Articles

Last week some of the board members of Soualiga Social Movement attended the town hall meeting with the subject "Hillside Conservation Act". The presentation was very informative and the civil servants present were able to answer most of the questions. However, we learned that no specific policies were in place regarding agriculture, besides the one for the ecological/agricultural section in Emilio Wilson Estate. Agriculture would fall under "Residential - To Be Determined". On the other hand, feasibility studies are being carried out to have the tunnels become a reality and negotiations with land owners already took place to purchase land to make provisions for these same tunnels.

Agriculture creates an environment which lends itself to carry out social programs. To name just a few: teach youngsters to "care", get people out of a stressful situation and guide them back onto the labour market and educational programs.

Without a doubt we can say that fresh local produce have preference over products from abroad, simply because the timeframe between the harvesting of produce to the consumer is much shorter than when the produce come from abroad.

Add to that the economic benefits like preventing money going abroad but circulating on the island, because produce being purchased locally instead of abroad. Or we can argue that shipping costs are eliminated and one layer of "sellers" will be eliminated. Shops, restaurants, hotels or even consumers can buy straight from the locations where the products are grown. This reducing of costs can be an incentive for our people to buy more fresh produce (increasing health) and it will contribute to reduce the cost of living. Cost efficiency can only be obtained when there is agriculture on a large scale. We can also argue that a healthier population has lower health care costs and we can even argue that increased health increases performances in learning and increases in performance on the job (higher production). It has been proven that a healthy educated society suffers from a low crime rate.

Based on the aforementioned we can easily conclude that agriculture has a significant influence on the improvement of a society. Without judging projects like the Justice Park, Airport expansion/upgrade and the envisioned tunnels we seriously wonder if the right priority is given to agriculture and agricultural programs. Calling a small piece of land allocated for agriculture in Emilio Wilson Estate giving priority to agriculture is like calling a bucket of water in the back yard a pool. We hope to see the same effort being taken in feasibility studies for agriculture and purchasing land for agriculture as for other projects by any government. We need a project that is beneficial socially, health wise and economically. We need agriculture. #sxmmovement

Soualiga Social Movement

'Just the beginning of rising global demands of natives for their human rights of self-preservation'.

It went down, without a 'splash' in the local media.

Apparently, the TODAY-newspaper, of Thursday, February 21 tried to 'down-play' it's profound significance, by posting it 'inconspicuously' on page 6, which read; Asscher; All foreigners to sign 'participation contract'.

No editorial, no commentary – yeah - no nothing – just bring it like the proverbial 'thief in the night' and hope that nobody reads it, and certainly pays any due attention to its implication for our own island.

But, my dear friend 'Bert' Haar – 'nice try' – but, you gotta come again.

Too bad for you, but many people did read it and some even understood its many implications.

For one, the concept as proposed by Lodewijk Asscher, fundamentally is no different than what has been championed under challenging conditions, by me, your good friend, Leopold James, for my own country of heritage – St. Martin.

But alas, what a difference day makes for Mr. Haar, depending on who writes what.

As soon as, a letter to the editor by Leopold James, is received on the computer or Blackberry of Mr. HAAR, it immediately gets 'under his skin', unleashing the proverbial 'kneejerk reactions' and then 'all hell broke lose'.

Haar then unleashes, vicious, editorials, commentaries and personal attacks on 'messenger' Leopold James – depicting him every conceivable 'xenophobic wacko'.

Not this time though with the proposal by Mr. Lodewijk Ascher – All foreigners to sign 'participation contract'.

For the record.

Lodewijk Asscher is no Dutch 'John Doe'

Just 'google' Lodewijk Asscher for yourselves.

In summary, Lodewijk Frans Asscher is a powerful Dutch politician of the Labour Party. He has been the Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment in the Cabinet Rutte II since November 5, 2012.

Now let is compare, Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher's proposed 'participation contract' with our St. Martin grassroots pledge of allegiance, to be signed by all its board-members and associates.

Without going into any detail, what becomes more than evident, reading both documents is that they are de facto based on similar underlying motives.

The main one being that they in fact are intended to make sure that immigrants -'outsiders' if you will - will never be able to commit '(cultural-) genocide by substitution' on their respective native people !

In other words.

All those 'new-comers' to the respective countries of heritage, might be most welcome if they are of an 'added value' AND if they de facto commit themselves to preserving the cultural-heritage of the host-country and by doing, so commit themselves to the native people's rights to remain the host at all times !

That is 'key-element' both documents have in common and which of course makes all the sense in the world.

This 'universal principle' that 'Charity should start at home' , that connects the Dutch proposed 'Participation contract' and the Grassroots St. Martin Pledge of allegiance, is the true reason, why my great 'nemesis' Hilbert Haar, did his utmost best to avoid commenting on the issue.

He full well realizes that it only can boost the image and credibility of our own local, native St. Martin grassroots movement.

Alas, for 'Bert'.

Not knowing what it is to have a real home and to be rooted somewhere, he is the one increasingly becoming out of touch.

Cases in point.

Even our formerly 'sleepy' sister islands Saba, Statia and Bonaire, people are starting to awaken to the importance of 'self-preservation', now that they are seeing and starting to feel the implications of the neo-colonial relationship with 'Mother-land' Holland.

Although, I cautioned them for years , it is finally starting to sink their minds, that when one does not define oneself culturally and does not protect one's own cultural heritage- and identity, one puts one's self totally at risk of imported 'alien cultures' .

This process is called cultural imperialism and it is a very stealthily and effective method to wipe out an entire people – bloodlessly.

In this regard, we commend in Saba, Will Johnson, for starting to re-recognize the importance of his Saba indigenous people and for re-start his own newspaper - online - it is a very good and necessary initiative.

Also, my former student and psychologist in Statia, drs. Xiomara Balentina, for stepping up to the plate and organizing an I-petition drive for a new referendum on that island.

One thing all these initiatives, that on face value look un-connected, have in common is the natural and even divine incline of every living creature to preserve self – and a people's effort towards self preservation is a most powerful expression of such energy.

What is now lacking and is a veritable 'nightmare' to its opponents – is the networking between all of these global initiatives and sharing their potentials.

So, politicians and media –collaborators, just start get used to that scenario- it is inevitable !

Thanks for your attention.

Leopold JAMES
President of the St. Martin grassroots people movement and still...
A proud, conscious, native, indigenous St. Martiner – without apologies.

Globalization has many benefits but as with everything in life the purpose for which a concept started later on becomes distorted and corrupted and then no longer serves its original purpose. One of the negatives of globalization is that it has managed to break interdependencies among communities. So let us say in a village context some persons immigrated to a village to do primarily business and they had access to goods via their networks globally outside of the village. It meant then that as these persons come in and start to do business they dilute the way of life of the villagers. Interdependency that was once strong among the people starts to erode. So villagers might develop the habit of saying I am not going to contribute to local production because I can get products from overseas. Therefore I don't need to depend on my fellow villager anymore. When a villager depended on their fellow villager for their contribution (skill set, knowledge, etc) a level of respect towards one another was evident. For example someone with healing skills (e.g. herbalist or bush doctor) would not be easily harmed because if done and that skill set was limited, villagers getting ill would have an issue getting healed.

Bernard Lietaer said: "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." So today the focus is not really on serving human needs via trade but the focus is on getting money. One of the only legal ways of doing so, unless you are a central or commercial bank, is via trade. Within trade there are also many practices that do not allow human labor to get its fair share. This is to increase profit. Taxes on human labor (wage tax) compound this issue as well. Full employment can never thus occur in a profit centric environment.

My research has revealed that the more money and profit industries pursue the higher the unemployment rate goes. Today, many companies and banks are sitting on piles of cash sitting idly while the unemployment rates are at record highs. In addition, the two main contributors of wholesale unemployment are: Technological unemployment and the outsourcing of work overseas where labor is "perceived" to be cheaper. Through machines (mechanization) and automation many jobs once performed by humans are no longer needed. And jobs that have not yet been automated are shipped overseas to places like China, India, Vietnam, etc. Researched has also shown that the globe has stabilized as it pertains to production. To keep the present rat race money system going, things are deliberately made to break down within a short period of time. This as a consequence is leading to resource depletion. So the wasting of copper, aluminum, oil, etc is resulting that the same level of production growth and thus economic growth seen in the past cannot be achieved and is also unsustainable on a planet with finite resources. Of course resource depletion will benefit some corporations once the supply gets less. Prices are affected by supply and demand and the more demand there is in relation to supply, prices go up. In such an environment, mergers and (hostile) takeovers of companies will likely take place making the number of suppliers less and thus further price increases will occur.

Through extensive research done by the North American Technate TNAT Technocracy design group, they came up with a potential new system with some of the following benefits: one would be able to work from the age of 25 and retire at 45, work for a 165 days per year, have 78 vacation days, and work in a shift system where 4 hours working shift a day can be the norm. The use of energy certificates rather than the use of money would be part of this system. Could you imagine your purchasing power increasing from year to year rather than decreasing as it is now through inflation? That is just one of the benefits of replacing money with energy certificates. From my review and understanding of such a system the benefits for mankind and the earth in general would be immense. However, I don't see such a system ever occurring in this lifetime or at least not in mines even though we already have all that is needed to make such a system a reality in the next few years. The majority of the world's population is holding on to an outdated social, economic, and financial system therefore the status quo will remain and thus will limit us from achieving such a new paradigm shift.

It will be interesting to see how this wholesale unemployment phenomenon with its new, never before experienced, context will affect the entire world who still gravitates to the concept of go to college to get a good/high degree, accumulating high amounts of debt in the process, to get a good paying job will pan out for many in years to come. Many higher education degrees actually have a negative return on investment. The evidence can be seen with the many graduates in America who sit on the unemployment line or they are underemployed while their debt accumulates exponentially from interest payments due that accrues and thus grows faster than the rate of inflation.

Emilio Kalmera

Is there a relationship between profit and unemployment? There is enough evidence that would suggest yes.

In the past when trade was done via bartering, the village concept was such that persons in a village produced in so far possible what they needed first for themselves and any excess above this production would be traded with another village or villages. Most persons fail to see the importance and benefits of this village concept. One of the core benefits among many who lived in a village concept is that the interdependency was and had to be strong among the people for them to survive. Interdependency creates bonding and the essence of the word community (together among each other) is maintained. As persons continue working from day to day they become more knowledgeable and they learn more creative and efficient ways to production. These efficiencies help create an excess to what the village can consume and thus trading with other villages would increase. Trading with other villages also created markets and also interdependencies among the various villagers. The key in all of this however is that productive trading based on real human needs was central. Employment was also never an issue because the production, storing, and distribution of the basic needs are a constant ongoing affair. And since most basic items in the past perished easily, hoarding made very little sense.

All consumable goods have their original source in the earth. From the earth matter is moved by mining, by agriculture, or by some other process into some form of manufacture. From the factory the finished product moves to the wholesaler, thence to the retailer, and finally to the consumer. Goods move in one direction, from the earth to the consumer and back to the earth again; money moves from the consumer to the retailer, the wholesaler, the manufacturer, and finally the landowner. But this monetary stream is being tapped at each section of its length, and being fed back as wages, rent, interest, profits, etc., and becomes the income of various individuals, who are themselves consumers. By the time this monetary stream reaches the ultimate landowner, who is the last person in the physical flow line, every cent that was originally paid to the retailer has been in this manner accounted for. Thus, if a million dollars passes from the consumer to the retailer, a million dollars worth of goods will be produced and consumed, and this same million dollars in the form of wages and salaries, rent, interest, profits, royalties, etc., will be paid out to individuals who are consumers, and will accordingly increase their incomes by the amount of one million dollars. Thus the sale of one million dollars worth of goods in this manner ultimately should provide consumers with one million dollars with which to buy another million dollars worth of goods. That is, provided that none of the million dollars originally spent is retained (savings, profit retaining or unbalanced redistribution) in any manner. Let us suppose, however, that somewhere along the route a part of this money passes into the hands of corporations, and that these corporations are making a profit, only part of which they payout as dividends, the remainder being held as corporation surplus. If, in this manner, out of each million dollars paid in by the consumer, 100,000 dollars was held out by the corporation as surplus, then only 900,000 dollars would be returned to the consumer. Consequently, the second time around, the consumer would be able to buy only nine-tenths as much goods as he bought the first time (assuming no credit are bank loans are taking). Industrial operations would, accordingly, only be nine-tenths as great. This process would continue with industry shutting down one-tenth of its previous production for each time the money made its complete circuit until ultimately complete industrial paralysis would result. This, of course, assumes that the money which was saved by corporations was locked up in a vault or hoarded. The same result would occur if individuals, thinking that they might need some money for illness or old age, instead of spending all they received, should decide to lock a part of it up and keep it. To the extent that this was done, goods would not be bought, and industry would not operate. Thus we come to the conclusion that if prices remain the same, and if either corporations or individuals save by withholding from circulation a part of the money which they receive, the ultimate result will be industrial paralysis. This of course assumes no buying on credit or consumer loans. - This paragraph was adapted from the Technocracy Study Course free download booklet, pages 138 to 141, technatedesign-tnat.blogspot.com -

Emilio Kalmera

The new Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Dominica national Dr. Carissa Etienne, said recently that she will be working closely with PAHO member countries to extend the benefits of health progress to all people in the Americas which also includes the Caribbean, with priority of accelerating progress toward universal access to quality health care.

Dr. Etienne points out that no other single achievement would contribute more to ensuring a long, dignified and productive life when the people of a nation have universal access to quality health care.

The Americas have made impressive health progress, with major gains in life expectancy, declining infant mortality, high rates of immunization, improved nutrition, expanded access to health care and health education, and newly available medicines and health technologies.

Country Sint Maarten is looking at a number of areas where health care is concerned.

The Minister of Public Health Hon. Cornelius de Weever recently informed Parliament that there would be an increased partnership with regional health care providers; Social Health Insurance (SZV) provider is also currently finalizing its care contract plan, referral system, cost efficiency and quality assurance; the SZV and Minister also visited the Dominican Republic and Colombia to establish a working relationship with health care entities in those countries.

The Governing Program (GP) of the coalition calls and also supports the expansion of the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC), therefore meeting the needs of a growing and changing population as well as expanding its services to accommodate more medical specialties and support services.

Government also intends to phase in a new health insurance system, "The National Health Insurance" based on the philosophy of equal access to essential health services. The GP also states in its 2.6 Improved Wellness & Health Care Chapter that Government intends to pursue the development of medical tourism on St. Maarten.

The new PAHO Director Dr. Etienne also stated that health can be a driving force for change, where improved health and access to health care will translate into stronger economies, more cohesive societies, and in nations better able to integrate and compete in the global world.

What Dr. Etienne has said in the aforementioned paragraph holds very true. We must as a nation make health the driving force for change. A healthy nation leads to an even more productive nation which translates into besides the wealth of being healthy, but economic wealth as well.

Our aim as a country must be to continue to advance as a society, capable of sustaining our own development and providing for a high standard of living for all our people and for generations to come.

Roddy Heyliger

Dear Editors,

Please allow me some space to offer a few words. It is with great pleasure that I learned of the initiative by the Department of Tourism, EPIC, St. Maarten Pride and the Ministry VROMI/ Public Works to place garbage bins along the beaches of Mullet Bay and Kim Sha beach. For years these beaches, which belong to some of our most beautiful and most visited, have had to contend with large amounts of garbage and refuse due to there not being adequate cleanup of or opportunities for the disposal of waste at the beaches.

The Nature Foundation and her sister organizations have continuously lamented the fact that the garbage, other than being an eyesore for visitors and residents alike, also has significant impacts for not only the environment but also for public health and safety, particularly along the beaches. These include infestation of pests along the beaches, more particularly ants and rats, the control of which the Nature Foundation is now researching. This also includes skin and ear infections and gastro-intestinal diseases. So with that in mind I would like to express my sincerest congratulations and deepest gratitude, on behalf of myself personally and on behalf of the Nature Foundation, for this much needed and long-overdue initiative.

As a conservation organization we urge all to use the bins which have been placed there for your benefit. Hopefully this is a new chapter on St. Maarten with regards to holistic ecosystem and waste management where waste, and in particular plastic waste, is kept from our beaches and from entering the ecosystem. Not only for the benefit of the turtles, fish, birds and other animals that call our beaches and our waters home, but for us St. Maarteners and those fortunate enough to visit our wonderful island.

So once again on behalf of the Board and Staff of the St. Maarten Nature Foundation we would like to say thank you for this great initiative and we urge all citizens to make use of the bins to keep St. Maarten the clean and beautiful island it is.

Tadzio Bervoets
St. Maarten Nature Foundation

Before 10/10/10 WINAIR was owned for 100% by the government of the former Netherlands Antilles. Airfares to and from Saba and St. Eustatius were dictated by the shareholder and promised subsidies were few and far between. Effective October 10th, 2010, St. Maarten and the Netherlands became co-owners of WINAIR and within months persons representing the new Shareholders' Representatives, as well as new Supervisory Board members were installed. At the same time a new Management team was installed with marching orders: "make the airline operationally profitable on the strength of its commercial viability and do not expect any subsidies from either one of the new Shareholders". That is exactly what has been done and where the airline is headed. The Netherlands' government has very much been involved in this exercise to date and we respectfully suggest that Minister Plasterk might contact his government's very able and active Shareholder Representative's office and/or their (also extremely active and knowledgeable) representative on the WINAIR Supervisory Board of Directors to be properly updated. As an aside re Medical Emergency Evacuations (Medivacs) out of the two BESS islands: WINAIR has for 50 years successfully flown Medivac flights out of Saba and St.Eustatius on an as-need basis with no loss of life. Since the Netherlands took over the responsibilities of the former Netherlands Antilles Government as they relate to Saba and St. Eustatius, WINAIR has been instructed that it can no longer execute MEDIVAC flights out of the two islands, as it is not registered as, nor equipped to be an official Air Ambulance company. WINAIR continues to be willing and able to resume the above mentioned MEDIVAC flight services on a flight charter basis whenever requested to do so.

Respectfully,

Michael J. Ferrier
WINAIR Advisor

Not all the time many words are needed to get a point across. So, this time a short article from our side. Actions speak sometimes louder than words.

We all know the example of the twig that can easily be snapped once alone, but which is hard to break within a bundle of twigs. The more twigs in the bundle, the harder it becomes to break the twig. It is no different when it comes to us human beings. A goal might seem impossible to achieve once a person stands alone, but once joined with others the goal becomes more and more realistic as the number of persons involved increase.

Last weekend's initiative taken by "The Cay Hill Boys" to address issues in their community is a great example of what is possible when people come together. The ironic part is that it is these same boys, who we often talk about in a negative way (too lazy to work, always hanging around smoking weed, bunch of criminals etc), who took it upon themselves to take a stand and unite. And they don't unite just "The Cay Hill Boys", but everybody within their community.

It is because of "The Cay Hill Boys" that many issues will be addressed and dealt with. It is because of them that awareness was elevated. It is because of them that the feeling of a "community" has been and is being increased. It is because of them that other organizations got involved. It is because of them that more residents got involved.

Our point is: Other groups before and now "The Cay Hill Boys" have shown that when you come together and deal with issues together, goals can be achieved. It is about awareness, inclusion and participation. It is about strength through numbers...#sxmmovement.

Soualiga Social Movement

A U.S. report entitled, "Preventing a Security Crisis in the Caribbean," issued by the U.S. Congress last year says that despite impressive gains, drug trafficking, local drug consumption and the U.S. demand for illegal drugs remain major causes of crime and violence.

Cocaine trafficking through the Caribbean en route to Europe has increased 800 per cent in the past two years due, among other reasons, the lack of technological resources in ports, according to conclusion of a seminar "Police Investigation of Maritime Cocaine Trafficking, with Special Reference to Container Traffic," that was held Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

A senior official of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) has described as disturbing the illicit trafficking of small arms and the growth of gangs in the region. The Caribbean region continues to be among the top three, globally, for high incidence of homicides.

The IMPACS says what is more disturbing, are recent trends indicating significant growth in gang formation.

Barbados Prime Minister (PM) Freundel Stuart says security issues are real for us here in the Caribbean..."If we did not want to be mature up to then (the Grenada coup)...We were forced into maturity by those events and we came face to face with a reality that we needed to have in place the kind of mechanisms, military and otherwise that would allow us to handle such challenges."

The mechanism that PM Stuart was referring to in a speech is the Regional Security System (RSS) comprising of seven independent English-speaking Caribbean countries. The RSS is prepared for a number of contingencies such as national emergencies, search and rescue, immigration, fishery, customs, and maritime controls as well as threats to national security.

PM Stuart sounded a note of caution for persons to realize that the Caribbean – which country Sint Maarten is part and parcel of – was not divorced from the problems of the world. "Located where we are, we cannot continue to believe that we are insulated or isolated from the threats that bedevil other parts of the world."

Small Island Nation States like ours can be caught off guard if not up to speed on intelligence developments within the region and around the world. Hence, why inter-country agency cooperation is so essential and necessary in the 21st century as noted from the perspective by PM Stuart. For example, according to the United Kingdom Intelligence Services Committee Report, the so-called 'Arab Spring' caught many by surprise and it presented a real challenge to the intelligence community who had to re-prioritize quickly and redirect their resources toward the Mediterranean region.

One of the primary focuses of intelligence services are on the growing threat from Al-Qaeda affiliates on the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Somalia. AQAP according to the UK report has shown itself to be resilient and it remains capable of mounting terrorist attacks against the West. Most recent terrorist activities have been the Algerian gas field attack last month and the French intervention in the African country of Mali on January 11 to stem the advance of AQAP.

Sint Maarten's Security Service could lead the way in bringing the Caribbean together to confront potential future threats to the well-being of the Caribbean people via disruptions in economic activities. Planning is the key and cooperation within the region is essential along with working with other partners within the Western Hemisphere.

Roddy Heyliger

The word "integrity" has been used quite a lot lately when it comes to our local politics and politicians. There are several politicians under police investigation as well as high ranked civil servants with one politician in parliament recently being convicted and banned from public office. Furthermore, the spending of tax payers money for private gain or political mileage and the lack of following the correct procedures to "push through" projects are every day topics. Of course we cannot fail to mention the ongoing incidents surrounding our prosecutor's office.

It is in the best interest of the people that all actions are being scrutinized and investigated if necessary, be it by our police or an independent entity and have the outcome made public. This also means that those who are accused of wrongdoings have their name cleared publicly. Unfortunately, there is a great lack of investigations and communication towards the public about the investigations that do take place or have taken place. So, how can we demand "integrity" from those who have been involved in wrongdoings? What do we do when someone is convicted and still act as our representative?

The heart of the problem lies within the aforementioned. How can we demand something from our representatives if we are not displaying it ourselves? How many of us did except a "bribe" for our vote? How many of us called in a "favor" with one of our civil servants to get something done? What do we do when we know about a person's criminal activities? The list with questions about our "integrity" as a people goes on and on.

An on-line quote: "In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. Integrity can be regarded as the opposite of hypocrisy, in that integrity regards internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties holding apparently conflicting values should account for the discrepancy or alter their beliefs."

So, we should stop being hypocrites and start with installing some "integrity" within ourselves. This is so much needed for us to move forward as a community and as a country into a prosperous future. Transparency, accountability and integrity are the key words for our system to function. But this cannot work without the people for whom this system is supposed to work. We demand integrity and we demand it from all of us. #sxmmovement.

Soualiga Social Movement

Voici les modifications des horaires d'ouverture de la déchèterie de Galisbay-Bienvenue :
A partir du lundi 25 février 2013 :
Du Lundi au vendredi : 10h-17h
Fermeture : Samedi – Dimanche et jours fériés

Conformément à la feuille de route de la grande conférence sociale de juillet 2012, une commission pour l'avenir des retraites sera installée par Jean-Marc Ayrault, Premier ministre, le 27 février 2013, en présence de Marisol Touraine, ministre des Affaires sociales et de la Santé.

La commission sera présidée par Yannick Moreau, Conseiller d'Etat, présidente de section honoraire.

Ainsi que l'a acté la feuille de route, la commission sera chargée, sur la base des rapports du Conseil d'orientation des retraites et d'un cahier des charges qui lui sera remis le jour de son installation, de formuler différentes pistes de réforme des retraites à plus ou moins long terme. Elle préparera ainsi la concertation prévue avec les partenaires sociaux sur ce sujet.

Le 19 février 2013 à l'occasion d'un service de police de la route, la brigade motorisée de St. Martin contrôlait un bus, circulant entre Agrément et Grand Case, qui transportait 7 enfants. La
conductrice ne détenait aucun document relatif au transport de personnes. Les infractions suivantes sont relevées à son encontre : transport public routier de personnes sans convention avec
l'autorité compétente ; exécution d'un travail dissimule ; exercice de l'activité de transporteur public routier de personnes sans inscription au registre des transporteurs ; défaut de permis de
conduire. Sur instruction du parquet, la conductrice était invitée à régulariser son permis dans un délai restreint. Le résultat de ses démarches, déterminera ainsi la nature des poursuites qui seront mises en oeuvre à son encontre.
Cette procédure constitue la sixième réalisée depuis le début de l'année 2013 par la brigade motorisée de St Martin en matière de coordination des transports. Ces procédures ayant
essentiellement été diligentées à l'encontre de taxis et bus ne disposant pas d'autorisations de la Collectivité.
Depuis le début de cette année, la brigade motorisée a par ailleurs relevé 50 infractions pour conduite en état d 'alcoolémie, et 9 infractions pour conduite sous l'empire de produits stupéfiants.

Le 13 janvier 2013, alors qu'il se dirigeait à pied vers son domicile en compagnie de deux de ses amis, un mineur de 14 ans était abordé sur les terrains de tennis de Cul-de-Sac, par un véhicule
avec à son bord une femme et trois hommes. Deux individus étaient sortis de ce véhicule, avaient frappé le jeune homme, puis lui avaient dérobé une paire de chaussures, deux chaînes, un
téléphone et un lecteur Mp3. Les recherches de renseignements réalisées par les enquêteurs de la brigade de recherches de St Martin ont rapidement permis d'identifier l'ensemble des
protagonistes. Les auteurs des coups et du vol, un majeur et un mineur, sont respectivement convoqués devant le tribunal de St Martin le 06 juin prochain, et devant le juge des enfants de St
Martin.

Le 23 février 2009, un vol à main armée avait eu lieu au restaurant Villa Pizza de Marigot. Deux individus, armés respectivement d'une arme à feu réelle et d'une arme à feu à gaz, avaient fait
irruption dans le commerce et avaient cherché à s'emparer du fond de caisse et des objets personnels des clients. Plusieurs coups de feu avaient été tirés, blessant deux personnes.
Les investigations réalisées par la brigade de recherches avaient permis d'identifier un des malfaiteurs. Celui-ci avait toutefois pris la fuite et n'avait pu être interpellé, un mandat de recherche avait cependant été émis à son encontre.
Le 05 février 2013, cet individu a été contrôlé et interpellé par des policiers du commissariat de Pointe-à-Pitre qu'ils ont placé en garde à vue. Celui-ci a été convoqué devant le tribunal de Basse-
Terre devant lequel il devra répondre de ces faits commis il y a quatre ans.
Le 16 août 2010 à 00h45, trois individus dont un était armé d'un sabre d'abatis s'étaient introduits par effraction dans une résidence de la baie orientale. Surpris par un des occupants de la résidence, ils avaient pris la fuite avant de se diriger vers la plage. Ils avaient alors menacé deux personnes se trouvant sur la plage et leur avaient dérobés, un sac, de l'argent et des bijoux. Les investigations réalisées par la brigade de recherches de St Martin ont permis au cours de l'année 2011 d'identifier un des protagonistes. Celui-ci a été interpellé sur la voie publique le 20 janvier dernier lors d'un contrôle réalisé par le peloton de surveillance et d'intervention de St Martin. A l'issue de son placement en garde à vue, il a été convoqué devant le tribunal de St Martin pour le 13 juin prochain.
Le 20 janvier 2013 à 20h45, une jeune femme se faisait dérober son sac à main par deux individus armés, alors qu'elle marchait sur la plage de la Baie Orientale. Les investigations réalisées par la brigade de recherches de St Martin permettent après quelques jours d'identifier les malfaiteurs, qui ont été interpellés à leurs domiciles dès le 29 janvier. Les deux individus, mineurs, sont convoqués devant le juge des enfants de St Martin en vue de leur mise en examen.

L'opération « Les vendredis du Front de mer – Sip N chat fridayz », organisée par l'Office du tourisme en collaboration avec l'Association des commerçants de Marigot, débutera le vendredi 08 février prochain, et s'achèvera le vendredi 26 avril 2013. Cette manifestation, qui durera de 17h à 22h, portera essentiellement sur des animations ludiques et culturelles, ventes artisanales, etc. En cas d'intempérie, elle sera reportée sur les deux prochains vendredis du mois de mai.
A cette occasion, le Boulevard de France, au niveau du restaurant « La Vie en Rose » et jusqu'au rond-point du restaurant « Mini Club », sera fermé à la circulation de 18h à 22h30, du vendredi 15 février 2013 au vendredi 26 avril 2013. L'ensemble de cette zone sera transformée en rue piétonne.
A ce titre,

• l'ensemble des aires de parkings mentionnées ci-dessus sont exclusivement réservé aux organisateurs au fur et à mesure qu'ils se libèrent ;
• la rue de l'embarcadère sera à double sens dès 18h. Le stationnement sur cette voie n'est pas autorisé ;
• la portion de rue donnant dos au Marché alimentaire (côté mer), sera maintenue ouverte à la circulation durant la manifestation ;
• la petite rue située entre la station de taxis et les restaurants locaux sera fermée à la circulation automobile ;
• la portion de la rue Felix Eboué sise entre les restaurant « Le Bar de la mer » et « L'Arhawak » sera fermée à la circulation automobile, jusqu'à l'intersection de la rue de la Liberté ;
• tout véhicule stationné dans les zones interdites mentionnées ci-dessus sera enlevé par la fourrière au frais du contrevenant.

Sareena Carti, la jeune athlète du club Avenir Sportif, s'est qualifiée dès le premier tour pour les Carifta Games 2013, sur sa distance fétiche le 400 mètres en 56''. Les qualifications se sont déroulées ce samedi 16 février à Vieux Habitants.
Son compagnon d'entraînement, Robinson Mena de la Rosa qui s'est lui aussi lancé sur 400m, améliore son record personnel en réalisant 52''39. Malheureusement, il n'atteint pas les minimas, et devra prendre à nouveau le départ du 400 mètres lors du deuxième tour des qualifications qui se tiendra le 2 mars 2013 à Baie-Mahault.
Lors de l'édition 2012 des Carifta Games, Sareena Carti avait déjà réalisé une belle performance et décroché le bronze sur 400 mètres. Cette année encore, elle vise la plus haute marche du podium!

Le jeudi 7 février 2013, vers 12h00, une jeune femme se rend à Grand-Case où elle compte profiter d'un moment de détente sur la plage. Quelques instants plus tard, elle constate la disparition de son sac de plage contenant ses effets personnels, qu'elle venait de poser sur le sable.
Elle alerte alors des gendarmes de l'EGM 24/3 de AUNAY sur AUDON qui se trouvaient à proximité, par ses appels à l'aide. Rapidement, les militaires recueillent les éléments d'identification de l'auteur et la description du sac, avant de se lancer à sa recherche.
L'obstination des gendarmes va porter ses fruits, puisque dans les minutes qui suivent, ils constatent qu'un individu correspond au signalement décrit par la victime. Ils se lancent immédiatement à sa poursuite et l'interpellent sur la voie publique, en possession du sac dérobé.
L'homme, âgé de 19 ans, est remis à un officier de police judiciaire de la communauté de brigades de Saint-Martin et placé en garde à vue. Le sac est quant à lui restitué à sa légitime propriétaire.
A l'issue de sa garde à vue, l'auteur présumé fait l'objet d'une convocation devant le tribunal correctionnel de Saint-Martin pour le 6 juin 2013.

Il est porté à l'attention de la population qu'en raison des fêtes de Carnaval, la déchèterie de Galisbay-Bienvenue sera fermée au public le lundi 11, le mardi 12 et le mercredi 13 février 2013.
La réouverture est prévue le jeudi 14 février 2013 aux horaires habituels.

C'est avec tristesse que nous avons appris le décès de Charles Rosmond Charbonnier, le 7 février dernier.
Au nom du Conseil territorial de Saint-Martin et en mon nom propre, je souhaite adresser mes condoléances les plus sincères à toute sa famille ainsi qu'à ses proches, et je tiens particulièrement à leur exprimer toute ma sympathie et mon amitié dans cette douloureuse circonstance.
Coïncidence du calendrier de la vie ou hasard des circonstances, la maman de Monsieur Charbonnier, Madame Andréa Charbonnier, a fêté ses 90 ans la veille des funérailles de son fils. Une épreuve qui s'avère d'autant plus pénible lorsqu'un enfant part avant un parent, et qui demandera aux membres de la famille et aux proches, un appui sans faille à la maman du défunt. Par ce modeste mot, je m'associe humblement à votre chagrin, et je tiens à vous manifester notre profond soutien, en vous transmettant nos plus sincères condoléances et le témoignage de notre affection.

Alain Richardson

L'opération « Les vendredis du Front de mer – Sip N chat fridayz », organisée par l'Office du tourisme en collaboration avec l'Association des commerçants de Marigot, débutera le vendredi 08 février prochain, et s'achèvera le vendredi 26 avril 2013. Cette manifestation, qui durera de 17h à 22h, portera essentiellement sur des animations ludiques et culturelles, ventes artisanales, etc. En cas d'intempérie, elle sera reportée sur les deux prochains vendredis du mois de mai.
A cette occasion, le Boulevard de France, au niveau du restaurant « La Vie en Rose » et jusqu'au rond-point du restaurant « Mini Club », sera fermé à la circulation de 18h à 22h30, du vendredi 15 février 2013 au vendredi 26 avril 2013. L'ensemble de cette zone sera transformée en rue piétonne.
A ce titre,

• l'ensemble des aires de parkings mentionnées ci-dessus sont exclusivement réservé aux organisateurs au fur et à mesure qu'ils se libèrent ;
• la rue de l'embarcadère sera à double sens dès 18h. Le stationnement sur cette voie n'est pas autorisé ;
• la portion de rue donnant dos au Marché alimentaire (côté mer), sera maintenue ouverte à la circulation durant la manifestation ;
• la petite rue située entre la station de taxis et les restaurants locaux sera fermée à la circulation automobile ;
• la portion de la rue Felix Eboué sise entre les restaurant « Le Bar de la mer » et « L'Arhawak » sera fermée à la circulation automobile, jusqu'à l'intersection de la rue de la Liberté ;
• tout véhicule stationné dans les zones interdites mentionnées ci-dessus sera enlevé par la fourrière au frais du contrevenant.

Dans le cadre d'une enquête de découverte de cadavre diligentée par la brigade de recherches de Saint Martin, la gendarmerie lance un appel à témoin afin d'identifier la victime probablement de sexe féminin.
Les photographies de la bague portée sur un doigt de la main gauche de la victime au moment de sa découverte, sont le seul élément d'identification dont disposent les enquêteurs.
Toute personne susceptible d'apporter des éléments permettant d'identifier la victime, est invitée à prendre contact avec les enquêteurs de la brigade de recherches de Saint Martin au 0590 52 30 16.

Le 21 janvier 2013, la gendarmerie est informée d'une série de vols commis dans un entrepôt de la société « Chronopost » à Hope-Estate. Le préjudice subit par la société est estimé à plus de 12000 euros de marchandises, principalement composée d'appareils numériques.
Une plainte est déposée par le gérant de la société et l'enquête est confiée à la communauté de brigades de Saint-Martin. Les investigations menées par les enquêteurs, permettent d'orienter rapidement les soupçons sur deux des employés, qui agissent depuis plusieurs semaines. Ces derniers, particulièrement attirés par les tablettes multimédias et les téléphones mobiles, remplaçaient la marchandise volée par des objets sans valeur avant de remettre les colis dans le circuit.
Le 31 janvier, les deux hommes, âgés de 20 et 39 ans, sont interpellés sur leur lieu de travail et placés en garde à vue à la brigade de gendarmerie de Marigot.
A l'issue, ils sont convoqués le 18 avril 2013 devant le tribunal correctionnel de Saint-Martin pour répondre de vols en réunion.

Philipsburg (DCOMM):--- With the upcoming Carnival season, the Department of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic & Telecommunication has issued a public notice to the community to those persons wanting to sell or vend food, beverages, helium balloons, and other typical items associated with carnival.

In order to vend such products, a vending license is needed to sell along the public roads during the carnival festivities of 2013.

This is also the case for booth holders. They too have to get a vending license at the Department of Economic Licenses (also known as Economic Affairs), according to the public announcement by the Department.

The vending license will be issued by the Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic & Telecommunication via the relevant department.

Applications for these vending licenses are processed by the above-mentioned Department located at Zoutsteeg #3 in Philipsburg (the former Bico Building, or next to the Chamber of Commerce).

The deadline for these applications to be submitted is April 5th, 2013.

The cost of the license for the entire Carnival season is seventy five NA guilders (Naf. 75.00).

Philipsburg:--- Deputy Prime Minister William Marlin held on to the promise he had with the owners of Hard Rock Café and the Simpson Bay Resort on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing when he was asked by SMN News if his government tried to secure the employment of the Simpson Bay Resort workers who have been out of work for almost two years now. When the National Alliance was not in government Marlin and other Members of the National Alliance criticized how Member of Parliament Jules James and his government treated the SBRMC workers who have been engaged in numerous court battles. In responding to the question on Wednesday, Marlin said "There have been no discussions or negotiations for Hard Rock Café to purchase Simpson Bay Resort, there have been discussions between Hard Rock and Simpson Bay Resort Management Company. It is not my responsibility or prerogative to divulge information on the ongoing discussions. Only last week I told a reporter it is the responsibility of those two companies that are discussing to divulge information to the media."

Marlin said several months ago he did participate in a meeting with the parties and he made it clear that the interests of the working class are very dear to him. Marlin also reminded the reporters present that when he was a Member of Parliament he submitted a draft law to make changes to the civil code to curb the abuse of the short term contracts. Marlin said every time there is a law in place business people would get legal advice on how to circumvent that law to their advantage. Marlin said it is not acceptable to government the way the short term contract is used but the changes the National Alliance submitted to amend the civil code is taking some time before it is finalized. He said the reasons he brought up the amendment to the civil code that was spearheaded by him was to let the workers and the unions know that he has not deviated from the position he took when it comes to the working class. Marlin said that if the discussions taking place with Hard Rock and SBRMC are fruitful a number of jobs will be created out of the venture. He said that while not being in a position to divulge information on the ongoing discussion, if a deal is sealed between Hard Rock and SBRMC, those that were put out of work and much more people would be hired.

When asked by SMN News if the Government of St. Maarten should lead by example when it comes to the short term contracts or hiring people through Employment agencies because currently someone working in the parking lot on the square has been providing services for government for over 12 years through an employment agency and to date government has not hired the individual even though the job they are holding is a permanent one. Marlin said he is aware of the situation but he was not sure if the person is working for that amount of years. Marlin agreed that the situation does not look good, he also said that it is not only that person that is working for government via Employment Agencies. He said in some cases it is more viable for government to hire persons through agencies for projects that would last only for a short period of time based on the provision of the law. The Deputy Prime Minister said he could not say why government did not take the person into permanent service over the years but he is of the opinion that there could be several reasons.

Philipsburg:--- A seminar that will focus on "Women with a Purpose" will be held on St. Maarten in June. The announcement was made by the Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers' weekly press conference. Wescot Williams said Anguilla, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, and St. Maarten are collaborating with the organizers to have the event from June 18th to June 22nd, 2013.

Wescot Williams said that on June 19th, 2013 a women of power luncheon will be held under the theme "Its 2013 -- As women how do we measure our power?" The keynote speakers will be Carmen Wong Ulrich and Solidad O'Brien from CNN.
The Prime Minister said that during the event there will be several dignitaries on the island including several international media to cover the event. More information on the seminar will be disseminated as the date approaches.

Philipsburg/Marigot:--- Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams announced at the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing on Wednesday that she was meeting with the President of the Collectivity of St. Martin Alain Richardson and Prefet Phillipe Chopin to discuss the way forward with the tripartite cooperation meetings.

Wescot Williams said that this meeting is for the parties to discuss how they will move forward with the cooperation meetings that are scheduled to take place between the French and Dutch side. One of the main purposes of the meetings is for the French side to share information with the Dutch side authorities on the competencies of the State (Prefecture) and the competencies of the Collectivity.

After the meeting held on Wednesday, parties will organize the governmental sessions which will be looking in-depth at the areas of cooperation and what must be done by both sides. Wescot Williams said that they will also be receiving reports from the departments and agencies that are already working together from both sides of the island.

All government subsidized schools on St. Maarten will soon have a digital Student Tracking System to record and manage the data of all their students and track their development and progress from the time they are registered until they leave the school system.
The school board representatives on both Primary and Secondary level, that are presently without a digital student tracking system, have all signed off to have this system implemented in their schools.
The program will also be made available to the new SBO school in Cay Hill that will soon be operational.

This project is part of the Project Plans for the Innovations in Education and has been realized through the team effort of various Ministries within the Government of St. Maarten.
The Division for Educational Innovation, a Division of the Ministry for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports along with the assistance of the Department for Interior and Kingdom Relations and the I.T. Department within the Ministry for General Affairs, were able to contract a vendor who will supply all government subsidized schools with the Schoolfit student tracking system.
This system is not new to St. Maarten as it has been operational in the Secondary schools of the Milton Peters College and the Sundial School for the past few years.

Presently a pilot project is being implemented at the M.G. de Weever school and the Sr. Magda Primary school. The pilot is being coordinated by Ms. Caren Matthew from the I.T. Department who is assisting the Division of Educational Innovation with the roll-out of the system in the selected pilot schools.

After the program has been fully operational in these two schools by the end of June 2013, it will also be rolled out in the other Primary schools as well those on the Secondary level and the SBO school , which are presently without a digital student tracking system.

During the month of January 2013 the staff of the both pilot schools, were introduced to the system via a familiarization sessions whereby they were shown how to capture and record data of their students.

Since then the Education Department and the other Divisions within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports have been meeting with Ms. Matthew from the Dept. of I.T. and the representatives from the Division for Educational Innovations. These meetings are to work out the various features of the tracking system that will be customized by the vendor to the Education system on St. Maarten.

Assistance has also been sought from the various school board representatives of the government subsidized schools, for their input in this process. As the project moves on, the various school managers and their staff will be approached, for their assistance when needed.

The Division for Educational Innovation will organize trainings for school managers, office administrators, teachers and support staff to efficiently and effectively use the system.

At the end of the roll-out of the student tracking system, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports will be able to capture the much needed data from the schools and their student population. This data will be uploaded into the Educational Management Information System (EMIS).
Some of the other benefits of this program are:

• Teachers will record attendance and input students grades and other data into the system
• Report cards and other educational reports will be generated from the system
• Parents will have access to view the progress of their children at school
• School boards and School managers will have a better over view of the performance of the students enrolled in their schools

The funding for this project is made possible through USONA from the Dutch Funding agreements between the Government of St. Maarten and the Netherlands.

PHILIPSBURG:--- "I would like to congratulate the organizers of the Heineken Regatta and at the same time welcome the participants who will be in for some serious fun during the next four days," President of Parliament Hon. Rodolphe Samuel said on Wednesday.

The 33rd Annual Heineken Regatta kicks off on Thursday, February 28 and runs through Sunday, March 3.

"Various persons and organizations play a role in making this competitive sailing event a success each and every year for more than three decades, and whoever has been involved, those that have come and gone, have delivered by doing a great job in organizing and making once again the 33rd event a reality.

"On behalf of the Parliament of Sint Maarten, we would like to wish all participants in the 33rd Heineken Regatta much success, have a safe regatta, and serious fun out there in our pristine waters, happy sailing," President of Parliament Hon. Rodolphe Samuel said on Wednesday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Parliamentary Committee for Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations will meet on February 28 in its final round of preparations for a series of meetings that are planned next week in the Netherlands.

The Permanent Parliamentary Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday morning at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda concerns final preparations for the Inter-parliamentary Kingdom Meeting that will be held in The Hague, the Netherlands from March 5 to 8, 2013.

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 Chairman of the committee is Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Roy Marlin, MP Hon. George Pantophlet, Vice Chairman, MP Hon. Patrick Illidge, MP Hon. Frans Richardson, and MP Hon. Dr. Ruth Douglass.

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:--- Deputy Prime Minister William Marlin who is also the Minister of VROMI showed reporters the report he recently received from Lievense Engineering who was contracted by the Government of St. Maarten to conduct a study on building between one to three tunnels that will connect the various roads that will be constructed in 2013 and 2014 and the causeway that is currently under construction over the Simpson Bay Lagoon.

The report issued by Lievense gave an outline on tunnel one and two and the possibility of a third tunnel. The draft of the tunnel shows a tunnel with two lanes for traffic to accommodate two way traffic with large vehicles but the Minister of VROMI is considering the possibility of changing that draft to include a third lane in the middle, which will be used only as a by-pass to deviate traffic in the event of an accident on any of the lanes. Marlin said the third lane in the middle that is now being considered will not be used for overtaking.

The report showed that the project can be completed within 28 months as soon as a decision is taken by the Minister of VROMI. Marlin told reporters that the intention is to give the interested company/companies a concession for a period of 30 years. Government's intention is to have the contractors build the tunnels at their own expense and they would then charge a toll fee for vehicles that go through these tunnels to cover the cost of construction and to operate and maintain the tunnels.

The report states that in general the overall environmental impact with the construction of the bypass tunnel will be very beneficial, the rerouting of traffic and more importantly the removal of heavy vehicles from A.J. C Browers Road will have major benefits to the island and the flow of traffic from the west and east side of the island. Additional to those benefits, the time spent in traffic by bypassing the A.J.C Browers Road will be reduced significantly. The gradients in the tunnel will have to be minimal for the purpose of drainage. Air pollution will also be reduced significantly while with the reduced traffic on the main roads there will be a possibility to provide more areas for pedestrians and further improvements for resident and visitors.

Based on a preliminary traffic study, approximately 10,000 vehicles can be expected to use the tunnels on a daily basis in both directions, therefore that would immediately reduce the stress on Union Road, Browers Road, and Bush Road.

The report further stated that the construction of these tunnels will have minor impact on the environment while the spoils from the construction can be used as fill material in land reclamation and will also be suitable for concrete aggregate for the construction of the tunnel. The tunnels can also be used as an emergency shelter for a potentially vulnerable sector of people. The report mentioned that during hurricane Luis and Lenny a number of people were killed, it added that the tunnel could provide an ideal refuge for such persons which would require simple measures which is to seal the portals with roller shutters. Basic accommodation including camp beds, mobile toilets, washing facilities, and canteens as well as medical and emergency units can be housed in the tunnels during natural disasters.

One of the tunnels measure 16.5 and another one measures 20.45. Marlin said the two tunnels will amount to over 3000 meters in tunnel space. Lievense said their report that the construction a tunnel from Union Road to L.B. Scot Road is feasible. This can be achieved with minimal disruption to the existing traffic and when it is completed it will be of considerable benefit to St. Maarten's residents and visitors. These tunnels will take traffic out of Union Road, Browers Road, and Bush Road making it appreciable to pedestrians and permitting revitalization of the area. Lievense also suggested that a site investigation and survey must be undertaken which will be used for the final designs of the tunnels and that will also assist in determining the final cost of the project.

