of Government directly to the districts and thus bring governance closer to the people. We will be expanding on the work which we have been doing through the broadening of our services to reach all citizens.
Early in 2013, the first Service Center will open in Simpsonbay, providing vital public services such as those of the labor, social, and receiver's offices and the civil registry.

The community help desk concept will be further developed and perfected to meet the needs of especially the more challenged members of our society.

During the past year, government has invested a lot in our own public servants to foster a culture of service and pride in being a public servant, a servant of the people. This is required of a country and any forward thinking people.

We have made inroads into international and regional platforms, by reporting on areas such as human right obligations and financial and tax treaties and labor matters.

Our institutions, created on 10-10-10, are growing from strength to strength and our advisory councils are finding their way and their place in the totality of constitutional institutions, necessary for proper governance of our country.

W have a system in place to work formally with our French brothers and sisters on matters that affect us all, both North and South.

Again, looking back briefly, we can safely say, 2012, while challenging saw the best come out in many of us.
Of course, we had our setbacks and disappointments as well. Since our goal is to rid our island of the scourge of crime, we still have a long way to go, but in that area too small, but significant steps have been made.

It is also our belief that private and public sectors must continue to work together to bring down significantly the youth unemployment rate. At several places of business during the Christmas season, I encountered young people who got a job for the season, one for just a day. This reinforces the point that in a vibrant economy, there will be work and that training is key.

It is a delicate balance to arrive at, but not an impossible task and to use an old cliche: "all noses must be pointed in the same direction."

This is government's aim with the process to arrive a a National Development Plan.
In order to launch and implement the National Development Plan we will need the involvement of all, of each and every St. Martiner, to craft this new vision for St. Maarten.

With a preview of what promises to be an eventful and exciting year, I would like to wish all a Prosperous and Healthy 2013.
Make the best of the new year, be proud to live here and may God bless you and our Sweet St. Maarten Land.

Philipsburg:--- The police and prosecutor's office remain tight-lipped about the investigation they are conducting regarding a Jamaican national whom it is said disappeared on the night of December 22nd, 2012. The woman has been identified as Annmarie Lynch (41) was reported missing just recently. The woman is also an employee of Pineapple Pete's Restaurant. Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos said that the police are still on the lookout for the missing woman and so far no one has been arrested. However, SMN News learnt that the police are concerned as to why the family and concerned friends took this long to file an official report with the police. Several persons including friends of the woman conducted a search this past Friday and they found no trace of the missing woman. Indications are that the woman was picked up from work by her boyfriend but so far police only spoke to him once to gather information as to the whereabouts of the missing woman.

French Quarter:--- Rajindra Rattan and his wife Bibi Shamila Rattan both residents of 13 Rue Correlita French Quarter are now offering a reward of $1000.00 to anyone that finds their stolen Guyanese passports and returns them. The Rattans in an interview with SMN News on Sunday said that someone in their neighborhood stole their vehicle on Friday December 28th, 2012. The vehicle, a Toyota Corolla with number plate 8964 AAA, was found in Sucker Garden on Saturday morning but the items inside the vehicle were not recovered. Bibi Rattan said she had a black briefcase inside her car containing their passports and other documents all of which were stolen. "We need our passports because they contain visas for Canada and the United States. Besides that, we are business people and we need our documents to do our business. The police on the Dutch side found our vehicle and they turned it over to a tow truck company. The police told us they are holding the vehicle for further investigation and promised to release the vehicle on Monday December 31st, 2012." The Rattans said they already contacted the Gendarmes and they were told that the Gendarmes need to receive the report from the Dutch side before they can start their investigation. The Rattans further explained that bystanders in the area saw who stole their vehicle and took it to the Dutch side where they stripped the car. This person is not from French Quarter and we believe he has our passports. "We are calling on this person or anyone who have our documents to return it to us and we will pay the reward," the Rattans said.

MARIGOT:--- The criminal court in Basse Terre, Guadeloupe, on Friday December 28, sentenced an individual to four years in prison with one year suspended for a violent assault on a tourist that took place in Marigot on December 21.

A press release from the Gendarmerie stated that the attack and attempted robbery occurred on Friday December 21 at around 5:15pm when a tourist couple was shopping on Rue Kennedy in the vicinity of Lipstick.

The press release further explained that while the female tourist was waiting in front of Lipstick for her husband, the woman was approached by the aggressor who attempted to snatch her bag which was slung over her shoulder.

The woman did all she could to resist losing the bag which caused the attacker to become increasingly violent and he proceeded to punch the victim repeatedly. Cowering under the punches, the woman fell to the ground and hit her head on an object on the pavement. While on the ground, the attacker continued to punch the defenseless woman until a Gendarmerie patrol arrived.

The attacker was immediately arrested. The report did not mention the condition of the victim.

Philipsburg:--- With the arrest and release of two persons in the Piranha investigation, it is still unclear how investigators are proceeding with the case. Some two weeks ago the owner of Global Advisory Services Roberto Gibbs was arrested on charges of embezzlement, money laundering, and fraud.

The businessman who is also the co-manager and financial administrator for WINAIR was released by the judge of instruction when the prosecutor sought to have his pre-trial detention extended. Shortly after the release of Gibbs, the Landsrecherche along with the Prosecutor's Office arrested former Finance Minister Hiro Shigemoto for embezzlement, fraud, and for not following government rules. According to Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos in previous statements, Global Advisory was paid double for the services they provided to the government of St. Maarten, the case they said started since 2009. It should be noted that in 2010 the former director of finance Bas Roorda turned over stacks of documents and digital information to the Prosecutor's Office showing irregularities with government finances.

When the former finance Minister Hiro Shigemoto was taken before the judge of instruction last Thursday the Prosecutor's Office did not ask the Judge of Instruction for a full eight day extension as they would have done with every other suspect. The Prosecutor's Office in this case compromised by asking the Judge of Instruction to allow them to hold the former Minister for further questioning until December 24th, 2012 at 3pm. Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos said in a previous statement that the request to the judge of instruction had conditions such as the former Minister would have to report to police whenever he is called in for questioning. Shigemoto was required to hand over his passport to the Prosecutor's office pending the outcome of the investigation. It should be noted that if the prosecutor had solid evidence against the former Minister of Finance there would have been no need to compromise and neither would there be any fear that the judge of instruction would have released the former Minister who is a diabetic and hypertension patient. Based on the Dutch criminal law, the prosecutor's office will have to provide new facts and new evidence against Shigemoto or any other suspect that was released from pre-trial detention before they can be arrested again.
SMN News wrote an article last week outlining some of the irregularities that were observed during the pre-trial detention hearing, we stated that Shigemoto was given class justice and even wondered if this was because his father in law is the Minister of Justice on St. Maarten.

SMN News contacted Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos on Friday for an update on the Piranha investigation and Mos said that there are still some things to be investigated. After that they will have the final report made up. The prosecutor will then study the case and decide on how to proceed. When he was asked if more arrests were expected, Mos said he will not divulge that information. Upon further questioning by SMN News regarding the Piranha investigation and the alleged crimes Bas Roorda said former head of the Tourist Bureau Regina Labega committed, Mos said the two cases are not linked.

Fellow St. Maarteners,
And all those who share this beautiful island with us.
Season's Greetings!

The dawn of a New Year is a special gift of life and we should treat it as such. It is a blessing we cannot take for granted. Each New Year, indeed, offers us a fresh opportunity to reflect on the preceding year, re-set our priorities, renew our spirit and revitalize our souls. We make resolutions at the beginning of each year as a statement of intent to meet some personal and collective goals, which unfortunately sometimes remain unfulfilled because we do not always match our good intentions with a sense of purpose and commitment.
When we look back on the year that has just ended, we cannot but first and foremost count our blessings, as individuals and as a nation. Not only are we alive today – by the grace of God – but, as tough as the year has been worldwide in terms of the economy, we have done more than survive and some of us can even say they have thrived.
But not all is well in our own corner of Paradise. There are still too many of us really and truly living below the poverty line – if we were to draw that line realistically. There are still too many of us who are yet to taste the benefits of our tourism economy. There are too many who are unemployed; who remain bound to short-term contracts; and who can hardly make ends meet.
When this government came into power almost half-way through the year, we promised to work for the people. For me, that promise is NOT a political slogan; it is not another empty promise by politicians. I understand the cynicism with which the public meets such statements because for too long they have lacked content and commitment on the part of those who rather than serve the interests of the people they are sworn to uphold, lord it over the same people and serve their own narrow, personal interests.
On taking office as your Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in charge of Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure, I took an oath to uphold the Constitution of Sint Maarten and to champion the interests of Sint Maarten to the best of my ability.

Championing the interests of St. Maarten means one and only one thing for me: putting the interests of the people above everything else. That is what working for the people really means. It is an oath which I took and which I intend to keep, come rain, come sunshine, so help me God.

Fellow St. Maarteners, residents of our beloved island.

For us to progress as a nation, as a Caribbean people, we must acknowledge the fact that government alone does not have ALL the answers. It is critically important for each and every one of us to put in our best effort, so that together, we can reach for the skies.

I believe in the talent, the versatility and the resilience of our people to make things happen, to build a virile, harmonious, forward-looking and forward-moving society which would be the envy of the world. We have all it takes to achieve that. We are a proud and hardworking people and I will not allow anyone to turn us into beggars in our own land.

I look forward to the New Year with a lot of excitement and determination. In 2013, I will continue to work relentlessly to ensure that the public-private partnership upon which this island was built is revitalized and strengthened.

There is a time for politics and a time for governance. This is a time for good governance. For respect for all institutions of government; for fairness and transparency and for amends to be made so that we can bring back into the mainstream all those who may have been marginalized for whatever reason. In fact, good politics is nothing if not taking good care of the people's business in a manner that benefits the people themselves and not a few who believe that power is a ticket to enrich themselves at the expense of the general public.

As we begin this New Year, my prayer is that you and your loved ones will be in good health, and prosper in all your endeavors. May you find joy and fulfillment throughout 2013.

Happy New Year from my family and me, to yours!

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs recently presented Pastor Smith with 32 Christmas Gift Boxes for the less fortunate in the community.

The Gift Boxes which were prepared by the Departments of Culture and Youth Affairs, contained non-perishable goods and were made possible through love offering which were collected at the Annual Thanksgiving Service in collaboration with the St. Maarten Christian Council, St. Maarten United Ministerial Foundation and the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

This is an annual undertaking by the government and the churches, and is in keeping with the expression of love during this holiday season towards those who are in need.

The entire society is encouraged to engage in sharing with love ones, friends, neighbors and the needy.

The Sint Maarten Fire Department has granted permits to one applicant allowing him to import, transport, and sell a specified quantity of consumer fireworks. The sales to the general public at the AJC Brouwersroad 12-14 from the 29th until the 31st of December, 2012 after inspection of the Fire Department. The permits that were granted are based upon the Vuurwerkbesluit AB2000, which regulates the import, storage, transport, and selling of consumer fireworks.

The Fire Department also granted two permits for public firework displays which will take place in Great Bay and Maho on January the 1st 2013 at 0.00. The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to attend a public display conducted by trained professionals.

Fire Department together with Customs, Coastguard and Police are vigilant to ensure that all Firework activities in the closing of 2012 are according to the granted permits and used in a safe manner.

The fireworks which are to be sold in small quantities to the general public are consumer fireworks like firecrackers and novelty fireworks, such as fountains and sparklers. Even though novelty fireworks, are generally considered to be "safe", they can reach temperatures of more than 650°C, and thus hot enough to cause third degree burns. That is why the Fire Department is urging the general public to take the necessary precautions and be fireworks smart when lighting fireworks.

To light up the powder in the fireworks a wick or fuse is fixed in it. The burning time of the wick is arranged by international regulations between 3 to 8 seconds. If the time is faster you would not get away on time and if the burning time is longer you may pick it up again to check why it is taking so long. This is why illegal and unlabeled fireworks which are not checked by the government are so dangerous. And that is also why it is very important to never light up fireworks with a wick that is broken or to relight wicks that has gone out. Before you know these will explode in your hands. Do not ever use homemade fireworks or fireworks without an instruction label. These are illegal and they can kill you!

Fireworks are beautiful and add fun and excitement to holiday celebrations. But you must be fireworks smart when you use them. That is why the Fire Department advices those that are planning to make use of consumer fireworks to follow the following guidelines:

Using fireworks safely begins before you light it, so take the following precautions on beforehand:

• Only use fireworks as intended. Don't try to alter them or combine them.
• Put on clothes that can handle some sparkles, not nylon nor polyester and protect your eyes by wearing safety glasses.
• Do not put the fireworks in the pockets of your shirt or pants.
• Read the instructions and warnings from before. You cannot read the label in the dark.
• Choose an open area away from spectators, homes, dry vegetation, traffic and buildings especially gas stations, bulk stations, churches, hospitals and old people homes. Think on your pets.
• Make sure you have water near you (either a hose or a bucket).
• Alcohol and fireworks do not mix.
• Only persons over the age of 12 should be allowed to handle sparklers of any type.

How to light fireworks:

• Use common sense. Spectators should keep a safe distance (about 6 meters) from the shooter.
• Always ensure that the novelty fireworks are standing stable. Put skyrockets in a bottle that is half filled with sand and for big sky rockets secure a pvc-pipe in the ground.
• Light fireworks up with a piece of cotton rope, cigarette or mosquito coil. Never use matches or a lighter.
• Do not light fireworks in your hand.
• Never throw any fireworks at anybody or animal.
• Never relight a "dud" firework, those that did not go off. Wait 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water
• As each device burns out, soak it using a hose, or bucket of water.

After lighting fireworks:
When you are finished with lighting fireworks you will have to clean up all the garbage. Do not leave any fireworks on the road especially "duds" those that did not go off. Many children go looking the next day for leftovers and will try to reignite them. Place all used items in a covered, fireproof container and leave it outside and away from homes and buildings.

Take the following actions in the event anybody gets burned. The treatment of burns caused by heath starts with the application of cold water in order to cool destroyed tissues and minimize damage to them. This treatment is not administered in extensive or third-degree burns which can be recognized when the burned area is white and dry and also the pain is minor or non-existent, as cold water may aggravate the state of shock.

1. Immerse the burned area immediately in cold running water. Place it under a tap or in a bucket of water, or apply cold-water compress (but not ice) to the burned area.
2. Continue to cool the burned area with cold water for about 5 minutes or until the pain diminishes. Then dry it gently with a clean towel and dress it with a sterile or clean, dry cloth.
3. Do not prick the blisters or otherwise interfere with the burned area.
4. Do not remove clothing adhering to the wound. Remove any watches, bracelets, rings, belts, or constricting clothing from the affected area before it begins to swell.
5. Do not apply butter, oil, or cream to the wound.
6. Do not press the wounded area.
7. In case of extensive burns call Ambulance Department at 912, wrap the victim in a clean sheet and transfer to the hospital.

Report illegal fireworks or unsafe use of fireworks to the Fire Department at (919) or Police Department (911).

The Fire Department thanks the population for their cooperation in upholding the safety on Sint Maarten over the years. On behalf of management and staff of the Fire Department and Ambulance Department we wish you a happy and safe 2013. Happy New Years!

Marigot:--- Senator Louis Constant Fleming has issued a call to the President of the Collectivity of St. Martin Alain Richardson to tell the truth when making statements in the Territorial Council meetings. Senator Fleming told SMN News on Thursday that On December 13th, 2012 he received a call from his assistant in France informing him that a letter was sent to his office requesting that he make an amendment to the fiscal law. Senator Fleming said the letter reached his office at 2pm in the afternoon on the last day on which senators can submit their amendments. "These amendments had to be submitted by midday on the day when the letter was sent by the President of the Collectivity Alain Richardson. The letter reached my office two hours after the deadline had passed. Later that same day I received a text message from the President informing me of the letter that was sent to my Paris office, that day I went to the Collectivity to do some private business with my son and I made it my duty to visit the President who was in his office and he told me that he was sick and he did not realize that the letter was prepared a week earlier and was sitting on his desk waiting to be signed and sent to me. I also indicated to President Richardson that the Government of France has no authority over St. Martin's financial situation and that St. Martin can change the law as much as they want in the Territorial Council. The only fiscal power the Government kept was the collection of taxes. The letter sent to my office was signed by the President of the Collectivity but it was not dated. When we checked the request further I realized that the President was asking me to do something in the senate that the government has no power over. I understand that everyone wants to shine when they are elected but I will not sit down and allow anyone to lie on me."

Senator Fleming further explained that this year the senate did not vote on the budgets of the social security and state budget. Fleming further explained that the senate threw out the budget discussion and they did not vote on it period. This happened because the communist group decided to abstain therefore the budgets could not be discussed. Those two budgets were voted upon by the National Assembly. Fleming said he was scheduled to intervene on December 4th but since the budget debate was thrown out he could not intervene.

Senator Fleming said that he believes that President Richardson should sit and read the Organic Law so he understands the power the COM has instead of telling "lies" in the Territorial Council meetings. Senator Fleming also told SMN News that one week after the election in March 2012 he met with President Richardson and he informed him that he will not take any initiatives on his own but whatever the RRR Territorial Council decides and prepares he will defend it to the best of his abilities.

Click here to view the undated letter sent to Senator Fleming by President Richardson requesting that an amendment be made to the fiscal law.

SIMPSON BAY:--- "Every year there is an increase in requests to park private jets at Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM Airport), and this year has seen even more than last year, unfortunately due to limited space, we can only accommodate so much and no more," said Michel Hyman, Operations Manager of the airport.

Explaining the visible increase in the number of private jets at the airport, Hyman said, "This year, we've been able to be more creative, of course, without compromising safety and security, which are the main pillars of our operations."

He noted that every year, "aircrafts keep growing bigger and bigger, not like 10 years ago."

One of the "Big Birds" that annually make SXM Airport the temporary base at this time of the year is a Boeing 767 – 300 series, which belongs to Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire oil magnate and owner of English Premier League football club, Chelsea, current European champions.

"His is the biggest," confirmed Hyman, pointing to the fact that the private aircraft is bigger than most legacy commercial airlines that service the island.

According to Hyman, those private jets that cannot find space to park at the airport do quick "turnarounds." They drop off their VIP passengers and take off to return for them whenever they are ready.

One of the main reasons for the increasing number of private jets calling at the airport is the fact that this is also the start of the yachting season. Hyman explained that the rich and famous come in their private jets to board their yachts waiting for them at the Simpson Bay lagoon to cruise around the Caribbean.

As the General Aviation business continues to grow, SXM Airport, at present second in this sector behind The Bahamas in the Caribbean, is looking to increase its market share with future expansion of its current facilities.

Philipsburg:--- The Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise provided over 100 plates of food to the less fortunate citizens of St. Maarten on December 26th, 2012. The members went around delivering meals to citizens in the Dutch Quarter, Philipsburg, Cay Hill, and Marigot Districts. Other than food and drinks, the members distributed candies and cupcakes to the young children as well. The members of the Rotaract Club have been doing this event for years as they believe that around Christmas time we should not only receive but give with a kind heart to those that are in need. The club would like to thank Mr. Russell Bell of "Elle si Belle" bus services for providing us with transportation to carry out this initiative.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever says he supports efforts by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to strengthen activities for preventing the re-introduction of eliminated diseases in the Hemisphere.

The objective is to keep the Americas free of measles, rubella, and congenital rubella syndrome. The countries of the Region have agreed on an emergency plan of action to prevent the re-introduction of the aforementioned, which have already been eliminated in the Americas.

Sint Maarten is an associate member of PAHO, and has an active immunization program in place.

As part of the Minister of Public Health's Hon. Cornelius de Weever campaign 'Get Checked,' the Minister reiterates his calling on parents/guardians with young children to visit the Collective Prevention Services (CPS) to have their child's vaccination status checked to make sure it's up to date with the relevant immunizations.

The Region continues to be at risk, since imported cases from other regions of the world can lead to outbreaks and pose a risk to maintaining the elimination of the diseases.

The emergency plan of action calls on the Member States to strengthen active surveillance of these diseases by ensuring timely outbreak response measures for imported viruses, and to maintain immunization coverage of 95 percent or more.

In November 2002, the Region eliminated measles through immunization coverage. In 2011, however, 171 outbreaks caused by imported measles cases were documented, resulting in persistent transmission of the virus in at least three countries (Canada, Ecuador, and Brazil). These imported measles outbreaks put the Region's achievements at risk.

From 1998 to 2006, confirmed cases of rubella plummeted by 98 per cent, from 135,947 to 3,005. In 2007, however, the Americas experienced a resurgence of cases due to importations of the virus into countries whose mass vaccination campaigns had initially targeted only females.

As a result of the outbreaks in three countries, confirmed cases of rubella soared from 3,005 in 2006 to 13,187 in 2007, resulting in 27 reported cases of congenital rubella syndrome between 2008 and 2009.

Philipsburg:--- Identifying people who have worked hard and nominating them as person or persons of the year is often a challenging task for every publisher. Since the creation of SMN News Network (SMNN), we have nominated several persons of the year, some of them were nominated for their positive contribution while others for their negativity and how often they made the news in a bad light. Many persons have criticized us for awarding persons in the negative. However, we all know that the late Osama Bin Laden was not someone that was loved by the world but he too received a person of the year award. Our point is that selecting people is not only based on their positive performance or how many times they made the news but often times it is about how they made the news and their overall performance.

This year SMN News made no exceptions with our criteria and after looking back at the people that have made the news this year and those that worked behind the scenes we have decided to choose five people as Outstanding Persons of Year 2012.

Persons of the Year 2012.

Four of the five persons we selected this year came from the Korps Politie St. Maarten (KPSM). Currently, this department is headed by Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte who has made it his duty to lead by example. However, we chose to credit the people that work under De Witte's command since they are the ones who are doing the work behind the scenes by leading the teams they head. Due to the hard work of these persons, the Police Force (KPSM) managed to bring the crime rate down to a satisfactory level.

The first person that came to mind is someone that everyone on St. Maarten knows. He is simple, always seen with his bag around his shoulder and at almost every crime scene on St. Maarten. Mr. Guillermo Jacinto Severo Krips, a Superintendent of Police was given the task as Chief of Serious Crimes in the Detective Department of KPSM.

Krips, as he is familiarly known to all, was also responsible for the Youth Affairs Department of KPSM. He joined the Police Force of the Netherlands Antilles on May 1st, 1971. He has given 41 years of service to the people of St. Maarten and will retire at the end of year. However, Krips was given a one year contract to remain with KPSM because of his expertise and willingness to serve and protect the people of this great nation. While we might see less of Krips on crime scenes, his presence will be with KPSM in another capacity for another year.

Those who know Krips would know that he is not afraid of anyone when it comes to performing his duty. One of the things he is known to do is look at people in their eyes despite their position and read them their rights when they are being arrested as a suspect in any type of crime. When several acting prosecutors and police were afraid; Krips stood up in front of his former boss Derrick Holiday and read him his rights when he was arrested, he also did the same for his former colleague Marcel Loor and many others whom he knew very well. It goes to show that being a Superintendent of Police for Mr. Guillermo Jacinto Severo Krips was serious business, he took pride in performing his duties and also tries his best to dot every (i) and cross every (t) when he is investigating some of the most gruesome murders on St. Maarten. While we have chosen to select Krips as one of the outstanding persons this year, we also took into consideration the brave men and women that worked under him on the teams he led.

The second outstanding person of 2012 for SMN News is another officer who hardly smiles with anyone, but he is someone who knows how to investigate armed robberies and can quickly identify the modus oprandi of any crime scene. He is no other than Mr. Delano Lincoln Baptist. Baptist is an Inspector of Police and he just recently took over the position that has been vacated by Krips. While his new position is temporary, Baptist is the team leader of the Armed Robbery Team (ATRACO). Baptist has served the police force of Aruba and St. Maarten for 33 years in total, he was transferred to St. Maarten on January 1st, 2007. Baptist has extensive knowledge in policing. He showed his expertises in 2011 when five people were murdered in one week. The investigation was called the Regatta murder investigation and investigated jointly with KPSM, RST, Marechaussee, Aruba, and Curacao Police Force. However, when the RST concluded that the five murders, including a Haitian security guard were drug related, Delano Baptist fought tooth and nail with his colleagues until he convinced them that the Modus oprandi of the five killings was armed robbery and they were all committed by the same set of people. Finally, someone who always takes the credit for the hard work of the local police decided to listen to Inspector Delano Baptist and within no time the culprits were arrested. The three suspects known as the "gypsy gang" were arrested and they were all convicted. Another case that Baptist was sure he was going to solve is the Afoo murder investigation which was committed on December 30th, 2009. According to what we know, Baptist with his skills managed to get four Jamaican nationals that were residing on the island illegally to tell him what they saw. The information those eyewitnesses provided to Baptist led the team to the rusty firearm that the culprits threw away while escaping but those that were in charge (RST) felt that they knew more than Baptist so they discredited the information and the gun that was found. Forensic and ballistic information showed that the rusty gun was indeed the firearm used to kill the well known businessman. Even though the gun was found, the bosses higher up took the decision to deport the four Jamaicans that assisted Baptist. To date, the Afoo Murder Investigation under the command of Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos remains unsolved. The KPSM reopened the case but as usual when they arrested someone they believe to be involved in the crime the information was leaked to a media house that is supported by the Prosecutor's Office.

Our third outstanding person this year is a female police officer, one that is always nicely dressed and can be found at every crime scene despite the hour. Her name is Mrs. Janine Cecile Muller-Rijna. Rijna is an Inspector of Police and she heads the Forensic Department of KPSM. Rijna joined the Police Force of the Netherlands Antilles on October 1st, 1985. So far she has given 27 years of service to the Police Force. Catching the suspects is one aspect of solving a case but the job that Rijna does plays a key role in solving some murder cases and cases of rape. Forensic evidence plays a crucial role in solving crimes especially with the technology that is now available to police and other investigators. This past year (2012) forensic trace played a key role in solving 12 of the 14 murders that were committed.

Our fourth outstanding person of the year is someone that is hardly known to the St. Maarten community because he joined the St. Maarten Police Force on January 15th, 2012. Mr. Gerard van Dam, an Inspector of Police came from the Netherlands with 35 years of service in law enforcement. Van Dam has a vast amount of knowledge and is currently heading the Tactical Crime Prevention in the Detective Department. According to the information we have gathered on Inspector Van Dam, he has shown that he is strongly committed to his job while he has a pleasant personality as a police officer. Van Dam was one of the officers who played a major role as one of the coordinators in solving the King murders that were committed in September 2012. This is because Van Dan integrated into the St. Maarten community within a short period of time which he managed to use during this investigation.

The four cops chosen by SMN News as outstanding persons of the year led various teams when they worked on several murder cases. Therefore, it is only fair that we congratulate the men and women who worked with them in making St. Maarten a better and safer place for its residents and visitors alike. Crime prevention and elimination of crime on St. Maarten is far from being perfect but one must admit that an island this small with over 200 nationalities must have its pros and its cons.

The teams selected by SMN News solved 5 of the 10 murders that were committed in the year 2010, 13 of the 18 murders committed in 2011, and 12 of the 14 murders committed in 2012. This is the period when Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte took over the helm of the Police Force of St. Maarten (KPSM).

One of the highlights that the KPSM brought St. Maarten this year and saved the island much trouble is when the local police force KPSM solved the murders of Michael and Thelma King in September 2012. During this investigation the local police force worked by themselves and they managed to capture the three suspects who already confessed to killing the two American citizens, while the motive as far as we know was robbery. Solving the King murders saved St. Maarten and its tourism industry greatly since most news outlets in North America pointed their eyes and ears in our direction especially since the same Prosecutor that headed the Prosecutor's office in Aruba when Nathalee Halloway was killed is now heading our Prosecutor's office and he is also sitting in the driver's seat.

SMN News chose to award the three men and one woman in blue simply because someone else always takes the credit for the work they do. It is obvious these past years that the police has lost their voice and the only person that gives information and takes the credit for the work of the Police is the Chief Public Prosecutor Hans Mos. Unfortunate as it may be we were not distracted by the tactics and we recognized that our men in blue work very hard with the limited tools and manpower. Even more unfortunate is that several of them are due for promotion but for some reason or the other, it is not being given to them.

Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte expressed shock but was very happy that someone somewhere saw the hard work of the men and women working at KPSM. De Witte said he was indeed happy that the four persons selected by SMN News got the credit they deserve because they all work tirelessly to solve each and every crime that is committed on St. Maarten. "For me this is a good reward for the four officers that have been selected for such a prestigious title. Each of them work very hard and they deserve it very much."

Our fifth person of the year 2012 is someone that is also well known to the St. Maarten community, he was appointed Minister of Finance in May 2012 by the National Alliance/ Democratic Party/IND Government. His name Roland Studly Tuitt. Tuitt was born on November 20th, 1955, and he is a certified accountant. Tuitt worked with the CFT prior to St. Maarten becoming a country, after that he was appointed Chairman of the Audit Chamber and as of May 2012 he was appointed Minister of Finance. One would ask why nominate Tuitt as one of the outstanding persons of the year. First and foremost, Mr. Tuitt is one of the Ministers from the Council of Ministers who makes it his duty to inform the people of St. Maarten every Wednesday during the Council of Ministers' press briefing. Mr. Tuitt only stays away when he is not on the island. Many times SMN News would brace Minister Tuitt with harsh questions and even when it's difficult he would ensure that an answer is provided for the people he is working for, the tax payers. Besides that, Minister Tuitt within a very short period of time had to finalize the 2012 budget which he almost did over while he is still fiddling with figures to balance and provide adequate answers to the CFT about the 2013 budget.

Minister Tuitt is the one that exposed the TAXAND scandal on St. Maarten which will soon end up in the hands of the prosecutor and Attorney General. He also ensured that the people's money was not going to be spent on NFL football that a certain MP wanted introduced in schools on the island and another project and contract Tuitt threw through the window was the sand in a bottle contract that was to be awarded to the relative of the former Deputy Prime Minister.

To the five people we have chosen to reward for their outstanding work during the 2012, congratulations for capturing our attention with the work you do. We at SMN News wish you much strength and success for the year 2013.

As a year end event, the Sint Maarten PRIDE Foundation conducted a cleanup of the Emilio Wilson Historical and Cultural Park. The cleanup was an effort by the PRIDE Foundation youth who are the representatives of the foundation in their respective schools.
Trash found in the park consisted of left over plastic cups and bottles left behind by those visiting the park as well as plastic waste washed down in the gutter originating from the St. Peters and Reward areas.
PRIDE Foundation would like to remind all visitors to the park to bag their trash and dispose of it responsibly, at the entrance gate of the park there are large trash containers for this purpose.
The Emilio Wilson Park is the only open access park of its kind on the island, enjoyed by many for relaxation, sports, and gatherings, it's cleanliness should be respected by all.
As we approach the Christmas and New Years holidays, we would like to encourage everyone to keep it clean and safe. Our beaches, especially the Mullet Bay beach, Belair beach and Great Bay beach are popular locations for beach parties, we ask everyone to bag their trash, find a trash bin and dispose of responsibly. If none are in your immediate surroundings, carry the trash with you. Beach party organizers should have trash bins placed in and around the party location as a first priority and are ultimately responsible for any litter left behind by their party guests. PRIDE Foundation also asks beach party organizers to respect others where it concerns loud music, sound pollution is a serious concern by many residents who do not wish to be disturbed by loud music disrupting their own quality family time.
The foundation wishes everyone, and especially our dedicated volunteers a Happy, Green, and Clean New Year in 2013. May we all strive to protect our island as a gem in the Caribbean by keeping it litter free in its natural island beauty.

Philipsburg:--- The tow truck driver from French St. Martin that is in police custody has been charged with homicide, confirmed Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos in an email on Friday.

Christian Cox was arrested early Wednesday morning at the scene of the accident on A.J.C Browers Road not far away from Jack's look-out Point where his girlfriend who was in the tow truck with him ended up dead.

The victim has been identified as Karen Ruiz Jonah (33) years old who hails from Panama but is also a resident of French St. Martin. SMN News learnt that the victim and the suspect have a child in common.

While Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson said the truck driver (Christian Cox) was detained and he was assisting with the investigation, it is now clear that the man is being held as a suspect in the death of his partner.

Police said earlier that it was not clear to them if the woman jumped out of the vehicle as she was having a fight with her boyfriend who was the driver of the tow truck at the time of the accident. While the Chief Prosecutor said the driver of the tow truck has been charged with homicide, it is not clear what type of evidence they have to substantiate the charges since there were no eyewitnesses to the accident that occurred shortly after 3am Wednesday morning.

SMN News learnt that some police officers managed to reach the scene very quickly and they secured the crime scene which allowed the forensic department to gather all the evidence at the scene where the accident occurred. Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson said that police conducted a reconstruction of the crime scene early Wednesday morning as they tried to determine exactly what transpired and how the woman who was inside the truck ended up dead on A.J.C Browers Road.

On Friday afternoon, Christian Cox was led before the judge of instruction, confirmed Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos. Mos said Cox was led before the judge to see whether the arrest and the prolongation of the custody by the prosecutor were according to the rule of law. Mos further explained that the judge did not find any problems with the arrest of the suspect who is charged with homicide; therefore his pre-trial detention was prolonged until January 5th, 2013. The island's Chief Prosecutor further explained that within this period the prosecutor will have to decide whether Cox will be released or if his pretrial detention will be extended. Mos said the decision will be taken depending on the outcome of the ongoing investigation.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever and Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot Williams recently reviewed the a newsletter on Gender Issues that has been compiled by the Department of Community Development, Family & Humanitarian Affairs and Women's Desk.

The first edition of the E-Newsletter on Gender Related Issues Women & Gender, within short will be emailed to civil servants with the aim to raise gender awareness within the government apparatus.

Entitled "Didici," the quarterly first issue comprises of an introduction; Word from the Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health; What is Gender?; Elimination of Violence Against Women; Violence Prevention Program for Boys in Dominica.

The name of the newsletter, "Didici," comes from the first person form of the Latin verb disco which means: 1) to acquire knowledge/skills of/in; 2) to hear/get to know/become acquainted with; 3) to learn. Didici therefore means: "I learned."

Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever says, "It is only fair to treat everyone equally. This is the foundation of our society and the International Labour Organization gender equality in the workplace.

"We have an obligation to educate and ensure that we secure the future and continued contribution of women- our mothers, sisters, aunts and daughters," Minister de Weever said on Sunday.

"Gender equality is, first and foremost, a human right. All genders and especially women are entitled to live in dignity and in freedom from want and from fear. Empowering women is also an indispensable tool for advancing development and reducing poverty in our country.

"Empowered women contribute to the health and productivity of whole families and communities and to improved prospects for the next generation. The importance of gender equality is underscored by its inclusion as one of the eight Millennium Development Goals, which have formed the basis of our Governing Program. Gender equality is acknowledged as being a key to achieving the other seven goals.

