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{The Daily Herald}
PORT OF SPAIN--According to the Associated Press (AP), a St. Maarten government official joined a chorus of gay rights activists in “blasting” the United Nations on Tuesday for organising a book launch in Trinidad to talk about HIV and human rights in the Caribbean, noting the island bars entry to homosexuals. Margje Troost, acting director of the HIV/AIDS project at the St. Maarten Ministry of Public Health, was quoted by the AP as asking: “Why is the UN not urging the Caribbean countries more strongly to ban these clearly outdated laws and regulations which are indisputably violating the human rights of so many?” She went on to note that she was not speaking on behalf of her government. The book launch is being sponsored in part by the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS, and numerous activists were invited to attend. Among them was Maurice Tomlinson, a legal adviser with New York-based AIDS-Free World, who filed a lawsuit against Trinidad’s government seeking to strike down the law. Trinidad is the only Caribbean island with such a law, and Tomlinson questioned why UN officials had not chosen another venue to talk about the book, Legal and Policy Perspectives on HIV and Human Rights in the Caribbean. Caribbean officials involved in HIV/AIDS programmes called on the United Nations to help reject such laws. According to the AP article, in December 2012, Trinidad Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar ordered government officials to prepare a national gender policy to help end discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation, but it is unclear if that policy has been created. The office of Gender, Youth and Child Development did not return messages for comment, the press agency reported. Several Caribbean nations ban sex between men. The penalty in most islands, including Grenada, is up to 10 years in prison, although Barbados and Guyana allow life imprisonment, according to a 2010 United Nations report. In a related statement this week, though focused on same-sex unions, St. Maarten’s Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams said, “It’s not for me to judge those choices and as a government official it does not give me the right either. However, I also believe in the democratic fundamentals and that is … to have decisions and choices made on the basis of the majority [but – Ed.] respecting the opinion of the minority. “I don’t believe that a minority should force us to change our laws because I believe in the democratic principles, because after all is said and done what does the majority think? But you need to respect the fact that you have people who think differently.”~ Four flights per week in December ~SIMPSON BAY--Copa Airlines, the island's major connection to the South American market, will be back to servicing Princess Juliana International Airport SXM with four flights weekly from its Panama hub as from December 12. This was one of the results of talks held between a delegation led by Minister Ted Richardson and Copa executives in Panama recently.However, for the Copa flights to remain sustainable, it was agreed that the St. Maarten delegation, which also included representatives of the Office du Tourisme in Marigot and Anguilla, would create market awareness to help push the flights.Similarly, it is imperative for St. Maarten to revisit its visa requirements if an increase in traffic is the desired goal, as the current requirements do not favour tourism growth."Furthermore, we would have to optimise our product, as everybody sells a different type of product, and focus on secondary markets, such as Porto Alegre rather than Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil," reported SXM Airport Marketing and Customer Service Department Acting Manager Suzy Kartokromo, who was part of the delegation.According to Kartokromo, parties agreed to consider all these issues in finalising their 2014 marketing plans.Partnering with Copa Airlines currently are both sides of the island and Anguilla. In keeping with the objectives of the recently concluded Air Service Maintenance and Development study, efforts are ongoing to include hub partners St. Barths and possibly both Dominica and Tortola in the marketing efforts.Copa Airlines operates a network consisting of 66 destinations in 29 countries, which represents 1,800 weekly flights, using 90 aircraft that are on average only five years old. Copa's average load factor is in the high 80 per cent, and occasionally surpasses 90 per cent.While 250 strategic partners sell Copa Vacations packages, the airline also offers a great marketing tool dubbed the "free stopover in Panama" for connecting passengers. This is a two-for-the-price-of-one deal that allows travellers not originating in Panama to stay up to seven days at the connecting city (Panama) on their way to or from their destination.Minister Richardson extended an invitation to all parties to hold the next meeting of the group in St. Maarten. No date has been fixed for this meeting yet.WILLEMSTAD--At the moment four Members of Parliament in Curaçao are receiving additional protection, while one has applied for a firearms license. Minister of Justice Nelson Navarro (PAIS) stated this in answer to questions from parliamentarians Omayra Leeflang (independent), Alex Rosaria (PAIS) and Amerigo Thodé (MFK) during the Central Committee meeting on the 2014 budget.After the murder of PS leader Helmin Wiels it was decided to arrange additional protection for parliamentarians and ministers. However, the cost involved is very high.The latter gave cause to reduce or even discontinue the protection of some legislators and cabinet members who aren't considered to be under threat risk. For the first time a risk analysis on this issue is being done, and based on the results the protection is either sharpened or stopped.This analysis is done weekly, and from recent results sent to the Ministry of Justice it appears that four parliamentarians run a huge risk and therefore