Marlin confirmed to reporters on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing that the tunnels will cost must less than the causeway that is currently under construction. He further explained that the construction cost of the causeway was passed on to the people with the increase of container fees and fuel taxes which affected everyone on St. Maarten even those that might never use the causeway. He said the estimated cost is way below the one hundred million dollars that the contractors claim the causeway would cost St. Maarten.

Marlin did not say how soon his government will take a decision on the construction of these tunnels. He made clear that no decision has been taken on the construction of these tunnels that are highly criticized by others that have political interest. He said so far three companies have shown interest in the project and they come from China, Brazil, and Austria.

Former Deputy Prime Minister's Executive Assistant fighting to get back in power.

The five day commissioner and former Deputy Prime Minister's executive assistant Maurice Lake verbally attacked the tunnel project earlier this week at a town hall meeting that was held to inform the residents about current zoning plans. Marlin was also at that meeting and immediately responded to the allegations made by Lake who said that the current Minister of VROMI has a tunnel vision and that the tunnels will cost over three hundred million dollars. In response to what Lake said at the meeting, Marlin told reporters that some people who are currently not in power are fighting to get back positions they had in government. Therefore, these persons will use each and every opportunity they get to criticize the initiatives that are undertaken by the current government, especially by him (Marlin) who is over the Ministry of VROMI. Marlin insisted that the current coalition government has not taken any decision to build the tunnels. He said government is looking at building one tunnel and if it feasible they will build a second tunnel. He said these tunnels will serve several purposes such as the east to west connection. Marlin said based on the road network plan, there are up to seven links from one to seven that had to be constructed. This plan is in place between 15 to 17 years and to date only links that were constructed is link one- phase one which he initiated when he was commissioner some years ago. He said link one-phase two was constructed by former commissioner Roy Marlin when he was in office while link one-phase three is yet to complete. He said there has never been a final alignment to that link which would have run through the Bells property on Cole Bay Hill. Marlin said ever since then no other road links were undertaken even though the plans were in place. He said the construction of the causeway was sold as if it will alleviate the traffic in Simpson Bay. Marlin further explained that his reaction back then was that it is a bridge to nowhere if it does not connect to the rest of the island to really alleviate traffic. Marlin said since he took office he decided to maximize the presence of the bridge and connect the west side of the island to the eastern side of the island.
Another benefit Marlin mentioned is that the tunnels will eliminate the scarring of the island as opposed to if several road links are constructed.

Great Bay:--- TelEm is very satisfied with the results of the recently concluded Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Conference held under the theme, "Leadership and Peace through Cultural Diversity."
"As one of the main sponsors of this event, we are very happy and satisfied at the level of participation as well as the discussions that took place during the four-day conference," said Cheryl Rismay, TelEm's Marketing & Sales Officer.
"TelEm has always been supportive of activities involving our youth and we are very pleased to have been able to assist the Rotary Club 7020 in hosting this important conference," Rismay said, adding: "we are satisfied with the way the young 'leaders of tomorrow' addressed the issues."
Thanking TelEm for its kind sponsorship, Jim Ferris, Rotary's Assistant District Governor and chairman of the Task Force that organized the conference said, "It was fantastic! They're asking for it again next year."
According to Ferris, there were some 124 young people within the age bracket 14 – 20, drawn from several Caribbean islands including Jamaica, St. Kitts and Tortola, and of course, St. Maarten, who attended the conference.
"They were highly motivated. Most of them were very impressed at the organization and how well it was put together," Ferris said.
He said that Rotary 7020 District Governor, Vance Lewis of Tortola showered praise on the organizers.
The RYLA conference was addressed by Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams as well as Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, Hon. Silveria Jacobs.

For the upcoming Heineken Regatta from February 28 – March 3, 2013, the Dutch Caribbean Coastguard is issuing some safety recommendations.
The Coastguard is aware that the Heineken Regatta is an event that attracts many visitors and participants. In order to make sure that everything goes well, there are some rules and regulations to be followed:

• Registration numbers on both sides of the vessel
• Personal flotation devices
• Visual Distress Signal (Flares, floating smoke signals, etc)
• Fire extinguisher (check the expiration date)
• Sound producing device, such as a whistle or horn (not a human produced noise)
• VHF-radio
• Valid certificate of competence
• Valid certificate of sea worthiness
• No sailing while under the influence of alcohol or drugs

In addition it is also advisable to have the following:

• Mobile phone with a good working battery
• Enough drinking water
• A good working torch

The Dutch Caribbean Coastguard can be reached during the Regatta Period through the following numbers:

1. 554-6713 24/7
2. 553-3716 07:00 hr to 15:00 hr
3. 581-0188 07:00 hr to 15:00 hr
4. 554-1684 15:00 hr to 23:00 hr
5. 550-0884 15:00 hr to 23:00 hr
6. 588-5660 23:00 hr to 07:00 hr

The Coastguard congratulates the organizing committee with the 33rd edition of the Heineken Regatta and wishes all participants and visitors a pleasant and safe Regatta.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- On Tuesday 26th February, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports Affairs officially welcomed a team of six psychologists from St. Johns University, Graduate school of Psychology to the island, and formalized an agreement between the Ministry and the University for the Graduate School of psychology to provide technical assistance to the Ministry and in particular to the Prins Willem Alexander School.

During this week of February 25 through to March 1st, psychologists from the St. Johns University, Graduate School of Psychology are on the island to provide technical assistance, to carry out an environmental scan of the types and clusters of special needs (disabilities & exceptionalities) of children attending Prins Willem Alexander School (PWAS).

The PWAS-St. John's Project, herein referred to as the Project, is a multifaceted program to provide diagnostic and psycho-educational services to students in Prins Willem Alexander School and other Elementary Schools on St. Maarten, who would otherwise not receive them.

In June 2013, this same group of psychologists will visit the island again and carry out the same type of testing for children of the remaining Public Schools and other subsidized schools on the island.

St. John's University was founded in 1871 by the Vincentian Community, and is accredited by Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Since 1999, the Psy.D. program has been offered by the Department of Psychology, which is an academic unit of the College of Arts and Sciences of St. John's.

The School Psychology Psy.D. Program is APA- accredited, as of April 2007, by the American Psychological Association (APA). The School Psychology Psy.D. Program is also fully approved, until December 2016, by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). The School Psychology Psy.D. program is also approved by the ASPPB/National Register.

Some of the tasks that will be performed by the group of psychologists, as it pertains to the agreement, are as follows:

• Provide all relevant tests for the testing of children for special needs.
• Offer specific individualized educational recommendations for each student.
• Drafting a comprehensive report for special education for St. Maarten with recommendations.
• Drafting a two-year implementation plan for special education in St. Maarten with cost.

The Minister officially welcomed the psychologists to the island and thanked them for their service to Public Education and the St. Maarten community in general and officially signed the Agreement for the upcoming phases of this project. The main principal to finance this project is the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports Affairs along with contributions from the University of St. Johns.

Philipsburg:--- The Independent Members of Parliament namely Frans Richardson, Patrick Illidge, and Romain Laville lambasted the Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams during a Central Committee meeting continuation regarding the Postal Services St. Maarten (PSS) on Tuesday. The Members of Parliament questioned the PSS shareholder about the so called illegal suspension of the former PSS Director when he signed a check to purchase computers for the functioning of PSS. MP Romain Laville posed several questions on the suspension and the computers that were purchased for the company. He said the way St. Maarten is going right now government is setting up the young people of St. Maarten to fail. Laville made clear that it is not because he is part of a coalition government that they will not call in a Minister when things are not in the interest of the people.

Laville also asked for the minutes of the meetings that were held prior to the former Director Denicio Richardson being suspended. He also asked for the checks that Richardson signed and if they bounced. Laville said he thinks that Richardson must be compensated for what has happened to him which led to his resignation.

Member of Parliament George Pantophlet asked if the budget for PSS is in place for 2013 and he also asked for the financials of PSS because he wants to know how much it costs the company to rent the vehicles they are currently using.
MP Gracita Arrindell asked the shareholder representative if the reprimand that was given to Denicio Richardson will remain on his files (resume) even though he acted in good faith when he exceeded the amount he was allowed to sign for checks. She also asked if the shareholder representative was aware of the reprimands taken against the former director and if shareholder representative feels that the reprimand taken against the former director was fair. Arrindell wanted to know if the former Director will be given a second chance if he reapplies for the job that is now vacant.

MP Johan Janchi Leonard asked if the former director was dealt with fairly and if the actions were good faith. Leonard said he is not in a position to take sides. Member of Parliament Roy Marlin and Leonard said for them the most important thing they want to discuss the SOAB report, even if it means that has to be done behind closed doors. Prime Minister Wescot Williams answered most of the questions posed to her by the various MPs. Wescot Williams said the check written by the former director was accepted by the bank with one signature even though the check required two signatures. She also explained that the Supervisory Board can be make changes since it is mentioned in the articles of incorporation.

Philipsburg:--- The Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Unions (WICLU) and other non-governmental organizations are planning to send a letter to the President of Parliament as early as Wednesday, Vice President of the WICLU Claire Elshot told reporters on Tuesday during WICLU's weekly press briefing.

The WITU President said that the letter they intend to send to Parliament is to request some clarifications or information from the Members of Parliament that are planning to attend the inter-parliamentary meetings to be held in the Netherlands shortly. Elshot said last Monday evening representatives from the non-governmental organizations, labour unions, senior citizens organizations, and the council of churches met to discuss a number of issues, especially how to get the attention of the Members of Parliament to address the realization of the social, economic, and cultural rights for the people of St. Maarten. Elshot said they want to know what happened to the request that was tabled in January 2012 by the social organizations. This was tabled to all Parliamentarians at the inter-parliamentary meetings that were held on St. Maarten. Elshot said that the request to the Kingdom Council was to address cooperation in the Kingdom to recognize all the social, economic, and cultural rights in the Kingdom in a non-discriminatory manner.

Elshot said to date the request was not placed on the agenda of the meetings to be held in Hague from March 5th to 8th, 2013. "The President of the Parliament of St. Maarten Rodolphe Samuel informed the vice president of the St. Maarten senior citizens and pensioners association that all parliamentary presidents have agreed to leave sensitive issues out of the agenda. In other words, the request to discuss cooperation on the most pressing issues such as poverty eradication, the realization of the right to an adequate standard of living for the people of St. Maarten as well as equal social protection on the social floor will not be discussed in the upcoming inter-parliamentary meetings. Elshot said only the President of the Parliament of St. Maarten and the Kingdom committee in Parliament can give them the information on the request they submitted last year. This request was adopted by the St. Maarten Parliamentary delegation and it was also discussed by the IPCKC meeting. Elshot said they still don't know what are the official agenda points to be discussed in the up-coming inter-parliamentary meeting to be held in the Netherlands. Elshot said they intend to request a formal meeting with the Members of Parliament prior to them leaving the island so they will know what the elected officials of St. Maarten will say during these meetings on behalf of the people of St. Maarten.

Workers should get Equal Treatment like the Politicians.

The WITU President said that they are of the opinion that workers rights and benefits must be protected just as the politicians who were elected by the people of St. Maarten. She said politicians who were ousted from office last year are still able to collect their salaries for a period of time yet workers that have given years of service to their employers are not able to get their benefits and or salaries. Elshot was referring to the Ministers who were forced to leave office last May when the UP/DP government fell. Elshot said when one looks at the salaries the Ministers and Members of Parliament are collecting then one would understand what the unions and other non-governmental partners are speaking about when it comes to equality. She said what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.

She also made reference to the Simpson Bay Resort Management Company (SBRMC) that is now busy finalizing the sale of the property to Hard Rock Café. Elshot said she is hoping that government would ensure that the workers of that resort maintain their jobs with the new investors because to date some of the workers were not able to collect their benefits because the department of labour never finalized the request the company submitted for some of the workers' dismissal. She said because the process was incomplete many of the workers were not able to obtain social assistance and were not paid out for their years of service.

Great Bay:--- The Semana Dominicana which ended Sunday, February 24th with the much-anticipated parade, has been possible thanks to TelEm Group of Companies which is one of the major sponsors. The parade route ran from Le Grande Marche to the TelEm parking lot.
"We are happy to support the Dominicano Community in St. Maarten," said TelEm's Jesus Richardson in presenting a check of US$2,500 to the organizers.
Milagros de Windt, the hardworking representative of the organizers conceded that perhaps due to the economy sponsorship was not as easy to find as in the past. "We are very grateful to TelEm for assisting us."
The new Miss Semana Dominicana, St. Maarten Academy PSVE's Ms. Sepulveda, took home a portion of the money donated by TelEm, along with the crown.
The Semana Dominicana – a week-long festivity that culminates with the celebration of the Independence Day of the Dominican Republic on February 27th, had its cultural climax last Saturday when reggaeton sensation, El Chuape hit the stage at Port de Plaisance.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Residents and stakeholders of the Greater Philipsburg Area, Suckergarden and Over the Pond, are reminded to attend the first town hall meeting with respect zoning/development plans of the aforementioned areas for Tuesday, February 26 at 7:00pm to 9:30pm. The meeting will take place at the University of St. Martin.

With this being the first public town hall meeting for the aforementioned areas, residents and stakeholders has an opportunity to bring forth their views and ideas.

The main topics of the draft development plan are traffic (roads and other infrastructure), tourism (tourism and recreation), industry (commercial, industrial), residential (housing, public spaces and facilities), nature (ecology, landscape and water), culture (cultural heritage and archaeology).

The presentation on Tuesday evening includes some proposals to resolve traffic situations on secondary roads and side streets; road designs and beautification of the A.T. Illidge Road, Arch Road and Sucker Garden Road; reserve space for sidewalks; no parking directly alongside the road; the Ring Road; re-arranging of traffic in Philipsburg; extra parking spaces and parking garages; extension of boardwalk; the creation of an additional jetty; enhancing the connection from Harbour Village to Fort Amsterdam; the creation of a Over the Pond/Suckergarden Village Centre; the Ponds and surrounding Green Hills.

Also part of the discussion among many other issues on Monday evening are drainage issues and flood risks, green hills and mangroves.

The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (MinVROMI) is developing the legal framework for possible future development; to designate and/or reserve land for desired use; to prevent uncontrolled development; and to offer legal security to residents about future development.

The meeting is part of the process of drafting "development plans" for country Sint Maarten.

Shipwrecks shops has partnered with the Sint Maarten PRIDE Foundation, an environmental community based non profit group. Shipwreck stores that has been established since 1972 with 15 stores island wide has offered to the foundation, a one of a kind designed t-shirt in limited quantities, of which part of the sales proceeds will go to the foundation to help continue eco-projects such as tree planting, beach and community cleanups, as well as educational projects for the youth.
The t-shirts depicts one of the wild life species seen everywhere on the island, and are available in very limited quantities. The shirts are now available island wide in their 15 store locations.
"Our return visitors such as the time share folks who appreciate the work the foundation sometimes desire a souvenir product that is not mass marketed and available on all Caribbean islands. This t-shirt design is exclusive to Shipwreck and the PRIDE Foundation and will only be sold in Shipwreck stores Sint Maarten.
The idea is to create a limited edition t-shirt every year with a new exclusive design depicting a chosen wild life species, the t-shirts will be collectors items as very few are available for sale."
The Board of the St. Maarten PRIDE Foundation thanks the Shipwreck Shop Manager and especially the long time staff for their commitment to helping the islands environment.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Antillean Organization for Co-Financing (AMFO) and the St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF) executed a Memorandum of Understanding on Monday, February 18 at the Dr. Claude Wathey Legislative Hall.

The signing was witnessed by the Prime Minister, Hon. Sarah Wesot – Williams and Richelda Emmanuel, President of the Board of the St. Maarten Development Fund.

Executing the agreement on behalf of AMFO was Reinoudt Karsdorp, Director and Keith Franca, Interim Director of the SMDF.

The memorandum of understanding sets out terms of cooperation, information sharing on best practices and transitioning terms to insure continuity of program and project funding to Non-Governmental Organizations on Sint Maarten.

Later that same morning, Messrs. Reinoudt Karsdorp representing AMFO and Keith Franca on behalf of SMDF, paid a courtesy visit to the recently appointed Head of the Dutch Government representative in Philipsburg, Drs. Gert Versluis at which time the history of AMFO on the Netherlands Antilles and St. Maarten specifically was outlined and the vision and mission of the St. Maarten Development Fund Foundation was introduced.

The AMFO is represented on St. Maarten by Hendrikje Stoffels rendering communication, evaluation and monitoring of projects and programs from qualifying Non-Governmental Organizations on St. Maarten.

Stoffels will continue to service the wrap up on Sint Maarten until year end and will work closely with the St. Maarten Development Fund to give content to the executed memorandum of understanding.

Philipsburg:--- The Landsrecherche still has to turn over the files on the election fraud case that involves the United Peoples Party and four police officers to the Prosecutor's Office, confirmed Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos on Monday. Mos said when the head of the department Ademar Doran turns the files over to his office they would then study the files and decide how they will proceed. Last week Mos said that the Landsrecherche changed their office location and that had delayed the process which picked up speed some weeks ago. The country's Chief Prosecutor said that he does not know when Doran will turn over the files to his office.

The election fraud case started shortly after the 2010 elections when the news broke that three officers working at the Philipsburg Police Station went with a police vehicle to the UP head office in Pointe Blanche and collected four envelopes containing $300.00 each. A fight broke out inside the Philipsburg Police Station when one of the cops learnt that the other three had opened the envelope that was meant for him/her and shared the monies among themselves. Chief of Police Peter de Witte ordered an internal investigation when he learnt of the incident. De Witte turned over the files to the Landsrecherche sometime in 2011 and to date the case has not been investigated and prosecuted because those working at the Landsrecherche claimed they were understaffed and the case was not on their priority list.

The media on St. Maarten did not allow those responsible for law and order to push the case under the proverbial carpet because it was constantly brought up. Just recently, Mos said the investigation on the Election fraud had kicked off and as soon as his office gets the file then they will move forward.

Philipsburg:--- Convicted Vesuvius suspect Andrew "Ratty" Davis was released from the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) since last Thursday and he is now back at the Prison facilities recuperating, confirmed Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos. Davis who is currently serving a nine year prison sentence was stabbed multiple times in the Simpson Bay holding cells last week Sunday morning. Davis had to undergo emergency surgery to save his life. Mos said the detectives detained four suspects who were all questioned and sent back to the prison facilities, he also told SMN News earlier that the detectives that searched the institution found several weapons but he could not say if the weapon that was used in the stabbing was found.

Mos said on Monday that Davis already gave police a statement and confirmed that he was involved in an altercation with the four persons that were arrested and questioned but the police still has to figure out which of the four suspects/prisoners stabbed Davis. Mos said the police have to question Davis again before they can finalize the investigation.

It should be noted that Andrew "Ratty" Davis was scheduled to be heard sometime this month in the appeal hearing of the Vesuvius case which is scheduled to take place sometime in March 2013.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Philipsburg Jubilee Library concludes its month long Black History activities, with a panel discussion on the relevance of Black History on St. Maarten on Wednesday, February 27, at 7:00pm.
The 6 member panel includes, Dr. Maria van Enckevort, Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, Clara Reyes, Shujah Reiph, Riegnald "Bakari" Arrindell, and Christopher Emmanuel. Also moderating the panel will be Lysanne Charles and Rene Violenus.
The program will explore the significance of Black History Month, in light of the 150th and 165th anniversary, respectively, of both sides of our island. Panelists will reflect on why it's still important to acknowledge, commemorate and participate in the celebrations of the contributions made by people of African descent.
This event is open and free to the general public, and audience participation is encouraged. For more information please contact the Philipsburg Jubilee Library at 542-2970 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Philipsburg:--- On Friday, February 22, there was a fault in the transmission cable to the Zagersgut Substation, which led to some outages over the weekend. GEBE technicians worked on Saturday and Sunday to isolate and repair this fault, and it was repaired on Sunday, February 24th.

On Sunday, another fault occurred in the transmission cable to the Pondfill Substation, and later another fault a separate feeder cable. Power has been rerouted to back up cables while repairs were conducted. These two cables are still being repaired and GEBE is working hard to redistribute the load to prevent further outages on Monday.

GEBE apologizes for any inconvenience that was caused.

GEBE Press Release

Philipsburg (DCOMM):--- The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI), in accordance with article 4 of the National Ordinance Announcement and Enactment (A.B. 2010, GT no. 21), hereby informs the public of the following:

The Ministry of VROMI, department of Permits is in the processes of cleaning up the backlog on pending permits in an interest to better serve the public and applicants needing permits for land development activities. To this end it is necessary to finalize the processing of all permit applications that have been pending response from applicants.

Applicants who have pending permits applied for until 2011, including approved building permits not yet issued due to unpaid building fees, will have 28 (calendar) days after publication to report to the Department of Permits at the Ministry of VROMI, in order to take the necessary steps needed to complete the permitting process.

After these 28 days have expired and if no response received from the applicant, the pending request will be considered incomplete and the processing of the applications will be discontinued.

Applicants will receive notice thereof in accordance with article 20 and article 21, section 2 of the Building Ordinance (P.B. 1935, nr. 64). Thereupon the provisions of the National Ordinance on Administrative Procedures (LAR, P.B. 2001, nr. 79) are applicable.

The department of Permits looks forward to the cooperation of applicants to ensure that the best service may be rendered in this process. For more information, the public and permit applicants may contact the department of Permits at 1 (721) 542-4289, or visit the department during visiting hours on Monday through Thursday from 9:00 -12:00, at the Yellow Building, Tamarinde Steeg # 16, Philipsburg.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- After the Health Inspectorate was alerted about tainted European food products with traces of horse meat, the Inspectorate carried out local inquiries with food importers to find out if any of the products are available for sale on local store shelves, and was informed that this is not the case.

European health authorities continue to deal with the situation of horse meat falsely labeled as beef and other products which was sold in Europe and the United Kingdom.

These tainted products have been found in several European countries such as United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden and Norway. Food products in another 11 European Union countries may be affected.

The issue was unearthed in January in Ireland and the United Kingdom when health officials conducting routine checks found horse DNA in frozen beef burgers.

The European Union has implemented a major DNA testing programme to ascertain how much of the horse meat is being sold as beef and other products.

The United Kingdom Food Standards Agency has doubled the scope of its testing for food authenticity.

The Health Inspectorate which falls under the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour will continue to monitor the situation in Europe.

Philipsburg:--- A BlackBerry broadcast message which began circulating on Sunday has sparked an internal investigation at the Pointe Blanche Prison, confirmed Minister of Justice Roland Duncan. The Minister of Justice said he also got the BlackBerry message and he could not say if the contents of the message has any truth to it but he instructed the Director of the Prison Facility Edward Rohan to investigate and submit a report to him as soon as possible. The BlackBerry message states that prison guards are charging prisoners up to $1000.00 in exchange for sex and the monies are taken from the prisoner's canteen monies. The message even suggested the sexual activities involves an inmate that is HIV positive, therefore the prisoners at Pointe Blanche prison are now concerned and disturbed.

SMN News learnt that a prison guard whose name is mentioned in the broadcast message is indeed having a sexual relationship with a former inmate who is currently out on early release and that is against the rules of the prison. SMN News has been reliably informed that the sexual activity between the prison guard and the prisoner has been taking place for quite some time now and nothing was ever done about it even though it is against the rules of the prison for prison guards to have sexual contact with inmates.

Below is the BlackBerry message that has been circulating since Sunday.

Here to Inform you that we have found out a group of prisoners in the point blanch prison have been having sex in their cells and so far is conformed that one of the prisoners is Lorenzo Thomas a.k.a pimperz we are looking more in to this n all prisoners will be tested we will keep u informed. On the behalf of the Point Blanch Prison, St Marteen N.V, I am letting this message out to the general public informing you all that female guards are charging inmates minimum US$1000.00 obtained from canteen fees in bagain for sex reliable sources state that one of the following is Stalina Yoke a.k.a Shotless, the present girlfriend of an ex-inmate Shervin Woods; in comrade with Masha Yoke a.k.a "Charles Barry"...

Prisoners are discontented with the behavior of the sexual contacts as they are disturb about the fact that one incident consist of one HIV infected inmate. Claims have been made to the recent ex-director and is pointing out to the reigning director of Point Blanch Prison, St Marteen N.V.

" As an inmate residing at the confirmed facility, I personally request that if we are considering the fact fees are being paid for sexual intercourse with female gaurds, I request decent and clean agender amoungst the prison population."

While the above message is disturbing to say the least, it is clear that if there is any truth regarding the price prisoners have to pay prison guards for sex then one can conclude that sex in prison is rather expensive even though it's illegal. Efforts made to reach Prison Director Edward Rohan on Monday for a comment by telephone proved futile.

Some months ago the Prison Director Edward Rohan and his colleagues showed reporters at the A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall the amount of items they confiscated during spontaneous searches at the prison facilities. One of the items that was confiscated is a "sex toy – plastic vagina". When reporters asked the Prison Director why that item was confiscated since conjugal visits are not allowed in the prison and the item in question cannot harm anyone, Rohan said that too was an illegal item and if a prisoner wants something like that they have to request it.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Honorable Prime Minister, Sarah Wescot - Williams paid a courtesy visit to the recently completed offices of the St. Maarten Development Fund Foundation at the Yogesh Commercial Complex.

The Prime Minister was given an overview of the activities of the Foundation to date and the organization forecasted.

On 27th September 2011 the National Ordinance on judicial establishment of paternity has been accepted by the Parliament. The National Ordinance shall enter into force on May 1st 2013.

Core of the National Ordinance on "Judicial establishment paternity."
In normal cases a child gets a legal father because it is born within the marriage or because it is acknowledged. If that is not the matter, then the child is legally fatherless.
A fatherless child may not inherit from the biological father (natural father), not obtain his nationality, etc.

Who may file a request for judicial establishment of paternity?
In accordance with the new regulation the child may, if it is younger than 12 years, the mother or the Court of Guardianship may request the Court to judicially establish the paternity of the natural father.
However, the Court of Guardianship may not make a request if the mother opposes this. The natural father himself may, if the mother does not give him permission to acknowledge the child, request the Court to grant him alternative permission.
This thus has the same effect as a judicial establishment of the paternity. However, the difference exists that the Court will not grant the natural father any alternative permission if as a result of that the interest of the child would be harmed.
Condition for a judicial establishment of the paternity is that the child is fatherless.
If the child has a legal father who is not his biological father, it must first have the legal paternity affected via the Court.

Period for submission of request for establishment of paternity
For filing of a request for judicial establishment of the paternity no expiry date applies.
Also after the natural father has died judicial establishment of his paternity may be requested. Indeed in that case the Court may limit the claims according to the law of inheritance of the child if it is a matter of a specific hardship for the widow or the other children. This also applies if the man has died more than five years before the request a judicial establishment of the paternity according to the law of inheritance has no consequences.
For the rest the judicial establishment of the paternity indeed has the consequences of the paternity.

Assuming name of the child in case of establishment and in case of acknowledgment
What concerns the name of the child it applies that a judicial establishment has the same consequences as an acknowledgment. In case of acknowledgment as well as in case of a judicial establishment of the paternity the child who is younger than 16 years in principle keeps the name of the mother unless the parents jointly choose for the name of the father or for a combination of names (name of the mother followed by the name of the father or name of the father followed by the name of the mother).
If the child is 16 years or older it makes its own name choice.

Minister of Justice
R.E. Duncan

Great Bay:--- "We were not demonstrating against anybody or anything; we were just having a lovely stroll through Memory Lane, seeing what Front Street looks like today as opposed to what it was back then," said Mary Rogers, one of the dozens of senior citizens of the Home Away From Home Foundation who took part in a walk along Front Street that ended at the Government Administration Building Friday, February 22, 2013. The walk was sponsored by TelEm Group of Companies.
Explaining the purpose of the walk, Foundation President, Patsy Flanders said strange as it may sound, "a lot of our seniors have not been through Philipsburg and Front Street in particular for a long time."
"We want to keep them as fit as possible," Flanders continued. "They were happy to walk through Philipsburg. People were excited to see more than 30 senior citizens in wheel-chairs strolling down Front Street. We didn't have enough wheel-chairs."
"Thanks to TelEm for their support," Flanders said. "They were our biggest sponsor."
The group of senior citizens were accompanied along the route by Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, Deputy Prime Minister William Marlin, Minister of Health, Dr. Cornelius de Weever, President of Parliament, drs. Rodolphe Samuel and Independent Member of Parliament, Romain Laville amongst others. Members of the Voice Of Our Children Foundation helped push the wheel-chairs during the walk.
The group stopped at the St. Rose Arcade where they were treated to refreshments donated by TelEm, while children from the Oranje School and St. Joseph School serenaded them with songs.
It was the first time an event of this nature was organized by the Foundation, confirmed Flanders.
"I want to do this every year, with God's help," she said. "We want to be able to block off the whole of Front Street next time."
The seniors are ready to repeat the walk "tomorrow self," Flanders said, adding: "they like to be active."
Echoing the sentiments of the rest of the group, Ms. Rogers described the outing as "very good and interesting."
"I would like to see it continue," she said, admitting that initially she had expressed some skepticism about the idea. "I'll do it again for sure."

PHILIPSBURG:--- Residents and stakeholders of the Cul de Sac Basin, Cay Hill and Little Bay, are reminded to attend the second town hall meeting with respect zoning/development plans of the aforementioned for Monday, February 25 at 7:00pm to 9:30pm. The meeting will take place at the Belair Community Center.

The first public town hall meeting was held back in September 2012. The main topics of the draft development plan are traffic (roads and other infrastructure), tourism (tourism and recreation), industry (commercial, industrial), residential (housing, public spaces and facilities), nature (ecology, landscape and water), culture (cultural heritage and archaeology).

Attendees will be informed about the proposals from the Ministry with respect to zoning of Cul de Sac Basin, Cay Hill and Little Bay based on suggestions made in the first public meeting.

The presentation on Monday evening includes a proposal of a new urban sub core; mixed neighborhoods where housing is concerned, the creation of a village centre/heart in the Cul de Sac Basin.

Also part of the discussion among many other issues on Monday evening are drainage issues and flood risks, green hills and mangroves.

The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (MinVROMI) is developing the legal framework for possible future development; to designate and/or reserve land for desired use; to prevent uncontrolled development; and to offer legal security to residents about future development.

The meeting is part of the process of drafting "development plans" for country Sint Maarten.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The St. Maarten Development Fund Foundation ("SMDF") delivered a presentation to the Council of Ministers on Thursday, February 13, at the Dr. Claude Wathey Legislative Hall. At the conclusion of the presentation, the President of the Board, Richelda Emmanuel presented to the members of Council of Ministers a copy of the Policy Plan titled "Contributing to A Society that Cares," prepared by the SMDF for the period 2013 to 2023.

The presentation included the background of formation of the SMDF in May 2012, the history of project and program funding in Sint Maarten and the Netherlands Antilles by several funding agencies, several reports and documents compiled over the years with respect to Non-Governmental Organizations, funding and conclusions drawn, the social needs in the Sint Maarten community, target groups in the community and the expected void created due to the loss of AMFO, Reda Sosial and other Dutch Development Aid as NGO funding agencies.

The presentation was well received by the Ministers in attendance. Present were the Honorable Prime Minister, Sarah Wescot – Williams, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports, Hon. Sylveria Jacobs, Minister of Finance, Hon. Roland Tuitt, Minister of Justice, Hon. Roland Duncan, Minister of VROMI, Hon. William Marlin and Minister of Public Health, Social Development & Labor, Hon. Cornelius De Weever.

As well in attendance representing the Sint Maarten Development Fund was Joy Arnell, Vice President of the Board and Keith Franca, Interim Director.

The Sint Maarten Development Fund will be operational towards mid-April contingent on the current 2013 budgetary approval process.

The Foundation has offices at the Yogesh Commercial Complex Unit 1-H.

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- The seminar: "Checks and Balances in Corporate Governance on Curaçao", which was held on Thursday February 21st in Kurá Hulanda on Curaçao, was visited by more than 125 interested directors, accountants and other participants. The seminar was organized by (College financieel toezicht - Cft), the Foundation Bureau for Supervision and Standardization Government Entities (Stichting Bureau Toezicht en Normering Overheidsentiteiten - SBTNO) and the Dutch Caribbean Accountants Association (DCAA) with the objective to enhance the awareness concerning the Corporate Governance Code and to shed light on the obligations of governmental corporations and foundations, amongst others the controller function of the external accountant.

The participants received ample information on the Ordinance Corporate Governance and the Corporate Governance Code from the speakers Erik van Engelen and Marloes Kempes (Cft), Donald de Palm (SBTNO), André Delger (DCAA) and guest speaker Karel Frielink. Chairman of the seminar was Etienne Ys. Specifically the task, responsibilities and competencies of the three company parties (shareholders, Board of Directors and management) were discussed. The functioning of these parties within the margins of their responsibilities and competences was emphasized. The independent role of particularly the members of the Board of Directors, who should act without mandate or instruction of the one who appointed them, was discussed extensively. Also the limitation of possible interference by the shareholder received a great deal of attention.

It can be concluded that cooperation between all parties and entities involved is of great importance for a sound implementation of the Code and compliance with the Ordinance and the Code. Moreover, considering the experiences gained, an evaluation of the code is recommendable. The Ordinance Corporate Governance and the Corporate Governance Code can be downloaded on www.cft.an and www.sbtno.org.

PHILIPSBURG:--- President of Parliament Hon. Drs. Rodolphe Samuel recently was recognized by the Zion Methodist Men with a Vision organization.

President Samuel was recognized for his contribution to the enhancement of the country's community.

Philipsburg:--- The Director General of Police Affairs from the Ministry of Justice in the Netherlands Dick Schoof held meetings with the Minister of Justice of St. Maarten Roland Duncan and Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte over the weekend to hammer out some of the concerns St. Maarten has raised with its ICT system and the training of Police Officers.

Minister Duncan told SMN News on Sunday morning via a telephone interview that he met with the senior civil servant who was sent by the Minister of Justice of the Netherlands on Friday and Saturday to discuss the concerns St. Maarten has raised regarding the management of the ICT system and police training. During that meeting some of the issues regarding the budget of the RST were also discussed, Minister Duncan said that St. Maarten will not be participating in the BMS system which is managed by Curacao and that was agreed upon during the meeting with the Director General Dick Schoof.

Duncan said that St. Maarten managed to settle the problems regarding the ICT system which will be installed and managed by St. Maarten. He said he has agreed to share police information with Aruba, Curacao, and the BES but information on St. Maarten's visitors will be safeguarded and stored on St. Maarten and not in Curacao. St. Maarten's Minister of Justice said the Netherlands tried their best to spite St. Maarten when he decided that he will maintain his position regarding St. Maarten's information and the ICT system. He said while the Netherlands and a civil servant in Curacao took measures that hampered the island's security; no one ever took the time to listen to what St. Maarten wants for her country. "I know I was right with the decisions I took on safeguarding St. Maarten's visitors' information and the Director General who came here to discuss with St. Maarten has agreed with our position." Minister Duncan said that the Police will have a new web based system called the ACTPOL which is far better than the old one that was used by the former Netherlands Antilles, that system will also be managed and controlled by St. Maarten but there will be information sharing with Aruba, Curacao, and the BES islands. Basically, St. Maarten gets what she has been lobbying for its Justice Ministry and the Director General Dick Schoof understands St. Maarten's position and has agreed to them. With regards to the Detective Department, an agreement was reached where the St. Maarten Detective Department will have a separate system. The Minister did not share much information on the system that will be purchased for the detective department on St. Maarten.

Police Training to be done jointly.

On the issue of Police training, the Minister of Justice said that police officers who recently joined the KPSM will have to undergo a two year training program which will take place on St. Maarten, the BES islands, and the Netherlands. That training program is called the BPO which is the basic police training. All BAVPOLERS working with KPSM will have to undergo this training program, the Minister of Justice told SMN News. He said these officers would have to spend at least one month in the Netherlands where they would participate in an examination and if they pass they will be certified.

RST Budget to be Discussed again in June 2013.

With regards to the 2013 budget of the RST which is not yet approved by the three Ministers of Justice from St. Maarten, Aruba, and Curacao, Minister Duncan said he relayed St. Maarten's concerns on the budget of the RST to the Director General Dick Schoof and he also understands St. Maarten's position regarding the RST. He said that the three Ministers of Justice will meet again on June 27th, 2013 to further discuss the budget of the RST. Minister Duncan said Curacao now has to relay the concerns they have with the 2013 budget of the RST while it does not seem as though Aruba has much problems with the RST and the budget they presented. At this time Duncan said he does not know if they will approve the RST budget in their next meeting but one thing he said happened is that the Director General of Ministry of Justice of the Netherlands completely understands St. Maarten's position. Minister Duncan said besides these issues there were other matters that were discussed during the two day meetings all of which yielded positive results in the interest of St. Maarten, its people, and the economy.

While the meetings took place on Friday and Saturday, the agreements between St. Maarten and the Netherlands were signed sometime Saturday night, St. Maarten's Minister of Justice confirmed.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Financial Intelligence Unit (MOT) of the Ministry of Justice has relocated from the Puerta Del Sol Complex in Cole Bay to a new location on Back Street.

The office is now located at: Deltonice (Photo Gumbs) Building, Third Floor, Backstreet #65; new telephone numbers: 543-0825, 643-0826, new Fax: 543-0828; www.fiu-sxm.net

The relocation took place on February 22. Set-up will continue on Monday, February 25. MOT will be officially open for business on Tuesday, February 26.

Sucker Garden:--- Residents and citizens both young and old made their way to the Royal Funeral Home on Saturday morning to bid farewell to the late Etienne Hubert Meyers who passed away on his 67th wedding anniversary which was February 14th, 2013. Among those that attended the funeral was Governor Eugene Holiday and First Lady Marie Louise Holiday, Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams, Deputy Prime Minister William Marlin, former Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger, President of Parliament Rodolphe Samuel, Members of Parliament George Pantophlet, Dr. Lloyd Richardson, Dr. Ruth Douglass, Johan Janchi Leonard, former Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards, the President of the Collectivity of St. Martin Alain Richardson and Senator Louis Constant Fleming. Other well known persons such as former Mayor Albert Fleming and his wife Josianne Fleming, founder of the United St. Martin Movement (USM) Daniella Jeffry, Judge Wally Haverthong, and former Chief of Police Derrick Holiday along with several police officers who are now retired attended the home going ceremony of the late Etienne Meyers who made major contributions to his country during his lifetime.

The late Etienne Meyers served in the Dutch Colony Militia "The Scotterj" while he lived in Aruba, he joined the Police Force of the former Netherlands Antilles on February 12, 1948. He gave 37 years of his life to the Police Force as an "Onder Inspecteur". Later he wrote the police examination and passed with flying colors. The late Etienne Hubert Meyers attained the title of Chief of Police in St. Maarten and Statia where he also lived for some years, Chief Immigration Officer at the Princess Juliana International Airport, and Captain of the Boys Brigade in the 1970's. The late Etienne Hubert Meyers was also knighted by Oranje of Nassau for his achievements and the years of service he gave to the Militia and Police Force. He was also the Chief Security Officer at the Princess Juliana International Airport until he retired in 1988. The late Meyers then opened a security company and obtained a contract to secure the La Samanna Hotel on the French side of the island.

His son, former Minister of TEATT Franklin Meyers read his father's eulogy and in that presentation he said while his mother the late Methodist Minister Eulalie Meyers who passed away two years ago gave her life to the world, the community and the eight children that the late Etienne Meyers fathered, but he was there for them even when they were ill at night.

Even though there was a huge crowd inside and outside of the Royal Funeral Home, the children of the late Etienne Meyers were not shy in showing their emotions for their late father, all of whom took care of him equally his son Franklin Meyers told the gathering. His body was taken by the Royal Funeral Home Horse carriage to the Cul de Sac cemetery where he was laid to rest.

Click here to view more photos of the Home Going Ceremony of the late Etienne Hubert Meyers.

Philipsburg:--- On Friday February 22nd, representatives from the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor headed by Mrs. Maria Henry held a discussion with several CPOs at the Philipsburg Police Station. The main purpose of this discussion was to form a partnership between both departments along with other stakeholders in combating and minimizing the mosquito and rodent population on the island of Sint Maarten thereby reducing the risk of the dengue fever and other diseases.
The discussion was very informative and the CPOs were more than happy to form a partnership with the Health Department supporting this initiative. A presentation by the Public Health Department is forthcoming and meetings will be held with the other stakeholders in the very near future in regard to this topic.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Due to a lack of circulation in the Great Salt Pond near an area where work is being carried out, a large number of fish have died due to the lack of oxygen. Residents and other persons are strongly advised to leave the fish, do not take them home to cook as the fish are not fit for human consumption. The Ministry of Public Health has received reports of individuals fishing in the area.

A clean-up operation has been initiated after inspections were carried out by the Inspectorate and Ministry VROMI.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Residents and stakeholders of the Cul de Sac Basin and Cay Hill, are invited to the second town hall meeting for Monday, February 25 at 7:00pm to 9:30pm. The meeting will take place at the Belair Community Center.

The first public town hall meeting as it relates to the Greater Philipsburg area, Suckergarden and Over the Pond is scheduled for Tuesday, February 26. Residents and stakeholders should make every opportunity to attend the meeting. The venue of the meeting is at the University of St. Martin (USM) starting 7:00pm until 9:30pm.

Attendees will be informed about the proposals from the Ministry with respect to zoning of the aforementioned areas.

The Ministry would like to get the public's views and ideas as it pertains to development so that these can be also incorporated as much as possible.

The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (MinVROMI) is developing the legal framework for possible future development; to designate and/or reserve land for desired use; to prevent uncontrolled development; and to offer legal security to residents about future development.

The meeting is part of the process of drafting "development plans" for country Sint Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Committee of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports (ECYS) of Parliament will be meeting February 28.

The Permanent Committee ECYS meeting is scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 4:15pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda for the meeting is the courtesy visit of the Rector Magnificus mr dr. Francis B.G. de Lanoy, of the University of the Netherlands Antilles (UNA).

The meeting was requested by the President of UNA.

The Permanent Committee ECYS is Chaired by Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Romain Laville, Vice Chair MP Hon. Louie Laveist, MP Hon. Petrus Leroy De Weever, and MP Hon. Sylvia Meyers.

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:--- The Chairman of the Corporate Governance Council (CGC) submitted their advice to the Government of St. Maarten on January 24th, 2013 regarding the five members that they were asked to issue an advice on who were selected to become members of the Board of the Voluntary Korps (VKS) which is yet to be established.

According to reliable information reaching SMN News, the two names that were submitted by the Government of St. Maarten to be board members are Police Chief Inspector Antonio "Anthony" Rogers and Emilia Thomas. In their advice the Corporate Governance Council rejected Emilia Thomas simply because she is a staff member of the Prime Minister's cabinet and having her on the board of any foundation or organization would not be in the interest of that organization since persons that are part of any Minister's cabinet and on these boards would not have an arm's length position when taking decisions. In the case of Chief Inspector Antonio Rogers, the CGC issued a positive advice for him to become a board member of the VKS Management Team. SMN News published other articles earlier this month where the outgoing Commander Jean Illidge said he recommended Rogers to be his successor because he worked with Rogers in the past and knows his capabilities. When contacted on Friday, Illidge said the recommendation he gave for Rogers was to be the future Commander of the VKS and not a member of the Management Team. Illidge also confirmed to SMN News that he submitted the name of Franklyn Richards to be a member of the board.

According to the rules and articles of incorporation, the CGC can only issue an advice on persons that were recommended by Government. Therefore, they could not issue an advice on the Attorney General of St. Maarten Taco Stein who was recommended by the Attorney General's Office (Dick Piar), Bastian Bolt who was recommended by the Regional Command (Governor's Office), and former Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards who was recommended by the VKS outgoing Commander Jean Illidge.

SMN News also reported that Chief Inspector Antonio Rogers would have been appointed as Commander of the VKS based on the advice given to the Prime Minister, but now that Rogers' name has been submitted as a member of the Management Team and he was approved by the CGC, he cannot be appointed Commander unless he resigns from the board if not there would be a conflict of interest.

Up to this moment it is not yet clear how the Prime Minister will proceed with the appointment of the members of the VKS Foundation which has to be established now that St. Maarten is a country. This Management Team is the one tasked with appointing a commander and if the foundation is not established then they will not be in a legal position to appoint anyone as commander. The current commander Jean Illige is due to leave the VKS on February 28th, 2013 when he goes on pension.

The Police Department would like to inform the general public and mainly the school bus drivers and parents, that in connection with an ongoing project to alleviate the traffic congestion that occurs every weekday morning in the Sint Peters, Betty's Estate, Ebenezer, and Saunders areas when children are transported to school, the following measures should be taken. As of Monday February 25th, all parents and school bus drivers dropping off children at the MAC School in Betty's Estate should no longer drop them off in front of the school but take them to the open lot of land next to the former Shell Gas Station, which was prepared solely for that purpose. From that area the children will be guided to the school premises. Your cooperation will be highly appreciated in making this project a success.

KPSM Public Announcement

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The first ever National Primary School Interscholastic Olympiad was held from February 18th to the 20th 2013.

The Ministry of Sports as well as parents, teachers and participating schools deemed the Olympiad a success. The goal of the Olympiad is to increase the number of sports participants through the country and to use sports as a tool to promote social well-being and excellence.

Seven primary schools participated in the Olympiad i.e. The Methodist Agogic Center, Marie Genevieve de Weever School, Ruby Labega, CIA, Learning Unlimited, Leonard Conner School, St. Dominic Primary, Oranje School, Hillside Christian Schools, Sr. Regina Primary school, Sr. Magda Primary, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School, Charles Leopold Bell School.

The sports events that were presented were Baseball, Softball, Basketball, Volleyball, Swimming, Track & Field and Soccer which took place at the various sports locations on the island.

The overall winner is The Hillside Christian School. Overall second place went to the Martin Luther King Jr. School and third place was awarded to the Methodist Agogic Center Rev. John A Gumbs Campus.

The Sportsmanship Award went to the Methodist Agogic Center Browilia F. Maillard Campus which also has the most athletes participating.

The Female MVP is Tasha Mauvais of the Martin Luther King School. The Male MVP is Deandro Ferdinand of the Ruby Labega School.

Based on the success of this Olympiad the Ministry of Sports would like to encourage schools to prepare for the coming year.

On Monday February 25th to the 27th the Olympiad for the Secondary schools will commence. We look forward to another successful three days of the Interscholastic Olympiad, Minister Hon. Silveria Jacobs said on Friday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- President of Parliament Hon. Drs. Rodolphe Samuel recently addressed the Catholic La Salette Youth Prayer Group.

The Catholic Church prayer group meets every 1st and 3rd Saturday to pray and discuss religious issues such as the Lady of La Salette. They also learn more about the Catholic faith and Catechism. The age range of the group is from four to 18.

Professionals from the community are invited to speak with the prayer group to share their knowledge and experience with the children. The children are also taken on excursions.