"It is the vision of my Government that a Nation thrives when all can participate in politics, business and society as equals; this goes for men as much as it does for women. At present, women in the Caribbean account for just one in three people in formal employment and despite our relative progressive society there is still significant inequality amongst social groups.

"We also know that violence against women and poor maternal health outcomes persist in this region and this government, the Government for the People, is striving hard to make St. Maarten a forerunner in changing this trend. Promoting gender equity is about addressing these inequities while simultaneously being a smart economic decision. Women are as much the pillar of our society as men are. On St. Maarten investments in women bring dividends to our country in terms of stability, prosperity and productivity," Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot Williams said on Sunday.

My Fellow Sint Maarteners,

Anchored in the promise of the birth of Christ, I extend Christmas greetings to you.

As we gather with family and friends this Christmas and prepare for the new year let us remember:

Christmas is the season of purpose

Let us celebrate this season with a focus
To purposefully do all that is truly relevant to us
To act on matters to better our community
All driven by the spirit of this season's love and humanity

In celebrating this season let us embrace the responsibility entrusted to us, through the birth of Christ, to dedicate and give our lives towards that which is genuinely meaningful, a happy and just society. For what better way to express our gratitude, as beneficiaries of the wonderful Christmas gift, than to give and share, thus fulfilling the role as our community's keeper.

As we celebrate this season let us be thankful for our many blessings and the good in our society while recognizing the malevolent aspects of and less fortunate in our community. And in doing so let us imagine a more enlightened, brighter and perfect Sint Maarten. One shaped by reducing our self-interest in favor of increasing our common interest, through empathy with others by considering their well-being as our own. This, in keeping with the spirit of the season, calls for the strengthening and effective deployment of our caring, nurturing and giving traditions and values.

Thus as we celebrate the birth of Christ amongst family and friends and come to the close of 2012, I encourage you to embrace the enduring love and humanity of the season now and into the new year with the purpose of the perfecting of our society.

From Marie-Louise and I, to your family, we wish you joyous and safe holidays filled with the sustaining love and peace of Christmas! God bless you and God bless Sint Maarten.

The Governor of Sint Maarten
Eugene B. Holiday

PHILIPSBURG:--- Situated at the Head of Town, Joshua Rose Guest House has joined the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), Dollar-A-Day, giving its employees an opportunity to be part of a program that boasts the highest rate of hospitality education on the island.
In welcoming the newest DAD member Director for the SHTA Small Hotels Division Kenrick Housen said Friday the staff of Joshua Rose Guest House can have access to the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) professional certification curriculum for its staff in the area Front Desk Customer Care, Housekeeping, Security, Maintenance and Food & Beverage. The training is designed to be given on the job and can be tailored for Supervisory and Management positions as well.
Manager of Joshua Rose Nadia Gumbs said it has been over six (6) years that she has been a member of the SHTA and it has afforded her the opportunity to promote her 14 Room facility in several regional and international markets. She explained that with the SHTA providing the much needed support that small hotels such as hers need, she is able to concentrate on the business of running the operation.
She explained that with the Dollar-A-Day program, not only facilitating training programs to improve hospitality on St. Maarten but also contributing to the social development of our people through various programs as well as the marketing arm of the program which is key for the destination it made sense that she also joined the program.
The SHTA delivered marketing material to Joshua Rose Guest House in Philipsburg on Thursday this week and also provided training for the staff on how to promote the Dollar-A-Day program and were also given instructions on how the program works. The Dollar-A-Day program or DAD which started in 2000, is a community development program started from the SHTA through which the association identifies social, and educational projects which they can contribute to using funds raised by hotels whose guests give a voluntary donation of a dollar for each night stay at their property.
In the past twelve months over 180 of hotel staff received specialized training following the. The DAD is also used to assist the unemployed on the island through the DIRPIE program which is an initiative by St. Maarten Government to assist unemployed persons within the community with job training programs and paid part time work.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Many homes out and in have been decorated with Christmas lights, stockings, banners, wreaths and the most popular of these decorations is the Christmas tree.

As part of Ministry of Public Health's Collective Prevention Services (CPS) Safe Holiday Season Observances in collaboration with the Department of Communication, residents are advised to keep the season safe by following a few helpful tips.

Minister of Public Health Hon. Cornelius de Weever as part of his 'Get Checked' campaign, is calling on the community to check their Christmas tree lighting to make sure everything is in order in order to avoid any hazards this holiday season.

These are some life-saving steps you can take to ensure a safe and happy holiday:

Preventing Holiday Tree Fires

• Holiday tree fire hazards
  Special fire safety precautions need to be taken when keeping a live tree in the house. A burning tree can rapidly fill a room with fire and deadly gases.
• Selecting a Tree for the Holiday
  Needles on fresh trees should be green and hard to pull back from the branches, and the needle should not break if the tree has been freshly cut. The trunk should be sticky to the touch. Old trees can be identified by bouncing the tree trunk on the ground. If many needles fall off, the tree has been cut too long, has probably dried out, and is a fire hazard.
• Caring for Your Tree
  Do not place your tree close to a heat source. The heat will dry out the tree, causing it to be more easily ignited by heat, flame or sparks. Be careful not to drop or flick cigarette ashes near a tree. Do not put your live tree up too early or leave it up for longer than two weeks. Keep the tree stand filled with water at all times.
• Disposing of Your Tree
  When the tree becomes dry, discard it promptly. The best way to dispose of your tree is by having it hauled away by the waste disposal service.
• Holiday Lights
  Maintain Your Holiday Lights
  Inspect holiday lights each year for frayed wires, bare spots, gaps in the insulation, broken or cracked sockets, and excessive kinking or wear before putting them up.
• Do Not Overload Electrical Outlets
  Do not link more than three light strands, unless the directions indicate it is safe. Connect strings of lights to an extension cord before plugging the cord into the outlet. Make sure to periodically check the wires - they should not be warm to the touch.
• Do Not Leave Holiday Lights on Unattended
• Holiday Decorations
  Use Only Nonflammable Decorations
  All decorations should be nonflammable or flame-retardant.
• Never Put Wrapping Paper near an open flame.
  It can throw off dangerous sparks and produce a chemical buildup in the home that could cause an explosion.
• Artificial Holiday Trees
  If you are using a metallic or artificial tree, make sure it is flame retardant.
• Candle Care
  Avoid Using Lit Candles
  If you do use them, make sure they are in stable holders and place them where they cannot be easily knocked down. Never leave the house with candles burning.
• Never Put Lit Candles on a Tree
  Do not go near a holiday tree with an open flame - candles, lighters or matches.

By following precautionary tips, families can greatly reduce their chances of becoming a holiday fire casualty.

Orient Beach:--- The owner of Bikini Beach Elisa Cohen has hope and she is also confident that the French justice system will grant her and the owner of Kontiki Beach Philippe Juste justice. In an interview with SMN News, Cohen said she filed a complaint of fraud and illegal use of her business name against Norbert Luftman the owner of Sindextour who collected over half million euros from her while he was not in possession of an AOT. Cohen is also contesting the issuance of the AOT which was given to Luftman in September 2012. Elisa Cohen is not only fighting the businessman who defrauded her but she is going up against the Collectivity of St. Martin, especially the President of the COM Alain Richardson whom she claims lied to her and her lawyer when they met in a scheduled meeting in July 2012. "In a meeting held at his office on July 13th, the President told me that he was not aware of the issuance of any AOT neither did his executive council discuss an AOT they intended to issue to Sindextour owned by Norbert Luftman even though we discovered later that he was one of the persons who attended the executive council meeting on April 17th, 2012 when the executive council took a decision to grant Sindextour the AOT." What is more disturbing is that the agenda and decisions taken in the executive council meetings are normally published both on COM's website and in the Official Journal but the one of April 17th, 2012 was never published on the website until the time passed for us to refute the decision. Despite the fact that my lawyer sent several requests in May and June to the COM about the decision that we heard was granted through rumors, he never got any reply from the COM. Can you imagine we also discovered the President scheduled a meeting with us on July 9th and he obviously rescheduled the meeting to July 13th so that he could claim that he published the decision taken on April 17th on May 15th, one day after the meeting with him and we could not contest the decision, yet the President chose to lie to us and our lawyer on the day we met (July 13th), telling us that "at his best knowledge" no AOT was granted to SINDEXTOUR or LUFTMAN. "I have been doing business, a legally registered business, on St. Martin for 20 years, while Philippe Juste of Kontiki Beach has been doing business here just over 10 years."
Cohen said that they looked everywhere and even asked the Prefet to inform them if any AOT was issued to Lufman when they found out that he had no AOT. Elisa Cohen said in February 2012 she and Phillipe Juste went to the Collectivity and requested an AOT. The file was stamped by DGS Pascal Averne. She said they took a copy of their demand to the Prefecture and got it stamped while they also took the same request to the Reserve who also stamped their request. "We made sure everyone knew that we were asking for our own AOT because we are willing to pay the Beauperthuy or the COM but not Norbert Luftman anymore."
Cohen further explained that besides that the property the former commune was leasing out is not domain land. She said when she first started to do business on the property one of the Beauperthuy heirs visited her and told her that the property had belonged to them and she told him if he had proof that he was lawful owner then she had no problem doing business with the rightful owners but up until then she had to respect the contract she had with Norbert Luftman. "I am an American citizen when I came here I knew nothing about the French laws so I did what I was told to do and believed the people I was doing business with was honest. Furthermore, even though I am American my business is fully legal including all my workers some of my workers have been working for me for the past 20 years."
Cohen further explained that even though Luftman had no contract and was collecting rent he gave them a contract which Luftman always claimed to be fully legal and binding. However, since the COM granted him an AOT in September 2012 Luftman has decided to make life and business impossible for them because he refused to allow them to rent their own chairs and umbrellas to their clients. Cohen said she is forced to rent umbrella and chairs from Luftman and the COM has refused to intervene in their defense. She some months ago they filed a court case against the COM and the day before the hearing the COM decided to hand deliver a notice to them informing them that their request for an AOT has been denied.

50 pas Geometrique or Private Property.

Referring to the Authorization D' Occupation Temporaire for Orient Beach brings a whole new discussion that the Criminal Courts would have to decide because former Mayor Albert Fleming granted his friend Norbert Luftman an AOT for a parcel of land that was not part of domain land (50 pas geometrique). Orient Beach belongs to the Beauperthuy families who already got the court to validate that they are the legal and true owners of the land that is leased out by the former commune. The owner of Orient Beach is the late Daniel Beauperthuy. Since the late Daniel Beauperthuy died and most of the heirs of his property were not on St. Martin, the former Mayor who led the commune for almost 30 years willfully granted an AOT to Luftman. According to court documents provided to SMN News, AW33 belonged to the Beauperthuy families from 1840 to 2011. In 2011, the court decided to grant the COM AW33 for unknown reasons. A decision the Beauperthuy families are contesting because in two prior court decisions the lower courts validated the property for them since they are the true heirs of the late Daniel Beauperthuy. The Beauperthuy's owned AW 29, AW 30, and AW 33. In January 2011, the court awarded AW 33 to the COM while the other parcels remained with the Beauperthuy's.
Norbert Luftman has said to other reporters that he requested the renewal of his AOT since 2008 or 2009 but the President of the COM during that time did not renew the AOT because they knew that the property is not part of the 50 pas Geometrique and that the true owners of the property were in court about the ownership of the properties. The former President of the COM Frantz Gumbs told SMN News reporter that he (while in office) could not grant SINDEXTOUR an AOT when he knew of the court proceedings and he also knew that the owners of Bikini Beach and Kontiki Beach had asked for their own AOT.
In short, everyone knew that AW33 did not belong to the COM in 2008 or 2009 when Luftman claims he made a request for renewal. Everyone knows that AW30 and AW33 are Beauperthuy's property since 1840 until 2011 for AW33 and permanently for AW 29 and AW30. Everyone knows also that Cohen and Juste filed a request for AOT in February 2012 on AW33 when at such date the COM had rights on such land. Everyone knows that such land is wide enough to accommodate the 2 new restaurants which Luftman built last August nearby Cohen's and Juste's operations and using identical names. Everyone knows that it is totally unfair if not deeply illegal to ignore Cohen's and Juste's requests and even more to lie to them on July 13th about the fact that no AOT was yet given.
Despite what everyone knows, the COM is still supporting Luftman's request for his renewed AOT to give him the right to evict Cohen and Juste! Why? What is COM's real motivation when it is obvious they could stream more revenues and rent from multiple operators, than giving SINDEXTOUR a monopolistic situation in Orient Bay?

Click here to view photos of business operations at Orient Beach.

Click here to view the signed AOT issued by the RRR Government to Norbert Luftman.

Click here to view COM's denial of AOT for Bikini Beach.

Click here to view COM's denial of AOT for Kontiki Beach.

Philipsburg:--- An early morning accident in the vicinity of Royal Funeral Home claimed the lives of two St. Maarten citizens. The first victim has been identified as Suraj Sunil Illis better known as "Skonkiedoole" born on September 18th, 1981. Illis was a well known mechanic who was living on Zaggersgut Road with his wife, three children, and other close relatives including his siblings. The second victim has been identified as Jackson Brooks while the third person who was involved in the accident Nathan Rombley remains in critical condition. Medical personnel including SZV were busy making arrangements Saturday morning to evacuate Rombley off island for further medical care. According to information provided to SMN News, Nathan Rombley is not in possession of a passport and that is making the evacuation process more difficult. SMN News learnt that the patient will be evacuated to the Dominican Republic since he is of Dominicano descent.

Relatives of Illis said their brother was driving a red Lexus jeep when the accident occurred on Sucker Garden Road. The family said all three of the persons that were in the vehicle at the time of the early morning accident were close friends and they lived close to each other. However, none of the relatives knew where the young men were going or where they were coming from since it was early in the morning. They said the accident occurred around 4am Saturday morning.

Acting Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson confirmed that the bodies have been confiscated as police investigate the cause of the accident. One of the possibilities police are looking at is if alcohol played any role in the accident. Already police believe that speed played a major role in the deadly early morning accident. Henson said Illis (Skonkiedoole) was the driver of the car and he died on the scene while Brooks died at the St. Maarten Medical Center where he was taken for treatment.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs and Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever, danced as part of the Nutcracker rendition of Motiance mid-week.

Both Ministers were special guests invited to be part of a group dance during the rendition. In addition the Ministers, several parents and dance students were also featured as special guests during the performance.

Minister De Weever said it was an honor to be part of the Nutcracker. "I hope my performance with Motiance meant as much as it did to me. Save the arts because it has saved and will continue to save lives and shape us as better human being," Minister Cornelius de Weever said.

St. Peters Youth Choir followed suit on Friday; more on Christmas Eve.

SIMPSON BAY:--- Who said serenading has gone out of style or is lost? The students of the Sister Regina Primary School in Simpson Bay not only brought back that much cherished St. Maarten tradition to the Princess Juliana International Airport on December 14 and 18, 2012, but received rave reviews from passengers and the entire airport community alike for their performance of popular Christmas carols.

The students were so good that several people offered them tips, which their teacher said she would use to buy some "goodies" for all of them.

Then on December 20, it was the Joyful Ringers group that played its bell instruments, ringing in Christmas cheer at SXM Airport. The Joyful Ringers are scheduled to return for a pre-Christmas Eve performance at the Terminal Building, on Monday, December 24, from 1 PM to 3 PM.

On Friday, December 21, it was another group of serenaders, the St. Peters Youth Choir of the St. Peters Methodist Church that performed Christmas classics in song and dance at the SXM Terminal Building, from 1 PM to 3 PM.

"We really appreciate the talent, time and effort these young ones have put into reviving this St. Maarten tradition of serenading, and spreading Christmas cheer to all passengers and the entire airport community," said Regina LaBega, SXM Airport managing director. "Their serenading lifts up the spirit and puts us all in the Christmas mood."

As the Minister of Finance I would hereby like to wish each and everyone Happy Holidays and all the best for 2013. May your holidays be filled with joy and happiness.
This time of the year is for us to remember the needs of others and it is also a time to share with persons who are less fortunate. Let us not forget the meaning of the Holiday Season but let us be thankful and appreciate all that we have.
I thank you sincerely for your support and I look forward to 2013 being positive and bright for the entire population of St. Maarten.
Happy Holidays

Hon. Roland Tuitt
Minister of Finance
Sint Maarten

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace"
It is the joyous Christmas season that is upon us. Unlike any other holiday, Christmas is the most special. It is a day in the year that reminds us that we are here for something else besides ourselves. It softens our hearts, brings people together and evokes the spirit of genuine thanksgiving in this Festive Season. Our Nation unites to pray, give thanks and celebrate life. We are blessed to be living on these 37 square miles of our unique island. The very things that make us unique, are those that we should endeavor to preserve. Our multi- cultural society, sportsmanship, friendliness, hospitality and values are to be celebrated throughout this season and throughout the coming year.

As a Ministry we uphold Christian values of Christmas and believe that it is Christmas our hearts that puts Christmas in the air. Therefore we encourage you throughout this season to be a blessing to one and other and to those in need. To remember those that are sick, weak or unable to celebrate the festivities in grandeur. To give the gift of love as we have received it from our Father. The magic of Christmas remind us that God gave us the ultimate gift of love, His Son!
May the spirit of Christmas, the echo of the carols and the lights of the Christmas tree bring happiness and joy into your life and home.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year

Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports
Silveria E. Jacobs

SIMPSON BAY:--- The students and teachers of the Prince Willem Alexander School have already started their Christmas celebration at the school for special education. Over 50 students, along with their teachers and school staff, were treated to a pre-Christmas breakfast by the Princess Juliana International Airport last Friday. Representing SXM Airport was its Business Development Officer, Daphne Roberts-Nicholson (in photo, offering breakfast drink to students). Roberts-Nicholson also assisted with sharing the breakfast meal in the school's assembly hall in St. Peters. Earlier this year, SXM adopted the Prince Willem Alexander School and has since assisted with school repairs and facilitated a WINAIR flight tour around the island. In addition, SXM's Section Head Security Guards, Elsidro St. Jago, was the school's graduation guest speaker in June. According to SXM Managing Director Regina LaBega, the adoption of Prince Willem Alexander School is in keeping with SXM's community involvement as "a good corporate citizen." (SXM Airport Photo)

Philipsburg (DCOMM):--- On Thursday December 20, 2012, Minister of Justice Roland Duncan in collaboration with Michael Mathieu owner of Bajatzu Restaurant presented Christmas gifts to a number of NGO's. The Christmas gifts consists of toys and are destined to NGOs who cater to children throughout the community of Sint Maarten.

The following foundations and their representatives were on hand to receive the Christmas Gifts, New Start for Children - Veronica Benjamin, SJIB - Nathaly Pieters and Meredith Concincion, Voogdijraad - Doris Didier and Vanina Lozandier, Ujima - Judith Bell, Hope Outreach - Antonia Hodge, Crystal Home - Eva Williams, Safe Haven - Loyola Seymonson, Bernadette Natividad, Oldine Bryson-Pantophlet, I Can Foundation - Cassandra Gibbs.

Philipsburg (DCOMM):--- On Thursday December 20, 2012, Minister of Health Labor & Social Affairs Dr. Cornelius de Weever along with representatives of the Ministry shared the joy of Christmas by giving a contribution to the Outreach and New Start for Children foundations. Ms. Benjamin of the New Start For Children Foundation and Ms. Hodge of the Outreach Foundation accepted the contributions on behalf of their organizations respectively.

"Education, training and awareness programs must remain on the front burner of our society in our fight against domestic violence."

Gracita states; "Peridot Foundation is pleased to announce the date for the re- launching of the statue GUARDING LOVED ONES YOU MAY LOSE which will be held on Sunday December 23rd 2012. It has been a long time coming, but our firm commitment to the cause and perseverance to succeed finally is bearing fruit. Additionally, we could not have reached this stage without the support and patience of Mr. Micheal Maghiro, who have been instrumental in getting the new statue in bronze metal for our foundation. All sponsors past and present, who have made a monetary contribution to this cause or who have made a contribution in any other fashion, Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You have demonstrated by your action that you too are committed to eradicate violence from our homes, from schools and from our society".

"The first statue was made on request of the Peridot Foundation by Mr. Antonio Brown and successfully launched in 2003 with a large attendance from people from all walks of life. A video of this first launch ceremony will be shown prior to the official unveiling of the new statue on Sunday from the parking lot of le Grand Marche Supermarket. A year ago this first symbol was regrettably vandalized by unknown culprits. Undeterred by this cowardly act, Peridot foundation replaced the statue with the same symbol, this time made of bronze metal, taller, and stonger.

"Everyone in our community, law abiding citizens, visitors, government, parliament, prosecutors office, ombudsman, the business sector, young and old, male or female, must remain active and concerned to eradicate violence from our homes, schools, businesses. The quality of our lives, and that of our children is largely dependent on how we regard violence against our women and children ( and men) and what we are willing to do to keep our beautiful island a safer and happy place to live in or to visit. While we recognize that especially in a small society like ours domestic or relational violence is a very difficult issue to deal with, we cannot turn our backs on those victims who need help. Neither can we afford not to find ways and means to prevent violence against our women and children in any form or fashion. Education, training and awareness programs must remain on the front burner of our society. "

Gracita states; the program starts on Sunday December 23rd 7.15 pm will be solemn, yet exciting. Our invited guests include among others the Honorable Minister Cornelius de Weever and the young, talented, strong and courageous Ms. Daneshka Sprott. We make use of this opportunity to invite the public in general to come out and support this cause.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs was on hand earlier this week to receive a copy of the Voice of Our Children Organization (VOOC) calendar.

This public-private partnership venture presentation took place at the Claude Wathey Legislative Hall also in the presence of the Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams and Interim Faction Leader of the United Peoples (UP) party Hon. Sylvia Meyers.

During the ceremony the Department of Youth and Sports also presented government officials with a brochure that outlines all the articles of the International Convention of the Rights of the Child.

Minister Jacobs will be visiting several schools to present them with a calendar for all classrooms. Students will also obtain a copy of the Rights of the Child brochure.

Minister Jacobs thanked VOOC for their initiative and encouraged more collaboration between Government and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), adding that the public sector cannot do it alone.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Collective Prevention Services (CPS) and the Department of Communication (DCOMM) in a collective public service message is urging motorists not to "Drink and Drive," during the up-coming holiday season. The emphasis is on keeping our roads safe.

Minister of Public Health Hon. Cornelius de Weever as part of his 'Get Checked' campaign, is calling on the community to check family and friends before they get in front of the wheel of a car.

Every driver has the opportunity to reduce tragedy on the country's roads. The onus is on the one behind the wheel who has a responsibility when driving a vehicle.

Pay attention while driving by being disciplined and not impatient. Also select a designated driver if you plan to have a couple of drinks with family or friends.

There will be a lot of entertainment activities over the holiday season in homes, at bars, restaurants and nightclubs.

In order for every Sint Maarten family and visitors alike to be able to enjoy themselves, those driving on our roads club hopping, need to be their brother's keeper by paying attention to those who may have had a little too much to drink.

Friends don't let friends drive drunk. Let us all have a safe holiday season starting with the days leading up Christmas/Boxing day, and then going into the New Year, without having any road tragedies due to driving under the influence.

You also have the option of taking a taxi cab home or to your hotel if you are not able to drive. Don't become a danger to yourself and other road users.

The following appeal is part of CPS's annual Safe Holidays campaign in conjunction with DCOMM.

Philipsburg:--- ELEQT Ltd., the world's most exclusive luxury lifestyle social network for people who celebrate life in style is opening a new, regional office in St. Maarten, Dutch Caribbean and St. Barths. The company, which offers a privileged young and interactive audience the opportunity to expand horizons, experience the finer things in life and discover old and new friends within a network of trust and luxury, has been experiencing rapid growth despite the current economic environment.
ELEQT is proud to announce Riselle Roidis as the Managing Director of ELEQT St. Maarten. Mrs. Roidis brings with her years of experience in marketing as well as a specialization in event planning and management. Under the leadership of Mrs. Roidis, Managing Director at Glitter Events, the new office will be rolling out the ELEQT brand in St. Maarten, hosting exclusive invitation-events for members only and providing the Caribbean island with an online platform where like-minded people can meet and engage with their favorite brands, hotspots and charities.
"It is an exciting time to be joining ELEQT and I am very much looking forward to growing this regional operation and building upon the company's already strong position in luxury marketing," says Roidis. "I am pleased to be afforded the opportunity to establish ELEQT's presence in St. Maarten, St. Barths and Anguilla. I believe ELEQT is exactly what this community needs."

About ELEQT
ELEQT offers a privileged young and interactive audience the opportunity to expand horizons, experience the finer things in life and discover old and new friends within a network of trust and luxury. ELEQT offers its members access to exclusive events, luxury lifestyle experiences and a wide range of benefits. ELEQT (2012) is part of the Quintessentially Group and is the result of a merger between Quintessentially's member network Qube (founded in 2004) and Elysiants (founded in 2008). ELEQT is headquartered in London and has offices in New York, Hong Kong, Dubai, São Paulo, Santiago de Chile, Amsterdam, Aruba, Singapore and Curaçao. ELEQT expects to increase its global presence significantly in the coming years.

PHILPSBURG:--- At the end of its first full year of operation, the SER this week distinguished two members from their midst as 'most valuable member' and substitute member of 2012.
Out of the nine permanent SER members, three of whom represent the labor unions, three stem from the business community, while three are appointed by government as independent experts, it was Mrs. Eveline Henriquez-Dijkhoffz upon whom the honor of most valuable member was bestowed. Mrs. Henriquez-Dijkhoffz, a SER member representing the SHTA, was accredited for her consistent attendance, her exemplary level of preparation, and frequent valuable contributions to the SER deliberations.
For each SER member a substitute member is appointed, who is expected to attend meetings in case a permanent member is indisposed. Substitute members are allowed to sit in on other meetings as well, albeit without voting rights. Out of the nine substitute members, Mr. Aurillio Baly was selected for his frequent voluntary attendance of SER meetings, in which he consistently and energetically contributed to the proceedings. Mr. Baly is the substitute for union stalwart William Reed of the WICSU/PSU.
In a small ceremony on Wednesday, December 19th at the SER premises, the distinguished members received a small token of appreciation from the hands of SER chairman René Richardson.
Additional information on SER members, procedures and documents is available on the SER website www.sersxm.org

GREAT BAY:--- Aruban author Quito Nicolaas said at his recent lecture in Amsterdam that, "St. Maarten's administrative process in isolation – a world separated between the Windward and Leeward Islands – offered the people the internal space to build the economy of the island according to their own insights."

In his seminal paper, "St. Maarten Literature; Unheard Voices," Nicolaas said, "This inward process, in addition to an already highly developed [traditional] identity, resulted in the foundation on which the island's own culture and literature could well thrive and flourish."

The lecture was organized by Simia Literario and delivered in Dutch as, "De onbekende stemmen in de St. Maartense literatuur" on December 8, 2012.

Nicolaas also said, "St. Maarten is yet another example in economic history that once there are economic development and prosperity, there are cultural patterns that are going to develop," such as the writing of books.

"The citizens begin to take an interest in their history, language, culture and other achievements and believe that these should be laid down in writing," said Nicolaas to the audience of the well-attended lecture.

According to Nicolaas, "The House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP) has worked as a catalyst in the literary process and ensured that there is a literary infrastructure."

To Nicolaas, "The St. Maarten literature is based on two pillars: on the one hand works of authors of its own soil and, on the other hand, publications of Caribbean authors." However, he does not make too clear of a distinction, or elaboration between the development of a national literature and book publishing in itself.

Nicolaas pointed out that, "Besides poetry, works in the fields of history, politics, culture, folklore, religion, and music have also been published" by HNP.

"After three decades all genres are practically well represented: biography, autobiography, travelogue, essays, short stories, and poetry," said Nicolaas.

Furthermore, said Nicolaas, "in its fold HNP has currently forty-one writers, including a number of writers from the neighboring countries [and beyond], that have one or more publications on their name. Thus, we see works of Fabian Badejo (Nigeria/St. Martin), Shake Keane (St. Vincent), Chiqui Vicioso (Dominican Rep.), Marion Bethel (The Bahamas), Amiri Baraka (USA), Howard Fergus (Montserrat), George Lamming and Kamau Brathwaite (Barbados), and Nidaa Khoury (Israel)."

An essayist, short story writer, and poet himself, Nicolaas said that St. Martin writers appear to be more adept at poetry than novels and short stories.

However, this "doesn't differ from Aruba and Curacao and can be more typified as a development stage" of a literature, said Nicolaas. Wycliff Smith had made this point in the early 1980s in his seminal literary survey of the Dutch Windward Islands colonies.

Nicolaas concluded that, "the oral history of St. Maarten can play a specific role in the literature. Educated and raised with the stories of the past that their grandparents told, the new generation of writers must use this as material to write on."

"The tendency to dig in the past is now enormous and to go on a journey of discovery to do something with it is even bigger. Novels or short stories that we will be reading in different times could give us a look into the emotions, thinking, and behaviors of the people of St. Maarten," said Nicolaas, who is also a legal consultant in the Netherlands.

"The approach of Mr. Nicolaas adds to a slowly but steadily growing number of literary critics and academics from abroad who are taking a hard stare at the increasing cultural complexity and the literary activities and output in St. Martin," said HNP president Jacqueline Sample on Thursday.

Following the Nicolaas lecture, books by St. Martin writers and other Caribbean authors published in St. Martin – such as National Symbols of St. Martin and Sovereignty of the Imagination – were made available by Bookish Plaza bookstore for the guests to purchase.

Nicolaas dedicated his lecture to the Aruban kaiso pioneer David "Young QuickSilver" Hodge, who passed away on December 4, 2012.

Philipsburg:--- TelEm Group will be hosting its annual Christmas sale at the company's main building on Pond Island Saturday, offering huge discounts and special "deals" on telecommunication products and services.

Sales and marketing staff are expecting hundreds to attend the annual rush for discounted phones and accessories and are sending out an early warning that all items will be sold on a first come first-served basis.

"We are offering some fantastic discounts of up to 50% off on some of our products, with some great gifts in store for the wise shopper," says Marketing Officer, Marelva Jones.

There will also be a drum band and free complimentary gifts to customers.

Customers who wish to pay their bills, Top-Up or make Card Sales can also do so from any of the number of cashiers who will be available to assist on the day.

Marelva says this year's sale will receive a festive boost when staff and friends of TelEm transform the company car park into a mini Christmas village with a host of Christmas fare for all the family.

"Our Personnel Association is organizing the Christmas Village where a number of booths will be on display with food, home-made drinks, arts & crafts, plants, and other Christmas gift packages," said Marelva.

The TelEm Group Christmas Village will take place from 9:00am until 5:00pm while the Annual Christmas sale will take place from 9:00am until 4:00pm.

Philipsburg:--- APS, St. Maarten's general pension fund administrator, is striving to make COLA payments to government pensioners and early government service retirees, before the end of this year.

As is known APS has been engaged in carrying out the decision to pay out pensions and early retirement benefits to complete the cost of living allowance (COLA) to pensioners, similar to how civil servants received COLA payments some months ago.

Indexation of pensions is regulated on the basis of article 30 of the national pension ordinance for civil servants (PLvO). The national pension ordinance indicates that indexation of pensions must follow the indexation of salaries to civil servants. The basis for this exercise would be the price index for household consumption for the year 2011, which is set at 3.2%.

The process of indexation is one in which a number of steps must be followed, including attaining prior approval of the COLA payment from the Minister of Finance and other non-government employers whose retired personnel are now collecting pension benefits. This is particularly the case for those participants who entered the pension fund before January 1, 1998, since it is the last registered employer which is responsible for paying the COLA.

APS says that indexation for 2011 will be applicable only to pensioners who retire from service with an employer who has agreed, in writing, to carry the burden of the increased costs of the retirement benefits. In other words, indexation will only be paid out to pensioners and those on early retirement, whose employers have indicated they are in agreement with the arrangement. As it now stands, the only employer to do such has been the government of St. Maarten.

APS is making payments retroactively to persons who were entitled to collect pension and or early retirement benefits as of December 31, 2011 or earlier and whose last registered employer was the government.

The payments would take place, this month, as a lump sum, with all statutory deductions being made. APS thus seeks to minimize the tax effects for pensioners, receiving this retroactive payment. Pensioners can thus rest assured that the total income and withholdings correspond to the current year 2012.

Persons with specific questions regarding their COLA payments are kindly asked to visit the APS offices, Mondays through Fridays from 8:30am through 3:30pm.

Once again Folks "TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY"!
So the place to be this coming Sunday December 23rd, 2012 is Grand-Case, as the most awaited event of the year comes alive!
A Display Of Lighted Floats Will Parade Through The Grand Case Boulevard, Starting From The Parking Lot Of The Grand Case Cultural Center At 7.00pm, Stretching Through The Bertin-Maurice Boulevard To Arrive At The Post-Office Parking Lot And Return Through The Boulevard To End At The Grand-Case Cultural Center's Parking Lot.
Come join us, and Celebrate This Festive Moment and, Admire The Various Floats On Display, Not Forgetting Santa Claus.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL!

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- On December 19, 2012, the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, along with the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association, hosted their annual Holiday Gift Program, its tenth year, at the Sister Marie Laurence School in Middle Region.

Before the gift giving started at 11:20am, students performed a Christmas song and dance in front of 200-plus students, from K 1-2 to 6 and 7 grades, in the sports auditorium at the school.

After the students performed, the costumed celebrity characters came through the entrance doors one by one with great enthusiasm from the students, getting a bit louder each time the students saw another Disney Cruise character.

There were two Santa Clauses, Mickey Mouse, Mini Mouse, and Sponge Bob.

Every student received a gender-specific gift from either Santa Clause present.

The students, teachers, and principal were elated about the visit.

PHILIPSBURG:--- President of Parliament Hon. Drs. Rodolphe Samuel on Tuesday visited residents of the St. Martin's Home along with other Members of Parliament (MPs) spreading the Christmas cheer. Staff members of parliament were also present.

Philipsburg:--- On Monday, a lease agreement was signed between Air-Fin Holding Sint Maarten N.V. and the St. Maarten Harbor Cargo Facilities (SMHCF) was signed. The so-called addendum II to the water supply was also signed between the Government of St. Maarten, Minister Cornelius De Weever and Air-Fin Holding Sint Maarten N.V.
The agreement signed on Monday is an addition to the Water Supply Agreement Government signed in 2007 with Air-Fin Holding Sint Maarten N.V. dba Seven Seas Water Sint Maarten (Seven Seas Water) for the production and supply of desalinated water intended for distribution as drinking water by GEBE. This Addendum II secures the water production and supply on short and medium term up to 2021.

