PHILISBURG:---- The St.Maarten Lions Club presented a donation of US$1000 to the St. Maarten Volley Association to assist the organization in preparing the for the upcoming 2015 Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association(ECVA) Junior Men & Women Championships. Eight male and six female teams will play volleyball from July 23rd to 26th, 2015 at the L.B. Scot Sports Auditorium starting from 10am through 10pm. The Lions Club will be promoting their Youth Alcohol Abuse Awareness Campaign during the volleyball with the placement of banners at the event location.

(in picture) The President of the St. Maarten Lions Association Lion Eldert Louisa (on right) presenting the cheque to the President of the St. Maarten Volleyball Association Raymond Jacobs with St. Maarten Volleyball Selection Team in the background.

Berlin:----- Transparency International, the global anti-corruption organisation, will launch its St. Maarten National Integrity System assessment on 28 July 2015. Following extensive research and interviews with key stakeholders in the past year, the report will contain evidence-based findings on the corruption risks on the island as well as concrete recommendations on how to improve integrity and good governance. It looks in detail into the main pillars of society, such as the public sector, business, political parties, media and other institutions.

The report will be launched with a public event in which the main findings and recommendations will be presented for discussion. All citizens of St. Maarten are cordially invited.

The event is also open to all journalists and media outlets.

When: Tuesday, 28 July 2015, 19:00 – 21:00
Where: University of St. Martin

Speakers will include:

•  Alejandro Salas, Regional Director for the Americas at Transparency International
• •Top government officials invited to speak

More on St. Maarten Integrity investigation http://www.transparency.org/whatwedo/nisarticle/st._maarten_2014

PHILIPSBURG:----The St. Maarten National Commission for UNESCO is organizing a five (5) day intangible cultural heritage (ICH) field inventory exercise targeting young people from various youth organizations in the community.
Minister Claret Connor, who delivered the welcome remarks on Monday, July 20th thanked the young people for participating in this important and valuable initiative, and for assisting the Sint Maarten National Commission for UNESCO with this project which will assist with preserving and passing on this knowledge about St. Martin’s culture heritage. He asked them to treasure this opportunity and experience, and he looks forward to reviewing some of the recordings and documentation from this week.
One or more participants from the Youth Parliament, National Institute of Arts, Funtopia, The SXM Young Ambassadors, Voice of Our Children, Voice of the Youth and Teen Times are participating in the workshop.
During the five days of training, they are learning a number of skills that will enable them to assist with the inventorying and recording our intangible cultural heritage.
The lead facilitator for the training is Ms. Clara Reyes, co-director of the National Institute of the Arts (NIA), while other facilitators for the workshops include Ms. Daphne Thomas of the Culture Department, Mr. Alston Lourens of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, Mr. Rodney Richardson and members of the Department of Communication (DCOMM) and Ms. Marcellia Henry, Secretary General of UNESCO, St. Maarten.
The sessions over the 5 days will focus on developing the young people’s knowledge and understanding of Cultural Heritage: Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) &Tangible Cultural Heritage, the importance of identifying, safeguarding and inventorying St. Martin’s Cultural Heritage.
The youth participants will also obtain practical training in the usage of audio and video recording and photography. They will learn interviewing skills and techniques and will discuss attitudes, ethics and responsibilities when inventorying and ICH element in a community.
The final aspect of the training consists of preparations for inventorying gathering information about the ICH Element the ‘Ponum Dance’. In which students will get the opportunity to go on an excursion to interview and video record different persons (dancers, drummers, senior citizens), who still practice, preserve and have knowledge of this national dance. Afterwards, the editing of the recorded work will follow.

The Sint Maarten National Commission for UNESCO would like to thank the Netherlands’ Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, who via the UNESCO, Paris is financing this project to Strengthen the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, Saba, and Suriname to jointly implement the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Other persons whom the National Commission would also like to thank include the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office, particularly Ms. Andrea Richards for coordinating this project, and Mr. Nigel Encalda, UNESCO Paris Head Quarters, particularly the Intangible Cultural Heritage Division, and the local ICH Organizing Committee members, Marcellia Henry, Secretary Genral-UNESCO, St. Maarten stated.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Sunshine Real Estate managed to secure a contract with the Dutch Government to provide solar energy on the island of St. Eustatius.
SMN News obtained information from one of the people that are acquainted with the company who said that on Thursday last week the Dutch Government signed the contract with Sunshine Real Estate after they won the bid on that island. The project which is very comprehensive will cost the Dutch government close to 5 million Euros for 2 MW of solar energy some of which will be stored in batteries so that the island could run solely on solar power. The first part of the project is to provide solar energy to parts of St. Eusttius but the objective of the Dutch is to get to the point where Sunshine Real Estate will provide solar enegry to the entire island.