need additional protection, which they've meanwhile received, Navarro stated. He refused to mention any names.The analysis also shows that the other parliamentarians are not running a risk at all and therefore will not receive protection. However, this doesn't mean they've been declared a target, the Minister replied in answer to questions from Thodé. "In any case, we will keep an eye on the situation every week."The exact extra security expense is still unknown, according to the Minister, as no specific amount was estimated. The cost has been included in the budget prepared for both the National Security Corps, reinforced later on with officers from "Sèrvisio di Kòntròl i Seguridat" (SKS), and the Curaçao Police Corps.Navarro further announced that one parliamentarian applied for a weapons permit. This name was not mentioned either. According to the Minister, all parliamentarians are allowed to apply for such a license, but are to meet the requirements in conformity with the firearms regulation.When asked, he explained that because parliamentarians are not directly mentioned in the firearms regulation, they are to return their weapon when no longer in office. Others, such as for example police officers and security guards, are allowed to carry their weapon during four years after termination of employment.PHILIPSBURG--Former BavPol police cadet Emanuel Velasquez saw his sentence reduced as a result of his appeal to the Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and Bonaire, Statia and Saba.Velasquez was initially sentenced in September 2012 to 48 months, 12 of which were suspended, on two years' probation, for rape and deprivation of liberty.As a result of the appeal, Velasquez' sentence was reduced to 36 months, of which 12 were suspended with a probation of two years.The Joint Court dissolved the initial verdict, due to a number of minor details on which the court did not agree with the Court of First Instance. The Joint Court found that Velasquez had not physically locked the victim into the room, although he had prevented her from leaving.However,[url=http://www.ugg-boots-sale.org]cheap ugg[/url], a retrial still led to Velasquez being found guilty of the original offences as it was found that deprivation of liberty was still achieved by Velasquez threatening the girl and preventing her from leaving the room.Velasquez, who was a junior police officer at the time of the offence, was said to have taken a woman to a hotel room, where he raped her five times. He threatened the woman, who was an illegal immigrant on the island, that he would call the police if she did not submit to his wishes. She was also beaten and bitten by him.Velasquez maintained throughout the trial that he was not guilty and that the sex had been consensual. Velasquez was suspended from his job as police officer after the offence.~ SLAC regulates and competes with industry ~PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTA) has reiterated its plea for authorities to strip Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Corporation (SLAC) of its regulatory powers and have the regulation handled by an independent body.SMMTA's call stems from the fact that SLAC functions as a regulatory body for the industry and functions as its competitor, a situation which SMMTA says is a glaring conflict of interest."If you're regulating the industry you shouldn't be competing with it," SMMTA President Brian Deher told Members of Parliament (MPs) in Thursday's continuation of a meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament that started in March.The association also called for the structure of the bridge fees for vessels entering Simpson Bay Lagoon to be revised, as the current fee structure is stifling the industry.SLAC had been given a specific set of objectives when it originally was established to protect the industry. However, new objectives were added when SLAC was turned over to the Harbour Group of Companies in 2010, which concerns SMMTA.SLAC has a concession to charge fees for access and length of stay; employs the Harbourmaster; controls access to the waterway; while at the same time its parent company (the Harbour) owns docks and fuelling facilities in an area outside of Simpson Bay, the zone where the heaviest fees are levied. It is less expensive for a vessel to be docked or anchored in Great Bay than in Simpson Bay.Deher argued that Harbour Chief Executive Officer Mark Mingo should not be given the authority to oversee the regulatory body.He said the Harbour had a few slips that it leased out on a long-term basis. He provided an example of a vessel that had been a client of one of the marinas in the lagoon and used to stay there for most of the season until the slip at the Harbour became available. He said it was factually incorrect to say that the Harbour only catered to vessels that were too large to enter the lagoon.The lagoon has more than 160 slips that can accommodate yachts more than 80 feet long, while there are fewer than 20 in Philipsburg. However, there are development plans at Bobby's Marina and Dock Maarten that will add additional slips in Great Bay, Deher said.He said too that there was a significant difference in the mooring fees charged to stay in Great Bay compared to those charged in the Simpson Bay area and there were no fees at all to stay in Oyster Pond. These discrepancies, he noted, create at best confusion and at worst an unfair disadvantage to the facilities in the Simpson Bay area."Perhaps SLAC/the Harbour have a justification for the price discrepancy, but this question has been posed to them by the SMMTA for several years and they have yet to provide us with an answer," he said.FuelAnother area of concern was the fact that the Harbour openly sells fuel to anyone who wants to come to the port, but does not charge the five per cent turnover tax (ToT) that marinas are compelled to charge. Deher said, "This is a direct violation of the current tax laws imposed on the marinas in the lagoon and presumably on the rest of the island."He said when this point had been raised