On Sunday 16 December, EPIC led a successful bird walk along the shorelines and forest edges of Little Bay Pond. Bird walk participants joined EPIC to search for resident and migratory birds among this wetland habitat. The bird watchers were able to spot numerous species of migratory warblers in the large red mangroves along the northern shoreline, including Northern Waterthrush, Northern Parula, and American Redstart. The birders continued along the trail that contours the west side of the pond and spotted many small flocks of Black-faced Grassquits feeding on the grass seeds on the trail. Bird songs were heard the entire time, including that of the secretive Mangrove Cuckoo. Small clearings along the trailside allowed watchers to spot birds on the pond including groups of ducks, such as the White-cheeked Pintail, and waders such as the Great Egret. The group’s guide, Adam Brown, a Senior Biologist with EPIC, said of the walk, “The trail along Little Bay is fantastic for bird watching. There is a wide variety of bird species here thanks to there being both tall mangrove forests along the pond and thorny dry scrub brush on the hillsides.” On the way back from the walk, the birders stopped by EPIC’s bird watching hut along the northwest edge of the pond. Over the past years, the mangroves have grown tall around the hut. This natural camouflaging allowed the birders to get close views of Caribbean Coot, Green Heron, and Common Moorhen. EPIC is looking forward to hosting additional bird walks in the future.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, and Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs is inviting the community to the opening of the Christmas Village on Friday evening at the Captain Hodge Wharf in Philipsburg.

Under the banner, "Christmas in Sint Maarten," is an event of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports, and runs from Friday evening to Monday, December 24.

Christmas Village will kick off at 7:30pm by Minister Jacobs. There will be special entertainment by St. Maarten's Youthful Stars. MC for the evening will be Lil Miss St. Maarten 2012-2013 Genesis Myers. The village is will be open until 10:00pm on Friday.

On Saturday, there will be a String Band and a special music presentation by "God's Chosen" Lead by Benjamin Bell and Jolly Boys. Activities will be from 11:00am to 9:00pm.

Sunday has been designated as Choral Sunday. The Council of Churches presents Choral performances from the various choirs on the island. These activities will start at 11:00am and run through 8:00pm.

The final day of "Christmas in Sint Maarten," comes to a conclusion on Christmas Eve. The day has been branded as Sentimental Christmas and there will be performances by local artists. The day kicks off at 11:00am until 8:00pm.

The four days of Christmas Village activities take place at the Captain Hodge Wharf.

Marigot:--- State employee Yanick Beaud is facing eight months suspended sentence, a 5000.00 Euros fine, and a period of three years where he cannot work for the State or Semsamar. These were the demands of the Prosecutor Flavien Noailles on Thursday when Beaud appeared before the court for not respecting and following state rules to get leave of absence to work for a private company.

Beaud appeared in Criminal Courts on Thursday to answer charges that were brought against him by the prosecutor because Yanick Beaud did not follow the basic and proper procedures to leave his State appointed job at DDE to work for Semsamar in 2011. According to the Prosecutor, Yanick Beaud sought the advice of two former Prefet Delegue of St. Martin, namely Domique La Croix and Jacques Simmonet. It is believed that both State employees were friends of Yanick Beaud and he received a written advice from Simmonet and La Croix who apparently gave Beaud the permission to leave his State job and work for Semsamar. Prosecutor Noailles in his arguments said that it is impossible for Beaud to seek advice from State employees and bypass the normal procedures to obtain permission to leave his State job so that he could work for a private entity. The prosecutor further stated that Beaud is not above the law and he will make an example of him since he knew better.

The panel consisting of three judges asked Beaud if he did not think that he had an obligation to the State and to ensure he followed basic and moral procedures when he took up the offer to work for Semsamar. The court will pronounce its judgment on February 14th, 2013.

Beaud was an employee of the State and he was working at DDE office on St. Martin when he abandoned his job at DDE and went to work for Semsamar. It should be noted that Beaud left his State appointed job shortly after he secured European funding for the Caisse des Ecoles and the Abattoir. Both projects were commissioned by Semsamar and Yanick Beaud was the engineering specialist who was supposed to overlook the projects and ensure they were built in conformity with State regulations. To date the Abattoir cannot function because they were built on the same property and in close proximity of each other causing a health and hygiene concern.

Credit to: Ann Herbert

Philipsburg:--- Former Finance Minister Hiro Shigemoto received what can be termed as "class justice" on Thursday morning when he was led before the Judge of Instruction at the Court of First Instance. Shigemoto was taken to court by detectives from the Landsrecherche who sneaked the former Minister of Finance who is also a civil servant through the front door of the court house while the griffier of the court Marissa James was busy in an open court session. One would believe that the Court of First Instance was in cahoots with the Landsrecherche and the tricks they played while escorting Shigemoto to court but James made clear that she was busy in court and she did not see what the Landsrecherche did when they brought Shigemoto to court.

Another abnormal procedure that was observed by all reporters and photographers was that the detectives who transported Shigemoto to court were tipping off his relatives who were also standing outside the Court of First Instance. It appeared as though those transporting Shigemoto to court gave his relatives including his wife who is the daughter of the Minister of Justice Roland Duncan indications that they were going to sneak Shigemoto into the Court House through the Front door instead of using the regular side door that is used by the police for all other suspects. The process used for Shigemoto on Thursday clearly indicates that justice is no longer about the alleged crimes committed but it is about who is involved in the crimes. Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos said the former Minister is suspected of embezzlement, fraud, and breaking Government rules when he paid Global Advisory Services double for the services the company provided to the Government of St. Maarten.

The Landsrecherche tried the same trick some years ago when former Commissioner Louis Laveist was arrested but the griffier of the Court made sure that proper procedures were followed back then when Laveist left the Court House. Reporters and photographers that were waiting outside the Court of First Instance were again tricked when Shigemoto was escorted through the side door by a detective of the Landsrecherche as he left the Court of First Instance but SMN News reporter's camera lens caught the former Minister of Finance entering a brand new white Hyundai Santa Fe that was driven by a detective from the Landsrecherche. Shigemoto wore a black and white stripe shirt, black pants, and black shoes. He left the Court House unshackled but a detective of the Landsrecherche walked closely in front and beside Shigemoto to ensure that his photograph was not taken.

SMN News learnt from sources that Shigemoto was allegedly tipped off before his arrest and he managed to secure the services of Attorney at Law Jairo Bloem before he was arrested. The source said that the picket lawyer on duty was not even called when Shigemoto was arrested. Bloem is currently off island and his associates represented Shigemoto on Thursday.

Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos said the Prosecutor's Office requested that the pre-trial detention of the former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigemoto be suspended on December 24th, 2012. Mos said the Judge of Instruction granted the Prosecutor their request because they need to question the former Minister for a few more days before they release him for the Christmas Holidays. When asked if Shigemoto is cooperating with the investigation, Mos said the former Minister is cooperating because he gave some statements to the investigators.

The former Minister of Finance was immediately taken to the Philipsburg Police Station and Ambulance personnel were summoned to the Police Station to provide emergency care to Shigemoto who is a diabetic and high blood pressure patient.

SMN News reporter contacted Attorney General of St. Maarten Taco Stein to inquire if the Minister of Justice used the long arms of the law to protect his son in law and to treat him with class justice, Stein quickly blamed the police claiming they are the ones that transported Shigemoto to court and he was not aware that the former Minister of Finance was given special treatment. Stein said that the Minister of Justice was not involved neither was he even though he is the boss of the Landsrecherche whose performance is far below optimal. SMN News also contacted the Minister of Justice Roland Duncan to inquire if he had any influence on how his son in law was treated but Minister Duncan said he was not informed or aware of what the Landsrecherche was doing. Minister Duncan said he did not even ask about the investigation and how it's progressing because he will not interfere with the ongoing investigation. At the time, the Minister of Justice was busy distributing toys to the less fortunate children that are in protective custody.

While Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos told SMN News earlier this week that Shigemoto will be treated like a normal citizen, it appears as though the Landsrecherche and the Prosecutor's Office gave Shigemoto the same treatment they gave to Hendrick Croes of Aruba. Mos who was the Chief Prosecutor of Aruba at the time told reporters in Aruba that Hendrick Croes is not a normal citizen when he was arrested. Hendrick Croes is the brother of the Minister of Justice of Aruba Rudy Croes, the statements by Mos back then cost him his job in Aruba because the citizens of Aruba did not take his statements lightly and they protested in the Parliament of Aruba. When SMN News indicated to Mos that we will mention what he said about Hendrick Croes, Mos got upset saying that SMN News should not write anything about that case if we don't have the facts. The island's Chief Prosecutor even raised his voice saying "I would advise not to write about the Hendrick Croes case because you may not have the facts straight and I would prefer if you visit my office so I could tell you exactly what happened in Aruba." Mos further claimed that the reporters in Aruba were prejudicial when they wrote the Hendrick Croes story. Mos said he does not believe that Hiro Shigemoto was given class justice because he was arrested and is still in pre-trial detention.

Click here to view how suspects are normally excorted to the Court of First Instance.

SIMPSON BAY:--- The Sundial School and the Voice of Our Children Foundation are the latest recipients of donations made by Seven Seas Water (St. Maarten).

The donations were made to both organizations by Franklyn Richards, Seven Seas Water (St. Maarten) Managing Director and Mario Mondo, Chief Operating Officer at Seven Seas Water Corporation, headquartered in Tampa, Florida.

The cheques were presented at the Government Administration Building on Monday, following the signing of an agreement to build 2 water plants in Pointe Blanche.

The donation of 3,500 U.S. dollars made to Sundial School is to assist the school with its breakfast program, for students in need. With the assistance of businesses such as Seven Seas Water, Sundial School is confident that "together we can reach out and make a difference in the lives of these youngsters" says Sundial School director Mrs. Mireya Regales-Peterson.

"Seven Seas Water is most pleased to support Sundial school for a good cause and is 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", said Seven Seas Water Managing Director, Franklyn Richards.

This donation is, still, another example of the Seven Seas Water commitment to St. Maarten's social development in general, and youth education in particular, he added.

The donation of 2,500.00 U.S. dollars made to the Voice of Our Children Foundation (VOOC) is in aid of the foundation's ongoing programs and projects aimed at stimulating the island's youth, through literature.
The foundation encourages reading and says that it is grooming its young members to be future role models in the community.

"Seven Seas Water recognizes the objectives of the VOOC as a worthwhile endeavor for the influencing of positive changes in our community, particularly paying attention to tools granted to young people for their overall development", said Richards.

VOOC president Mrs. Sharmaine Olivacce expressed gratitude and appreciation when accepting a cheque from Seven Seas Water on Monday.

Seven Seas Water (St. Maarten) director Franklyn Richards and chief operating officer Mario Mondo both noted that "the company is grateful for the opportunity to contribute towards making society in general, a better place, starting with our involvement with the St. Maarten community."

On behalf of the United Peoples (UP) party Members of Parliament, we would like to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the twenty young boys and girls and the adults who were killed last week in the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut USA.

Our prayers and thoughts are with the families, friends, the entire community of Newtown, Connecticut and everyone affected in one way or the another by this horrendous crime, as they start the process of laying to rest the innocent young girls and boys as well as their teachers and teaching staff this week.

As a person who volunteers to read to our children at an elementary school in Sint Maarten, I too was horrified and deeply saddened. I cannot imagine losing an entire class of young ones while they are at a place they ought to feel safe and secure while preparing for life ahead of them. We must show our solidarity with the school and community of Newtown Connecticut.

This heinous and heart wrenching event reportedly is the second deadliest school shooting in US history.

While the United States of America is a great Nation, it must and can do more to protect its little ones from such senseless gun violence ever happening again.

I appeal to the Sint Maarten nation this holiday season, to keep the families, friends and the bereaved community in their prayers.

Drs. Gracita Arrindell
United Peoples (UP) party Member of Parliament

SIMPSON BAY:--- Although no "price war" is anticipated between the legacy carriers that service St. Maarten from New York City, the addition of Delta Air Lines to this route could result in lower air fares for travelers.

This was the opinion expressed by SXM Airport's Manager of Special Projects Robert Brown, as he joined others in a St. Maarten delegation to welcome Delta's inaugural flight DL 331 from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) on Saturday, December 15, 2012.

Brown said, "historically the JFK-SXM route has been a proven market and SXM Airport, in acquiring this route from Delta, shows that the team has been working diligently to expand markets."

He added that with an additional player in the market, fares on this route are likely to decrease.

Regular fares on the legacy carriers that service St. Maarten directly from New York vary according to the season and the day of the week passengers seek to travel but could vary between US$900 and over US$1,300 round trip per passenger in the economy class.

Delta's maiden flight from JFK landed here at exactly 1:30 pm "baptized" with the traditional water cannon salute for the Boeing 757-200 aircraft, which brought 140 passengers onboard who arrived to the sound of steel pan playing popular Christmas songs.

Brown, who was accompanied by Audrey Jack of the Marketing and Communications Department of SXM Airport, presented Captain Bob Reynolds and First Officer Herb Ludwig with a commemorative plaque. The two Delta Air Lines pilots were visiting the island for the first time and expressed the hope that the service would continue indefinitely.

"Getting this flight here has been in the process for three years," said Brown, who vowed that, "SXM Airport will do everything in its power to keep the flight operating."

Also on hand to welcome the new Delta Air Lines flight was Edward Dest, Marketing Director at the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau. He presented the crew with gift bags from the bureau and told the crew, "St. Maarten is happy to have them here." The Delta crew proudly showed off their St. Maarten T-shirts and memorabilia at a brief reception with SXM Airport and Tourist Bureau officials.

"This inaugural flight shows that the airlines have confidence in the destination," Dest said, adding that he "hopes it will eventually become a daily flight."

Confirming that the new flight has been "a few years in the making," Delta's Station Manager in St. Maarten, Charlene van der Linde, stressed that the JFK-SXM service is in addition to the existing Monday, Wednesday, and Friday flights of the airline from Atlanta. The new route, she said, offers customers more choice for travel.

"The flights from the other carriers are all spread out during the day so customers wanting to go to New York can have an additional late afternoon flight option on Saturdays," she noted.

Delta introduced the new and expanded service due to an increased demand for more connections between New York and tourist destinations in the Caribbean including Aruba, Bermuda, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

CUL DE SAC:--- The newly incorporated foundation Soualiga Social Movement had a successful official launch Monday night at the conference room of the new location of MichMar Agencies in the Yogesh Building. The motto of the foundation boldly states: to promote social awareness while encouraging participation and inclusion of the people of St. Maarten, for the progressive and sustainable development of our nation.
President Alston Lourens thanked the Notary Office SPS Civil Law Notaries, for waiving their notarial incorporation fees and all of their initial donors for their donations to this movement. Lourens proudly stated to the attendees "because of the great support of our donors and supporters we are able to hit the ground running in 2013". "We have our t-shirts and promotional material, our Facebook page boasts a 'friends of friends' reach of 49,414 people everytime we post, so let's give them something to think about!"
Board members discussed upcoming meetings and projects such as a Social Summit, Community Cultural Week and other projects for the elderly and unemployed. The foundation would like to invite the public to visit their website at www.sxmmovement.com and their facebook page at www.facebook.com/sxmmovement for more information on how to support, participate, discuss and initiate activities of concern to the social development and well-being of the people of St. Maarten.

SSM Press Release

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The School Bus Inspection Section would like to wish parents, school children, and school bus driver's happy holidays and all the best for the New Year.

The school year closed on December 19 for the Christmas and New Year's holiday season and will re-open on Tuesday, January 3, 2013.

The Section School Bus Inspection can be reached at telephone numbers 542-4511 or 542-4509 for further information.

Philipsburg:--- Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt told reporters during the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing on Wednesday that the CFT asked his Ministry for more information on the projected income in the 2013 budget. The Finance Minister said that the CFT asked for more information regarding the 20 million guilders the Government of St. Maarten projected in the area of tax compliance. Tuitt said that he is expected to make all the necessary clarifications the CFT requested by Friday. The Finance Minister said the BAP will send him a report on how they intend to deal with increase on tax compliance and he is now waiting for reports from the Island Receiver's and the Inspectors all of which will be forwarded to the CFT. Tuitt said with the three reports he would show that it is feasible for St. Maarten to collect the 20 million guilders projected in the budget. Another concern the CFT wants clarification on is the 20 million guilders that is projected on tobacco and alcohol taxation. Tuitt said he is awaiting a report from the reporters that would indicate how the increase tax on these two products will be implemented and documented which would make it feasible and realistic. The Finance Minister also said that the CFT forwarded a letter to the Kingdom Council of Ministers explaining them the current situation regarding the 2013 budget process on St. Maarten.

Minister Tuitt in his remarks said that it is often asked by members of the community during this time of the year what is the government doing for its people now that its Christmas. He said this year he is calling on all the unregistered businesses on the island to get their businesses registered so that they could give government a Christmas gift this year by paying their share of taxes.

Philipsburg:--- Minister of Labour, Health, and Social Affairs Cornelius De Weever took a jab at media workers during the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing on Wednesday. His statements were aimed at publishers that are publishing obscene language in their newspaper. Minister De Weever said that a few months ago he declared that he would be responsible and professional as he executes the people's business. The Minister said he still stands by his statements but if media workers want him, Members of Parliament, and politicians to remain responsible and professional then media workers have to exercise professionalism and being responsible when executing their duties. Minister de Weever said he is always available to verify information and if reporters are going to write about him then they need to contact him directly or his office for his opinion or the facts that he would have rather than just writing a story. Minister De Weever said that he does not believe that newspapers should be using foul or obscene language when reporting the news. He said that the population and the various Ministers reads these newspapers and if the newspapers will continue with the use of foul and indecent language then the Ministry that is responsible for monitoring the media would have to intervene. He said he respects freedom of the press but in his opinion it has to be done responsibly.

Philipsburg:--- Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt made clear on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing that the police would have to do more controls and do it better in the future. The Finance Minister was responding to questions posed by SMN News regarding the checks that are normally conducted at the Island Receiver's office when owners of vehicles pay their annual road tax. In the past, even up to early 2012 vehicle owners had to produce a valid insurance policy and inspection card for their vehicles before they were able to pay their road tax and uplift their new number plates. Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt told reporters on several occasions that the current government intends to restructure the road tax payment as early as 2014. Tuitt said vehicle owners would no longer need to pick up new number plates since the one they have on their vehicles now will become permanent. The Finance Minister said that vehicle owners would be able to pay their road taxes online, these services he said would make life much easier for the citizens of St. Maarten who normally have to join long lines at the Island Receiver's office every year to pay their road tax.

SMN News reporter asked the Minister of Finance if government has anything in place for the control especially when it comes to seeing if the vehicle owners paid their insurance, Minister Tuitt said that the police would have to do their job now by conducting more controls to see if vehicle owners have their insurance and inspection cards in place. He said that the Island Receiver's office will not be doing police work anymore. Minister Tuitt said that the new procedure will not change anything. "People will not be picking up number plates anymore, the only thing that will be done is people will pay their road taxes. When the police do their controls they would simply have to impound vehicles that do not have insurance and other required documents when they are stopped by the police."

According to well place sources, the Police Department (traffic) already expressed concerns about how checks would take place because it is clear that many persons would not pay their insurance prior to paying their road tax. A source from the Police Department said that the police does not have access to a database that has information on all vehicles that are registered and insured on the island. "The police would need to have a database from the insurance companies with all vehicles that are registered on the island and with which insurance company they are insured. Having access to such a database would make the police work much easier."

SMN News contacted the President of the Insurance Association Eric Ellis for his views on the new procedures that government intends to introduce. Ellis said that the insurance companies and Associations had no idea that vehicle owners could pay their road tax online. Ellis also said he would have to confer with the members of the insurance association prior to going public with the hindrance the new rules would have on insurance companies.

Philipsburg:--- The Governor of St. Maarten drs. Eugene Holiday did not sign the Landsbesluit that was issued to TAXAND by the former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigemoto who was arrested on Monday morning. Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt told members of the media on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing that the draft report submitted to him by SOAB on the TAXAND affair has not yet been discussed with the Council of Ministers. However, he has decided to shed light on two areas of the report. Minister Tuitt said that the report indicates that the Governor of St. Maarten drs. Eugene Holiday did not sign the LB neither did the Governor cooperate with the SOAB investigators to give the investigators an insight on the issuance of the LB. Tuitt said the SOAB clearly indicated that internal procedures in government have to be properly documented and that when payments were made procedures were not followed.

The Governor of St. Maarten drs. Eugene Holiday said he will not comment on the issue when asked for a comment on why he did not sign the LB and why he did not cooperate with the SOAB investigators.

Finance Department Mess.

When asked by SMN News if the person who obtained the TAXAND contract from the former Minister of Finance was arrested in Curacao since TAXAND filed a complaint against Judith Brewster for embezzling Naf.100,000.00 from the company, Tuitt said he did not get any information on the ongoing investigation. The Chief Prosecutor of Curacao Heiko de Jong and Chief Prosecutor of St. Maarten Hans Mos have both declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.

SMN News also asked the current Finance Minister Roland Tuitt who was heavily criticized by the former UP/DP appointed Minister Hiro Shigemoto to say what are some of the suspicious things he found when he took office, Tuitt said when he took office they looked at certain items and those that they did not agree with was not approved by the National Alliance, Democratic Party, and IND Government. SMN News reporter pressed the Finance Minister for details on which projects he found and did not approve and Minister Tuitt said that the UP/DP led government wanted to contract a company to implement American football in the schools on St. Maarten. SMN News was also reliably informed that the former Minister of Finance wanted to award a contract to a family member of the former Deputy Prime Minister Theodore Heyliger to the tune $100,000.00 to fill sand in a bottle which would have been distributed to tourists when they arrive on St. Maarten.

Former Parliament of Netherlands Antilles Eliminated Casinos from TOT.

The Finance Minister also said that he met with the Casino Association and they had an agreement but it appears as though the Casino Association has had a change of heart based on the articles he read in the newspaper. When asked by SMN News who eliminated the casinos from paying Turn over Tax, Tuitt said the Parliament of the former Netherlands Antilles eliminated casinos from TOT long before St. Maarten became a country. SMN News reporter then asked the Minister of Finance if he as Minister of Finance for Country St. Maarten envisioned amending the law which would allow casinos on St. Maarten to pay TOT like all other businesses on the island. Minister Tuitt said that his Ministry is busy working on a new tax structure and all of those issues will be addressed. This new tax structure he said should be completed by 2014.Tuitt said a study will be made on each branch and documented so that everyone even visitors will have to pay their fair share of taxes.

Pensioners COLA will be paid by end of week.

Minister Tuitt also announced on Wednesday that the Cost of Living Allowances (COLA) for pensioners will be paid out by the end of this week. Tuitt said that government has put in place everything so that the COLA can be paid before the end of the week.

La Savanne:--- An 18 year old young man identified as Guillaume Regent from Concordia, St. Martin died around 6pm Tuesday night after being involved in deadly accident in La Savanne. SMN News learnt that Regent lost control of his motorcycle while over taking a car and trying to secure his helmet which was not properly attached. Eyewitnesses of the accident said Regent went airborne and he was run over by another vehicle when he landed on the road. "There was an endless amount of blood on the road when medical personnel were trying to save his life," one eyewitness told SMN News.

Captain Sylvain Joulault confirmed that the accident occurred around 5:30pm and the victim of the motorcycle accident passed away around 6pm while ambulance personnel were trying to resuscitate him. Joulault said that based on the investigation they conducted thus far it shows that the rider of the motorcycle was trying to attach his helmet when he lost control. Regent was well known in the St. Martin community and he attended the Lycee Polyvalent.

A press release from the Gendarmerie states that on Tuesday, July 19 at 5:30pm, the driver of a moped lost his life in a traffic accident. The release explains that the rider was traveling between Marigot and Grand Case. The first elements of the investigation suggest that the victim, although he was wearing his helmet, he did not have the chin strap attached and the helmet ejected during the impact, thus it was unable to protect the victim's head when he struck the soil. The Gendarmes believe that the simple gesture of fastening the chin strap of the helmet would have helped preserve the life of the accident victim. The press release further states that the same drama has added to the loss of four other lives of people that were involved in traffic accidents during the year 2012 in St. Martin. Of the five people who died this year on the roads on the French side of the island, 3 were drivers of two wheel vehicles. Between 2010 and 2012, 11 drivers or passengers on two wheel vehicles have lost their lives and 52 were injured, some of whom keep lifelong consequences.
Although it has been observed that the use of helmets by riders of two-wheel vehicles is becoming more frequent, it is clear that safety remains largely insufficient. In addition, the practice of wearing the helmet simply placed on the top of the head without the chinstrap is attached is regularly observed, the Gendarmes stated. The Gendarmerie said that the failure to wear a safety helmet for drivers or passengers of two wheel vehicles, or wearing the helmet without attaching the chin strap, is a traffic offense punishable by a fine of € 135. It is further the only protection available to drivers and passengers of two wheel vehicles in order to preserve their lives in an accident.

The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of Alberto Rosa De La Rosa on suspicion of the murder of Riky Dennis Bautista Familia

Mr Bautista was stabbed during an incident at Maria's Bar (also known as Jazmin Bar) at Sea Cow's Bay on Friday 16th November 2012. He was pronounced dead at the scene and a later post mortem examination confirmed that he died as a result of a stab injury.

A reward of $10,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest of Alberto Rosa De La Rosa.

Head of the Crime Division, Acting Superintendent Alexis Charles said "The investigation is at an advanced stage. The response from the community has been good and we have secured a lot of evidence. A file of evidence is with the Director of Public Prosecutions".

He added "His current whereabouts are unclear. It has been suggested that Rosa De La Rosa is still in the Territory however we have had information that he may have fled Tortola soon after the incident."

Acting Superintendent Alexis Charles further added "The reason we are offering a reward of $10,000 and not a higher amount is that we have a known suspect in this case. We merely need to know where Rosa De La Rosa is. The reward is payable to people overseas as well as within the BVI. We are working with all our Regional Law Enforcement partners and Interpol.

He concluded by saying "I appeal to Rosa De La Rosa to give himself up. The alternative is a life on the run, always looking over your shoulder, waiting to be arrested. If you have an explanation of what happened that night then please step forward and give it. I would also appeal to Rosa De La Rosa's family and friends to encourage him to come forward"

Alberto Rosa De La Rosa is described as a 32 year old male. He is of Hispanic appearance with brown skin. He is about 5'8" tall and of slim build, weighing about 140 lbs. During the incident it is believed that Rosa De La Rosa lost a tooth.

Both Rosa De La Rosa and the victim, Mr. Bautista Familia are citizens of the Dominican Republic.

People with information are asked to contact Detectives from the Major Crime Team on (284) 468 2718 or by speaking to any police office. Spanish speaking Detectives are available.

All information will be treated in complete confidence. All reward payment amounts will be decided upon by the Commissioner of Police.

The Management team and Staff Bureau of the Ministry Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic & Telecommunication (TEATT) held a two-day retreat at Sonesta Great Bay Hotel & Casino. The retreat, December 17 & 18, which consists of lectures on trust, team work, and communication, amongst other topics, is an integral part of team building and is aimed at preparing for next year's goals and objectives.

Philipsburg:--- In keeping with a promise made two weeks ago to create alternative parking on the Ring Road, particularly for the upcoming holiday season, Minister William Marlin announced on Sunday afternoon that three of possibly five bridges have already been placed on Sunday morning by the Maintenance Department of Public Works.

Minister Marlin said that the bridges are to help those who have difficulties finding suitable parking in Philipsburg. Already there are many persons who make use of the sand for the Ring Road to park on. But they then have to walk quite a bit to find an exit off the Ring Road. Marlin said the bridges will make it possible for persons who park on the sand to be able to get to and from their destination in Philipsburg with ease.

Apart from placing the first three of five bridges, the sand will be leveled and the grass and shrubs will be cut for better driving, walking and parking on the sand. The bridges have been built been built by employees of the Maintenance Department of Infrastructure Management. Before the end of this week, two additional bridges will be strategically placed at other locations.

The Minister further stated that the Sand Road can now only be used for parking and not as a fast lane to get in or out of Town. Drivers will not be able to enter or exit the Sand Road in the area close to the Salt Pickers Round-a-Bout next to the Police Station.

The Minister thanked Ing. Toontje Buncamper and his crew for assisting with the construction of the bridges and said he is looking forward to the other two bridges being in place very soon. Marlin further stated on Sunday afternoon that he hopes that locals and visitors alike will make good use of the bridges and that this measure will help to alleviate the parking problems we face in Philipsburg on a daily basis, but more so during the last two weeks of the year.

Signs will also be placed to direct drivers towards the entrance and exit to the parking on the Sand Road and the location of the temporary bridges. The three bridges are located across from the Post Office, across from the Central Bank and across from Soualiga Guest House.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs expresses her congratulations to the 20 graduates who recently graduated from the School Managers NaCSi Educational Management Course. Minister Jacobs also wishes the graduates a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Great Bay:--- Last week, the St. Maarten Laboratory Services (SLS) received from the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) 200 field sample collection kits including dry shippers and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever handed over the items to Hose Booi, Director of SLS.
These items were given under the project "Strengthening Laboratory Capacity and Biorisk Management," which is being funded through the Canadian Global Partnership Programme's strategy for strengthening global biological security.
The project aims to strengthen laboratory capacity and biorisk management in CAREC and CMC's and reinforcing capacities for safe and rapid sampling and shipping of specimens to local, regional and/or international laboratories. Enhancing the sampling and transport chain is essential to reinforce the global biological risk management process.

Great Bay:--- On Monday morning the lease agreement between Air-Fin and the St. Maarten Harbor Cargo Facilities (SMHCF) was signed and the addendum II to the water supply was also signed between the Government of St. Maarten, Minister Cornelius De Weever and Air-Fin/Seven Seas Water. Negotiations were held between the SMHCF, Air-Fin and Government for the lease of the warehouse building of the SMHCF. These negotiations were concluded successfully in November 2012.

The agreement signed today is an addition to the Water Supply Agreement Government signed in 2007 with Air-Fin/Seven Seas Water for the production and supply of desalinated water intended for distribution as drinking water by GEBE. This Addendum II secures the water production and supply on short and medium term up to 2021.
Air-Fin will build two new identical plants in Pointe Blanche on the Harbour premises. Each plant is a modular plant with a production capacity of 3,700 m3 per day. The construction of the first plant will start in 2013 and will be operational end of June 2013, while the second plant will be built to be operational no later than February 2016. The water produced will be distributed in Pointe Blanche, parts of Philipsburg and on the eastern side of the island.
The offers/options submitted were evaluated taking into account the vision of the Minister of Public Health, Social Development & Labor to have the water production facilities and operations under the direct responsibility of a new Government owned entity of St. Maarten at the end of the term.
The period of time up to the end of the term provides ample possibility to prepare and train experts and to institute the necessary organization, to take over the responsibilities and the installations of Air-Fin/Seven Seas Water, creating new high level jobs for St. Maarteners.
The operations of the Point Blanche Plants will provide five new positions of employment at different education levels and skills. In addition, the Desalination Resource Development Program is open to students who are currently enrolled in a college, university or technical school, and have declared a major of mechanical, electrical, chemical engineering or the like. Monetary stipends will be paid to the participants in consideration of their program and time commitments.

The Government and in particular the Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor is responsible for the supply of drinking water to the public of St. Maarten. The tasks of supplying drinking water has been outsourced to two companies, the water production company Air Fin, also known as Seven Seas Water St. Maarten, and the drinking water distribution company GEBE.
The water supply activities are laid down in two agreements, a Water Supply Agreement, for production and purchase of water between Government and Air-Fin and a Drinking Water Management Agreement between Government and GEBE for the distribution and supply of water to consumers.
Over the years the outsourcing of the production of water has proven to be a very cost effective initiative, as production cost went down and the financial results of the water distribution company have changed from a deficit into profit situation.

Philipsburg:--- Executives from the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) visited Parliament last week and asked at least four Members of Parliament to fill out certain documentations that would entail how they acquired their funds.

SMN News has been reliably informed by well placed sources that Landsrecherché visited the bank to inquire about the accounts of certain Members of Parliament whom they believe have been making deals and acquiring huge amounts of monies based on the deals they made. One of the sources said that the former Managing Director of RBC former RBTT who was very close with certain politicians used loopholes to have the Members of Parliament deposit huge sums of monies without informing the bank how they acquired the funds.

Normally the banks on St. Maarten have to report all unusual transactions to the MOT but since the department is not fully functional, the transactions that were done at RBC Bank were not reported especially since the former Managing Director of the Bank found loopholes to have the monies deposited.

SMN News learnt that a certain Member of Parliament was caught on tape accepting a huge bribe for favors he is yet to deliver. The source said that since the fall of the UP/DP Government the tape was willfully circulated.

SMN News tried to confirm the information with the relevant authorities but they have refused to comment on the matter.

Philipsburg:--- Police have arrested two persons in the double homicide that was committed last Sunday on A.T. Illidge Road in close proximity of Francisco Bar. SMN News learnt that the victims both of whom were residents of the French side and of Dominicano decent were involved in a brawl inside the Sun Latino Bar prior to the shooting. The two men were shot dead inside an almost new Hyundai Sonata.

The shooters and suspected killers managed to escape the scene and cross the border where they abandoned the getaway car. On that same day the Gendarmes managed to recover the vehicle. Shortly after, police arrested two suspects one on St. Martin while the other was arrested in Guadeloupe. It is not yet clear if the suspect that was arrested in Guadeloupe was brought back to St. Martin.

In an unrelated murder investigation, the police also arrested a national of Dominica identified as S.P. for the murder of Gaston Gumbs whose body was found in a bush fire in Hope Estate. No further details on the suspect or the investigation has been released by the Public Prosecutor's Office.

THE VALLEY, Anguilla:--- The Royal Anguilla Police Force Criminal Investigation Department and Drug & Firearm Task Force are investigating a fatal shooting incident which occurred on Monday 17th December, 2012 at about 10pm at the Blue Diamond Bar in The Quarter which left two persons dead and three persons injured.

Commissioner of Police Rudolph Proctor said in a press release that at about 10:05pm a report of a shooting incident was received at The Valley Police Station where it was reported that two masked assailants armed with firearms entered the Blue Diamond Bar and five persons were shot.

On arrival at the Blue Diamond Bar, officers discovered the body of Anuery Derrick, age 32, a native of the Dominican Republic, who was unresponsive and lying on the floor. On further examination of the scene Officers discovered the body of Aswad Delonios, age 17 of Anguilla lying in the bushes outside the Blue Diamond Bar also unresponsive. The Emergency Medical Technicians were summoned to the scene along with a Medical Doctor from the Princess Alexandra Hospital. The bodies of Anuery Derrick and Aswad Delonois were later pronounced dead by the doctor.

The Coroners were summoned to the scene and granted permission for the bodies to be taken to Rey's Funeral Home pending postmortem.