According to the information SMN News obtained is that the process took just over eight months before the contract was signed on Thursday which include the bidding process.
Sunshine Real Estate also won the bid to provide solar energy for GEBE St. Maarten but to date no contract can be signed even though the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Rene Gartner signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the company.
SMN News further learnt that Sunshine Real Estate did everything they were asked to do after they won the bidding process and even provided all documents to GEBE but somehow the former COO Romelio Maduro and the current CFO Rene Gartner messed up the process. "The former COO Romelio Maduro refused to take the LOI to the Supervisory Board as he was basically fooling around with the project and the investors, that forced Gartner to sign the LOI and then Maduro took it to the board when he wanted to get rid of Gartner. This LOI and the car Gartner purchased without the approval of the Shareholder representative were subjects the Supervisory Board of Directors questioned. Because of these two disagreements Gartner and Maduro almost ended up in a fist fight during one of their meetings with the supervisory board of directors of GEBE."
SMN News published the LOI that Rene Gartner signed before presenting it to GEBE Supervisory Board for approval. Inside sources at GEBE said that the supervisory board of directors sent an eight page memo to Gartner posing several questions to him on the LOI with Sunshine Real Estate but to date Gartner did not respond to the supervisory board thus the process of awarding the contract to Sunshine Real Estate halted.
In earlier reports SMN News reported that GEBE internal controller was busy formulating a report for the supervisory board on how bidding takes place at GEBE, however, SMN News could not confirm if the report on the bidding process at GEBE has been completed and submitted.
It should also be noted that the shareholder representative of GEBE announced earlier this year that they will be conducting a forensic audit at all the government owned companies on the island

PHILIPSBURG:---- Ministry VROMI will be pruning the branches of the trees in the Philipsburg Market on Gevangenissteeg on Friday July 24, which will consequently call for the closing of the street.

Gevangenissteeg will be closed from 5AM through 9AM for the pruning works as well as clean up.

Motorists and pedestrians will be restricted access should take note of the closure and use alternative access to backstreet

VROMI apologizes for any inconveniences caused.

GREAT BAY:---- Boat owners are being advised by the Office of Disaster Management (ODM) to review their hurricane preparatory plans so they can be ready to take action in the event of a storm/hurricane threat to the island during the remaining months of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM) :--- School Bussing and Taxi Dispatching at the Inspection Department of Ministry of Economic Affairs would like to remind school bus owners and drivers that school bus inspections are scheduled to start this Friday, July 24 and again on July 28 and 29.

School bus owners and drivers are hereby advised to take note of the aforementioned dates. Inspections will take place between 8.30am and 12.30pm.

School bus owners/drivers are requested to call the department to make an appointment.

Drivers are required to provide the following documentation during the inspection process: Valid driver’s license; Insurance; Valid motor vehicle inspection card and Business license. Fire extinguishers and First Aid Kits are also part of inspection process.

The key objective is to continue to provide safe, reliable and comfortable transportation services for school children.

For further information about services rendered by the Inspection Section, call telephone number 542-5641.

PHILIPSBURG: --- The entertainment industry on St. Maarten is surely seeing some movements yet again.

Stuart Johnson has officially taken up the responsibility of being Manager for X-plosion Band. A well known St.Maarten band with endless hits is busy restructuring for a "epic come back."

"I feel humbled and honored to become a manager for a band that is no stranger to St.Maarten, the region and around the world," Johnson stated.

Johnson resigned from his post of Manager of the junior carnival band 4M HD a couple weeks ago.

"In a few days we will be releasing new songs as our commitment to the local music industry which is year round and not only during carnival time," Johnson added.

Johnson's role as manager is further supported by well-known local singer Theo De Weever who will work with him to manage the band.

Johnson added, "Theo is a dynamic singer who knows music first hand from his many performances and I'm glad he accepted the opportunity from me to co-manage the band."

The band is busy with the completion of its next album. It's time St. Maarten's music recaptures the #1 spot locally, regionally and internationally, as we've done in the past.