Dawn Beach:--- On Friday February 22, 2013, a total of 108 persons took the pledge of allegiance before His Excellency, Governor Eugene B. Holiday during the naturalization Ceremony which took place at The Westin Dawn Beach Resort and Spa. The pledge of allegiance, as being expressed in either taking an oath or making a promise, is the final mandatory step in the process of obtaining the Dutch nationality.

Governor Holiday in addressing the gathering, explained that naturalization or option is a legal process under the Dutch Kingdom Law whereby a person may be granted Dutch Citizenship. Obtaining the Dutch nationality, through naturalization or option, is a special and transformative moment in a person's life. A moment following a long legal and administrative process. A process of meeting a number of statutory requirements, including those related to residency, parental ties, "good conduct"; a process of demonstrating an attachment to the social and cultural values of Sint Maarten and a process of proving knowledge of the constitutional principles upon which the Dutch Kingdom and St. Maarten are based.

Stating that the 108 persons come from 18 different nationalities with varying backgrounds, Governor Holiday addressing the gathering emphasized: "In the context of the St. Maarten community it is the start of a new chapter in your life. For the younger ones among you St. Maarten may well be all you know and this day will be a confirmation of your relation with the St. Maarten Community. For the older ones among you, today is truly a new beginning. It is my hope that for all of you it will be a journey of growth towards a stronger St. Maarten." As a result Governor Holiday advised the new citizens as they begin this journey: to respect and hold dear the St. Maarten Song, oh Sweet St. Maarten land, to salute the St. Maarten Flag and Dutch Flag, to observe and celebrate St. Maarten's day, to acquaint themselves with St. Maarten's history and customs; and to seek to serve their new country.

After the ceremony, Governor Holiday congratulated the new citizens who had obtained their Dutch nationality in a more personal way during a reception.

Press Release from the Governor's Cabinet

MARIGOT/GREAT BAY:--- The calendar honoring the 165th anniversary of St. Martin's Emancipation will be launched on Saturday, February 23, at Philipsburg Jubilee Library, said Shujah Reiph, president of Conscious Lyrics Foundation (CLF).

The 2013 desk calendar will be given as a gift to all who attend the 22nd annual Black History Celebration Lecture program, which starts at 8 PM.

Produced by CLF in collaboration with Artsen Service Center, the calendar features illustrations of Maroon heroine One-Tété Lohkay, the frontier monument, the Great Salt Pond, and saltpickers in the Grand Case Salt Pond; and highlights history dates from St. Martin and other parts the world.

Dr. Maria Cijntje-van Enckevort will deliver the keynote address at the lecture, which has as its theme this year, "Labor, the cradle of our civilization." A historian and educator, Cijntje-van Enckevort is an expert on Surinamese trade unionist Otto Huiswoud.

Dr. Cijntje-van Enckevort will also critically address key aspects of St. Martin and Caribbean labor history from the books of Joseph H. Lake Jr., George Lamming, and Aimé Césaire.

Guest artists at the history celebration program will include Shakiya Arrindell, singing a "Negro spiritual," and Stephen Rodney, reading his poetry.

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- On Thursday morning, February 21, Commander of the U.S. Forward Operating Location (FOL), Lieutenant Colonel Tim Beers along with his staff and U.S. Consul General Valerie Belon hosted Prime Minister Daniel Hodge, Chair Parliament Mike Franco, and two other Curacao Government Ministers for a briefing and tour of the FOL.
Briefing PM Hodge, Parliament Chair Franco, Justice Minister Nelson Navarro, and Transportation Minister Earl Balborda, Lt.Col. Beers emphasized the exclusively counter-drug mission of the FOL supporting a multi-agency, multinational effort to combat illegal drug trafficking in the region.
Lt.Col. Beers also briefed the group on the significant contributions the FOL has made to the Hato International Airport including ramp and taxiway improvements, runway maintenance, training for airport firefighters, and programs to reduce the risk of bird strikes which can endanger aircraft. He also explained the large contributions the FOL makes to the local economy providing dozens of jobs and purchasing millions of dollars worth of goods and services locally as well as volunteer community service projects.
Consul General Belon emphasized how combating illegal drug trafficking is a common challenge of all countries of the region and the FOL plays an important role to detect, monitor, and hand-off suspect vessels and aircraft to local authorities. Information is shared so that, depending on the legal jurisdiction, the appropriate local authorities can interdict, apprehend, and prosecute drug trafficking crime all around the region. In 2012 alone, these efforts resulted in over US $3 billion worth of drug seizures.
After the briefing, PM Hodge, Chairman Franco and the others received a tour of the FOL facilities including a U.S. Air Force AWACs aircraft currently in Curacao to support counter-drug operations.

Philipsburg:--- Minister of Justice Roland Duncan told reporters at a brief press conference on Friday afternoon that the Franco–Dutch Treaty which was ratified by France and the Netherlands over 17 years ago will soon take effect on St. Maarten. Minister Duncan explained that a committee has been established to execute the Franco–Dutch treaty and Friday was the first time the committee met at the Immigration section of IND Building on A.T. Illidge Road. The Franco-Dutch treaty committee members from the Dutch side are Attorney General of St. Maarten Taco Stein and Head of Immigration Udo Aron, from the French side the committee members are Vice Prosecutor Flavien Noailles and Director of the Police Aux Frontiers (PAF) Raphael Harley.

Minister Duncan said right now the committee is working out the plans they have in mind to have French Immigration Officers (PAF) at the Princess Juliana International Airport when there are flights coming to St. Maarten that are considered 'risk' flights. Dutch Immigration Officers will also be at the Grand Case (L' Esperance) Airport under the same conditions.

SMN News reporter asked the Minister of Justice and the members of the committee if it would be possible for French residents or French nationals to travel within French territories including St. Martin through PJIAE with their French Identification cards. Minister Duncan said that as a long as the PAF is at PJIAE they will check the travel documents of the persons going to the French side and if its valid and authentic then the person can use their French Identification cards. It should be noted that just over two years ago the French Hotel Association spoke out against the Dutch side who informed the French side that French travelers would have to travel with their passports and not identification cards.

The Minister of Justice explained that when the meetings are kept on the Dutch side of the island they will be chaired by Attorney General Taco Stein and when they are kept on the French side by Vice Prosecutor Flavien Noailles. The Minister said the booths at the Immigration check points at PJIAE have already been extended to accommodate their colleagues from the PAF. The committee is also tasked with working out the budget for the implementation of the Franco-Dutch treaty. Duncan said that there will be joint controls under the conditions of the Franco-Dutch treaty.

The committee will also be working on having immigration officers at the harbors but that is not yet in the place. Duncan said during the first phase of the project focus will be placed on the two airports, after that they will also work on joint policing since the law is already in place.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Under the theme "Grafting Roots: Passing on the Legacy", the Philipsburg Jubilee Library's (PJL) continues its Black History Month activities, with a dance workshop featuring Clara Reyes and Rudolph Davis on Saturday, February 23 from 12:00pm to 1:00PM.
The primary focus of the library's Black History Month activities is to shed light on achievements of St. Maarten's elders, who use their talent as an instrument for passing on the history, culture, and legacy of St. Maarten to the younger generations.
The Lady responsible for giving birth to St. Maarten's dance for Emancipation, the "Ponum ", and founder of Imbali Center for Creative Movement, Reyes has committed her life to educating countless of young, up-and-coming dancers in various dance forms. Her unwavering dedication to the development of dance on St. Maarten is unparalleled.
Reyes, with a keen eye for budding talent, was instrumental in encouraging the young dancer, Rudolph Davis, to pursue his passion for dance. Davis, as a result, now serves as dancer and instructor at the Imbali Center for Creative Movement and spreads St. Maarten's legacy of dance.
Reyes and Davis will be conducting a free workshop in dance for all ages in the Library's lobby on February 23, from 12:00 to 1:00pm. The general public is invited to attend. For more information please contact the Philipsburg Jubilee Library at 542-2970 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Philipsburg:--- Chippie announces the third and fourth winners of the iPad 3 sweepstake that the mobile provider is offering together with distribution partner Xtreme Machines. The third winner, Mr. Orrin Burgan of St. Eustatius will be receiving his iPad shortly and the fourth winner, St, Maarten resident Mr. Orlando Lake received his iPad this week. These winners follow two previous winners of a total of 5 potential winners of an Apple iPad. They won the tablet by saving their Xtreme Machine top-up receipts. Each receipt contains a letter and after saving all the letters necessary to spell 'APPLE I PAD 3' they were also confirmed to be winners of the sweepstake. 'There is 1 more iPad to be won at this moment. One person has already come in with their receipts and we are awaiting confirmation on if this is also a genuine win,' says UTS Marketing and Communication Officer, Ivy Lambert. "We are happy to collaborate with our partner, Xtreme Machines to bring fantastic prizes to our customers. The holiday season is behind us, but we aren't about to stop with the gift-giving yet. The 33rd annual Heineken Regatta is coming up, and we will once again be offering our customers various extras leading up to and during this event. 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 sweepstake, free credit giveaways or otherwise, we want to show our appreciation. Chippie is celebrating its 10 year anniversary on St. Maarten all year and we want to show our appreciation to the customers that have helped make that possible," Lambert continued.

Please be informed that due to works that has to be carried out by GEBE NV, to upgrade their high tension network with approximately 24 high tension cables, a section of the ring road area used for public parking will be partially closed off. The work will start on Friday the 22nd February, 2013 up until Sunday evening the 24th February, 2013.
Motorists are asked to pay keen attention to this section of the ring road when using it for machinery and workers.

The Ministry of VROMI apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- The Board of financial supervision (College financieel toezicht - Cft), the Foundation Bureau for Supervision and Standardization Government Entities (Stichting Bureau Toezicht en Normering Overheidsentiteiten - SBTNO) and the Dutch Caribbean Accountants Association (DCAA) are organizing a seminar on Thursday afternoon February 21st 2013 at the Kurá Hulanda, titled: "Checks and Balances in Corporate Governance op Curaçao". The objective of the seminar is to enhance the awareness concerning the Corporate Governance Code and to shed light on the obligations of governmental corporations and foundations. The controller function of the external accountant will also be discussed.

Speakers
During the seminar various speakers from the respective organizations will be discussing topics concerning the theme. On behalf of the Cft, Erik van Engelen and Marloes Kempes will be giving a presentation about the role of the financial supervisor with regard to Corporate Governance. Donald de Palm (SBTNO) will be discussing the tasks and activities of the SBTNO and the obligations of the government and the entities in this. André Delger (DCAA) will explain the role of the external accountant, the legal task resulting from the Code and the importance of a uniformity approach and reporting by the different accounting offices. Guest speaker Karel Frielink will conclude with a speech concerning the present and future of the Code.

Interest
Cft, SBTNO, and DCAA have common interests for stimulating compliance with the regulation and the Code and also achieve a spin-off with the organizing of this seminar. For Cft this concerns the improvement of the compliance with the Corporate Governance rules and regulations; SBTNO focuses on the enhancement of the knowledge and awareness for directors and commissioners in the area of Corporate Governance rules and regulations in general and specifically for the controller function of the accountant; and for DCAA this means uniformity in the application of the rules and regulations and the usage of best practices and standardized text for reporting and declarations by its members.

Role of the organizers
Each of the three organizations has a different role concerning Corporate Governance. Cft has the role to identify and advise on the determination and execution of the budgets, the improvements of the financial management and the control over the total money loans. The SBTNO is an independent organization which by request or on own initiative gives advice to the Council of Ministers of Curaçao concerning the compliance with Corporate Governance on Curaçao. DCAA is an association which amongst other things stimulates its (accountant) members to execute their profession properly, safeguards the common interests of its members and promotes an interest in executing the accountancy profession, while it strives for good service in the area of financial reporting.

Register
The seminar will be held on Thursday February 21st, 2013 at the Kurá Hulanda from 13:30 – 17:30 hours. Entrance is free and the instruction language is Dutch. The seminar focuses especially on commissioners and directors of the governmental entities and accountants on Curaçao. Naturally other interested persons are also welcome. There are still a limited number of seats available. Interested persons can register on the Cft website (www.cft.an). The National Ordinance Corporate Governance and the Corporate Governance Code can be downloaded on www.sbtno.org. For more information, interested persons can send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Mount Zion Ladies Auxiliary Group will be hosting a POWER WALK-A-THON.
Date: Saturday March 9, 2013
Time: 5:00 AM sharp
Starting point: Le Grand Marche (Bush road)
Route: Start/Meeting point: Le Grand Marche-Church hill round-about A.J.C. Brouwers road -Welgelegen road-Link-One-Little Bay road-Kerkhof straat-Long wall road- A.Th.Illidge road- Middle Region road (End at the Mt. Zion Church yard).

Tickets: only $10,-- (incl.- a Power Breakfast)
For tickets or more information please call +1-721-5533719, looking forward to your participation.

SXM:--- iPhone and Android users are able to download THE ST MARTIN APP for free in the App Stores. This destination App provides comprehensive and current information about the whole island of St Martin & Sint Maarten like what happens and is interesting for visitors and locals.
The ST MARTIN APP contains extensive travel information, important phone numbers, history, where to eat, where to stay, and information on transportation, activities and main attractions. Also the st Martin App contains weekly updated events, promotions and special discount coupons. Handy features such as an exchange rate calculator, tip calculator and wheelchair accessible locations.
An innovative, fun and useful feature is Augmented Reality or 3D view. When you point your phone in a certain direction, like taking a picture, all poi's from concerning
category like restaurants and sights in that direction will pop up on your screen. Background information is obtained by clicking on the pop ups.
The App is published by CRAPPS (Caribbean Apps). CRAPPS is a DMO specialist and has various leading Destination Marketing Tools in the region. Because the
development of the app's take place over different countries, the products of CRAPPS are always up-to-date, innovative, focused on the needs of users and attractive to advertisers.
Although the development and operation of the app's takes place regionally, the app's are absolutely focused on the local market. There is a category 'Tips by Locals' where various residents mention their relationship with SXM and share their special places and experiences. The content and contacts are also managed by local colleagues.
In case of St. Martin/ Sint Maarten they have chosen to cover the whole island as one, but of course pay attention to the differences. Like the other destination applications the English version is also chosen for the username 'St Martin'. St Martin App pays special attention to local developments and events so that the app will be valuable for both locals and travelers. Updates of the apps are done automatically when connected with internet, without waiting or annoying reminders.
Because we move in a fast exploring 'Application World' the App will remain to be developed in the future. In the near future the webapp or htlm5version will be introduced for Blackberry and Window users and also for desktop PC. All versions can be used in English , French, Dutch, and Spanish.
Although al info and updates are free, it's important for the initiators that the APP offers a complete service that is supported by local businesses. Therefore  authorities and businesses get a free listing in the App, so that users can easily find them. Of course it is possible for companies to draw more attention and adjust more information with photos and info details of their website etc.
ST MARTIN APP will be introduced on several locations on the island from February 27th-March 10th with a Scan Me Action. A nice promo team will visit different
locations and besides sharing info about the app great prices can be won from sunset cruises, to car rental to Insel Air tickets to Curaçao.
Download the App or visit our website for more info about the Scan Me Action at www.stmartinapp.com.

by Fabian Adekunle Badejo

ST. MARTIN, Caribbean:--- Thirty years ago, when Lasana M. Sekou started House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP), he was the only author the new publishing outfit had or could count on. Three decades later, HNP has established itself as a leading multi-media publishing house in the Caribbean with over 75 titles, including books by world renowned authors George Lamming, Kamau Brathwaite, and Amiri Baraka, to name just a few. However, its emphasis continues to be in developing St. Martin authors in consonance with its stated mission of a "critical development of the 'national literature' of St. Martin, North and South, as a natural part of the dynamic, world-class literatures of the Caribbean."

Although the book publishing division was established in New York in 1982, when Sekou was an undergraduate at Stony Brook University – literally in his dorm room – the idea of founding a publishing house was consolidated and the coining of the name "House of Nehesi" was settled on in 1980, with the completion of his second manuscript, For The Mighty Gods ... An Offering. HNP was registered as a Foundation in Philipsburg, St. Martin, in 1986

HNP's primary activity is the publishing of books for the adult/general readership and for the research/academic, scholastic, and children "markets" in areas that include literature, education, history, biography, tourism, and entertainment but that are not exclusive to these.

The island's only book publishing house, HNP has in the last 15 years embarked on a policy of simultaneously bringing out multi-lingual editions. It has published Lamming's groundbreaking essay Coming Coming Home in English, French, and Spanish. Other trilingual titles followed: Eva-Sion-s by Sherezada Luisa "Chiqui" Vicioso, an outstanding author and ambassador of the Dominican Republic; the seminal long poem Nativity by Sekou; and the English, Arabic, and Hebrew edition of Book of Sins by the Palestinian/Israeli Nidaa Khoury, considered "one of the major exponents of modernist Arab women writing."

These multi-lingual publications have become policy at HNP, the idea being that offering the work in the main languages of the Caribbean – with a determination to extend these to "nation languages" such as Kwéyòl, Haitian, and Papiamentu – would extend its domain of mediation and make it accessible immediately to a wider readership.

In other words, rather than wait – sometimes "eternally" – for a translated version of a book, the reader in the main linguistic zones of the region would have this in the same original tome. This cuts down the waiting time and makes comparisons possible of the original text with its translated versions. In an anniversary year message to Sekou last December, Chiqui Vicioso expresses what it might mean to the writer to be published in this manner: "You do not imagine how fortunate I have been to have been published by you. It is an invaluable literary reference."

This HNP policy is in accordance with the idea of bridging the linguistic gulf between the various countries and territories of the Caribbean. In this sense, it responds to an eminently Pan-Caribbean philosophy, aided by the linguistic plurality of St. Martin where English, Dutch and French are official languages, the first two in the Southern half of the island, still a Dutch territory and the last in the Northern portion, a territory of France. However, unofficially, Spanish is the second most spoken language on the island, after English, which Sekou has called the "nation tongue" of St. Martin.

While the institutions have not yet been established to tap into the "linguistic versatility" of the average St. Martiner – a term coined by linguist Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, HNP has already begun to systematically make use of this resource in a pioneering way that could become the norm in the Caribbean, if the necessary structures are put in place.

"The experience of House of Nehesi Publishers and its impact on the development of literature and reading on St. Martin is illustrative of why it is necessary to have our own publishing houses in the Caribbean," is a point I made in Salted Tongues: Modern Literature in St. Martin.

As a not-for-profit foundation, HNP, in the best of that Caribbean spirit of survival, has been able to navigate through the suspicion and even distrust of officialdom to survive largely on its own creativity as St. Martin's leading book publishing house.

In relation to its work with authors, books, and seminars in St. Martin and other parts of the Caribbean and beyond, the great Brathwaite, in an anniversary tribute poem, calls HNP a "Guard-wall & guard-well" that is fostering "scimitars/of truth & light From islands to islands & the meaning/of mainland(s)."

Whether it is illustrated creatively or as hard news, HNP has actually become much more than a traditional book publishing outfit whose books have become compulsory and supplementary reading in schools and universities around the region, the USA, Canada, and the UK.

HNP, with its various multi-media divisions – a recording label, a film/video production unit, editing services and a communication consultancy arm, has become an engine of cultural development and transformation in St. Martin. Thriving on the synergy between its various divisions, HNP's emphasis on quality products has set it aside as a giant in its field, notwithstanding its very limited resources and not-for-profit status.

Among its "compounding" activities are sponsoring and judging of children's poetry, essay, and photo contests; coordinating educational/historical fora such as the Marcus Garvey Centennial forum/awards ceremony with the Philipsburg Jubilee Library and Idile Foundation, the 1994 workshop/lecture by George Lamming, and the 1994 constitutional pre-Referendum forum. HNP was involved with co-directing the "Traditions" theater festivals in the 1980s with St. Maarten Council on the Arts, and in directing and co-sponsoring manifestations for the Youth Explorers (teenage drama group).

Other activities that HNP has engaged in include co-sponsoring the school vacation motivational workshops, "In Session with the Youth" (2001); and the annual St. Martin Book Fair with Conscious Lyrics Foundation for the last ten years. In 2003, HNP organized a Creative Writing Program, which produced a collection of short stories and poetry written by the participants and edited by Rhoda Arrindell.

Similarly, HNP spearheaded the first traditional Boardwalk Mas, which it organized on behalf of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau in 2005. HNP published its first eBook in 2012, and plans to bring a few more online during the 30th anniversary production period that will stretch to August 2013. HNP also plans to publish an anthology of some 20 of St. Martin's mostly new generation poets in 2013.

The Fête recording by Tanny & The Boys, National Symbols of St. Martin, St. Martin Massive!, and Yvette's cookbook, already in its third printing since being launched at the 2011 book fair, are all HNP publications that have become iconic of St. Martin culture. The hurricane book is still in production. The scripting, additional interviews, editing, and DVD design and production of the Ponum dance documentary film is still on hold – mostly for lack of funds. In 1997, the highly successful fundraising under the auspices of then Lt. Gov. Dennis Richardson and first lady Mariolijn Richardson paid for the Ponum choreography that HNP commissioned to Clara Reyes, provided the honorarium for the dance experts, and afforded the cost to stage and film the choreography and various footage.

In 2011, HNP opened the "Petition to Protect the Great Salt Pond" and plans to present over 1,200 collected signatures to Parliament in 2013. In fact, there is no area of cultural expression that HNP has not been involved in, including art exhibitions, socio-educational forums, reading/writing stimulation programs, "book parties" and other promotional activities for books it has published.

Sekou refers to HNP as "a network organization." When it comes to its publishing division alone, the company's project-driven aspect kicks into gear at the start-up of each book project. Upwards to 15 people and companies are coordinated by Sekou, thus his title of projects director, a title that I still think is a bit too modest.

HNP president Jacqueline Sample often advises Sekou, "If someone brings you a paper clip during a production, say 'Thank you' and give them due credit." There's also a fondness and respect that Sekou expresses mostly in private for the authors, illustrators, graphic artists, editors, proofers, photographers, the book party "committee" and guests, book buyers and supporters, patrons of the arts, and printers, that he rarely gets an opportunity to speak about publicly. He truly feels that he has not yet found the best way or perhaps not enough ways to thank them for making HNP possible.

HNP has received awards in recognition of its contributions in numerous areas. These include a World Tourism Day Award (2001) from the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, the UNESCO prize "For Mother Language" (2006), and the Cultural Organization of the Year ACT Award 2010 from Culture Time radio program.

The first 30 years of what Lamming has called elsewhere, "The audacity of the adventure of House of Nehesi Publishers," can be described as "a journey of faith." Faith in the abundant talent of St. Martin. Faith in the power of the written word as a transformative text within the context of nation building and Caribbean unity. Faith in the collaborative efforts of those who share a similar vision to overcome financial handicaps. Faith, in the end, in the genius of mankind to shape his destiny with the tools available to him.

Philipsburg:--- Deputy Prime Minister who is also the Minister of VROMI William Marlin made some clarifications regarding the verbal stop order he issued on the filling of more sand at the FOGA pond for the construction of the Ring Road. Marlin said in November 2012 he approved the filling of more sand in the area of the FOGA pond for two reasons. Marlin said those reasons are the ring road alignment needs more sand for its completion also for the eastern section of the FOGA pond which is the back the Melford Hazel Sports Auditorium where the emergency homes are located. Marlin said the intention is for the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SHDF) to begin construction of 32 homes in that area. The VROMI Minister said SHDF already mounted a sign in the area launching the construction of the additional homes. Marlin made clear that the intention is not to fill the pond but they intend to raise the elevation where the homes are to be constructed.

Marlin said that he received a phone call from the head of New Projects Kurt Ruan when he was off island informing him that he will be moving the sand from the harbor to the FOGA on that day. He said because there was a difference of opinion between the director of SHDF and Ruan, he told Ruan not to move any sand until he gets back to St. Maarten where they will further discuss the matter. "When I told the SHDF director that they were going to move the sand to the FOGA pond, Lynch told him not to place the sand in the area now because it would create a problem with the construction of the 32 homes." Marlin said that was the only reason he told Kurt Ruan to wait until he gets back to St. Maarten so that a proper solution could have been found. Marlin said the discussion took place and a decision has been taken on moving the sand from the harbor to the FOGA pond.

Marlin said that the intention is to raise the elevation where the homes will be built so that the new homes will be at a higher elevation than the existing homes.
Marlin further explained that the department of VROMI is also working on upgrading the trenches in the area starting from where former commissioner Patricia Flanders is living. He said the project went on bid and four contractors submitted their bids but the lowest bid was submitted by Millennium PRO and the department of New Projects is in discussion with them on the upgrading of the trenches in that area. Marlin said as soon as the budget of 2013 is approved and government has access to the capital of the budget then this project will kick off. This project involves the upgrading of the trenches, the construction of a new road, drainage on both sides where the homes are to be built, also drainage in the back of the existing emergency homes.

Another project the VROMI Minister said will soon start is the construction of 38 boundary walls in Middle Region. Marlin said when the upgrading of the Middle Region road took place some walls were removed for the construction and government recently put that project on bid and the lowest bidder was Designers Choice. He said that government had an agreement with 38 home owners who agreed to move their boundary for the construction of the road and sidewalks and the agreement was government will build a new boundary wall. He said very shortly the construction of the walls will take place on the West side of Middle Region heading to the Tamarind tree.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that this Friday a bid will be launched for the final upgrade of the Dutch Quarter main road. The VROMI Minister said when he took office last year he did some emergency paving which was temporary work on the Dutch Quarter main road to grant the residents of that area some relief.

The final upgrading he said is expected to start in the month of June when the school vacation starts and it is expected to last at least five months. The final surfacing of the Dutch Quarter main road will consist of a main sewage line, the construction of side-walks, modern day street lighting along with street and landscaping. Marlin said secondary sewage lines will also be placed in the inner roads which would give home owners the opportunity to hook up their sewage which would then lead to the main sewage line. Marlin said when the project is completed the running sewage water in Dutch Quarter will come to an end. Marlin further explained that the designs for link two are being worked on. This link will be from Zagersgut road to L.B. Scot Road next to the Cake House supermarket. He said shortly the construction of that link will also go on bid. Marlin said his Ministry is also working on the design of link six which will start in French Quarter and end by the St. Dominic School in South Reward.

Marlin said now that the budget is almost finalized, government can begin floating the bonds for the capital side of the budget to execute the projects that were in the pipeline.

On 27th September the National Ordinance on joint custody has been accepted by the Parliament. The National Ordinance shall enter into force on 1st May 2013.

Core of Joint Custody
During marriage the parents have joint custody of the minor children. From now on (henceforth) the general rule shall be that this remains so after divorce.
Joint custody has as advantage that both parents can better appeal to their sense of responsibility towards the child. Only in cases that joint custody is harmful for the child will the Court charge one of the parents with the sole custody after divorce.

Child born out of wedlock
When it concerns a child born out of wedlock, then the mother has sole custody. The parents may, however, obtain joint custody by having an annotation placed in the custody register at the city hall (civil registry). They must both want that and the father must have acknowledged the child. If the unwed mother does not approve of joint custody, the father can request the Court to institute the joint custody. The Court will reject the request (petition) if joint custody is harmful for the child.
Condition is each time that the father has acknowledged the child. For that he needs the permission of the mother. Should the mother refuse to give permission for acknowledgment, then the father can request the Court for alternative permission. Alternative permission is denied if by the acknowledgment the interests of the child are harmed. Therefore should a father who has not acknowledged the child want to obtain joint custody against the will of the mother, then he shall have to request two permissions from the court: a permission to acknowledge and a permission for joint custody.

Besides, the national ordinance introduces a prohibition for parents, guardians and foster parents to apply spiritual or physical violence in the upbringing (education) or any other humiliating treatment. Child abuse is often disciplinary measures which got out of hand. If the law sets as standard that in the event of disciplinary measures no violence is used, such can maybe do its bit in the combating of child abuse. Also the International Convention with reference to the rights of the child prohibits the application of violence in the upbringing (education).

The Minister of Justice
R. E. Duncan

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee of Parliament will meet on February 26 as the meeting about recent developments concerning the Postal Services of St. Maarten (PSS) is reconvened.

The Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams as shareholder representative is expected to be present along with representatives of the Supervisory Board.

The agenda point also includes the resignation of the Director of PSS.

The central committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The meeting was requested by Independent Members of Parliament (MP) Hon. Frans Richardson, Hon. MP Patrick Illidge, and MP Hon. Romain Laville.

A Central Committee meeting with the Minister of Justice Hon. Roland Duncan that was scheduled for February 21 was postponed on Thursday until further notice.

The two agenda points that were to be dealt with were crime fighting initiatives, crime statistics for 2012 as well as other relevant information; and an update regarding security and security companies in Sint Maarten.

The Central Committee meeting was requested by the United People's (UP) Party faction. The initial meeting was first held on January 25. MP Hon. Gracita Arrindell from the UP faction presented a letter to the President of Parliament on behalf of the UP Interim Faction Leader MP Hon. Sylvia Meyers requesting the postponement.

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:--- The president of the Philipsburg Mutual Improvement Association (PMIA) Glenderlin Davis Holiday with project coordinator Clayton Holiday and board member Marsha Thomas presented a set of seven booklets that were prepared by the PMIA to Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams. President of the PMIA Davis Holiday said that there were a number of speakers who gave lectures for the memorial of L.B. Scot.

Davis Holiday said the lectures have been taking place for the past eleven years, all of which are in the booklet. The seven booklets were for the seven members of the Council of Ministers.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Residents and stakeholders are reminded about the second town hall meeting regarding hillside conservation areas for Thursday, February 21 at 7:00pm. The meeting will take place at the University of St. Martin (USM).

Attendees will be informed about the proposals from the Ministry with respect to zoning that also includes Geneve Bay area, Emilio Wilson Park, Belvedere Plantation, building possibilities, road network, cultural heritage, and public facilities.

The Ministry would like to get the public's follow-up views and ideas as it pertains to hillside conservation areas especially after the first public meeting was held back in April 2012.

The preservation of hillside conservation areas are to take into account landscape and scenery, ecology, cultural heritage, recreation, and tourism. The objective is to protect certain areas from development pressure. Development that will be allowed will be based on rules for density, height and excavations.

The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (MinVROMI) is developing the legal framework for possible future development; to designate and/or reserve land for desired use; to prevent uncontrolled development; and to offer legal security to residents about future development.

The meeting is part of process of drafting of "development plans" for country Sint Maarten.

Philipsburg:--- The Court of Appeals of Curacao, St. Maarten, Aruba, and the BES Islands in their decision rendered on Wednesday ruled that the main suspect in the brutal murder of Micheal and Thelma King, Meyshane Kemar Johnson will remain in custody for the duration of his trial. The decision was pronounced in St. Maarten even though the Appellate Court made the decision in Curacao.

Based on the decision rendered on Wednesday, the panel consisting of three judges said while the Attorney General Taco Stein stated that the suspect and his lawyer had no grounds to appeal. Stein asked the Court of Appeals to deem the appeal submitted by Johnson inadmissible. However, the Appeals Court found that the suspect (Johnson) was within his rights to appeal and the appeal was submitted on time therefore it is admissible.

The court believes that the suspect was within his rights to appeal the decision rendered by the Court of First Instance who ruled that the summons issued to Johnson on January 10th, 2013 was null and void.

The Appeals Court stated that even though the judge in the lower court ruled the summons null and void, the judge also used another part of the law which is article 105- 4 which allowed her to keep the suspect behind bars for a period of three weeks. The Appeals Court further explained in their decision that at the time when the judge ruled that the summons of January 10th, 2013 was null and void, the Attorney representing Johnson did not request his immediate release. The Appeals Court further explained that during that period of time a new summons was issued to the suspect for him to appear in court on January 17th, 2013.

Therefore, the Appeals Court rules that the pre-trial detention of Meyshane Kemar Johnson continues as of January 17th, 2013. Clearly from the decision rendered by the Appeals Court on Wednesday, Meyshane Kemar Johnson was kept in custody without a title or reason for a period which is from January 10th to 16th 2013.

Regarding the other two summons that Attorney Brooks asked the Appeal Court to declare inadmissible, the Court of Appeals states that they have no authority to make a decision on the other summons.

Based on the decision rendered by the Court of Appeals on Wednesday, Meyshane Kemar Johnson will remain in custody until the case is completed in the Court of First Instance and when the case reaches them for a second time, a decision will be taken on the legality of the three summons that were issued to Meyshane Kemar Johnson. When the decision was pronounced on Wednesday afternoon several members of the King family and some of their friends were in the court room.

Click here to view the decision rendered by the Court of Appeals on Wednesday.

Philipsburg:--- Police and other law enforcement officers were called to Chesterfields Restaurant late Wednesday afternoon after the body of a black male was found in the water behind Chesterfields Restaurant. The boats from the Coast Guard and other law enforcement officials were on the scene recovering the body from the water. Part of the area was closed off by police as they removed the badly decomposed body.
Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson confirmed that the body of a black male was found in the water somewhere in the vicinity of Chesterfields Restaurant. Henson said he did not have the dead mans' identity but what he knew at the time was that the man is from one of the neighboring islands and he came to St. Maarten on one of the boats that bring produce to the island. Henson said the boat is currently anchored at Great Bay. The police spokesman said that the owner and other workers on the boat told the detectives they noticed that the man was acting strangely since Monday and sometime that same day he went missing. Henson said the owner of the boat filed a complaint with the IND department informing them that the man went missing. Currently an investigation into the man's death is underway. Reliable information reaching SMN News states that the man is from the island of St. VIncent.

Philipsburg:--- The Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt showcased the uniforms the personnel of the Finance Department will be wearing as of now. Minister Tuitt said government is trying its best to improve the image and the services of government to the community. Tuitt said to achieve that they are dealing with different aspects in different phases. He said one aspect is having programs in place to develop and upgrade the employees through education. Tuitt said they are also automating all the systems they can automate therefore they implemented e-government. He said in order for government to project a good image they also have to make it visible, therefore special uniforms were ordered for the staff of the Finance Ministry.

PHILIPSBURG:--- "I am very pleased that the Heineken Regatta organizers and stakeholders have added a new dimension to the 33rd Annual Heineken Regatta with the participation of 10 young people who will participate in the race.

"Our youths need to be stimulated and involved in various sports be it on land or on the water. Our country has much to offer and I am happy to see that our youth will partake in this event which is considered the premiere sailing event in this part of the Caribbean," President of Parliament Hon. Rodolphe Samuel said on Wednesday.

The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, IGY Marinas, and St. Maarten Sailing School, joined in partnership to sponsor this programme whereby 10 youths will crew two boats and be at the start line of the regatta race.

The 33rd Heineken Regatta kicks off on February 28 and runs through March 3.

The 10 youth sailors, ages 16-19, are students at Milton Peters College, and will be sailing on a Catalina 36 named "Moondance," and a Beneteau 30 called "Vanille."

The young sailors have received training and are enrolled in a community service programme at St. Maarten Yacht Club.

"I would like to wish the 10 young people who have been given this opportunity much success in the yacht race next week.

"I also would like to use this opportunity to appeal to other young people out there to make use of this opportunity that is offered by the St. Maarten Sailing School with respect to learning how to sail among other related aspects," President Samuel concluded.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A Central Committee meeting with the Minister of Justice Hon. Roland Duncan is still scheduled for February 21.

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

The two agenda points to be dealt with are what initiatives are being taken to fight crime, including receiving crime statistics for 2012 as well as other relevant information; and an update regarding security and security companies in Sint Maarten.

The Central Committee meeting was requested by the United People's (UP) Party faction. The initial meeting was first held on January 25.

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.

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- In the context of a better and professional information service, the Public Prosecution Service of Sint Maarten, the BES islands and Curaçao are now also accessible through its own website. The website was officially launched on Wednesday, February 20, 2013. The website was launched by the Attorney-General, mr. Dick Piar. With the push of a button, he initiated the website. The webaddress is: www.openbaarministerie.org.
On the website the surfer can find a lot of information about the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Public Prosecutor in the various countries and special informative sections. The site also has a section for any available jobs positions within the organization.
The site was launched in this first phase in Dutch. Within short the site will also be available in English and Papiamento.
The website was developed by DragonFly Media and constructed with information that will be very regularly updated by the Communications Department of the Public Prosecutor.

Philipsburg:--- Finance Minister Roland Tuitt told reporters very briefly on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing that the CFT issued a positive advice on the 2013 budget. Minister Tuitt said that his Ministry is now preparing the other documents to send the 2013 budget to Parliament for approval. He said the budget should be sent over to parliament by the end of this week.

Tuitt also told reporters that he will be leaving the island to the Netherlands where he will meet with Minister Plasterk.

Tuitt said he will also be meeting with a committee to discuss several matters relating to St. Maarten. He said one of the topics on the agenda is the social funding. Tuitt said his aim is to ensure that communication between the Netherlands and St. Maarten remains at a certain level, while he will be looking for information on the structure used in the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) payments for civil servants in the Netherlands.

Meeting with Bankers Association on FACTA fruitful.

The Finance Minister also reported that he held a meeting with the banking association on St. Maarten. Tuitt said that meeting was to discuss the implementation of the FACTA and his Ministry is providing all the necessary information to the bankers association now because when the FACTA is implemented in 2014 everyone will be prepared. He said a follow up meeting is scheduled with the bankers association so that his Ministry can delineate all that is necessary on the FACTA.

Tuitt said after he finishes the delineating process with the bankers association and they find a way of moving forward then he will look at how far the Netherlands is with the process because it is in the interest of the Netherlands to get an agreement with the US regarding the FACTA because one of their main industries is financial services.

TAXAND Issue Discussed with Council of Ministers --- Tuitt Appointed to Proceed with Taxand scandal.

On the issue of TAXAND, the Minister of Finance told reporters on Wednesday that he discussed the report he received from the SOAB on the TAXAND investigation with the Council of Ministers. He said the Council of Ministers has designated him to continue the process while he also has to design a path forward with the TAXAND affair. Tuitt said that when he returns from the Netherlands he intends to finalize his plans on how to move forward with the TAXAND scandal.

Lottery Game an Idea to Generate Funds of SDF.

Minister Tuitt also announced on Wednesday that the St. Maarten Development Fund (SDF) which was recently established to take over what AMFO was doing with social funding is planning to establish a lottery game to accumulate monies to fund social projects and non-governmental organizations. Tuitt said that the proceeds from this lottery game will go towards financing all social projects on St. Maarten.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs opened the first ever National Primary & Secondary Interscholastic Olympiad on Monday February 18th 2012 organized by the Ministry of Sports.

The goal of the Olympiad is to increase the number of sports participants through the country and to use sports as a tool to promote social wellbeing and excellence.

February 18th through 20th is the Olympiad for primary school Cycle 2 students. February 25th through 27th is the Olympiad for the Secondary schools.

The Olympiad is a pilot project geared towards structural annual scholastic sport exchanges. It is the intention that this Olympiad becomes a yearly program held at the end of February.

During this inaugural year the event presented seven sports i.e. Baseball, Softball, Basketball, Volleyball, Swimming, Track & Field and Soccer.

The Olympiad will utilize the various sports venues around the island, making it a true sporting experience.

Locations that will be utilized for the Olympiad and the sports that will be hosted are:

Raoul Illidge Sports Complex – Soccer and Track & Field

Jose Lake Ball Park – Baseball

L.B. Scott Auditorium – Basketball

Melford Hazel Sport Facility – Volleyball

Little League Sports Complex – Softball

Belair Health & fitness Club – Swimming

Minister Jacobs commended the participants and the supporters for coming out in such great numbers. Participating schools are Methodist Agogic Center, Marie Genevieve de Weever School, Ruby Labega, CIA, Learning Unlimited, Leonald Conner School, St. Dominic Primary, Oranje School, Hillside Christian Schools, Sr. Regina Primary school, Sr. Magda Primary, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School, Charles Leopold Bell School.

The Minister expressed her desire to see the children embrace and further develop their sense of sportsmanship and camaraderie. To further encourage that she invited the young athletes to recite the Sportsman's Creed where after the Olympiad was officially opened.

The Minister briefly attended two sports events, Volleyball and Baseball, at their respective locations. The Olympiad will continue till Wednesday at the various locations. Registration for secondary schools is still ongoing.

Philipsburg:--- The 2013 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) in St. Maarten can be simply described as "Unforgettable". RYLA is Rotary International's annual youth leadership conference. It purpose is twofold: to teach leadership skills amongst teens and to foster stronger ties amongst countries and regions. This year Rotary District 7020 selected St Maarten/St Martin as the hosts.

Hundreds of RYLA photos are currently circulating across social media and the web and capture the experiences of the 124 participants, aged 14-17, who came from Anguilla, Tortola, St. Kitts, Saint Martin and St. Maarten. Opening on Valentine's Day, District Governor Vance Lewis and Assistant District Governor from St Maarten, James Ferris, joined together with Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams and Minister Silveria Jacobs to welcome everyone. Immediately following the opening ceremonies Giselle Hilliman, a young St. Maarten psychologist, set the stage for the conference theme by addressing the various personality styles that exist and how our behaviors vary as result of the influences of our past experiences, culture and other factors. Understanding these differences is the hallmark of a great leader.

The conference featured workshops by Rebecca Low, David McGregor, Oldyn Bryson Pantophlet, Barbara Ejingiri and Nkozana Illis on the themes of leadership, peace, listening skills, negotiation, interpersonal relationships and conflict resolution. Interactive sessions on how to prepare for a job interview, how to budget and effective public speaking were facilitated by Maria Buncamper, Robert Judd, Toastmasters DG Rolando Tobias, Emilia Thomas and Valerie Brazier. Heather Mercuur of the Love of Kids Foundation discussed the issue of bullying and offered effective tools to deal with it.

All that hard work also called for relaxation which came in the form of positive motivation and tips in handling stressful situations by Dushyant Savadia of the Art of Living. Participants – many of whom were also Interactors and no strangers to community service – dove into community projects. These included backyard gardening and becoming one with Mother Nature at the Hillside Adventures in South Reward and at the Rasta Farm in Bellevue. Participants cleaned the Guana Bay beach and planted mangroves in Red Pond under the guidance of the Nature Foundation. The St. Maarten Red Cross demonstrated their continued commitment to keeping our youngsters safe by setting-up a makeshift emergency room at the MAC School during the RYLA, as well providing youth-led workshops on life saving techniques and disaster preparedness.

As with every Rotary initiative, building bridges and making lasting friendships was the heart of the conference. Much of this bonding took place through the "Front Street Challenge" (a treasure hunt), zumba, self-defense training, dancing, singing and good old fashioned play that rounded out this year's Rotary Youth Leadership Awards on St. Maarten/Saint Martin.
RYLA was organized in collaboration by the four Rotary Clubs on Dutch and French St. Maarten with the assistance of Rotaractors from both sides. The TaskForce would like to thank the many volunteers who assisted in this conference as well as the generous financial contributions received from CIBC, the Ministry of Education, Nagico, Telem, Sol, Biocompression, and other private donors. A true community effort - Rotary in Action.

On February 28, 2012, the new www.CaribbeanTravel.com regional website will be launched and officially goes live at a press conference in New York. This website was created as the result of a partnership between the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) and Caribbean Tourism Association (CTO). These Regional Public Sector and Private sector organizations have joined together to form a commercial entity called the Caribbean Tourism Development Company or CTDC with the following objectives:

• To promote and protect of the Caribbean brand;
• To promote and protect the interests of the owners;
• To create synergies which might not otherwise go to the partners;
• To generate revenues for the benefit of the Caribbean people.

According to Emil Lee, President of the SHTA and First Vice President of the CHTA, "The CTDC website www.caribbeantravel.com is an excellent example of what can be achieved through structured public private sector partnership. The CTDC is the Caribbean equivalent to the long anticipated and ever elusive St Maarten Tourism Authority or STA. The www.caribbeantravel.com program achieves multiple goals. It allows the region to collectively cooperate and combine resources to brand the Caribbean. Additionally, like the www.vacationstmaarten.com initiative, it puts upward pressure on the net rates for hotels by generating sales leads and forwarding them directly to the hotels for them to convert into reservations without paying commissions. All hotels should be participating in both projects. There is no cost to participate. The additional exposure provides leads at higher net rates thereby improving profitability for the hotels and ultimately benefits the whole island."
People interested in previewing the website can view it at www.caribbeantravelpreview.com All SHTA members that are also CHTA member hotels are entitled to list their property on www.caribbeantravel.com at no charge – and only member hotels will be displayed at this time, allowing a click through to the hotel's own website further enhancing the value to SHTA/CHTA member hotels.
If you are interested in participating, contact Natasha at the SHTA at 542-0108 or email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Council of Ministers was provided with a presentation recently on two boats that will be acquired to improve and increase the services of the police particularly patrolling in the Simpson Bay Lagoon.

This will increase among others the safety feeling of the owners of mega yachts. For effectiveness of the controls, the police will join forces with the Coast Guard and Immigration services (IND) and increase the cooperation with the French side that already carry out similar controls on the water.

Based on public bidding, the company Caribbean Nautical was selected. The boats will be customized based on the requirements of government. Similar to the companies experience with Aruba and Curacao, the company will also look into possibilities of contributing on a social level to the St. Maarten community.

The investment in the boats is structural; the vessels will be low maintenance and have a life expectancy of about 10 years under normal operational circumstances. A location for the lifts for the boats is currently being explored.

Simpson Bay:--- No vehicles will be allowed to park here alongside the SXM Airport's fence, according to a decree to that effect issued by the Minister of Justice, the Hon. Roland E. Duncan. The decree is in keeping with the International Aviation Safety requirement established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in its Standards and Recommended Practices document.

On Monday, contractors started to remove the existing guardrails in order to install new railing at 1.5 meters from the road, to be in line with the new guardrails. They will continue preparations for the installation of the new guardrails, which are expected at the end of the month. The entire work is scheduled for completion by mid-March.

The contractor, MNO, has already begun digging holes along where the guardrail poles will be installed to check if there are any cables or pipes where they plan to install the poles.

The ICAO requirement prescribes that "Security fence lines should be kept clear of all obstruction such as electric poles, trees, stowed equipment and materials, vehicles, etc..."

The Princess Juliana International Airport operating company (PJIAE), in order to comply with this international security measure, had requested the Minister of Justice to issue the necessary ministerial decree.

The airport has also requested the Ministry of Works, Spatial Planning and Environment (VROMI), to place the relevant traffic signs to inform the general public about the parking prohibition. This is a requirement before the ministerial decree can go into effect.

"VROMI has ordered the traffic signs and these will soon go up at strategic points along the airport road," confirmed Robert Brown, PJIAE's Coordinator of Special Projects.

Brown explained that the guardrails will be erected over approximately 900m on the eastern side of the SXM Airport road to further discourage parking along the fence. He said the contractor will be using the Blue Martini location to park their containers and equipment for the project period and possibly also in front of the Al Wathey Apartments (if necessary).

In the meantime, all of the car rental companies will receive a letter informing them of the work, and offering a contact person for any questions.

About 50 cars, mainly belonging to car rental companies, are usually parked along the airport fence.

"We have space for car rental parking at a fee," Brown said.

Vehicles violating the No Parking order will be towed away at the owners' expense.

The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau partnered with Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) in 2009 to establish the Blue Flag Program on St. Maarten and launch a continuous environmental awareness campaign aimed at encouraging residents and visitors to dispose of their waste in a responsible manner. This partnership enjoys the full support of the Honorable Minister Romeo F. Pantophlet and was initiated under the direction of Mr. Frans Richardson at that time Commissioner of Tourism and Ms. Regina LaBega then Director of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau.