Two of the injured persons were treated at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and discharged, while the third person is detained in the hospital undergoing medical treatment for injuries sustained.

The Royal Anguilla Police Force is appealing to the general public or any persons who were in the vicinity of the Blue Diamond Bar or having any information in relation to the incident to contact the Criminal Investigation Department at 497-2333, Ext. 3251, Website www.gov.ai/911, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or any Police Officer of your choice.

Your information would be held in the strictest confidence Commissioner of Police Proctor said in his press statement.

SMN News learnt that at least two persons that were involved in the deadly shootout Monday night are currently on the run and the Royal Anguilla Police Force are busy hunting the suspects.

Philipsburg:--- Former appointed Minister of Finance Hiro Shigemoto is expected to appear before the judge of instruction on Thursday for an extension of his pre-trial detention, confirmed Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos. When asked if Shigemoto will remain in custody until Thursday, Mos said that the former Minister who was also a civil servant will not receive any special treatment. "Mr. Shigemoto will be treated like everyone else and he will appear before the Judge of Instruction on Thursday," Mos explained.

Mos said the former Minister of Finance (civil servant) is suspected of committing embezzlement, fraud, and he is also accused of abusing the rules of Government. Mos said that the former Minister of Finance paid Global Advisory Services double for the services they provided for Government while recruiting staff for the Tax Department outside of St. Maarten.

Shigemoto, a diabetic patient, was arrested on Monday morning around 10am at his Pointe Blanche home by detectives from the Landsrecherché (national police). SMN News learnt that Shigemoto had to be placed on oxygen while being incarcerated in the sick bay at the Pointe Blanche Prison. Sources from the prison said that the former Minister has several medical complications and having him on oxygen is normal because it is something he has to use even when he is at home.

Last week the same team of detectives arrested the owner of Global Advisory Services and Co-Manager of WINAIR Roberto Gibbs. Gibbs was held on charges of fraud, forgery, and money laundering. Gibbs was released by the judge of instruction last week Thursday when the Prosecutor's office sought to have his pre-trial detention extended for a second period.

SMN News learnt from reliable sources that Gibbs named a number of persons while in custody who were involved in the embezzlement scheme. The investigation that is currently taking place is called the Piranha investigation in which a number of politicians and senior department heads are suspected of being involved in major corruption and embezzling of government funds. The Piranha investigation started in 2010 when the former director of finance Bas Roorda turned over vital information to the Prosecutor's office linking former commissioners to the scheme of pocketing government monies.

It is not yet clear if the Landsrecherché will link the case they started against the former head of the Tourism Bureau Regina Labega to the Piranha investigation. When asked about that, Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos declined to comment further on the ongoing investigation.

However, Attorney General of St. Maarten Taco Stein said on Tuesday said based on what he knew the two cases are separate even though the same person (Bas Roorda) turned over information to the Prosecutor's Office in both cases. When SMN News pressed Stein for more information on the case involving former Minister of Labour and Health Maria Buncamper Molanus who sold the economic rights of government lease land, Stein said his office and the Prosecutor's office are monitoring at least two cases closely. "Stein said none of the cases that are on the desk of the Landsrecherché were swept under the carpet as perceived by many persons in society. Stein further explained that his office is monitoring the case that involves former Minister of Health and Labour Maria Buncamper Molanus because he too read where she officially announced that she will be participating in the 2014 elections. When SMN News asked Stein when his office would bring the Election Fraud case to court since three police officers and a civil servant working at the Philipsburg Police station gave sworn statements that they accepted monies from the leader of the United Peoples Party in exchange for their votes. Stein said that his office set priorities on the cases they chose to investigate. He said the Election Fraud case is indeed important but the Landsrecherché is short staffed and they will announce when they start making progress in the investigations.
It should be noted that the Election Fraud case started way before the cases that involve Shigemoto and Labega and even though the Attorney General and Prosecutor's Office know that the suspects in these cases can get away scotch free because of the amount of time it takes before it reaches before a judge, the Attorney General of St. Maarten said he believes that the Piranha investigation takes priority over the other cases.

Philipsburg:--- On Tuesday December 18th, 2012, six cruise vessels will be visiting Sint Maarten and seeing the large amount of cruise passengers that will be on shore, the Police Department is informing the general public, that for safety reasons, as of 9:00am through 8:00pm Front Street starting from Sea Palace to Emmaplein and Back Street from Emmaplein to Weduwe steeg will be closed for all motor vehicle traffic.

Bus service
The bus service that usually goes through Back Street will now be redirected to the bus stop areas on the Cannegieter street, D.A. Peterson Street ( In front of the Gatsby clothing Store) and the Walter Nisbeth road opposite the Sundial School. (Open area next to "Nenn's snack Bar.)

Taxi Service
Only 4 taxis will allowed at the taxi-stand in front of the Court House at once. The main taxi stand which is located between the Clem La Bega Square and the RBC-bank will be reserved for taxi's only. Any other vehicles parked in this area will be towed at the expense of the owner.

Delivery Services
All delivery services delivering merchandise on these streets should have a written request made up with date, time, license plate number of the vehicle and the place where they will be making the delivery. This request should be brought to the police department where it will be approved to get access into these streets.

Parking
Illegal parking in the Philipsburg area will not be tolerated. Persons working or visiting Philipsburg should make use of the Ring road for temporary parking to avoid the risk of their vehicle being towed.

Philipsburg:--- As part of the continuing efforts to provide a safe environment for holiday shoppers, the Police Force of Sint Maarten has commenced their annual Holiday Task Force initiative also known as " Operation Vigilance 2012 ", and 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.
• Don't Shop Alone. It's important to shop with a buddy; an extra pair of eyes helps.
• Park your car in a well-lit area and make sure all windows, sunroof and doors are locked. If using an SUV Cover your gifts in your vehicle with a blanket.
• 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 Holiday Season."

The SHTA would like to commend the Prime Minister and government for opening the discussion on electoral reform. Their bold initiative deserves an equally candid and bold response. A healthy, robust and transparent electoral system is the basis for any successful democracy. While the SHTA agrees that improvements in the stability of ruling parties would be beneficial to St. Maarten, we believe that it is critical to address the root causes of instability.

It often appears that our elected officials are a loose alliance of personal agendas instead of a team that subscribes to a shared set of values, objectives and principles. It seems as if individual members of ruling coalitions are willing to leverage their position or seat in an effort to secure support for the next election. This constant jockeying for influence and credit seem to be at the heart of political instability.
The SHTA believe that if political parties were united by their common ideals, philosophies and visions, there would be much more stability. We understand the realities and challenges of asking the product and beneficiaries of the current political system to have the courage and vision to change the political system but nonetheless these changes are for the benefit of country St Maarten.
There are a number of tangible changes that we believe would be beneficial.

Campaign Finance Reform.
Individuals that are campaigning should be required to make public certain information as it pertains to the election process. Including source and amount of campaign donations in cash, services and in kind.
Candidates should make public their assets and business interests before and after taking office and either take positions that don't have conflicts of interest or divest from those investments prior to taking office.
Candidates should declare after the election how the campaign donations were spent.

Delegate Authorities.
In order to prevent the use of contracts, agreements and permits of all kinds as currency to "encourage" political support, the authority to issue individual licenses, work permits, building permits, bus licenses, taxi licenses, contracts for services, scholarships, land, and housing should be delegated to civil servants under strict guidelines and system of checks and balances. Elected officials should be focused on developing criteria, transparency, policy, legislation and oversight instead of actually approving or rejecting individual permits. Appeals could still be handled by elected officials, which would still give them possibilities to intervene when special attention is required. Additionally, this would create a feedback loop whereby policies could be adjusted when necessary.
Ultimately, it is the electorate that will have to call for election reform. Therefore, the SHTA suggests the voting public contact their parliamentarian and express their opinions.

Please note: These statements are related to the electoral system in general and not reflective of any specific party.

Marigot:--- Several elected officials including the President of the Collectivity of St. Martin Alain Richardson were questioned by a special team of Gendarmes on Saturday for the controversial Authorisation d' Occupation Temporaire (AOT) they issued to Nobert Luftman.

It should be noted that Luftman's AOT had expired since 2009 since the commune of St. Martin did not renew the contract because there was an ongoing court case with the Beauperthuy family. Even though Luftman had no AOT, he collected rent from the owner of Bikini Beach Elisa Cohen and the owner of Kontiki Beach Philippe Juste. Based on unconfirmed reports, Norbert Luftman collected over Euros 500,000.00 from Elisa Cohen illegally because his AOT for Orient Beach expired and was not renewed but he was still collecting rent from the owners of at least three restaurants.

Two persons that were questioned a number of times by the team of Gendarmes are Norbert Luftman and Philippe Casaubon. SMN News learnt that several elected officials will be questioned this coming week because the investigators are not only looking at the illegality of the AOT that was issued retroactively but they are looking to see if the RRR government collected monies "under the table" for the AOT or if any type of election fraud was committed by the RRR political party.

Last week the Gendarmes arrested the Head of Domain Affairs Josi Carti and placed him in garde à view, shortly after they arrested the DGS of the Collectivity of St. Martin Pascal Avern and he too was placed in garde à vue after he was questioned on the issuance of the AOT to Norbert Luftman for a period of 13 years retroactive to 2009. Carti remains in garde a vue while Pascal Avern was released and he immediately travelled to Guadeloupe to be with his family for the Christmas holidays.

While it is unheard of that government would issue contracts retroactively, the COM under the leadership of President Alain Richardson did just that after their executive council took a unanimous decision on April 17th, 2012 to grant Luftman the AOT for a period of 15 years retroactive to June 2009. According to some paper-trail, Luftman received the AOT on September 4th, 2012 for 13 years retroactive to 2009.

SMN News was reliably informed that the former President of the COM Frantz Gumbs and Senator Louis Constant Fleming warned the leader of the RRR just before the 2nd round of the 2012 elections that if he won the elections he must not sign the AOT for Luftman because there are a lot of problems surrounding Orient Beach. The source said besides the court cases with the land owners, Norbert Luftman was allegedly providing false information to the commune to obtain the AOT. A source working within the administration of the COM said that Luftman declared he was the owner of the three restaurants and that he had managers running each of them.

Orient Beach, Luftman, Bikini Beach.

Upon further investigation, SMN News found information that showed that Elisa Cohen is the sole owner of Bikini Beach. Cohen opened her restaurant in 1992 in her own name "Elisa Cohen" and she was paying Luftman 10% of her gross sales as rent per month as her rent. In 1993, Luftman demanded 12.5% in rent from Cohen claiming that the commune had increased his fees for the AOT. Then in 2005 Luftman changed the contract to $10,000 per month which gives him a grand total of $120,000.00 per year. Elisa Cohen then changed her business into a SARL in 2004 making in "Le Bikini" and she remained the sole Director of her company.

While Elisa Cohen was paying that amount of monies to Luftman, the local government was receiving just over 2% per month for the AOT they granted to Luftman. According to information SMN News received, Elisa Cohen and Phillipe Juste both submitted a request to the Collectivity on February 15th, 2012 to obtain their own AOT for the space they are occupying on Orient Beach. Sources within the COM said that the executive council did not even look at the request of Cohen and Juste when they met in an executive council meeting on April 17th, 2012 and decided to grant the AOT to Luftman.

Philipsburg:--- The former appointed Minister of Finance and son in law of the Minister of Justice Hiro Shigemoto was arrested around 10am on Monday morning, confirmed Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos. Shigemoto was arrested at his home in Pointe Blanche. Mos said Shigemoto is suspected of committing fraud when he paid Global Advisory Services double for services the company provided to the Government of St. Maarten.

Global Advisory Services is owned and managed by Roberto Gibbs who is also the Co-Manager of WINAIR. The company was hired to recruit people for the Tax Department and the company was paid double for the services they provided when finding manpower outside of St. Maarten.

Ten days ago the Landsrecherché arrested Roberto Gibbs, he was later released by the Judge of Instruction when the Prosecutor's Office requested his second eight day pre-trial detention.

When Roberto Gibbs was arrested, SMN News gave indications in its reports that the Piranha (the biting fish) investigation started in 2010 when Bas Roorda was fired by the UP/DP Government. Bas Roorda, the former Head of Finance, was brought to St. Maarten by the National Alliance/Heyliger Government who took over when the Democratic Party Government fell. The commissioner of Finance Xavier Blackman recruited Roorda from the Netherlands to head the finance department since according to Blackman back then the department was in shambles. The UP/DP coalition fired Roorda when he turned over incriminating information to the Prosecutor's office that incriminated several persons including former commissioners. Two people that made headlines for pocketing government monies was the former Head of the Tourism Bureau, Regina Labega and former Commissioner of Tourism and Economic Affairs (now Member of Parliament) Frans Richardson. At the time Roorda was made director of the department of finance, Hiro Shigemoto was not too pleased because he was not given the post. Sources within government said that Shigemoto did not apply for the position because he felt that he did the job for years and he deserved it without following basic procedures, therefore he made Roorda's life a living hell and was not cooperating with him.

While it is clear that the Prosecutor's Office (Landsrecherché) is busy investigating the Roorda spiral because of what is termed as "so-called" injustice to a Dutch citizen, there are several cases that are lying on the desk of the Landsrecherché and they are not being touched. One such case is the Election Fraud case that involves three police officers and a civil servant working at the Philipsburg Police Station and the United Peoples Party leader Theodore Heyliger. SMN News has been reliably informed that all four persons at the Philipsburg Police station gave sworn statements to the Police Internal Affairs that they accepted monies from the UP leader in exchange for their votes, yet the Landsrecherché does not see this case as being a priority case.

A political pundit said that the investigation was delayed because of political rhetoric since the Minister of Justice Roland Duncan was appointed by Independent Member of Parliament Patrick Illidge who supported the UP/DP Government.

On Monday, SMN News contacted Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos for an update on the Election Fraud case that has been pending some two and half years now and Mos said the case is still on the shelves. The island's Chief Prosecutor claimed that the Landsrecherché is short staffed even though they got nine officers from the Police Department. Another case that also remains untouched is the one involving former Minister of Health and Labour Maria Buncamper-Molanus who was forced to resigned after she sold the economic rights for government lease land.

SIMPSON BAY:--- Delta Air Lines inaugurated a new weekly Saturday year-round direct service to Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) on Saturday, December 15, 2012 as part of its announced expansion into the Caribbean. This is in addition to its direct flights from Atlanta.

"We're very happy to welcome this new service from JFK by Delta," said Regina LaBega, managing director of the Princess Juliana International Airport operating company, PJIAE NV.

"This is our key source market for tourists and an additional direct service from New York would further boost arrivals from there because visitors now have an additional choice of a carrier," LaBega said.

"Besides," she continued, "New York is now an important hub for Delta, seeing that it has made it a major global gateway with 136 peak-day departures to 82 destinations all over the world."

Commenting on the airline's expansion of services to the Caribbean, Delta's vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean, Nicolas Ferri, reportedly said, "It's another step toward achieving our goal of becoming the best U.S. airline in Latin America, offering not only a unique experience for business travelers but also the best choice for leisure travel."

The additional flights is Delta's response to increased demand for more connections between New York and key Caribbean tourist destinations like St. Maarten, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Aruba, and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

According to Delta, now New York City's largest and fastest-growing carrier, is part of a $1.2 billion expansion project that will turn JFK's Terminal 4 into a state-of-the-art international gateway, increasing the terminal's capacity by one-third. The facility is expected to open in the second quarter of 2013.

Delta offers service to more destinations from New York-LaGuardia and New York-JFK combined than any other airline. It is also upgrading its schedule at JFK so passengers can have easy convenient connections to international flights.

PHILIPSBURG:--- SHTA and ENNIA have partnered to offer the SHTA members additional employee benefits through a collective pension plan on favorable terms. In the future all the employees of the SHTA members can arrange a simplified pension contract with ENNIA.
St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association's (SHTA) is the largest trade association on St. Maarten with a diversified membership base that includes hotels; timeshare properties; restaurants; wholesale and retail companies; marine companies; realtors; contractors; legal and accounting firms and more.
In a presentation to the Board of SHTA, Myrtille Brookson, Branch Manager of ENNIA and Mr. Arie Groothuis, Senior Account Manager Pension and Employee Benefits of ENNIA explained the details of the various ENNIA pension plans and how members and their employees can benefit from additional long term retirement planning. The SHTA seeks to expand member benefits through collaborative agreements such as this, and believes that there is a general need for improved retirement planning. The SHTA is pleased to have the opportunity to create this added benefit to members and their employees.
ENNIA is happy with the partner agreement and would like to congratulate SHTA and all its members with the expansion of their employee benefits. For more information about pension plan or free advice, you can contact our colleagues at 543 2232 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Philipsburg:--- Chippie announces the first winner of the iPad 3 sweepstake that the mobile provider offers together with distribution partner Xtreme Machines. The first winner is St. Eustatius resident, Mr. Valentine Fortin. Mr Fortin was the first of 5 potential winners of an Apple iPad. He won the tablet by saving his Xtreme Machine top-up receipts. Each receipt contains a letter and after saving all the letters necessary to spell 'APPLE I PAD 3' he was the proud first winner of the sweepstake. "There are 4 more iPads to be won, so anyone that almost had all the letters shouldn't be discouraged," says UTS Marketing and Communication Officer, Ivy Lambert "We are happy to collaborate with our partner, Xtreme Machines to bring holiday cheer to our customers by offering them the chance to win prizes like this during the holiday season. Our customers have a choice in whom they select as their mobile provider and we want to show them that we appreciate their good custom; whether it is through our ongoing sweepstake, free concert tickets with purchase or our ongoing top up promotions, we want to show our appreciation, " Lambert continued.

GREAT BAY:--- According to Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, grade school children spend upwards to eight hours actively "learning all sorts of interesting things, but when they come home, it is often as if they are expected to simply switch off their learning brain."

In some societies the old saying that questions the value of "too much studying ... must have come from the notion and a time when it was accepted that only a certain part of the day should be devoted to intellectual activity," said Dr. Arrindell. She was an invited speaker in Curacao at the recent educational conference, "Pedagogie: Opvoedingstoolbox."

"Today it is accepted that intellectual development is an ongoing process, and it is important for parents to support what takes place at school in the home," said the leading St. Martin linguist. Her audience consisted of educators, language scholars, government policy experts, and daycare and after-school activity providers.

"Language Development and Education in Children 0-12 Years" was the title of Dr. Arrindell's conference paper, presented on December 7. The StepAhead Foundation and the University of the Netherlands Antilles (UNA) hosted the educational/child development symposium at the Renaissance Hotel and at UNA.

In her paper, Dr. Arrindell drew on a number of scientific language development studies and on what she has called elsewhere the "linguistic versatility" of St. Martiners. She also encouraged the presentation of more scholarly papers in Papiamentu at educational conferences in Curacao.

Dr. Arrindell concluded her presentation on the relationship between how children develop language skills; the essential need for more knowledge and respect of Caribbean nation languages in the classroom; and why parents who are seen reading regularly by their children are setting an excellent example for their children's success in school and in the community at large.

"Regardless of the child's linguistic background, the everyday environment should be laden with oral and written language. The importance of children reading cannot be overemphasized here," said Dr. Arrindell.

"Studies in both first and second language acquisition have shown that students who read more generally outperform those who read less in a range of tests. Even when the reading activities were for pleasure, reading was found to help lessen 'writing apprehension' among students, and reading also helps children with their thinking skills," said Dr. Arrindell.

"Another interesting fact about child language acquisition is that the younger children are, the easier it seems for them to learn another language. According to Fromkin et al. in An Introduction to Language, 'Young children before the age of puberty who are exposed to more than one language seem to acquire all the languages equally well.' But this means that the child should be exposed to all the languages equally for him or her to acquire them equally. It cannot be so that exposure to one language is limited to the school environment and exposure to another is limited to the home or community environment, yet the child is expected to acquire both equally and be able to communicate in both equally," said Arrindell, who served as St. Maarten's first minister of education, culture, sports and youth affairs, from October 2010 to May 2012.

"The child language development matter is further compounded when in Caribbean societies, which are themselves still in the process of forging their own identities, the Creole or home language of the child is not treated equally as another (European) target language in the classroom, or even within the broader community," said Dr. Arrindell.

"Studies continue to show that when children come to school socialized in a language that is culture-specific, and they are expected to perform in another language, they experience a sort of cultural discontinuity, which often negatively affects academic performance," said Dr. Arrindell, who has also co-authored two chapters in the new book, Agency in the Emergence of Creole Languages (2012), edited by Dr. Nicholas Faraclas.

Among the speakers at the two-day conference in Curacao were Dr. Rene Diekstra from the Netherlands, and from Curacao Drs. Leonard Coffin, Drs. Irving Picus, Drs. Karin Hermans, Drs. Shanti Guanipa, and Drs. Stephen Ebecilio.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Public Health, Social Development, and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever recently launched the country's first National HIV and AIDS Workplace Policy.

Minister De Weever has described the moment as a historic one for the 600+ families affected by their loves ones who are living with HIV/AIDS.

"Another historic moment is when the Chamber of Commerce was the first to sign an HIV/AIDS workplace policy when I was a board member on their behalf. I presented a draft HIV/AIDS workplace policy for government to then Commissioner of Health Franklin Meyers.

"We have now come full circle and as Minister I have the privilege to launch the HIV/AIDS workplace policy for all civil servants. I will like to call on all government owned companies, all Non-Governmental Organizations, all unions, all [red] business and businesses in general to join us by implementing their own HIV/AIDS workplace policy," Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever said on Sunday.

The National Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS is a framework for action by government, employers and workers to deal effectively with HIV/AIDS at the workplace.

The policy takes into consideration the effects of HIV/AIDS on the most productive segment of the workforce and as such, views the problems associated with HIV/AIDS in terms of the significant negative implications they hold for the economic and national development of the country.

The purpose of the policy is to facilitate the development of a working environment that protects the rights of workers regardless of their HIV status. This includes all workers irrespective of where they work.

Sint Maarten has joined other countries around the globe in the observance of World AIDS Day 2012. In connection with this observance, the National HIV Workplace Policy was launched.

The Department of Labour in collaboration with the HIV/AIDS Programme Management Team has worked diligently throughout the year, with public and private sector stakeholders, to develop the very first HIV-related national policy for the workplace as part of the on-going implementation of the national HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan 2012-2016.

The HIV Workplace Policy relates to policies and programmes to protect workers living with or affected by HIV and AIDS, and to assist in reducing the spread of HIV and the prevention of HIV/AIDS related stigma and discrimination.

Those who spoke at the launch that took place in the A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall were HIV/AIDS Programme Manager Suzette Moses-Burton, Secretary General Jorien Wuite, Head of the Labour Department Rafael Boasman and HIV/AIDS Project Officer Margje Troost.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Moody's rating agency credit analysis of country Sint Maarten is now available on the Government website.

The credit analysis provides an in-depth discussion of credit rating(s) of the country and should be read in conjunction with Moody's most recent Credit Opinion and rating information.

The document is considered an investor's tool and a must have when considering and looking at investment options in the country.

The credit analysis can be found at www.sintmaartengov.org; go to tab "Government," scroll down to "Ministry of Finance" link, go to "Reports" and select the file "Moody's Investor Services" to download the report.

On November 5, 2012, Moody's assigned a first time government bond rating of Baa1 to Sint Maarten. The rating is supported by the country's comparatively high economic development and moderate debt levels.

The ratings are constrained by the untested nature of the country's institutions although we expect nation-building support and fiscal oversight from the Netherlands to continue for several more years, the rating rationale points out in the report.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Collective Preventive Services (CPS) which is part of the Ministry of Public Health, continues surveillance for Cholera, and also maintains its travel advisory for persons traveling to Hispanola (Haiti, Dominican Republic).

Holiday travelers who will be spending the holidays in one of the aforementioned countries for the Christmas/New Years are strongly advised to follow basic hygienic habits, Minister of Public Health Hon. Cornelius de Weever said on Sunday.

As part of the Minister's 'Get Checked,' campaign, vacationers who return to the island and display symptoms of cholera are strongly advised to get checked by visiting their family physician.

CPS continues to maintain Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recommendations such as surveillance activities to detect the occurrence of outbreaks and implementing intervention actions to reduce cholera spread determinants.

CPS was informed about the imported cholera case on the North side of the island by French health authorities, and linkages with persons on the Dutch side were ruled out. Physicians have been reminded to be on alert for signs/symptoms of cholera.

Cholera is a bacterial infection spread through contaminated water. It causes severe diarrhea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration and death within hours.

Cholera is transmitted through fecal contamination of water and food. In places where there is infrastructure damage, the lack of safe drinking water and poor sanitation and hygiene can increase the risk of cholera, as well as numerous other diarrhea diseases.

While on vacation ensure that you take vital precautions such as hygienic food preparation, boiling or purifying all water, and washing hands often with soap and clean water.

Symptoms can occur within 24 to 48 hours of being infected with the cholera causing bacteria. Cholera symptoms are generally mild; they include diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle cramps. About one infected person out of 20 has severe signs and symptoms, such as increased heart rate, dehydration, and shock. Immediately consult your physician if you have travelled and have any of the symptoms, while maintaining proper hygiene.

To minimize the number of people infected, frequent hand washing, personal hygiene, safe water use and food preparation are a necessity. Maintain these basic hygienic habits as you travel.

By taking a few basic precautions, cholera as well as most other food and water-borne diseases can easily be prevented. The main rule is, always be aware of the quality of what you eat and drink. Enjoy and keep safe as you travel and help us keep Sint Maarten Cholera Free!

Cholera continues to take a heavy toll on Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Cholera has claimed more than 7,750 lives in Haiti and infected over 620,000.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (MinVROMI) is requesting all contractors concerned that effective Wednesday, December 19, all utility trenches alongside all roads, primary and secondary including drives, must be filled in.

The aforementioned measure is to ensure safety during the holiday season. Open trenches present a hazard to pedestrians and motorists. This order also includes all present waivers.

Failure to comply with the aforementioned directive will result in the Governing closing open trenches with all consequences for the contractor along with the associated costs.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A number of 2012 advices by the Social Economic Council (SER) are now available for the general public for the first time, in accordance with the SER rules on publication.
Notably, the unsolicited advice on crime prevention entitled 'The need for community based crime prevention programs' is now available. This policy topic was deemed eligible for unsolicited advice by the Social Economic Council because the social and economic costs of crime undermine the quality of life and put a strain on the costs of doing business and the investment climate. The advice describes the level of violent and petty crimes and the social and economic costs these crimes produce using local data. This advice proposes the introduction of a prevention program called 'Communities That Care' to prevent crime. This prevention program is readily available and can be tailored to each different neighborhood in Sint Maarten starting in St. Peters, Cole-Bay and Dutch Quarter making use of existing community boards and community helpdesks. The advice was submitted to government and discussed with the Honorable Prime-Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams on October 17th.
An earlier advice on an initiative draft ordinance on the abuse of temporary labor contracts is now published as well. This draft ordinance originated in parliament in 2011, but was submitted for SER advice in June 2012. The following advice was submitted to the vice-chairman of parliament MP. Romaine Laville during a meeting on the 18th of September and to Honorable Prime-Minister S. Wescot-Williams the same day. The advice tackles the rules on dismissal of employees and on the dissolution of labor contracts, permanent education and the needs of the labor market, while at the same time addressing the job security and quality of life guarantees for employees. The advice further contains an analysis of global trends in the labor market and the current legal framework regarding labor contracts in Sint Maarten.
Finally, a letter of advice pertaining to the need to elevate the Philipsburg Jubilee Library to the status of 'National Library' of Sint Maarten is among the newly available documents as well. In closing the SER has provided government with a total of five advices for this year, from the five advices, three were solicited and two unsolicited. As the SER looks ahead to 2013, the council looks forward to receiving an increased amount of solicited advice request in the New Year.
All SER documents mentioned above, and many more, are available through the SER website www.sersxm.org.

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- On 13 December 2012, volunteers from the U.S. Forward Operating Location (U.S. FOL) visited Fundashon Amigunan di Christo to help with their Christmas Program. In addition to painting the walls to prepare for this annual event, they delivered 100 Christmas stockings filled with stuffed animal and toys for the children.
During this holiday season, U.S. FOL plans to deliver toys and clothing to various community charity organizations. The men and women working at the U.S. FOL are frequent volunteers in the local community and this was another outstanding effort in building friendship with the citizens of Curacao.

Pembroke Pines, FL:--- The holidays will be more joyful for over 6,000 children because the FCCA, its member lines and partner destinations have begun the 18th annual Holiday Gift Project.

Through this venture, underprivileged children in 33 destinations throughout the Caribbean and Latin America will be treated to a very special holiday as they receive gifts delivered by crew members from the FCCA member cruise lines.

The FCCA Foundation has once again contributed toys that were selected by the destinations per age groups and genders. Member Lines are now loading the gifts onboard the vessels so they can serve as Santa while they deliver the presents to our partnering destinations, where festivities are planned to distribute the gifts, smiles and holiday cheer

As the events commence, notes of heartfelt gratitude are pouring in:

"We wish to again say thank you to the FCCA for the extraordinary generosity bestowed and for once again bringing holiday cheer to the nature isle, Dominica. The Discover Dominica Authority and the Ministry of Tourism are already fired up with anticipation for the 2013 FCCA Holiday Gift Project," said Deslyn Simon, Discover Dominica Authority

Sanja Dubajic, Youth Director, Carnival Liberty, told: "We had a great time with the kids on the charity event-one new experience for all that shows even a smile or hug can make a difference in somebody's life. I am so glad that we were part of it. And definitely we have lived the value today showing the care and respect to each other."

The following destinations will participate in this special event:

Antigua; Aruba; Bonaire; Belize; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Cartagena, Colombia; Colon, Panama; Costa Maya, Mexico; Cozumel, Mexico; Curacao; Dominica; Eluthera, Bahamas; Ensenada, Mexico; Falmouth, Jamaica; Freeport, Bahamas; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; Grenada; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Nassau, Bahamas; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Port Everglades, Florida; Progreso, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; Samana, Dominican Republic; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Kitts; St. Lucia; St. Maarten; St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.; Tortola, BVI

The FCCA Member Lines are committed to working with our destination partners to deliver holiday cheer:

Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises (USA), Inc., Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International.

In its 19th year, the FCCA Foundation continues to improve the lives of citizens in the Caribbean and Latin America through projects such as this. The Foundation has impacted the lives of thousands, having provided over $3 million in funding to a variety of organizations and causes.

Philipsburg:--- The Governor of St. Maarten, his Excellency drs. Eugene Holiday will host the 1st Annual Governor's Symposium entitled "National Heritage: Historical, Cultural & Economic Importance" on December 17th, 2012.
"For our young country St. Maarten, it is in the context of nation building, important to identify and recognize the national heritage that binds our people. It is thus imperative that we cherish and nurture our national heritage," says Governor Holiday.
The Governor's Symposium will feature national, regional, and international speakers who will lend their vast knowledge and expertise to the central theme of National Heritage and its meaning. The speakers will focus on regulation & policy, monuments and arts.
The Keynote speaker will be Ms. Alissandra Cummins, the Director of the Barbados Museum & Historical Society and member of the Executive Board of UNESCO, a recognized authority on Caribbean heritage, museum development and art.
On a national level, the speakers will in addition to the Minister of Education and Culture Ms. Silveria Jacobs, include, acting Secretary General of the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Development, Infrastructure & Environment Mr. Louis Brown, Specialist for Monuments & Archaeology at the Ministry of VROMI Dr. Jay Haviser, Head of the Culture Department Mr. Neville York, and performing artist & choreographer Mrs. Clara Reyes. The speakers from the region will be USVI Department of Planning & Natural Resource Commissioner Alicia Barnes, Coordinator on Curaçao of the UNESCO Caribbean Heritage Course Mr. Michael Newton and Director of Heritage Resources for the National Parks Antigua Mr. Arthur Murphy. Coming from the Netherlands, but having national ties, is the Vice Chairman of Strategic Development at TMF Group Holding B.V. Mrs. Maria van der Sluijs-Plantz.

Philipsburg:--- A national of the Dominica identified only as S.P., 38 years old is behind bars for the murder of Gaston Gumbs whose body was found in a bush fire in Hope Estate some weeks ago. Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos confirmed on Friday that the suspect was arrested earlier in the month and he is now spending his first eight days in pretrial detention.
Mos did not divulge any further details on the ongoing investigation. Gaston Gumbs was well known St. Maartener who was residing in French Quarter.

Philipsburg:--- The central committee meeting that was called by the United People's Party regarding the way the two UP appointed board members of the supervisory board were dismissed was held on Friday. The two members Mr. Mike Alexander and Kenneth Bloyden finally resigned. Since the shareholder representative started the dismissal process the two board members have resigned from the Supervisory Board of the Harbour, to date no other members have been appointed and the Harbour Group of Companies still does not have a complete and legal Supervisory Board in place.

Member of Parliament Sylvia Meyers representing the UP faction posed several questions to the Minister and shareholder representative regarding the dismissal of the UP appointed members and the consequences. MP Meyers asked the Minister if the dismissal had anything to do with having the supervisory board approve the travel expenses for a Member of Parliament to travel with him overseas. MP Meyers said she wants clarity on if an MP travelled with the Minister to the Netherlands to meet with Volker Stevens to discuss the construction of the causeway. MP Meyers refused to indicate which Member of Parliament she was referring to which created a nit-picking among the other Members of Parliament representing the National Alliance Faction and Independent Member of Parliament Frans Richardson. Independent Member of Parliament Frans Richardson asked for a point of clarification and asked the Member of Parliament to indicate who she was referring to and not to allow her statements to live a life of its own.

Members of Parliament Louie Laviest and Member of Parliament George Pantophlet expressed the same sentiments. However, MP Meyers remained on point with her questions. She further stated that the United Peoples Party is disappointed with the kind of language that was used during the dismissal process of the two board members. MP Meyers said it appears as though St. Maarten has become a "banana republic" in the way things are being done. MP Meyers also asked who authorized the removal of the sand from the harbor to the Great Salt Pond. The Chair of Parliament Romain La Ville asked the Members of Parliament to stay on course and not to stray away from the agenda point. La Ville told MPs from the UP Party, especially Dr. Ruth Douglas, that they needed to stay on course. MP Meyers asked if the new members of the Supervisory board were appointed and who are these members.

MP Dr. Ruth Douglas asked several questions regarding of the sand on the Great Salt Pond which she said is affecting the residents living in the area. MP Ruth Douglas focused on the removal of the sand from the habour to the Great Salt Pond without tying in her questions to the agenda point. Her questions pushed the chair to remind her several times to stay on course by sticking to the agenda point.