with the Tax Inspector, SMMTA had been told that the Inspector would not be auditing a Government-held NV. Deher said this was a clear issue of an unfair competitive advantage.Marinas in the lagoon risk being audited and fined if they don't include the five per cent ToT on fuel sold to privately held vessels, but the Harbour Group of Companies can quote and sell to the same clients at a rate that is five per cent lower than all other facilities and still claim it is not competing, he noted.While the Harbour Group of Companies did not necessarily create this problem, it is well aware of it and continues to exploit it to its advantage, he said.According to Deher, it is Government's responsibility to create a fair business environment by doing away with the discrepancy between taxes imposed on the private sector that are not imposed on Government-owned NVs that compete against the private sector.This, he stressed, sets "a very dangerous precedent" for Country St. Maarten and certainly will be noted by international companies looking to invest on the island.SLAC feesThe Association also called for a change to the fee structure charged to vessels entering the lagoon, as this is driving away vessels.Deher said SLAC charged a minimum weekly fee to enter the lagoon. There is no daily fee. A 20-foot yacht, for example, would be charged around US $500 each time it enters the lagoon. If a yacht decides to take daily trips to neighbouring islands and return through the bridge seven times in the week it has to pay the $500 fee each time it enters, translating into its paying for seven weeks.Deher said this deterred yachts from wanting to dock in the lagoon and instead they chose to go to French St. Martin or another location. He suggested that the fee be restructured to, perhaps, a daily fee.Deher said too, that there was no transparency with SLAC's budget and it was unclear how it used the approximately US $1 million it generated yearly from bridge fees. Several areas of suggestions were made where SLAC could use its resources.The association suggested that the mandate given to SLAC be revised to eliminate the conflict of interest.Several MPs expressed concern about the issues raised by SMMTA.United People's (UP) party MP Theo Heyliger, who had responsibility for the harbour as commissioner and then minister for several years, said removing the regulatory aspect of SLAC should be relatively easy and is something the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (TEATT) should address with haste. He said, however, that the bridge fees were another matter, but this too is a matter for the TEATT Minister.SMMTA member Michael Ferrier said government should consider giving the Maritime Authority the power to regulate the industry.Parliament's TEATT Committee is expected to meet on the concerns expressed by SMMTA. A tour of the lagoon for MPs also will be planned.Also attending Thursday's meeting were National Alliance (NA) MPs Louie Laveist, George Pantophlet, Dr. Lloyd Richardson and Hyacinth Richardson; UP MPs Silvia Meyers,[url=http://www.ugg-boots-sale.org]ugg outlet[/url], Jules James, Johan "Janchi" Leonard and Parliament President Gracita Arrindell; and Democratic Party (DP) MP Roy Marlin.~ Says time to debate issue is approaching ~PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams on Tuesday weighed in on the issue of same sex marriage for St. Maarten saying that while government has not had a discussion on the issue; the debate will have to be held."By not talking about it, doesn't mean it will go away," she told reporters at Wednesday's Council of Ministers press briefing in response to a question."I am a firm believer that matters like this, you have to debate as a community - you have to take the feelings of all the people into consideration... We haven't started that, but... the time is approaching that we will have to."Wescot-Williams declined to give her personal opinion on same sex marriages on the grounds that she does not want to "run ahead of the discussions."She said, however, that she believes in the "equal treatment" of persons for sure and of respecting someone's individual choices. "It's not for me to judge those choices and as a government official it does not give me the right either. However, I also believe in the democratic fundamentals and that is... to have decisions and choices made on the basis of the majority [but - ed.] respecting the opinion of the minority. I don't believe that a minority should force us to change our laws because I believe in the democratic principles because after all is said and done what does the majority think? But you need to respect the fact that you have people who think differently."The first same sex couple tied the knot in French St. Martin on Saturday, October 12 amidst protests by a group of persons who were against the same sex union.The male couple became the first same sex couple in St. Martin to be joined together in matrimony at a ceremony held at the Collectivité. The couple was said to have been residing on the island for many years. This is the first same sex marriage in St. Martin since it became legal on May 18, 2013.France is the 13th country worldwide to allow same-sex couples to marry and the legislation applies to the French overseas departments and territories.Granting same-sex couples the right to marry and jointly adopt children was introduced to the National Assembly by the socialist government of Prime Minister Jean Marc Ayrault on November 7, 2012, with the support of President François Hollande, who declared his intent to support the legislation during his presidential campaign.The National Assembly approved the bill on February 12, 2013, in a 329–229 vote. On April 12, 2013, the Senate approved the bill with amendments in a 171–165 vote, followed by the approval of the amended bill by the National Assembly on April 23, 2013, in a 331–225 vote.PHILIPSBURG--Prosecutors have appealed the decision of the court to throw out money laundering from the suspected pre-trial offenses of Bada Bing owner Jaap van den