As part of this campaign the Tourist Bureau and EPIC developed Environmental Codes of conduct signs and have been working on placing garbage bins on all of St. Maarten's beaches. The project has been a long time in the making but this past week eighteen garbage bins were placed on Mullet Bay Beach and four were placed on Kim Sha Beach.

Several Environmental Codes of conduct signs have already been installed on Great Bay Beach, Little Bay Beach and at Isle de Sol Marina. Similar signs will be placed on Mullet Bay and Kim Sha Beach shortly followed by placement of signs and bins on other beaches in the near future.

"As a destination with 37 beautiful beaches, we are taking every measure to keep them clean and pristine to keep residents and visitors coming back and able to relax and enjoy the perfect setting in the Caribbean. In order to do this, we would like to solicit the cooperation of the beach users to make responsible use of the bins and aide us in keeping our beaches clean for all" said Edward Dest, interim director of tourism for the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau.

According to EPIC project manager Rueben J. Thompson the Foundation is extremely pleased to see this project being carried out successfully. Thompson called on the public at large to please make proper use of the bins and refrain from abusing them.

This project was made a reality in partnership with and through the dedication and contributions of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, Environmental Protection In the Caribbean (EPIC), St. Maarten Pride Foundation, St Maarten Timeshare Association and The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure.

EPIC Press Release

UTRECHT, Netherlands:--- On February 18th, Governor Eugene B. Holiday gave a lecture at the law faculty of the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, on the subject "Perspectives on good governance: nature, importance, practice and challenges". The lecture was attended by Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten, Mr. M.S. Voges, Minister Plenipotentiary of Curacao, Mr. R.A.M. Pieters, officials of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Affairs, law professor dr. G.H. Addink and law students from the University of Utrecht. The lecture was organized by the Politeia study club for constitutional and administrative law.
The intention of the lecture was to discuss the practice and challenges of governance, which is at the center of the tasks and responsibilities of the Governor of Sint Maarten. The lecture was aimed at locating the parameters of governance in Sint Maarten in relation to its social, cultural and constitutional setting and to point towards the importance and challenges which are indicated in the practice of good governance.
According to the United Nations Development Programme in 1994 "Good governance ensures that political, social and economic priorities are based on broad consensus in society and that the voices of the poorest and the most vulnerable are heard in decision-making over the allocation of development resources".
The Governor put forward that on Sint Maarten several of the principles of good governance, such as accountability, effectiveness, transparency, properness and participation, are anchored in legislation and supported by case law. However, he stated that at the end of the day compliance to the principles of good governance stands or falls with behaviour and attitude. He emphasized his personal motto: "Excellence in governance to serve the people of Sint Maarten". In explaining this he stated "We must continually aim to be the best we can be as we strive to develop a more safe, secure and just society. To achieve this we must adopt best practices". The Governor stated that there are ample examples of the absence of best practices from time to time in all parts of the Kingdom.
Promoting excellence in governance is intended to serve as a guide for one's attitude towards governance. It promotes the application of a number of universally accepted basic principles. Continuing the governor outlined the role of the various players in promoting good governance among which the Parliament, the Courts and the High Councils of state. But in the end it is parliament, as representative of the will of the people, that should be the judge of the conduct of government, according to the Governor.
The Governor said that considering the nature and importance of good governance for the overall development of the people it is evident that we must continue to build on, amend and perfect the existing frameworks. Sint Maarten as a new country is still in the process of developing the traditions of government which are critical to the progress and wellbeing of the society, the Governor stated. Highlighting this universal quest for progress the Governor quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's, statement: "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." In addressing issues of good governance the Governor said to be continually inspired by the fundamental optimism revealed in Martin Luther King's statement about the human nature.
"Progress is and has never been automatic, it depends on individual and concerted action. It is against this background that as Governor, I continue to work with parties towards the fortification of excellence in governance. For it is only through our continued observance of the principles of good governance that we will continue to progress and build a more safe, secure and just Sint Maarten and Kingdom", the Governor concluded.

After the lecture students had the opportunity to have a discussion with the Governor.

The complete text of the lecture is published on the Governors website www.kabgsxm.com.

Photographers from among others, Canada, Belgium, The Netherlands, and St. Maarten participating.

Simpson Bay:--- The Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), is one of the major sponsors of the first aviation photography competition in the Caribbean region, offering a cash prize of US$2,500 to the overall winner. The competition, which is organized by Toppix under the theme, "St. Maarten: Aircraft Spotters' Paradise" will be held here from March 17 – 23, 2013.

"This is part of our year-long celebration of the 70th anniversary of the airport," said Robert Brown, Special Projects Coordinator of PJIAE, the operating company of SXM Airport.

At a press conference held at the airport on Monday morning, Brown said the competition offered a great opportunity for Public Relations for the island and the airport.

"It is an opportunity to show off our unique scenic and panoramic approach and view coming into SXM," Brown said. "This especially since we have just been named the world's most stunning landing."

"At the same time," he continued, "we boast an impeccable safety record, which also highlights our commitment to safety. I think this is another indication that SXM is a leader in the region. We are always interested in highlighting our qualities and sharing them with the world."

"We are very excited to be participating in this aviation photography competition, namely the Toppix Sint Maarten Aviation Photography Competition, which we hope will be held on a yearly basis and grow and continue to highlight this attraction," Brown said. He added that this is "definitely part of our vision and part of our brand, which we have recently launched."

The competition is the brainchild of Robbie Cijntje, a renowned photographer. Cijntje, a dedicated aircraft spotter on the island, gave an elaborate explanation of the aims and objectives of the contest. He disclosed that already, 10 participants drawn from Canada, Belgium, and The Netherlands, and three from St. Maarten have registered for the competition.

"St. Maarten as a tourist destination needs something 'magical' to attract the tourist," he said. "That something magical is right here at the airport and Maho surroundings where you can see lots of YouTube pictures... showing an exclusive destination where you can come so close to the aircraft and airport that it became an attraction on itself."

According to Cijntje, aircraft spotting is very closely related to the state of technology. He gave a brief history of the activity's development over the years, starting with Dutchman J. Lawant in 1948.

Judges for the Toppix 2013 aviation photography competition include veteran photographer Peter Gunn and Chermaine Petit-Booi, both of St. Maarten, and head judge Chris Kilroy, owner and managing director of the world's largest aircraft spotting website, jetphotos.net.

The rules of the competition require that the photographs reflect the theme and be taken on the island between March 18 – 22, 2013. They should portray an aviation-related activity in a portrait or landscape format, with an aircraft visible in the picture, which must have a St. Maarten backdrop. A maximum of three photographs per participant can be entered, each with a minimum of 1200 pixels on the longest side and 600 pixels on the shortest side.

Entries must be e-mailed to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. on or before March 22, 2013. The photos must contain the correct exif date and time. The competition is open to both amateur and professional photographers 16 years old and above.

Cijntje stressed that "if any picture is taken where only one person is recognizable on it, the photographer should obtain a release from that person" to avoid possible legal complications later. Photographs showing a group of persons do not require such a release.

The best six photographs will be on display at the airport for four months. The winners will be announced at a prize-giving ceremony on March 23, 2013, and the overall winner or his/her legal representative must be present at this ceremony to claim the prize.

"We expect it to be a recurring event, so we will be having it every year," Cijntje disclosed, while expressing the hope that it would continue to grow with the years. He said with the help of the sponsors, Toppix 2014 will be held from November 6 – 10, a period close to St. Martin Day and also to the start of the tourist season.

The full amount of the registration fee of US$20 per participant will be donated to the foundation charged with bringing awareness to breast cancer, Cijntje said.

Speaking also at the press conference, Lisa Noel of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, co-sponsor of the event, said her office was very proud to be part of the competition. "We hope the competition will not only showcase the happenings at the airport but also showcase the destination as a whole."

Philipsburg:--- President of the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) Claire Elshot told reporters on Tuesday during the Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Unions' (WICLU) weekly press briefing that she felt the statements made by Finance Minister Roland Tuitt were disrespectful and unethical.

Elshot said all unions on St. Maarten have been speaking out against the non-payment of the Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) and she cannot understand why the Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt would say if the WITU could tell him where to find the monies he would make the payments immediately.

The WITU President said that the unions and government are currently discussing the 2010 COLA payments and while the Prime Minister promised the unions and the GOA to send them a proposal on how they intend to index the COLA payments, that proposal has still not been sent by Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams.

Elshot further explained that last week the Finance Minister challenged the WITU into taking over his seat as Minister. The WITU President said she finds the statement made by the Finance Minister is a dangerous presidency and unethical. Elshot said the COLA payments do not only benefit teachers alone, she said she also believes that the WITU was singled out by the Minister when he made his comments. The COLA is for all civil servants, teachers, police, prison guards, coast guards, and pensioners. Some two weeks ago the Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt responded to a question that was posed to him by a reporter regarding the COLA payments. Minister Tuitt in response to the question said if the unions could tell him where to get the monies to make the COLA payments he would do it immediately.

When SMN News asked Elshot if she took note of the recent budget cuts that government had to make in order for the CFT to approve the budget, Elshot said that in 2011 the government did not even budget the COLA payments but that payment was made in June 2012 shortly after the UP/DP Government collapsed.

Lack of Teachers in Public Schools Worrisome.

Another issue that has the attention of the WITU is the lack of teachers in at least three public schools. President of the WITU Claire Elshot said that there are a number of teachers that are out on sick leave and so far the department of public education has not found replacement teachers for those teachers that are out on sick leave. She said the students whose teachers are out on medical are divided among the other classes and this is creating a huge problem for the other teachers who now have to shoulder the extra work load. "Sometimes the guest students don't even fit in the class program that is prepared by the teacher who has to take in the extra students, besides that when these students don't fit in the teacher has to neglect her class to pay special attention to their guest students.

Elshot said it was brought to her attention that substitute teachers are sometimes called in but these teachers do not receive equal pay for equal work as it is stipulated in the law. She said she understood that the substitute teachers are being paid less and that is not part of the law. Therefore, the WITU will be doing some research to deal with the matter.

The Windward Island Teachers Union will also be looking into the matter regarding extra and further training for FBE teachers. Elshot said her members believe the FBE training has become a never ending program and they are supposed to receive certification when they complete these trainings but so far that has not been done.

PHILIPSBURG:--- This evening, Tuesday, February 19, the "Readers are Leaders" Club will be presenting a cultural evening to celebrate Black History Month in song, poetry, and dance at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library's lobby at 5:30 pm.
"Readers are Leaders" is a reading program organized and supported by the Philipsburg Jubilee Library and the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise. The goal is to promote literacy specifically among high school students and to encourage readers to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas through writing. The participants are challenged to read a number of books and submit reports about the books they read.
The recently elected Readers are Leaders board has been working hard to make this event an exciting one. Snack and drinks will be available to the audience members directly after the presentation.
Students interested in joining the Readers are Leaders can contact the Philipsburg Jubilee Library at 542-2970 or join their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/readers.a.leaders for more information.

Philipsburg:--- The three suspects that are in custody for the murders of American citizens Micheal and Thelma King in their Cupe Coy condominium on September 19th, 2012 appeared in the Court of First Instance for their second Pro-forma hearing on Tuesday. Meyshane Kemar Johnson confessed to police that he killed the Kings during a robbery attempt at their home on the night of September 19th, 2012. The trio is also charged with robbing the Happy Star Chinese Restaurant that same night. The other two suspects, Jeremiah Chevon Mills (17) and Jamal Jefferson Woolford (20) also appeared for the hearing. The three suspects were dressed in their prison garments. Johnson sporting a low haircut wore a pair of a blue and white sneakers while Mills and Jefferson had their hair in plaits. Mills had on white sneakers while Woolford wore black high top booths. The three suspects who sat beside each other remained stoned face as the charges were read to them. Inside the courtroom were some friends of the Kings and two RST officers listening to the proceedings.

During Tuesday's hearing the lawyers representing Jeremiah Chevon Mills and Jamal Jefferson Woolford contested the psychiatrist's reports that were submitted to the court and the respective lawyers namely Attorney Shaira Bommel on behalf of Mills and Attorney Aernout Tnaageveld from Gibson Associates on behalf of Jamal Jefferson Woolford. The Prosecutor's Office had requested psychiatric and psychological reports on Mills and Jefferson to determine their mental state when they committed the brutal murders. Attorney Bommel told the judge that several questions in the report were left unanswered and she wanted a full report on her client "Mills." Bommel told the court that the psychiatrist through the court of guardianship only saw her client once for a period of 15 minutes and in her opinion that was not sufficient time to evaluate her client. Attorney Aernout Tnaageveld also expressed the same sentiments to the court on behalf of Woolford. Prosecutor Douna Benammar told the court that the psychiatrist had the entire file and in her view the reports were not only based on the meeting held with the suspects but also on the information they had in the two suspect's files. The psychiatrist in her assessment report stated that the two suspects Mills and Woolford are in their right minds and they can be tried normally for the crimes they committed on September 19th, 2012.

The judge then ordered the two lawyers to submit the additional questions they have for the psychiatrist to the judge of instruction by March 1st, 2013 so that the judge of instruction could make contact with the psychiatrist and get the answers for them. The case is now postponed to March 8th, 2013 at 2pm where the re-enactment will take place. The judge told the suspects that no one except for their lawyers can be present at that hearing because it will not be a public session. She also informed the three suspects that they will be transported separately to the scene which is at Rhine Road (Ocean Club) Cupe Coy. The judge also indicated to the suspects that the trial might last longer than the normal time which is 5pm. She also indicated to the three suspects that special arrangements have to be made so that the re-enactment could take place inside the Kings' apartment where the killings took place. When the judge asked the three suspects if they had anything to add Mills told the court he will use his right to remain silent while Johnson and Woolford said "No".

It should be noted that the relatives of the three suspects were not at the Court House on Tuesday.

More Mistakes in the Prosecution files on King Murders.

The Court of Appeals is expected to render its decision on February 20th, 2013 (Wednesday) on whether or not Johnson will remain in pre-trial detention since the Prosecutor's Office made a number of mistakes when they summoned him to appear for his first Proforma hearing last month. Attorney at Law Brenda Brooks appealed the decision made by the judge in the court of First Instance when she ruled that the first summons given to Meyshane Kemar Johnson was null and void. Even though the judge threw out the summons, she did not release Johnson from pre-trial detention due to the seriousness of the case. The Appeal hearing took place on January 30th, 2012. Brooks told the court that her client received three summons for the first hearing and each of them had mistakes on them. Attorney Brooks in her plea to the Appeals Court said that the case should not be based on emotions but on the law of Kingdom. She said the Prosecution had enough time to repair the mistake they made the first time but instead of correcting that mistake they made more mistakes which is what prompted her to appeal the verdict of the first summons.

One would think that persons preparing the files for the suspects who brutally murdered two innocent people would do their job diligently to ensure that the relatives of the Kings and the people of St. Maarten get justice, especially knowing that the main suspect can get away with murdering two people on technicalities. Even though Johnson confessed to killing the Kings, even if he is convicted by the Court of First Instance he stands a high chance of walking free in the Appeals Court because the three summons issued to Johnson will be deemed inadmissible when it reaches the Appeals Court for the second time.

It clear that something is wrong at the Prosecutor's Office, either the people working there are over worked or under qualified because again they made a mistake on the charge sheet of Jamal Jefferson Woolford. On that sheet, the Prosecutor's Office stated that Woolford was born December 9th, 1993 in Guyana. Woolford took sometime before responding to the judge but later told the judge when she asked him what is his date of birth that he was born on December 9th, 1991 in Guyana. While this mistake is a minor one that has no major consequences one would believe that the Prosecutor's Office would have taken time when preparing the files of these suspects to ensure that no more mistakes are made. After all there is only one double homicide case on St. Maarten right now.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Residents and stakeholders are invited to a town hall meeting about hillside conservation areas for Thursday, February 21 at 7:00pm. The meeting will take place at the University of St. Martin (USM).

Attendees will be informed about the proposals from the Ministry with respect to zoning of the aforementioned areas.

The Ministry would like to get the public's views and ideas as it pertains to hillside conservation areas.

The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (MinVROMI) is developing the legal framework for possible future development; to designate and/or reserve land for desired use; to prevent uncontrolled development; and to offer legal security to residents about future development.

The meeting is part of process of drafting of "development plans" for country Sint Maarten.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The official Sint Maarten Public Holiday Schedule 2013 issued recently by the Department of Labour from the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, is available on the Government Website www.sintmaartengov.org.

Go to the "What's New," tab, scroll down a bit to come across the listing of the 13 public holidays.

The official holidays are: New Year's Day (Tuesday, January 1, 2013), Good Friday (Friday, March 29, 2013), Easter Sunday (Sunday, March 31, 2013), Easter Monday (Monday, April 1, 2013), Carnival Day (Monday, April 29, 2013), Queen's Birthday (Tuesday, April 30, 2013), Labour Day (Wednesday, May 1, 2013), Ascension Day (Thursday, May 9, 2013), Emancipation Day (Monday, July 1, 2013), St. Maarten's Day (Monday, November 11, 2013), Kingdom Day (Sunday, December 15, 2013), Christmas Day (Wednesday, December 25, 2013), and Boxing Day (Thursday, December 26, 2013).

Great Bay:--- NAGICO Insurances donated a brand new copier and over 200 copy books to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. school this morning to assist with teaching material for the children enrolled there.
"Education is one of the areas we give priority. We promote studying amongst our youths and here at NAGICO amongst our staff, because nothing can be achieved without hard work and education."
The release stated that the school approached NAGICO for help and NAGICO pledged their support and offered to assist with copy books for the students and a multi-functional copier for school purposes. As part of the company's educational policy, scores of NAGICO staff members are currently engaged in tertiary level studies aimed at improving themselves and to continue to provide the best service to their clients in all 19 territories in which they operate.
The items were presented by Ms. Kassandra Matthews and Ms. Marlen Ozuna Frias, to Mr. Christopher Emanuel, a representative of the school.

PHILIPSBURG:--- As part of the Philipsburg Jubilee Library's (PJL) Black History Month activities, Dwight Barran and Ans Koolen will be discussing the archives of Profiles of the Windward Islands on Wednesday, February 20 at 7:30pm.
Morenika Arrindell, Activity Manager of the Library, said that the archive is about 30 years old and contains rare footage of St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba.
In 2011, Barran and Franklin Bryson, through the Barson Foundation, presented the library with episodes of Profiles of the Windwards Islands on DVD. Documentary maker, Barran, will be presenting on these episodes.
The digitized collection holds a wealth of information for researchers, students and curiosity-seekers who want to learn more about what the islands were like in the past decades. They contain images of hurricanes, interviews with many St. Maarten political leaders and artists, as well as the hoisting of the St. Maarten flag for the first time.
Through funding made possible by the Mondriaan Foundation in the Netherlands, the archive spanning some 3 decades of program was digitized.
Librarian Koolen, charged with the cataloging of the entire DVD collection for this project, will briefly discuss how the information was stored, how the information can be located by the public, and the rules for use.
"This archive will become a vital addition to the historical St. Maarten collection of the library," Arrindell stated.
The general public is invited to attend this very informative event, on Wednesday, February 20 at 7:30pm in the library's lobby. For more information please contact the Philipsburg Jubilee Library at 542-2970 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Philipsburg:--- The owner of the homes in Fort Willem Sebastien Mina (Frenchie) who is currently residing in Marie Gallante, Guadeloupe confirmed to SMN News on Monday during a telephone interview that he gave court marshal Solange Apon written authorization to evict and sell the homes he owns in Fort Willem.

Mina confirmed that he cannot read and write but he said he was on St. Maarten in 2011 when Ms. Apon's father died and he gave her authorization to do what has to be done so that he can get back some of his investments. Mina's sister Charlesia Acncelade also confirmed that she and her brother authorized Solange Apon to take the necessary actions because her brother will not return to St. Maarten to live anymore.

Acncelade said that for years they had no contact with her brother because he was not in touch with his relatives. She said when her brother first came to live in St. Maarten he went back a few times to Guadeloupe and then he disappeared and none of his relatives knew where he was. "When we could not find him we thought he died in St. Maarten." Acncelade further explained that Mina has son who lives in Miami, Florida and he is the one that came to St. Maarten in search of his father. Acncelade said when her nephew found her brother he was in a deplorable condition. "My brother was sick, he had no food, no medication and while the Brooks families were living in his houses they were not taking care of him. We had to buy a ticket and take him to Guadeloupe and I am the one that took care of his documents so that he could have obtained medical coverage from the French Government. My brother is not coming back to St. Maarten to live and the last time he visited St. Maarten he met a number of people in his homes and they were not taking care of the properties. Ever since my brother came back to Guadeloupe he is living with me." Acncelade said that her brother was raised by the owner of the front house that was given to Monica Apon Watkins and her brother knew Monica and her children ever since they were small.

"The old lady gave Solange's mother the front house but my brother built the other houses at the back and while the land might have been government lease land my brother paid all his taxes while he was on St. Maarten." Acncelade said they have proof that the houses belong to her brother and the arrangement they have with Solange Apon is for her to sell the properties and when it is sold then she (Solange Apon) would send her brother's share for him. Acncelade said that her brother never married to the late Mrs. Brooks and while he was living with her she did not have all her children living with them.

SMN News learnt that Mina and the entire Brooks families are alcoholics and they lived a very carefree life since they were not paying bills.

In an invited comment, Solange Apon said that she and her brother are the heirs of the house her mother inherited and when the property is sold the monies will be divided among the three parties. Apon said they wanted to sell their shares to Mina and when he said he could not purchase their home they began sending letters to the Brooks family informing them that they wanted to sell the properties. Apon said that her lawyer started to send letters to the Brooks since the beginning of 2011 and they went to court in September 2011. The decision was given in October 2011 and it clearly states that the occupants of the homes had to move by December 2011. Apon said that they extended the time to February 2012 and the Brooks made no effort to leave the place.

"Despite all of this, the Brooks did not vacate the property and they were also given the first option to purchase the properties. Apon said when she sent the adjuster to appraise the properties the Brooks family prevented him from entering the property. Apon said she had no intention of putting the Brooks family on the street especially knowing that they have children. She also clarified on Monday afternoon that there were not 25 people living in the houses. Apon said that neighbors in the area were constantly complaining about the Brooks and their behavior in the neighborhood.

SMN News also learnt that one of the women living in the house is living a despicable life because she has two children that were born at home and their births were never registered.

SMN News also learnt that one of the Brooks sisters was living in one of the social homes provided by St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation and she was evicted from the property by the UP/DP government for non-payment of rent.

Government only paid two nights hotel stay for Brooks Family --- Family went back to Fort Willem Homes.

The Brooks family contacted SMN News Monday evening and stated that the Government of St. Maarten only paid for two nights at Bute's Hotel for them and the owner of the hotel informed them that they had to find somewhere to go Monday afternoon if they are not able to pay for their accommodation. One of the women told SMN News that they cannot afford to pay for the hotel, therefore they are returning to the houses in Fort Willem.

Up to late Monday afternoon the staff and Minister of VROMI Deputy Prime Minister William Marlin was trying to find alternative accommodations for the Brooks family, especially since there were a number of young children involved. SMN News learnt that the staff of the Deputy Prime Minister's office contacted several churches on the island to request assistance in the form of food stuff, pampers, and other items for the families.

Philipsburg:--- Police with the help of the Judge of instruction searched the Simpson Bay holding cells in search of the weapon that was used to stab Andrew Davis early Sunday morning. Davis is one of the eight persons that were convicted last year in the Vesuvius investigation where a number of persons in the community were killed.

Davis was sentenced to nine years in prison and he was expected to be heard as a witness sometime this month for the appeal hearing which is scheduled to take place in March 2013.

Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos said four persons that are being held at the Simpson Bay holding cells were arrested and questioned on Sunday. He said after statements were taken from the suspects they were taken back to the Simpson Bay outpost. Mos further explained that the police still have to question Davis about the incident and that will be done as soon as police are able to do so. Andrew Davis had to undergo an emergency operation on Sunday as he was severely injured by the five stab wounds he received.

When asked by SMN News if police recovered the weapon that was used to stab Davis, Mos said that the team of officers that conducted the search found several objects but he is not able to say whether or not the one used in the stabbing was found. SMN News asked Mos if any of the four detainees/suspects that were arrested and questioned confessed to the early morning stabbing, Mos responded by saying he could not divulge that information at this stage of the investigation.

MARIGOT/GREAT BAY:--- The 22nd annual Black History Celebration Lecture will be delivered by Dr. Maria Cijntje-van Enckevort at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library, on Saturday, February 23, at 8 PM, said Shujah Reiph, president of Conscious Lyrics Foundation (CLF).

Dr. Cijntje-van Enckevort will address key aspects of Caribbean labor history, with historical and contemporary references to the labor process and economic development on the island of St. Martin, said Reiph.

"Labor, the cradle of our civilization," is the theme of the 2013 Black History Celebration Lecture, which is organized by CLF.

Dr. Cijntje-van Enckevort, who studied history at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, has been working in the education field in St. Martin for over 30 years. She has authored and co-authored social studies publications for secondary schools on the island. "My main interests are history, philosophy, and Caribbean studies," said Dr. Cijntje-van Enckevort.

The former Dean of the University of St. Martin has also presented papers at regional and international conferences.

Great Bay:--- Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever is congratulating Irene Serfilia on celebrating 40 years with the Government of St. Maarten working in the health sector.
Miss Serfilia within her 40 year span with the government of St. Maarten worked at the Backstreet Clinic; travelled with patients for medical attention abroad and later transferred to the Department of Youth Health Care, which at that time was the school clinic. Miss Serfilia has been working within that field up to present.
"I would like to extend my gratitude to Miss Serfilia for her many years of dedication to the government of St. Maarten and by extension many of the school children through the school clinic," said Minister De Weever.

BELVEDERE:--- Disciples Toastmasters Club (DTMC) has added three new members with the induction of a security officer and two university students.
Diana Cocks, a security officer at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) was one of two new members inducted on Sunday, February 10 during the club's meeting at Ephesus Seventh Day Adventist Church in Belvedere. The second member to receive her pin that day was Kimasha Williams, a graduate of the University of the Southern Caribbean Trinidad and Tobago.
The two brought to three, the number of new members to grace the club this year. The other inductee, Shirma Roberts, is a student of the University of St. Martin and a native of St. Kitts. Each of the three has been assigned a mentor to help them reach their goals.
Every new member begins his/her Toastmaster career with an ice breaker, which allows club members to get to know them better. Cocks, who presented her first speech project after her induction, wowed the audience with her easy delivery and her faith in God. She and the other new members were encouraged to keep on presenting their speech projects in order to attain their goal of being a Competent Communicator.
Disciples Toastmasters Club is one of six such organizations on the island that cater to enhancing communication skills. The club meets every second and fourth Sunday from 5:00 – 6:30pm. All are welcome.

Some thirty students from around the Caribbean region partnered with the St. Maarten Nature Foundation in a cleanup and mangrove transplanting initiative on Guana Bay and Gibb's Bay last Friday. The students, part of the Rotary District 7020 RYLA Conference held on St. Maarten from the 14 to the 17th of February, were given an explanation on the importance of the Mangrove ecosystems at Red Pond and the importance of keeping the beaches of Guana Bay and Gibbs Bay clean for Sea Turtle Nesting Season, which will start at the end of this month.

Some thirty young mangroves were planted at Red Pond and thirty bags of garbage were collected with everything ranging from plastic to rope and other larger materials. "We were very happy to have these enthusiastic and driven youngsters assist us with this important activity; firstly because mangrove ecosystems are very important nursery areas and environmental filters and secondly in keeping the beaches clean of garbage and waste. A lot of attention is given to the other beaches and wetlands on the island and it sometimes seems as if we have forgotten Red Pond, Gibbs Bay and Guana Bay. With the planting of the mangroves and the cleaning up of the beaches and rocky cliff sides these students have greatly contributed to both the health of the beach and marine ecosystem and the success of the 2013 Sea Turtle Nesting Season," read a Nature Foundation statement.

Great Bay:--- On Thursday February 14, 2013 an article entitled "Checkmate forced to dismiss officers" appeared in the Daily Herald.
As the authority responsible for the issuance of employment permits, I deem it necessary to react to this article as it may lead to factual misinformation of the general public.
My Ministry prides itself for being transparent in all matters with a passion for providing the public with the correct information and the optimal service it deserves.

First of all it should be noted that it is the responsibility of the employer to secure an employment permit prior to employing the worker. If it is a case of a renewal it should be noted that:

1. The employer should request the extension prior to the expiration of the present permit;
2. There is no guarantee that the permit will be extended;
3. The request for extension can be denied for reasons other than the availability of locals.

According to the article the permits in question were not rejected because of locals being available, rather for the reason that Management failed to file for the extension within the required period, thus rendering the employee as being illegal in the Country in the interim.
If a permit is denied by the Minister, the employer has the possibility to file an objection to the Minister, who decides after having received advice from an independent appeal committee. Should the objection have also been denied, the employer can still file an appeal with the Courts of First Instance.
If in all three cases the request was denied, the employer will have to wait for a period of one year before he/she can reapply for that same worker. Should the employer fail to follow the full appeal trajectory (appeals committee and Courts) then he/she would have to wait for three years before being able to file for the same worker. According to the article the employer in this case failed to file an appeal with the Courts of First Instance, thus would have to wait for three years to reapply.

The employer in this case states that he is forced to dismiss the workers for not having a valid employment permit to employ them. The following should be stated.

1. As stated above, it was his responsibility to have filed timely for the extensions;
2. When dismissing an employee, the stipulations as mentioned in the Civil Code of St. Maarten and the National Ordinance on the termination of labour agreements should be taken into consideration. Considering the duration of employment as mentioned in the article one could conclude that prior permission for dismissal by the Secretary General would be needed.

The article also states that the employer in this case have granted loans to employees to cover the costs involved. It should be noted that in accordance with the existing law and regulations, it is the employer who is responsible for paying the processing fees charged by government and not the employee.

"I acknowledge reacting solely based on the article mentioned above, yet finding it necessary to clarify certain matters referred to in the article."

It should also be noted that the stipulations of the labour legislation of St. Maarten apply to all workers, documented or non- documented. It is the responsibility of the employer to comply with these stipulations. Workers and employers needing information can always contact the relevant departments of my Ministry.

CAYHILL:--- Residents of Cay Hill came out in numbers Saturday evening to the 'What Cay Hill Needs' community meeting organized by the Cay Hill boys and the Soualiga Social Movement. After a welcome by the foundation's board members and some words of encouragement by the Prime Minister and Community Police, residents wasted no time in letting their issues be heard.

Problems such as derelict vehicles, dilapidated buildings, rodent infestation, zoning issues and sewage water running onto the road were brought up by the over 80 residents that attended. Several residents pointed out dangerous traffic scenarios they have seen over the years and asked the Community Police to please look into possibilities of rerouting some traffic, placing speed bumps and making sure the proper signs and mirrors are in place. The derelict basketball court and socially deplorable state of 'H-Town'(Haitian Town) proved to be very emotional topics of discussion.

When the topic of unemployment among the young Cay Hill boys came up, the Soualiga Social Movement and the Community Police presented a few initiatives they had been already working on for the unemployed over the past few weeks, and encouraged them all sign up. Later in the meeting, commissioner of Police Carl John, as a resident of Cay Hill also encouraged the boys to take work offered to them and to realize that they need to start somewhere.

Mr. Nicky Owen who has supported the initiative of the boys from the beginning suggested that the community take pride in what is in their backyard eluding to the way the basketball court and sports complex has been vandalized over the years. The young men from Cayhill had decided to volunteer and help Nicky by cleaning and maintaining the Sports Complex on the weekends.

The suggestion to form a community council in Cay Hill to represent the issues and interest of the neighborhood was most welcomed and applauded by all. Over 13 residents from different walks of life volunteered to form such a council. Nicky Owen of the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex expressed how proud he was of this initiative and offered the facility as a meeting place if this council would need it.

Amoung the attendees were several representatives of the government including but not limited to Prime Minister of St. Maarten, the Most Honorable Mrs. Sarah Wescot-Williams and Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour the Honorable Dr. Cornelius de Weever.

In closing, the Soualiga Social Movement thanked, the residents, foundations and Ministers for attending and showing interest in the issues of the people. The Foundation also promised to work alongside and advise the volunteers as they go about actually forming the Council. A follow up meeting is planned on Saturday March 9th, 2013 to hear from the Council on how they plan to go about handling their issues.

Great Bay:--- All offices of the Ministry of Public Health Social Development & Labor will be closed in the afternoon hours of Thursday, February 21, 2013 from 12 noon until 5PM to allow staff the time to attend an extended staff meeting of the ministry. The ministry apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The offices will resume regular opening hours on Friday, February 22, 2013.

During the past week the St. Maarten Nature Foundation has been recording significantly elevated levels of pollution in the Cole Bay section of the Simpson Bay Lagoon. Although that particular area of the Lagoon is known to have poor water quality, recent research and test results show that there is a higher than usual level of fecal pollution as a result of human waste, and heavy metal pollution present.

The Nature Foundation received complaints from a diver who was doing work in the Simpson Bay Lagoon that he started to get ill after spending some time in the water. The Nature Foundation tested the water quality and found elevated levels at four locations surrounding the Cole Bay section of the Lagoon. "We have no real idea why the quality has been so bad lately and are continuously doing follow up tests in order to determine what the cause is. We have also done dives using specialized equipment to see if we could determine a source but we have not yet been able to do so. In the meantime we encourage the community to avoid contact with the water in the Cole Bay section of the Lagoon until we have found that the situation has stabilized," read a statement from the Nature Foundation.

The Foundation found elevated levels of Nitrates, Phosphates, Heavy Metals and Coli-form bacteria at all testing locations. Testing will continue indefinitely until the source of the pollution is found or until the situation has stabilized.

MAHO:--- The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation and the Sonesta properties of Maho Resort and Great Bay Resort have teamed up to offer our Caribbean travelers, residents some terrific rates for Carnival 2013. It will be the first time the SCDF and Sonesta have partnered this way.

Caribbean travelers simply have to make reservations using the promo code CARICOM on www.sonesta.com/mahobeach or www.sonesta.com/greatbay to reserve a full resort experience. Caribbean travelers and residents can book now for travel for Carnival which runs from April 18 to May 2, 2013.

An additional benefit is that local residents can also treat themselves to a weekend stay at St. Maarten's flagship resorts during the Carnival period. Room rates are available with all inclusive benefits or standard rooms with breakfast.

The SCDF expressed thanks to Sonesta management for working with Carnival 2013 and hopefully beyond. The foundation is making a strong push among select properties this year for the first time as part of its overall marketing strategy to attract travelers to St. Maarten.

SCDF will be announcing additional travel deals very soon that involves not only other stay-over properties, but airline partners as well.

Middle Region:--- On Saturday February 16th at approximately 8:00pm a patrol carried out a control in the vicinity of Samuel Bakery on the Middle Region road after they saw a group of young men standing and smoking marijuana close to the building. The officers approached the group of men including a young man that was riding a blue Yamaha motorcycle. The young men took off running through the bushes leaving the motorcycle behind. A search of the immediate area was done but the young man was not located. More police assistance was called in and a more intense search of the area was done and during this search a pistol GLOCK-19 was found and confiscated for further investigation.

KPSM Police Report

Simpson Bay:--- On Saturday February 16th at approximately 03:30am, a phone call came into the Central Police dispatch reporting a serious traffic accident with injuries on the Welfare road in the vicinity of La Bamba. Immediately several police patrols were dispatch to the scene to investigate what had taken place. On the scene the investigating officers encountered the victim with initials G.D.R. (30) from Great Britain. The victim who was heavily under the influence of alcohol and attempted to cross the street was accidentally struck by an oncoming jeep with license plate P-8118. The victim suffered severe bruises to his body and concussion to his head. He was treated on the scene by paramedics and then transported to the Sint Maarten Medical Center for further treatment where he is a coma. The case is under investigation by the Police Traffic Department.

KPSM Police Report

Philipsburg:--- Five families consisting of 25 people, sixteen of which are children were evicted by a court marshal and scores of police officers that were dressed in riot gear on Saturday leaving the families including two babies in the hot sun. The Brooks family in an interview with SMN News Sunday evening said that the court marshal whose name they provided took them to court with documents they believe are fraudulent. "The marshal's mother got a house from our mother because she cared for the old lady for a period of time. But there are four properties on the government lease land they have been occupying for the past 36 years." Three women and a man all of whom are the step children of Sebastien Mina (Frenchie) said that the last time their step father was on St. Maarten is in the year 2010. They said their stepfather showed them a document saying that his sister told him that he is supposed to meet with the marshal who would take him to the doctor. The women said that their stepfather told them that the marshal took Euros 600 from him when she met him. The women said when they read the document their step father showed them he assured them that he did not sign any document and that he had no intention of putting his family on the street.

The Brooks family said that their step father who is illiterate told them he did not sign any document to throw out his step children because he raised them from the time they were babies. They said the man returned to Guadeloupe after his wife died. They said the marshal took them to court and the notary document that was presented in court was signed on the November 3rd, 2011, a time they believe their stepfather was in Guadeloupe. They showed SMN News a document they obtained from Air Antilles which stated when Mina traveled from Pointe Pitre to St. Martin and when he returned to Guadeloupe. The Brooks family said that the sister of their stepfather is in some sort of deal with the marshal along with a male lawyer on the Dutch side because ever since the problem started they are not able to find their step father. The Brooks said that one of their sisters went to Guadeloupe in search of her step father and she did not find him. "We know his sister is in this with the marshal and she is the one keeping Sebastien away from us. Right now we don't know if our stepfather is dead or alive. We heard he was sent to Marie Gallante but we have no proof of that and we just don't know where to find him."

Attorney at law Shaira Bommel confirmed to SMN News that she represented the family in court last year and the family could not provide any proof or find their step father to prove what they are saying. Attorney Bommel said she believed her clients and that is why she took their case. Attorney Bommel further explained that there was not much she could do for the Brooks family because they had no documents to show they inherited the properties even though they are the ones that were paying the taxes and was occupying the homes in Fort Willem. "The only thing that would have helped my clients is a letter from their stepfather or if he had showed up on the day of the hearing. But since my clients did not have any of that the marshal won the case and the eviction she carried out on Saturday was fully legal."

The Brooks family said that the police officers who went to the scene were told that they have arms and ammunition and some of them left the scene when they saw that they were called to evict a number of children on a Saturday when no one could go their aid. "One of the police officers took his own money and bought a tarpaulin to cover our household items when he saw rain was coming. Another officer jumped his jeep and left because he could not bear what was going on. One of the officers told us that the marshal told them that there are arms and ammunition in the house and that is why they showed up in riot gear but when the officers did not find anything they took off their masks and some of them left the scene in rage."

The Brooks family said at some point they called on the Deputy Prime Minister William Marlin for assistance and the Deputy Prime Minister went and saw the commotion. They said that Marlin then called on the Minister of Social Affairs Cornelius de Weever who managed to secure two nights for them at the Bute Hotel while Marlin is working on getting the families social homes in Belvedere. The Brooks family said they have to meet with the Minister of Health, Social and Labor Affairs Cornelius de Weever at 8am on Monday and the Minister asked them to take all the documents they have so that the department of legal affairs could look into their case and to see if they could challenge what took place. They said after the meeting with the Minister of Social Affairs they have to go over to the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation at 2pm to see if they will get emergency homes.

Simpson Bay:--- There was no big fanfare when the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) recently formalized the closing of its US$132 million bond issue in New York City, despite the fact that the St. Maarten delegation that attended the ceremonial event included two cabinet ministers: Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications, Hon. Romeo Pantophlet, who also has responsibility for the airport; and Minister of Finance, Hon. Roland Tuitt.

There was no big to-do either when the delegation returned home, after securing such a huge financing on the international money market, despite the fact that the amount is about half the draft St. Maarten government budget for 2013.

It was business as usual, even when representatives of the underwriters of the bond, Nomura Securities International Inc., one of the world's leading independent investment banking firms with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, and of Cigna, a global health insurance company and one of the largest health service companies in the US, which invested US$30 Million in the SXM bonds, visited the island following the closing of the bond issue.

"This is in typical St. Maarten fashion," noted Regina LaBega, managing director of the Princess Juliana International Airport operating company, PJIAE. "We are usually not hyped up by anything; we just go for it, get it done, and move on, no matter how extraordinary the achievement may have been."

Regarding the need for the bond issue, LaBega said, "airports are always in need of capital because they're always growing." She pointed to international airports, such as Schiphol in Amsterdam, Charles de Gaulle in Paris, O'Hare in Chicago; in Atlanta, Miami and closer to home, San Juan, Puerto Rico as examples of where there is constant construction activity in response to the growth in passenger movement and the capacity of aircraft.

For Clarence Derby, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Directors of PJIAE, the bond issue was a "huge accomplishment that will have a major impact on the economy of St. Maarten."

Indeed, the economic development of St. Maarten is closely linked to the development of its airport. Nobody is more conscious of this fact than Minister Romeo Pantophlet, who at the New York closing ceremony stated that this would further facilitate the hub function of the airport.

This hub function – particularly for St. Barths and Anguilla, both considered high-end destinations – resulting in lower-than-normal passenger volatility, was what Moody's saw as key to the rating Baa2 it granted the airport.

This rating was also made possible by the sovereign rating of Baa1, which St. Maarten received from Moody's. Although the previous administration set the ball rolling, the current government recognized the importance of this and worked diligently and tirelessly to achieve the sovereign rating. Naturally, this would not have been possible without St. Maarten obtaining its new constitutional status on October 10, 2010.

According to PJIAE managing director LaBega, the importance of the bond issue in contrast to a bank loan from a St. Maarten bank is that, "you need to go to a wider source of capital – the capital market that has deeper pockets than the banks so to speak, to seek funds for major projects like we plan to undertake at the airport."

"The capital markets have more money and cater mainly to institutional investors such as pension funds, insurance companies, and banks among others," she said.

The difference between a bond and a loan resides in the fact that a bond is a security that can be bought and sold and has a usually fluctuating value.

Jan Beaujon, managing director of the Windward Islands Bank Ltd., said bonds are issued in large denominations in the primary market which functions really as wholesale.

"You can only subscribe to them at the moment of issue," he explained. "Banks can buy packages of a 100,000 or 200,000 and subsequently put them on the secondary market where anyone can buy them as retail, depending on how the bond is structured."

LaBega expanded on this. She said the bonds in the case of the airport, were sold to qualified investors. This means that such investors are very sophisticated and have rules to ensure that individuals, for example, do not buy bonds from corporate entities whose credit rating they cannot properly analyze.

"That's why we went through a very elaborate and strenuous process with Moody's, the rating agency, as well as another round of scrutiny by the investors – the underwriters, in our case, Nomura – because people want to protect their money," LaBega said.

"Our bond issue was structured and marketed solely to institutional investors. This has to do with our credit quality," said LaBega. The higher a corporate entity's perceived credit quality, the easier it would be for it to issue bonds at low rates and issue higher amounts of them.

According to Beaujon, the underwriter or arranger of the bond prepares the documents and advertises these to entities "they think will be interested in it." "The rating gives us a degree of confidence that the risk you're taking is worth it," he added.

The SXM Airport bond has a maturity of 15 years, meaning it will be due in 2027. This is typical for this kind of bond and the credit rating of the airport, LaBega said, and is the maximum maturity period generally for projects in the Caribbean because the region is not considered a mature market.

She further highlighted the fact that "SXM is one of the few airports in the world that is financed on its own. The government gave us a concession and we are very grateful for that, but most airports, for example, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, and several others are supported by US federal and state funds. We are one of the few who depend mainly on our own revenues to finance development projects."

This and other factors, made the SXM bond "go like hot bread."

"We had a diversity of investors," LaBega revealed. "If we had more bonds we would have been able to sell even more. This is because the Princess Juliana International Airport has been in the market before, so we have a track record of paying our bills on time and meeting our obligations promptly. This shows discipline, which investors look for. My predecessor, Mr. Eugene Holiday, laid a very sound foundation."

The bonds are at a fixed interest rate of 5.5%, down from 8.25% of the previous loan. Regardless of the market conditions, this interest rate will remain the same for the next 15 years when the bonds will mature. The lower interest rate means substantial savings for the airport.

"It's like if you had a mortgage loan at 8.25% and you were able to refinance it and bring it down to a fixed rate of 5.5%. You can imagine how much you would be saving in this way," LaBega explained.

There was competition among the investors. The Windward Islands Bank Ltd. was one of the investors who wished they could have bought more SXM bonds.

Managing Director Jan Beaujon said his bank exchanged the old notes it had from the previous loan of the airport for the new bonds. It couldn't get more. "We were a bit late," he admitted. "There's only a certain amount (of bonds) issued and once they're sold, that's it."

LaBega said, "People were calling us after the deal was done asking if they could still get to buy our bonds. But there were no more left. It's like going to a restaurant and there is no more food to serve. This was because the 5.5% fixed interest rate is very good. It's a good deal. Good money always finds good deals, but bad deals don't find money."

The SXM bond issue opens up the door for other corporate entities on the island to try and do the same.

According to Beaujon, some government-owned companies on St. Maarten have obtained substantial loans in the past backed by the Central Bank, "which issued a guarantee to buy those bonds back in case of default." The Central Bank, he said, does this for an issue of "national interest."

"We do have a lot of liquidity now because the debts of the former Netherlands Antilles have been paid off since 10-10-10," he added. This means that the Pension Fund, insurance companies, banks and other financial institutions can invest their excess liquidity in bonds, especially St. Maarten bonds.

With the St. Maarten government unable to issue bonds of its own due to the conditions attached to its attainment of its new constitutional status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, despite receiving Moody's sovereign credit rating of Baa1, the airport may have charted a new path to financing major projects in St. Maarten.

On Monday February 11th, the Honorable Minister of Justice Mr. Roland Duncan opened a Drug Enforcement Seminar provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Several members of the Detective Department attended this seminar which ended on Friday February 15th. These seminar included Firearms and Raid training. At the end of the seminar the members of the Detective received their certificates for their participation.

KPSM Police Report

Awards:

In its very short lifespan as a new model, it is already racking up the awards.

• The ALL New Santa Fe was recently awarded the 2013 ALG Residual Value Award. ALG is the industry benchmark for vehicle values and a leading provider of automotive insights. Residual value is a complete indicator of vehicle value, taking into account quality, durability and brand desirability. Basically, if you win this award, this vehicle will have the highest resale value. The Santa Fe has joined the Elantra and Azera who have also won their respective categories.
• 2013 Top Safety Pick, IIHS- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (the premier industry benchmark for U.S. Safety)
• The 2013 All New Generation Santa Fe has been named as the safest car in its class assessed by Euro NCAP during 2012. Across all test categories was rated best in the Large Off-Road 4x4 segment- ahead of the Mercedes-Benz M-Class and Range Rover!!

Notable highlights:

• New 3.3 LAMBDA II MPI Engine- Fast and powerful, and more fuel efficient than ever before
• 7 Passenger Seating
• Bluetooth Hands Free Phone technology standard.
• LED lights front and rear standard.
• Backup Warning Sensors standard.
• Touch Screen standard.
• Rear View Camera standard.
• 18" Alloy Wheels
• Electric Folding Mirrors
• And many more....

