Email Newsletter
How government ruined Air Lekkerbek

Dear Editor, In 2002 my wife and I purchased Air Lekkerbek, the plane on the Pondfill that was one of the major touristic attractions on the island and frequented by many residents. The business was bought as a retirement investment so that we...

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stmaartennews.com
Dear Reader

Valya Lake-Pantophlet has put our collective legislative body called Parliament to shame.

As a private citizen, the young professional has presented, not one, not two, but three draft amendments on her own initiative. Click here to read the full story online.. .

How many new draft laws has our Parliament submitted over the past 7 going on 8 years? Don't worry, we'll wait while you count.

Just yesterday we wrote in our intro: "In any event, we intend to collect all these ideas put forward by candidates and over time after the elections, whether these candidates are elected or not, follow up with them on the practical implementation and execution of their ideas. Because in reality, one does not have to be elected to put an idea into practice. In other words, ideas should not be left up to only government, or when one is in government, to execute a plan. We tend too often to look to government to do things when in fact everyone outside of government do have the means and the abilities to get things done as well."

So let's look at this from the positive and not bash our fledgling 7-year old Parliament. St. Maarten is a young country, but the initiative taken by Valya shows that as a country and as a people we are heading in the right direction as we slowly develop into a mature well-rounded country where we as citizens don't have to depend on government only to do things for us.

Rest assured, we will be following up and monitoring the practical implementation and execution of the process surrounding these draft amendments. We commend Valya for the great initiative shown.

That being said... now for some huishoudelijke medelingen...

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###   Advisory Message ###
For the month of  February 2018  the five-volume  The Laws of St. Maarten can be purchased at the reduced price of  $50.00  per set at Van Dorp Bookstores on Illidge Road and in Simpson Bay.
We encourage every citizen on St. Maarten to buy and READ  The Laws of St. Maarten  . See the advertorial below in this newsletter for more information.
###   End of Advisory Message ###

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Other than that, hope you had a great weekend and look forward to a productive week!

The Publisher
StMaartenNews.com

PS: You can also email  info@stmaartennews.com to request us to sign you up for a Yearly subscription for only $75. We will email you an electronic invoice for payment at your convenience. You can choose to pay with your creditcard, debitcard, banktransfer, check or cash.
StMaartenNews.com Top Story
Slap on the wrist for first Emerald-suspects

PHILIPSBURG - No serious prison sentences for the first two defendants in the Emerald tax fraud case, but community service and relatively low conditional jail terms. The Court in First Instance sentenced firefighter Keith Gastia Fleming on...

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stmaartennews.com
StMaartenNews.com Feature Article
How late is too late?

By Chris Morvan, A British aristocrat, Lord Bates, recently arrived very late for a sitting of the House of Lords and was so ashamed of himself, he offered to resign. On the strength of this, the BBC (the one that's short for British Broadcasting ...

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stmaartennews.com
StMaartenNews.com Feature Stories
Robbery-suspect looks at 10 years in prison

PHILIPSBURG - Collin Anthony J. is looking at a 10-year prison sentence for three armed robberies during which he allegedly also robbed his victims of their freedom. The Court in First Instance will pronounce the verdict against the 30-year old...

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stmaartennews.com
Drugs mule gets 24 months

PHILIPSBURG - The court in first Instance sentenced drugs mule Orlando Cyril Overman on Wednesday to a 24-month prison term, with 14 months suspended and 3 years of probation. The public prosecutor had demanded 24 months with 12 months suspended...

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stmaartennews.com
Tromp initiates legal proceeding against his dismissal

WILLEMSTAD - Emsley Tromp, the former president of the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) who has been dismissed in October of last years, a legal proceeding to demand, among other things, his re-employment'. This was confirmed by...

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curacaochronicle.com
StMaartenNews.com Cartoon
Robin Hood

Political satirical cartoon

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stmaartennews.com
StMaartenNews.com Letters to the Editor
William carves space for Latin America and the Caribbean

Dear Editor, In a January 2018 article of The Diplomat they describe that,"as relations between the United States and Latin America appears to be deteriorating under the Trump administration, China is actively embracing Latin American and...