Heuvel.Solicitor-General Taco Stein said on Wednesday that an appeal has been filed against the court's decision. He said the fact that money laundering was thrown out, does not mean that authorities cannot continue their investigations into this area.Van den Heuvel was released last week Friday after the court suspended his pre-trial detention amidst efforts of the prosecutor to add smuggling of women to his suspected offences. He has to, however, remain available to authorities.On the issue of human smuggling and trafficking of women, Stein said every adult entertainment business is a place of interest as it relates to this matter. He said authorities wanted to be "certain" that the women who work at Bada Bing (which he did not mention by name) are not victims of human trafficking and that they are treated the way they should be.He said the bribery aspect of the investigation is "going as we expect it to be going and we will have to complete that part of the investigation." He said too that more persons are likely to be interviewed for this aspect of the investigation.Van den Heuvel was detained on Monday, September 30 for forgery, tax fraud and money-laundering. He was arrested by the Landsrecherche. Van den Heuvel, who had been off island for a while, voluntarily turned himself in and was then detained.The Bada Bing boss is the center of the Bada Bing corruption case (called Orca investigation) which surrounds a videotape of Member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Illidge apparently accepting "probably banknotes" from Van den Heuvel while the two discuss business permits. Illidge had said in earlier media reports that it was repayment of a loan.Both Illidge and Van den Heuvel had said subsequently that United People's (UP) party leader Theo Heyliger had asked the strip club owner to make the video to blackmail Illidge into returning to the UP, which was in opposition at the time of the tape's release,[url=http://www.ugg-boots-sale.org]uggs[/url], to get that party back in government. Heyliger has never publicly commented on the allegations.A number of persons were interviewed as part of the investigations, including Illidge, van den Heuvel, former justice minister Roland Duncan, Immigration and Naturalisation Department (IND) head Udo Aron, Minister of Economic Affairs Romeo Pantophlet, Duncan's former driver Marina Serrant, Heyliger and other persons.A security camera on Avenue du Lagon, Oyster Pond, captured footage of this un-environmentally friendly cement truck driver dumping excess cement and washing out the holding tank of his truck. This incident took place right alongside the public road in a residential area much to the chagrin of residents. They hope that the owner of the truck of the company to which the truck belongs will do better in the future.PHILIPSBURG--It makes no sense for government and the governor to carry out separate integrity investigations of government, says Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams.The two entities need to work out how to move collectively on the investigations outlined in the kingdom decree (to which St. Maarten has objected on legal grounds) and the one outlined in a national decree that is yet to be signed by Governor Eugene Holiday."I have not figured out completely yet how we are to do that, but it doesn't make sense to me to have two investigations," she told the press on Wednesday.Government may review its national decree outlining the investigation it wants and change it into a ministerial decree. This will remove a situation where the governor is faced with a national decree and kingdom decree calling for investigations."We will still have to decide who we are going to get for this particular investigation," Wescot-Williams said.The kingdom decree on integrity and the discussions surrounding it have brought to the forefront a number of checks and balances related to St. Maarten, particularly in Kingdom Laws, that have not been taken into consideration or given sufficient attention, the prime minister said.Those laws include the Kingdom Law governing the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT, the Consensus Kingdom laws on the Joint Court of Justice, Police, and Council for the Maintenance of Law and Order. All of these laws are concerned with integrity in government, as is the functioning of the General Audit Chamber, the Civil and Penal Codes and the Financial Intelligence Unit."Allow our institutions to work. If these laws are not sufficiently utilised then let us look at that," she said, adding that the existing laws with ties to integrity maintenance should have been reviewed before the Kingdom Council of Ministers issued a decree.In the future the laws should be translated into English so the populations and others can see that the country is not a banana republic as some people believe it is, she said. "We have more checks and balances built-in in our laws and institutions, I dare say, than any other country in the Kingdom."Wescot-Williams made it clear that Transparency International would not be carrying out an integrity investigation; rather the institution will undertake a national integrity system assessment that will cost some 200,000 euros.No cost has yet been tagged to the integrity investigation government wants to carry out.Government is still waiting on a response from the Council of State on its objections to method used to come to the kingdom decree.Governor Holiday has not yet signed the national decree from government. He has responded to it with some technical questions, according to the prime minister. She also has discussed with the governor the integrity investigation situation in general.MARIGOT--Five men were arrested and charged in St. Martin after the discovery of a number of cannabis farms and a sizeable drug trafficking network.The initial investigation started in May 2012, when a survey of the French side of the island was conducted by the helicopter branch of the St. Martin Coast Guard and St. Martin Customs officers. Several sites in Concordia and Agrément where