Members of the Democratic Party Faction Petrus Leroy De Weever and Roy Marlin also shared the sentiments of United Peoples Party. First Petrus Leroy De Weever and Roy Marlin who are part of the present coalition told the chair that even though they are part of the coalition they will not allow the chair to muzzle the Members of Parliament. Chairman Romain La Ville said he will not allow anyone to accuse him of muzzling any Member of Parliament. MP De Weever in his presentation said that the dismissal has consequences and if the moving of sand is one of them then the questions should be allowed. De Weever said that the current government has accused the former government of using the Harbour as their piggy bank. He said he wants to know if an audit was done at the harbor and if it was not done then why. MP De Weever said he wants to know if the accusation made against the former government is true and if the present board is on the same trend by using the harbor funds as their personal piggy bank. MP De Weever said that he supports the request of MP Laveist to have the CEO of the harbor present so that they can get some answers from him. MP De Weever said his concern is not the sand, but so far he is seeing that more stores are being built at the harbor and this he said is affecting the stores in Philipsburg. The MP said that he is very much concerned about the economy and effects the building of stores at the harbour will have on the business people in Philipsburg.

When the point of orders were made Member of Parliament Ruth Douglas said that those Members of Parliament sucking their teeth should check with the dentist if they have cavities. She further stated that she will ask her questions because she does not have sand in her eyes.

MP Patrick Illidge in a point of order said he applauds the UP faction for asking the questions they are asking now because during their time in government they took several decisions without seeking the authorization of Parliament or government.

MP Johan Janchi Leonard in his presentation said he is a former policeman and he wants all the answers provided to him in writing. He asked how much money was given to TEMPO for their anniversary. MP Leonard further asked the Minister how much money was paid to the Festival Village. Chairman of Parliament Romain La Ville said that one of the two questions are legitimate while the other one strayed away from the agenda point.

Member of Parliament Roy Marlin in a point of order impressed that he will not sit back and allow the chair to muzzle the Members of Parliament. He said that some of the questions that are asked are legitimate. He said some of the decisions taken by the management of the harbor has to be authorized by the supervisory board.

MP Marlin said that he wants the MPs to get a copy of the Island Council decision number 1756 to establish the Corporate Governance Council. MP Marlin said that the MPs and Ministers must know that they can get themselves in trouble because it only takes one person to file a complaint against an MP or Minister. Marlin said that everyone should read what is taking place in Curacao with government owned companies and ask themselves if they want that to happen on St. Maarten. Marlin said that the resolution on the Corporate Governance Council states that the shareholder representative must get an advice from the Corporate Governance Council to dismiss supervisory board members because there is no in between when it comes to following the law. He asked the Minister to provide Parliament with all communications he had with the Corporate Governance Council on the dismissal of the two board members. Furthermore, Marlin even asked the Minister to provide Parliament with the resolution that made him the shareholder representative of the harbour.

Marlin said he wants to know if the harbour took any major decisions while there is no legal supervisory board in place. MP Marlin he has no problem attacking UP Leader Theo Heyliger because it was done before when he took on the construction of the boardwalk. Marlin said he is not in full agreement on how the causeway project was done. He said he has a problem with this because when the causeway is completed he does not want St. Maarten to have debt in millions. MP Marlin said he does not think that the CEO of a government owned company should take a decision to increase container fees and gasoline. Marlin said that will affect the people of St. Maarten and Parliament was not consulted.

Member of Parliament Jules James took jabs at the Members of Parliament who asked for point of orders when his colleagues were posing questions that according to him is not their liking.

MP James asked the Minister and shareholder representative Romeo Pantophlet to provide Parliament with the minutes of the meeting he held with Volker Stevens. MP James said that he wants to know if the UP Leader Theodore Heyliger instructed the contractor of the causeway to change the height of the causeway.

MP James also asked for the Landsbesluit that shows when he was appointed as the shareholder representative of the harbor group of companies. MP James said that he wants the Minister to provide him with the open ended letter he sent to Bloyden and Alexander that states that they are not authorized to take any decisions. "The open ended letter had no date maybe these men have to wait until the rapture." MP James said he wants to know why the Minister did not follow rules 8 & 9 of the Corporate Governance Council. He said he want the Minister to tell Parliament and the people of St. Maarten who authorized the dumping of sand at the Great Salt Pond. MP James asked several questions on the dismissal of Mike Alexander and Kenneth Bloyden.

Independent Member of Parliament Patrick Illidge said in his presentation that he is of the opinion that what should come to Parliament is a document that would permit all members of Supervisory Board to resign when the political party is not in government. MP Illidge said in doing so the Minister and shareholder representatives would get the leeway they need when in power.

MP Richardson Fires Back on Dismissal and Appointment of Board Members --- We can open Pandora Box of the past with the selling of sand.

Member of Parliament Frans Richardson said that some of the Members of Parliament should get away from the idea of the Island Council procedures and adjust themselves to the procedures of Parliament. Richardson said that he was saddened to hear the first speaker referring to the two board members as UP appointees. MP Richardson said if these persons are representatives of the UP then it is clear that the two board members will carry out the vision of the party that appointed them. MP Richardson in his presentation said that there are supervisory boards that waited some seven years and never got a Landsbesluit. He said that it is amazing that suddenly the UP faction wants to know when the Minister got his official decree when their Minister waited seven years to obtain theirs. MP Richardson made clear he does not own any store, tendering services, or even marketing company at the harbour. He also asked the Minister if the current government changed or stopped any of the projects that were undertaken by the former government which was authorized by the former supervisory board. Richardson also asked the Minister to tell Parliament who approved the dredging of the sand that is dumped in the Salt Pond. MP Richardson also asked the Minister to provide Parliament with the amount of companies that were created under the Harbor Group of Companies. "Minister I need you to provide Parliament with the entire list of companies that were created under the harbor and what type of services they are providing for the people of St. Maarten." Richardson said he wants to know how many board members approved the construction of Pier 2. He said since some MPs are questioning the legality of the supervisory board members then we all need to know how many of the members signed off on each of the projects that are being undertaken by the harbor. Richardson said St. Maarten is building a country and it is impossible for St. Maarten to appoint "Paul and All" to certain positions while leaving out St. Maarteners. He said Mike Alexander is a resident of Curacao yet he sits on almost every board on St. Maarten. "This for me is a conflict of interest and St. Maarten legislators should not allow this to happen and give Alexander special or royal treatment. We have to feed Alexander pay for his air fares, pay for his hotels, and most off all set meetings on his schedule while St. Maarteners are not given an opportunity to be on these boards. The Corporate Governance Council gave an advice on the appointment of the board members and the Minister respected that advice. The article of incorporation clearly states that the board members must reside of St. Maarten." Richardson said that several things were brought in such as TEMPO, and the dredging of sand while forgetting the issues of the Down Street Boys.

MP Richardson also asked Minister Romeo Pantophlet to inform Parliament if the harbor ever paid for an MP to travel with him to any destination and not only to the Netherlands. Richardson said he also wants the Minister to tell Parliament when and how certain board members were appointed. "The same UP leader went to Mr. Lambert and asked him to sign his resignation on Sunday when the UP/DP government collapsed and then appointed who he wanted on the board."

"When you want to see who were dragged in the mud and dismissed by the UP member then you look at those sitting at the head table and taking questions." MP Richardson also asked the Minister to provide information on the age of board members. "We need know if there is an age limit for board members and how long can board members serve. I also want to know which company was hired for the dredging of Pier 2 and how much monies they were paid. I want to know who is conducting the dredging of the sand now and what are the two companies being paid. Tell Parliament how many board members approved this project also, the people really need to know." Richardson said the MPs sitting in Parliament asked questions that benefits them personally. "They asked who is trucking the sand and who own the land that the sand is sitting on. Neither of them asked who gave away the biggest portion of the harbor and who got the monies. I expected the key questions that would educate the people. I also need you Minister to inform Parliament the time limit the harbor has to remove the sand from the harbor and who owns the land that the sand is sitting on. Let the people know what is to be built where the sand is sitting. I need you to tell us what the money used for, I need to know what it was spent on."

MP Richardson said one of the MPs asked who bought and sold sand today during this Central Committee meeting. "We would need to call another meeting and ask who bought and sold sand in the first dredging. This time we will question who sold sand back then compare now. We can open the Pandora box on the selling of sand in the past. We need to know who sold sand and land because history has a trail that can be followed. I know where the sand is and who placed it there."

MP Richardson said he wants to know what the 'sugar' is or benefits to persons that wants to remain on boards. "Someone has to tell me the benefits for someone that sits on every board. Moreover someone has to tell me why the MPs cannot defend the poor workers of Pelican who was dismissed by a Member of Parliament. St. Maarten has young lawyers who can be on these boards but they are pushed aside. No one wants to appoint our own young professionals. Mike Alexander has roots in French Quarter but chose to live in Curacao and here the MPs are fighting for him to remain on a board."

Laveist fed up and tired of UP Leader Heyliger and his Mentality --- If it walks like a Duck, Quack Like a Duck then it is a Duck.

Member of Parliament Louie Laveist in his address told Parliament that he is fed up and tired with the mentality of the leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger and his elite group. Laveist said that he knew what he said when he asked if St. Maarten has two governments, namely the harbour and Council Ministers. Laveist said he wants to know why an MP would defend Mike Alexander and Kenneth Bloyden. He asked why St. Maarten MPs have so much interest in defending Alexander who is not a registered on St Maarten and he does not even vote on St. Maarten. Mike Alexander has multiple jobs and is better off  than the 182 people that were fired by MP Jules James. The 182 mothers, fathers, sisters that were fired by MP Jules James with the blessings of the UP leader Theodore Heyliger. "Those persons are the ones that have the headache on how to pay their school fees and paid their mortgages. I did not hear any of the UP members mumble a word like what I am hearing in defense of Mike Alexander and Kenneth Bloyden. I did not hear anything from anyone when Romeo Pantophlet, Christina Labega, and Mr. Donker were fired by the UP leader." Laveist who got emotional while making his presentation made clear that he will not defend anyone that is living in Curacao because he knows for sure that Curacao will not appoint a St. Maartener on any boards there. "The UP leader cannot accept that a Middle Region man is now over "his" harbor. I heard what MP Marlin said of the Corporate Governance Council but I am more interested to hear what his colleague from the DP faction thinks about that council."

He asked if there is no St. Maartener that is capable to sit on the Supervisory Board of the harbor. Laveist said he is insulted by the statements made by the UP in defense of Mike Alexander. He said he refused to accept that competent young people are not on St. Maarten while government is spending thousands on education every year. Laviest said he is of the opinion that UP Members are giving the impression that the Minister did not follow the articles of incorporation when he dismissed and appointed the new members of the supervisory board of the Harbor Holding Companies. Laviest went as far as saying that he believes that the articles of incorporation of the Harbour Holding Companies has to be changed because he is of the opinion that the supervisory board goes too far. "It appears to me that the harbor got their own Parliament because they building a bridge, increase container fees, gasoline, planting palm trees while none of it was approved by the Parliament of St. Maarten. MP Laveist asked the Minister to provide him documentation showing if proper procedures were followed when the increase of container fees and gasoline was done. I also want to know if any research was done when these increases were applied and if there is surety that there will not be any price grouches in the supermarkets."

While MP Laviest was making his statements in Parliament, MP Johan Janchi Leonard and MP Jules James interrupted the meeting claiming that Laveist was not staying on the agenda point. Laviest said he will maintain that he will not defend Mike Alexander simply because he is not living on the island and does not vote here. Laveist said that one of the biggest conflict of interest of having Mike Alexander on the Supervisory Board is the author of the articles of incorporation of the Supervisory board. Laveist said that Mike Alexander got paid for writing these articles of incorporation. Laveist said he might have any law degree or doctorate degree behind his name but if someone walks like a duck, quacks like a duck then it is a duck.

Leader of the National Alliance Faction George Pantophlet asked the Minister to inform Parliament of St. Maarten who owns the crane.

Pantophlet said based on the statements made by the two Democratic Party members who supports the government, he is now wondering if the coalition still consists of ten members. MP Pantophlet said that even if the two DP members who were against the corporate governance council abandons the ship they still have the majority.

MP Pantophlet asked the Minister to tell Parliament if the two board members Alexander and Bloyden were on the board when the sand was dumped in the pond in 2009 for the "Ring Road." MP Pantophlet said statements were made about an operational audit done and he personally wants such an audit done because they would be amazed as to what they will find. As for the Ring Road, Pantophlet wants to know which company or companies took the sand to the Ring Road. He said based on his knowledge he knows that there were only two companies that were trucking the sand from the harbor to Ring Road. The MP said that the Harbor Holding Companies made monies on St. Maarten and used it for purchasing of palm trees and side-walks while nothing was done by the company for education and its facilities.

MP Hyacinth Richardson said sometimes it is good to set the record straight because all three of the persons that are bombarded with questions were fired by the leader of United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger.

MP Hyacinth Richardson said while one of the National Alliance Member of Parliament mentioned it, he wants to make clear that having Mike Alexander on the Supervisory Board is a conflict of interest since he wrote the articles of incorporation for the Harbor Holding Companies. He said that both persons have resigned and he cannot see the reason why the meeting was called and if it was just to drag the two persons through the mud.

Minister Pantophlet who finally got the floor after 5pm opted to return to Parliament on another date to provide the answers to the Members of Parliament. Minister Pantophlet asked the MPs to send him all their questions in writing so that his cabinet, including advisors, and the CEO of the Harbor Holding Company can answer their questions. Minister Pantophlet said that even though the day was long there was no question posed during the meeting that he cannot answer.

Minister Pantophlet also promised that he will make a PowerPoint presentation when he returns to Parliament.

Marigot:--- Elected officials and persons holding senior positions at the Collectivity of St. Martin are now in the hot seat as the Gendarmes continue with a special investigation. Two days ago the Gendarmes consisting of a special team of detectives questioned Head of Domain Affairs, Jose Carti. Carti remains in garde à vue while the Director General of the Collectivity of St. Martin Pascal Avern was arrested on Thursday and he too remains in garde à vue as the investigation continues.

SMN News learnt that the next person that will be questioned by the special team of Gendarmes is the President of the Collectivity of St. Martin Alain Richardson. Sources close to the investigation said that the team of Gendarmes are investigating a number of cases, one relates to the villa Sayan which is located in Terre Basse. Another case that has the attention of the investigators is the AOT (Authorisation d' occupation temporaire) that was issued one week after the RRR Government took office to Norbert Luftman. The Collectivity of St. Martin issued the AOT to Luftman for the entire Orient beach. The businessman who allegedly financed the RRR party got the AOT and he is leasing it out to several other business persons that are forced to pay him huge sums of monies each month.

The owner of Bikini Beach Elisa Cohen filed a complaint against the Collectivity of St. Martin after she requested an AOT for the space she is occupying on Orient Beach but it was not granted to her. Another businessman Philippe Juste of Kontiki Beach also filed a complaint against the Collectivity of St. Martin after he too was denied the AOT he requested way before Norbert Luftman.

SMN News learnt the investigators are looking to see if any type of election fraud was committed and if the businessman who received special favors from the RRR government paid people to vote for the people that postulated on the RRR list. The commandant of the Gendarmerie Paul Betaille and the prosecutor that are investigating the case could not be reached for a comment on Friday.

It should be noted that Jose Carti was supposed to appear at the Palais du Justice on November 15, 2012 but somehow he was not notified. The case against Jose Carti will be heard on December 20th, 2012.

Birds such as this Yellow-crowned Night-heron may be seen during a Bird Walk at Little Bay Pond this Sunday. Biologist Adam Brown of Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) will lead a bird walk along Little Bay Pond to look for wetland birds and songbirds. Participants can meet at 9 a.m. at the Belair roundabout by Learning Unlimited School. For more information call 545-3009 or contact EPIC via its Facebook page www.facebook.com/epicislands

South Reward:--- On December 11, 2012, His Excellency Governor Eugene B. Holiday paid a visit to the Milton Peters College, to observe the work of and talk to six 4th formers of the Milton Peters College VSBO-PKL/PBL, division carpentry. The students are building a small Norwegian-style boat known as a Skerry as part of the project Build Your Future. The students showed the Governor in great detail how the boat was built. During the visit, the Governor discussed the challenges and learning experiences of the project with the students. Governor Holiday based on the experiences of the students with building the boat advised them not to let anyone tell them they cannot do something and that if they put their mind to something and work towards it they can achieve anything.

The Build Your Future Project is a joint initiative of St. Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTA) and St. Maarten Sailing School. The students are coached by Norman van Engel and Rens Heestermans, both teachers at MPC. In addition, Mr. Garth Steyn, a qualified mentor with knowledge of the marine industry and marine carpentry, coaches and advises the students on this project. The Build Your Future Project began on November 26, 2012 is scheduled to close off on December 19, 2012.

This Wednesday at twelve minutes past twelve was the last time this century for a moment with a quintuple combination of the same pair of digits to occur. The St. Eustatius Historical Foundation decided to mark this instance by rewarding the visitor to its Museum who entered closest to this moment.

Caleb Capron from Ohio (USA) was the lucky one. Caleb was visiting St. Eustatius with a group of 33 students on the schooner Harvey Gamage of the Ocean Classroom Foundation which offers "education under sail." While sailing through the Caribbean the students learn about the history of the islands as part of their College program.

Caleb summed up Statia with the words "really relaxed atmosphere, friendly people, beautiful scenery." He thought that "The museum was good. Especially the pre-Columbian archaeology section was pretty neat." He said he found the information he was looking for in addition to finding out about things he did not know.

Museum staff member Mrs. Theresita van Putten-Duinkerk presented Caleb with the book "St. Eustatius. Echoes of the Past" and the "Historical Walking Tour Guide" which are on sale at the museum shop. Caleb was delighted with the books and said they would be very useful for the classes on board the Harvey Gamage and he would share them with the other students.

SIMPSON BAY:--- Christmas is a time of giving and the Princess Juliana International Airport, in keeping with tradition, recently made its own contribution to St. Martin's Home, the elderly care home of the White Yellow Cross Foundation. The SXM Airport donated Christmas decorations, table clothes and matching napkins for the home's holiday activities in the dining area. In photo, L-R: PJIAE Business Development Officer, Daphne Roberts-Nicholson, Nurse Lindy Jones, and SXM Airport Activities Coordinator, Mariann Pantophlet. (PJIAE Photo)

During a recent meeting between Minister William Marlin and Emilio Wilson Estate Foundation (EWEF) board member Rueben J. Thompson, Minister Marlin reaffirmed Government's commitment to purchasing some 370.000 square meters of the Emilio Wilson Estate. The Minister stated that "it is Government's intention to purchase and establish the Emilio Wilson Estate as St. Maarten's first land-based protected area and National Park for the people of St. Maarten".

The EWEF encouraged Government to expedite the process of zoning the Emilio Wilson Estate as a conservation zone and establishing it as St. Maarten's first legally protected land-based National Park. The Foundation informed the Minister that The Heritage Foundation, Sint Maarten Archaeological Centre (SIMARC), Emilio Wilson Estate Foundation (EWEF), St. Maarten Pride Foundation, the Emilio Wilson Historical and Cultural Park Foundation and the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) have been involved in efforts to protect the Emilio Wilson Estate and are the local centres of expertise in the management of land-based Natural and Cultural Heritage. The Minister and the EWEF furthermore discussed plans and proposals for the sustainable and viable management of the Emilio Wilson Estate. For more information like the EWEF on Facebook at www.facebook.com/emiliowilsonestate

PHILIPSBURG:--- Last week, representatives from the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau and hoteliers from three St. Maarten/St. Martin properties (Radisson Blu Resort, Grand Case Beach Club, and the Sonesta Collection St. Maarten) visited the Travel Impressions headquarters in Long Island, NY for a presentation highlighting St. Maarten/St. Martin. The following day, the St. Maarten team traveled to the offices in Bethlehem, PA, to speak with agents at a second Travel Impressions location.

Over the two days, more than 50 Travel Impressions reservation agents were given a comprehensive presentation about the destination as well as several island hotels so that they could confidently field questions and offer vacation suggestions about St. Maarten to travel agents looking for the ideal Caribbean vacation.

Travel Impressions is one of the largest leisure tour operators in North America.

The U.S. Department of State's Office of English Language Programs proudly announces launch of the American English website (http://americanenglish.state.gov/). The new
website is a free resource center for teaching and learning about American English as a Foreign Language (EFL), exploring American culture, and encouraging conversation within the global EFL community.
This website provides a variety of engaging materials and resources for students and for teachers' professional development. Both teachers and students will find new ways to practice English and learn more about the United States.

The St Maarten Casino Operators' Association that represents all the casino operators currently active on St Maarten wishes to clarify certain media articles that have been published over the past weeks with regards to an intended increase of casino fees of Naf 7,500.000.

Contrary to what has been printed in various articles, the latest one of which appeared in Thursday's edition of the Daily Herald, no single casino operator, nor the casino operators as a whole have agreed to paying increased casino fees to the tune of Naf 7,5 million, or any other amount.

Thursday morning's meeting with Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt was requested by the Association following the various news articles, not to 'iron out how the fees will be levied', but to address the issue of the proposed fee increase in principle.

Considering the dire economical situation of the past five years, the lack of knowledge of government's comprehensive tax structure changes for 2013 and beyond, the uncertainty of additional costs to the industry for the much discussed gaming control board and the lack of justification of the proposed Naf 7,5 million that is being asked from the casino industry, the Association informed Minister Tuitt that the casino operators are not in a position to agree to any increase in fees or taxes at this time.

The Association is very well aware of government's efforts to balance the 2013 budget, and supports to the fullest a comprehensive, fair and economically realistic approach to a new tax and fees system for St Maarten, and is prepared to do its part in this new framework. However, the Association cannot support a stop gap measure, which would levy additional fees on the industry that it is simply not capable of paying.

In fact, the Association believes that imposing additional fees on top of the fees currently paid by the casino operators will inevitable force the operators to implement drastic cost cutting measures to compensate for such additional fees, resulting in a zero or, at worst, negative net effect on Government's coffers.

Such cost cutting measures will negatively impact the labor market, as well as the economy as a whole leading to a reduction of government receipts related to wage tax and turn over tax amongst others. In the worst case scenario the increased fees could tip the scale to a point where the operators would no longer consider it viable to keep the doors of all currently operational casinos open.

Today's meeting with Minister Tuitt was open, frank and constructive and furthermore served to clarify a number of industry specific problems and characteristics and as such we believe it was a successful meeting. Notwithstanding the foregoing the Association's position did not change.

In closing, the Association advocates a comprehensive study of the casino industry as the foundation for a more in depth analysis and discussion, which will be required to determine how and if to restructure the taxation on casinos within the framework of Government's new fiscal policy and taxation system due to be rolled out in 2014.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever fully supports the collaborative efforts of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO) and members of the World Federation of Sporting Goods and the Sport and Fitness Industry Association met to discuss action to promote physical activity and active living in the Americas.

The region of the Americas is the most overweight and least active in terms of physical activity of any WHO Region, and it is a reality, that the aforementioned need to join together to prevent and control the effects of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

The participants in a recent meeting at PAHO headquarters agreed on the need for joint action to address and reverse the health consequences of physical inactivity, particularly among children.

The meeting helped define joint efforts going forward as well as mechanisms for expanding existing efforts. Physical inactivity, as a main risk factor, is estimated to be responsible for some 21-25 per cent of breast and colon cancers, 27 per cent of diabetes and approximately 30 per cent of ischemic heart disease.

Efforts to promote physical activity among children can yield long-term results. If children get into the habit of physical activity, as adults they will be more committed to it throughout their lives.

The meeting was held within the framework of the Pan American Forum of Action on NCDs, a platform for multi-sectoral dialog and alliance building that was created by PAHO in response to the mandates of its Member States and the United Nations High Level Meeting on NCDs of 2011, which called for efforts to address the growing epidemic of NCD globally and in the Americas.

Raising levels of physical activity in the population has never been more urgent or critical than now. According to PAHO a global goal has been set of increasing physical activity in the population by 10 per cent by the year 2020.

Representatives from the following companies, Nike, Adidas, Advanced Sport, Asics, Ispo, New Balance, Pentland/Speedo, Reebok, Rollerblade USA and Under Armour presented efforts their companies are carrying out to promote physical activity, including races, walks, school programs, breast cancer, education, and initiatives to promote swimming, self-esteem among children, health work places, and empowerment of athletes, among others.

Philipsburg:--- On Wednesday December 12th, 2012 at approximately 10:35am a Philipsburg police patrol was directed to a home on Port of Spain drive where unknown persons were busy breaking in. The owner of that house who was informed of what was going on at his home returned to his home and encountered two unknown men removing his belongings from his home. One of these men took-off running into the bushes while the other remained on the scene. These suspects were driving a white Hyundai Getz with license-plate 737 ZAY 971 which was parked in front of the home in question. On the arrival of the police patrol they found a 52 inch flat screen TV next to the vehicle along with a bag of U.S. coins and three bottles of alcoholic beverages. The suspect confessed to the officers that he was involved in the break-in and was arrested on the scene. The suspect with initials T.G.R (32) from Sint Eustatius was handed over to the Detective Department for further investigation.

KPSM Police Report

Cape Bay:--- On Wednesday December 12th, 2012 at approximately 2:00pm an apartment building located on Maracas Drive in Cape Bay was raided by police after reliable information came into the police department regarding a drug selling operation that was going on from the apartment in question. After receiving the information police went to the location, but before the police could surround the premises, the suspect that was in the house fled the scene through the rear of the building avoiding his capture. During a search of the premises by the investigating officers several vacuumed plastic packages containing marijuana prepared for distribution were found. Also more than $5000, in cash along with a vacuum-machine, 10 cellular telephones, and a considerable amount caliber .38 bullets were found in the apartment and confiscated for further investigation.

KPSM Police Report

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, and Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs on Tuesday evening was one of 20 graduates who graduated from the School Managers NaCSi Educational Management Course which was conducted from January 2011 to October 2012.

The course was coordinated by the Division for Educational Innovations and funded by USONA. Several instructors from St. Maarten and abroad were charged with the preparation of the educators to attain the high levels of passage which were achieved.

During the ceremony Acting Secretary General Quincy Harrigan spoke on behalf of the Minister.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade SHTA's Crystal Pineapple Award has gained high praises this year and the SHTA's Director for Small Hotels Kenrick Housen says he is proud of The Paradise Inn who won the award for Hotelier of the Year and also The Holland House Hotel with the award for Supervisor of the year in the Small Hotels Division.
Housen also highlighted the Holland House Hotel who had one of their staff Diana Gumbs winning an award for Supervisor of the Year. Housen said that he hopes that other properties will look at hotels such as Holland House Hotel and The Paradise Inn as examples.
The Seventh Annual Crystal Pineapple Awards Gala event was held on Friday November 30th at the Maho Room in the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort with over 300 people in attendance. Miss Diana Gumbs accepted her award and a representative from The Paradise Inn accepted the award on behalf of the Hotel Operator Mrs. Josette de Randamie who was unfortunately not able to attend this year.
Housen says he is especially proud of the fact that as a member of the SHTA in the Small Hotel's Division De Randamie has maintained a high standard of service at the hotel which opened three years ago, and also that Ms Gumbs manages thousands of reservations each year and understands the value each guest brings to the hotel as well as the entire island; which shows in the votes they received from the general public.
According to Housen, it is important that other hotels look at the benefits that can be derived from membership with SHTA as De Randamie who is also the newest hotel to participate in the SHTA's Dollar-A-Day program will also have access to the association's training Program which follows the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute AHLEI curriculum and involves on property instructions, as well as other SHTA benefits including being able to post your property on the CHTA Caribbeantravel.com website at no cost and benefit from a wide range of services offered by the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association including attendance at its Annual Marketplace, the largest in the Caribbean each year.

Philipsburg:--- Three Community Police Officers organized a Christmas tree decoration project at the Philipsburg Police Headquarters. This project consisted of eight students from the Sister Marie Laurant School in Middle Region and the Hillside Christian School in Cay Hill. These students designed their own tree decorations in silver, white, and blue colors, which are the official colors of the Police Department. A Christmas tree which was placed at the entrance of the main building was decorated by these students with their self-made decorations. After the completion of the project the students sang "Rudolph the Red nose Reindeer" and then treated to a Kids Meal and refreshments, donated by McDonalds on Front street.
Special thanks also goes out to Ace Mega Center in Cole Bay, Dollar Store on the L.B. Scot road, Number One Gift Shop on Back street, Ace Hardware on A.J.C. Brouwers road, Jade Store on Bush road, Super Plaza on Backstreet, Unique World in Cole Bay, the Indian Merchants Association, Chicken Express on the Camille Richardson Street, and Sunny Food Supermarket on the A. Th. Illidge road for their donations of Christmas decoration which were used to decorate the inside and outside of the police stations in Philipsburg and Simpson Bay. The CPOs that were responsible for this project were Major Helen Romeo Cristina, Sergeant Arcella Leonard, and Officer Rensley Henson.

KPSM Police Report

Philipsburg:--- On December 11th, 2012 the Police Department represented by Commissioner Carl John and the Community Police Officers held a meeting with representatives/owners of several nightclubs on the Dutch side of the island. The clubs that were represented were Bliss, La Bamba, Under the Sun, Son Latino, Francis Bar, Roof Top, and High-up Club. During this meeting the following points were discussed:

• Mandatory identification control.
• Using and selling of drugs in and around these establishments.
• The selling of alcoholic beverages to minors
• Complaints concerning loud music.
• Strict adherence to closing times.

These discussions were very informative and various agreements were made in regard to these points of discussion and a new working relationship was established. Future discussions with these clubs along with bar, restaurant, and adult entertainment establishment owners will be planned.

KPSM Police Report

SIMPSON BAY:--- Under the theme, "Santa is Coming to Candy Land," the Princess Juliana International Airport hosted yet another successful Children's Christmas Party at the Rock House at Port de Plaisance on Sunday.

It was really a family affair as staff of the SXM Airport came out with their children to usher in the Christmas season with singing, dancing, face painting, gift-giving and the annual parade with Santa and his Helpers. There was also food and drinks in abundance and a "Dip your own marshmallow" stand, which was a hit among the children.

"I am happy to see the PJIAE family gather once again in the spirit of Christmas to spread joy among one another," said Managing Director Regina LaBega.

"Everyone enjoyed themselves, especially the young ones," she added, pointing to the fact that the SXM Airport Activities Committee did "a very good job."

The SXM Airport Children's Christmas Party was coordinated by Melba Zabala of the Human Resource Department.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee meeting with Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Hon. Romeo Pantophlet, has been rescheduled from December 13 to the 14.

The rescheduling is in connection with the funeral of a family member from the parliamentary secretariat staff.

The Central Committee session with Minister Pantophlet is now scheduled for Friday morning at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point for the meeting is information from Minister Pantophlet on the dismissal of two Supervisory Board members of the Harbour Holding Group of Companies.

Another agenda point has been added and it relates to the advice of the Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations concerning the Decision regarding the Association of Overseas Countries and Territories of European member countries.

This meeting has been requested by the United Peoples (UP) party faction.

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 also via www.sxmparliament.org.

Philipsburg:--- The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise visited the Crystal Foster Home in South Reward on Sunday to fellowship and celebrate the upcoming Christmas holidays with the children from the home, a Christmas tree, lights and decorations was donated by the club.

Also present was the St. Maarten Academy Interact Club and the Mohican Scouts of St. Maarten, the Scouts presented a beautiful rendition of an African dance while the youth from the Crystal home showcased their talents by modeling and singing.
Later that day all present sang Christmas Carols and the children decorated the Tree, snacks and drink's was also served.

The Sunrise Rotary Club meets at Air Lekkerbek Restaurant every Tuesday mornings at 7:00am for fellowship and breakfast. For more information on the club visit us at: www.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

When on October 10, 2012 the Mental Health Foundation organized a Reception Cocktail party to celebrate World's Mental Health Day and celebrated its first year anniversary in the renovated building in Cay Hill, SZV had a surprise for the Staff.
SZV Insurances C.E.O. Mr. D. Richardson and C.O.O. Mr. R. Willemsberg presented a donation for the MHF Staff Retreat, which made the Retreat financially possible this year. The Management and staff of the Mental Health Foundation would like to take this opportunity to thank SZV for this wonderful gesture.
It is no secret that the Mental Health Foundation has struggled to survive throughout 2012 and therefore a Staff Retreat day was more than welcome!
The MHF 'Retreat Committee' consisting of; the receptionist, the cook, the psychologist and a social psychiatric nurse, were in charge of organizing this day. Thanks to their continuous efforts and hard work, a Staff Retreat was organized last Friday December 7, 2012.
Up until one day before the retreat the program was top-secret which made the day to be much more of a surprise for the staff members. The boat could not reach the beach so the food and drinks for the day was brought to shore on rafts by the swimming staff, 'a real team effort'. The boat trip and the island were a real treat for the staff.
The Mental Health Foundation's staff is now ready for a challenging new year after a remarkably fun, exciting and relaxing day on Tintamarre Island!
The board, management and staff would like to thank all who have supported us and trusted our ability to provide for quality Psychiatric care on St. Maarten.

Thirty seven Toastmasters (TM) from the various clubs on the island attended the annual Area Christmas dinner on Thursday December 6th, hosted by the Area Governor Advance Communicator Gold, Advance Leader Bronze Leona Romeo Marlin.

These toastmasters not only joined in fellowship, but also displayed their knowledge of the organization and their speaking and listening skills during various games that were organized by the Area Council.

The highlight of the evening was the recognition of Outstanding Toastmasters. These toastmasters were selected by their club presidents because of their exceptional dedication and commitment to their club.

The acceptors of this award are as follows: from the Philipsburg Toastmasters Club Juan Richardson and Georges Richardson, Julisa Frans, Joy Arnell, Catherine Connor-Arrindell and Denise Vijber from the Soualiga Corporate Toastmasters Club, Arliene Chittick from the Sint Maarten Achievers Club, TM Kim Lucas-Felix, Sharanne Gibbs and Annette Berkel from the Disciples Toastmasters Club and TM Michelene Connor, Claudia January, Alicia Ettienne from the Saint Martin Evolution Club.

Toastmasters are the leading organization devoted to improving communication and leadership skills. On St. Maarten there are five active clubs. Contact anyone of the clubs if you are interested in experiencing what Toastmasters are all about.

The St. Maarten Nature Foundation in cooperation with the Voluntary Korps of St. Maarten VKS held a cleanup on Little Key Island in the Simpson Bay Lagoon on Saturday December 8th. Although the island is uninhabited there was a significant amount of Garbage found on the island which was being washed into the Simpson Bay Lagoon and which posed a threat to the various species of mangrove, birds and crustaceans which are to be found on Little Key. Chief Nature Foundation Marine Park Ranger Mr. Etienne Lake commented that a significant amount of garbage was related to the wrecks surrounding Little Key and various dinghies which were washed ashore on the island. "There was quite a bit of garbage which originated from the wreck which ran aground on the island and on which someone currently lives. We also removed some four broken dinghies from Little Key so it was a very successful cleanup," commented Lake.