Available on the Fully Loaded Models:

• Panoramic Sunroof
• Leather Interior
• Push Button Start
• HID Xenon Headlights
• 19" Alloy Wheels
• Electronic Parking Break
• Supervision TFT Cluster (computerized and digital instrument cluster)
• and many more...

The All New Santa Fe is available in many colors at Motorworld. Please call 544-5294 for more information on this beautiful new model.

Coming Tuesday February 19th, 2013, at 14:00 pm in the Hope Estate Senior Citizens Recreational Center, the SMSPA will organize an information session for all seniors and their family members in Sint Maarten. The information session is entitled: "SMSPA Achievements and What Next".

The vice-president of the SMSPA just returned from attendinig a 10 day Conference of the UN Committee for Social Development. Mr Jessurun left on Monday February 4th to New York to represent Alzheimer's Disease International at this conference. Starting the 1st of February Mr. Jessurun has also been appointed as CORV Ambassador to International Organizations. CORV is the Coordination of Civil Society Organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean on Aging. The board of the SMSPA is very pleased that their board member has these international assignments. The decision was taken to assign their vice-president to rally among the participating organizations at this UN world conference for solidarity and support for our struggle for equal pensions, equal health care, and equal social protection in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and to expand the SMSPA network of international non-governmental organizations.

The main topics of the UN Conference in NewYork where eradication of poverty, social protection, empowerment of the poor, the seniors, the youth and the disabled, and the evaluation and follow up of the 2002 Madrid International Action Plan on Aging.

At the information session the SMSPA board will address the following topics:

• The 1000 guilders pension increase in Sint Maarten, the ongoing pension reform and the struggle for our right to equal social security in the Kingdom of the Netherlands
• The health care treatment of seniors in Sint Maarten, the discriminatory SZV health care insurances, the ongoing health care reform and the struggle for our right to equal standard of health care in the Kingdom of the Netherlands
• Local and international support for our struggle for equal rights in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the position of the governments and the parliaments in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, international treaty obligations, the International Action Plan on Aging and the outcome of the 51st Conference of the Committee for Social Development (CSD 51) from the United Nations Economic and Social Committee (UN ECOSOC)

All the members of the SMSPA and prospective members are hereby invited to come out. Also all members of the press are invited to inform the public at large. By word of mouth everyone is invited to come out, to be informed and to let their voice be heard!

So don't miss this information session. Tuesday coming at 14:00pm sharp (two o'clock in the afternoon), at the Seniors Citizens and Recreational Center of Hope Estate.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee of Parliament will meet on February 18 with respect to recent developments concerning the Postal Services of St. Maarten (PSS).

The Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams as shareholder representative has been invited to parliament.

The agenda point also includes the resignation of the Director of PSS.

The central committee meeting will meet on Monday at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The meeting was requested by Independent Members of Parliament (MP) Hon. Frans Richardson, MP Hon. Patrick Illidge, and MP Hon. Romain Laville.

The Permanent Committee of Parliament for Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (TEATT) will be meeting on February 19.

The agenda point for the meeting is the state of affairs at the Princess Juliana International Airport.

The permanent committee meeting will meet on Tuesday, February 19 at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The meeting was requested by Independent MP Hon. Frans Richardson who is also Chairman of this permanent parliamentary committee.

The other members of the committee are MP Hon. Dr. Lloyd Richardson, MP Hon. Petrus De Weever, MP Hon. Patrick Illidge, MP Hon. Romain Laville, and MP Hon. Jules James.

The Central Committee of Parliament will meet on February 19 with respect to the current situation at GEBE utility company.

The Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure Hon. William Marlin as shareholder representative has been invited to parliament along with the Supervisory Board and members of the Shareholders Foundation.

The agenda point also includes future plans of GEBE utility company.

The central committee will meet on Tuesday at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The meeting was requested by Independent MP Hon. Frans Richardson, MP Hon. Patrick Illidge, and MP Hon. Romain Laville.

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.

CAY HILL:--- Recently a number of statements are being made again publicly regarding the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) by the minister of Health Care. We regret this development. The Prime Minister Mrs. Sarah Wescot fairly recently requested all parties to refrain from publicly addressing any issues and St. Maarten Medical Center has chosen to honor this request.
We agree with the Prime Minister that holding public discussions is not conducive to further improve the care we are giving to our patients. Our dedicated personnel, our patients who are residents of St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius, the surrounding islands and the tourists we serve, have suffered enough of the unfounded and negative public media display in recent months from the Minister of Health Care and certain members of parliament.
The Minister of Health Care has now chosen to publicly discuss his request to the Supervisory Council of the SMMC to reconsider our position and has publicly referred to our response while taking this again totally out of context. We feel it is correct to forward our official response given to the minister, enclosed as an attachment.
We will refrain from further comments by honoring the Prime Minister's request.
St. Maarten Medical Center will continue as usual, to improve the care and services to all our patients who are in need of treatment, for their well-being and for the benefit of their families.
We look forward to doing so in collaboration with the Government of St. Maarten and the Inspectorate of Health.

The Supervisory Council of the SMMC

Simpson Bay:--- The Jamaican born convict Andrew Davis who was convicted to nine years imprisonment in the Vesuvius case was stabbed about five times early Sunday morning at the Simpson Bay outpost. According to reliable information reaching SMN News Sunday morning, Davis received about five stab wounds about his body around 4am. A source close to the convict said he was taken to the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) where he underwent surgery to save his life.
SMN News was also reliably informed that Davis was supposed to be heard as a witness in the appeal hearing which is supposed to take place sometime this month.
Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos confirmed on Sunday morning that Davis received multiple stabbed wounds and he is now a patient at the St. Maarten Medical Center. Mos did not say how many times Davis was stabbed and by whom. Mos said at this time it would not be wise for him to divulge more information in the ongoing investigation.
SMN News further learnt that an investigation has been launched to determine who stabbed Andrew Davis and the reasons. Detectives and other law enforcement officers were busy throughout the day on Sunday searching for the weapon that was used by the suspect or suspects who stabbed Andrew Davis.

Several efforts by SMN News to reach the Director of the Prison Facilities Edward Rohan proved futile on Sunday. While there is a major situation that involves the life of a prisoner, the new prison director cannot be reached. SMN News was confronted with the same situation when the Health Inspectorate conducted a control in the kitchen of the Pointe Blanche Prison Facilities. It appears as though Rohan can never be reached when there is a crisis at the house of detention.
Andrew Davis was represented by Attorney at Law Cor Merx during his trial. Merx could not be reached on Sunday for a comment on his client's condition. However, SMN News learnt that Davis was in stable condition after the operation and that he is heavily guarded at the St. Maarten Medical Center.

While it is known that prisoners fight among themselves, it can be considered outrageous that a prisoner who is locked up in a prison facility was stabbed multiple times and no one that was on duty supervising the prisoners at the time of the incident saw who was involved in the attack against Andrew Davis. Even though the Prison Management and its Director is responsible for the prisoners, the Prosecutor's Office also carries some of the responsibilities on the safety and security of the prisoners especially regarding their rights as a prisoner.

Minister of Justice Roland Duncan when contacted for a comment told SMN News that while the incident occurred at 4am Sunday morning and he arrived back on St. Maarten by 11:30am that same day, no one from the prison contacted him to inform him of the incident and the condition of the convict.

Duncan said that St. Maarten does not have enough cell space where he can keep prisoners separately. He said this is one of the reasons he is trying so hard to have the Justice Park which includes the BOX where more prison cells would be available.

Minister Duncan further explained that there are at least two gangs in the prison and the prison officers have to know the members of these two gangs to ensure they are kept separately.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A Central Committee meeting with the Minister of Justice Hon. Roland Duncan has been scheduled for February 21.

The Central Committee meeting 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 two agenda points to be dealt with are what initiatives are being taken to fight crime, including receiving crime statistics for 2012 as well as other relevant information; and an update regarding security and security companies in Sint Maarten.

The Central Committee meeting was requested by the United People's (UP) Party faction. The initial meeting was first held on January 25.

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):--- For the first time, Sint Maarten will be represented at the Erasmian European Youth Parliament Conference 2013. Moreover, it is the only country situated outside European Union to be present at this prestigious event. The student delegation from Sint Maarten consists of Miss Carla Vlaun (student of World Politics), Mr. Ryan Geerlings (student of International Public Management), and their coach Mr. Garrick Richardson (recent law graduate).

The Erasmian European Youth Parliament is organised by the Dutch foundation: the EEYP Foundation, and is an essential part of the Youth Capital program. Its aim is to empower young people and to encourage the implementation of innovative ideas with regard to their active participation in society. The EEYP started in 2008 in Rotterdam at the Erasmiaans Gymnasium as a pilot-project. Since then the EEYP has followed the European Youth Capitals, starting with Rotterdam in 2009, followed by Turin in 2010, Antwerp in 2011 and Braga in 2012.

This year the event will be held at various locations in Rotterdam whilst the Erasmiaans Gymnasium will be at the centre of all activities. It is because of the vision and dedication of members of the teacher's corps and parents association of this prestigious and historical education institute, that EEYP came to life. Special recognition should in this be given to two of its outstanding and inspirational board members Mrs. Evelyn Dolk and Mr. Pieter Dupont. The conference will be held from February 17th to the 23rd 2013.It will be an intense week for the Sint Maarten delegation. They will join approximately 120 students from eleven other EU membership countries to discuss, deliberate and debate issues that affect the EU.

The St. Maarten delegation recently paid a courtesy visit to Minister Plenipotentiary the Hon. Mathias Voges at his Cabinet in The Hague in order to inform the minister further about the EEYP event and its program. Minister Voges emphasized the fact that the members of the St. Maarten delegation will be seen as Ambassadors of our nation and that they should make use of the opportunity to profile not only themselves but also their country at the best of their abilities. "Go and make us proud, I am sure that you are more than capable to make this journey a success", minister Voges said.

The Sint Maarten delegation selected to be a member of the following committees: Energy, Infrastructure and Urban Development. Within these genres, they will have to research and develop solutions for the following questions: How to prepare Europe for a connected future? How to develop metropolitan areas in a sustainable manner? and How to battle youth unemployment in the EU? Subsequently, the respective committees will need to draft a resolution, which will be presented and defended in the General Assembly and voted upon. But also importantly, our students will have the opportunity to introduce and profile Sint Maarten on the opening day.

Soualiga Foundation's Chairman, Mr. Perry Geerlings, the architect of this initiative together with the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten, said "I am so proud of Carla, Ryan and Garrick for volunteering for this event on such short notice. Next year, we hope that students can travel from Sint Maarten to take part in this event as it is more catered towards students that are in their final years of secondary education".

Mr. Geerlings hopes to further strengthen the relationship with the board of EEYP. "There is already a tentative agreement in place to add to the agenda/program topics affiliated to Sint Maarten's LGO status next year. This will enhance the mutual knowledge and understanding about our country's status and position towards the EU."

Curacao/St. Maarten:--- The Ministers of Justice of St. Maarten, Curacao, and Aruba are yet to take a firm decision as to how they will move on with the RST that has set up shop on each of the countries. St. Maarten's Minister of Justice Roland Duncan in a telephone interview from Curacao told SMN News on Friday afternoon that the Ministers met to continue the discussion they started last month in Aruba. Minister Duncan said during the meeting with the Presidium a decision was taken where the three countries will draft a letter and send it to the Minister of Defense informing him of their concerns regarding the operations and services of the Coast Guard. Minister Duncan said they discussed a pilot program for St. Maarten and Aruba. In that pilot program the intention is to decentralize the Coast Guard, especially from the commander in Curacao to the local Coast Guard offices on the two countries namely St. Maarten and Aruba. It is also suggested in the pilot program that an evaluation will be done after one year. The Justice Minister said in his view this is a first attempt to deal with the issues of the Coast Guard, the Minister made clear that the decision they took during Friday's meeting is not a final solution but he believes that it is a step in the right direction because he felt decentralizing would give St. Maarten the opportunity to involve the local government some more. The Justice Minister said what they did on Friday was theoretical and it will be evaluated after one year to see how it functioned practically.

Duncan said that one of the things they will mention in the letter to the Minister of Defense is the equipments. Duncan said one of the things he has to see is what St. Maarten is getting out of the relationship, therefore parties have to be serious enough to discuss the failures or lack of interest. Minister Duncan said St. Maarten has a big mega yacht economy and a tourism industry which is far bigger than Curacao and Aruba, therefore St. Maarten is asking for special attention from the Coast Guard. St. Maarten wants to have its maritime police with a fully functioning harbor police that can patrol the lagoons. He said he already indicated to the Coast Guard that they have to provide the services St. Maarten needs if not St. Maarten will go ahead and set up its own maritime police and the Ministry of Justice would have to buy boats so that the job can be done. He said as Minister of Justice his first obligation is the security of St. Maarten and if he is not able to provide that security then St. Maarten would have a problem. The Justice Minister said this matter was raised by the FCCA last year. He said from day one he has been telling the Coast Guard if they agree to take care of air and sea patrol then they need to do the job and they have to do so under the command of the local law enforcement agencies. Duncan said people are asking why he is purchasing boats while there are boats at the Coast Guard. He said the boats that are owned by the Coast Guard have big cutters so they simply cannot patrol in the lagoons and monitor Oyster Pond. He said that is why he is now buying boats for the police and it is not because he has a problem with the Coast Guard but it is because they are not providing adequate services to St. Maarten. He said Curacao and Aruba have the same concerns and they too want to ensure that they could rely on the Coast Guard for certain services. Duncan said Aruba bought boats for its police and they also bought a helicopter because the Coast Guard does not provide the services that Aruba wants from them, he said the same thing applies to St. Maarten.

RST still has no Budget --- Year Plan has to Reflect the Budget.

The Ministers of Justice from Aruba, Curacao, and St. Maarten also met to further discuss the budget of the RST. Minister Duncan said that the RST budget was not approved during this meeting. Duncan said there is still some information lacking from St. Maarten regarding the RST. The budget the RST presented does not show what the countries, Curacao, Aruba, and St. Maarten are contributing.

He said Aruba doesn't appear to have much more problems with the RST and they also don't seem to have a problem with the budget of the RST. Duncan said both St. Maarten and Curacao do not agree with the budget the RST presented. The budget has to reflect what the countries are contributing and the services they are paying for. He said that he has to give Parliament accountability on how he is spending the people's money. "The RST does not have a prison, some of the detectives working for the RST are being paid by St. Maarten but this is not reflected in their budget."

Minister Duncan said the year plan that was presented represented the philosophy of the RST and the two countries do not agree with these philosophies, therefore the year plan has to be re-visited. Minister Duncan said there is a committee in place that comprises of the police chiefs of the countries within the Kingdom (namely Curacao, St. Maarten, and Aruba, the President of that committee is the Chief of Police of St. Maarten Peter de Witte) and this committee had the task of re-working the annual plan (year plan) of the RST. Minister Duncan said he is hoping that the report will be completely finalized in another few weeks. He said the committee did submit a report but the Ministers did not have enough time to fully analyze the report with the suggestions that were made by the committee, therefore no final decision was taken on the report submitted by the board of the police chiefs. Minister Duncan said he is not in any rush to take decisions on these matters because he wants to be able to tread carefully on the decisions he will take. "Aruba already made clear that the protocol of the RST should be revisited now and not in 2014." It should be noted that in 2008 Suzy Romer made a report where she stated that she felt the same way in 2008 about the Protocol of the RST. Minister Duncan said he agreed with Aruba and what the former Minister Suzy Romer said but the agreement they have is with Curacao, St. Maarten, and the Netherlands which states that the RST will be evaluated in 2014. Duncan said the Netherlands feels that changes should be made in 2014 when the evaluation is done, but Aruba's position is that the Netherlands does not have to do any evaluation because in their view the protocol is no longer relevant. Duncan said right now there is a new situation where the Police Forces in the various countries are much stronger now than they were in the year 2000 when the protocol on the RST was signed. He said one of the concerns is the operations of the RST outside of the local police force is not acceptable. He said while the RST was put in place to provide support they have a tendency to believe that they are functioning on their own and they don't report to anyone locally. Duncan said he is not creating issues with the Netherlands regarding the RST because St. Maarten is not the only one that has concerns and not in favor of the functioning of the RST. He said right now the Netherlands cannot just blame him for not wanting to cooperate because Curacao and Aruba have the same problems as St. Maarten. The Justice Minister of St. Maarten said Holland does not want to agree with these issues because their intention (mission) is to dictate. Minister Duncan explained that no date has been set by the Ministers of Justice as to when they will meet again to continue the discussion on the operations of the RST and take a decision in the interest of each of the countries. He said they agreed to make contact with each other next week and at that point they will set a new date to meet again. Minister Duncan further explained he basically wants a new relationship with the RST. The Minister of Justice said that even though the RST has its own budget, St. Maarten has to pay the detectives that work for the entity as well as pay to accommodate and the feed the people they investigate and arrest. Besides that, Minister Duncan said that he is of the opinion that KPSM (St. Maarten's Police) is already in a position to hold its own and he is willing to cooperate with the world, not only the Netherlands. "Cooperation is different from having a law enforcement agency imbedded in your country." He said if they are to provide assistance then he should be able to call on them for that assistance but they should not set up a separate shop in St. Maarten. "Why do we need to have a Dutch organization that is managed by the Netherlands in St Maarten? In my opinion they don't trust us, yet they are disturbing the progress of St. Maarten and when they are told this they get upset." Minister Duncan said that there is a new argument with the Dutch regarding Saba and St. Eustatius. He said that the BES is trying to dictate for St. Maarten and while Minister Plasterk had a lot of nonsense to say in his letter, he never mentioned that St. Maarten is subsidizing two of the three BES islands with electricity. The matter of GEBE is not even mentioned but they are telling us about our taxes, airport taxes, and WINAIR (a private company). Minister Duncan further explained that WINAIR is a government owned company and the Dutch is telling us to intervene and tell WINAIR what to do to benefit them. Furthermore, PJIAE has a concession with the Government of St. Maarten and here the Dutch and their reporters are telling us that we should tell PJIAE what to do with their airport taxes. He said that the Dutch is constantly complaining but they are not speaking about GEBE and he believes what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. "Being a country within the Kingdom does not make any sense if the Dutch has the gall to write letters telling St. Maarten to decrease its taxes and what to do with government owned companies."

Simpson Bay:--- Arriving and departing passengers and other users were pleasantly surprised on Thursday, February 14, 2013, Valentine's Day, when the SXM Airport firemen turned cupids as they gave out candies and roses, with their bows and arrows slung around their necks.

Decked appropriately in white T-shirts with red lettering, many of the cadet firefighters were in high spirits as they spread the love at the meet-and-greet area of the Arrival Hall, and later upstairs at the Departure Hall, where saxophonist, Connis Vanterpool was an obvious hit.

Music was indeed the food of love as love ballads filled the air at the Arrival Hall, where the pianist from Soprano's Piano Bar entertained the people. He also provided lucky passengers with gift certificates for dinner for two at Soprano's restaurant. A Valentine's Day booth was also set up in the meet-and-greet area where flowers and teddy bears were on sale.

"It is the second year we have organized this event and it is obviously becoming bigger and better," remarked Audrey Jack, Senior Business Development Officer at PJIAE, the operating company of SXM Airport.

"This is a very nice gesture; I didn't expect it," said St. Maarten resident Mariel Smith, who received a bag of gifts from L'Occitane, one of the concessionaires at SXM Airport participating in the Valentine's Day promotion.

Sally and Chris Maro, a couple that have been visiting the island for more than 15 years were winners of a gift certificate worth US$100 from AMA Bella, a store that sells luxury items. "This is fantastic," they said, beaming with smiles as they received the envelope containing the gift certificate from AMA store manager, Pradeep Tewani.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Rev. Vernon Liburd, arriving with his wife Eunelda, after winning a beautiful gift basket from Penha. "This is a total surprise," said Rev. Liburd. "We certainly weren't expecting this."

Penny and Joe Schmidt, a warm-hearted and lively American couple who have been visiting the island for the past 23 years were sad to be leaving, but elated to have won another gift certificate from AMA jewelers, which they were able to redeem before their flight was called.

"We're taking a bit of St. Maarten sunshine back home with us and now some glitz also," said a well-tanned Mrs. Schmidt. Her husband, Joe, had one word for the Valentine's Day surprise: "fantastic." They promised to be back again next year.

"We choose the winners randomly," explained Kalifa Hickinson, Manager, Marketing & Communications at PJIAE. She announced the additional winners of the other give-aways as Carmen Tyson, a resident of St. Maarten who was en route to New York. Tyson received a necklace from Capri Italian Fashion just after clearing security at the Departure Hall.

According to Hickinson, Mr. and Mrs. Leonardo Haynes of St. Eustatius were the lucky winners of a trip for two to any destination Air Sunshine services. Air Sunshine is the newest addition to the scheduled carriers at SXM Airport. It began service on February 1, 2013 and flies to Tortola, Virgin Gorda, St. Thomas, Dominica, and San Juan.

"Our Valentine's Day promotion is another event we hope will make the 'experience move you' at SXM Airport," added Hickinson.

With the participation of 124 Intercators and other Youth Leaders, RYLA was declared open last Thursday Evening by Assistant District 7020 Governor James Ferris. Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams, Minister Silveria Jacobs and District Governor Vance Lewis offered the young leaders words of welcome and encouragement before wishing them a successful conference on St. Maarten. The evening continued after the formalities with dinner and followed by a dynamic presentation by Psychologist Ms. Giselle Hilliman who spoke on the topic of "Understanding Different Behavioral Styles.

Gisella S. Hilliman, MA is a multi-talented young professional, and one of St Maarten's rising young leaders. Gisella holds a bachelors degree in Psychology from Temple University, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and a Masters degree from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, in Boston, Massachusetts. Her presentation engaged the participants to seriously evaluate their own personalities and those around them in an attempt to recognize how they themselves and others would react to a particular situation. The topic which set the tone for the rest of the conference which bears the theme "leadership and Peace through cultural diversity" was followed by an Ice Breaking Activity which built on the dinner theme. David McGregor Director and Trainer of TDC truly broke the ice as participants from Anguilla, St. Kitts, Tortola, Jamaica and St. Maarten took part in an exercise which challenged them to not look at each other in the eyes and remember as many as 20 names, of persons they had never met before, within 20 minutes. The challenge of not looking each other in the eyes failed terribly as clearly in our culture this is not customary. As for remembering names, based on an honor system the winner of this exercise was victorious with claiming to have remembered 18 names. Before lights out on the first night a final treat of ice cream was given as the following morning at 6:30 Patti Panthophlet would set the pace for the day with Zumba.

The Youth conference which is taking place at the MAC school in St. John's Estate will end on Sunday afternoon. The varied topics discussed will be facilitated at the University of St. Maarten and at the MAC school.

Simpson Bay:--- Following the successful rebranding of the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), demand for advertising space on the jet bridges has been overwhelming, says Managing Director Regina LaBega.

"As a result of the recent rebranding of the airport, we have noticed an overwhelming surge in demand for advertising space on our four jet bridges," LaBega said.

"This is a clear indication of confidence in the SXM brand and a welcome development in terms of improving the revenue stream from our non-aeronautical sources in accordance with our strategic plan," she added.

At the official launch of the SXM brand, LaBega had noted that the "whole aim is to re-position the Princess Juliana International Airport as a leading hub in the Caribbean and to promote our ultra-modern facilities and the quality of our services."

LaBega had further added that "it was a strong belief in the rebranding efforts of Princess Juliana International Airport that tipped the scales in our favor for Moody's to grant us a rating of Baa2," which in turn paved the way for Nomura Securities International to underwrite the bond issue of US$132 million recently closed in New York to fund the airport's Capital Improvement Program.

Staff of Lexwell Attorneys, a member of the SXM Airport family, had been given a tour of the facilities as the first advertisers on the jet bridges.

"We are proud to have contributed to our island's world-renowned airport and our team of attorneys is thrilled to be the first exclusive advertisers to be featured on the jet bridges," said Mark Kartenoever, partner at Lexwell Attorneys.

"We applaud the airport for their innovative initiatives such as the advertising opportunities on the jet bridges where hundreds of travelers each day will see these ads creating an invaluable opportunity for local and regional businesses," he added.

Simpson Bay:--- The latest traffic development figures from the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM Airport) indicate a slight decrease in traffic in 2012 compared to the preceding year.

While scheduled aircraft movements showed a slim decline of 0.1%, there was a robust increase of 9.18% in cargo movements. Overall, however, the total aircraft movements at SXM Airport including landings and take-offs dipped by -2.33% in 2012 in comparison with 2011.

Charter, corporate jets, and general aviation all suffered significant drops in the period under review. Charter flights decreased from a total of 661 in 2011 to 512 in 2012, a decrease of 22.54%. General aviation also plummeted from 7,671 flights in 2011 to 6,721 flights in 2012 or a decline of -12.38%. The biggest drop percentage-wise, however, was in military aircraft, which dipped to -30.59% with only 59 movements in 2012 versus 85 the preceding year.

"We are naturally monitoring these figures very closely and analyzing them," remarked Regina LaBega, managing director of PJIAE, the operating company of SXM Airport.

"These figures bear out the need to improve our facilities in order to be able to accommodate especially corporate jets and general aviation which have had to divert to neighboring airports due to inadequate parking facilities for them at SXM Airport," she added.

A portion of the US$132 million bond issue the airport just concluded will be allocated to this expansion as part of the Capital Improvement Program which is about to take off shortly.

Hope Estate:--- On February 13, 2013, His Excellency Governor Eugene B. Holiday paid a working visit to the Marie Genevieve De Weever Primary School. The Governor received a warm welcome as all the students greeted him by singing 'The School Song'. After addressing the students with some motivational words the Governor met with the School Principal Mrs. Bourne and the Adjunct School Manager Mrs. Moeslikan and discussed developments within the school. Mrs. Bourne gave the Governor a tour around 12 of the 14 classes. His Excellency Eugene Holiday encouraged the youngster to always strive to be the best they can be through hard work as he visited the class rooms. The Governor was invited to assist the sixth grade in creating miniature structures of the Emilio Wilson Estate as part of the black history month program. In working with the students Governor Holiday questioned the students about Emilio Wilson and pointed out that it was important to study our history and to have a place like Emilio Wilson Estate to help to remember and understand our history. Governor Holiday applauds the work of the management and teachers of the Marie Genevieve De Weever Primary School and encourages our community to reach out and support our educators in their work in forming and preparing our youngsters.

Car raffle raises funds for Children's Special Needs Projects.

Minerva Lawrence was the lucky winner of the Rotary Club of St. Maarten's Valentine's Day Car Raffle. In the company of Rotarians, supporters and under supervision of Notary Meridith Boekhoudt the winning ticket was drawn on the premises of Le Grand Marche on Bush Road at approximately 10:15 Thursday morning. The car raffle which was launched in August last year aimed to raise funds for community service projects that in particular cater to special needs children, youth and the community in general. The red Hyundai i10 was provided at cost by Motor World allowing for most of the funds raised to go back to the community. President Robert Judd called the Valentine's Day winner who made her way to the location to collect her prize. The Rotary Club of St. Maarten would like to congratulate Minerva Lawrence on this very happy Valentine's Day and thank Motor World and all who contributed towards making this fundraising a success. The club continues to carryout it's community service work and can do so because of the support of the community.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Soualigan Fyah, a poetry/spoken word competition for teens ages 13-18, will get its official launch this afternoon, Friday, February 15, at 5pm, at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library.
The event, organized by Lysanne Charles of 5 square miles productions in collaboration with PJL and Imbali Center for Creative Movement, will begin with an orientation evening, before moving into the first round of competition next Friday, February 22.
"Today the teens will basically get a packet with the rules of the competition and the rubric. They will also get to read some of their pieces, just to get rid of the jitters and hear from veteran poets who I have invited to share their work," Charles said.
She said that the younger poets would also be able to ask some of the veteran performers for feedback if they so desired. Charles explained that the first 30 teens that arrived and registered would be eligible to compete in the event.
"I definitely think there is a need for this kind of event for the young people. After organizing Summers Speaks and Winter's Words and going to different events and hearing young poets like Andrew Peterson, Gabriella Prensa, and others, I knew I wanted to organize something like this, so I am definitely excited that it is finally going to happen," Charles said.
The final round of competition is scheduled for Friday, March 15 and the top 3 teens from each week, along with a teen picked in the wildcard spot would advance to this evening, Charles explained.
"Thus far, the winner will be able to perform at Summer Speaks and Winter's Words, on radio, will receive a book bundle generously donated by House of Nehesi Publishers and will travel to Tortola to perform at the annual Microphone Messenjah held there if parents consent," Charles said.
She said that several other prizes were pending and would be released as they came in.
"This event is about more than prizes though; it's about the development of poetry and spoken word on our island. I'm grateful to House of Nehesi for its donation, because after all it was and is the platform which gave and gives many St. Maarten poets a voice. This is what Soualigan Fyah is about, giving our young people a platform to share their views and let their voices be heard," Charles said.
Charles said she is encouraging all interested young poets who fit the age criteria, and are high school based, to come out and participate in this event. She is also encouraging them to bring along their support network, but promises to create a supportive environment for all poets.
"This is just the beginning of Soualigan Fyah and hopefully with the enthusiasm of the young people and the support of the community it is a vehicle for artistic development which will be around for a long time," Charles said.

In my further preparations of my objectives to introduce a draft law on domestic violence, earlier this week I met with Lawyer Hijmans.

I will also discuss this issue with Professor de Doelder. He was in Sint Maarten and before Parliament several times to assist Minister of Justice Roland Duncan when hearings were held in 2011 regarding the Penal Code.

Contact will be made as well with other stakeholders including Safe Haven once a draft is made to get their input in the document.

In the meantime, I have received a copy of the law and the explanatory notes thereto of the special law as established in the Netherlands regarding domestic and relational violence.

Domestic Violence Awareness and its consequences on society are at the front burner of many governments around the world. It was very encouraging to me and dare say to the millions of women and men around the world to hear President Barack Obama refer to the Domestic Violence Act, in his State of the Union address on Tuesday evening. It is that important of an issue.

Gracita Arrindell
United People's (UP) Party
Member of Parliament

Marigot:--- The Criminal Courts in St. Martin condemned former State employee Yannick Beaud on February 14th, 2013. Beaud and his family received the bad news on Valentine's Day when the judges from the criminal courts pronounced their decision. Beaud received a fine of Euros 10,000 for not following proper procedures when he left his State appointed job at Departmentale Direction d' Equipment (DDE) and went to work for Semsamar. Beaud also got eight months suspended sentence while he was banned from working in any public function for a period of three years. On November 18th, 2012 Yannick Beaud appeared before the court on three charges which showed he engaged in conflict of interest from December 2009 to December 2010 and from May 1st, 2011 when he took leave of absence from the State to work for Semsamar. The case against Yannick Beaud was tried on December 15th, 2012. In December during the trial, Prosecutor Flavien Noailles told the court that Beaud acted against the law when he worked for the State and at the same time worked for a private company on similar dossiers. Prosecutor Noailles said Beaud was wearing two hats while he did not apply the requirements of the law to abstain from working for private companies for a period of three years. The defense lawyers for Beaud told the court during the trial that Beaud had received consent from two Prefets that were working on St. Martin. Those Prefets were Dominique La Croix and Jacques Simmonet.

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 Yannick 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.

Also condemned on Valentine's Day is the former head of Urbanism Josi Carti. The Court also found Carti guilty of acting in conflict of interest when he worked on a building permit for his own company. Carti had applied for a building permit for his company Societe Civile de Construction Vente SCCV "Tropicana" that was granted to him in a little over two weeks. The file was handled between 2002 to 2003. The court found that Josi Carti abused his power, thus they condemned him to two months suspended sentence with a fine of Euros 5000.00. The court also forbid Josi Carti from working as a civil servant for a period of three years.

Josi Carti and the third Vice President of the Collectivity of St. Martin Guillaume Arnell along with the owner of SINDEXTOUR Norbert Luftman have to return to court on March 21st to answer charges of fraud and obtaining monies that were not due to them and the use of fraudulent documents when they issued an Autorisation d'Occupation Temporaire (AOT) to the owner of SINDEXTOUR Nobert Luftman.

The newly elected Executive Board of St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry met with the Executive Board for the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association, (SHTA) on Tuesday February 5th at Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, to discuss several issues of common interest. The two organizations have agreed on regular meetings to see how they can combine efforts to tackle critical issues that are of common interests. In the photo are Executive Board Member and Vice President of the SHTA Eveline Henriquez-Dijkhoffz, SHTA Executive Board member Keith Graham, Chamber Treasurer Sidharth "Cookie" Bijlani, Executive Director for the Chamber of Commerce Claret Connor, SHTA Executive Board Member Lorraine Talmi, Newly Elected Chamber President Tamara Leonard, SHTA President Emil Lee, Chamber Vice President Hubert Pantophlet and SHTA Executive Director Alfred Harley.

The Rotary Club of St. Maarten has two new members that where inducted during the lunch meeting on Wednesday February 13th at Divi Little Bay. Here for the opening of RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) DG Vance Lewis was on hand from Tortola, to conduct the induction ceremony assisted in the pinning ceremony by the Honorable Governor Eugene Holiday who was a member of this club and is currently a Honorary member.
Joining Rotary are Debbie Biscontini and Geeta Usha Khatnani. Debbie Biscontini has a PhD in Economics and taught economics for much of her career, her classification within Rotary is Economist. Mrs. Bisconiti is also a volunteer Treasurer with the Dawn Beach Estate Lots Foundation.
Geeta "Ushi" Khatnani is the owner and manager of Mr Tablecloth and has joined the Rotary Club of St. Maarten under the classification of Retail.Ushi has been on the island since 1980 and lives with her husband Pishu and has 2 children and is has been a member of the Indian Merchants Association. Both new Rotarians have already demonstrated their involvement in community service within and without the Rotary organization. Recently inducted Rotarian of the Mid Isle Club Veronica Jansen Webster joined the other new members in the ceremony.
The opportunity was also taken by chairman of the RYLA Task Force Mr. James Ferris to present the the RYLA program to District Governor Vance Lewis.

Environmental Protection In the Caribbean (EPIC), St. Maarten Pride Foundation and volunteers will be planting Red Mangroves along Little Key and possibly other locations in the Simpson Bay Lagoon on Saturday February 16th with the support of Isle de Sol marina. Meeting point is in front of "The Taste Factory" across from Kim Sha beach at no later than 8:15am.

Mangrove ecosystems have significant ecological, environmental and socio-economic functions. Mangrove communities usually occur in sheltered shores and in areas where sediment is gradually trapped forming mud banks. In short, the functions of mangroves include:

Soil formation by trapping debris;
Filtering land run-off and trapping terrestrial organic matter;
Maintenance of coastal water quality;
Shoreline protection
Nursery areas and feeding grounds for juvenile reef and pelagic (deep sea) fish;
Important habitat and feeding grounds for a range of other animals.

Those attending are asked to wear slippers, boots or old shoes as "we will be getting a little wet!". Be sure to bring drinking water (in your reusable bottles of course). Everyone is invited to participate in this small but important event!!! To register and for more information about the event please contact EPIC at 5453009 or visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/epicislands

The Foundations extend their gratitude to Mr. Parker Davis of Florida Coastal Mangroves for the generous donation of some 200 mangroves.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee of Parliament will meet on February 18 with respect to recent developments concerning the Postal Services of St. Maarten (PSS).

The Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams as shareholder representative has been invited to parliament.

The agenda point also includes the resignation of the Director of PSS.

The central committee meeting will meet on Monday at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The meeting was requested by Independent Members of Parliament (MP) Hon. Frans Richardson, Hon. MP Patrick Illidge, and MP Hon. Romain Laville.

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:--- The Permanent Parliamentary Committee for Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations will meet on February 15.

The Permanent Parliamentary Committee meeting 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 concerns preparations for the Inter-parliamentary Kingdom Meeting that will be held in The Hague, the Netherlands from March 5 to 8, 2013.

The points to be discussed are the status of workgroups; preparation of notifications; and working visits.

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 Chairman of the committee is Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Roy Marlin, MP Hon. George Pantophlet, Vice Chairman, MP Hon. Patrick Illidge, MP Hon. Frans Richardson, and MP Hon. Dr. Ruth Douglass.

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.

Sucker Garden:--- Retired Inspector of Police Etienne Meyers died early Thursday morning at the age of 89 in his sleep. Meyers was ailing for quite some time now and he was being cared for by his children, mostly his son Etienne "Toochie" Meyers. According to the Meyers children, one of his daughters who recently came from the USA to spend some time with her father found him dead in his bed around 6am on February 14th, 2013.
Etienne Meyers served the Police Force of the former Netherlands Antilles on St. Eustatius as a major and he also served on St. Maarten until he retired.
Etienne Meyers was married on February 14th, 1946 to his late wife, a former Minister of the Methodist Church Eulalie Meyers who passed away on March 25th, 2011. On the day of his passing, the late Etienne Meyers would have been celebrating his 67th wedding anniversary.
He leaves to mourn eight children, Etienne Toochie Meyers, Charles Meyers, Frankie Meyers, Gwen Meyers, Joyce Meyers, Merlie Meyers, Jackie Meyers, and Harold Meyers. Also mourning the loss of the retired Inspector are his grandchildren, great grand children, in laws, and several other close relatives.
SMN News team extends deepest condolences to the Meyers family who are now grieving the loss of their loved one.

Simpson Bay:--- Music, give-aways, and an atmosphere filled with love are expected to turn SXM Airport into a romantic experience that will move you on Valentine's Day.

Starting at 11:30 AM on Thursday, February 14, passengers and the entire airport community will be serenaded by virtuoso saxophonist, Connis Vanterpool at the Departure Hall, while the pianist from Sopranos Piano Bar will take to the stage at the Arrival Hall to treat passengers and others to love ballads.

SXM Airport Firefighters will don Valentine apparel to distribute chocolate and roses to passengers in both the Departure and Arrival Halls.

Concessionaires will also be joining in the Valentine's Day promotion by giving away various items to passengers. For example, Penha Perfumes will be giving away Valentine baskets, while L'Occitane, Capri, and AMA Jewelers will also offer special give-aways.

Air Sunshine will be giving away a ticket for two for the destinations it services, and Sopranos will be offering four dinners to lucky passengers.

In addition, there will be a Valentine Booth where candy, flowers and teddy bears will be on sale.

"Valentine's Day is celebrated all over the world and we want to make sure that all the users of SXM Airport feel the love on this special day," said Kalifa Hickinson, Manager of Marketing & Communications at SXM Airport.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A delegation from the Parliament of Sint Maarten headed by President of Parliament Hon. Rodolphe Samuel, Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Kingdom Affairs and Interparliamentary Relations Member of Parliament Hon. Roy Marlin, and Secretary General Jossy Semeleer, forming the presidium of the Interparliamentary Kingdom meeting IPOK, travelled to Curacao and held discussions with the Presidiums of Aruba and Curacao on February 4.

The presidiums of the aforementioned parliaments prepared for a video conference that took place on February 5 where a number of decisions were taken in preparation for the IPOK in the Netherlands early March.

The video conference was very constructive and the propositions made by Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten were accepted. All parties agreed that the delegations of the countries will cooperate with each other in order to make the IPKO a success.

Among the issues decided upon: the Presidium of each country is formed by Presidents of the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, the President of the Committees Kingdom Affairs and the Secretaries General, except for the Netherlands, where the Chairman of the Committees Kingdom Affairs of the First and Second Chamber and the Secretaries General, will form the Presidium.

The Presidents of the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, the Netherlands, and Chairmen of the Dutch Committee, are heads of the delegations and will sign the final document.

Each delegation can make an annotation in the decision list if the country has a different view. An explanation of this position can be given in an annex, which formally is not a part of the decision list.

All delegations can participate in the working groups. The Netherlands (First Chamber) will take the lead in a working group if the subject regards the Netherlands in the Caribbean (BES islands).

The Presidiums of Aruba comprised of, C.G. (Chris) Dammers, Vice President, G.R. (René) Herdé and mr J.A. Bastien-Sherman, Secretary General. Curacao was represented by President M.C.F. (Mike) Franco, H.M. (Helmin) Wiels, and mr S. Cijntje, Secretary General.

During the meeting in Willemstad, the draft agenda for the IPKO in March was discussed. In mutual agreement some proposals for changes and additions were made to the draft agenda. These proposals were discussed during the video conference on Tuesday, February 5, 2013, with the IPKO Presidium of the Netherlands, Jeroen Recourt, President of the Committee Kingdom Affairs of the Second Chamber and Marijke Linthorst, President of the Committee Kingdom Affairs of the First Chamber and the Secretaries General of respective Chambers.

The initial meeting paving the way for discussions was a result of the initiative taken by the President of the Parliament of Sint Maarten, to invite the Presidents of the Parliaments of Aruba and Curaçao, to come to Sint Maarten on January 28, 2013, to discuss amongst other things the upcoming IPKO.

Marigot/Great Bay:--- Historical and contemporary figures or personalities, eight in total, make up the history quiz for the 22nd annual Black History Celebration (BHC).

The top quiz winner will receive the much in-demand iPad mini with a surprise download of a recent St. Martin-published eBook, said Shujah Reiph, president of Conscious Lyrics Foundation, organizer of the island-wide BHC.

"We are happy to participate in this educational quiz," said Krisha Kukreja, public relations officer at the Blue Point computer store.

To be a winner of the iPad and other prizes, each quiz figure has to be identified correctly by his or her first and last name; and a short biography of no less than 30 words has to be written about the person, said Reiph.

The completed quiz should be emailed, along with the name and contact information of the person filling out the quiz, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The completed quiz and contact information can also be delivered in a sealed envelope addressed to Conscious Lyrics Foundation, to the Philipsburg Jubilee Library, C. Voges Street 12; Blue Point, 93 WJA Nisbeth Road, Philipsburg; or SOS Radio, 197 rue de Hollande, Marigot – by Thursday, February 28, 2013. The first, second, and third prize winners will be announced on Saturday, March 2, said Reiph.

Blue Point, SOS 95.9 FM, and House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP) are sponsors of the quiz for BHC 2013, said Reiph.

"Labor, the cradle of our civilization" is the theme of this year's month-long commemoration of history. "Each year since 1991, Conscious Lyrics Foundation has publicly celebrated the history of Africa and its Diaspora around the world, including in the Caribbean and the Americas. We also place special emphasis on history-makers and history-making events from the island of St. Martin," said Reiph.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs, attended circus theater SILK, a Chinese Legend production on Monday February 11th 2012 at the Philipsburg Cultural Center.

CircoMagik with the assistance of Motiance St. Maarten collaborated to present this circus theater production.

SILK tells the story of how silk was accidentally discovered by the Silk Queen His Ling Shih. The story is depicted in a whirlwind of color, circus artistry, drama, dance and martial arts.

Motiance St. Maarten provided the drummers for the production as well as choreographing several contemporary dance pieces. The performers are students of CircoMagik Curacao, a production company focused on training youngsters in various artistic disciplines.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Seven civil servants from the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) last week Friday were sworn in by Minister of Justice Hon. Roland Duncan with the status of extra-ordinary police.

The seven persons include three senior inspectors at the Department of Inspections comprising of the Enforcement Team of the department and four persons from the Department of Infrastructure Management.

The aforementioned police status allows the civil servants to enforce various ordinances and issue fines to those who are infringing upon the law.

According to Acting Secretary General Ministry VROMI Louis Brown, the ministry now has an additional task at its disposal to adequately enforce laws governing building construction and development, environment, safety on job sites, and other applicable legislation that the ministry is charged to enforce.

Civil servants from the Department of Infrastructure Management also received the aforementioned status since they are in the field on a daily basis and can detect transgressions and are now able to take action on the spot in collaboration with the Enforcement Team of Inspections.

Six persons within the Ministry successfully completed their training in 2009 and one person already had the authority in the Netherlands and is currently employed at VROMI.

Other staff members from the Department of Inspections will within short will start their own training and once successfully completed will be certified as extra ordinary police officers.

On Wednesday February 6th, students from Sister Regina School in Simpson Bay were given a tour of Yacht Club Isle De Sol (IDS) and Yacht Club Port De Plaisance (PDP).

Marina managers Brian Deher (IDS) and Leon Wilson (PDP) guided the students around the marinas. The children got to see the yachts up close and understand marina operations. Discussion of the many different types of jobs available both in the marinas and on the boats. The students were given refreshments after their tour.

"I was extremely impressed to see how polite and interested all of the children were. They all had very intelligent questions and their curiosity and excitement was very apparent. From the St. Maarten Marine Trades perspective, we are always happy to help spark an interest in our industry, especially students at such a young age since they have a great opportunity to pick up hobbies now as children that can turn into successful careers as young adults," said Marina Manager and SMMTA President Brian Deher.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Junior Chamber International of St. Maarten (JCI), the nonprofit personal development organization whose sole mission is to provide development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change, recently elected and installed its new Board of directors for 2013.

During the recently concluded elections, outgoing president, Ms. Meandra Hazel, welcomed the newest board members to the executive wing of the organization and wished them well in their one (1) year term.

The new board consists of President Ms. Deidrae Thompson, Vice President Mr. Richinel Brug, Secretary Mr. Dwain Thompson, Treasurer Ms. Janine Hunte, and Ms. Meandra Hazel will remain on the board as the Immediate Past President.

During the newly elected president's incoming address, Ms. Thompson, emphasized that "Despite numerous challenges that the organization faces today, I wish to do nothing but be an inspiration to others. Inspiration is an essential tool in pushing individuals out of their comfort zone to serve, impact and transform the lives of others in their circle of life". She said, and went on to emphasize "I hope to inspire you, like black America, inspired by President Barack Obama in his first postulation as president of the United States of America with his famous theme... "Yes We Can"."

She went on to thank the organization and its membership for allowing her the unique opportunity to serve them as their president and she promised to do her utmost, maintain the JCI standards and empower them to be more effective in transforming themselves and the people in our community.

Junior Chamber International (JCI) is one of the largest worldwide non-political and non-sectarian youth service and self-development organizations. It is an international community of citizens between the ages of 18 and 40 with the aim and purpose of creating positive changes in the world.
The organization believes that these changes must result from one taking "collective action to improve themselves and the world around them."
While containing a religious element in their Declaration of Principles, JCI neither promotes nor engages in any religious activities. JCI St. Maarten meets on the last Wednesday of every month for their General Membership Meeting at the University of St. Maarten (USM) at 7:30 PM.

JCI St. Maarten can be reached on their Facebook page and is also accessible by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee of Parliament will meet on February 19 with respect to the current situation at GEBE utility company.

The Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment, and Infrastructure Hon. William Marlin as shareholder representative has been invited to parliament along with the Supervisory Board and members of the Shareholders Foundation.

The agenda point also includes future plans of GEBE utility company.

The central committee will meet on Tuesday at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The meeting was requested by Independent Members of Parliament (MP) Hon. Frans Richardson, Hon. MP Patrick Illidge, and MP Hon. Romain Laville.