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stmaartennews.com
StMaartenNews.com Government News
William questions logic of launching registration drive...

GREAT BAY - Former Prime Minister William Marlin says the move by the government to launch something as important as the National Employment Registration Drive this coming Monday, the day of the snap parliamentary elections, seems untimely,...

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stmaartennews.com
Sint Maarten sets tone in OCT Ministerial Meeting

SINT MAARTEN/BELGUIM - In what can be considered a very productive day in Brussels, Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin successfully addressed the OCTA (Overseas Countries & Territories Association) Ministerial Conference on Post 2020 relations...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
Information session on housing opportunities for teachers

PHILIPSBURG - Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Jorien Wuite invites all teachers, administrative and management staff desirous of exploring the possibility of owning their own home to an information session organized in...

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stmaartennews.com
Creative Industries Forum event to be hosted by Ministry ...

SINT MAARTEN (POND ISLAND) - The Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Jorien Wuite, has announced that the ministry will be hosting a Creative Industries Interactive Exchange Forum, CIIEF, on March 21st, 2018 with an aim to encourage...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
MP Connor commends Government and APS...

SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - "I have been following news in which Minister of Education, Honorable Jorien Wuite met with representatives of the APS (Ed General Pension Fund) about their plans to develop affordable housing for civil servants,...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
WORLD BANK APPROVES NEW HOSPITAL BIDDING PROCESS

SINT MAARTEN (POND ISLAND) - As part of World Bank process to approve funding, a critical requirement is that the proposed projects meet World Bank's bidding or procurement requirements. World Bank representatives have confirmed that the tender...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
StMaartenNews.com Elections News
SDM says it's your right to Vote. Vote for a change of...

PHILIPSBURG - The St. Maarten Development Movement (SDM), one of six political parties vying for a parliamentary seat in the February 26 polls is calling on the electorate to come out and exercise their right to vote. "It is almost time to vote...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
SMCP held first ever cyber public meeting

Philipsburg - The Sint Maarten Christian Party held its first Cyber Public Meeting last night Thursday, February 22nd, 2018 at 7pm. As far as SMCP knows, this is the first ever public political meeting that will be held in Sint Maarten....

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stmaartennews.com
Video commercial: "Go out and Vote!"

"Go out and Vote" Public Service Campaign from the Government's Department of Communications (DCOMM)

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StMaartenNews.com Politics
Valya submits draft amendments to legislation ...

PHILIPSBURG - Valya Lake-Pantophlet, who's contesting the upcoming snap election as the number 5 candidate on the United Sint Maarten Party (USP) slate, submitted multiple pieces of draft amendments to existing legislation to the Government and...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
StMaartenNews.com Business News
PSS extends agreement with Moneygram

Philipsburg - Postal Services St.Maarten (PSS) Management and Moneygram Head of Caribbean, Peter Smith, met on Thursday morning. The outcome of the meeting ended positively as PSS will resume Moneygram services until March 6th, 2018. During this...

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stmaartennews.com
Minister of Tourism De Weever welcomes CN-Express Air...

POND ISLAND - Acting Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Cornelius de Weever, says he welcomes the news about an agreement that has been signed this week between the Netherlands and Winair ...

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stmaartennews.com
TelEm Group says material shortages causing slowdown in...

SINT MAARTEN (POND ISLAND) - TelEm Group says a chronic shortage of telecommunication material in the region is affecting restoration of services to St. Maarten customers following the passage of Hurricane Irma and Maria in September last year.

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www.soualiganewsday.com
Build Back Better Week on St. Maarten from March 16 till ...

SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry would like to hereby invite businesses to take part in this " Build Back Better Week SXM" (BBB) which will be held from March 16 th to March 20 th, 2018 at the Simpson...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
StMaartenNews.com Social News
EPIC recruiting volunteers for tree planting and Sentry...