The Nature Foundation has been working closely with various public and private entities and environmental organizations in establishing both Little Key and Mullet Pond as protected Areas in the Simpson Bay Lagoon. The Nature Foundation is also working closely with the St. Maarten Harbor Group of Companies in removing the various wrecks surrounding Little Key and in the Simpson Bay Lagoon in general. The boating community also applauded the cleanup effort stating that they would continuously support the efforts of the Nature Foundation as it relates to the Simpson Bay Lagoon.

Some ten officers from the VKS Special Response Team were at hand for the cleanup. "We would especially like to thank the VKS Special Team for being part of this very important cleanup but also Mr. Brian Deher of IGY Marina who provided the use of a raft and tender to transport the garbage and debris, MADCO shipyard who provided a dumpster and transport of the garbage and Mr. M Davis and Carlito who also assisted. Without the hard work and cooperation of everyone involved this very important cleanup would have been impossible," read a Nature Foundation Statement.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Parliamentarians will be meeting with Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Hon. Romeo Pantophlet on December 13.

The Central Committee session with Minister Pantophlet is scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point for the meeting is information from Minister Pantophlet on the dismissal of two Supervisory Board members of the Harbour Holding Group of Companies.

This meeting has been requested by the United Peoples (UP) party faction.

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 also via www.sxmparliament.org.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL:--- In response to the ever-increasing demand for more flexible dockage programs from its customers, IGY Marinas announces a new 365-day berthing plan for yachts over 80 feet: The Anchor Pass. The Anchor Pass includes 8 IGY destinations, significant dockage discounts and a new refund program on unused dockage.

Captains and owners of yachts over 80 feet now have the opportunity to roam the IGY network of outstanding marinas for 12 months with minimal risk of overspending, as Anchor Pass holders can now get money back on unused dockage when their contract expires. The program offers one full year of dockage with savings of over 50% off the rack rate, when the vessel pays in advance.

The IGY Anchor Pass program offers:

• 365 days of dockage across 8 destinations for one upfront price
• Money back on unused dockage
• Significant savings of over 50% off regular dockage
• Priority reservations at all participating marinas, where reasonable
• Full-service facilities offering the very best service available in the industry
• Prime locations throughout the Americas, Pacific Ocean and Caribbean

Participating IGY Anchor Pass destinations are as follows:

• Yacht Haven Grande, St. Thomas
• The Yacht Club at Isle de Sol, St. Maarten
• Simpson Bay Marina, St. Maarten
• Rodney Bay Marina, St. Lucia
• Marina Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (Sea of Cortez)
• La Amada Marina, Cancun, Mexico
• Red Frog Beach Marina, Panama (Caribbean)
• Palmas del Mar Yacht Club, Puerto Rico

For details about the IGY Anchor Pass program or to purchase a pass, please contact either of the following persons:

Brian Deher, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – St. Maarten
Corinne McDevitt, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - St. Thomas
Portia Mogal, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - St. Lucia
Gili Wojnowich, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - St. Thomas
Darren Carey, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – Cabo San Lucas
Sarah Bensimon, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Fort Lauderdale

Philipsburg:--- The Windward Islands Bank Ltd main branch was visited by some young-enthusiastic Christmas carolers from the Methodist Agogic Centre's Early Stimulation to spread the Christmas cheer to staff, clients, and passing pedestrians in Philipsburg. Everyone enjoyed the singing from MAC Christmas Carolers whose lovely voices brought an atmosphere of joy and peace. WIB gave party bags and a donation to the school. The following Christmas carolers are scheduled to sing at WIB main branch:

• Tuesday 11 December: Public School Music Program - 10am to 10:45am.
• Friday 14 December: Sister Borgia Elementary School - 10:30 to 11:00 am.

With the assistance of the Dutch Quarter Community Center, in particular Morrasia Nicolas, the center was transformed into a festive Christmas scene. One hundred and five children from the Dutch Quarter area were visited by non other than Santa Clause himself. While arriving not by sleigh, but by motorcar, Santa came bearing several heavy bags. So after feasting on Pizza, Juice, cupcakes and singing Christmas Carols Santa gave the children their most anxiously awaited treat, the presents of course.
The contributions made by Domino's Pizza, Carl & Sons, Music Man, Office World and Afoo, helped to make this community service project a success. The Rotary Club of St. Maarten would like to take this opportunity to thank all who throughout 2012 have supported the activities of the club with funds and deeds alike. Without this support, projects like the children's Christmas party in Dutch Quarter would not be possible. Best wishes for the holidays from President Robert Judd and the entire membership of the Rotary Club of St. Maarten.

The team at Motorworld has joined with the St. Martin's Lion's Club to donate Hyundai i10 for the St. Martin's Lion's Club Bingo event slated for December 14th.

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- On 6 December, 2012, volunteers from the U.S. Forward Operating Location (U.S. FOL) assisted the Nos Welita Senior Citizen's Home Project. Equipped with rollers and brushes, the volunteers spent the morning painting the interior of the building which is due to open in January 2013.
The ongoing partnership between U.S. FOL volunteers and Biba Miho, the charity responsible for Nos Welita, is paramount to the completion of the overall project. The building will serve as the new home for 40 senior citizens. The men and women working at the U.S. FOL are frequent volunteers in the local community, contributing significant resources in labor and donations, during 18 volunteer events in November 2012 alone. This was yet another outstanding effort in building friendship with the citizens of Curacao.

Philipsburg:--- In support of Rotaract's initiative in decking the halls of the Pediatric Ward at the St. Maarten Medical Centre, Le Grand Marche donated a Christmas tree towards this cause. The Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Mr. Vhaugn Bahadur of Le Grande Marche for their generous contribution.

Motorworld & Caribbean-Auto held a joint Christmas Car Show on Saturday, Dec.8, at Motorworld in Cole Bay. The lot at Motorworld was lined up with the latest models from Hyundai, Honda, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Ford, Lincoln, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz & Mazda with savings of up to $3000 cash back on selected models. And prize giveaways such as a 40 inch Flat Screen TV or Laptop for any other vehicle purchases.

Over 150+ people came out to attend this all day event and took the opportunity to experience their dream car and some even took selected models for a test drive. Car Enthusiasts were treated to live music, food and drinks as they observed the models on display.

The Motorworld Parts & Service department also treated customers to hands on demonstration of Meguiar's products and how to apply them, providing car care tips and tricks to boost and maintain the appearance of your vehicle.

"We especially want to thank our trusted financial partners, the Windward Islands Bank and the RBC Royal Bank fort their assistance in helping and guiding our clients successfully through their purchase " says Sales Manager of Motorworld | Caribbean Auto, Manisha Sukhram. "Seeing a client drive off with the car of their dreams is always a special moment for us here at Motorworld & Caribbean-Auto".

With the success of our Christmas Car Show, Motorworld & Caribbean-Auto have decided to continue to spread the Holiday cheer and extend all specials until Christmas Day! Giving customers the opportunity to get that Christmas gift they've always wanted.

The Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL) wishes to inform the general public that the library will be closed for Kingdom Day on Saturday, December 15 2012. All due books will be extended.
The management and staff of PJL apologize for any inconvenience their closure will cause. Regular opening hours will resume on Tuesday, December 18, 2012.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs recently paid a two-day working visit to Barbados where she looked at how special needs education is structured in that country.

The minister also met with the Hon. Ronald Jones, Minister of Education and Human Resource Development of Barbados.

The two ministers discussed the structure of their education systems and shared challenges that both countries are experiencing.

The discussions led to the possibility to explore St. Maarten being able to benefit from a scheme that would allow Bajan qualified teachers to work on the island for two years. Minister Jacobs also visited the Student Support Services unit and was able to meet staff and get an impression of the functioning of the unit.

Part of the visit to Barbados also involved meeting with the Deputy Permanent Secretary Sarah Brathwaite, Deputy Chief Education Officer Karen Best, and Special Needs Education Officer Janice Gibbs where discussions centered on educational issues and special needs education in particular.

In Barbados Special Needs Education is addressed in the regular classroom, in the special classroom in the regular school, in the special unit (attached to a regular school) or in the special education school.

Minister Jacobs visited the Erdiston Special School, which is a primary school for students with special needs and St. Stephen Primary School, which is a regular primary school with a special class (inclusionary practice). At this school, students with learning deficiencies are pulled out for Math and English instruction at their respective levels but return to the mainstream classroom for other subjects.

Minister Jacobs also visited the Open Campus of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus, where possibilities were explored for St. Maarten students to take advantage of degrees and courses offered by the Open Campus. The ground work was also laid to explore opportunities for St. Maarten students to pursue tertiary education in Barbados.

The highlight of the visit was the Christmas Carol Service by special needs students at the River Road New Testament church on Friday December 7th. The minister was able to experience the thrill of students with special needs performing in dance, song and skits. Minister Jacobs addressed the gathering and congratulated the students, teachers and parents for a job well done. The minister expressed her amazement to see the sign language, the optimism of the students and the passion of the teachers.

The minister expressed how touched she was by the performances and opined that all children are a blessing from God and that special needs children have a lot that they can teach the wider society – a sentiment that garnered an enthusiastic round of applause from the gathering.

Minister Jacobs was accompanied by her policy advisor Shervin Frederick and Olga Mussington, head of the Student Support Services Division.

Philipsburg:--- Member of Parliament of the United Peoples Party Faction Johan Janchi Leonard did almost everything possible on Monday during a Central Committee meeting with the Minister of VROMI William Marlin to push the Minister over the limit when he asked for documents that are non existent. Leonard said the Minister and the Members of Parliament were making statements that are living its own life and he wanted to prove to the people of St. Maarten that some of the things that are said about the former Minister of VROMI and the leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger are simply hearsay. During a point of clarification MP Leonard insisted that he wanted a conversation (instruction) that the former Minister of VROMI gave to Volker Stevens the contractor that is working on the causeway in writing. Minister Marlin said he knew that MP Leonard was pushing him to become angry but he will not tolerate the game MP Leonard was playing because he cannot create "zombies" for the Member of Parliament. The Minister also made clear that while Members of Parliament can call Ministers and question them on their portfolios he will not tolerate anyone who tries to humiliate him. On several occasions the Chairman of Parliament Romaine La Ville had to inform MP Leonard that he was out of order and that he needed to stick to the agenda point. At some point during the central committee meeting the people of St. Maarten and those that tuned in via internet had to endure severe politricking with the questions that were posed by certain Members of Parliament.

Minister Marlin told Parliament during the Central Committee meeting that the Department of Public Works issued a building permit for 23 ½ meters high for the causeway way but according to the contractor Volker Stevens the former Minister of VROMI Theodore Heyliger instructed them to build the bridge to 43 ½ meters high to accommodate Aesthetics lighting. Marlin said when he took office he made sure the contractor was informed that they had to stick to the building permit that was granted to them. Minister Marlin also made clear that based on the instructions the former Minister gave to Volker Stevens it would cost St. Maarten more monies to redesign the causeway. He further explained that since the construction of the causeway is already under way the contractor would have to break down part of bridge and rebuild it in order for it to be in conformity of the building permit. Marlin said that the Minister had no right to give instructions to the contractor because the contract was signed between the harbor and Volker Stevens, he also said that the contractor did not have any right taking verbal instructions from the Minister and in his opinion the contractor was also wrong when they went ahead with the wishes of the former Minister of VROMI and began constructing the bridge higher than what they were permitted to do. Marlin also made clear on Monday afternoon that he has nothing against French citizens as was portrayed by certain politicians and a newspaper article.

Marlin also provided parliament with answers about the land swap agreement the former Minister made with the owners of Port de Plaisance.

The Minister of VROMI was asked by MP Gracita Arrindell to itemize all the structures on the monument list she asked for since some of the monuments on the list are listed as lot numbers. MP Arrindell said she wanted to know what is on each lot.

Philipsburg:--- Member of Parliament Frans Richardson who is championing the construction of a drag strip and cricket stadium told Parliament on Monday that the project that he supports did not come out of nowhere. MP Richardson showed Parliament that the project was incorporated in the National Alliance manifesto which was presented to the people of St. Maarten during the 2010 elections. Richardson said he has heard it all on the various talk shows and television programs. However, he made clear that while he was the commissioner of Tourism and Economic Affairs in the National Alliance/Heyliger Government he worked on the project and that is why it was placed in the manifesto of the National Alliance. Richardson was the deputy leader of the National Alliance Political Party when it contested the 2010 elections. In a rebuttal statement, Member of Parliament Johan Janchi Leonard in his address said "William Marlin nobody likes you and if MP Richardson had believed in the manifesto of the National Alliance why did he jump ship or leave the National Alliance and become an Independent Member of Parliament. The people of St. Maarten wants to know and I would be ashamed to produce the manifesto of the National Alliance in the House of Parliament when I am no longer a member of the party," Leonard said.

The Eight Hundred Pound Gorilla --- Laveist.

Member of Parliament Louie Laveist took a jab at the media during his presentation claiming that the media is the 800 pound gorilla. Laveist said that a particular media house on St. Maarten has a reporter that is part of the United Peoples Party and being paid by the Harbor Group of Companies to promote the UP Party and its leader. While not naming the reporter or the media house he was referring to, Laveist said that the integrity of the news media has now become questionable because articles that are published in the newspaper the reporter works for are no longer objective. "Everyone on St. Maarten knows the reporter who is a member of the United Peoples Party and being paid by the Harbor Group of Companies, that media house has lost its credibility," Laveist told Parliament.

Member of Parliament Louie Laveist further stated that he intends to call the management of the Harbor Holding Company to Parliament to get the answers he needs regarding the reporter that is being paid by them. "The Harbor has to tell me how they were promoting the projects they worked on while the UP/ DP was in government and they also have to tell me how they paid the reporter."

Member of Parliament Johan Janchi Leonard said he is not there to defend the media but he thinks that it was unnecessary for MP Laveist to attack the media on the floor of Parliament since media workers are not politicians. Leonard even expressed an experience he endured as an elected official when he was accused of awarding a contract to Tamara Leonard. MP Leonard said the TODAY Newspaper accused him of securing a contract for his daughter and he did not lash out at the media because he is of the opinion that everyone including his wife and daughter knew that the writer of the article wrote trash. "Elected officials have to expect that the media will criticize them even if it means writing lies when they are in power. I am not here to defend the media because I know they can defend themselves but it is unfair to attack people that are not in this hall to defend themselves."

The media became the center piece of Monday's meeting after several Members of Parliament took offense to an article that was published last week which indicated that the Deputy Prime Minister/ Minister of VROMI William Marlin does not like French citizens because he said that a small toll fee will be charged for persons who use the causeway. Member of Parliament Dr. Lloyd Richardson in his presentation said that he believes that the persons that made the statement against the Minister of VROMI should apologize to the Minister because his wife is from the French side of the island and it is absurd for anyone to think that the Minister has anything personal against French citizens and residents. MP Richardson said that Members of Parliament should be more cautious of what they say on the floor of Parliament because right now everyone should be giving thanks and celebrating because the island was spared of the hurricanes this year but it appeared to him as though the MPs want some severe disaster.

MP Laveist also asked the Minister of VROMI who was at Parliament to answer questions on zoning and infrastructure and to tell the people of St. Maarten who acquired the land in Simpson Bay where BBW had its company in the past. The National Alliance Member of Parliament also quizzed the VROMI Minister for answers regarding the changes that were made to the causeway and if proper procedures were followed. Laveist lashed out at the leader of the United Peoples Party and former Minister of VROMI for adding two cents to gasoline and Naf. 150 to container fees to finance the causeway without consulting with Parliament and the people of St. Maarten.

Laveist said he wants to know if the increase on gasoline and container fees would be temporary or if it will become permanent like the Turn over Tax (TOT).

Laveist also questioned the Minister of VROMI on the current status of the land around Kim Sha Beach. MP Laveist said while he was a member of the former executive council several restaurateurs approached government and expressed their dilemma about the lack of parking in Simpson Bay. He said at the time government decided to keep the land around Kim Sha Beach as the people's patrimony but he recently heard that the former Minister of VROMI and Leader of the United People's Party gave the land to one of his relatives. "While the current Minister of VROMI said that the land at Kim Sha is still government land I would like for the Minister of VROMI William Marlin to do some indepth research to see if the land was given away and the parking for the businesses in that area has been abolished."

Member of Parliament Gracita Arrindell asked the Minister of VROMI to tell Parliament who owns land from Tropicana Casino to the Royal Palm Beach area, while Member of Parliament Hyacinth Richardson asked the Minister of VROMI to go a bit further and tell the people of St. Maarten who own the lands from the Princess Juliana International Airport to the Tropicana Casino.

Philipsburg:--- One of the two murder victims that were killed early Sunday morning has been identified. Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos identified the victim as Miquel Angel Torres Cleman (22). Mos said that the second victim will be identified when the autopsy is conducted later this week. The two men were murdered next to Francis Bar around 5am Sunday morning after a brawl which apparently started over a woman at the Sun Latino Bar. One of the victims was shot in an almost new Hyundai Sonata bearing French number plates. SMN News learnt that the victims are both residents on the French side of the island. On Sunday, Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte said the killers escaped to the French side of the island and the get-away car was found somewhere on the French side on Sunday.

In a press release Acting Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson said that on Sunday December 9th, 2012 at approximately 5:00am police patrols and detectives were directed to the A.T. Illidge road in the vicinity of "Francis Bar" for a shooting incident where two persons had been shot. On the scene the investigating officers learnt that the shooting took place shortly after a fight between two groups of men that were at a nightclub in the area. According to information which reached the officers on the scene, the men were having problems with each other for some time. During the fight the situation got really out of hand at which time several shots were fired. As a result of this shooting two men lost their lives. The victims have been identified as A.M.W. (25) born on the French side and M.A.T.C. from the Dominican Republic (22). After the shootings the suspects jumped into a white Toyota Corolla with license plate 5886 AAA and fled the scene. This vehicle was recovered later on the French side with the cooperation of the French authorities and it was handed over to the Detective Department for further investigation. The investigation into this case is in its preliminary stages and the police department is putting the pieces together to determine exactly what happened and why. The police department is also asking anyone who may have some information that could shed some light on this case to call the tip line 9300, Cell: 527-6020/ Cell: 527-6040.

French Quarter:--- A resident of French Quarter alerted the Gendarmes on Monday about a number of stolen vehicles that were stored in the bushes on Chamba Hill opposite an empty residence. The well known resident of French Quarter who preferred to remain anonymous said that he was passing the residence which he is taking care of when he noticed a strange vehicle in the yard. The man said he was on his way to Anguilla when he noticed vehicle and he immediately stopped to see who was at the empty residence. "When I checked the car I noticed a man jumping over a fence across the road and that man told me he placed his car in the yard because he ran out of gas." The resident further explained that while he was on his way out of the island the situation bothered him because of the way the vehicle was parked he realized that something was amiss with the explanation he was given by the unknown man who claimed to be the owner of the vehicle. The man said upon his return to the island on Monday he called a tow truck owner and they checked the area and were amazed to find at least 15 vehicles that were apparently stolen and stripped. SMN News reporter was called to the scene when two tow truck owners and the gendarmes were removing the vehicles.

Most of the number plates on the vehicles were removed. However, a few of the vehicles that were recovered had French number plates. Commandant of the Gendarmerie Paul Betaille could not be reached by telephone on Monday afternoon for a comment.

Click here to view more pictures of the cars that were found in the bushes on Chamba Hill.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) is past its registration period for most areas of Carnival and has reported a high amount of registrants for Carnival 2013. The registration period closed on December 1.

In particular, the SCDF was happy to note that Dutch St. Maarten's three biggest troupe leaders will be back for Carnival 2013. Jasmine Phillips, Gordon Yee and Brenda Wathey have all confirmed that they will be part of the festivities.

In Wathey's case, her Rio Productions troupe has not participated in the last two Carnivals, much to the chagrin of her revelers. Not only will Rio be back for the Grand Parades, but Wathey has confirmed that she will once again stage Rio's lighting parade which was a major hit in the lead up to last Carnival. "We're coming in the day and the night," she said.

The SCDF also expects to have guest troupes from abroad and from French St. Maarten. The registration of troupes for the Carnival parades is still open as the SCDF does not close-off the registration process for troupes until early April. The same goes for the Youth Extravaganza. The usual amount of approximately 20 calypsonians is expected to participate in the Calypso eliminations.

As for the Carnival queen pageants, the SCDF reported that 32 girls and women have registered for its four Carnival queen pageant. Twelve contestants are registered for the Miss Mature Pageant, 11 for the Senior Carnival Queen Pageant, 4 for the Teen Carnival Queen Pageant and 5 for the Junior Carnival Queen Pageant. The SCDF will introduce all contestants for the pageants the first week of January with official pageant pictures.

"We are extremely happy with the amount of registrants so far for Carnival 2013," President of the SCDF Michael Granger said. "The registration period is still open for Junior and Senior parade troupes as well as Junior Calypso and the Youth Extravaganza. But all indications are that these too will be impressive. We would like to thank all Carnival lovers who registered. Our festival cannot be successful without the participation of everyone," he added.

The foundation also announced that all booths in Carnival Village have been allotted to returning booth holders and a few new persons. People who had booths last Carnival was given first option on their booths.

Philipsburg:--- The Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise brought the Christmas spirit to the Pediatric Ward at the St. Maarten Medical Centre on Saturday 8th December, 2012. The Rotaract members took the initiative of providing a Christmas tree, decorations and gifts to the staff and patients at the Ward so they too can celebrate the holidays in the confines on their environment.

The club believes that Christmas is about sharing of ourselves with others, giving to others that need our help and reviving the old traditions of Christmas that our community have lost. What is most important to the members of the Rotaract club is promoting and participating in the magic and wonder that children find in Christmas. Rotaract wanted to show a time of love and generosity to the Ward and we are happy that we can put a smile on the children's faces at Christmas time.

The Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Mr. Vhaugn Bahadur of Le Grande Marche for contributing the Christmas tree towards this cause. The club would like to take this opportunity to extend Happy Holidays to one and all and a prosperous New Year 2013.

Philipsburg --- "It is time we ban smoking in all public areas and let it be properly enforced by the relevant authorities," remarked Stuart Johnson President of the Youth Link Foundation. The legislation that was taken over from the former Netherlands Antilles with respect to smoking needs to serve as the premise for more detailed legislation.

Johnson and his team are calling on the Honorable Minister of Health Mr. C. De Weever to fully recognize and address this issue in its totality. The ban should cover smoking in public buses, taxis, work places, public buildings, night clubs, restaurants, bars, casinos, and all enclosed public-access buildings, granting no exceptions.

Johnson said, the Minister's "Get checked campaign", call on businesses/restaurants to have smoke free public spaces and a CPS starts Stakeholders Meeting about Tobacco Cessation Initiative was a step in the right direction. "Now is the time to take it a step further for the benefit of everyone. Parliament must draft and approve a law which addresses the complete ban of smoking in all public enclosed areas with an effective enforcement plan."

"The severe negative effects of smoking and that of second hand smoke are supported by several medical/scientific studies," Johnson said. Smoking causes increase health risk such as coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, cancer of the oral cavity and cancer of the larynx, just to mention some.

According to the third periodic country-level WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2011 "Warning about the dangers of tobacco," tobacco continues to kill nearly six million people each year, including more than 600,000 non-smokers who die from exposure to tobacco smoke. Up to half of the world's one billion smokers will eventually die of a tobacco-related disease.

"This isn't about politics, this is about people's health, and the need to educate our people of the health risks needs to be priority now," Johnson added. Joining the call for a ban on smoking is the Laugh Out Loud Production and Awo crew.

The members of the Youth Link Foundation will be reaching out to the community for further support in the coming weeks. Countries which have already smoking bans includes, Argentina, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Iceland, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom, just to mention a few.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Director for Restaurant Division for the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association SHTA, Valentin Davis presented a document titled "The Way to Economic Growth in our Capital" to Deputy Prime Minister William Marlin on Tuesday December 4th at the Government Administration Building in Philipsburg.
The document was produced based on the growing concern that businesses in Philipsburg are suffering and the down town area needs stimulus. A major issue is the lack of available parking in Philipsburg which is a deterrent to visiting our capital. This prevents residents and visitors from patronizing the shops, restaurants, casinos and other businesses during the day time and coupled with the increasing crime makes one avoid an evening visit. Davis was accompanied by his fellow board members Kenrick Housen Director of Small Hotels, SHTA, Sunil Khatnani Director of Retail Division, SHTA, and Rueben Thompson Director of Environment SHTA.
Much of the blame for this shift from a vibrant Philipsburg to a quiet "ghost town" stems from the traffic congestion driving into the capital and the lack of parking once you get there. There are also concerns about security and lighting and because the Philipsburg area is so poorly lit from the Boardwalk to the Walter Nisbeth Road, crimes especially violent crimes, have become a further deterrent for would be visitors to the area.
The document states that it has been discovered that a majority of repeat tourists to the island do not venture into Philipsburg because of the parking challenges. The parking in front of the government building and the other two at the rear of the police station and the central bank are somewhat ideally located, however, both are filled by 9:00AM by their own employees and therefore, are not accessible to persons coming into Philipsburg after that early morning hour.
The SHTA's position is that there are several low cost actions that can be taken to return the Philipsburg area to a vibrant destination for residents and visitors alike. Minister Marlin told the SHTA representatives that the parking issue in Philipsburg has become a priority for him. During his discussion with the SHTA Board members he intimated that he has garnered a great deal of information regarding the situation and had been working on finalizing certain plans which he hopes to put into effect within short. Some of the plans Marlin has were already mentioned in Parliament on Monday last week and includes replacing the exit to the Clem Labega Parking Lot in Front of the Government Administration Building which was for years closed off forcing motorists to wait in line when one or more vehicles were exiting or entering the lot. This situation has further thickened traffic on Cannegieter Street. Marlin also expressed his interest in the papers centralized Valet Parking option as well as a theme night for Philipsburg and giving businesses in Phillipsburg the option to be opened later as means of further revitalization of the Capital. The Minister pledged his support of the SHTA teams initiative and pledged to also encourage his fellow Ministers to support the plans.

PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA) is extended special welcome to The Paradise Inn as the newest hotel on St. Maarten to join its Dollar-A-Day program. The hotel's participation in the Dollar-A-Day program will mean it can have access to the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) professional certification curriculum for its staff in the area Front Desk Customer Care, Housekeeping, Security, Maintenance and Food & Beverage. The training is designed to be given on the job and can be tailored for Supervisory and Management positions as well.
Proprietor at the Paradise Inn Josette de-Randamie-Dormoy, who recently won the Crystal Pineapple Award for Small Hotelier of the Year on November 30th, said she was especially pleased with the work that DAD had already been doing for St. Maarten in general. She said, "I think any business whether you are a hotel business or any other business, would want to be part of a fundraising like Dollar A Day because of the work it does with helping the community and marketing the island." She said, "Being able to feel like you are part of a process, this is what I like doing." The Paradise Inn will be celebrating its third anniversary on January 15th, 2013 and continues to grow as a quiet, clean and family oriented little paradise in one of the most central locations on the Bush Road in St. Maarten.
The SHTA delivered marketing material to the Paradise Inn on Wednesday December 5th, 2012 and also provided training for the staff on how to promote the Dollar-A-Day program and were also given instructions on how the program works. The Dollar-A-Day program or DAD which started in 2000, is a community development program started from the SHTA through which the association identifies social, and educational projects which they can contribute to using funds raised by hotels whose guests give a voluntary donation of a dollar for each night stay at their property.
There are now thirteen hotels participating in the Dollar-A-Day Program and they are Paradise Inn, Carl's Unique Inn, Coral Beach Club, Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, L'Esperance Hotel Suites, La Vista Resort, Oyster Bay Beach Resort, Princess Heights, Royal Islander Club (La Plage and La Terrace), Sonesta Great Bay Resort, Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, the Horney Toad Guest House and Turquoise Shell Inn. Executive Director for the SHTA Alfred Harley said the program's success depends entirely on the hotels whose Front Desk staff and Management are the ones explaining to guests what the DAD program does and why they should contribute.
In the past twelve months over 180 of hotel staff received specialized training following the. The DAD is also used to assist the unemployed on the island through the DIRPIE program which is an initiative by St. Maarten Government to assist unemployed persons within the community with job training programs and paid part time work.

PHILIPSBURG:--- In connection with TEMPO Turns 7, TEMPO organized a promotion with leading United States Cable operator, Cablevision, to promote St. Maarten in Win a Trip Sweepstakes that Cablevision has called its "best performing sweepstakes to date".

Cablevision is the largest cable provider in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, which in turn is the largest market for visitors to St. Maarten. The sweepstakes provided a trip for a family of four to St. Maarten, with accommodations at the Sonesta Maho Resort and a series of tours designed to showcase St. Maarten courtesy of Aqua Mania Adventures. The Sweepstakes occurred from October 1st, 2012 to November 14th, 2012,

Over the course of the five-week promotion period, over 600 spots per week were aired, totalling 3,000 spots, with a value of over $2.5 million. With TEMPO's guidance, Cablevision prepared a 30-second commercial using footage originating with the St. Maarten's Ministry of Tourism which was run cross-channel on TEMPO and over 75 major networks in the New York Tristate Area, including: A&E, ABCFAM, AMC, ANPL, BET, BIO, BRVO, BTV, CART, CENTRIC, CHILL, CLOO, CMT, CNBC, CNN, COMD, DISC, Disc Science, DISXD, E!, ECL, ENN, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOXBUS, FSC, FCSA, FCSC, FCSP, FUEL, FUSE, FX, FXNC, G4, GAME, GOLF, HALL, HGTV, HIST, H2, HLN, HMC, HUB, IFC, Inv Disc, LIFE, LOGO, MIL, MLB, MSG, MSG Plus, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, NBCS, NGC, NICK, News 12, News 12 T&W, OXY, DAM, SNY, SPDN, OWN, SPIKE, STYLE, SYFY, TBS, TLC, TNT, TRAV, TRU, TVFOOD, TVLAND, TWC, USA, VH-1, WE, WILD, YES.

This promotion was open to Cablevision's premium customers, Optimum Rewards Members, the more than one million subscribers who subscribe to "Triple Play" services (television, telephone, and internet).

As market research sources reveal, increased use of telecommunications and pay TV services correlates strongly with travel to the Caribbean. During this period, the Optimum Rewards page received 1.4 million visitors, of which 304,000 were unique. The proportion of unique entrants to unique site visitors (75%) demonstrates that it was interest in St. Maarten that was driving the 1.4 million visitors to www.optimumrewards.com.

Cablevision also communicated the promotion to its Optimum Rewards members through a weekly email blast, placed images advertising the Cablevision-TEMPO promotion on the Optimum Rewards home page, and issued a press release.

The promotion was an extraordinary success by all past measures: unique entries totaled 227,854 (a record for Optimum Rewards program sweepstakes), and unique households totaled 70,162 (second-best ever). A large number of visitors (162,355- best-ever) to the Optimum Rewards St. Maarten page clicked the "Detailed Page View" button, revealing a desire to know more about St. Maarten.

Through this promotion, proposed and organized by TEMPO, St. Maarten has connected with its #1 source market for tourists, the New York Tristate Area, in a major way. Given that tourists from the United States often consider multiple islands before booking a trip to the Caribbean, St. Maarten's prominence in their minds as a result of this promotion is sure to tip decision-making this season in favour of St. Maarten.

"Optimum Rewards is pleased to partner with TEMPO Networks to offer one of our members this unforgettable, all-inclusive get away. The winner is going to fall in love with the Caribbean on this luxurious vacation to St. Maarten," said Anila Nitekman, Cablevision Director of Loyalty Marketing.

"We are thrilled to partner with Optimum Rewards, the St. Maarten Ministry of Tourism and the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort to offer this extraordinary Caribbean experience to one of the most beautiful destinations in the Caribbean, the Friendly Island of St. Maarten," said Frederick A. Morton, Jr. Founder, Chairman & CEO, TEMPO Networks.

"The Ministry plans to partner with TEMPO on similar promotions in the future utilizing TEMPO's unique positioning to create innovative marketing and promotional strategies for the destination in its key source markets," Minister Hon. Romeo F. Pantophlet said.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Parliamentarians will be meeting with Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Development, and Environment & Infrastructure (VROMI) Hon. William Marlin on December 10.

The Central Committee session is scheduled for Monday morning at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The meeting is a continuation and it relates to the agenda point information on the present situation regarding maintenance and zoning. Members of Parliament will have the opportunity to pose questions in the second round.

This meeting was initially requested by the United Peoples (UP) party faction.

Members of the public are always welcome to be present in the General Assembly Chamber during public meetings to follow the parliamentary session scheduled for that particular day.

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

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 also via www.sxmparliament.org.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Those who are planning for the upcoming holiday season has already been looking at their holiday meal shopping requirements. Cooking up a storm for this holiday season is one of the Christmas traditions.

Part of the excitement of the holidays is the traditional foods of the season. However, some of these foods can pose hazards that can ruin more than just a holiday meal – they can cause serious illness and even death.

Minister of Public Health Hon. Cornelius de Weever as part of his 'Get Checked' campaign, is calling on the community to check their food items carefully to make sure everything is in order for a safe holiday meal.

As part of Collective Prevention Services (CPS), Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labour Safe Holiday Season calendar of observances, in collaboration with the Department of Communications (DCOMM), residents are advised to keep the season safe by following some tips on how to enjoy holiday meals safely.

To Make Sure Bacteria are not allowed to Grow:

1. Use a thermometer. Be sure stuffing, turkey and any poultry dishes are cooked thoroughly to 165 degrees F; ground beef and ham must be cooked thoroughly to 155 degrees F. All other foods, including eggs should be cooked to 145 degrees F.
2. Do not leave foods containing meat, milk, eggs, fish or poultry at room temperature for more than four hours. This includes pudding and custard-type pies that are popular during the holidays.
3. Cool all leftovers to 41 degrees F within four hours after cooking.
4. Do not thaw foods at room temperature. Plan ahead and thaw them in the refrigerator. If the food needs to be thawed quickly, use the microwave or cold running water and then cook promptly after it has thawed.
5. If you are traveling with food, be sure to keep it cold 41. F. or hot 140 F or above while transporting.
6. After the big meal, be sure to refrigerate any leftovers within 1 hour. Bacteria love room temperatures and grow quickly in amounts enough to make people ill.

To Prevent Food from Becoming Contaminated:

1. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water before food preparation and after coughing, sneezing, using the toilet, changing diapers, eating, drinking or smoking.
2. Do not prepare or handle foods if you are ill; a cook's gastrointestinal illness could be spread to others sharing the meal.
3. Thoroughly clean and sanitize knives, cutting boards and other utensils before and after preparing raw foods and foods that do not require further cooking. Sanitize with a solution of one tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water.
4. Wash all fresh fruits and vegetables.