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:--- Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams addressed the letter sent to her by Minister Ronald Plasterk on February 8th, 2013. Wescot Williams said many twists have been given to the letter that was sent to her, she said visited the Netherlands in December 2012 and during that meeting several points were raised such as St. Maarten's financial situation and the relationship between St. Maarten and the BES islands. Wescot Williams said even though the Minister raised the points he clearly did not have all the information surrounding the issues. Wescot Williams said during that meeting the Minister indicated to her that he would have secured more information on the issues and he would then discuss them again when he visited the island in January 2013. St. Maarten's Prime Minister said that when the Council of Ministers met with Minister Plasterk on January 22nd they provided much information on the issues he tabled when she met with him in December 2012 in the Netherlands.

Wescot Williams said the situation surrounding WINAIR was extensively explained to the Minister since the Netherlands (BES) owned a minority share in the company. Wescot Williams said that the Council of Ministers on St. Maarten gave Minister Plasterk the history of WINAIR and they also provided information on the other issues the Minister raised. She said when St. Maarten asked Minister Plasterk to provide specifics he still did not have sufficient information. She said at that meeting an agreement was made with the Minister where he agreed to gather all the necessary information from his civil service and send St. Maarten the answers in writing to the Council of Ministers. Wescot Williams said in certain media in the Netherlands it is stated that Minister Plasterk is calling the Prime Minister of St. Maarten to order. Wescot Williams said that she will not react in the same tone as Minister Plasterk but she wants the Minister to know that prior to the BES there was SSS (Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten). She said she wants the Minister to know that the relationship between the three islands goes back way beyond the BES that became an integral part of the Netherlands.

Another issue Minister Plasterk addressed is some sort of double indirect taxes. Wescot Williams said St. Maarten is not levying any double indirect taxes. She said the Dutch Government decided to levy their general revenue taxes on the BES islands. Wescot Williams said that the Council of Ministers explained Minister Plasterk that the Turn over Tax (TOT) on St. Maarten is not the same as Value Added Tax (VAT). She said St. Maarten ensured that businesses on St Maarten do not incorporate the TOT as if it is a sales tax or value added tax.

The Council of Ministers also discussed the issues affecting the medical helicopter. She said that they are trying to find out who is really responsible for the hiccups regarding the medical helicopter.

Regarding the issue of the fiber optic cable, Wescot Williams said that the government of St. Maarten explained the Minister that St. Maarten (TELEM) invested a lot of money to have its own fiber optic cable and having another one could be to the detriment to St. Maarten. However, the Dutch Minister feels that the issue of the fiber optic cable is a business venture.

She said at the time this matter was discussed the courts had ordered St. Maarten to give the BES (Netherlands ) a response on their request to pass their fiber optic cable through St. Maarten. Wescot Williams said St. Maarten was busy gathering information such as environmental impact. She said despite all of that both parties came up with alternatives to make it a win–win situation.

Finance Minister Roland Tuitt also addressed the letter on Wednesday by informing reporters that Minister Plasterk wrote a letter to the second chamber and he indicated to them that he will send St. Maarten a letter in which he would address the issues and he would also provide solutions (recommendations) to St. Maarten. Tuitt said that while the Minister sent St. Maarten a letter there were no recommendations or solutions.

Philipsburg:--- Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt told reporters on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing that the process to finalize the 2013 budget is not yet complete as he is still awaiting a response from the CFT on the last draft the Government of St. Maarten presented to them for their approval.

Minister Tuitt said the 2013 budget now stands at 457 million guilders. The Minister of Finance said that the Council of Ministers already gave a preliminary approval of the budget in their Council of Ministers meeting on Tuesday while the they are still working on a follow up report. Tuitt said as soon as he gets the approval of the CFT he will send the budget via the various channels so that it can reach the Parliament of St. Maarten for their approval.

When asked by SMN News if he believes that he will meet his target by having the budget approved in the month of February as he anticipated some weeks ago, Tuitt said that will not happen because the Government of St. Maarten is making a realistic budget and not a "voodoo" budget.

The Minister also clarified again on Wednesday that he has no problems with the CFT and their checks and balances. He said the only disagreement he has with the CFT is the fact they have not given to him in writing the criteria on which they are auditing the budget he sent to them.

Road Tax Deadline February 28th.

The Finance Minister said again on Wednesday that were no major changes made to the payment of the annual road tax. He said that the only thing that was done is that the payment system has been simplified so that motor vehicle owners could make their payments easier and faster. Tuitt cautioned vehicle owners that the deadline for paying their road tax is February 28th, 2013. Another remark the Finance Minister made was that in his view a lot of people/residents and vehicle owners on St. Maarten have become law enforcement officers when it comes to the road tax and the changes made to the payment system. Tuitt said he came to that conclusion based on the kinds of questions that he is confronted with on a daily basis.

Philipsburg:--- The officers of the Voluntary Korps of St. Maarten (VKS) are not in favor of Chief Inspector Anthony Rogers who was recommended by outgoing Commander of the VKS Jean Illidge to take over his position as commander of the VKS. Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams confirmed to reporters on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing that Rogers was recommended to her by Illidge but the appointment has to be made by the board (management team) that is not yet established.

Wescot Williams also confirmed to reporters that the VKS officers are not in favor of Rogers getting the position. She said while the selection of a commander has to take place, Paul Martens will be at the helm of the VKS. It should be noted that Paul Martens is the section head of Disaster Management, he is the President of the Red Cross, and as of March 1, 2013 he will also hold the post as Commander of the VKS.

Illidge told SMN News in an invited comment on Wednesday that he recommended Rogers because he knew of Rogers' capabilities. The outgoing commander said that Rogers worked under him in Aruba and on St. Maarten. "I gave 16 years of my life to the VKS and I suggested someone who I think is capable of carrying the baton. If the Prime Minister does not agree with my suggestion she should have said that. I don't understand why a local St. Maartener cannot hold a prime position and why it always has to be an outsider." Illidge said that Martens already has three major positions and it is impossible for him to be the interim commander of the VKS. Illidge further explained that the officers that are complaining want the position and in his opinion they are not capable of doing the job. "What is happening right now among the VKS officers is a fight for position and that is why they are grumbling about Rogers." Chief Inspector Anthony Rogers could not be reached on Wednesday for a comment on the ongoing saga.

Netherlands/St. Maarten:--- The President of the Courts of the Netherlands recently approved new court room rules for reporters/journalists and videographers which will go into effect in March 2013. According to a monthly magazine issued to prosecutors within the Kingdom and countries within the Kingdom, journalists will be allowed to tape record, videotape, and take photographs of court room proceedings as of March 2013. The rules were made broader for media workers in order for them to bring forward a more accurate and complete picture of court room proceedings. Journalists and videographers who wish to tape court room proceedings have to notify the court in advance in order for the presiding judges to make the necessary arrangements for the taping and recording. Some special arrangements were made for criminal proceedings especially where it relates to the personal aspect of suspects. Suspects in each case can choose whether or not they agree to be taped during their trial. The magazine states that the judge, lawyers, and prosecutors can be taped during court room proceedings.

Click here to view the article on the new court room media rules.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs says it is a priority for her to see the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex (RISC) and Little League Ballpark upgraded.

Department of New Projects Development and Planning has been working diligently and the advice for the renovation of the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex, is in its final administrative stages. Phase 1 of the upgrading plans for RISC includes renovation of the running track, sports field, lights and drainage.

The upgrading of the Little League Ballpark, has been the focus of attention for some time. Execution of upgrading plans for the ballpark should be completed by July 1, 2013.

Last week, discussions with the Minister and the Board of the Little League Association took place. Design aspects related to drainage, sporting field, tribunes, stadium lights, scoreboard, fencing and the upgrading of the bathroom facilities were center of discussion.

During the upgrading, the scheduling of the local competition games must continue therefore logistics with regards to location have to be ironed out.

The Little League Board will present some alternatives to the logistics and scheduling. Design works are currently in execution and scheduled to be completed for tender by the beginning of March 2013.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL) honors staffer, Irmin Hughes-Richards for her 35 years of dedicated service to the people of St. Maarten.
"Earnest dedication, selfless devotion and utter commitment to her work are only a few words that describe Irmin's work ethic here at the library," Monique Alberts, PJL Director, explained.
Hughes-Richards, a daughter of the St. Maarten soil, started her long career at the library in 1978 as an energetic, high school graduate, ready to make a difference. With this goal in mind the young Hughes-Richards applied for a job at the library and she was immediately hired as an Administrative Clerk. During that time Hughes-Richards was expected to run to Holland House to make photocopies because the library was not yet in possession of a copier. From that humble beginning she worked her way up to a member of the library's Management Team.
In the past 35 years Hughes-Richards fulfilled many roles among which were: Circulation and Book Mobile Clerk, Circulation Supervisor, and Assistant Librarian. Currently, Hughes-Richards serves, primarily, as the Human Resource Officer, Head of the Information Desk and member of the Management Team.
"The sheer scope of Irmin's work experience here at the library is testament to her inherent drive to succeed," declared Alberts.
The Philipsburg Jubilee Library Board, Management and Staff congratulate Hughes-Richards on this milestone in her career.
In recognition of Hughes-Richards unwavering service to the library, a staff luncheon will be held in her honor on Wednesday afternoon.

Pembroke Pines, FL:--- The FCCA Member Lines' top-level cruise executives will serve as hosts for the 19th annual FCCA Gala Dinner and Entertainment Extravaganza on Wednesday, March 13, 2013 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The evening will begin with a 90-minute cocktail reception, where you can meet and mingle with some of the cruise lines' CEOs and presidents, along with decision-making cruise line executives from operations, tours, itinerary planning, marketing and every other aspect of the cruise industry. A silent art auction featuring a magnificent collection from Park West Gallery will also take place before the dinner commences.

However, the night's main festivity is the dinner itself, as the tables are hosted by FCCA Member Lines' cruise executives, presidents and CEOs, and Gala guests purchase tickets to sit with the host of their choice for a night of productive networking and valuable insight.

The Gala will benefit the FCCA Foundation, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the non-profit, charitable organization. Created in 1993, the Foundation funds humanitarian causes in the Caribbean and Latin America. Numerous worthy projects receive funding each year throughout the FCCA Foundation. Most recently, the FCCA Holiday Gift Project brought smiles to the faces of nearly 7,000 underprivileged children throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

For more information about the 2013 FCCA Gala Dinner and Entertainment Extravaganza, contact the FCCA, 954-441-8881. To purchase your tickets on line:
http://registration3.experientevent.com/showcru131/Default.aspx

SIMPSON BAY:--- When a school cries out for help, it invariably strikes a sympathetic cord with the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) with a long-standing tradition of outreach to the youth of the island.

So, when concerned citizen Christopher Emmanuel approached Regina LaBega, managing director of PJIAE, the operating company of SXM Airport last week with the school's urgent need for janitorial supplies she got on board right away to assist.

"There was no hesitation on her part when I contacted her," said social activist Christopher Emmanuel, who explained how he got involved in seeking help for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Primary School.

"I was on a radio program one night, on Fernando Clark's show, and one of the teachers called in to say how the school lacked several materials. Fernando, in his usual manner, said, 'no problem, Chris will take care of it.'"

"When I contacted Regina, her response was instant; she told me to come over. SXM Airport really came through big time," Emmanuel added.

"It is a standing policy of ours to extend a helping hand to our schools whenever and wherever possible," LaBega said. "A school with a name like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and needing assistance during a month like February, Black History Month? It is just natural for SXM Airport to quickly do what it can to help."

The school officials were very pleased to receive the much-needed items Monday morning, February 11, 2013.

Winner To Receive US$2,500 Cash Prize.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Professional and amateur photographers can capture their dreams with the upcoming St. Maarten Aviation Photography Competition taking place March 17 - 23, 2013 at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Caravanserai Beach Resort, both located in Maho Bay. Photographs must depict an aviation-related action, with an aircraft visible amid a St. Maarten backdrop. The photographer of the winning image will receive a US$2,500 cash prize.

This comes on the heels of St. Maarten's airport being just named the most stunning airport approach in the world by PrivateFly.com. The airport is located on the scenic shores of Maho Beach, offering passengers on incoming flights breathtaking views of turquoise waters and white sand beaches. Spectators looking to get a unique view of low-flying incoming planes frequent Maho Beach daily. This one-of-a-kind setting lures tourists and photographers from around the world to the island to capture exclusive shots of arriving planes.

In addition to residents of St. Maarten, participants from the French Antilles, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, and the U.S. are expected to take part in this competition, organized by Robert Cijntje, the founder of Xpress-Digital and one of the top 15 most viewed photographers on JetPhotos.net, the largest aviation website in the world. The competition will be the first of its kind in St. Maarten and the Caribbean region.

"We're excited to be hosting the first competition of this nature in the Caribbean region and look forward to seeing all of the contest's submissions, which are sure to capture the unique beauty St. Maarten offers its residents and guests every day," said the Honorable Romeo F. Pantophlet, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications. "The competition will increase awareness of the rare views that the airport and surrounding areas boast and will likely increase aircraft spotters and photographers to the destination and turn them into repeat visitors," he added.

"The St. Maarten Aviation Photography Competition is a unique event that comes during a great period for the Princess Juliana International Airport, SXM, as we celebrate our 70th anniversary this year," said Regina Labega, Managing Director of Princess Juliana International Airport Operating Company, N.V. (PJIAE).

"The fact that the photographs must depict an aviation-related action in St. Maarten makes this a very interesting competition. We believe it will yield positive results for the destination, not only in the sense of further promoting the new branding of the airport, but also in drawing attention to the beauty of the island through the creative eyes of photographers," she added.

In addition to the winner's cash prize, judges will select six photos from all submitted to be exposed in the arrival hall at the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) in St. Maarten, with the names of each photographer displayed.

Registration fees can be paid to the organization during the morning briefing at the Sunset Beach Bar on March 18, 2013 at 8:00 am or anytime before Friday, March 22, 2013. All fees received will be donated to the Breast Cancer Awareness Program in St. Maarten, during the Prize Giving ceremony on Saturday March 23, 2013.

Photograph submissions must be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. on or before March 22. Emails must contain the full name and address of the photographer. Photos should be in JPG format, be a minimum of 1200x800 pix, and must contain the date and time. A maximum of three entries per participant is allowed. The photographer of the winning image must be present at the prize giving ceremony on March 23 to receive their cash prize. The competition is also open to residents of St. Maarten.

For more information on the St. Maarten Aviation Photography Competition, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For additional information on St. Maarten, visit the official site of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau at www.VacationStMaarten.com.

Simpson Bay:--- In efforts to promote cultural and educational diversity, friendship and building networks; The Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise, Rotaract St. Kitts and the Interact Club of St. Dominic High collaborated in a Student Exchange program. Rotaract Sunrise members along with Interactors of St. Dominic welcomed Sheldon Richards to the island of St. Maarten on Saturday 9th February 2013. Sheldon was chosen as this year's exchange student because of his exceptional academic performance.

Sheldon attends the Saddlers Secondary School. He was valedictorian of his 6th grade class and also class representative. Upon graduation from the Saddlers Primary School in 2009, he received the Social Security Scholarship for Academic excellence. When Sheldon began his Secondary School tenure, he was elected as the Vice President for the Student Council from 2010 to 2012. He used that opportunity to develop his leadership skills. In fact in 2012, He was recognized as one of the 25 Most Remarkable Teens in St. Kitts in the category of Leadership. He excels academically in every aspect; consistently receiving the Gold Honour Award from the school's Honour Roll Program. Sheldon's overall goal is to become a Physician specializing in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Sheldon will be on the island for one week and will be attending the St. Dominic High School from Monday-Wednesday and attending the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) from Thursday-Sunday of this week. We are happy to have Sheldon with us and hope he leaves this friendly island with additional knowledge, advance leadership skills and an unforgettable experience.

Philipsburg:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams will be appointing Chief Inspector of Police Anthony "Tony" Rogers as the Commander of the Voluntary Korps of St. Maarten (VKS) in the very near future. SMN News has been reliably informed that Rogers will be leaving the Police Force sometime this year as he reaches his pensionable age. It is not yet known if Rogers will be taking up the new position before he goes on pension or if he will serve KPSM until his last day.
According to information provided to SMN News, the current Commander of the VKS Jean Illidge will be serving as Commander up until February 28th, 2013. Illidge will be leaving on pension at the end of this month. It is also understood that Paul Martens will serve as the interim commander until Rogers takes up the position as commander.

SMN News also learnt that since St. Maarten became a country on October 10th, 2010 the government of St. Maarten did not form the foundation under which the VKS will function. According to information provided to SMN News, the government of St. Maarten issued a decree to the VKS authorizing them to operate as the Voluntary Korps of St. Maarten.
SMN News further learnt that the Prime Minister already selected the candidates who will be on the board of the VKS and their names were sent to the Corporate Governance Council for advice. Those that were selected to be on the board of the Voluntary Korps are Attorney General of St. Maarten Taco Stein, Former Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards, one of the Adjutants from the Governor's Office, and Emilia Thomas from the Prime Minister's office.

In an invited comment, Commander Illidge confirmed that he is leaving on February 28th, 2013. Illidge also confirmed that the foundation for the VKS has not yet been set up since St. Maarten became a country and prior to that the VKS was functioning under a foundation of the former Netherlands Antilles. The outgoing commander also confirmed that the government of St. Maarten did issue the VKS a Ministerial decree in order for them to function until the process of setting up a foundation is finalized.

Philipsburg:--- The Management of the Harbor Group of Companies was called to Parliament on Tuesday to give the committee on Economic Affairs an update on how they have been managing the Harbour Group of Companies. While the CEO of the Harbour Group Mark Mingo gave the committee members a perfect picture of the operations he has been heading for the past 11 years, Member of Parliament of the Democratic Party faction Petrus Leroy De Weever pleaded with the Management team not to take his questions personally but he thinks that the people of St. Maarten need to know the truth.

De Weever asked Mingo if he is not the one who chose to sell lands that belonged to harbor for almost nothing. The MP also asked for queries about the land sold to EDC and what happened to the monies that the Harbour Group took as financing for the EDC project. De Weever also asked about the land the Management of the Harbour Group sold to the Indian Merchants.

De Weever said that while the Government owned company is battling with the insurance companies and Ballast Nedam who built the harbor which can only withstand up to category four hurricanes, he wants the management team to tell Parliament how much it would cost the Harbour Group of Companies to repair pier one that was damaged by storms and hurricanes. De Weever said based on the information Mingo shared with the committee members, it is clear to him that the Harbour is looking for more monies (30 to 35 million USD) for expansion. The DP MP said that he wants to know exactly how much the harbor properties was sold for compared to the price they are willing to pay for other properties for further development.

De Weever also asked for more information on the agreement they are working on to purchase the properties of Bobby's Marina.

MP De Weever asked if the causeway will be completed and if it will cost the government of St. Maarten more monies. De Weever said that while SLAC has certain responsibilities including the waterways, just recently he went to see the condition of the Simpson Bay lagoon and he concluded that the Mississippi River is in better condition than the Simpson Bay Lagoon. He said that SLAC falls directly under the Harbour Group of Companies. De Weever reminded Mingo that as a St. Maartener he knows the importance of waterways and therefore he should do his best to save the Simpson Bay Lagoon.

Mingo gave the committee members a full outline of the activities of the Harbour Group of Companies. He mentioned how the causeway which is currently under construction came into being and some of the other projects that will be connected to the causeway. Mingo also confirmed on Tuesday during his presentation that the height of causeway had to adjust because the workers of the Airport Towers shared concerns on the height of the causeway.

Mingo in his presentation said that the Harbour Group has been making a lot of contribution to the community and he is also in agreement with the Minister of Finance who is currently working on a policy for government owned companies to pay government its dividends. Mingo said that he hopes that the other government owned companies would pay their fair share to the shareholder.

Other Members of Parliament congratulated the management team of the Harbor Holding Companies for the informative presentation they presented to the committee members. However, Member of Parliament Romaine La Ville in his presentation said he believes that the Harbor Holding Companies could offer more opportunities to the younger generation of St. Maarten by granting one or two students a year full scholarship.

Member of Parliament Jules James said that he is of the opinion that Mark Mingo is a politician based on the way he answered the questions that were posed. James said that it appears to him as though Mingo is preparing to contest in the 2014 election. James also asked Mingo how much money the Harbour Holding Companies invested in TEMPO Turns 7 and if they believe that was good investment for St. Maarten. The UP MP further asked the Harbour Group Management how do other people qualify for funding.

Philipsburg:--- The supervisory board of SZV had to postpone their meeting on Monday evening which was called to discuss the letter the Minister of Health Cornelius de Weever sent to them regarding the appointment of Reginald Willemsburg as Director of SZV. According to well placed sources, the Supervisory Board meeting had to be postponed due to a lack of quorum. SMN News learnt that meeting will now be held on Monday February 18th, 2013.

The supervisory board sent their advice to the Minister of Health some months ago where they suggested Willemsberg as the candidate for the position. However, some two weeks ago the Minister responded to the Supervisory Board informing them that he has several concerns regarding the person they selected. One of those concerns was that he (the Minister) did not feel that Willemsburg could bring SZV to the level he would want it to be while the Minister also wants to appoint both the Director and Assistant Director at the same time, therefore he asked the Supervisory Board to reopen the selection process so that more suitable candidates can be selected for the positions that are available at SZV.

According to information SMN News received, some six persons applied for the position, two of which are from St. Maarten namely former Minister of Health Maria Buncamper Molanus and Reginald Willemsburg while the other candidates were from outside of St. Maarten.

SMN News reported last week that one of the reasons the Minister of Health wanted to re-open the selection process was because the Democratic Party wanted to appoint the former Minister of Health to the position. SMN News was told after the article was published that the Democratic Party and the Minister of Health Cornelius de Weever who is a Minister appointed by the DP Fraction had absolutely no influence in the selection process. A source close to the SZV board said the Minister of Health and his legal advisors met with the Supervisory Board last week and they raised some legitimate issues regarding the appointment of Willemsburg. The source said that while the Minister of Health expressed his concerns on the person that was selected, no definite decision has been taken on the appointment. It should also be noted that while the Supervisory Board would send an advice to the Minister on a candidate they feel should be appointed, the Minister of Health is the one that has the final say in the appointment of persons to senior positions.

Philipsburg:--- The four members of the Supervisory Board of the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) has sent a letter to the Minister of Health Cornelius de Weever informing him that they will not resign from their positions since they see no reason to do so. The Minister of Health Cornelius de Weever sent a letter to the SMMC board and announced publicly in Parliament that he asked the four board members to make their positions available. It should be noted that two of the Supervisory Board members of SMMC are not residing on St. Maarten. One of the board members live on Curacao while another one is living in St. Eustatius.

The Supervisory Board of SMMC is tasked with the appointment of a Director of SMMC which is without a Director since Dr. George Scot vacated the position. SMN News further learned that the Supervisory Board already indicated to the Minister of Health that they are not able to find a suitable person to appoint as Managing Director of the only Medical Institution on St. Maarten.

SMN News learnt that there are three persons functioning as interim director of SMMC but two of them are currently off island.

PHILIPSBURG:--- In a fruitful meeting on Friday, February 8th, a Social Economic Council (SER) delegation discussed a number of key policy issues with the Minister of Finance Mr. R. S. Tuitt and several staff members. In line with the intention of the SER to anticipate advice requests from government at the earliest possible opportunity, the Minister of Finance informed the SER about future plans on a number of important upcoming topics. By announcing new policy initiatives to the SER at an early stage, the Minister gives the social partners represented in the SER the opportunity to advise government in a timely fashion. This speeds up the policy making and legislative process, as requesting SER advice is mandatory for government on all important social economic matters.

Primary issues on the agenda of the meeting were tax reform and the handling of the cost of living adjustment (COLA) on the civil servants' salaries. As a result of the meeting, the SER will receive different specific advice requests on these issues, permitting the council to table these topics at the earliest opportunity. In this way, the shared view of the business community, the labor unions and the independent experts represented in the SER can be taken into account by government before finalizing their regulatory and legislative proposals.

The SER is anticipating similar meeting requests from other ministries pertaining to policy intentions with a high social economic impact.

In the meeting, the Minister of Finance was accompanied by policy advisor Xavier Blackman as well as Fiscal affairs officials Mercedez James and Janio Chayadi. The SER was represented by Chairman René Richardson, Secretary-general Gerard Richardson and senior policy advisor Arjen Alberts.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Summit Resort Hotel in Cupecoy, St. Maarten who is celebrating forty years in operation this year, has returned to the Dollar-A-Day (DAD) program and says its guests have always been very happy with the work that has been done on the island through the program.
Summit Resort had underwent some changes about four years ago and during that time the DAD program was not being run at the resort. However, recognizing the significant benefit to the island and the hotel staff, management was happy to restart the program.
The DAD program officially launched by the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA) over ten years ago, gives visitors to the island an opportunity to contribute to the Social Development and Hospitality Education on the island.
General Manager for the newly refurbished 26 guest room Resort Hotel Edna "Pat" Evans said "We are really looking forward to participating in the Dollar-A-Day program once again. We are especially pleased with the type of training it provides for our staff."
She said that with much of the upgrade of the facility already done, the focus now is on ensuring that the staff has the proper training they need to enable them to provide excellent customer service to the guests. She said, "Training the staff is something that we see as not only good for the hotel, but for the island in general because the increase in the service level on the island will secure it as being truly the "Friendly Island" and we want to keep it that way."
The staff was also given some basic training on how to promote the DAD program to the guests and they were also given a set of marketing tools to assist them. Through the hotel's participation in the DAD Program the staff can benefit from discounted training and certification programs following the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) professional certification curriculum. The SHTA provides on the job training for Front Desk Customer Care, Housekeeping, Security, Maintenance and Food & Beverage staff of their member hotels. Training is also available for Supervisors and Managers. The DAD motto is "give one Dollar-A-Day and make St. Maarten Smile!"

PHILIPSBURG:--- Members of the Board of the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA) met on Wednesday February 6th with Justice Minister for St. Maarten Roland Duncan to discuss amongst others the Tourism Statistical data Information System (TSIS), Crime, the proposed Justice Park and updates on Brooks Tower program.
The Meeting was requested by the SHTA as a means of getting firsthand information on critical issues affecting St. Maarten and was used as an opportunity to put forward concerns of its members. These concerns include the spate of violent criminal activity in 2012, poor lighting in Philipsburg and the still not ready camera surveillance system for the Island.
The SHTA also questioned the process to get the TSIS System up and running, explaining to the Justice Minister how critical that data that would be collected is for the future of St. Maarten's Tourism Product. The data according to SHTA will shed light on the areas where Tourism Destination Marketing efforts should be more heavily concentrated.
The SHTA also expressed its concern about the practicality of a Justice Park at this juncture especially considering its price tag in an economically dull market. Notwithstanding the need for better detention facilities and for the separation of first time offenders and juveniles from hardened criminals, the SHTA wondered whether such a large investment was the most practical solution.
Minister Duncan said because he had not yet presented the findings of the 2012 crime report to Parliament and the Council of Ministers he could not disclose the findings but expressed satisfaction that there were signs of improvement in crime detection and prevention. He said that the lighting issue in Philipsburg had the Justice Ministry's attention and that the Chief Police Commissioner had formed a committee to report on the lighting on the entire Dutch side of the island. He said with regards to the cameras, he not only wanted to put cameras in Philipsburg but throughout Dutch St. Maarten, which would include cameras at every border point and known hot spots for criminal activities.
Minister Duncan also explained that with the TSIS system there were still some technical issues to be resolved, and that while the original idea showed passengers scanning the ED Cards, he felt it would be a far less complicated process if the Immigration Officers maintains the responsibility to ensure information was accurately entered into the system. He also expressed hope that he would be able to also install a finger print scanner at the airport for arriving passengers.
Regarding Brooks Towers Duncan said that there were no new applicants following the end of Phase One and some issues were being worked out with the Labor Department to ensure that the issuing of Residence Permits was in sync with the issuance of Work Permits.
Regarding the Justice Park Minister Duncan said the real question should be if not now "When?" He said there were several areas where Government had to by law already be in compliance with regards to detention of persons. In order for Government to do what is constitutionally required, Duncan said investments would have to be made. The existing house of detention in Pointe Blanche, already thirty years old, was according to him crumbling and already not large enough to house the prisoners resulting in them being spread to as far as the Simpson Bay Sub Station. He also noted that Juveniles and First Time Offenders were not presently being separated from hardened criminals and that the combination of the various departments of the Ministry Of Justice already resulted in over six different properties being rented. He also pointed out that he made sure he came up with proposals of how it would be paid for over time.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs took part over the weekend in the Day Care Bike-a-thon and Family Day at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex on Saturday.

This activity was the last of the Rights of the Child Commemoration program which started in the month of November 2012.

The Bike-a-thon commenced at the Grand Marche Supermarket on Bush Road at 9:00 am and ended at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex with a Family fun day.

Management of various day care centers participated with their students who were also accompanied by their parents. The children dressed in a school uniform could be seen on their bikes beautifully decorated for the occasion.

Some parents were also on their bikes as the Soualiga Youth Drum Band marched their way in the parade. Minister Silveria Jacobs was at the front of the parade leading by example.

Philipsburg:--- The Executive Board of the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA) met with the new Dutch Representative to St. Maarten Drs. Gert Versluis, who will replace Marsie Jonkers. Jonkers who has had an excellent relationship with the SHTA, the largest private sector representative organization on St. Maarten, introduced Versluis to the SHTA's Executive Board on Tuesday February 5th, during a brief meeting at the SHTA office on the Walter Nisbeth Road in Philipsburg. Jonkers will take up a position in Curacao.

Philipsburg:--- The President of the Windward Island Civil Servant Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) Deri Leonard and the NABP are concerned about several issues affecting the police. Even though the two unions met on Saturday and agreed that they would send out a joint press release expressing the concerns of KPSM, the NAPB President went ahead of WICSU/PSU and gave an interview to one of the newspapers on Sunday.

A press release issued by the W.I.C.S.U/PSU and NAPB states that the unions sent a letter to the Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams, the Members of Parliament, Minister of Justice Roland Duncan, and the Chief of Police Peter de Witte. According to the press release, the letter was sent to Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte on July 25th, 2012 outlining some of the issues affecting KPSM.

According to the unions, KPSM lacks police vehicles. They said there is a large fleet of police vehicles that are not in proper condition or safe for police officers to drive anymore. WICSU/PSU claims that the vehicles were purchased in the year 2004 and most of them have mileage of more than 190,000 kilometers. The police unions feel that the condition of the police vehicles is a very serious matter because they believe that the safety and lives of dedicated police officers are in jeopardy. They said they are not limiting neither excluding the safety and security of the citizens of St. Maarten.

Leonard in her press release said just recently the police ordered ten vehicles, of that amount only four arrived. The union thanked the Minister of Justice for the four vehicles he provided the police with but they want the Minister of Justice to know that in order for them to have an up to par surveillance unit, the police would need at least 50 more new vehicles. They said the police have to provide service over the hill and above the hills, while there are other departments within the police force that need more vehicles.

Another concern the union raised in their letter to the Chief Commissioner of Police was the quality and quantity of the Police Uniforms.

Additional issues that are affecting the police the unions said is the 16.3% indemnity that is given to police officers. According to WICSU/PSU, when the police were part of the former Netherlands Antilles the indemnities for civil servants were incorporated in the salaries of civil servants and the only workers that did not get their indemnity were the police and immigration. The WICSU said it is important that the 16.3% indemnity be incorporated in their salaries because it is an important aspect that will looked at when their pensions are calculated. The WICSU/PSU also addressed the statements made by the Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt last week when he was asked about the COLA payments (Cost of Living Adjustments.)

According to the WICSU/PSU, the Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams in a meeting with the GOA indicated that the government of St. Maarten could not continue paying the COLA because of the financial burden that it places on government. WICSU/PSU said at that time it was decided that a proposal regarding the COLA be sent to the GOA for further discussion but to date the Prime Minister and those responsible for putting that proposal together has not done so. Therefore, the WICSU/PSU and the NAPB believes that the COLA must be paid in its present structure because in their opinion the civil servants deserve the extra monies. They also feel that the government of St. Maarten has no respect for the GOA which is a very important body within government.

The union is calling on the elected officials on St. Maarten to act promptly on the issues affecting the police because they believe that is the only way the people of St. Maarten would receive quality services.

In an invited comment, Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte said that he did receive the letter the unions sent him almost a year ago. De Witte said that when St. Maarten became a country on October 10th, 2010 the materials including computers and vehicles were in a deplorable condition. The top cop said that there were vehicles that had over 200,000 kilometers and the police had no choice but to use the vehicles they had, some of which were more than ten years old. De Witte further explained that the management team of KPSM sent the Minister of Justice Roland Duncan an overall plan on the state of affairs of KPSM. De Witte further explained that even though the plan was sent to the Minister of Justice Roland Duncan in writing, they also discussed the matter and they advised the Minister to provide KPSM with the tools they need progressively. He said in 2011 the Minster approved the plan they gave to him but nothing happened because there were no monies to buy the materials including vehicles for KPSM. De Witte said sometime after the Minister of Justice found a solution and he approved the purchase of ten vehicles via letter of guarantee. So far the police received four vehicles while the other six are on the way. As for the uniforms for KPSM, De Witte said he received orders from the Minister of Justice to order the uniforms from the Pointe Blanche prison which he did. He said KPSM received some uniforms from the prison but suddenly that too stopped. De Witte could not say why the Pointe Blanche Prison stopped providing the uniforms but recently he received permission from the Minister of Justice to find a suitable company (outside source) that could supply the police with the uniforms they need.

SMN News learnt that the Minister of Justice invited the unions to a meeting and to date they have not met. According to information provided to SMN News, the legal advisor of the Minister of Justice tried to meet with the unions to discuss their grievances but the unions refused to meet with the person claiming that is not the person that is supposed to deal with their concerns and needs.

It should also be noted that while the police unions have raised some valuable points regarding the needs of the police or KPSM, the Ministry of Justice just lost six million guilders in their 2013 budget due to additional budget cuts in order for the CFT to approve the 2013 budget. It is also clear that the Minister of Justice Roland Duncan is under the radar from all angles since he has been making the news in St. Maarten, Curacao, and the Netherlands. Some Parliamentarians on St. Maarten questioned the Minister about the 100 Million dollar Justice Park he is working on while others are questioning the Minister about the BOX and other issues that are affecting the Justice Ministry.

While the issues facing KPSM and its faithful workers are valid and should be taken serious, we at SMN News chose to use a little bit of humor to take the stress off our men in blue by reminding them that policing can be done with or without modern day tools. The photographs above show the police in Saba used to patrol their streets on horses. The officers in those days also solved major crimes back then and it seems very likely that the people including the police of St. Maarten would have no choice but going back to basics in order for them to keep crime under control if the Dutch continues to make it difficult for St. Maarten to run its own affairs.

President Ger-Dwina Browne assisted by Secretary Rainer Ranis, Treasurer Ikmareka Hunt, and Community Director Catherine de Windt organized a recruitment drive on Friday last at Carl & Sons.
Students of MPC who where identified as having leadership potential were invited and provided with a PowerPoint presentation in which information was shared of what Interact is all about and the Community Service, fundraising activities and fellowship that the Milton Peters College Interact club has been involved in over the past 3 years.
Interact is Rotary International's service club for young people ages 12 to 18. Interact clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary clubs, which provide support and guidance, but they are self-governing and self-supporting. The MPC, St. Maarten Academy, and Learning Unlimited Interact Clubs are sponsored by The Rotary Club of St. Maarten, while the St. Dominic High School Club is sponsored by St. Maarten Mid Isle Rotary Club. Club membership varies greatly. Clubs can be single gender or mixed, large or small. They can draw from the student body of a single school or from two or more schools in the same community.
Each year, Interact clubs complete at least two community service projects, one of which furthers international understanding and goodwill. Through these efforts, Interactors develop a network of friendships with local and overseas clubs and learn the importance of , leadership skills and personal integrity, being helpful and respectful to others taking on individual responsibility as well as hard work and understanding that all this and goodwill goes beyond the local geographical boarders.

As one of the most significant and fastest-growing programs of Rotary service, with more than 10,700 clubs in 109 countries and geographical areas, Interact has become a worldwide phenomenon. Almost 200,000 young people are involved in Interact.The recruitment drive resulted in 23 students of the Milton Peters College signing up to be Interactors. The official ceremony will be organized shortly. Anyone interested in joining an Interact Club should contact any member of the Rotary Family for more information.

PHILIPSBURG:--- In an effort to connect and interact with cruise travelers, the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau (www.VacationStMaarten.com) will guest host a live one-hour #CruiseChat with MSC Cruises on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 2 pm ET. Participants will gain valuable information about cruising to St. Maarten and the Eastern Caribbean and will have the unique opportunity to get their travel related questions answered the program's co-hosts.

"With thousands of tourists visiting St. Maarten each year while cruising the Caribbean, we understand how essential cruise travelers are to our island," said Edward Dest, interim director of tourism for the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau. "We believe this live Twitter chat with #CruiseChat will help us gain valuable insight into what cruise travelers really want to do and see while in St. Maarten and will aide us in better catering to their needs," he added.

Participants can join the live Twitter chat by searching the topic #CruiseChat and including the hash tag #CruiseChat in all tweets. During the chat, the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau and MSC Cruises will jointly tweet questions and answers to the public about cruising in the Caribbean.

CruiseChat is a weekly Twitter event dedicated to the discussion of cruise travel in a fun, informative and engaging format, and is the only Twitter chat dedicated to the cruise industry. Each chat reaches up to 900,000 Twitter users during the one hour live sessions.

Follow the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau on Twitter at @StMaartenTravel.

For more information on St. Maarten visit the official site of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau at www.VacationStMaarten.com.

GRAND CASE:--- The current issue of the journal of the International Reptile Conservation Foundation (IRCF) features an in-depth look at the reptiles and amphibians that have been introduced to St. Martin. Written by Mark Yokoyama, author of The Incomplete Guide to the Wildlife of St. Martin, it is available to view or download for free at the IRCF web site: http://www.ircf.org/journal/volume-19-no-4-december-3/

Today, St. Martin is home to eleven species of reptile and amphibian brought to the island by human activity. This is an unusually high number for an island this size. Three native species are thought to be extirpated on the island, leaving more introduced species than native ones.

The article discusses each introduced species and their potential impact on the native wildlife of the island. St. Martin has at least two native reptiles found nowhere else on earth, so the impact of introduced species is of significant interest. It also takes a look at how economic, social and political ties to other islands and the United States may influence which species have become established on St. Martin.

Although it is a scientific publication, anyone interested in this subject should find it interesting. Photos of each of the introduced species are included in the article.

About Mark Yokoyama

Nature photographer Mark Yokoyama is an avid entomologist and former president of the Oregon Entomological Society. His interest in zoology was re-awakened when he co-founded the world's first extreme shallow snorkeling team, Les Fruits de Mer, in 2008. He holds a degree from Harvard University, and currently resides on the island, where he has explored a significant portion of the land and surrounding waters. He is the author of The Incomplete Guide to the Wildlife of St. Martin, a wildlife guide to St. Martin. For more information, visit http://www.sxmwildlife.com or http://www.facebook.com/WildlifeGuideSXM

Philipsburg:--- The man police detained some ten days ago as a suspect in the involvement of the disappearance of Pineapple Pete's employee Anne Marie Lynch was released by the Judge of Instruction. Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos said in an invited comment that the suspect who was held some ten days ago was taken before the judge of instruction on Friday and the judge ordered that the suspect be released at the end of his first pre-trial detention which ended on Monday. Mos said that even though the suspect was led before the judge on Friday he was released on Monday. The island's Chief Prosecutor said that the judge denied the request of the Prosecutor to extend the pretrial detention for another eight days.
Anne Marie Lynch (41) is a Jamaican national who was residing on St. Maarten and an employee of Pineapple Pete's Restaurant. She was last seen on December 22nd, 2012 when she left work to go home with her boyfriend. According to the missing woman's friends and co-workers, Anne Marie Lynch confided in them the night she went missing that she was having trouble with her boyfriend because the man saw her with some monies and wanted to know where she got the monies from. The friends told SMN News that Anne Marie was someone who saved her monies and she also participated in "partner hands" and they believe that she collected the last and first hand of the well-known money saving game in December.

It is not clear how the investigation of the missing woman will move forward. In January 2013, the police with the help of the police dogs, and the coast guard conducted several searches for the missing woman. Friends of Anne Marie Lynch also combed the beaches and the only thing they found was a black stretch jeans pants that they turned over to police.

CAYHILL:--- The community of Cay Hill, enjoyed a most welcomed surprise Saturday afternoon. Young men from the district took to the streets on foot, knocked on every door in Cay Hill in an effort to personally invite everyone in the community to a meeting the following Saturday called "What Cay Hill Needs".

A few weeks before, members of the Soualiga Social Movement (SSM) foundation were approached by a group of young men from the Cay Hill area who wanted to see community work done in their neighborhood as they have seen done in other districts on the island. They asked SSM if they could assist them in organizing some sort of community project for the residents of Cay Hill.

SSM then held a meeting with the group of young men to discuss plans to do a project that can benefit the entire community. The young men brought up several serious issues they would like to see solutions to such as unemployment, fixing the basketball court, sewage water and the general cleaning up of the community. There, it was decided that all the residents of Cay Hill should be allowed to participate in assessing what needs to be done in Cay Hill and how to solve any issues. Subsequently, SSM contacted several organizations for assistance.

So on Saturday afternoon (February 9th), the Soualiga Social Movement along with the 'Cay Hill Boys' convened at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex. They were joined and supported by the a representative of the Dutch Quarter Community Council, Community Police of Cay Hill (Officer Henson) assisted by the CPO of Dutch Quarter (Officer Statie) and members of the Community Development, Family & Humanitarian Affairs Department. After some encouraging words by the CPO, a former resident of Cay Hill Mr. W. Dekker gave some motivational words about employment to the boys and also encouraged them to volunteer for the Heineken Regatta.

At about 4pm, the flyers were handed out and the group split up on foot, motorbike and bicycles and went door-to-door inviting the community to the meeting on Saturday February 16th at 7pm, to be held at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex. The Community assisted in inviting residents and passing messages from one part of the group to the other.

President of the Soualiga Social Movement foundation Alston Lourens said "It was great to see the boys come out and have pride in their neighborhood. Some mentioned they had never been to some parts of Cay Hill before that day and many residents said a meeting like this was long overdue".

The Soualiga Social Movement is a non-political foundation that aims at encouraging awareness, participation and inclusion of all the people of St. Maarten, in the sustainable development of this nation. All residents of Cay Hill are invited to the community meeting, to be held at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex at 7pm, next Saturday February 16th, 2013.

Click here to view more photos of Cay Hill Boys inviting community to "WHAT CAY HILL NEEDS" meeting.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday, February 15, 2013, Soualigan Fyah, a poetry/spoken word contest for high school students between the ages of 13 and 18 will be launched at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library.
The competition, which is being organized by 5 square miles productions and Imbali Center for Creative Movement in collaboration with the Philipsburg Jubilee Library, will run every Friday for 5 weeks from 5-7pm.
According to Lysanne Charles, 5 square miles productions founder, the event aims to be a vehicle through which young people can explore their interest in poetry and also have a platform from which to voice their opinions.
"Soualigan Fyah is an idea that I have been walking around with and talking about for some time. After having organized Summer Speaks and Winter's Words for a few years, I knew I wanted to do something similar for teenagers, so Soualigan Fyah grew out of that desire," Charles said.
Charles explained that this year's event was going to be the competition's soft launch in order to gauge the interest amongst the young people for both poetry and such an event.
"We know that there are some creative young writers out in the community and we want to provide them with the space to engage with their talent on a different level. So we are going to give this an initial run and see how it is received amongst the youngsters," Charles said.
Charles said that on the first Friday, which is February 15, all of those who are interested should come to the Philipsburg Jubilee Library at 5pm. The first 30 teenagers who register are the ones who will compete on the following three Fridays in groups of 10. The best 3 will go through each week and will meet in the final of the competition scheduled for Friday, March 15. Charles explained that a wildcard spot would also be granted to one of the eliminated teenagers. The teenagers will be judged by a different set of veteran poets each week and will also get to experience the work of an older poet at each event.
"The maximum number of participants catered for is 30, but whether 30 teens show up or 10, the competition will run this year. I'm really excited about it and those I have spoken to are also enthused about the competition and about this new opportunity for teenagers to engage with this particular art form," Charles said.
She said that while it was not being run as a high school competition this year she is still encouraging interested teenagers to go to their English teachers and Creative Arts teachers for support and to also bring along their friends and family members on the days they were competing as a support network.
"It is tough taking that step to the podium at times and because of that we are asking all of those interested in poetry and spoken word come out and support these young people once the competition starts on Friday, February 22. It is important that we create an appreciative environment for them to do this. The first Friday is really for the poets, they will be given packages with the rules of the competition and the rubric that they will be judged on. They will also get to meet with some of the older poets from Summer Speaks and Winter's Words and will get to see one of them perform. So launch day is going to be fun," Charles said.
Charles said that the eventual winner of the competition will perform at the upcoming Summer Speaks 2013 and would also travel to Tortola in October to perform at Microphone Messenjah, an annual poetry event held there.
"This is really all about the opportunity for self-expression, giving voice to their own thoughts. Of course there can be no lewdness and no profanity, but for the rest I'm really interested in hearing what the youth have to say and write about and I know the other poets are also. So I encourage the teenagers, both Dutch and French side based, who are interested in poetry, to come out and take advantage of this opportunity," Charles said.
For more information interested teens can contact Charles at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Acting Head of the Department of Inspections Martha Thewet says her department will be stepping up controls and enforcement after the swearing in of a number of civil servants with the status of extra-ordinary police.

The Department of Inspections recently swore in 18 staff members and Economic Affairs two, who have received the status of extra ordinary police.

The aforementioned police status allows the civil servants to enforce various ordinances and issue fines to those who are breaking the law.

Thewet says that this additional tool which has been pending will allow the department to carry out more controls and increase enforcement.

Controls will be intensified in the economic area as well as public transportation. New policies and changes to the public transportation ordinance will be implemented within short.

Three taxi dispatchers are also now extra ordinary police and they will be able to issue fines. One school bus controller has also received the same status.

Thewet added that the Ministry of Justice has been helpful in assisting the department in a number of areas which will allow the department to fulfill its obligations under the law.

Additional staff from the Inspections department is currently enrolled in the Police Academy and will within short have the same status as their colleagues.

One of the projects is a noise pollution campaign. This campaign was launched two-years ago and will be re-launched in the coming months.

The department has received a number of complaints from the community about loud music in different districts where Bars and Snack bars are located, and the department will be controlling these establishments to make sure that they adhere to current ordinances that regulate sound in accordance with the licenses issued to these types of establishments.

After civil servants were sworn in, they were treated to lunch at Sheer Restaurant.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The School Bus Section Inspection hereby informs the public that three designated school bus holding areas exist in Philipsburg, and motorists are not allowed to park in those areas.

The three designated holding areas in Philipsburg are Cannegieter Street, across from the GEBE Customer Service Building; Cannegieter Street in front of the Sister Borgia Primary School; and Sundial School, across from the Social Health and Insurance SZV Building.

The designated areas allows for the safe loading and unloading of school children and at the same time it allows for the free flow of traffic.

Motorists are hereby advised to cooperate by not parking in those areas, or suffer the consequences of being fined and your vehicle being towed away.

The Inspection Department is also asking school bus drivers to take note of the following, that they should follow their routes accordingly and avoid using private roads and detours.