SINT MAARTEN (CUL DE SAC) - This coming Saturday, February 24th, EPIC invites volunteers to their restoration site at Sentry Hill for a tree-planting and path-making session. The restoration site has been cleared of all invasive plant species,...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
EPIC announces it can now offer the BirdSleuth program ...

SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - Developed by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, BirdSleuth is an inquiry-based science curriculum that focuses around birds to engage students in scientific study and real data collection. Environmental Protection in the...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
ASK THE DOCTOR: make the choice and take action to...

COLE BAY - On Monday February 19th, Dr Bell, a medical doctor for over 17 years of which a family physician for seven years, held her first of three 'Ask the Doctor' sessions planned for this week at her practice at Diamond Drive 1 Union Road in...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
Guyana Association Republic Day Message to All Guyanese

PHILIPSBURG - The St. Maarten Guyanese Association (SMGA) would like to express warm wishes and congratulations to all Guyanese living in our adopted homeland a Happy Republic Day, which is celebrated each year on February 23.

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www.soualiganewsday.com
StMaartenNews.com Views
Empower the Women and Youth for a stable society

PHILIPSBURG - "For the last couple of weeks, I have been visiting some neighborhoods in Sint Maarten to listen to the concerns of the people', says Lucrecia Morales, candidate # 15 on the National Alliance (NA) slate. "What strikes me the most is ...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
Mauricia-Peterson: We need to start recycling education

Working on recycling laws is a most ~ Cali, Colombia / Philipsburg, St. Maarten - Francelise Mauricia-Peterson the #7 candidate on the St. Maarten Christian party (SMCP) has been doing some research in Cali Colombia on recycling. "While in Cali,...

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721news.com
StMaartenNews.com Dutch Caribbean News
Curaçao and Medellin sign Memorandum of Understanding

WILLEMSTAD, MEDELLIN - In the framework of Anato, the mayor of Medellín, Federico Gutiérrez and the minister of economic development of Curaçao, Steven Martina, announced this memorandum that will strengthen the cultural, cognitive and economic...

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curacaochronicle.com
Prime Minister visits Vice President Council of State

THE HAGUE - On Tuesday, February 20, Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath paid a visit to Vice-President of the Council of State in The Hague, Mr. Piet Hein Donner. It was a pleasant and constructive conversation in which the state officials could...

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curacaochronicle.com
Press release University of Curaçao: All courses accredited

WILLEMSTAD - The University of Curacao Dr. ir. Moises da Costa Gomez has decided to convene a press conference to clarify the questions asked on the basis of articles that have appeared in the media in recent days (not in Curaçao Chronicle). Dr....

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curacaochronicle.com
StMaartenNews.com Poll

Yes - 30%
No - 20%
Yes, but St. Maarten politicians do not know the meaning of the word - 50%

Poll sponsored by  StMaartenFlowers.com, where you order online, we deliver offline.
The issuance of government land in long lease should be a matter of...
First come, first served
For locals only
Following proper procedures
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
SZV ASKING EMPLOYERS TO DECLARE AND PAY PREMIUMS ONLINE

PHILIPSBURG - Social & Health Insurances SZV has introduced several online services in 2017, including the Employer Portal where companies can submit their ZV/OV declarations digitally. Employers are obligated by law to submit and pay their ZV/OV ...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
StMaartenNews.com Advertisements
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StMaartenNews.com Online News Stories
170,000 U.S. dollars offered for drug aircraft

WILLEMSTAD - The interest in the drug plane that is being auctioned by the Public Prosecution Office (OM) is disappointing. Only 7 people have made an offer. The first auction failed because the buyer did not come across the bridge with the...

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curacaochronicle.com
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Let's Cruise - Eastern, Western, Southern Caribbean...

Lets-Cruise.co is offering cruise vacations on the best and biggest cruise ships in the world with brand name cruises and destinations in the Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean, Alaska, Europe and the Mediterranean, ...