Contrary to popular belief, if you do become ill from contaminated food, it is not always the last meal you ate that's the culprit. Food-borne illness can occur anywhere from one hour to 72 hours and even longer after eating contaminated food.

Please help make this holiday season safer by paying attention to proper food preparation and handling techniques.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Presentations made in town hall meetings covering Dutch Quarter, Middle Region, Dawn Beach, Red Pond, Guana Bay, and Point Blanche by representatives of the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (MinVROMI), are currently online for download.

For persons interested who would like to review the presentations based on the meetings that have been organized to date, go to the Government website www.sintmaartengov.org.

Select the drop down tab "Government," followed by "Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (MinVROMI)."

On the aforementioned page you then go to "Zoning/Development Plans" and below you will find the presentations.

Contributions by the community are essential in the development of future plans and are a great opportunity for residents and others to bring forward their ideas.

Ministry VROMI has also set up an email account where individuals can send their ideas and views with respect to zoning and development. The email address is: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Philipsburg:--- The detective department on St. Maarten is busy investigating the brutal murders of two men from the Dominican Republic who reside on the French side of the island. The men whose identities have not yet been released were killed early Sunday morning at the Francis Bar located on A.T. Illidge Road.

According to information provided to SMN News, the men began fighting over a woman at the Sun Latino Bar on A.T. Illidge Road then shortly after the fight became violent and two men were shot next to Francis Bar. One of the men died on the spot while the other man succumbed to his injuries while being transported to the St. Maarten Medical Center. The shooters managed to escape the scene in an almost new grey Hyundai Sonata bearing French number plates, the vehicle was later found on the French side of the island.

Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte confirmed that a team of detectives are working feverishly to find the killers of the two Dominicano men. De Witte said the brutal slayings took place around 5am Sunday morning. The top cop also confirmed that the vehicle the suspects used to escape across the border was found on the French side of the island.

INTERREG IV Caribbean Program International Summit staged in Puerto Rico.

POINTE-A-PITRE, Guadeloupe:--- The European Union's Regional Development Fund (ERDF) will fund two major sustainable development projects in the Dutch and French Caribbean under the INTERREG IV Caribbean program.

Organizers attending the recent International Summit of the program, held in Puerto Rico from November 28 to 29, announced that it will fund the Belle Plaine project, whose objective is to finance anti-flood studies and implement economic activities between Marigot, St. Martin and Philipsburg St. Maarten to the tune of $1.49 million Euros (close to US$2 million).

"Gens de la Caraibe", a regional cultural organization based in Guadeloupe, will receive 536,260 Euros (approximately US$700,000) for the Kamacuka project which involves the creation of a professional network for the Caribbean-Amazonian cultural sector, benefiting all countries and territories of the region.

The INTERREG program aims to make a major contribution to the common interest of sustainable development of the greater Caribbean region and to integrate the French Overseas Countries and Territories with the rest of the region.

The selection committee for development projects is headed by the Regional Council of Guadeloupe, which is the entity in charge of managing the INTERREG IV program, as well as representatives of the regional councils of Martinique and French Guyana and officials from St. Martin.

Many representatives of regional organizations, including CARICOM (Caribbean Community), the OECS (Organization of Eastern Caribbean States) and the ACS (Association of Caribbean States) also took part in the last week's San Juan summit whose success augurs well for regional cooperation.

Address of Managing Director of PJIAE, Regina LaBega, on International Civil Aviation Day, Dec. 7, 2012.

Today is once again, International Civil Aviation Day, which is being celebrated this year under the theme: "Aviation: Your reliable connection to the world." On the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Princess Juliana International Airport, this theme could not be more appropriate.

Our airport is the gateway, not only to St. Maarten, but to the neighboring islands of Anguilla, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Barths. In fulfilling this hub function, it has become the reliable connection of residents of these islands to the world.

Air transport is the largest industry in the world, connecting peoples through travel and tourism, and a major force for the social, economic and cultural development of societies across the globe. In this regard, it is also a very significant contributor to the goals of world peace and prosperity.

When the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed this day as International Civil Aviation Day in 1996, at the initiative of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the aim was to establish a global celebration that would put the spotlight on the significance of civil aviation in the economic and social development of nations.

There is no doubt that Princess Juliana International Airport can be considered the lifeline of our economic sustainability, playing a pivotal role in good times as well as in challenging times.

Connection is a two-way street. St. Maarteners are world travelers – whether it is for business, pleasure, education or family reasons. With an average passenger movement of 1.6 million people a year, Princess Juliana International Airport is not only our reliable connection to the world, it is also where we welcome the world to our shores.

On this special day, I salute all those employed in the aviation sector in St. Maarten, particularly the staff of the Princess Juliana International Airport Operating Company (PJIAE). I also wish to seize this opportunity to encourage the youth of our island to seek the multiple career opportunities in this sector in order to guarantee that it remains our reliable connection to the world.

Happy International Civil Aviation Day!

You won't believe the incredible travel deals available to you through the FCCA Foundation's Online Auction. Treat yourself or someone you love to a great vacation or a wealth of other offerings. These items make for great holiday presents, and the deals will make it easy to be generous this season!

Items include cruises; land-based vacation packages complete with tours, transportation, dining and more; and even items like Aquila training workshops, RAK Porcelain dinner sets, Kapitol Reef snorkel sets and more surprises in store!

All proceeds from the auction benefit the FCCA Foundation's efforts to improve the lives of citizens throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

Click on the link below, and start getting good deals for a good cause!

Auction Link: http://fcca.auctionanything.com

PHILIPSBURG:--- Representatives of the General Audit Chamber on Friday presented the President of Parliament Hon. drs. Rodolphe Samuel with a document entitled "Report on the Concerns and Observations Pertaining to the 2010 Financial Statement of the General Service of the Island Territory of Sint Maarten."

The General Audit Chamber was not obligated to provide an insight into the period prior to October 10, 2010, however the High Council of State is of the opinion that the content of the report will provide important information to the Ministry of Finance with respect to shortcomings as noted in the report.

The report was presented to the House of Parliament in order to enable the House to adequately fulfil its role in the budget cycle. The annual financial statements play a crucial role in the aforementioned cycle.

According to the report, the financial statement of the Island Territory of Sint Maarten over the year 2010 was submitted late.

Timely reporting and adherence to the relevant regulations and the quality of the financial accountability of government in the future is of major importance.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Parliamentarians will be meeting with Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Hon. Romeo Pantophlet on December 13.

The Central Committee session with Minister Pantophlet is scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point for the meeting is information from Minister Pantophlet on the dismissal of two Supervisory Board members of the Harbour Holding Group of Companies.

This meeting has been requested by the United Peoples (UP) party faction.

Members of the public are always welcome to be present in the General Assembly Chamber during public meetings to follow the parliamentary session scheduled for that particular day.

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

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 also via www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (MinVROMI) and GEBE, have been working together on a project that entails the installation of 6.5 km of additional electricity transmission cables from the Cay Bay Power Plant to the new GEBE Sub Station on Pond Island.

The four phase project is 70 per cent complete, with a completion timetable by the end of 2013.

The investment being made is due to the growth in the country's population. Additional cabling gives GEBE a flexible network and levitates the load on the existing high voltage cables.

Currently civil works is being executed in and around the Fresh Water Pond, and a road crossing on the Fort William Road, where conduits will be installed. This section is scheduled to be completed by mid-December.

In order to realize the project and to minimize inconvenience to the public, visitors as well as limiting damage to the environment, MinVROMI and GEBE worked out a well-defined route for the civil works.

All stakeholders are very pleased with the execution of the project to date, and the balance of the civil works for phase four will be resumed after the holidays.

The Supervisory Council (SC) of the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) has as an important goal to strengthen the organizational structure of our institution, so that we could better cope with the changing environment and demands placed on it while positioning itself to be able to meet those ever increasing demands in a most human and equitable manner while aiming for the highest possible standard of quality of care. Therefore we have contracted an independent agency earlier this year with ample experience in health care institutions to make an organizational scan of the top structure of the SMMC in order to advise us as to the most ideal make-up of the top managerial structure in the SMMC. This independent agency has taken the future plans, the scale of the island, the context in which we have to perform our services as well as the scarce availability of specific capacities into account. The organizational scan is currently in its final stages and on basis of the outcome and the discussions that will ensue, the Supervisory Council will make the necessary decisions regarding the ideal constellation of the Board of Directors as well as the necessary supporting Management Team. In addition and in view of the ever increasing responsibilities and workload of the Board of Directors, the plans for the future of SMMC and the expressed wishes of Dr. Scot to be able to spend more time with his family in the Netherlands, earlier this year Dr. Scot and the Supervisory Council have jointly agreed that the current contract with AnG Consultancy NV and the appointment of Dr. Scot as managing director would not be renewed as is. Based among others on the outcome of the organizational scan further decisions on this matter would be taken. However the situation has changed. Due to external factors beyond our control a negative and highly stressful atmosphere has been created that has affected the doctors and staff of SMMC and their patients on a daily basis. The personal accusations and unfounded allegations from outside SMMC towards dr. Scot moreover led to an untenable work situation. Therefore, in the best interest of the SMMC, its patients, staff and personnel as well as that of the person Dr. Scot, the Supervisory Council decided to end the appointment of Dr. Scot as Director by December 31, 2012. This decision was reached in agreement with Dr. Scot. This was not an easy decision for either party. We are currently engaged in finding an interim director. An interim position will allow us to manage the transition to the structure we will decide on, based on the evaluation, advice and debate following the organizational scan, while securing the continuity within our Board of Directors. We are also looking to strengthen the Board of Directors with an interim medical director. The job descriptions for both positions have been presented to the Minister of Health. Dr. Scot will provide full collaboration towards ensuring a smooth handoff to the new interim director. The SMMC will continue as always to work towards improving the level and quality of care for the benefit of all residents of St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius and looks forward to doing so working together with Government and the Inspectorate.

The Supervisory Council of the SMMC

Philipsburg:--- The Judge of Instruction at the Court of First Instance did not mingle with words on Wednesday when he informed Attorney Ellen Knoppel that he was not pleased that she chose to represent a suspect that is in pretrial detention for committing fraud, forgery, and money laundering. According to information provided to SMN News, Judge Luiks made his views known to both Attorney Knoppel and the suspect Roberto Gibbs. According to Judge Luiks, Attorney at Law Ellen Knoppel is the legal advisor to the Minister of Justice Roland Duncan and it is unethical for her to be representing a suspect in a criminal case. Information provided to SMN News indicated that Judge Luiks insulted both Attorney Knoppel and Roberto Gibbs but he did not inform her which article of the code of ethics she has broken neither did he remove her from the case.

In an invited comment, Minister of Justice Roland Duncan said Knoppel informed him of the incident that took place during Gibbs pre-trial hearing and while he understands that it is not "nice" for one of his advisors to represent a criminal suspect, the lawyer in question did not break any rule of law. Minister Duncan said he indicated to Knoppel when he hired her that she has to phase out herself from representing people in the court of law, but he also agreed to give Knoppel enough time to find her clients proper replacement lawyers. Ellen Knoppel was working for Roberto Gibbs long before he was arrested, Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos confirmed that when the house search was conducted in the Gibbs investigation almost nine months ago Ellen Knoppel showed up as his lawyer. When SMN News asked the Minister of Justice if he does not think that his advisor had enough time to find a replacement lawyer for Roberto Gibbs, Minister Duncan said that he would agree that she had nine months to find Gibbs a lawyer, but he also understands that the attorney has to make sure she finds someone that would fully capable to represent her client and to do that the lawyer would need to study entire history of Gibbs and his company Global Advisory Services.

It should also be noted that Attorney at Law Ellen Knoppel is a lawyer who remains in full practice and is on the picket list. She is currently reviewing the picket law while working as an advisor for the Minister of Justice. Several practicing lawyers including those on the Lawyers Association said that Knoppel should remove herself as a picket lawyer if she is the one reviewing the picket law. "This is not only a conflict of interest but it is high-class lawlessness coming from the Ministry of Justice." When asked about this Minister of Justice Roland Duncan said that he does not see anything wrong with having Knoppel, a picket lawyer reviewing the picket law. Minister Duncan said that should Knoppel make any suggestion to change the law then it has to be approved by the Council of Ministers and Parliament. "I don't see how the lawyer would have any strong influence in the changing of the law that would benefit her personally. I think the picket law needs changing in some areas and someone has to do it."

Another issue that surrounds Attorney Ellen Knoppel is that she is representing several companies in labor related cases. Attorney at Law Ellen Knoppel has been writing warning and other letters for several companies that are having problems with their workers. Dismissal letters and other legal matters are also handled by Attorney at Law Ellen Knoppel while she is the advisor to the Minister of Justice Roland Duncan who is also the Minister that replaces the Minister of Labour Cornelius de Weever, when SMN News confronted the Minister of Justice about this on Thursday, the Minister said he made it clear to Ellen Knoppel that she cannot handle labour related cases because one day she would have to take a case to court and he would be the Minister of Labour who would have to appear in court.

Minister Duncan ended his statements by saying that while it is not nice for his advisor to represent suspects involved in criminal cases. The lawyer in question did not break the ethical rules for lawyers and he also did not feel she acted immorally.

The St. Maarten Lions Club is finalizing preparations for their Annual Lions Christmas Bingo Spectacular, which is being held this coming Saturday, December 8th at the Celebration
Palace on the Bush Road. According to Bingo Committee Chairman Lion Sunil Khatnani,"the evening promises to be very exciting for the public with great prizes which the St. Maarten Lions Club are providing".

The club will call about 42 bingo games for overloaded goody baskets, one airline ticket on Air France to any destination in Europe, one ticket on Insel Air to Curacao and various tickets on Liat, Winair, and Air Caribe to destinations in the Caribbean along with various dinner vouchers and other constellation prizes. The final grand prize for the evening is the Santa's Bag which is 1000 dollars cash.

The gate of the venue will opens at 7:00pm in order for the public to obtain their bingo cards and the first bingo game will be called at 8pm sharp by Lion PDG Wally Havertong.

Drinks, food and snacks will be on sale all night and the general public are urged to purchase there tickets as soon as possible from any Lion member or at the door where there will be a limited supply of tickets for the $10. All proceeds raised from the Lions Christmas Bingo Spectacular will be used by St. Maarten Lions Club for worthwhile projects for the community of St. Maarten.

Representatives of the Social Economic Council (SER) conducted a pleasant and constructive meeting with the Prime Minister on Wednesday, December 5. On this occasion, a solicited SER advice entitled "The AOV system made Affordable, Sustainable and Equitable" was submitted. This advice pertains to a policy plan drafted by the government's Steering group on pension reform. The policy paper dealt with proposed measures to reform Sint Maarten's AOV entitlement system, and ensure the financial health of the AOV fund in the long run. In the advice, the SER gave their own view on the course to be followed to achieve these goals, suggesting some important modifications to the proposed AOV changes. The document will be available on the SER website www.sersxm.org as soon as it is released for the general public.
Chairman René Richardson headed the SER group, accompanied by business sector representative Eveline Henriquez-Dijkhoffz and labour union delegate William Reed. The council members were supported by Secretary-general Gerard Richardson and senior policy advisor Arjen Alberts.
The SER delegation made use of the opportunity to discuss a number of practical issues related to the status of the council as a new and developing entity in the constitutional structure of country Sint Maarten. It was established that some procedures regarding communication between SER and government regarding the submission of advice to government and the reply or feedback from government back to the SER need to be further elaborated.
The topics included questions related to the SER being an independent advisory body, while at the same time being part of the government apparatus and being accountable to government. Some procedural matters that came to light after establishment of the SER were also brought to the fore, and practical appointments were made to address these matters further.
The Prime Minister assured the SER of her continued commitment to the position of the SER in our constitutional structure and stressed the added value of the SER in our policy making and legislative processes. Further anchoring of the position of the SER in our constitutional framework will be reviewed.
In conclusion, the intention was expressed from both sides to engage in regular informal meetings to exchange information and enhance communication.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister Romeo F. Pantophlet would like to wish all those working in the civil aviation business a happy International Civil Aviation Day, Friday, December 07.

The theme for the internationally observed day is "Aviation: Your Reliable Connection to the World."

Minister Pantophlet pointed out that air travel is essential to the wellbeing of the nation where it connects the country with others and allows friends and family members to come together.

At the same time, Minister Pantophlet acknowledged that it also drives the countries' tourism sector, which in turn generates and stimulates economic activity and creates direct and indirect jobs for those working in the aviation and travel trade sector and the tourism industry overall.

The ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) is a United Nations (UN) body that takes care of the standards to be maintained in the civil aviation industry. ICAO was formed in the year 1944. The first civil aviation was observed in the year 1994 on 7th December as a mark of 50 years since the founding.

ICAO takes care of the standards and safety measures to be followed for civil aviation industry in the world. ICAO services as the global forum for its 191 Member States.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever would like to congratulate the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on its 110th anniversary which was marked on December 2.

Minister De Weever stated that he was very proud that Sint Maarten had joined and is associated with the organization. The country was admitted during the 28th Pan American Sanitary Conference in September as an associate member.

The request for admission was presented on 15 August 2012 by the Kingdom of the Netherlands as a PAHO Participating State and responsible for Sint Maarten's foreign affairs.

Sint Maarten being an associate member of PAHO enables the country to participate directly in PAHO activities; have the right to participate in Governing bodies meetings, albeit with no vote; to participate with voice and vote in technical commissions or committees; to have access to all technical cooperation services of PAHO; and to receive information and documentation produced or distributed by PAHO.

PAHO and its member countries in the Americas have achieved major health milestones as the eradication of smallpox and polio and the elimination of endemic transmission of measles and rubella.

During the past century, life expectancy in the hemisphere has gained nearly three decades, infant and maternal mortality have declined significantly, water and sanitation services have expanded, and the gaps in health between rich and poor have narrowed.

PAHO began life as the International Sanitary Bureau, created by the representatives of 11 countries who met at the First General International Sanitary Convention of the Americas Republics, on December 02, 1902, in Washington, D.C.

Today, in the 21st century, PAHO continues to facilitate international health cooperation, not only among the countries of the Americas but also with countries form other developing and developed regions. Much as it did in the early 20th century, PAHO today contributes to the control of infectious diseases by coordinating member countries' compliance with the International Health Regulations, the global framework for international health security.

PAHO also provides broad-ranging technical cooperation, in areas including pharmaceutical regulation, gender and health, mental and environmental health, integrated health care, and health planning and policymaking, among many others.

Sint Maarten being an associate member is now subjected to the obligations and rights set out in PAHO's rules and regulations, which include the obligation to pay a financial contribution directly to the Organization.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Due to a significant increase of pertussis cases in several areas of the Region, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO), the aforementioned has issued an epidemiological alert to Member States, encouraging them to increase their level of surveillance, and to continuously monitor the level of vaccination coverage in one year old infants and children under five years old, with particular emphasis on identifying susceptible groups.

As part of the Minister of Public Health's Hon. Cornelius de Weever campaign 'Get Checked,' the Minister reiterates his calling on parents/guardians with young children to check their vaccination status where its concerns pertussis.

The Collective Prevention Services (CPS), an agency of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, is urging parents and guardians to follow the Minister's advice, and if the child is not vaccinated against the aforementioned, to do so in order to prevent whooping cough. The infection has become a re-emerging disease, which today is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in children.

The main victims of this acute respiratory infection of the respiratory tracts are infants younger than six months, usually acquired from their parents or teenage siblings.

The bacterium is transmitted from an infected individual to another by means of droplets expelled by the respiratory tracts. Incubation period is between seven to 10 days, after which patients develop symptoms which includes coughing.

In infants, pertussis can be a serious disease that can lead to severe complications or even death, unlike what happens in adults or older children.

Pertussis continues to be a public health problem in several countries in the Region of the Americas. So far for 2012, there has been an increase in the number of pertussis cases in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Venezuela, and the United States of America.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee meeting with Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Hon. Romeo Pantophlet for December 7, has been postponed until further notice.

The request for the postponement of the meeting was made by United Peoples (UP) party interim faction leader Hon. Member of Parliament Sylvia Meyers.

The Central Committee session with Minister Pantophlet was scheduled for Friday morning at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point for the meeting was related to receiving information from Minister Pantophlet on the dismissal of two Supervisory Board members of the Harbour Holding Group of Companies.

SIMPSON BAY:--- Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) is among 32 airports worldwide shortlisted by a panel of high-profile travel industry experts in this year's PrivateFly.com top 10 most stunning global airport approaches.

The online voting by travel fans will determine the world's Top 10 airport approaches from this shortlist – with the airport that receives the most votes named the world's most stunning landing. The poll closes on the last day of December, 2012.

PrivateFly.com is the leading online booking platform for private aviation charter.

In the 2010 edition of the World's Most Stunning Airport Approaches, PJIA placed second, with number one position going to the Alpine airport of Sion in Switzerland. (SXM is the international designator code for PJIA.)

Aruba, St. Barths, Bermuda, Virgin Gorda (BVI), and Mustique (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) are the other Caribbean airports on the shortlist.

"We are happy to be shortlisted again this year," said Regina LaBega, Managing Director of Princess Juliana International Airport operating company (PJIAE). "We encourage all our friends and users of the airport to vote online before the end of this month so that we could come out tops in this poll."

LaBega mentioned the "huge PR benefits" that normally accompanies such ranking, and the possibility that this could contribute to increased arrivals for the island.

"Those who are on the panel to choose the shortlist are world-renowned experts in the travel and aviation industry. This makes the nomination of our airport even more important," LaBega noted.

The panelists include personalities such as Sarah Miller, a travel and lifestyle journalist with over 30 years experience, and the launch editor of Conde Nast Traveller UK in 1997 and former deputy editor of The Sunday Times Style magazine.

Also on the panel are David Scowsill, President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC); Peter Myers, editor of the business traveler pages on Reuters.com; Murdo Morrison, editor of Flight International, the world's oldest aviation weekly, and Patrick Jephson, Editor of the Hawker Beechcraft Journey magazine. Jephson is also a New York Times bestseller and a qualified private pilot.

To support and give Princess Juliana International Airport the best chance of making the Top 10, everyone is urged to vote at: http://www.privatefly.com/airport-poll/PrivateFlyAirportPoll.html. Similarly, you are encouraged to ask your friends to do the same via e-mails, Facebook and Twitter. This can be done quickly and easily after you have voted by using the share buttons. Results will be announced by PrivateFly.com at the beginning of 2013.

In view of Caribbean-Auto's ongoing efforts to improve quality of service and develop its network of brand specialists and automotive technicians, Caribbean-Auto's service department has successfully completed a comprehensive FORD Parts & Service Training, under the direction for FORD brand ambassador, Luis Lopez.

Caribbean- Auto hosted the 4-Day training which started on Monday, December 3rd. In addition to the Caribbean Auto service team, three (3) guest automotive service technicians from around the Caribbean (Grenada, St. Lucia and Haiti) also participated in the FORD parts and service workshop.

Trainings consisted of theoretical sessions and practical training drills on the FORD Ranger vehicle line. The trainings allowed service personnel to hone their vehicle service capabilities and has given the service department members and opportunity to exercise skills learned in the classroom.

"The management and staff are honored to have had the opportunity to host such a expert training." says Caribbean Auto Service Manager, Gregory Marshall. "We welcome our automotive service technicians from the Caribbean to share in this opportunity to increase product knowledge and improve our level of service".

This very important training could not have been accomplished without the co-operation of FORD and Caribbean Auto.

Philipsburg:--- Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt said his Ministry is in the very final stages of the last draft of the 2013 budget. The Finance Minister said that the government of St. Maarten is able to present a balanced budget for the year 2013 even though only last week he mentioned that he had a budget with 29 million guilders deficit.

Minister Tuitt said they managed to balance the budget by putting more effort on compliance. The Minister said in 2013 the government of St. Maarten will be concentrating heavily on tax compliance. "All companies that are operating on St. Maarten without being registered and are not paying taxes. I can tell you now that next year you will be caught and when you are caught then we as government will use the full force of the law on you. Therefore, I urge those businesses to do the right thing now." Government also applied what they termed as ad-taxes which will be levied only on retail sale. Tuitt said adding the ad-tax will generate approximately 15 million guilders, tax compliance will generate 10 million guilders, the increase in casino fees will generate 7.5 million guilders, and the government of St. Maarten is expected to collect one million guilders from the Central Bank.

The Finance Minister said expenditures have been decreased by 10% on material costs. Tuitt said that the government of St. Maarten also included the monies that were paid by USONA and AMFO which amounts to 7 million guilders.

On the issue of the Central Bank, the Minister said that the board members on the supervisory board of the central bank are not executing their tasks. The St. Maarten Finance Minister who just recently returned from Curacao said the board members are not attending meetings and the government of Curacao will have to see how they will proceed with the current board members. Minister Tuitt said that just recently the Council of Ministers of Curacao invited the board members to a meeting and they did not show up and they also did not show up to a meeting called by the shareholder representative. Tuitt said he does not know why the board members are acting the way they are but what he does know is that a solution has to found because they are hampering the operations of the Central Bank.

Philipsburg:--- After more than two years being installed and providing services to the Government of St. Maarten, the Corporate Governance Council can now breathe a sigh of relief that the Council of Ministers have finally approved the operational expenses for them for the years 2010 and 2011 while they also approved the proposed budget by the Council for 2012.

Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams made the announcement on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing. Wescot Williams said that since 2010/ 2011 has passed the government of St. Maarten will pay the council its operational costs for those two years which amounts to over Naf. 200,000.00 per year while the approximated budget for 2012 is estimated at Naf. 500,000.00. Wescot Williams said these monies include the membership fees for the members of the council and the operations of the council. The Prime Minister said while the figures have been approved, the government of St. Maarten still has to see how they will recoup the monies from the government owned companies. She said government also decided that they will pay the council so that they can do their job while they seek to recoup the monies from the government owned companies.

Wescot Williams said that the government of St. Maarten also established the St. Maarten Development fund which will be used to fund social programs. The fund will replace AMFO that used to manage the Dutch funding.

Philipsburg:--- Finance Minister Roland Tuitt took a turn at the media on St. Maarten who have been writing negative articles on TEMPO Turns 7 which was held here last week while bypassing other pertinent issues that involves government monies.

Tuitt said during his presentation at the Council of Ministers' press briefing on Wednesday that he wants to put two myths to rest. "It seems as though it's only the UP party can run a government and only Mr. Theodore Heyliger can take care of Tourism and Advertising on the on St. Maarten." Tuitt said he made the statements based on the negative media attention that was placed on the TEMPO advertising where the government of St. Maarten invested $400.000.00 on advertising St. Maarten abroad and in the Caribbean.

The Finance Minister said that the Government of St. Maarten made an agreement with TEMPO for them to advertise the island. He said that was the aim of government's investment. Tuitt said the government of St. Maarten got positive feedback from the USA on the quality and amount of advertising that was done by TEMPO for St. Maarten and TEMPO also advertised in the Caribbean which is also one of the island's niche markets. Tuitt said he cannot understand why the media gave so much attention to the TEMPO affair and asked if it is because it's a Caribbean company. "If the UP Party wants to talk about things then let's talk about at least three things, the bridge (causeway) which costs the government of St. Maarten 92 million guilders and why is the media not spending some time on that project. Now that things got rolling there might be some hiccups. One of the newspapers wrote that the bridge is on course but that is not completely true because the bridge has to be redesigned. Technical drawings have to be made over and the entire structure has to be re-designed. If this has to be done then the bridge will cost St. Maarten 5 million dollars more; Minister Tuitt said recently one of the newspapers on St. Maarten published an article on the bridge to nowhere (causeway) claiming its moving forward but according to Tuitt the reporter (who works for the Harbour Holding Company) failed to mention that the Government of St. Maarten would have to spend another five million guilders on redesigning the bridge.

SMN News learnt that the current Minister of VROMI William Marlin had to send instructions to Volker Stevens to stick to the building permit they got from the government of St. Maarten regarding the construction of the causeway. Marlin told SMN News that while the contractor had a design that was presented to government for the building permit. The former Minister of VROMI Theodore Heyliger had the contractor redesign the bridge to have it built higher so that it could have Aesthetic designs. Marlin said the construction of the bridge is already underway but now the contractor has to do over the design and drawings because they already bypassed the one they submitted to government and got a building permit.

When questioned by SMN News, Tuitt said that even though the construction of the bridge is not one of his portfolios, when government has to spend monies it bothers him because he is the one that has to find the monies for these things to happen. Tuitt said before humongous projects such as the bridge is done certain studies must be conducted. "One of those studies was getting an advice from the FAA and that seems to has not been done." Tuitt said the only person that can provide the details on the causeway and its current status is the Minister of VROMI but whatever has to be done to complete this project is going to cost the government of St. Maarten more money and that worries him because he wants to know where the additional funds would come from.

Tuitt said the media is not paying attention to the TAXAND saga but a final meeting will be held with the SOAB sometime next week to finalize the report before it can be taken to the Council of Ministers and Parliament. Minister Tuitt said the TAXAND affair involves over nine million guilders. The Finance Minister said he wants to know why the media is not focusing on that issue and if it is because the UP Party is involved. Tuitt further lashed out by saying that the current government building that the NA/DP/IND Government is working on now needed almost two million guilders because the project could not move forward. He said that was because of the contract the former government signed.

As for the TEMPO, Tuitt said that government already paid out the $400.000.00 it committed itself to investing for advertising. He said in his view the monies were well spent. When asked by SMN News if the government of St. Maarten made back any monies for the gate sales, Tuitt said the reports are not yet completed and when that is done he will make the figures available. Tuitt said he also wondering why the media on St. Maarten is not asking about the millions of guilders that are being spent on other institutions such as Europe, USA, and South America. "I can tell you that the government of St. Maarten is spending millions of guilders in each of the other areas and we are not getting questions on them and their production rate."

Philipsburg:--- Roberto Gibbs (59) the Chief Financial Officer and Co- Manager of WINAIR will remain in police custody for another seven days. Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos confirmed on Wednesday that the suspect who is suspected of money laundering, forgery, and fraud appeared before the judge of instruction on Wednesday and his pretrial detention was extended. Mos said in the coming days his office will decide if it is necessary to request another extension of the pre-trial detention. When asked by SMN News if the suspect was cooperating, Mos said that he preferred not to comment further.

Roberto Gibbs, the owner of Global Advisory Services, was contracted by the UP/DP Government to create/install a new tax code for country St. Maarten. Mos said in a press release issued on Monday that the suspect was involved in recruiting people for different services and there is a huge amount of monies involved.

In an invited comment, Attorney General Taco Stein explained that the case against Roberto Gibbs is being investigated by the Lands recherché because the company Gibbs owned was providing services for the Government of St. Maarten. Normally the Lands recherché is tasked with investigating cases against civil servants or incidents that involves civil servants and government institutions.

SMN News also tried to get an update from St. Maarten's Attorney General on the progress of the Election fraud case that involves the United Peoples Party and four police officers. This case has been laying on the desks of the Lands recherché for over two years now, with most of the work completed by the Police Internal Affairs. Stein said on Wednesday that he is aware of the case but he does not know the current status of the case. It should be noted that SMN News has sought information regarding the progress of this investigation several times but each time we are stone walled. Stein said the Lands recherché is extremely busy investigating several cases but at least three of cases we know of are not being touched by the special investigative unit.

St. Maarten's Attorney General also could not give an update on the Regina Labega case where it is alleged that the former head of the Tourism Department embezzled thousands of dollars from the government of St. Maarten. According to information provided to SMN News, the prosecutor's office has in their possession the account number from a Chase Manhattan Bank in New York where monies that were supposed to be used for the operations of the Tourist Office in New York were transferred to a bank account in Anguilla belonging to a company DMC where La Bega is the sole signatory. DMC was created by Fabian Badejo, Erica Fortuno, and Regina Labega. The monies it is understood 1.2 million United States Dollars were deposited in the Chase Manhattan Bank account for the operations of the New York Tourist Office. The last information SMN News received is that the Lands recherché invited Labega to their office for questioning but she refused to comply based on the advice of her attorney. Since then the Prosecutor's Office has said that they do not have the financial technicians necessary to proceed with the investigation and they have since hired the services of the SOAB.

Philipsburg:--- The Council of Ministers has taken a decision to grant all civil servants a full day off on December 24th, 2012. Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams announced on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing that several government offices will be closed on Christmas Eve day, therefore residents and visitors to the island should take note of it. The Prime Minister said in the past civil servants were given half day off but this year the COM has decided to give them the entire day off so that they could run their errands and prepare for the Christmas. December 24th falls on a Monday this year. The annual Christmas tree lightening will take place this Saturday. The event will kick off at 4:30pm with a parade.

Philipsburg:--- On November 15th, 2012, the Police Department officially launched their yearly, end of the year general controls called "Operation Vigilance".
These controls are being carried out in collaboration with other departments falling under the Ministry of Justice. The objective of these controls are to provide security for all visitors coming to the island as well as the community of Sint Maarten. There have been island wide traffic controls, controls in areas where tourists visit frequently and also in the residential areas. These areas are patrolled by motor vehicles, bike patrols and also on foot.

On Monday, the police were seen patrolling the Maho Reef area and surroundings on their newly purchased SEGWAYS . These SEGWAYS thus far have yielded positive results.

Organized by St. Maarten Zoological Foundation

Place: St. Maarten Zoo
Time: 5:00 PM until

Santa arrives at 6 PM sharp! Guided tours of the Zoo between 5 PM and 6 PM.
Please bring a gift for your child for Santa to give to them. Drop off the gift at the Zoo, marked with your child's name, by Thursday December 20th.

Admission: Starting from 12:00 Noon, special Christmas admission!
Children $10.00, each additional child $5.00
Parents FREE

For more information, call the Zoo at 543-2030 or Amy Arrindell at 522-1449.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday afternoon the Minister with responsibilities for Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), Hon. William Marlin, turned on one of the caterpillar engines that run the storm water pumps on Pond Island.

The Pond Island Storm Water Pump Station houses two new pumps, and is located to the West of the Ministry VROMI work yard.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Last week Friday His Excellency the Governor of Curacao Frits Goedgedrag paid a courtesy visit to the Cabinet Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague. Minister Plenipotentiary Hon. Mathias Voges presented the Governor with a framed picture depicting a Sint Maarten monument.

Minister Voges thanked the Governor for his service to the former country of the Netherlands Antilles and for all assistance he rendered to Sint Maarten under that period.