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

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs, Transportation & Telecommunication (MinTEATT) Hon. Romeo Pantophlet, is currently in Colombia attending the sixth year of Routes Americas Aviation Conference, billed to facilitate meetings between senior airport executives and airline route decision-makers, along with tourism authorities from the Americas and the Caribbean.

Routes Americas is similar to the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), cruise line itineraries are also presented along with insights into the cruise sector.

The event is expected to attract more than 60 airlines. All four United States network carriers; US Airways, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and the world's largest airline, United Airlines will be present in Colombia, along with major low-cost carriers in the US, including JetBlue, Southwest, and Spirit.

Other airlines that will be at the conference are, Gol, Volaris, COPA Airlines, Aeromexico, Colombia's home carrier, Avianca-TACA and most recently Vivaaerobus.

Canada is expected to be represented by Air Canada, and leading low cost carrier WestJet.

Minister Pantophlet will be looking at additional airlift opportunities for the destination and is looking forward to getting the latest insights from high-profile aviation experts such as the Chief Executive Officers of the various airlines to be present at Routes Americas.

The aviation conference takes place at the Hilton Cartagena from 10 to 12 February.

Marigot:--- The Gendarmes and undertakers on the French side were called early Sunday morning to remove a decomposed body that was found on the beach side of La Belle Creole in Low Lands area. Captain of the Gendarmerie Sylvain Jouault confirmed to SMN News while he was on the scene where the body was found that the corpse they found is that of a male person. Jouault said that the body is severely decomposed and for the moment the Gendarmes could not say if the person was a Caucasian or local. The Captain of the Gendarmerie said that an autopsy has to be conducted to determine who the victim is and the cause of death.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports (ECYS) Hon. Silveria Jacobs met on Monday with representatives of "Love of Kids Foundation" to discuss how the foundation and the Ministry can collaborate on the learning challenges and special needs of children on St. Maarten.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports this week met with Director of the Philipsburg Jubiliee Library, Monique Alberts.

The minister and the director discussed several topics in regards to the Library outreach services for schools, training opportunities in librarianship on St. Maarten and future plans of the Library.

During the meeting Alberts presented the Minister with a proposal for a National Library and Heritage Centre which would see several institutions at this location to serve the growing need of our residents as well as our visitors.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs met with the board of the Methodist Agogic Centre (MAC) in regards to the plans for a new Secondary Education Institute.

The board of the Methodist Agogic Centre presented the Minister with their plans to start the MAC Comprehensive Education Academy, a secondary Institute on Thursday February 7th 2013.

Over the years the MAC school board has worked on their plans to embark on secondary education. Considering the successes achieved so far, supported by formative evaluation and the increasing demand by parents, the MAC could no longer delay their plans for Secondary Education.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Committee of Parliament for Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (TEATT) will be meeting on February 19.

The agenda point for the meeting is the state of affairs at the Princess Juliana International Airport.

The permanent committee meeting will meet on Tuesday, February 19 at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The meeting was requested by Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Frans Richardson who is also Chairman of this permanent parliamentary committee.

The other members of the committee are MP Hon. Dr. Lloyd Richardson, MP Hon. Petrus De Weever, MP Hon. Patrick Illidge, MP Hon. Romain Laville, and MP Hon. Jules James.

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):--- The first ever United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Caribbean Youth Forum on Intangible Cultural Heritage held in St. Georges Greneda on November 20th through 24th 2012 , was attended by the St. Maarten representative Melanie Choisy.

On Wednesday February 6th 2013 Choisy presented her action plan to the Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports the Hon. Silveria Jacobs. On hand for the presentation were Marcellia Henry - SG UNESCO St. Maarten and culture department representative Arlena Sprott. The action plan focused on the various ways the intangible cultural heritage of St. Maarten can be promoted and preserved and the necessity of these actions.

Melanie Choisy is a 22-year-old recent graduate of the University of Miami where she received double Bachelor of Arts degrees in Latin American & Caribbean Studies and International Development with a minor in Spanish. Majoring in these subjects has allowed Melanie to be very knowledgeable of numerous cultures, languages, and institutions, especially those particular to the Latin American and Caribbean region.

During her last two years in Miami, she interned for Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator, a local Miami 501(c)(3) organization that offers support and exhibition opportunities for Emerging Artists of the Latin American and Caribbean Diaspora.

Minister Jacobs expressed her delight in knowing that Melanie has returned to the island after her studies and is so invested in 'spreading the word' among her peers and encouraging youth involvement in St. Maarten's Cultural Heritage. Her return to the island can be seen as a great asset in promoting and preserving the islands cultural heritage.

In addition much of the topics she touched on in her presentation are in line with the Ministries' ideas to set a 10-year cultural program ""2013-2023, The Decade of Revitalizing our Natural and Cultural Heritage" in motion.

The Ministry is currently in process of gathering the relevant stakeholders, most who have already been invested in upholding, promoting and preserving the cultural heritage, to set the 10-year program. Minister Jacobs encouraged Choisy to continue the very important work that she has been doing.

Marigot:--- The special team of Gendarmes that was brought in from France to investigate the Authorisation d' Occupation Temporaire (AOT) that was issued by the RRR Government to Norbert Luftman owner of SINDEXTOUR has charged third Vice President in charge of Urbanism Guillaume Arnell with fraud, obtaining false documentation, and working together with a head civil servant to collect monies that are not owed to him (Escroquerie et Obtention Frauduleuse de document Administratif Constatant un droit, une identite ou une qualitie, ou accordant une authorization, Concussion par charge de mission de service public, perception indue de droit, impot ou taxe). Also charged is the former head of Urbanism Jose Carti. Carti was charged with fraud and obtaining a false document (Escroquerie and Obtention Frauduleuse de document Administratif Constatant un droit, une identite ou une qualitie, ou accordant une authorization). The Gendarmes also charged Norbert Luftman the owner of SINDEXTOUR with fraud and obtaining false documents (Escroquerie and Obtention Frauduleuse de document Administratif Constatant un droit, une identite ou une qualitie, ou accordant une authorization). The convocation with the charges is linked below this article.

Arnell, Carti, and Luftman have to appear in court on March 21st, 2013 at the Criminal Courts in Marigot. The Gendarmes confiscated the passport of Norbert Luftman and placed him on a bond of Euros 300,000.00 as a guarantee that Luftman cannot leave the territory. Luftman was also ordered to stay away from both victims Cohen and Just and he is not allowed to enter either of his victims' businesses that are located on Orient Bay.

The investigation started some months ago when the owner of Bikini Beach Elisa Cohen and the owner of Kontiki Beach Phillipe Just filed a complaint against the Collectivity of St. Martin for denying them an AOT even though they submitted their request way before Norbert Luftman. Cohen told SMN News on Friday that the Gendarmes held the third Vice President Guillaume Arnell at least three times, twice Arnell was placed in garde à vue and now he is under judicial control, she said Carti and Luftman were also placed in garde à vue when the investigation was going on while the President of the Collectivity of St. Martin Alain Richardson was heard as a witness in the case because he has a moral responsibility, the gendarmes believe that he probably suffered prejudice at the hands of his employees and those in his cabinet. It should be noted that the DGS of the Collectivity of St. Martin Pascal Avern was also held and several other Collectivity workers were heard many of whom it is understood were placed in garde à vue. Among those heard is former Vice President Pierre Alliotti.

Cohen said both her and Just filed a claim for damages they suffered from September 19th, 2012 to present. Cohen said the Prosecutor handling the case will be presenting their civil case at the same time when he is presenting the criminal case on March 21st, 2013. Cohen said she estimated her loss at about Euros 200,000.00 while she will be claiming damages for undue stress, for her employees and herself.

When asked if Norbert Luftman won the case that he filed in the court of commerce in order to evacuate them from AW33 on Orient Bay, Cohen said that the court was supposed to deliver its verdict since February 5th, 2013 but to date her and her lawyer have not received a written verdict from the court. Cohen said if the verdict is not their favor they will appeal the decision because that is within their rights. She further explained that the criminal case that will be heard on March 21st, 2013 shows that the AOT given to Luftman was not done in accordance with the law.

Click here to view the three convocations and the charges.

Philipsburg:--- The woman who received at least four stab wounds on Friday February 8th between 8:00pm and 9:00pm has been identified as a lady from Dominica who is visiting the island for shopping. Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson said the woman was attacked by an unknown masked man, dressed in dark clothing with a large knife. The incident took place in the parking lot opposite SZV in the vicinity of Nen's Place. During the attack, the victim was stabbed several times in both shoulders and also suffered deep cut on her lower right arm from which she was bleeding profusely. The suspect succeeded in taking the victim's shoulder bag with all her personal belongings and the keys to her white Hyundai rental car with license-plate 6777 AAA.

Henson said after the culprit committed the act the suspect jumped into the car and took-off in the direction of Cole Bay. Immediately all police patrols on the street were informed of what had taken place and told to look out for the stolen car. The victim was treated on the scene by paramedics and then transported to the Sint Maarten Medical Center for further treatment. Shortly after, a police bike patrol that was in the Cole Bay/Simpson Bay area saw the vehicle in question driving in the direction of Simpson Bay. The patrol informed the Central Dispatch and requested back-up. The patrol saw the car parked in front of Scotia Bank. The suspect saw the patrol approaching the vehicle at which time he reversed the car at high speed almost knocking the officers off their bike and took off in the direction of Cole Bay. Several patrols went into that direction and in the vicinity of Daily Extra a patrol again tried to stop the vehicle at which time several shots were fired by police. The suspect did not stop and continued at very high speed on the Welfare road in the direction of the Kruythoff round-a-bout. At the round-a-bout the suspect collided head-on with another vehicle coming from the opposite direction. The suspect jumped out of the car and took off on foot in the dark. The Police K-9 was called in and the entire area was searched, however, the suspect was not located. The Special Robbery Unit and the Forensic Department are investigating this case.

Philipsburg:--- Minister of Justice Roland Duncan is currently investigating who authorizes the police and other persons to monitor his movements and to see where and who he is sleeping with. Minister Duncan in an invited comment to SMN News on Friday said he is aware that local people (including police officers) are being used to monitor his movements illegally. He said in order for him to be monitored or followed a judge has to authorize such but based on what he knows thus far no such authorization was granted. The Justice Minister said he is busy investigating the illegal monitoring and in due time he will take the necessary actions that he has to take.

In response to the news that broke in Curacao that a newspaper on St. Maarten picked up and published on Friday regarding the statements made by Dutch Member of Parliament Andre Bosman, Minister Duncan said that Bosman should step away from the immunity he gets when speaking on the floor of Parliament and file a complaint against him with Attorney General of Curacao, St. Maarten, and the BES Dick Piar who is currently in the Netherlands. "I want Bosman to step away from the immunity he has on the floor of Parliament and provide the evidence he has against me and my affiliation with prostitutes and file a complaint against me with the Attorney General. Let them investigate me and if I am found guilty then I will pay for it but if I am found not guilty I will take the necessary actions against Bosman and those that suggested that I am affiliated with prostitutes and brothels. If I have to leave as a Minister I want everyone to know that I can live otherwise. I have other investments and I am a lawyer by profession." Minister Duncan further explained that the two newspapers on St. Maarten that has a lot to publish about him have never contacted him. "The only people that call me for a response on St. Maarten are SMN News and PJD2. The newspaper reporters don't call they write what they hear me saying to other reporters on the radio."

Minister Duncan said the sad thing that is happening on St. Maarten is that some St. Maarteners tend to agree with the Dutch and they will not stand up against the injustice that the new country faces. The Dutch have decided to cut St. Maarten off from the BMS/LCT systems illegally, six million guilders were taken from the Justice Ministry to please the Dutch so that they could approve the 2013 budget and despite all of that St. Maarten is still standing and getting ahead. "The Dutch thinks that they could bring St. Maarten to its knees but so far I am a big boy and I am taking care of my country's business despite what the Dutch is doing to St. Maarten and its people. I want to make clear that I am not looking for anyone's sympathy because I am not one of the step fetching slaves. I will do what needs to be done because right now I am under siege. I want the people and politicians of St. Maarten to know that today it's me (Duncan) tomorrow it is going to another one of us and I want to know how long our people is going to continue and sit back and allow the Dutch to dictate for the new country. This is the time for the people of St. Maarten to act. This whole nonsense about me owning a house of prostitution started with the "Dutch Stooge" who has been writing all sorts of unfounded articles about me."

On another note the Minister of Justice said he intends to take appropriate actions against the Prosecutor's Office for the mess they created with the King Murder investigation. "I don't intend to act in haste against anyone but I will take the necessary actions against those that jeopardized the investigation."

Marigot:--- The Gendarmes managed to arrest a 19 year old young man who stole a beach bag from a woman at the Grand Case Beach on February 7th, 2013. A press release from the Gendarmerie states that a woman went to the beach to relax and shortly after a young man stole her bag that contained her personal items. The woman after realizing her bag was stolen alerted the gendarmes who were not far away from the location. The gendarmes acted on the tip and description of the suspect and managed to track down the suspect shortly after on the main road. The bag and its contents were recovered and returned to its owner while the culprit was arrested and released. He will be summoned to the Criminal Court of St. Martin sometime in the future.

Early last week MP Drs. Gracita Arrindell met with the representatives of the University of St. Martin (USM). The meeting focused on the subject of among others the teacher's accreditation program and the process leading up to the recognition of the USM. Tertiary education is very important to our Country, especially when we have hundreds of students leaving secondary school, and want to further their studies locally.

This matter has been in discussion for many years. Since the new constitutional status went into effect on October 10th 2010, there is still clarity and support needed in terms of the extent of having or putting in place a legal system or basis for accreditation and how the acknowledgement process of our tertiary educational institutions took place or if necessary must proceed stated, MP Arrindell.

Sint Maarten has a lot of work to do in terms of reviewing or 'catching up' on laws that have been inherited from the former Netherlands Antilles. In order to further understand this issue and inform myself on this matter a meeting was held with USM President Annelies van den Assem and Acting Head of Academics Glen Yeung of USM.
The next step will be to request a meeting of the Education Committee of Parliament and invite USM officials to provide their views regarding this matter to Parliament, thereafter if corrective measures are needed to act. In other words what steps must be taken in order to formalize the recognition of the USM as the Institute for Tertiary Education on Sint Maarten.

Drs. Gracita Arrindell
United People's (UP) Party, Member of Parliament

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Thursday the new Dutch Representative in Philipsburg was introduced to the President of Parliament Hon. Drs. Rodolphe Samuel at the House of Parliament.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Collective Prevention Services (CPS) from the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labour, is advising households and business establishments to take preventive measures against rodents.

Vector and Rodent Assistant Controllers on the authority of the Police Ordinance 1940, Waste Ordinance 1993, and the Ordinance of 1921, with provisions to combat contagious diseases to instruct property, are informing home and business owners to clean-up their surroundings or face fines.

As part of the Minister of Public Health's Hon. Cornelius de Weever's 'Get Checked,' campaign, when yards are un-kept and full of debris it creates a haven for rodents and puts all members of the community at risk. So 'check' your surroundings and keep them clean!

Rodents are a fact of life but we can reduce their numbers by working together in protecting our homes making them rodent proof. The success of this and any program is dependent upon collaboration between government, citizens, and the community at large. Base on the fact rodents can spread infectious diseases it is recommended to keep the rodent population at a minimum and away from your homes. You can help keep rodents away from your home by depriving them of shelter and food by following a few simple guidelines.

Keep your entire premises clean. Seal garbage in tightly covered metal or heavy rubberized containers; don't use containers like bags or boxes. All garbage should be bagged before it is placed in your garbage bins, a sealed container. Drain and wrap food waste before putting it into can. Keep garbage cans at least 18 inches off the ground and keep bin's surroundings clean.

Store food items in rat-proof areas and/or into containers. Don't store food in the garage or outside. Clean up any spilled food immediately. Don't leave out uneaten pet food. Clean dog droppings up daily. Don't put bird seed on the ground; rodents will get it first. If you use a bird feeder, the area under and around it must be kept free of seeds, hulls and should be free of all remaining food scraps, bird seeds etc.

Seal cracks or breaks in your foundation and repair holes in the floor, around pipes, screen doors, windows, vents and other openings into your home to prevent rodents from entering. Outside steps should be made out of concrete/masonry. Keep the space beneath wooden steps clean.

Keep all stored material (storage) at least 18" off the floor. Set furniture and appliances flush with the wall or far enough away so that the space between them and the wall can be easily cleaned. Keep all areas clean; keep the rodent outside, rodent proof your home.

For more information on eliminating rodents, call 542-2078/23003.

Encourages students to submit findings to necessary Government Departments.

The St. Maarten Nature Foundation has been advising and mentoring a number of high school students with various environmentally themed projects lately. Particularly students of the Milton Peters College and the Learning Unlimited Preparatory School have been receiving support on various innovative and conservation oriented projects. "One of our most important tasks is to guide students and offer assistance when it comes to projects and programs centered around the environment, biology and ecosystem management on St. Maarten. We encourage all of the students to not only conduct the necessary research for their grades or for Science Fairs but to also submit their reports and findings to the necessary Departments within Government as solid proposals for the enhancement of the Environment on St. Maarten.," stated a release from the Nature Foundation.

Some of the projects being supported by the Foundation are centered on the Simpson Bay Lagoon, Waste Water, Sea Turtles and Coral Reef Ecosystems. "The only way to really know what is happening with regards to environmental degradation and damage is to research it and to communicate the research to the public and the decision makers. And there is no one better equipped to do this than the students at the local high schools. The Nature Foundation is encouraging all students interested in Environmental Management and Conservation to contact the foundation on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or to send a message on the St. Maarten Nature Foundation Facebook Account," concluded a Nature Foundation statement.

I am wondering what has happened to the depositors of the Christian Kingdom Cooperative (CKC)? CKC went belly up and into bankruptcy.

Approximately US$1.5 million was lost when CKC went bankrupt leaving 2,318 members without their money.

According to newspaper reports back in December and key persons affected by the Credit Union bankruptcy, the Court of First Instance ordered the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (CBCS) on October 30, 2012 to pay a couple of depositors to cover their deposits that they made to CKC.

The newspaper report also said that the court in its ruling found that the Central Bank did not perform its supervisory function well enough.

The UP faction would like to know from the Minister of Finance Mr. Roland Tuitt, a couple of things.

1. What is the status of CBCS and CKC depositors with respect to litigation?
2. Has CBCS paid out monies to depositors?
3. If yes, how much? If no, why not? Wasn't CBCS ordered by the court to pay a Mr. Lourens and a Mr. Whitfield their deposit plus interest?
4. Has CBCS taken additional measures to strengthen any areas of supervision to protect depositors hard earned money placed in all financial institutions including that of cooperatives?
5. If so, what are these measures and when were they implemented?
6. Are there other cooperatives on the island?
7. If so, how many?
8. What are the amounts of deposits?
9. How many financial institutions are there, where depositor's money is not protected?

I will be drafting a letter with respect to the aforementioned in seeking clarity with respect to what transpired. Hard working people should not become the victims.

Jules James
United People's (UP) Party, Member of Parliament
Member of the Committee TEATT

Great Bay:--- Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever stated that "It is extremely important that Mr. Thompson understands the difference between an increase in the minimum wage and the indexation of the minimum wage. Consultations with unions to increase the minimum wage was done years ago when the minimum wage salaries went from Naf. 1100 to Naf. 1380."

The Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor has the authority to index the minimum wage based on article 13, paragraph 1 of the Landsverordening minimumlonen. In accordance with this provision, the minister may, if the statistics provided by the Bureau of Statistics (STAT) indicate that the consumer price index (CPI) figure for August of the current year, compared with the figure for August of the preceding year has changed, establish a new minimum hourly wage.
There is therefore no question of an increase in, but an adjustment to the minimum hourly wage, in this case an increase to the consumer price index (CPI). After all, according to the press release of the Bureau of Statistics (STAT) dated September 14, 2012, the cost of living has increased by 4.7% during the period August 2011 to August 2012. The minimum hourly wage was Naf 7.96, and has been adjusted to Naf. 8.33 as of January 1st, 2013. It is important to note that the last indexation of the minimum hourly wage dates back to September 2008.
"I think that it is important that the minimum hourly wage is indexed annually, that it is adapted to the increased cost of living. By acting accordingly employees who earn the minimum hourly wage retain their purchasing power. So, the cost of living mainly caused by the surge in world oil prices and the related food prices has risen sharply. It is especially the workers with a minimum wage that have experienced the effects of the skyrocketing cost of living in their daily existence, and are experiencing this," said Minister De Weever.

The indexation of the minimum hourly wage is subject to Tripartite consultation, the platform of social dialogue, in which in addition to the Government both the representatives of employers, as well as employees are represented. All parties involved reached a consensus with regard to the indexation of the minimum hourly wage. Topics related to the labor market are always put forward by the minister for consultation within this tripartite dialogue. The tripartite dialogue is therefore the central platform for consultation with trade unions. Consultation with the individual trade unions will take place only if the topic concerns the individual trade union. To date, there has been no reason to do so. The SER socio-economic council (another tripartite platform/body) of which Mr. Thompson is a member was also asked to advice on this matter and strongly supported the indexing of the minimum wage.

Philipsburg:--- Minister of Finance Roland Tuitt told reporters on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing that the Christmas bonus payments for civil servants will be made as of Wednesday. Tuitt apologized for the late payment but said it is better late than never and that the payments will be taken from the 2012 budget.

In responding to questions regarding the Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) for teachers and other civil servants, Tuitt said he is busy trying to balance the 2013 budget where he was forced to make cuts in various Ministries to the tune of 25 million guilders for the CFT to approve the budget so that it can be sent to the Parliament of St. Maarten for its approval. Tuitt said if the union (WITU) could tell him where to find the additional 20 million that it cost the government of St. Maarten to make the COLA payments he would gladly do it. He said right now the government of St. Maarten is busy conducting a worldwide research to see how these adjustments are being applied so they can apply the same measures on St. Maarten.

Speaking on the 2013 budget, Tuitt said that cuts were made but the government of St. Maarten added two new items that would increase revenues. Those two new items are to add taxes to diesel which was never done in the past and to add an additional 1% on transfer tax. Tuitt said the transfer tax stands at 4% and the intention of government is to increase it by 1%, this additional taxation will affect real estates.

Government to Start Court Case against Kingdom Government on Debt Relief.

Tuitt also announced on Wednesday that the Council of Ministers has taken an unanimous decision to start a court case against the Kingdom Government regarding the debt relief that was agreed upon prior to the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles.

The Finance Minister said that the Kingdom Government is saying that because the former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigemoto did not submit certain documents then they are not going to live up to the agreement that was signed between the Kingdom Government, St. Maarten, and Curacao. He said that in the same Kingdom law the CFT was included and it is impossible for the Kingdom Government to use that against St. Maarten even though there is an agreement.

The Finance Minister said he cannot say if the case will be dealt with in the Netherlands or on St. Maarten. He told reporters that the lawyers will decide where to file the case in the interest of St. Maarten

Expired Taxes will be written off --- Taxes owed from 2006 and before will be written off.

The Finance Minister also announced that the government of St. Maarten will be writing off all old taxes dating back to 2006 and before. Tuitt said that he consulted with six lawyers inside and outside of government in order to ensure that the process is done in accordance with the law. Tuitt further explained that the process took longer that was expected but government wanted to ensure that everything is done correctly. He said that he has the authority to issue a decree which would authorize the tax office to write off the taxes even though the law on this procedure is not fully completed. The Finance Minister made clear that the law states that government cannot collect taxes that are older than five years so what they are doing now is to erase expired taxes so that businesses and residents can pay the taxes they owe to government now. The writing off he said will be done in two phases which means that he will issue a decree instructing the tax office that they are not to deal with taxes from 2006 and before. He said the amounts might be in the billions but that does not mean anything because the taxes are already expired and it cannot be collected anyway.

TAXAND final report soon to be ready.

The Finance Minister said just last week he submitted his reactions to the SOAB on the draft report they submitted on the TAXAND scandal. Tuitt said that he is expecting the final report in one week and the it will be discussed in the Council of Ministers prior to it being sent to Parliament and made public for the people to see what took place. When asked by SMN News if there were any criminal offenses committed during the TAXAND deal involving the former Minister of Finance, Tuitt said he is not a lawyer or prosecutor but when the report is made public the Prosecutor's Office will determine if a crime was committed. The current Finance Minister did confirm that government rules were broken when the TAXAND contract was awarded to Judith Brewster.

Bridge to Nowhere will hurt small man.

The Finance Minister Roland Tuitt also responded to an article that was written by Member of Parliament Ruth Douglass who said she is proud of her leader who had the vision for the causeway (bridge to nowhere) and that she would also be happy when she drives over that bridge. Tuitt said that he wants the Member of Parliament to know that the causeway (bridge to nowhere) is hurting the small man because the cost of the project is thrown on the shoulders of the small man. Tuitt said because of the bridge basic necessities on St. Maarten increased and even when he has to drive over that bridge it will hurt him because he too has to pay for the causeway.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) presented the official hard copy calendar of events for Carnival 2013 to Scotiabank, the corporate sponsor of the calendar for 15 plus years. The calendars are located in the bank and distribution of the calendars will now commence island wide.

President of the SCDF Mike Granger presented the first copies of the calendar to new Scotiabank Director Raymond Green along with a small representation of his team at the bank. Joining Granger was Janelle Hermance of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, who is also a board member of the SCDF.

Granger lauded Scotia as a dependable and committed corporate sponsor of the Carnival calendar. He said the SCDF takes comfort in knowing that Scotia will always be there as a partner of Carnival for a very important aspect of Carnival.

Additionally, Granger said Scotia for the past few years has stepped up its contribution to the SCDF by sponsoring the uniform polo shirts of the SCDF members. Both the calendar and uniform shirts are adorned with the Scotiabank logo.

Green expressed how proud the bank was to continue the tradition of partnering with Carnival with the calendars and looks forward to a continued relationship for years to come. He wished the SCDF a fun-filled and successful event.

Philipsburg:--- The Police Department has recently received numerous complaints of stray dogs roaming the streets in Philipsburg and surrounding areas. In many of these complaints the dogs attacked persons while walking on Boardwalk in the evening and the early morning hours. The police is informing all dog owners to have their dogs fenced in or tied and not have them roaming the streets. The Police Department is in talks with the competent departments to tackle this escalating problem.

KPSM Police Report

Oyster Pond:--- On Wednesday morning February 6th at approximately 5:10am, police patrols along with personnel from the Ambulance and Fire Department were directed to Oyster Pond road at the entrance of Rice Hill Garden for a serious traffic accident whereby the occupants of a vehicle remained stuck in the wreck. On the scene, the driver of the car with license plate 4559 AAB whose condition seemed to be extremely serious was removed from the vehicle, treated on the scene by paramedics, and then transported to the Sint Maarten Medical Center for further treatment. The Fire Department personnel that were also on the scene immediately took action by using the metal cutting machine "Jaws of Life" to remove part of the mangled wreck to remove the passenger. After being removed from the wreck, the passenger was also treated on the scene by paramedics and then transported to the Sint Maarten Medical Center for medical treatment. The investigation done by the Police Traffic Department and statements from witnesses indicate thus far that driving at high speed and losing control of the vehicle was the cause of this accident. The victims with initials D.R.P. and S.Q.V. are both French nationals visiting the island. Later in the early morning hours, the Traffic Department learnt from the medical center that the driver of the car died as a result of the injuries he sustained. The passenger was also flown to Martinique for further medical treatment because of his serious condition.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism, Economy, Transport and Telecommunications Hon. Romeo Pantophlet met with representatives of the Board of the St. Maarten Timeshare Association (SMTA) earlier this week. The meeting was both very positive and also productive according to statements by both Minister Pantophlet and SMTA Chairwoman, Mayra Provence.

Three items were highly discussed along with other issues affecting tourism, namely tourism signage; taxes and laws impacting the sector; and upgrading of properties.

First on the agenda was recognition of the Minister's areas of responsibility that fall under the Governing Program. The SMTA would like to provide active support for Minister Pantophlet's initiative to provide tourism signage via contribution from the $-a-day program. Both the Minister and the SMTA see positive benefits to a partnering relationship between the public and private sectors on this project.

Taxes and laws affecting the timeshare industry were the next topic covered during the meeting. The SMTA claims that as of 2001 the Executive Council and successive governments had agreed to change the weekly timeshare user's tax to a nightly one. Minister Pantophlet has agreed to look into this.

Recent laws proposed by Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Leroy de Weever in Parliament to provide better timeshare consumer laws and a regulatory body were discussed. Minister Pantophlet and the SMTA agree that these laws will benefit the Island and the timeshare industry, as well as the consumer.

Also discussed were; how to stimulate the upgrading of aging properties, hospitality training, response planning for tourism related problems, vacation clubs that have come and gone on the island, and the challenges posed by the huge spikes in cost of operations of resorts by GEBE rates.

Minister Pantophlet informed the SMTA that many of these issues already were being dealt with and that an ongoing dialog will be beneficial for the creation of measured solutions dealing with the timeshare sector, and the partnering between public and private sectors will result in positive developments for the sector overall.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Committee of Parliament for Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (TEATT) will be meeting on February 12.

The agenda point for the meeting is the state of affairs of the harbour and marine sector.

The permanent committee meeting will meet on Tuesday, February 12 at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The meeting was requested by Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Frans Richardson who is also Chairman of this parliamentary committee.

The other members of the committee are MP Hon. Dr. Lloyd Richardson, MP Hon. Petrus De Weever, MP Hon. Patrick Illidge, MP Hon. Romain Laville, and MP Hon. Jules James.

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.

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- More than twenty members of the Curacao Police Corps (KPC) are participating in a one-week training program offered by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Curacao. The
training covers a wide range of topics including shooting range weapons training, officer safety, investigative techniques and tactical analysis, and legal procedures for intelligence-sharing
and extraditions. At the commencement of the training program on Monday, U.S. and Curacao officials stressed our common goals in improving local security and fighting international crime.

DEA Country Attaché Greg Garza stressed that it is important for officers to do their job well, but the most important part of their job is to make sure they go home safe at the end of the
day. Part of the training will prepare law enforcement officers to practice safety procedures while on duty.

Similar training sessions will be held on St. Maarten next week and on Aruba on a later date.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Coast Guard Sub Station Chief Edison Kiringdongo and Brigadier General Swijgman, for their outstanding work that the Coast Guard is doing in defending and securing our water way borders.

Special gratitude goes out to the men and women in the Coast Guard who work tirelessly day and night with much pride and respect for their profession and the institution they represent.

I concur with many that we don't see their sacrifices or success made on a daily basis. I commend them highly and wish the Coast Guard much success with their new boat which I was honoured to unveil the new name of the boat and 'christen' it with champagne: the "White Arrow", as they keep our waters and our people safe.
(The christening took place at the Coast Guard's annual New Year's reception at the substation in Simpson Bay.)
God Bless them and keep them safe.

Drs. Gracita Arrindell
United People's (UP) Party
Member of Parliament

Philipsburg:--- Chippie, the mobile branch of UTS, will be offering its customers a unique opportunity to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the mobile operator on St. Maarten. Prepaid and Postpaid Chippie customers of St. Maarten will have the opportunity to win the dream vacation of their choosing worth up to ANG 10,000. The mobile operator is commemorating its 10 year anniversary on the island by offering its customers this unique opportunity, with many more of such offers to come throughout the year. 'All our customers have to do to participate is what they do anyway: Use their phone!,' stated UTS Marketing and Communication Officer, Ivy Lambert. 'For every ANG 10 used in calls or SMS, customers automatically get a digital raffle ticket to participate. No special action or registration is necessary. This is just another way for us to say thank you to the customers that have brought us to where we are today,' Lambert continued. The raffle starts today and runs until May 15th with a winner being chosen at random on May 20th. Throughout the duration of the promotion customers will be able to check their balance of digital raffle tickets by sending an SMS with the words CHIPPIE10 to 7777. 'Winning a vacation to wherever you want in the world is something we believe anyone can relate to, so that's what made this promotion one that we think anyone can appreciate and also what made it the perfect promotion to commemorate our 10 year anniversary on St. Maarten,' Lambert continued. For more information on the promotion, as well as other information related to the 10 year anniversary of Chippie, customers can contact UTS at 5420101 or on Facebook at ChippieSXM.

Philipsburg:--- Recently the Minister of Justice Roland Duncan and Chief Commissioner of Police said in separate interviews that there has been an increase in ill-treatment and sexual offenses. Minister Duncan spoke about the 2012 crime report on Sunday during a radio program while De Witte gave SMN News some of the figures early January 2013.

While the Minister of Justice said it is hard to combat what is described as threatening and other ill-treatment that takes place in private homes. It was surprising to learn from the Attorney General of St. Maarten Taco Stein on Tuesday that the Manager and Editor of the Today Newspaper who beat one of his co-workers in 2009 was allowed to pay the victim a mere $150.00 or face prosecution.

The Today Newspaper's editor who has been writing all sorts of unfounded articles about SMN News reporter wrote that the matter has been settled but somehow he did not mention that he got a sweet deal from the Prosecutor's Office after spending two days in the Philipsburg holding cell. After learning this information today, SMN News is now wondering if any man can assault a woman whether black or white and pay $150.00 and go home.

A recently conducted Nature Foundation Research Project has shown that sharks are still being taken in the waters surrounding St. Maarten despite a ban on the intentional capture and harming of sharks and patrols executed to combat illegal poaching. In 2012 there were 4 incidents of sharks being harmed or killed in the waters surrounding St. Maarten, two of which occurred in the Man of War Shoal Marine Park. The practice of intentionally fishing for sharks has been forbidden since October 12th 2011, when the Ministry TEATT banned the practice of intentionally poaching sharks in the territorial waters of St. Maarten. The act of trying to catch by tracking, stalking, baiting, chasing, trapping, hooking, netting, shooting or otherwise hunting - sharks, rays and skates is prohibited and therefore the animals may not be wounded, caught, landed, or killed. Violators may be punished with jail and a considerable fine may be issued. If Sharks are accidentally caught all steps should be taken to release the animal with as little harm as possible.
The Nature Foundation Report is part of a wider Shark Research Project being conducted on St. Maarten which, based on surveys of dive operators and tourist divers, has shown that a single live shark is worth up to USD $884,000 to the economy of the island, as is opposed to just a few dollars dead. "The majority of divers who come to the island pay top dollar to see sharks in their Natural Environment. These divers also rent cars, stay in hotels, eat at restaurants and drink in bars. Taking all of that into account and based on research conducted by the Nature Foundation a single live shark contributes $884,000 to the economy of St. Maarten annually. Sharks are an apex predator and are essential to the health of local coral reefs. If we do not have sharks we will lose our coral reef ecosystem. Sharks keep the reefs clean of unhealthy fish which in turn keeps the ecosystem in balance," said a Statement from the Nature Foundation.
The Nature Foundation and Dive Operators have also been introducing the invasive Lionfish to sharks in the hope that the animals will control the poisonous fish. "The reputation of sharks as blood thirsty creatures is largely exaggerated by sensationalist reports. Countries all over the world have recognized the importance of these animals and here on St. Maarten we will continue to put Shark Conservation as a top priority," concluded the Nature Foundation Report.

In her press meeting on January 30th, 2013, Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot Williams gave a wonderful report on how St. Maarten is rated as a first class Tourism Destination. Our Airport is rated the best in the region. While this is partly true, we the people are not feeling the prosperity, Madam Prime Minister. Let us take off the rose tinted glasses for a minute. We are not much more than a hub drop off point, servicing the other Islands in the Region.

While you were talking I kept thinking, one third or more of these stay over visitors just touched down at the Princess Juliana International Airport and left just as quick as they arrived. The most affluent visitors were not visiting St. Maarten, they are enhancing the economies of our neighbour's, if that is your version of a premier destination then I'm afraid that you are living in an Ivory tower that has clouded your vision.

I say this because the average businesses on St. Maarten are not feeling this economic wonderful impact from all these rosy pictures you are painting, neither are the people. Our Hotels on St. Maarten are currently rated ***(3 stars) at best, so this great report is not about St. Maarten's accommodations. If St. Barths and Anguilla are the premier destinations in the region for the affluent visitor then the PM should say it, and not try to make the people feel as if they are living in a deprived state of economic affairs while others are benefiting from our Airport arrivals.

Affluent visitors are often players of Golf, they now have to go to Anguilla, even if they are visiting St. Maarten, to play because, the island's Golf course has deteriorated and prime property remains untouched while the owner should do something with it. I'm just saying the rose tinted glasses needs to come off.

So what can you do in the future to change this Madam PM, you are after all the first amongst equals, if you set the pace , maybe, just maybe the Minster of VROMI your Deputy Prime Minister and the rest of the cabinet of ministers will follow your lead. I don't know maybe St. Maarten needs to put pressure on the owner of the property to rebuild the flagship Hotel Mullet Bay or at least bring the Golf Course up to an internationally acceptable standard.

While the current Minister of VROMI was a Member of Parliament, he would yell loud and clear, that the previous Vice Premier was not doing anything to help the people but was only doing projects just for his circle of friends. As I drive over the Cole Bay hill I see the Causeway nearing completion and I'm thankful, for the vision of the previous Vice Premier. I will soon, as one of the MPs on the UP faction (in his circle of friends) be able to drive non-stop across this causeway to the airport without having to stop and wait for the Simpson Bay bridge.

The difference is something I will be very thankful for, while I hope that the current Deputy Minister will stay off the causeway since it is in his words a "Bridge to nowhere." Let's face it, he is taking St. Maarten nowhere; he wanted to stop the construction and failed. Now I'm sure he will be there for the ribbon cutting ceremony. While a drag strip and cricket field (not approved) started by trucks of sand being brought from the Harbour to the great salt pond, it is the only thing that this current Government has accomplished, the shifting of sand.

I'm very concerned that the Deputy prime Minister of VROMI and the Minister of Economic Affairs Hon. Romeo Pantophlet, need to go back to school and take a few courses on Economic Development. I'm just saying they need to learn what progress really looks like. Front Street needs to be resurfaced, I guess they do not drive on Front Street either; it is not their problem that a tourist can break an ankle while stepping into a hole. As a Doctor I feel we should prevent mishaps, whenever we can.

The PM also talked about changing the Electoral laws, I guess that Madam PM is not satisfied with being the PM, while she only has two MPs supporting her in Parliament..... Be very careful what you start Madam Prime Minister. The Last commissioner that changed things, so the greatest vote-getter got elected, was successful at pushing himself out of the commissioner's seat, because he was not more popular than others who got into Government on the backs of their party and he sat on the outside looking in. I would hate to see the Prime Minister suggestion for change cost her Prime Ministership. Maybe the next PM will be the Leader of the most popular Party.

Dr. Ruth Douglass
United People's (UP) Party
Member of Parliament

Philipsburg:--- Inspectors from the Labour and the Immigration Department began controlling businesses on Tuesday morning in search of persons working on St. Maarten illegally. Head of the Immigration Geronimo Juliet confirmed to SMN News on Tuesday that the controllers went to Sunny Food Supermarket located on A.T Illidge Road. During the control the supermarket had to close its doors to ensure that no one working for the establishment could escape. Juliet said a number of persons were taken into custody so that they could identify themselves because despite the announcement in the media, people working on the Dutch side of the island are not walking with their identification cards. Juliet said that 11 persons working for Sunny Foods were taken into custody all of them are legal residents residing on St. Maarten while others were locals.

"Since these people did not have proper identification cards they were brought in so they could identify themselves and if it is proven that they were working and residing on the island illegally then a process verbal would be made up so that the business establishment could be fined. Also measures will be taken to immediately deport the illegal immigrants to their respective countries."

Last month the immigration and labour inspectors announced that they would have started a control and businesses that are caught with illegal workers would be given a fine of Naf. 5000. 00 per illegal worker. Since the announcement last month at a press conference held at IND building Tuesday's control was the first Juliet said. Juliet insisted that persons working and residing on the island must walk with their identification cards even if they are Dutch nationals because not having an identification card is a crime and while it is time consuming for immigration officers to process these persons to ensure they are legal residents, having your documents or identification card will make the procedure easier for everyone.

Later in the day on Tuesday the immigration officers went to Qualichi Restaurant on the Boardwalk where they controlled nine persons all of whom are working and residing on the island legally. The immigration officers ended their day by controlling Coliseum Casino. Juliet said a total of 50 persons were controlled on Tuesday, the first day of the immigration control, to crack down on businesses that are hiring people that are residing on the island illegally. Juliet said Tuesday's operation was tedious because workers and residents on the island did not have their documents when they conducted the control. He said since no illegal worker was found on Tuesday no fines were issued.

Speech by Regina LaBega, Managing Director, PJIAE, at the Official Launch of the Rebranding of the Airport, St. Maarten, February 2, 2013

(Greeting of Dignitaries, Guests)

Good evening.

There comes a time in the life of a corporate entity when it has to look itself in the mirror and decide whether or not to undergo a corporate make-over. We at Princess Juliana International Airport have taken a hard look at ourselves in the mirror and decided it was time to re-brand, especially after wearing the same look for quite some time.

The reason we are all gathered here today, therefore, is to officially unveil the new look of Princess Juliana International Airport; a new 21st Century look to replace the old one we have all gotten so accustomed to.

Re-branding is a universal phenomenon, which is common among businesses all over the world. Companies re-brand in order to remain relevant, keep abreast of the times, or to get an edge over the competition. Of course, others use re-branding as an effective marketing tool to erase negative images of the past that could affect their bottom line. For us, however, our whole aim is to re-position the Princess Juliana International Airport as a leading hub in the Caribbean and to promote our ultra-modern facilities and the quality of our services.

Branding is at the very core of an intrinsic intangible value investors attach to companies. According to Dr. Roger Sinclair, a global expert on brand valuation and brand equity practice, "A brand is a resource acquired by an enterprise that generates future economic benefits."

I would like to think that we have begun to reap those "future economic benefits," especially if we consider that it was a strong belief in the re-branding efforts of Princess Juliana International Airport that tipped the scales in our favor for Moody's to grant us a rating of Baa2. This, in turn, facilitated the underwriting of the bond issue of US$132 million by Nomura Securities International – one of the leading investment firms in the world – which we recently closed in New York. In fact, the bond issue was over-subscribed almost immediately, a clear indication of the confidence in the Princess Juliana International Airport brand.

We have taken this critical step in the development of our airport in part as a response to increasing competition in a fast-changing market.

The re-branding is a comprehensive make-over, with a logo inspired in the IATA destination code for the airport – SXM – which is eye-catching and easy to identify and remember.

The new website – www.sxmairport.com – offers real-time information on arriving and departing flights and features user-generated YouTube videos in the "Spectacular Landings" section that show the famous landing approach for which we were just a few days ago voted number one in the world. The new website offers useful information about all the facilities and core services we offer as well as the diverse range of retail, food and shopping outlets. Similarly, it fully integrates social media with our Facebook page and Twitter feeds that are featured in the "On the Radar" section of the home page. We are, indeed, excited about our new look and hope that you will embrace it just as enthusiastically.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I conclude by recognizing the contributions of all those who have worked at this airport in the last 70 years; we are where we are today because of the strong foundation they have built. We kick off the celebrations of our 70th anniversary with this re-branding. SXM is PJIA, and PJIA is SXM. Long live SXM!

I thank you.

Marigot:--- On January 31st, 2013 the Gendarmes arrested two employees of Chronopost for grand theft. According to a press release from the Gendarmerie, the two men ages 20 and 39 were arrested on their jobs for stealing items valued up to 12,000 Euros. The manager of Chronopost filed a complaint with the Gendarmes on January 21st, 2013 when he realized that the company lost lots of its goods, mostly digital cameras that were stored at their warehouse in Hope Estate. Shortly after the complaint was filed, the investigators suspected the two employees whose actions were suspicious. The investigation showed that the two suspects were attracted to electronic devices such as iPads and mobile phones. The Gendarmes said it is believed that the suspects stole the valuable items and replaced them with items that had no value before circulating the packages. The two will have to appear in court on April 18th, 2013.

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 Hispaniola (Haiti, Dominican Republic).

Travelers to the Dominican Republic are strongly advised to follow basic hygienic habits while in one of the aforementioned countries.

According to Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), while there has been a downward trend in the nationwide number of cases and deaths in Haiti since October 2012, the first week of January 2013 is comparatively showing higher numbers of cases and deaths than what was registered for the same period in 2012.

The Dominican Republic reported in the first week of January 2013, a cholera outbreak of 37 cases and two deaths registered in the prison of La Altagracia. The outbreak has been linked to contaminated drinking water and overcrowding of the prison population.

CPS was informed about the imported cholera case last year on the North side of the island by French health authorities, and linkages with persons on the Dutch side were ruled out, however, travelers are requested to be on alert upon their return home from Hispaniola.

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

In Haiti, since the beginning of the epidemic (October 2010) to January 7, 2013, the total number of cholera cases reached 638,511, of which 352,532 were hospitalized and 7,943 died.

In the Dominican Republic, since the beginning of the epidemic (November 2010) through the first week of January 2013, the total number of suspected cholera cases reported was 29,490 of whom 426 died.

CPS continues to maintain PAHO recommendations which were reiterated recently to maintain in place surveillance activities to detect the occurrence of outbreaks and implementing intervention actions to reduce cholera spread determinants.

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 in the Dominican Republic 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 traveled 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!

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs, will be back in parliament on February 7 and 8.

The Central Committee of Parliament will meet on Thursday, February 07 at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

This meeting is a continuation of the session that was adjourned on October 8, 2012 with respect to the St. Maarten Medical Center with its impact on social and labour policies.

The meeting was requested by the United People's (UP) Party faction.

On Friday, February 08 at 10:00am in the morning, the Central Committee will meet with the Hon. Minister Silveria Jacobs. This meeting is a continuation from the adjourned session of January 25, 2013.

The agenda point for the meeting is the present policy on youth and sports. Members of parliament will have the opportunity to pose questions in the second round.

This meeting was requested by the United People's (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 with the exception of the visit to the prison 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.

Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) St. Maarten successfully hosted its second annual fundraising kayak tour of the Simpson Bay Lagoon on Sunday February 3rd with over 40 enthusiastic participants in attendance. The event was made possible through the generous sponsorship of Tri-Sport and was aimed at raising awareness about the importance of St. Maarten's Ponds and Lagoons (wetlands).

On every February 2nd since 1997 countries around the World observe the adoption of the convention of wetlands in the city of Ramsar, Iran in 1971. Governments, NGOs and communities across the globe use this day to raise awareness and highlight the importance of the world's wetlands. Sunday's Kayaking event is the first of a number of activities EPIC will be undertaking this month to bring extra attention to the need to protect St. Maarten's few remaining ponds. Activities will include school presentations, excursions, clean-ups and tree planting events.

Just four decades ago Dutch St. Maarten boasted at least 19 ponds, by the mid 1990s that number had been decreased to 10, today in 2013 less than 5 of St. Maarten's Ponds remain intact. The Foundation therefore once again reiterates its calls for government to develop, implement and enforce environmental and conservation legislation aimed at protecting the island's remaining wetlands and other ecologically, historically and culturally significant areas for current and future generations of residents and visitors to enjoy.

