PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Franklin Meyers used most of his speaking time during the budget debate to speak out against the constant arrests taking place on St. Maarten. Meyers said right now only the “blacks” on St. Maarten is being targeted. He mentioned the names of the various owners of houses of repute that were arrested even though the government is making monies from the “girls” that comes to the island to work. He said government issued permits to the owners of these businesses, they make monies from the owners and the “girls” yet government sit back and allow the Dutch namely the law enforcement wing targeting locals. Meyers asked if there are any local policemen from St. Maarten investigating people in Holland? Further, he asked who is the RST and other Dutch detectives reporting to? are they reporting to St. Maarten local chief of police or the former chief of police of St. Maarten. Meyers said locals on St. Maarten are not allowed to excel in life, he said because of this black men commit crimes such as robberies. Meyers went on to say his brother Etienne Toochi Meyers who is like a father to him was arrested and locked up for 32 days and all his rights were violated. "my brother did not even have the right to a visitor." Meyers said it's all well and good when locals work for banks or airlines and other major companies but the moment they try to own a bank or an airline they become a target because then and only then the Dutch wants to know where the locals are getting monies from. He vowed to speak out on this matter especially seeing that locals can no longer do business or even live in peace.
MP Meyers said that the moment a local is rising to the top they become a target. He said his brother Etienne Meyers was in police custody for 32 days and he was denied a visitor, he asked the Minister of Justice if that is normal practice, since the Minister is also a lawyer. Besides that he said that recently the owner of Checkmate Security (Oneil Arrindell) was arrested simply because that “black man” has monies and the Dutch wants to know where the blacks on St. Maarten getting the monies from. Meyers said that the Dutch went as far as trying to align MP Frans Richardson with the owner of Checkmate. "They wrote in their newspapers that MP Richardson and Arrindell were childhood friends, Meyers said when he read that he laughed because the only childhood friend MP Frans Richardson had was him. Meyers made clear as a young man growing up he and Frans Richardson were seen everywhere. This he said is another attempt to tarnish another businessman and local. Meyers mentioned the arrest of Silvio Matser, and several others all of which he considered to be unjustified.
Meyers said that during his screening process the VDSM wrote a report that is full of lies, and the worst part is that he cannot contest the contents of the report. Meyers said that VDSM claims he is part of the sex industry, something that is a blatant lie. Meyers said that in the same report that VDSM wrote that he is doing business with a ‘mafia boss’ Francesco Corallo because he rented his casino license to Corallo. MP Meyers made clear that there is a court verdict that prohibits people from labeling Corallo as a ‘mafia boss’ because there is no evidence or proof to support such, yet VDSM and the RST address the businessman as a mafia boss. MP Meyers said while locals are forbidden to speak or do business with Corallo, the Dutch themselves such as the RST renting apartments from the same person they are calling a ‘mafia boss’. MP Meyers kept calling on the Members of Parliament and Ministers to do what they need to do to protect the people of St. Maarten. He said the Dutch is after the people of St. Maarten, "today it's me but tomorrow it will be you or your loved ones."
He also mentioned that on Monday, during the Parliament meeting two Dutch men walked into the Parliament building (RST agents) to interview MP Brownbill. MP Meyers said that Parliament has a chair and he cannot understand why the RST or the prosecutor’s office did not send a notification to say they wanted to speak or interview MP Brownbill. He said that this is not normal. However, spokesman for the Prosecutor’s Office said that the two officers went to Parliament to make an appointment with someone that was in Parliament on Monday and they did not interview anyone.