Philipsburg:--- Embattled former Chief Commissioner of Police and Government Mediator Derrick Holiday who has been sent on vacation pending the termination of his contract has taken another step to defraud the co-owner of Blend In Security Company and its workers. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Neville Mars and co-owner of Blend In Security in an exclusive interview with SMN News confirmed that the company which is just over a year old has had some financial difficulties and that the workers including himself were not being paid. Mars said he is an equal partner in Blend In Security and some of their clients are late in making their monthly payments which created financial havoc with the workers. Mars said he felt that because of the failing economy several of their clients are not able to make their payments on time and Blend In Security has a contractual agreements with their clients that gives them 45 days in which payments can be made. The CEO and co-owner of Blend In Security said the late receivables affected the entire operation of the company. "Because of the late receivables the staff and management including him are heavily affected because the company is the only source of income." Mars said besides the financial aspect, there are several issues taking place in the company especially since the workers are not satisfied. Mars said that the company started with 25 workers and since this has been going on for some months now some of the workers have lost patience and have since sought employment elsewhere. "I am not annoyed or angry with the workers because I know what they are going through and I am human also."

SMN News managed to obtain a letter Derrick Holiday wrote to the Bank of Novia Scotia informing them that he will be the sole signatory on the checks issued by Blend In Security. The letter SMN News obtained states that the management of Blend In Security requests to make new arrangements with the bank regarding the signing of cheques. The letter continues by stating that presently two signatures are required which are the signature of the Managing Director and the CEO of the company. Hence as of November 1, 2012, when the letter was written only one signature will be required and that will be the signature of the Managing Director Derrick Holiday.

SMN News learnt that Holiday told a senior person at the bank that Neville Mars was not on the island and that was the reason he was requesting that the changes be made. A source from the Bank of Scotia Bank stated that a supervisor of the bank deflated the claims of Holiday because that very day she saw Neville Mars walking in Philipsburg. Mars said that before he was contacted and informed of the letter a few cheques had slipped through the bank system with one signature but to avoid any confusion he endorsed the cheques Holiday signed and informed him that such decisions could only be taken by the board members.

Mars said based on rumors he learnt that Derrick Holiday has decided to take another route in accomplishing his mission. He said that Holiday wrote letters to the clients of Blend In Security and informed them that due to the breakdown in the management of Blend In Security N.V. he would like to end the service agreement with the clients under the company name Blend In Security as of November 30th, 2012 and continue providing services to them under a new company called "PROSEC SERVICES" (Professional Security Services). SMN News also managed to receive a copy of the letter which was sent to the General Manager of Bobby's Marina Frans Nieuwenhoven informing him that Holiday was ending the agreement they had with Blend In and will continue to provide services under PROSEC Services.

SMN News checked with the Chamber of Commerce to see if the new company which Holiday is operating alone has been registered at the Chamber of Commerce and if PROSEC Services has a crib number. When SMN News checked on Tuesday no such company was registered at the Chamber of Commerce St. Maarten.

Mars said that he also heard that his business partner is on a venture to quit Blend In Security and take its clients with him while the company has not filed for bankruptcy and dismissal of its workers. Neville Mars a former Superintendent of Police of the Guyana Police Force made clear that while Blend In Security is having financial problems the company is still operational. He said that the company is servicing three airlines at the Princess Juliana International Airport namely Westjet, Spirit, and DAE. On Tuesday, Neville Mars was at the Princess Juliana International Airport with his workers providing services to the clients they still have contracts with.

The co-owner of Blend In Security also made clear that he is willing to go all the way to defend Blend In Security and its workers. He said on Friday there will be a board meeting where a decision will be taken on the way forward. Mars said that if Holiday is pulling out of Blend In Security, the Court of First Instance would have to divide the assets and liabilities.


Click here to view letters sent to the clients of Blend In Security and Scotia Bank.

Philipsburg:--- The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Co- Manager of WINAIR Roberto Gibbs was arrested as a suspect in the Piranha Investigation on Monday December 3rd, 2012. Fifty-nine year old Gibbs is a well known businessman that owns Global Advisory Services. According to information provided by well placed sources, Gibbs was retained by the former UP/DP Government to install a new tax code for country St. Maarten. SMN News further learnt that the investigation which started some two years ago stemmed from the complaints filed by the former Director of the Government Finance Department Bas Roorda. Roorda provided the prosecutor's office with several pieces of information which incriminated the former head of the Tourist Office and now Member of Parliament Frans Richardson.

Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos confirmed that Gibbs was arrested and he is suspected of embezzling a huge sum of monies. In a written press release, Mos said that the Special Investigation Unit (Lands recherché) arrested 59-year old R.A.G. Mos further explained in his press release that from 2009 to 2011, G. has been involved in recruiting personnel for various government agencies. He is suspected of having committed fraud, forgery, and money laundering concerning payment for his services. A considerable amount of money appears to be involved.

On August 14th, 2012, a search was executed at the office of G. in Sint Maarten. At the same time, searches took place at two offices in Curaçao. The Piranha investigation started after a complaint was filed in 2011. G. will be led before the judge of instruction tomorrow.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister Romeo F. Pantophlet stated that he is very pleased with the TEMPO turns 7 event, as it has accomplished its primary goal, which was to generate significant exposure for the destination.

For this event, Sint Maarten was heavily promoted in the New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts (tri-state) areas, throughout the Caribbean region, and in parts of Latin America.

"The $400,000 investment allowed us to truly tap into our key markets in ways we have never done before on a network that is loved and embraced throughout the Caribbean and parts of Latin America - markets that are so vital for small businesses and small, locally-owned hotels on the island. At the end of the day, any money that the Ministry of Tourism spends to support activities or events on the island must reap promotional or economic benefits to the island. The promotional impact, in particular, of the TEMPO turns 7 event on Sint Maarten is undeniably substantial. " – Minister Romeo F. Pantophlet

The success of this event for Sint Maarten, in the form of exposure for the destination, has been tremendous:

• Over the last 8 weeks, Sint Maarten has been featured on TEMPO almost 24/7: the historical sites, beaches, attractions, restaurants, shopping and local artists in a series of shows aired on TEMPO's network and through its website. This translates to over US$3.5 Million in exposure. Of this amount, US$2.5 Million in media value has been provided to Sint Maarten in the United States in the form of six hundred 60-second television ads in 33 markets in the NY tri-state area.
• TEMPO has delivered over $700,000 in advertising throughout the Caribbean Region. While we tend to discount the Caribbean region for its tourism impact, regional tourism is in fact very significant, and the Caribbean is the number two or three source market to most destinations. With TEMPO Turns 7, TEMPO has engaged its regional radio partners to provide over $200,000+ in ads: TEMPO has engaged partners in Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Antigua, St. Kitts-Nevis, Anguilla and Dominica specifically to promote St. Maarten.
• Over the past couple of months, TEMPO has created 6 one-hour episodes of the weekly show Cross Caribbean Countdown and 3 episodes of Rise & Shine, in St. Maarten, using local hosts and a local production team. Numerous St. Maarten businesses and artists are being promoted on the Network. The Network went live to its over 5 million viewers on three nights of the events and created 14 television shows during the seven-day series of events, including the Badness Outta Style School Tour; the Win a TEMPO Trip Reality Series, featuring the two contest winners from Antigua and the USVI; TEMPO Presents the Mighty Sparrow; and TEMPO Presents Marcia Griffeth. These shows will air on the Network in the coming months.

The Government of Sint Maarten's return on investment is abundantly clear!

Minister Pantophlet would like to thank the local artists who took part in TEMPO turns 7 and hopes that the level of exposure received during TEMPO turns 7 and in the months to come will reap significant benefits for them in their crafts.

The attendance at the shows was not as large as previous TEMPO events, which has resulted in the fact that the amount of money that government had expected to recoup (from ticket sales) will not be realized. Despite this fact, the overall conclusion must be that government definitely "got what it paid for" as there is no way that a direct investment of US $ 400,000 could ever yield the level of television promotion and coverage that exposure of the Tempo Event has already and (through replays) will continue to yield for years to come.

Philipsburg (DCOMM):--- The Department of Permits & Licenses wants the business community and the general public to know about the extended opening hours for the up-coming Christmas season.

The Ministry of Tourism Economic Affairs, Transportation, and Telecommunications, hereby informs the community, that as a means to promote economic activity throughout the upcoming Christmas Holiday season, an exemption is granted to all businesses on Dutch Sint Maarten to extend their business hours during the entire month of December as follows:

On working days (including Boxing Day, December 26, 2012), all businesses are allowed to be open until 10pm. On Saturdays (including Kingdom Day, December 15, 2012) and Sundays, the opening hours are extended until 10pm as well.

Please take note that this exemption does not apply for the official public holidays Christmas day (December 25, 2012) and New Year's Day (January 1, 2013) as it is mandatory to remain closed on these days.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Parliamentarians will be meeting with Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Hon. Romeo Pantophlet on December 7, and Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Development, and Environment & Infrastructure (VROMI) Hon. William Marlin on December 10.

The Central Committee session with Minister Pantophlet is scheduled for Friday morning at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point for the meeting is information from Minister Pantophlet on the dismissal of two Supervisory Board members of the Harbour Holding Group of Companies.

The Central Committee meeting with Minister Hon. William Marlin, is a continuation meeting and will be reconvened on Monday at 10:00am. It relates to the agenda point information on the present situation regarding maintenance and zoning, and Members of Parliament will have the opportunity to pose questions in the second round.

Both meetings have been requested by the United Peoples (UP) party faction.

Members of the public are always welcome to be present in the General Assembly Chamber during public meetings to follow the parliamentary session scheduled for that particular day.

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

The parliamentary sessions 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 also via www.sxmparliament.org.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Holiday shoppers are busy buying Christmas trees and lights to adorn their home this holiday season. As the day gets closer, families are bustling around to have everything in place for Santa Claus's visit.

As part of the Minister of Public Health's 'Get Checked,' campaign, parents and family members should keep in mind some holiday safety tips where it concerns decorations and the Christmas tree. The season is all about family togetherness and we would like everyone to have a safe holiday season incident free.

Every year the Collective Prevention Services (CPS), an agency of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour as part of its calendar of observances highlights and creates awareness where it concerns safe holidays.

Check this list of holiday season safety tips:

Trees:

• When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label "Fire Resistant." Although this label does not mean the tree won't catch fire, it does indicate the tree will resist burning and should extinguish quickly.
• When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fresh tree is green, needles are hard to pull from branches and do not break when bent between your fingers. The trunk butt of a fresh tree is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.
• When setting up a tree at home, be sure to keep the stand filled with water. Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.

Lights:

• Indoors or outside, use only lights that have been tested for safety by a recognized testing laboratory, which indicates conformance with safety standards. Use only lights that have fused plugs.
• Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections, and throw out damaged sets. Always replace burned-out bulbs promptly with the same wattage bulbs.
• Use no more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord. Make sure the extension cord is rated for the intended use.
• Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and a person touching a branch could be electrocuted.
• Before using lights outdoors, check labels to be sure they have been certified for outdoor use.
• Stay away from power or feeder lines leading from utility poles into older homes.
• Fasten outdoor lights securely to trees, house walls, or other firm supports to protect the lights from wind damage. Use only insulated staples to hold strings in place, not nails or tacks. Or, run strings of lights through hooks (available at hardware stores).
• Turn off all holiday lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.
• Use caution when removing outdoor holiday lights. Never pull or tug on lights - they could unravel and inadvertently wrap around power lines.
• Outdoor electric lights and decorations should be plugged into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Portable outdoor GFCIs can be purchased where electrical supplies are sold. GFCIs can be installed permanently to household circuits by a qualified electrician.

Decorations:

• Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or nonleaded metals. Leaded materials are hazardous if ingested by children.
• Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked down.
• In homes with small children, take special care to avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable, keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children to avoid the child swallowing or inhaling small pieces, and avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a child to eat them.
• Wear gloves to avoid eye and skin irritation while decorating with spun glass "angel hair."
• Follow container directions carefully to avoid lung irritation while decorating with artificial snow sprays.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Wednesday is the last day for persons to register for Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) examinations. This process is applicable to private candidates who wish to participate in the May/June 2013 CXC Examination.

Persons were given a month period to apply starting November 5 until and including December 5.

Individuals can visit the Division of Examination at the Brooks Tower Building, Suite B2, Falcon Drive 7, Harbor View, Philipsburg, between 9:00am – 12:00pm and 1:00pm – 4:30pm, or call Claudina Ellis at 542-3296 or 542-3458 for further information.

Upon registering, the candidate has to bring along with them a valid picture ID card and a copy of their passport, driver's license or ID card.

Persons wanting to take the CXC Exam have to be registered with that organization in order to qualify.

Great Bay:--- The Department of Labour of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour will be hosting a three-day Workshop on ILO Reporting Obligations, for invited participants. Based on the request of Sint Maarten, a Standard Specialist from the Decent Work Team of the Sub-regional office of the International Labour Organization (ILO), will be leading a Technical Support Mission to Sint Maarten on ILO Reporting Obligations.

The objective of the workshop is to raise awareness among the various ministries within government as well as Workers' Organizations and Employers' Organizations who all have a role to play in the reporting exercise, by providing information to the Department of Labour in view of the preparation of reports.

The three-day workshop will cover topics such as:

• The ILO, International Labour Standards and the supervisory mechanisms
• Background information on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
• International Labour Standards on Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
• International Labour Standards on Forced Labour
• International Labour Standards on Equality at Work and Non Discrimination
• International Labour Standards on Child Labour

The Workshop will be held at the Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort and Casino form Tuesday December 4 to Thursday December 6, 2012. The sessions will commence at 8:30am and end at 12:30pm.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, and Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs awarded the prize to Wheel Chair Tennis Finals singles female winner Esther Vergeer at the Princess Port de Plaisance over the weekend.

Vergeer is the world ranked #1 female wheel chair tennis player in the world. She is a time four times gold medalist in four consecutive Paralympics and unbeaten in 470 consecutive matches. Vergeer played the final against Sabine Ellerbrock from Germany who managed the record a first set win in her against Vergeer.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs last week Friday was at the Leonard Connor Primary School in Cay Bay to help yellow sage trees.

It is an annual initiative of the Rotary Sunrise Chapter to bring about cultural awareness in the school on the island. Rotary Sunrise representative J. Peterson was on hand to assist with the planting of the trees.

Five trees were planted, three at the Cycle 2 playground and two at the Cycle 1 playground. Cycle 2 teacher Shirley Pompier and Cycle 1 teacher Rusina De Lain along with students will be responsible for the care and maintenance of the trees.

The teachers will also use the care and maintenance program to educate the children on the importance of taking care of the environment and the cultural aspects of the tree.

Drs. Gracita R. Arrindell, Member of Parliament recently back from attending the Regional meeting of Parliamentarians together with MP Sylvia Olivacci- Meyers held in Panama from November 25th to 27th, stated; the three day conference was not only a meeting to assess the progress and remaining obstacles of the development agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was also meant to see in practice to what extent having more women and men committed to equality in their respective parliaments can be a tool to speed up the transformative development agenda".

"Gracita commented: "the UNWomen, United Nations Population Fund, (UNFPA), United Nations Development Program ( UNDP), Parliament of Latin America and the Caribbean ( Parlatino) and the Inter American Parliamentary Group on Population Development (IAP) joint approach to build and support a network that would encourage parliaments to approve laws and encourage governments to have as a priority on the public policy agenda human rights and gender perspective which will contribute to the process of economic development and social justice".

"the resolution established among others that: "most countries have very advanced and comprehensive legislation on violence against women, yet an alarming incidence of violence and crime throughout the region remains, the acceptance of violence against women, along with institutional inaction, have resulted in difficulties in applying these laws and alarming levels of impunity that have placed Latin American and Caribbean Women at a considerable disadvantage."

"In reference to the institutional inaction of for example the judiciary and the police, as brought forward by several attendees, they were encouraged by the information I shared during the discussions, that the public prosecutor's office in Sint Maarten, has established a pro active policy approach by continuing with the prosecution of a case of domestic violence once submitted, even when the victim retracts the request to prosecute.

"The alarming high rate of teenage pregnancy is an area which also must be dealt with effectively in Latin America and the Caribbean as this region has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy after Sub Saharan Africa according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

"The conference also established that: "in spite of the fact that women have achieved only 21% of parliamentary seats in Latin America and the Caribbean, a larger presence is essential to ensure the exercise of the rights of women and improve the democratic systems of the countries, which also results in positive effects on the development agendas of countries to include new themes and interest that were absent from the political agenda." We too must work harder to encourage more women and gender equality minded men in public office. Only 30% of women form part of the Parliament of of our new Country.

In closing: we were happy of the opportunity not only to participate and make a meaningful contribution to the Conference. I was also great full for the opportunity to share briefly the objective of the Peridot Foundation as a non- profit organization when the issue of the need to raise much needed funds in combating violence against women and children was brought forward. My statements received not only support but also commitment to bring forward our message though the relevant institutions of the United Nation vast network. In this regard it was an honor to meet and speak with several UNWOMEN representatives including one of the Key note speakers, Mrs. Amina J. Mohammed, Assistant-Secretary General and Special Advisor on Post-2015 Development Planning. A brief TV interview was also provided when asked to UNWOMEN.

Philipsburg:--- Deputy Prime Minister William Marlin who is also the Minister of Public Works (VROMI) admitted on Monday at the continuation of the Central Committee meeting while responding to questions posed by several members of the United Peoples Party regarding zoning that filling in the Great Salt Pond was not the ideal thing to do without the necessary permits. Minister Marlin told Parliament on Monday that the so called drag strip and cricket field is not something new as is portrayed by several politicians who are already campaigning. Marlin said that the former commissioner of Tourism (Frans Richardson) was working on this project when he was in office to enhance sports tourism.

Marlin said that filling in the pond without the permits is not the ideal thing but these projects are not new. He said that the area that houses TELEM, the new Government Building, the Census Office, USM, the Little League and football field are all part of the pond. Marlin said that while it was agreed that a drag strip would be built for the local boys to race the commissioner at the time felt it was better if they built a state of the art cricket ground and drag strip that would attract professional racers to the island which would give the economy a boost.

The VROMI Minister who was severely criticized on Monday by members of the media covering the Central Committee meeting for the answers he was providing to Parliament said that USM is in possession of a building permit which would allow them to fill in parts of the pond for their expansion. He said that while many persons don't know about this, the government of St. Maarten made their plans around that so that when the pond is filled in their would be a straight line rather than a zigzag all over the pond.

Marlin made clear that he issued a stop order on the filling in of the pond, but the sand which was taken from the harbor and placed at the location will remain there until a solution is found. The VROMI Minister said that if Parliament decides that the drag strip and cricket strip cannot be built at the location then the sand will be removed. Marlin said one thing that must be clear to the people is that the filling in of the pond for the two sports facilities will not hinder the salt pans. The VROMI Minister said since the announcement of the drag strip and cricket field several persons such as environmental foundations wrote letters and those were the same people that kicked against the ring road. He said sand was placed in the area where the ring road is to be built since 1999 but nothing was done to complete the project. "The present government is not concentrating on the ring road at this time because the ring road will not solve the present traffic congestion on the island. Right now my Ministry is concentrating on links six and seven and also link four (Alexis Arnell Road.)"

As for the development of the road infrastructure Marlin said that the government of St. Maarten did not take a decision to build a tunnel, he said he ordered a study to determine if a tunnel would alleviate the traffic congestion when the causeway (bridge to nowhere) is completed. Marlin further explained that his government did not take any decision on building a sewage plant in Cape Bay and neither is the government of St. Maarten planning to buy out the properties in the area. He said that so far government is still conducting studies for the sewage and waste management plant which will be built on the dump which now stands at 24meters high.

The Minister of VROMI was stopped by Member of Parliament Johan Janchi Leonard who felt that Marlin was giving too much details in his answering but the chair of Parliament quickly reminded Leonard that the Minister was answering the questions that were posed by several members of Parliament.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague assisted the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry who attended a recent Inter Expo Economic Mission 2012 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

The Chamber's delegation comprised of its Chairman of the Board, Arthur Bute and its Director, Claret Connor in this match making session supported by Perry Geerlings, Deputy Director of the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary in the Hague. The St. Maarten delegation conducted various match making sessions during the Inter Expo Mission.

During the match making session the Chamber delegation was able to discuss in more details the business opportunities St. Maarten has to offer.

The matchmaking sessions allowed parties interested in doing business in St. Maarten to be informed in more details about regulations, requirements, but also about the needs of the St. Maarten economy.

The Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary was supportive to the mission of the Chamber delegation and would like to emphasize that one of the functions of the cabinet is to render support in all possible ways to all ministries, government departments and (business) organizations of St. Maarten on their trips to the Netherlands and Europe.

The support can be rendered in all forms, such as personnel support, research and mediation, Deputy Director Perry Geerlings said on Sunday.

"We are the extended arm of the St. Maarten government and society if required, and we hope that more use will be made of the opportunities and services we can render," Geerlings told the Department of Communications (DCOMM) on Sunday.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Everything is in place for the Office of the Ombudsman community information session for the residents of Simpson Bay, Pelican, Beacon Hill, Maho, Mullet Bay, and Cupecoy.

Residents from Cole Bay and Cay Bay who did not get to attend the session in Cole Bay several weeks ago are also welcome to attend the meeting in Simpson Bay.

The session will be held at the Allen Halley Jr. Recreational Center at Sr. Modesta Road #25 in Simpson Bay (next to the basketball court) on Tuesday, December 04 from 7:30pm to 9:00pm.

The community information session will allow residents from the aforementioned communities to learn more about the role of the Office of the Ombudsman and how it can assist individuals.

The Ombudsman will be available to provide information and to answer any questions that members of the community may have with respect to the role of the organization with respect to the citizen.

For more information and inquiries you can call Tel. 542-1250 or via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee of Parliament will meet in session on December 06.

The Minister of Justice Hon. Roland Duncan will be providing answers to Members of Parliament posed in the first round.

The central committee public session is a continuation of a meeting and will take place on Thursday afternoon at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber.

The agenda point based on the previous meeting is a presentation by the Minister of Justice regarding the Justice Park. This meeting was requested by the Minister of Justice on October 30, 2012.

Members of the public are always welcome to be present in the General Assembly Chamber during public meetings to follow the parliamentary session scheduled for that particular day.

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

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 also via www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Left to right, Tadzio Bevoerts, Director of the Nature Foundation receiving at the 7th Annual St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA) Crystal Pineapple Environmental Award from the Minister of Finance Hon. Roland Tuitt on Friday.

The Nature Foundation manages the St. Maarten Marine Park, the only designated nature park area of the island. The foundation has spearheaded a number of projects over the years and is also presently active in various activities that help to promote environmental awareness in the community and conserve our fragile marine life.

Philipsburg:--- On Friday November 30th, 2012, the five day course on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), which was opened by the Minister of Justice Honorable Roland Duncan on Monday November 25th at the Divi Little bay Hotel ended. This course was organized by the Sint Maarten Police Force through the Ministry of Justice. The course was provided by the National Institute of Crime Prevention and given by police officer Art Hushen from the City of Tampa Police Department. Representatives from the police force of the BES-islands and Anguilla and representatives from the Tourist Department and Department of VROMI attended this course. All participants received their CPTED Specialist certificate at the closing of the course.

Marigot:--- Joycelin Carty, a native St. Martiner and mother of 21 year old Joseph Lewest, who was stabbed to death last Wednesday night criticized a newspaper article which stated that her son was a gang member. Carty said that the article even stated that she was in Guadeloupe at the time her son was stabbed to death. The bereaved mother said she was at her home on Cheveries French Cul de Sac when her son was stabbed to death by 24 year old Donald Durogene also of Cheveries. Ms. Carty told SMN News Sunday night that the night her son was stabbed she went to the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital to see her son's condition and the doctors at the hospital refused to let her see her son even though they knew he was already dead when he reached the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital. The grieving mother further explained that she learned of her son's death the following morning from his grandmother who resides in Guadeloupe and she heard the news on TV and radio that her grandson had succumbed to his injuries.

Joceyline Carty said when she got the call she rushed to the hospital and the doctors told her they did their best to save her son and they also told her that they could not let her know that her son had died because too many of his friends and relatives were outside of the hospital Wednesday night and they were trying to avoid a commotion.

Joceyline Carty said that the young man who stabbed her son to death lives in her neighborhood and her son knew the young man who has been breaking into homes in the neighborhood. Carty said the night her son got killed he was celebrating his birthday and he saw "Donald" and confronted him because "Donald" broke into her neighbor's house and her son told him that since he broke into that person house he will soon break into her house. She said because of the remarks her son made to "Donald" an argument started which ended up in a fight. Ms. Carty said a second person tried to part the fight and he too was stabbed. She said when Joseph was stabbed he tried to rush home but he fell on the way and that is where the ambulance and other first aid assistants met him and tried to save his life. As for the killer Carty said he jumped into the ambulance and it was inside the ambulance he was arrested. Donald Durogene was evacuated to Guadeloupe on Saturday the bereaved mother said.

SOUTH REWARD:--- The United Student Government Front (USGF) on Thursday (November 29, 2012) hosted the second in a series of Parliamentary Procedures workshops for students. The venue was St. Dominic High School.

Close to two dozen students from the host school, as well as the two campuses of St. Maarten Academy received training on how to conduct the meetings of their respective student government associations.

Veteran Toastmaster John Hodge guided the participants on how to present, move, and vote on motions. Previous training in October equipped the students with knowledge of preparing agendas for their meetings, as well as parliamentary terminologies to ensure the smooth execution of their conferences.

After Thursday's workshop, everyone participated in an early Christmas dinner. The final part of training will take place on April 18, 2013. USGF, which mainly aims at building leadership skills among high school students, will also host an interscholastic board games competition in January 2013. All high schools are encouraged to participate.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs on Thursday met with the heirs of the Plantz Family to discuss plans regarding the Bethlehem Estate property.

ST. MAARTEN, DUTCH CARIBBEAN:--- IGY Marinas has announced that the official dates for the Captains' Briefing at The Yacht Club at Isle de Sol by the US Superyacht Association are January 16th and 17th 2013. The two-day extended seminar will be held along with The Maritime Security Council as well as several other sponsors who are helping the event take shape.

Program highlights for the Captains' Briefing include Security Presentations & Exercises and US Entry and Flag State Audits, all of which accompany a Certificate of Completion. Nightly cocktail parties are planned as well.

The two-day event schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, January 16th 2pm to 5pm

-Welcome to St. Maarten, Prime Minister Address

-U.S. Coast Guard Security Initiatives in the Caribbean Basin

USCG Admiral Baumgarten

-Weapons onboard your vessel: Overview of international laws, regulations, and considerations

-Break

-Situational Awareness and security technology: How technology can help you improve your awareness

-How ISPS/SOLAS affect security decisions: International regulations and their implications to your security plans.

-Table Top exercise for large yachts

-Questions, Wrap-up

Welcome cocktail reception

Thursday January 17th: 2pm to 5pm

-Welcome to SXM: John Mann, Chairman USSA (industry updates and USSA program focus in 2013)

-STCW Manila Amendments: How its implementation will affect your license and crew certification

-Break

-Come See U.S. Update: Cruising the U.S. this summer? Get updates on how the USSA is making it easier for boats to come and cruise the U.S. waters.

-Port State Control and Flag State Audits/Paris MOU: Common deficiencies that can cause your boat compliance issues.

-MLC Update: What's happening with the implementation?

-"Make the Left" Destination U.S. West Coast and America's Cup events update

-Wrap-up and thank sponsors, next USSA event

Evening: Cocktail reception

Sponsors include: MegaFend, IGY Marinas, Yacht Chandlers, Crown Bay Marina, National Marine Suppliers, Palm Harbor Marina and Jetlev.

For more information, contact the USSA at 954.792.8666 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHILIPSBURG:--- Increased access to antiretroviral treatment has changed the face of the HIV epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean, helping tens of thousands of people to live longer and healthier lives while also helping prevent HIV transmission between sexual partners and from mothers to infants.

President of Parliament Hon. Drs. Rodolphe Samuel, commends the St. Maarten AIDS Foundation for all its efforts and initiatives that have been implemented since the organization was established back in 1990.

The President's commendation comes after the world celebrated World AIDS Day on 1 December.

The foundation was established to promote awareness among the general population about the existence and risks of HIV, AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

Other areas of foundations responsibility are to prevent HIV infection in the community via educational programs; to prevent and reduce the possible negative social, economic and/or personal consequences of the HIV/AIDS epidemic; and to assist with the care and support for Persons Living with HIV and AIDS.

Between 2011-2015, World AIDS Days will have the theme of "Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths."

"I support the new world Zero AIDS campaign which signifies a push towards greater access to treatment for all, also for Governments to fulfill their role. Every country, government and members of a community have a role to play in getting to zero," President of Parliament Hon. Drs. Rodolphe Samuel said on Sunday.

Latin America and the Caribbean have the highest level of antiretroviral treatment coverage of any mid-low income region in the world, with an estimated 68 per cent of people who need treatment receiving it in Latin America, and 67 per cent in the Caribbean.

The region has also made great progress in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The number of children born with HIV has declined 32 per cent in the Caribbean since 2001, and 24 per cent in Latin America, according to World Health Organization figures.

The St. Maarten Nature Foundation has started to place demarcation buoys marking the boundary of the Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area (MPA). The demarcation buoy was placed on the Carib Cargo dive site which sits on the Western Boundary of the Man of war Shoal Marine Protected Area. The buoy serves to let the public know where the boundary of the MPA lies so as to avoid confusion with regards to the activities allowed and not allowed within the Marine Park. The buoy will also serve as a Dive Mooring.

The boundaries of the MPA are between 18̊ ̊N and 17 ̊-57.0 N and 63 ̊-01.03 W and 63 ̊-04.05 W, in an area better known as "the Proselyte Reef Complex ". This area includes the island's most ecologically and economical important marine habitat, including extensive coral reef areas and seagrass beds. This area was chosen to be a priority for official conservation because of its intrinsic ecological, economic and cultural value. The Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area is a home and migratory stop over or breeding site for 3 IUCN Red List Species, 10 CITES Appendix I species and 89 Appendix II species. It is an area with a relatively healthy population of marine mammals including migratory whales and dolphins, numerous species of shark, sea turtles and numerous fish species. Studies conducted by the St. Maarten Nature Foundation have shown that biodiversity in this area, particularly coral reef density, is high and the economic goods and services which the ecosystem provides are in excess of fifty million dollars annually. The establishing of the Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area is also in accordance with the Specially Protected Areas of Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol and with the Federal Decree on Maritime Management.

Great Bay:--- The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labor held a Recognition Ceremony on the 26th November, 2012 to commemorate their partnership with the Private Sector in regards to the SEI project Employability through Training. The goal of the project "Employability through Training" is to assist unskilled unemployed individuals to acquire basic work related skills and knowledge to help bridge the distance between them and suitable employment within the local labor market by offering specialized training and internship opportunities. The project started last quarter 2011 and now has four groups of SEI participants consisting of 51 students and 20 well established businesses on board. Ms. Jonaika Romney and Mr. Kazembe Hickinson was two participants that received an employment contract through this SEI initiative. The two companies that were presented a special award for employing these SEI participants were respectively Budget Marine, represented by Mr. Bas de Rooij & St. Maarten 12 Metre Challenge, represented by Mr. Collin Percy and Christopher Tipping. Businesses as well as participants are urged to take advantage of the services accessible via this project by contacting the Labor Affairs Agency on W.J.A Nisbeth Road #57 Philipsburg, St. Maarten or call telephone number (1721)-542-3547/ (1721)-543-7510.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Preparations are in place for the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (MinVROMI) Town Hall meeting covering Dawn Beach, Red Pond, Guana Bay, and Point Blanche to be held on Tuesday evening, December 4.

Topics to be brought forward in the meeting will concern roads, tourism and recreation, industry and commercial functions, housing, public space, water and landscape, cultural heritage and archaeology.

Contributions by the community are essential in the development of future plans and are a great opportunity for residents and others to bring forward their ideas.

Residents, stakeholders and interested persons are invited to attend the town hall meeting which will take place at the University of St. Martin from 7:00pm to 9:30pm. The meeting is part of the process of drafting "development plans" for country Sint Maarten.

The development plan will comprise of a legal framework for possible future development that would take place in the district; to designate and/or reserve land for desired use; to prevent undesired development; and to offer legal security to residents about future development in their district.

This is the first meeting for this area which will allow residents, stakeholders and interested persons of the aforementioned districts to provide their views and ideas with respect to the future development of their districts. The views presented by the public will then be included into the design development plan and presented at a follow-up town hall meeting.

The process to develop the development plans are funded by the Dutch agency USONA to the tune of Naf. 2 million.

Great Bay:--- Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever showed solidarity with other wheel chair bound persons last weekend during the opening of the "Be Able" Disabled Awareness week. Athletes are currently here on the island to participate in the wheel chair tennis tournament as part of the activities for Disabled Awareness Week. "I did this exercise together with the wheel chair bound participants to get the feel of what persons in a wheel chair have to deal with on a daily basis," said Minister De Weever.
Minister De Weever further stated that "It is extremely important for us all to understand that at any unfortunate moment one can become confined to a wheelchair. One can be involved in a shooting, a motorbike or car accident and become physically challenged. Diabetics, smokers with decreased circulation in need of an amputation or a fall can also cause you to be wheelchair bound. We cannot afford to take our health for granted, we must be proactive - keep getting checked and always put safety first."

Dutch Quarter:--- The OASIS Game training will be winding down this weekend with a Celebration on Sunday evening in Dutch Quarter. The event at one point attracted up to 80 people.

On December 1 and 2 activities will be held at the De Weever property along the main road starting at 8am to 6pm on both days. The entire Dutch Quarter community is invited to come out on both days to share their talents, humor, skills and creativity with friends, neighbors and young people.

A core group of approximately 15 persons have acquired the status of the Dutch Quarter OASIS Games Team Players who will receive certificates on Monday. The Dutch Quarter Community Council (DQCC) according to one of the project coordinators Ron Oei, was a key link that was involved in the preparatory phase of the process.

The DQCC has also facilitated the process during the past two weeks and Oei and his team hopes that other community councils will follow suit.

The Dutch Quarter community have come together and to build their dream for their neighborhood which entails a playground, sitting area and the beautification of the pond near the main road.

The OASIS game originates from the favelas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Earlier this year, OASIS games were organized on Curacao and Bonaire.

The European Development Fund is funding this initiative through USONA.

Grade Five of the St. Dominic Primary School held a beach Cleanup on Guana Bay Beach on Thursday. Some thirty one students accompanied by teachers Liesel and Beverly, parents and staff of the St. Maarten Nature Foundation collected some eight garbage bags of primarily plastic debris from the beach. On Tuesday the Nature Foundation gave a presentation to the students explaining them about the wildlife of St. Maarten and the reasons for keeping the beaches clean. During the presentation the students were also given information about local St. Maarten beaches and their importance for nesting sea turtles, plastic pollution and the various animals that make their home in the sea. The Nature Foundation thanked all thirty-one students, parents and Teachers for working hard in keeping St. Maarten's beaches clean.