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www.lets-cruise.co
Venezuela launches world's first government-backed...

CARACAS -Venezuela has formally launched its new oil-backed cryptocurrency, the Petro, as it seeks to pull itself out of economic crisis. The Nicolás Maduro government plans to issue a total of 100 million digital tokens, which started with the...

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curacaochronicle.com
Citgo Petroleum slows Aruba refinery revamp due to US...

HOUSTON - Houston-based Citgo Petroleum has slowed work on an overhaul of its 235,000-barrel-per-day Aruba refinery due to a lack of financing stemming from U.S. sanctions on Venezuela's state-run PDVSA, the refining firm said. Sanctions imposed...

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curacaochronicle.com
The Bahamas to get US$4.5 billion oil refinery...

NASSAU - US-based Oban Energies is developing a US$4.5-billion oil refinery and oil storage facility off the southern tip of Grand Bahamas Island. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis says the project is expected to create 600 direct jobs and 1,000...

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curacaochronicle.com
Jamaican Tech Entrepreneur Working on Caribbean Amazon

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Thursday February 22, 2018 - Jamaica's leading information technology magnate has his sights set on starting the Caribbean's first major Internet retailer business, like Amazon or Alibaba, focusing on products from the region.

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www.caribbean360.com
Switch To A Digital Wallet And Ditch All These Things!

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Wednesday February 21, 2018 - When you carry your cash with you in a digital wallet, you can make your purse, wallet, handbag and pocket much lighter. How come? Because here are the things you WON'T be needing in future:...

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www.caribbean360.com
ARIN launches initiative to strengthen computer networks ...

PORT OF SPAIN - A new initiative in the Caribbean will focus on making the region's computer networks better able to defend against natural disasters and cyber attacks. The thrust is spearheaded by the American Registry for Internet Numbers...

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curacaochronicle.com
More than 85,000 kilos of garbage during carnival

WILLEMSTAD - Waste management company Selikor collected more than 85 thousand kilos of garbage during the carnival road marches. Slightly less than last year. The collection of garbage went faster compared to other years. Partly because of the...

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curacaochronicle.com
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Weather Forecast: Friday to Sunday

DATE ISSUED: Thursday, February 22, 2018 @ 18:00 LST (2:00 UTC) VALID UNTIL: Friday evening (18:00 LST) February 23, 2018 ...A SMALL CRAFT WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ST. MAARTEN UNTIL 6 PM TOMORROW... WEATHER: Tonight through Friday evening: Fair...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
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StMaartenNews.com Column
Fly-in-something in the Caribbean

by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert ~ How about Fly-In Banking; like a drive-in fast food operation? No, it's no joke. In the Caribbean? Probably not, but that is not the point. One has to look at the principles of the concept and explore if one could do a...

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stmaartennews.com
StMaartenNews.com Dutch News
Netflix should invest in Dutch audio-visual sector ...

Foreign streaming businesses such as Netflix and Amazon should invest in Dutch media productions and help the audio-visual sector find a place in the new media landscape, the Dutch culture council said on Thursday. Public and commercial...

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www.dutchnews.nl
'Suspect can no longer avoid facing victim in court'

People accused of serious violent and sexual crimes will have no choice but to appear in court if victims want to exercise their right to speak, the justice ministry announced on Thursday. Up to now, suspects have had the option whether or not to ...

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www.dutchnews.nl
Local murder suspect on Dutch wanted list

WILLEMSTAD - Quincley Emanuel Poppen is on the National Wanted List in the Netherlands. 5 years ago he assaulted a mini-market near Janwe's church in Curaçao and shot the owner to death. Family members recognized him on images of the security...

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curacaochronicle.com
SXM Daily News - 22 Feb 2018
SXM Daily News February 22, 2018

SXM Daily News February 22, 2018

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With the high season upon us and more and more airlines are resuming flights to and from St. Maarten, we are also open to take your flight bookings to and from St. Maarten as well.
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