cultivation of cannabis was taking place were identified during the survey.The prosecutor instigated an investigation, whereupon the St. Martin Criminal Investigation Department made a second survey of the area with the support of the air section of the Gendarmerie of Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe and located three production sites on top of a hill in Concordia.The sites were located amongst dense vegetation and were difficult to access. They were equipped with a generator for the operation of hydroponics and a system for recovering rainwater which, after chemical treatment, was used to irrigate the plants. In total, more than 2,000 cannabis plants were discovered.After the investigation using surveillance, the Gendarmerie identified several individuals responsible for maintaining and growing the plants who also were involved in a sales network for herbal cannabis. The largest site was estimated to have contained about 1,700 cannabis plants and to have produced 50kg of herbal cannabis since December 2012.An operation conducted jointly by different departments of the St. Martin police on Tuesday, October 15, led to the arrest of five individuals and destruction of the facilities. Some 305 cannabis plants were found during searches of the suspects' homes, as well as a drying cabinet with ultraviolet lamps and integrated ventilation, cannabis seeds, fertiliser, account books and a .22 calibre rifle.The main suspect appeared in front of the prosecutor and was charged and remanded to prison in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, pending his trial. Three others were released and received summonses to attend Court on December 6. The last individual was placed under judicial control.~ Not known whether Labega's attorney will follow ~PHILIPSBURG--Jairo Bloem, attorney representing St. Maarten Tourism Bureau Interim Director Edward Dest, said on Tuesday that he had not been notified of any criminal charges that would be brought against his client and he would proceed to request that the judge of instruction close the investigation being conducted by the Prosecutor, "and as such also this entire matter, once and for all."It has been almost three years since a criminal complaint against Dest (who was then Head of Marketing at the bureau) and former bureau director Regina Labega was filed by Government's Finance Department former head Bas Roorda on November 25, 2010.Bloem does not represent Labega and up to press time it could not be determined whether her legal representation will follow the same route in requesting that the investigation be stopped.The criminal complaint was filed weeks after former minister of tourism Franklin Meyers suspended Dest and Labega on November 3, 2010, on the basis of what Meyers dubbed "discrepancies." Those discrepancies never have been clarified publicly. Speculation pointed to financial discrepancies found with funds allotted to the Tourism Bureau.Labega and Dest were not suspended because of a possible criminal investigation and to date have never been given a proper explanation about why they were suspended. In addition, the criminal complaint was filed weeks after their suspensions.Meyers withdrew their suspensions on December 2,[url=http://www.ugg-boots-sale.org]cheap uggs[/url], 2010, on the basis of insufficient grounds/lack of evidence on government's side. He indicated that government's ongoing investigation would continue and reserved the right to impose disciplinary measures should they become necessary.No information could be obtained on Tuesday about what had become of the government investigation. Meyers and Roorda have left office since. In almost three years, the Prosecutor's Office has not provided any significant information regarding the investigation.PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) has requested an "urgent" meeting of Parliament to debate government's decision to establish an integrity committee to investigate government's functioning. The presence of Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams has also been requested at the meeting to give clarity on the topic.This meeting request, dated Friday, October 18, was submitted to Parliament President Gracita Arrindell on Monday, October 21, along with two others for Central Committee meetings on unrelated topics. No dates have yet been set for these meetings.The requests were signed by NA Members of Parliament (MPs) Lloyd Richardson, Hyacinth Richardson and party leader William Marlin.According to an NA press release, its members believe clarity is needed on the integrity investigation.The Kingdom Council of Ministers issued a Kingdom Decree on September 30 instructing Governor Eugene Holiday to conduct an investigation into the integrity of government.The MPs stated in their letter that on several occasions over the past weeks, Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams publicly announced that government had agreed to have Transparency International conduct an integrity assessment of government.That was followed by Deputy Prime Minister/Justice Minister Dennis Richardson announcing last week Wednesday that the Council of Ministers made a unanimous decision on Tuesday, October 15, to establish its own committee to conduct an integrity investigation.This all seems rather confusing and contradictory, and warrants an explanation. The public deserves clarity in this entire matter, the MPs stated in their letter.The three MPs have also requested a Central Committee meeting to deal with the developments at the National Security Service VDSM and the suspension of VDSM Head James Richardson. Wescot-Williams, as Minister of General Affairs, is also requested to be at this meeting.They have also requested a copy of any report prepared by Government Accountant Bureau SOAB or any other institution on the functioning of VDSM in general and James Richardson in particular.For the second Central Committee meeting, the MPs have requested the presence of Minister of Youth, Education, Sports and Culture Patricia Lourens-Philip to provide Parliament with information and answer questions from MPs about the position of the Council of Ministers on the proposal to establish the St. Maarten Youth Football League.