PHILIPSBURG--Job security for employees of St. Maarten Telephone Group of Companies TelEm and United Telecommunications Services (UTS), the need for improved quality of telephone service, acquiring St. Maarten's shares in UTS and the appointment of a St. Maarten representative on the UTS board were some of the concerns raised by Members of Parliament (MPs) during the plenary session of Parliament...
THE HAGUE--The objectives to reduce the overrepresentation of Dutch Caribbean youngsters in crime, unemployment, educational and social welfare statistics in the Netherlands have mostly failed. Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Lodewijk Asscher stated this in a letter that he sent to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament last Friday, along with the 2013 monitoring report on the...
COLE BAY--A number of residents have been trying to appeal planned evictions from the emergency homes in Cole Bay by the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) for some time now. One concerned resident has come forward, stating that although he knew they had been trying to evict them, he found it unfair that he had received an official termination-of-lease letter on very short notice....
THE HAGUE--Gaining five seats in the European Parliament, Christian Democrat CDA has won the European elections in the Netherlands, it emerged on Sunday. Dutch voters were among the first to go to the polls on Thursday in the elections for a new Parliament of the European Union. The final vote count was announced Sunday at 11:00pm, after the polling stations had closed in Italy. Exit polls had predicted...
PHILIPSBURG--Two armed men executed a daring daylight robbery at Swiss Time store on Front Street around 11:50am on Saturday, May 24. Police spokesperson Inspector Ricardo Henson said two unknown men wearing motorcycle helmets and dressed in dark clothing pulled up in front of the store in a white van with licence plate 5638AAA. The robbers parked in the middle of the street in front of the store,...
PHILIPSBURG--United Telecommunications Services (UTS) Eastern Caribbean has been incorporated into a new holding company, UTS Eastern Caribbean Holding N.V., giving this subsidiary of the UTS Group the ability to operate more efficiently and timely in its core market. The incorporation took place at Boekhoudt Civil Law Notary Office in St. Maarten on Friday, May 23. UTS Eastern Caribbean N.V. has...
CAY HILL--The Asha Stevens Hillside Christian School Parents Committee hosted a silent march against all types of child abuse on the evening of Saturday, May 24, which it said was in solidarity with all children of the country. The event was attended by more than 100 people, as well as young attack victim S.B., who is a pupil at the school. S.B. participated in the march by being driven most of the...
PHILIPSBURG--A man who was arrested for a terrifying assault on a nine-year-old girl in South Reward on Thursday, May 15, has had his detention extended by the Investigating Judge yesterday. He is now officially in pre-trial detention, Prosecutor Tineke Kamps confirmed. After his initial 48 hours of police detention, the Prosecutor's Office had already extended his detention to 10 days, causing the...
WILLEMSTAD--The Judge of Instruction will decide Monday at the latest if MFK-leader and Curaçao Member of Parliament (MP) Gerrit Schotte is to remain behind bars for the full eight-day extension of his detention by the Prosecutor's Office. His female partner Cicely van der Dijs was released Thursday night, mainly because a detective had told her she would only be held for one more day during questioning....
AMSTELVEEN--Well-known Curaçao top criminal Gwenette Martha was shot dead execution style in the street in Amstelveen, close to Amsterdam, Thursday night. Martha (40), who was nicknamed "the untouchable" because many times he managed to stay out of justice's hands, was one of the most famous criminals in the Netherlands. He has been involved in many cocaine transports from South America and committed...
SIMPSON BAY--Princess Juliana International Airport SXM officially inaugurated on Friday its LED-lit runway, the first fully LED-lit runway in the region. The media were invited to view the progress SXM Airport has made, the airport recently having celebrated 70 years in existence. The inauguration ceremony was attended by various dignitaries, airport board, staff and other invited guests. The audience...
PHILIPSBURG--Members of the first ever, three-day-long Kingdom Youth Parliament (KYP) presented the conclusions of debates, as well as their plan of action to Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Beatrix in the presence of her entourage and various Kingdom Government officials at the University of St. Maarten on Thursday. "You can still feel the temperature from the heated debates," joked host Roderik...
~ Brandon Fitzpatrick tops in Math, General Knowledge ~ By Judy H. Fitzpatrick PHILIPSBURG--St. Dominic Primary School pupil Naisha Lalwani and Sr. Magda Primary School pupil Xavier Tjon Jaw Chong tied for the top spot in the country in the Foundation-Based Examinations (FBE) Exit Examinations with an 86 per cent overall pass rate. Lalwani and Chong both accumulated 274 out of a possible 320 marks...
WILLEMSTAD--The two citizens' complaints that led to the detention of former Curaçao Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte (MFK) and his pregnant partner Cicely van der Dijs were filed on September 18 and October 22 of 2012. The local Daily Extra revealed that while one of the complaints was anonymous, the other came from Henricus "Harrie" Verstappen. Schotte was held at the World Trade Centre (WTC) in Piscadera...
~ Suggests formation of kingdom business bureau ~ DAWN BEACH--Former Netherlands Antilles Prime Minister Etienne Ys minced no words when it came to exploring and encouraging trade and business in the Dutch Caribbean, when he said Wednesday that the biggest problem the islands face in progressing economically is their lack of communication. "The islands are not talking business to each other. We don't...
HRH Princess Beatrix (centre) laughs with various members of the Kingdom Youth Parliament during a formal event at the Belair Community Centre, May 21. Photo by Darlene Hodge. ...
MAHO--Inclusion and consensus-building are the highest responsibilities of leadership and government, said former Barbados Prime Minister, now Member of Parliament (MP) Owen Arthur, at the second annual Social Economic Council SER symposium on Tuesday. The former prime minister in his keynote speech said, "To build on inclusion your society must make sure you match aspiration and opportunity." Arthur...
~ Suspected of forgery, money laundering ~ WILLEMSTAD--Former Curaçao Prime Minister and MFK leader Gerrit Schotte (39) and his life partner Cicely van der Dijs (36) were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the criminal investigation “Babel.” Schotte and Van der Dijs are suspected of several counts of forgery and money-laundering, according to a press release from the local Prosecutor’s Office....
By John van Kerkhof POND ISLAND--Princess Beatrix opened the Kingdom Youth Parliament (KYP) at University of St. Martin (USM) Tuesday morning. After a short speech, the princess handed the gavel to 23-year-old St. Maarten student and Youth Parliament chairperson Trumane Trotman. For three days, 50 young persons ages 16-23 years from all countries in the kingdom will be debating different themes, among...
PHILIPSBURG--The General Audit Chamber has found that the financial information contained in the government's 2012 Financial Statements does not meet the requirements stipulated in the National Financial Accounting Ordinance and the National Ordinance General Audit Chamber. The financial statements contain "material errors" amounting to NAf. 45.7 million and budget over- and under spending. The chamber...