EPIC Press Release

Marigot:--- The Gendarmes are calling on witnesses who could identify the completely decayed body of a female that was discovered about two weeks ago by workers of the Collectivity of St. Martin in the Marigot cemetery. Commandant of the Gendarmerie Paul Betaille made clear that the body they are now trying to identify does not correspond with missing Jamaican national Anne Marie Lynch who disappeared on December 22nd, 2012. Betaille said that the remains they found is of a person that died several years ago.
The Gendarmes also sent out a press release calling on persons who could assist them with the identification of the deceased female. The only thing that the investigators have that persons can use to identify this person is a ring that was found on the left hand of the remains at the time it was discovered. Anyone who believes they can assist with the identification of the person should call the investigators at 0590 52 30 16.
It should be noted that while focus is being placed on Anne Marie Lynch who went missing on December 22nd, 2012. American citizen Leta Lynn Cordes went missing in January 2008 and to date her body has not been recovered. Cordes was last seen when she left her Oyster Pond vacation home after having a few drinks to go to the Westin Casino. Several searches were made on both sides of the island and to date there has been no trace of the missing woman whose husband Frank Cordes was arrested as a suspect in her mysterious disappearance. Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos told SMN News that he already contacted the French authorities to inform them that the Dutch side authorities would like to see if the remains they found is that of Leta Lynn Cordes. Mos said that even though the Cordes case is in the cold files they just want to make sure that the latest find rules out Leta Lynn Cordes.
Another woman who went missing some years ago and to date was never found is one Marie Minville, a resident of Sandy Ground. SMN News learnt that Minville disappeared and to date relatives of the woman does not know what has happened to her.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister Plenipotentiary the Hon. Mathias Voges and the Director of his Cabinet Perry Geerlings welcomed the Ambassador of the Republic of Panama, the Hon. Dr. José M. Teran, last week at the Cabinet in the Hague.

The Ambassador, who just recently was accredited to the Netherlands paid a courtesy visit, and while doing so Minister Voges and Geerlings made use of the opportunity to discuss the status of the existing relationship between St. Maarten and Panama.

Ambassador Teran was explained that St. Maarten has some historical ties with Panama, and that Panama was and still is a very important partner for St. Maarten, more in particular for our business sector.

Much of our imported goods are transshipped through the free zone in Panama. The Ambassador was quite happy to be provided with this information and immediately suggested to look at ways and means in order to intensify this economic relationship. He also would like to explore the possibilities to intensify the (friendship) ties between the two nations on a governmental level.

The Republic of Panama intends to organize an economic trade fair in the Netherlands during the month of May in order to market their country more intensively.

In the light hereof Ambassador Teran invited St. Maarten and its business community to be part of this fair in order to see where both countries can be of benefit for each other in terms of trade in goods and tourism, but also in terms of financial services.

In a very friendly and amicable atmosphere both parties also made use of the opportunity to inform each other about their respective countries history.

A great concern to the UP parliamentary faction is if provisions have been taken by the Government to secure the employment of close to 500 persons and the programs that serve 4900 people in our community from the Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs).

Secondly, what is the NGOs sector doing with respect to their current programs and employment of personnel since funding has apparently dried up from Dutch financial sources at the end of 2012?

The umbrella St. Martin United Non-Governmental Organization Federation SUNFed last November sounded the alarm that some 240 full-time employees and 225 part-timers workers for various NGOs were at stake and that 4900 young people and others in our community – single parent homes headed mostly by women; assistance for parents with their children's needs, safety and security for youngsters and homework tutorship - would be in jeopardy if funding was not forthcoming.

The St. Maarten Development Fund is to be allocated funds from the 2013 country budget and distribute these funds to the NGO community. However, it's now the beginning of February and the 2013 country budget still has not been sent to parliament and we have been hearing this story since last year.

Is there a transition phase in place for the NGOs due to the 2013 budget not being in place? The Minister of Finance is the responsible body and should provide transparency to the NGO community and the people of the country to where we stand on this very important issue that impacts thousands of our people.

Sylvia Meyers
United People's (UP) Party Interim Faction Leader
Member of Parliament

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- U.S. Embassy The Hague Chargé d 'Affairs Edwin Nolan led a U.S. delegation on an, January 28-31, 2013, official visit to Curacao. Joining him was U.S. Defense Attaché CAPT Dan Braswell. The trip served to strengthen the bilateral relationship and to highlight U.S. interests in the region.
Chargé Nolan and U.S. Consul General Valerie Belon met with Acting Governor Adele Van der Pluijm-Vrede, Prime Minister Daniel Hodge, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development Steven Martina, Minister of Justice Nelson Navarro, Foreign Affairs Director Arthur Kibbelaar and Chairman of Parliament Mike Franco to discuss bilateral issues and other topics of common interest.
The U.S. delegation also met with the President of Chamber of Commerce, business leaders, and the diplomatic corps. The Chargé, Consul General and CAPT Braswell joined Dutch military officials at the Parera naval base in discussions of mutual interests and cooperation in the region. They also received briefings at the U.S. Air Force's Forward Operating Location. A visit to the Kurà Hulanda museum provided the delegation with a historic overview of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the ways in which our shared African cultural heritage has influenced Curaçaoan and Caribbean societies.

Philipsburg:--- The judge of instruction granted the Prosecutor their request on Monday and extended the pre-trial detention of the boyfriend of missing Jamaican Anne Marie Lynch. The boyfriend has been identified by friends of the missing woman as either Wallace or Serge.

Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos confirmed on Monday that the judge extended the pretrial detention of the woman's boyfriend as they continue the investigation regarding the missing person.

Anne Marie Lynch (41) was an employee of Pineapple Pete's Restaurant, she went missing on December 22nd, 2013. According to friends and co-workers of the missing woman, she confided in them the same night she went missing that she was having problems with her boyfriend who found out she had some monies. In January 2013 friends and co-workers of Anne Marie Lynch combed the beaches on St. Maarten and they managed to find a black stretch jeans pants they believe belonged to their missing friend. One of the friends who was part of the search party said that they also found a location not far from where the pants were found where someone seems to have burned some items. The pants were turned over to police who apparently conducted the necessary forensic testing to determine if the pants belonged to Lynch.

The friends told SMN News in an earlier interview that Lynch was accustomed to playing "partner hand" and she was someone that saves her monies because she has two children in her homeland Jamaica. As for the monies Lynch apparently had, her friends said they believe that Lynch had collected her partner hand, the last and first payments. Another concern the friends had was the different stories the boyfriend told the friends that contacted him when they were looking for Lynch after she did not show up for work or make contact with her children during the Christmas holidays.

The St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) recently assisted the VSBO-TKL section of Milton Peters College (MPC) in covering the costs of students' transportation for a series of environmental education excursions. Milton Peter College (MPC) Teacher Ms. Diana Atmopawiro accepted the check from SHTA board member Rueben J. Thompson. Ms. Atmopawiro explained that the funds would allow for the transportation of some 100 VSBO-TKL1 students to the Landfill in Philipsburg and the Waste Sorting Facilities (Déchèterie) in Galis Bay French St. Martin where students would learn about the island's waste treatment services. Thompson noted that the SHTA was pleased to be able to support the Milton Peters College's environmental education excursions as the Association believes it is becoming increasingly important to raise awareness about the environmental challenges St. Maarten faces.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Several civil servants from the civil service corps of country Sint Maarten participated in a seminar recently in Berlin, Germany with respect to European Union (EU) funding sources and opportunities.

The group of six civil servants attended the course at the European Academy for Taxes, Economics and Law.

The current architecture of European Funds and direct grants offers a wide range of funding opportunities to support innovative projects, to EU countries.

However, funding is often not used effectively or it may be denied due to poor planning. Although numerous programs and initiatives have different features, the development and implementation of projects in practice follow common rules.

In an effort to provide the necessary training to potential applicants, the EU are providing a specific Master Course program to all persons involved in EU funding.

At the end of the program participants, are prepared for the various components of acquiring EU funding and successfully managing the project as per EU regulations.

Those participated on behalf of country Sint Maarten included Soraya Agard, Policy Advisor, Education Department; Perry Geerlings, Director of the Cabinet of Sint Maarten's Minister Plenipotentiary in the Hague; Lucy Richardson, Head of Department Economic Affairs, Transportation & Telecommunication, Leona Romeo-Marlin, Head of the Civil Registry Department; Veronica Jansen-Webster, Project Manager, BAK; and Carol Voges Head of Finance and Economic Affairs, Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten.

More than enough time has passed for the Minister of Finance Hon. Roland Tuitt to present the findings of research carried out by the Government's Accountants Bureau SOAB on the procedures used by the former Minister of Finance Hon. Hiro Shigemoto in handling the Taxand-led tax reform project.

The Minister on a monthly basis since he cancelled the project in May/June 2012 has promised to make the results known and we are still waiting. The SOAB report was received some time in November 2012 and up to the beginning of the New Year wasn't presented to the Council of Ministers.

What is the hold up? The Minister had the entire month of December to submit the findings to the Council and that did not happen.

Minister Tuitt mentioned in his last meeting with parliament that the Council still had to review the report. How thick is this report that it is taking so long?

It is important for Sint Maarten to move forward post haste in getting our new tax structure in place. The longer the delay, the less revenue, including, possible new to be attracted revenue for government to fund programs and projects for our citizens.

The UP faction is eagerly awaiting this report.

Gracita Arrindell
United People's (UP) Party
Member of Parliament

Philipsburg:--- The Minister of Health, Labour, and Social Affairs Cornelius de Weever dispatched a letter to the board of SZV last week informing them that he is not in favor of appointing the Acting Director of SZV Reginald Willemsberg as the Director of SZV. The Director's position became available last year when former Director Denis Richardson left to take up another position in the Netherlands. According to well placed sources, the board of SZV will be meeting on Monday February 4th, 2013 to deal with the letter the Minister sent them. The board of SVZ selected Willemsberg from among several candidates that applied for the position. SMN News learnt that there were two candidates from St. Maarten that applied, one of them being former Minister of Health Maria Buncamper and the other was Acting Director Reginald Willemsberg, while there were at least four candidates from overseas who also applied for the vacant position. While the selection committee chose Willemsberg from the lot and sent their advice to the Minister of Health since last year, only last week he reacted by stating that he wants to restart the selection process to find someone that he believes is more capable for the position

SMN News learnt that the Minister told the board of SVZ that he does not believe that Willemsberg has the required knowledge to upgrade SZV to where he would like it to be in the next few years.

A source from SZV said Willemsberg had planned a party for his promotion which would have also included a farewell party for the former Director Denis Richardson all of which was cancelled abruptly. The source stated that the current government, especially the Democratic Party wants to appoint the ousted Minister of Health and in order to do so they need to restart the selection process.

Philipsburg:--- Members of the St. Maarten Nation Building Foundation held their fourth Soualiga Nation Building Jollification on Sunday at the Emilio Wilson Park where they introduced the members of the committee that will be dealing with the St. Martin Heritage Identification card. The members also signed a pledge that was drafted by the board members of the St. Maarten Nation Building Grassroots Foundation whose President is drs. Leopold James.

The committee members that were established on Sunday are Daniella Jeffry, Dr. Orillio Scott, Elton Jones, Horace Whit, Andre Patrick, Jean-Louis Rey (Ex-Rey) along with the board members of SNBF drs. Leopold James, Jessy Adams, and Larissa Hodge.

James told the gathering that the main purpose of the monthly Jollification which is held on the first Sunday of each month is to bring St. Maarteners together that are willing to stand up for their rights and recognition in their country. Most of the speakers felt that governments on both sides of the island have abandoned their people and are now mixing and meddling with persons who can finance their political party or give them what they need when they walk into the stores or other businesses that are owned by mostly foreigners on St. Maarten. James said that since St. Maarteners are almost forgotten he felt that it was time that the foundation start its operation at ground zero by organizing the monthly jollification. Horace Whit told the small gathering that most of the politicians on St. Maarten are locals and they are the ones that have failed their people. "These local politicians that were elected by us messed up when they chose to forget their own people. When politicians have failed to represent you then it's time we the people come together and represent and defend ourselves. We are the ones that developed St. Maarten and gave it the name the "Friendly Island" and today that name is thrown in our faces when we stand up for our rights and recognition." Dr. Orillio Scott said just recently he read in the news where the Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot William commended the Indians on their Commemorative Day and he asked himself when the Prime Minister will realize that St. Maarteners should be commended for their day.

Elton Jones who is also one of the committee members said the government has failed its people miserably because one third of government's budget is spent on education yet when the youths of St. Maarten return home they cannot find work because they are considered over qualified. Jones said one of the reasons the people of St. Maarten came together and developed their island was ensure that St. Maarteners did not have to cross the seven seas to find work, but the current epidemic and failures of elected officials have given the St. Maarten youths no choice but to remain overseas to work and survive.

Click here to view more photos of Soualiga Nation Building Jollification held at Emilio Wilson Park.

Philipsburg:--- Residents and drivers on A.T. Illidge Road were stuck in traffic on Sunday afternoon when at least three police patrols rushed to A.T. Illidge Road to attend to a minor traffic accident between a black jeep and a four wheeler. When the first patrol reached the scene of the accident he was overheard reporting back to the command center that it was a minor traffic accident and no one was hurt. However, that did not stop two other patrols from driving at high speeds one behind the other with their sirens on rushing to the scene as though they were going to a gruesome murder or robbery scene. The actions of the police on Sunday afternoon showed they had no respect for the drivers who queued up in long lines to get their destination because the police vehicles doubled every vehicle they saw and blocked off the entire area.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Lucy Richardson, Head of the Department of Economic Affairs, Transportation & Telecommunication and Leona Romeo-Marlin, Head of the Civil Registry, last week successfully completed the European Seminar on "Risk Management in the Public Sector".

The seminar took place in Berlin, Germany at the European Academy for Taxes, Economics and Law. The seminar was paid for by the Government of Sint Maarten.

The use of risk management tools and correctly balancing risk and control enables public authorities to make better decisions based on calculated risks, and increases the focus on accountability.

It supports the execution of the institution's responsibilities and the achievement of its strategic objectives and thus leads to a more effective and efficient control and audit function without an unnecessary and disproportional increase of bureaucracy.

It creates a real added value for the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the work of public institutions.

Participants included, Parliamentarians from Finland, Auditors, Public Sector Workers and Public Sector Managers from Russia, Portugal, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Estonia, United Kingdom, the European Union (EU) Court of Auditors and Sint Maarten.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever says Monday, February 4th marks World Cancer Day.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and affects everyone – the young and old, the rich and poor, men, women and children - accounting for 7.6 million deaths (around 13 per cent of all deaths) in 2008. Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue rising, with an estimated 13.1 million deaths in 2030.

Lung, stomach, liver, colon and breast cancer cause the most cancer deaths each year.

Minister De Weever says many cancers have a high chance of cure if detected early and treated adequately and therefore via his 'Get Checked' campaign to improve the welfare and health of the people of Sint Maarten, and that the Ministry of Public Health, is calling on the populace to take action today in order to prevent cancer.

The most frequent types of cancer differ between men and women. About 30 per cent of cancer deaths are due to the five leaving behavioral and dietary risks: high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, and alcohol use.

Minister De Weever's 'Get Checked,' campaign says that more than 30 per cent of cancer deaths could be prevented by modifying or avoiding key risk factors including tobacco use, being overweight or obese, unhealthy diet with low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, alcohol use, sexually transmitted Human Papilloma Virus-infection.

'Get Checked,' says cancer mortality can be reduced if cases are detected and treated early based on two components of early detection such as early diagnosis, see your family physician who can assist with this.

The second component is screening, your family physician can also advise with respect to when and how this is done. Some examples of screening methods are, visual inspection with acetic acid for cervical cancer; PAP test for cervical cancer; and mammography screening for breast cancer.

Cancer is a generic term for a large group of diseases that can affect any part of the body. One defining feature of cancer is the rapid creation of abnormal cells that grow beyond their usual boundaries and which can then invade adjoining parts of the body and spread to other organs.

The St. Maarten-St.Martin Classic Yacht Club announced today that the fast 143 ft schooner Zaca A Te Moana will be available for regatta charters during the upcoming Classic Regatta in St.Maarten-St.Martin the last week-end of March and also during Antigua Classics in April.
The magnificent yacht is docked at Palapa Marina in Simpson Bay already for many weeks after refit works in Antigua.
She will sail to Cuba in the coming weeks and come back to St.Maarten in advance of the St.Maarten-St.Martin Classic Regatta.
The captain and first mate are both from Belgium while other crewmembers are from France and other countries.
She was built to the lines of the famous and fast Class of the Grand Bank Schooners by an experienced yachtsman.
Her powerful rig allows her to cruise effortlessly under sail at over 10 knots whilst retaining a very high level of comfort and unusual stability.
Zaca a te Moana offers luxury accommodation for 8-12 guests in 6 cabins, including the spectacular 'Owners Suite' comprising the entire aft section of the Yacht with chart table, separate entrance and complete with Victorian 'slipper bath'.
Her interior is one of understated elegance in keeping with the classical style of the yacht, with smart studded leather sofas, rich wood panelling, and fresh white linens throughout the accommodation.
A bar with dining area is located forward most on the lower deck.
She is a 'Classic' in appearance and accommodation.
Whilst she is fitted out to a very high standard, she remains what she is, which, to some, may appear somewhat Spartan, particularly when compared to modern 'Luxury' Yachts.
It should be clearly understood that, whilst attractive, traditional, and luxurious by those same standards, she remains a robust and steady ocean-going 'Classic' and her interior 'comforts' are in keeping with the traditional nature both of her design and handling.
Equally, she is an Auxiliary Sailing Yacht, as such her main and preferred form of propulsion is the wind, not the auxiliary engine.
The true sailing experience to be enjoyed on board Zaca is of a type that is rarely offered nowadays, sailing this yacht in a Classic Regatta is the dream of every sailor.
Zaca A Te Moana can accommodate up to sixteen guests during a regatta charter.
The ideal yacht for corporate charter during a classic regatta can be reserved and booked trough No Limits Yachts and the web site www.ClassicYachtForCharter.com

Specifications:
Length/type: 143'/43m Schooner
built by Amstel Shipyard, Holland.
Designed by: Olivier F Van Meer
Year build: 1992 refitted 2001/2 - 2012
Crew: 8-10 Race Crew:16

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Social Economic Council (SER) this week concluded a series of successful workshops entitled "SER's past and present" conducted by the Training and Development Institute of eminent labor relations expert Clarence Richardson. In separate courses for SER staff and SER board members, Mr. Richardson elaborated on the history of labor unions, employers' organizations and social economic councils in the different islands of the former Netherlands Antilles. Useful training was provided on the process of debate and finding agreement in the council, as well as the technicalities of drafting an advice.
For this occasion, the SER was privileged to draw on the expertise of Mr. Clarence Richardson. Over a career spanning five decades, Mr. Richardson developed from a successful union organizer in Aruba through a career in Curacao to a skilled negotiator and mediator as well as an eminent labor relations expert residing in Sint Maarten, representing both employees and employers on different occasions. Along the line he was active in the Netherlands Antilles SER and chairman of the provisional SER of the Island Territory of Sint Maarten.
The program of the workshops included background on the development of labor unions as well as employers' organizations in Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten over the twentieth century up to the present day. Furthermore, attention was given to the relations between SER and government, to which the council directs their advice. With the help of case studies and several hands-on assignments, the discussions about important socio-economic topics and the drafting of advices was simulated. In well attended series of sessions spread out over two weeks in January, SER staff and board members participated actively en enthusiastically in the workshops and training exercises.
This training constituted another valuable contribution to the development of the social economic council, one of the new government bodies instituted as part of the new constitutional framework as of 10-10-10.
These workshops were made possible by Dutch development funds managed by USONA.

The Minister of Finance and the Honorable Prime Minister proudly present to the General public of St. Maarten the first digital service on its Online Service Portal: eLogin per February 1, 2013. This is part of Digitalizing Government (e-Government) mentioned in the Governing program.
On the new site: http://onlineservices.sintmaartengov.org one can login and register for an E-login.
The E-login is a username and password combination that gives users access to low threshold services of Government. The first service made available by the Tax department is downloading Tax forms.
Once on the site it will explain how to select and download tax forms for businesses to able to file all monthly taxes starting January 2013.
Within days the system will be extended with a function to offer online tax filing, the site will explain how to request and qualify for this function. The tax payer will not have to go to the tax department any more to pick up forms.
We are urging the general public, especially businesses, to use these new services, as it will improve the level of Government services.
In the coming weeks and months new functions, such as

• Online Payments
• Requesting a Tax ID (Crib number)
• Protesting an Assessment
• Filing Income taxes
• Filing Wage tax Year end summaries
• Filing Profit Taxes

will be announced follow the developments on www.sintmaartengov.org and the media.

High Regards,

Roland Tuitt
Minister of Finance

PHILIPSBURG:--- New recipients of bus and taxi licenses participated in a mandatory training last week Tuesday and Wednesday evening at the Justice Academy in Dutch Quarter.

This training was implemented and organized by Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs, Transportation & Telecommunication (MinTEATT) Hon. Romeo Pantophlet using existing and experienced drivers to train this new batch of taxi license recipients.

The training was a nutshell version of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) training that taxi drivers took earlier in 2012 and focused primarily on hygiene, etiquette and conduct when dealing with our valued guests.

Otis Hughes of the Dutch Sint Maarten Taxi Association, Linda Cox of the Genesis Taxi Association and Sylvia Jeffers of the Airport Taxi Association, all gave up their time to train this new batch of bus and taxi license recipients, an act that Minister Pantophlet commends and sincerely appreciates.

Up to date taxi rates were also distributed to the new taxi license holders as well as other informational handouts, ensuring that they have the right tools necessary to start their new careers as Tourism Ambassadors for the country's main pillar of the economy, tourism.

Minister Pantophlet intends to repeat the extensive CTO training during the off season and to customize the training to also include bus drivers. Legislation is also being drafted to implement frequent mandatory training for bus and taxi drivers as a condition to keeping their bus and taxi licenses.

Minister Pantophlet congratulates all recipients of taxi and bus licenses and hopes that with the rising visitor arrival numbers, they will all be successful in their new careers and promoting to visitors to return back to the destination on another visit.

Further plans for this sector includes setting up a transportation committee in order to regulate the transportation system and beginning work on the changing lanes project, key essential areas for Minister Pantophlet that would facilitate a more professional and better organized public transportation system which is used daily by hundreds of residents.

SIMPSON BAY:--- Over 200 invited guests gathered at Gate A1 of the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) on Saturday evening for a first class presentation of the rebranding of the St. Maarten airport, which also serves as a leading Caribbean travel and transit hub.

Prime Minister Sarah Wescott-Williams, Deputy Prime Minister William Marlin, and Minister of Transport, Economic Affairs and Telecommunications Romeo Pantophlet, along with ministers Hon. Roland Duncan, Hon. Silveria Jacobs, Hon. Cornelius de Weever, and Member of Parliament Drs. Gracita Arrindell, joined a full range of airport stakeholders, tourism officials from both parts of the island, and leaders of the legal, insurance and banking communities, SXM board and management officers and personnel, and the media among others, for what the airport's Supervisory Board of Directors Chairman Clarence Derby called, a "historical evening."

"After ... 70 years of wearing the same look ... we are all gathered here ... to officially unveil ... the new 21st Century look of Princess Juliana International Airport," said Regina LaBega, Managing Director of the SXM Airport operating company.

In her opening address, at Gate A1, elegantly transformed with dark blue and teal décor, LaBega told an attentive audience that, "Re-branding is a universal phenomenon, which is common among businesses all over the world. Companies re-brand in order to remain relevant, keep abreast of the times, or to get an edge over the competition," and as "an effective marketing tool."

At SXM, "our whole aim is to re-position the Princess Juliana International Airport as a leading hub in the Caribbean and to promote our ultra-modern facilities and the quality of our services," said LaBega.

"The re-branding is a comprehensive make-over, with a logo inspired by the IATA destination code for the airport – SXM – which is eye-catching and easy to identify and remember," said LaBega.

Derby joined LaBega in pointing out that, "The timing for this event could not be more perfect: with the airport acquiring its Baa2 investment grade ratings from Moody's," repurchasing its old bonds, offering of new bonds – oversubscribed from the inception by foreign and St. Maarten investors; raising over $130 Million at a 5.5% interest rate; and recently voted as the airport with the most stunning landing in the world by privatefly.com.

The new brand image launch also coincides with the just re-branded website; the start of runway resurfacing, and airport expansion project, which includes the new FBO building to better service private plane passengers; constructing a new 15,000 barrel fuel farm at the airport to eliminate running out of fuel, and "revamping the concession space, integrating art with retail, and food and beverage, to maximize non-aeronautical revenues and "provide a first class environment to radically improve passenger experience," all "coupled with the lady celebrating her seventieth birthday," said Derby.

Minister of Transport, Economic Affairs and Telecommunications Romeo Pantophlet said that the "government of St. Maarten is proud of the improvement of the airport in the past years." He praised past and present airport workers and directors.

Rafael Cardozo, president of the marketing agency Tambourine, explained the research and design process that produced the new brand.

Cardozo said that special note was taken of "the lines and forms of the architecture of the airport." He emphasized that Tambourine listened to the story of the island, its people, including those who worked at SXM, and then "put all of the ingredients together" to create the new brand, "a symbol of growth and prosperity."

Cardozo's presentation was highlighted by two videos. The 6o second video in particular showcased key aspects of the airport, ending with the new logo, and its accompanying signature slogan: "SXM - The experience will move you."

A much-enjoyed feature of the launch was on a fashion show of past and present airport uniforms by SXM staff and managers – Robin, Stefania, Peggy, Mirto, Hilda, Ambrose, and Erica. The spiffy new grey and navy and teal uniforms that will soon be introduced to the company were also modeled.

Manager of Marketing & Communications, Kalifa Hickinson, expressed her delight at officially launching the new look of SXM airport. "We have worked very hard and have been looking forward to this day – we are very, very proud," she noted.

Special Projects Coordinator Robert Brown, a rebranding planning committee member, said that the SXM airport "employees felt good after working long hours on getting it right."

The rebranding tasks included "changing all the visible logos in the facility and on service vehicles, then other gradual changes," which culminated with the rebranding ceremony, said Brown.

The Soualiga Brass band performed early the program while the Kool Berry Jam band performed after the launch presentation. Radio personality Jacques "Billy D" Hamlet served as the Master of Ceremony.

A celebrity-style "after party," with the live performance by the band Onyan, took place at Tantra nightclub for all of the guests of the SXM rebranding launch.

GREAT BAY:--- The Police Force of St. Maarten is launching a Road Safety Campaign, aimed at creating awareness and changing driving behavior in an effort to minimize the number of road fatalities and traffic accidents. The campaign is supported by NAGICO Insurances.
This project is themed 'Safety Starts with you' and will run for a period of 12 months during which it will be specially targeted at road users in the community and tourists who use our roads. The awareness campaign will be centered on encouraging and enforcing road safety measures like: the wearing of seatbelts, reducing speed, the wearing of helmets for riders and pillion riders, desisting the use of cellular phones while driving, obeying the road codes and to stop driving while under the influence of alcohol.
"We have great concern for the number of accidents we have had in the previous year up until now, which have resulted, some in fatalities and others in serious injuries, therefore we have been working on a plan of approach to address this matter," Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson explained. "We were more than happy when NAGICO approached us with a similar project, therefore after weeks of discussions we have decided to pool our efforts and create one awareness campaign which we believe will bring about a change in the attitude and behavior of our road users and ultimately minimize the number of accidents we are faced with each day."
NAGICO came up with the initiative as part of their community involvement program and has pledged to combine their efforts with the police to reach the same goal.
"Safety starts with you" will feature road signs strategically placed across the Dutch side of the island, the campaign will also incorporate the disseminating of information via popular radio stations and television talk shows in which the Police and Traffic Department will be disseminating information to the Public regarding the importance of knowing and using the road codes, accident hot spots, explaining traffic laws among other relevant topics.

Philipsburg:--- Police arrested the Jamaican born boyfriend of the missing Jamaican woman and employee of Pineapple Pete's Restaurant Anne Marie Lynch, confirmed Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos on Saturday. The boyfriend who has been identified as Wallace/Serge by friends of the woman was arrested Friday morning and his house was also searched. Mos said the man will be led before the judge of instruction on Monday. When asked what the man was charged with, Mos said that the charges involve the disappearance of the woman who went missing since December 22nd, 2012.

On January 5th, 2013 friends of the missing woman combed several of the beaches on St. Maarten and they said they found a black stretch pants they believe belonged to Anne Marie Lynch (41) who is also a mother of two children that are residing in their homeland Jamaica. The pants were found on Cape Bay beach and it was given to the police who were called to the scene when it was found. The friends told SMN News that they also found a fire not far away from where the pants were found. On that day, the friends who conducted the search said that the boyfriend joined them in searching for the woman who went missing on the night he picked her up from her job.

Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos confirmed earlier to SMN News that the police and coast guards conducted searches in several areas on the island. Mos said that the police were using their dogs while the coast guard and its divers searched the coast lines of the beach. These searches were conducted between January 3rd and 5th 2013.

SMN News received information on Saturday evening where persons from the community said the woman's body was found in a pig pen on the French side of the island. However, the Gendarmes said they had no information on a body being found on the French side. SMN News also asked Mos if he was aware that persons on the French side recovered a female body and Mos said that he had no such information.

Great Bay:--- Contractor Devcon, working on behalf of St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies, removed submerged items from Great Bay washed into the bay during Hurricanes Omar (2008) and Earl (2010). The dredging will clear all debris from the bay to ensure the safe berthing for cruise vessels and cargo vessels. The largest debris were from containers, struck with high waves and swept into the water during the hurricanes. Work will continue through the coming months.

Anguilla/St. Martin:--- Unconfirmed reports reaching SMN News on Friday evening state that The Royal Anguilla Police Criminal Investigation Department arrested the Anguillian Minister of Home Affairs Walcott Richardson as they continue to investigate a case of sexual misconduct.

According to information provided to SMN News, a woman filed a complaint against the Minister which prompted the investigation. SMN News learnt earlier this week that the Royal Anguilla Police Force was busy with the investigation since earlier this week but the arrest was only made on Friday. Efforts made to reach the Anguilla Commissioner of Police Rudolph Proctor Friday evening for confirmation and a comment proved futile. SMN News will bring you more information as soon as Commissioner Proctor could be reached by telephone or he issues a press release on the arrest and ongoing investigation.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- On Tuesday, January 29th Drs. Henriette Hulsebosch, Director of Skanfonds along with Bas Pieck, Senior Policy Advisor of Skanfonds, paid a courtesy visit to Sint Maarten House in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Since the late 1980s Skanfonds, a Dutch funding agency, has been operating in Sint Maarten, and has financed a number of projects and continues to fund different projects in the Dutch Caribbean.

According to Minister Plenipotentiary Hon. Mathias Voges, organizations dedicated to the care of vulnerable persons in society, and those involved in strengthening social cohesion, have come into consideration for funding.

Skanfonds is active in the Netherlands, the Dutch Caribbean, Suriname, and also assists in funding approximately 700 projects on an annual basis.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Governing Program (GP) is available on the Government Website www.sintmaartengov.org then going to the "What's New," tab, scroll down and select the PDF file to print out or save to your computer desktop.

GP is also available on social media, namely Facebook and on a regular basis updates on the projects of the various Ministries will be posted on the GP Facebook Page. The web link for the page is: http://www.facebook.com/TheGoverningProgram20122014OfCountryStMaarten

This focus of GP is on Education, Infrastructure, District Improvement and Housing, Health Care and Social Welfare, Economy, Environment, and Safety and Security.

The Governing Program "Working for the People," was officially launched on January 16 at the Sonesta Great Bay Beach Hotel in the presence of approximately 100 invited stakeholders from the community, and forms the basis for the governing coalition comprising of the National Alliance (NA), Democratic Party (DP) and three Independent Members of Parliament (I-3) namely Hon. Patrick Illidge, Frans Richardson and Romain Laville.

GREAT BAY:--- An upcoming generation of stars, and organizations headed by young people, managed to "clear de way" with eight out of 16 ACT Awards (Annual Culture Time Award) for 2012.

The awards were announced Sunday on the popular PJD2 radio program Culture Time, by host Fabian Badejo and co-host Fernando Clark, the nation's leading humorist.

"The judges seemed to have focused on the young and promising cultural workers for the 2012 ACT Awards. Fernando Clark and I were pleasantly surprised at their choices," said Badejo, who founded the ACT Awards some 23 years ago.

There were 40 nominees competing in 16 categories for the oldest and most consistent cultural award in St. Maarten/St. Martin.

The upcoming generation winners in cultural and youth leadership categories, at times beating the more senior artists, are Krump Soldiers (Dance), Ku-J (Music), Akeem Gumbs (Fine Art), Kerwin Du Bois for "Bacchanalist" (Foreign Song of the Year), SCDF (Cultural Organization), Teen Times (Youth Organization), Faizah Tabasamu (Rochelle Ward) (Literature), and Nadata Gentle (Fashion).

The senior cultural leaders and organizations that received an ACT Award for 2012 are Felix Fleming (Theater), DJ Patrice (DJ of the Year), Hot Chocolate Band (Band of the Year), UTS (Patron of the Year), Carlyle Barriteau (Lifetime Achievement), Dr. Rhoda Arrindell (Person of the Year), and Enoch (Chef of the Year).

"We are concerned that one of the most popular categories – 'Song of the Year' – was left vacant for 2012," said Badejo, an astute observer, writer, and analyst of the nation's cultural and socio-political developments since the early 1980s.

"Maybe the 'Song of the Year' category was left vacant because our radio stations haven't played many St. Maarten songs released in 2012 by our singers and musicians. Maybe there hasn't been much production by these artists outside of carnival," said Badejo.

"It is also unusual for the ACT Award 'Person of the Year' to be a politician but no one can argue against the tremendous work that the former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs did to make July 1, Emancipation Day, a national public holiday in the South of our island, the first territory in the Dutch Kingdom to do so. This is even more important because of the 165th anniversary of Emancipation that we are celebrating island-wide in 2013," said Badejo.

"The winners will receive certificates for the first time this year since the awards coincide with the 25th anniversary of Culture Time," said Badejo.

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- On 30 January 2013, over 20 personnel from the U.S. Forward Operating Location (USFOL) volunteered for service at the Parke Tropikal Zoo. They cleared a large field to be converted to a picnic area, filling up an entire shipping container full of debris. The zoo and the USFOL continue to build a positive working relationship to improve the park, so that it can provide a safe and enjoyable space for the animals and visitors.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports Hon. Silveria Jacobs, will be back in parliament next week February 7 and 8.

The Central Committee of Parliament will meet on Thursday, February 07 at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

This meeting is a continuation of the session that was adjourned on October 8, 2012 with respect to the St. Maarten Medical Center with its impact on social and labour policies.

The meeting was requested by the United People's (UP) Party faction.

On Friday, February 08 at 10:00am in the morning, the Central Committee will meet with the Hon. Minister Silveria Jacobs. This meeting is a continuation from the adjourned session of January 25, 2013.

The agenda point for the meeting is the present policy on youth and sports. Members of parliament will have the opportunity to pose questions in the second round.

This meeting was requested by the United People's (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 with the exception of the visit to the prison 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:--- A group of taxi drivers from Dutch St. Maarten expressed dissatisfaction at the way they are being treated by the Dutch St. Maarten Taxi Drivers Association (DSTA). Founder of the DSTA, Vernon Denis Aventurin told SMN News that he along with some other older taxi drivers are the ones that established the DSTA in 1988.

On Thursday night, members of the DSTA called their election at the PMIA Hall to select new board members. Aventurin said he left St. Maarten for a number of years and when he returned to the island he went and registered at the DSTA office and paid his fees but he was not allowed to work at the AC Wathey Cruise Facilities. Aventurin said that on Thursday night he was not even allowed to vote because the DSTA board does not consider him to be a member of the Association. Aventurin managed to obtain a copy of the DSTA constitution and marched into the building to address the members of the DSTA regarding the association rules and bylaws that he helped draft. At the PMIA Hall Thursday evening was the CEO of the AC Wathey Cruise Facilities Mark Mingo. Mingo said every year he would attend the election of the DSTA because the Association has a concession with the Harbor. Some of the taxi drivers informed SMN News that while they are paying members of the DSTA, the current board members chose to lock them out while Mingo was addressing the taxi drivers before the election took place. During Mingo's speech was when Aventurin who was also locked out of the PMIA Hall opened the door and marched in to inform the drivers of their rights as members of the DSTA.

Several drivers who are holders of taxi permits wrote a letter to Mingo outlining their grievances most of which they said are unfair treatment from the DSTA. These drivers also signed a petition and have over 100 signatures all of which are active taxi drivers who claim that they want to work with the AC Wathey Cruise Facilities and not DSTA. "Here is my receipt I have been paying DSTA $40 per month for them to call me when they need taxis at the harbor on busy days and even though I am paying every month I never received one call from the DSTA. The incumbent President Otis Hughes told us he does not want anything to do with us and even though we are paying he does not want us to work at the harbor." The group of taxi drivers also dispatched a letter to the Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation, and Telecommunication Romeo Pantophlet informing him of their concerns as legal taxi drivers and tax payers. The taxi drivers said that even though they are paying $40 to DSTA to be able to work on busy days at the port, the DSTA has a schedule of whom they will call on busy days and these persons have to pay $10 per day when they are called to work at the AC Wathey Cruise Facility. They stated in their letter to the Minister of TEATT and the CEO of AC Wathey Cruise Facilities that they are extremely angry and frustrated at the unfair treatment and discrimination by the incumbent President of the DSTA.

The drivers said on several occasions when there are six or more ships in port they have to literally go to the harbor and beg for a job. Another driver said he submitted his documents to the DSTA over six months now and to date they have not accepted him to be a member of the DSTA. He said that he would go to the harbor and work on busy days and even though he has a vehicle that carries six passengers he is placed in the sprint line where he could only get short jobs. The taxi driver who prefers to remain anonymous said that other drivers who are close friends with the board members of the DSTA and has vehicles like his are working in the tour lines where they are able to make more monies. "Those that get that opportunity are friends of the DSTA board members." Several taxi drivers stood outside the PMIA Hall while rain was pouring down to see how the DSTA board would handle the election process. Up to 9pm the election process did not begin and no one knew who was postulating for what position.

Philipsburg:--- After reading several articles and commentaries where the manager and editor of the Today Newspaper Hilbert Haar has chosen to write constant trash about SMN News reporter and criticize our work. We have decided to respond to the so-called reporter who has made it his business to attack local St. Maarteners and its elected officials while protecting the incompetent Dutch Prosecutors that are allowed to work on the island. While Hilbert Haar has an axe to grind with locals and with SMN News reporter, he somehow failed to realize that it's a local man who chose to hire him for so long even though his newspaper has gone from being bad to worse.

Readers on St. Maarten do not even purchase the newspaper Haar works for and the businesses on St. Maarten also saw that Hilbert Haar has one mission which is far from writing news so they refuse to advertise with this newspaper. Everyone on St. Maarten is now wondering how the "Yesterday Newspaper" continues to exist without incoming revenues. Maybe the guys in blue should look to see if there is money washing taking place close to the Prins Bernard Bridge.
Hilbert Haar described SMN News as a gossip website yet he is not able to stay off of it. It is from SMN News Hilbert Haar gets most of his news and has stolen several articles from us without crediting his sources, yet he chose to say that he does not know why the people of St. Maarten/ St. Martin choose to have SMN News on their menu. The question the owner of SMN News has for Hilbert Haar why is he always on SMN News? Are you not able to secure and write news articles of your own?
Since Mr. Haar likes comparing what the Netherlands and its people sees fit for their country and only St. Maarten tolerate what the Netherlands does not tolerate then our advise to Hilbert Haar is to go back to where he ran away from because surely the newspapers and other media entities in the Netherlands would not give him a job. Or maybe Haar should try going to the USA where he is wanted for a traffic violation.

While Hilbert Haar has a lot to write about Bibi Hodge Shaw, let it be known that Haar was locked up for beating a female co-worker and his friends at the Prosecutor's Office released him but to date have refused to press charges and tried to force the victim to accept an apology. If any other suspect was arrested for beating an employee would Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos do what he did for Hilbert Haar, or did Haar's nationality and personal relationship with the Prosecutor's Office play a role in the decision making of that case?

As for the incident on Wednesday in the Common Court of Appeals, Hilbert Haar should tell the few readers he has that the Dutch Prosecutor Gonda van der Wulp who verbally attacked SMN News was sitting next to him so she can coerce him into writing an article that would not expose the incompetencies coming from the Prosecutor's Office. Serving a simple summons to a murder suspect was done three times and each time with a blunder which might throw the entire case in limbo.

Just recently the Minister of Justice Roland Duncan described Hilbert Haar as a "Dutch Stooge" and after reading his unfounded article on Friday we have no choice but to say the Minister of Justice was right in selecting the name for Hilbert Haar, therefore we too have decided to label him as a "Dutch Stooge".

Haar said he is not there to tell the Court House or the Prosecutor's Office what to do because according to him Bibi Hodge Shaw broke the rules. Hilbert Haar and his prosecutor friend was sitting in front of SMN News reporter, behind the SMN News reporter were several top ranking police officers who saw that the Prosecutor lied on SMN News reporter.

What Haar needs to know is that his friend Gonda van der Wulp was out of place first by taking up the place assigned to reporters, secondly she was more out of place to create a scene and lie during an open court session. If SMN News reporter had done anything that was in violation of the court the only persons that had to take action was the three judges, the court bailiff, or the police officers who told SMN News reporter that they saw and know Prosecutor Gonda van der Wulp lied on her. These police officers will be called as witnesses because SMN News reporter has taken the necessary steps against Prosecutor Gonda van der Wulp.

Since Hilbert Haar mentions certain things that are not accepted in the Netherlands but is tolerated on St. Maarten. SMN News will go further and inform our readers that only on St. Maarten we take a Prosecutor that was kicked out of Aruba and make him Chief Prosecutor on St. Maarten, this person is none other than Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos. Only on St. Maarten, prosecutors try every trick in the book to obtain evidence against people illegally, even trying to sleep with suspect's girlfriend to get sworn statements, or plant drugs in another man's car so he can sleep with the man's wife or girlfriend. Just in case Haar and his friends at the Prosecutor's Office do not know who we are referring to, SMN News will make it easy for Haar to do his research. The case of Barth den Hartigh against Charles Barry, Virgilio Leonora owner of Oasis Restaurant against former prosecutor Gert Oldenkamp who was convicted for the crime he committed against Leonora, not to mention Jan Bart Daveling caught driving under the influence of alcohol and almost ran over a police patrol. Daveling was dismissed and sent back to the Netherlands where cannabis and alcohol can be bought at cafes. Only on St. Maarten a convicted Chief Prosecutor is accepted in the bar and is allowed to practice law on the island.

In other countries, incompetent prosecutors who bungled a major murder case where the suspects confessed to killing two innocent people in an attempt to rob them would have been charged with Prosecutorial Misconduct. So yes, lots of things are allowed on St. Maarten because of the twisted legal system. And to end this article only on St. Maarten sworn court translators living on the French side who work as freelance workers at the Court of First Instance would violate the oath they took when they leak information from the court house to their husband Hilbert Haar. Really only St. Maarten this kind of craziness is allowed.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The three presidents of parliament, namely Presidents of Parliament of Aruba drs. Pauldrick (Paul) Croes, of Curacao drs. Marcolino (Mike) Franco visited the country earlier this week where they met with President Hon. drs. Rodolphe Samuel.

During this meeting a variety of subjects will be discussed such as the upcoming Inter-parliamentary Kingdom Consultation that will take place in The Hague from March 5-8; the 200 years existence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the establishment of regular consultations between the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten as well as cooperation on committee level between the Parliaments.

At the end of the visit there was a gift exchange.

Philipsburg:--- UTS today announced it will be launching the new BlackBerry® Z10 smartphone powered by BlackBerry® 10 in the Dutch Caribbean and Surinam. The new BlackBerry Z10 is the first smartphone to launch with the re-designed, re-engineered and re-invented BlackBerry 10 platform, offering customers a powerful and unique new mobile computing experience. The BlackBerry Z10 is the fastest and most advanced BlackBerry smartphone yet, and offers a smarter experience that continuously adapts to a customer's needs.

"UTS has been a proud provider of BlackBerry solutions and smartphones for the past 7 years and we are very happy to be offering such an innovative new device. The fact that the operating system is based on one of the most stable operating systems in the world will be the reason this device will be a big success. When it comes to stability and security this the BlackBerry Z10 will rival, and in most cases surpass, any other smartphone currently on offer," said Carl Riley, Service Market Manager Data Services for UTS.

"The BlackBerry Z10 smartphone delivers a powerful new platform for BlackBerry customers. Combined with network and service plans from UTS, BlackBerry Z10 customers will be delighted with a re-invented communication experience, seamless multitasking, easy access to multiple social networks, and the peace of mind that BlackBerry security gives them," said Carlo Chiarello, EVP, Global Smartphone Business at RIM.

BlackBerry 10 is a re-designed, re-engineered and re-invented BlackBerry platform that creates a powerful and unique new mobile computing experience. BlackBerry 10 gives customers a faster and smarter experience that continuously adapts to their needs. Every feature, every gesture, and every detail is designed to keep customers moving and includes advancements such as:

• Peek and Flow into the BlackBerry Hub – A new mobile computing paradigm where what matters to customers is always only one swipe away
• Keyboard – Understands and adapts to customers, so they can type faster and more accurately
• BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger) – Allows customers to share things with the people that matter to them in an instant
• BlackBerry® Balance™ technology – Protects what is important to customers and the businesses they work for

PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten's Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) has been named the number one most stunning airport approach by travel fans around the world in PrivateFly.com's recent Airport Approaches Survey.

The Airport Approaches Survey was conducted in December 2012 on PrivateFly.com, the leading online booking platform for private aviation charters. SXM airport was selected from a group of airports chosen by a panel of high-profile travel industry experts with travel enthusiasts voting for their favorites.

"We are incredibly proud of our airport in St. Maarten and are appreciative that travelers from around the globe enjoy the one-of-a-kind views that both spectators on the ground and passengers in the sky are afforded at Maho Beach and the Princess Juliana International Airport," said Edward Dest, interim director of tourism for the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau.

SXM airport, located on the scenic shores of Maho Beach, offers passengers on incoming flights breathtaking views of turquoise waters and white sand beaches, while spectators looking to get a unique view of low-flying incoming planes frequent Maho Beach daily.

For additional information on St. Maarten, visit the official site of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau at www.VacationStMaarten.com.

The Department of Statistics (STAT) in collaboration with the Ministry of VROMI is currently collecting data on the Dutch side of St. Maarten, to update the Geographic Information System (GIS) of government.

This initiative entails collecting & recording up-to-date information on the location and function of each building on Dutch St. Maarten. This includes for example, registering the address, type of building (i.e. residence, commercial, church, school etc.), the number of floors & units of each building, and some other general information.

The project commenced this week and is projected to run until March 2013.

With an updated GIS, the government of St. Maarten and STAT will have access to a current map of St. Maarten, with proper street-names, and building-function data. This can serve many purposes, in particular for STAT, it will assist with determining the coverage of the Population Census, facilitate the fieldwork process on future sample-based surveys as well as
provide a basis for spatial analysis.

The Department wishes the general public to be informed of this undertaking, and thanks persons in advance for co-operating with its staff members, should they be approached, in connection with this project.