~ Weighs in on bottled water issue ~PHILIPSBURG--While he lauds government for clamping down on noncompliant bottled water brands, Caribbean Liquors and Tobacco Managing Director Georges Gréaux says importers cannot be held responsible for unregulated importations.Gréaux was responding at the time to the recent efforts of the Health Inspectorate to tighten the screws on noncompliant bottled water brands.He told The Daily Herald in an invited comment that St. Maarten and, by extension, St. Martin have their share of consumer product importations that bypass the local distributors and end up creating a situation for which the distributors cannot be held accountable, but that still can impact distributors' business negatively.The Inspectorate conducted a number of tests that showed the majority of the bottled water brands sold in St. Maarten to be "noncompliant." The only water that showed full compliance on a number of tests conducted recently was local brand Heavenly Water.Samples of different brands of bottled water were collected on March 25, August 7 and September 30, and analysed to determine their quality and compliance with legislation. The list might not be complete, Inspector General Dr. Earl Best had said, as some brands are imported on occasion and not always available, but the most common brands were examined.Caribbean Liquors imports and distributes Volvic, Evian and Badoit (sparkling) from the Danone group. "We believe that our government is on the right track in regulating packaged food and drinks such as bottled water. This ensures that good quality and safe product consumption standards are not only in place, but enforced and respected by the businesses involved in reselling to the consumer markets," said Gréaux."Throughout the years our company has, with the assistance of the Hygiene Department, consistently cleaned up any outdated or faulty product detected on the market that has originated from our inventory, using manufacturer's batch code tracking systems."He also said the company had been an advocate on this issue for years, especially regarding the illegal removing of batch codes from the products to be sold on the shelves to consumers.Gréaux said Inspector General Best had informed him that the manufacturer's batch code was necessary to be able to track any faulty product that might be detected locally or that might be recalled voluntarily by the manufacturer. "The laws have actually been in place for quite a while and now the inspectorate is working on the enforcement part that is essential in making the regulation a successful one to execute."Speaking about the regulations the bottled brands his company imports undergo, Gréaux said European water bottlers had to deal with even more stringent regulations and standards that are not only national, but also must meet the standards of the European Economic Council (EEC) regulators and those of other major international markets such as the United States, Asia, etc."So doing business with and importing bottled water coming from multinationals such as Danone gives us a comfort level that their end product has gone through the rigorous quality assurance testing requirements," he said."They provide us with the authenticity of origins to start with and under their guidance we provide them with samples of landed product for quality assurance testing performed in their labs. From time to time we also have the visit of their quality assurance team to inspect our facilities and the inventory."And finally, quality assurance is written into our distribution contracts, so in many respects, we're already self-regulated with compliance standards spelled out between the bottler and the distributor."Asked why he thought all imported bottled water brands had been found by the Inspectorate to be noncompliant he said: "I believe that the non-compliance issue referred to is the registration part of the brand(s) with the Inspectorate."Safety and quality assurance standards must be met to bottle water locally, so it is natural that a brand such as Heavenly Water would have gone through this process already to be able to start bottling and sell to the consumer market."Keep in mind that brands such as Volvic or Evian are naturally mineralised waters that can only be bottled at their source (origins) under the laws applicable, meaning that they cannot be shipped in bulk elsewhere and then bottled there."So at the source the bottling is already regulated, but now on the import side our health inspectorate needs to introduce the regulatory framework for this market without infringing on existing international standards already set by regulatory bodies in an unreasonable way."Caribbean Liquors has been in touch with the Hygiene Department as to what steps are needed for importers to register their brands and provide the necessary testing formats to ensure quality assurance compliance standards and we will be meeting with them to establish this very shortly."Best had told this newspaper recently that the Inspectorate already had started to meet with some distributors regarding compliance of bottled water brands. He said the challenge was that some of the bottled water brands sold in St. Maarten did not come through "official channels" and were not brought in by importers, but by individuals who, for example, would bring in a container of water and distribute it to retailers.He said the onus was on consumers to be vigilant and check the labels of water as well as the expiry dates. He said some of the water checked did not have expiry dates. He also advised consumers to boil their water for 10 minutes if they wanted to be sure that it was good.The Inspectorate will start its action to confiscate water without expiry dates. Confiscating water based on the water quality can be done only based on test results. Best said test results for water took three to five days and only the water from the batch that was noncompliant could be confiscated.He also had said that while importers were responsible for the quality of the water they brought in, if the inspectorate encountered noncompliant water brands at supermarkets the water would be confiscated from their shelves.Best had noted that too many water brands had demonstrated deviations in the pH and an unacceptably high plate count. None tested positive for E. Coli or E-Coc.The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI swung into action on Tuesday to clean, as quickly as possible, the hundreds of dead fish that surfaced in the Great Salt Pond. The majority of the dead fish accumulated in the area of Firgos Paper, where several motorists stopped to take a look at the ghastly sight. Heavy equipment was used to remove large amounts of fish while crew men also assisted with removing fish with buckets and nets. Government does not have a concrete solution to address the problem of dead fish in the pond every few months.PHILIPSBURG--The Ministry of Public Health Social Development and Labour VSA under the auspices of the Departments of Social Development, Public Health, Social Services and Community Development, Family and Humanitarian Affairs have jointly set up the project "Active Ageing Transportation for the elderly and physically challenged."Under the "Active Ageing Transportation Project" a registration drive will be held for the elderly and physically challenged persons to register for door-to-door transportation service.Persons in the target group, who are in need of this type of service, can indicate which services they need and the frequency of service needed on a weekly/monthly basis. Government is assessing the need for door-to-door transportation service of this target group in order to have relevant data in this area for policy- and programme purposes.The registration drive for seniors and the physically challenged began yesterday, October 21. Senior citizens and physically challenged persons can either come themselves or have a family member or representative register them.The registration will be held at the Department of Social Services on the Walter Nisbeth Road (Pondfill) between 1:00pm to 5:00pm and at the Community Helpdesks from 9:00am to 5:00pm in the areas of St. Peters (Rupert I. Maynard Community Centre), Dutch Quarter (next to the medical clinic), Cole Bay (to the rear of the Methodist Church) or Gaston Boasman Helpdesk for the elderly and physically challenged in Hope Estate.Registrants should walk with their ID for the registration. The registration form is asking for information related to the transportation needs and frequency of transportation. Persons registering will indicate the type of service needed, such as for medical appointments/pharmacy visits; GEBE, TELEM, UTS to pay monthly bills; visits to the bank; grocery shopping; Visits to social activities/clubs and also church visits. The services can be adapted to the required needs."I am asking all our seniors and physically challenged persons who are in need of transportation services to come out and register, so that government can get an idea as to what type of service is needed in the community for this target group, and we also need to get an idea as to what other types of service may be needed," said Minister of Public Health Social Development and Labour Cornelius de Weever.Active Ageing refers to trends all over the world in which the elderly are part of and involved in the communities that they live in. They are connected to their societies and are sometimes contributing to developments in their communities also. Governments play a role ensuring that seniors and the physically challenged are connected to their communities and that they have a good standard of living, it was stated in a press release from the minister's cabinet.MULLET BAY--French tourists were the victims of a violent robbery on Sunday morning.The group of four had parked their car at Mullet Bay in the vicinity of the Golf Shop. Upon exiting the car, a man appeared and tried to grab a shoulder bag from one of the females. A struggle ensued and a man who was with the victim intervened, only to be assaulted by the suspect.The suspect was in possession of a knife with which he attacked the man, causing lacerations to his face and his arm. He further punched the man, causing him to lose a tooth.The man was treated at the scene by paramedics, and he was later taken to hospital in St. Martin for further treatment.After committing his cowardly act, the suspect made his escape on the back of a scooter together with another male who had been waiting. Both suspects fled in the direction of the Lowlands.The Detective Department is currently investigating this case and is appealing to members of the public who were in the area and who may have seen anything suspicious to come forward with information. The police have enhanced their visibility in the area and are asking the public to be vigilant when parking cars or walking around in the hours of darkness.PHILIPSBURG--Around 100 stolen credit cards were found after police searched a hotel room in Philipsburg. The cards were found following the arrest of a group of males who had been buying items of jewellery using a stolen credit card around midday on Sunday.Quick thinking by a store owner led to the police being called. A description was given to the dispatcher, which led to three suspects being apprehended by the bicycle patrol team, which arrived at the location quickly.The suspects were taken to the Philipsburg police station, where further investigation showed that they were from Malaysia and were in possession of more jewellery, also purchased with stolen cards. The cards as well as the jewellery were seized pending the investigation.A search of their hotel room in the presence of an acting public prosecutor led to more cards being retrieved. The detective department is investigating and the suspects remain in police custody.The police department is thanking the public, in particular the business community, for their assistance in this case, and asks the public to report anything suspicious to the emergency and police hotlines.Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams participated in a number of activities at St. Maarten Medical Center's (SMMC) open house on Saturday. She participated in a special Zumba session with the staff and visitors to SMMC and completed a health check-up. A press release from Wescot-Williams' cabinet said the prime minister was found to be "in excellent health."WILLEMSTAD--Curaçao lawyer Sheldry Osepa has filed a request for the immediate release of his client, former Minister of Social Development, Labour and Wellbeing Sherwin Josepha (41), which will be handled in court today, Monday.Josepha will be represented by attorney Dianne Lichtenberg as Osepa is currently abroad on holiday; nevertheless, he was convinced his colleague will get suspect Josepha freed because there is no reason for his continued detention.The former minister is suspected of abusing and threatening his ex-partner and mother of his children on June 23, and September 15 last. His lawyer emphasised that Josepha is not accused of threatening his children. On the contrary, they indicated earlier never to have been abused by their father, he added.According to Osepa, there are actually no grounds to keep the minister locked up. However, he did not wish to elaborate on the arguments before the request is handled in court nor on what happened that particular day in June.The attorney emphasised though that there was no question of physical violence in September. Josepha also denies having abused his wife on that occasion.After the incident in June, Josepha went to Colombia for treatment. He returned to the island several weeks ago and in connection with his birthday on September 17, looked forward to seeing his children.Two days before his birthday he could wait no longer and went to the residence of the woman to visit his children; he knew that his presence at the home would create problems and, therefore, went there together with his parents to prevent any possible clash.Josepha and his parents waited outside the house for the children but the mother would not allow him to see them. The former minister could not stomach it and had started shouting and swearing."He never entered the residence and had no physical contact with the woman whatsoever," Osepa explained. "There was only a question of verbal violence that day."According to him, Josepha was apprehended because the woman wanted to take revenge on him. She cannot accept the fact that the former minister filed a divorce petition, Osepa said."They are now involved in a divorce proceeding, whereby the emotions are running high and various problems arose. This was possibly also the reason why she filed a complaint."When asked if the former minister was or actually is depressed, the lawyer explained that Josepha is very peaceful and feels great; however, he could not preclude that his client would be treated again by one or more experts.Meanwhile, the woman and the children have fled the island and supposedly sought refuge abroad. She supposedly fears for her life and that of her children.According to well-informed sources, at least one of the children has suicidal tendencies, which explains why the woman wanted to flee from Josepha. Osepa does not deny the child has a suicidal tendency, but emphasised that if this is the case it has nothing to do with threats by the father. "Josepha didn't abuse his children and never threatened them."PHILIPSBURG--United People's (UP) party leader and Member of Parliament (MP) Theo Heyliger has written Minister of Telecommunications Ted Richardson seeking answers on several open questions related to the agreement reached between Richardson and Government Service Caribbean Netherlands RCN Director Sybren van Dam for a second fibre optic cable "landing site" in St. Maarten.With the announcement that an agreement has been reached, but no details released, Heyliger immediately turned his attention to how the TelEm Group of Companies and its employees would be affected.Of utmost concern, he said in his letter, is in what position the agreement puts the TelEm Group. Although the cable reportedly will "land" in TelEm's beach manhole, Heyliger, like previous ministers of telecommunications, questioned how a second fibre optic cable would affect the competitive position of the TelEm Group."Are there any benefits for having St. Maarten sign this agreement? Will this lead to any additional redundancy? Will this lead to any benefits for the St. Maarten people? How will this affect the employees of TelEm?" Heyliger questioned, adding that any adverse effects on people's present employment should and could not be tolerated.Heyliger also questioned whether and how United Telecommunication Services and other telecom providers would be connected and whether the agreement between RCN and St. Maarten would lead to any additional revenues for the government of St. Maarten. He also requested that the Minister clarify the benefits to the people of Saba and St. Eustatius.Martine van 't Laar captured this awe-inspiring waterspout on Saturday, at 5:26pm in Guana Bay/Gibbs Bay. Several other people also captured the spout which Van 't Laar said was accompanied by a "deafening thunder clap that almost wiped me of my feet." It dissipated soon thereafter. Editorial - On the way down? Friday, 25 October 2013 The St. Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTA) made some good points during Thursday's meeting... Read more... Editorial - In the race Thursday, 24 October 2013 Today's report that Copa Airlines will go back to a frequency of four times per week starting... Read more... Notices October 26 Friday, 25 October 2013 Dutch classes Adults interested in learning Dutch are invited to attend an information session on... Read more... Notices October 25 Thursday, 24 October 2013 Zoning Meeting Stakeholders are invited to the second Public Consultation Town Hall Meeting on Dawn... Read more...
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