"The return of X-plosion is going to be epic and I promise you St.Maarten that you will be proud of our own talent yet again," Johnson concluded.

PHILIPSBURG:----- Previously on Monday July 13th at approximately five in the early morning hours a call came in to the central police dispatch that a male subject had just been robbed and shot. Patrols were on their way to Nazareth when they were redirected to the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) because the victim had already been transported there. On arrival the victim had already been taken to the operation room but was in stable condition.
The victim stated that while he was sitting in his car when he was suddenly attacked by two armed men who proceeded to attempt to rob him of his gold chain. A struggle ensued and he managed to free himself from there grip and ran towards his car that was parked nearby. He was then shot at and was struck in the back. The victim managed to escape and drive himself home to safety. The victim has since been released from hospital.
At this time the investigation is ongoing and for now this is the only information available. Any updates will be giving in a subsequent report.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:---- Previously on Tuesday July 21st at around 4:30pm the Simpson bay patrol was directed to the paid parking area located at the PJIA. On arrival they encountered a 39 year male bleeding from a stab wound to his right forearm. At the hospital he explained detectives that his child’s mother was the one that had stabbed him after partially causing damage to his vehicle that was parked in the paid parking at the airport. The reason behind this outburst is still sketchy. The victim told detectives that he did not want to press charges but would give a full recount of the incident in the days to come.

Jet Ski accident
PHILIPSBURG:--- On the July 21st at around3pm several tourists staying at a local hotel were involved in a crash involving Jet Ski’s in the Great Bay harbor. According to reports the jet ski’s were rented by two brothers and while riding they collided into each other. One of the brothers sustained injuries to his ankle while the other brother was uninjured. The injured tourist was transported by  ambulance to the St. Maarten Medical Center for treatment.

Man arrested with stolen car
PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday July 22nd the patrol arrested a male suspect who was in possession of a stolen vehicle. The vehicle had been stolen several weeks ago from the French side of the island but was spotted numerous times driving on the Dutch Side of the island.
The stolen vehicle was once again seen and the patrol was dispatched to the location. Upon question the male subject that was standing by the vehicle stated that he was the owner and had bought it from a third party. He was immediately arrested and the vehicle was confiscated. After questioning he was placed in preventive custody pending further investigation.

Man arrested
PHILISPBURG:--- On Wednesday July 22nd a 25 year male was arrested after being suspected of breaking into cars in the area of the Causeway. After a report was filed stating that shortly after having discovered that their vehicle had been broken into they spotted a suspicious vehicle driving away from the scene patrols were on the look out for this vehicle. The vehicle number plate, make and model were also given to the police. The vehicle was spotted in Philipsburg and police patrol mange to stop and control the vehicle. In his possession was found items belonging to several victims who had had their vehicle broken into while parked in the area of the Causeway Bridge. The suspect was kept for questioning as detectives are busy investigating further.

KPSM Police Report.

PHILIPSBURG:---- The annual wreath laying ceremony, commemorating the life of the late Dr. A. C Wathey will be held on July 24th at his statue in front of the Government Administration building in Philipsburg at 9.00 a.m.
July 24this the birthdate of the “Old Man”, as Claude was affectionally called.
During the short annual ceremony, wreaths are laid by the Government of St. Maarten, the Democratic Party, which he co-founded, the United People’s Party, the University of St. Martin, A.C. Wathey Educational & Awareness Foundation, The Family of the late Dr. A.C. Wathey
“The wreath laying event is coordinated by the A. C. Wathey Educational and Awareness Foundation, a foundation created in his honor to promote political awareness amongst the general population of St. Maarten”, according to foundation president, Mrs. Valerie Giterson-Pantophlet.
Dr. A. C. Wathey was born on July 24, 1926 and had dedicated his life to serving the people of St. Maarten in numerous political capacities.
He, along with the late Clem Labega founded the Democratic Party of St. Maarten, and the University of St. Martin was the brainchild of himself and Ambassador Hushang Ansari, just to mention 2 of his lasting contributions.
The wreath laying ceremony is also a sign of homage to his indelible contribution to the overall growth of our beloved St. Maarten land.

Pembroke Pines, FL:---- For more than 20 years, destinations have improved their share of cruise tourism by hosting the annual Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Conference & Trade Show. From triple-digit increases in passenger and vessel arrivals to the development of new piers and cruise destinations, hosts of the FCCA Conference & Trade Show have directly benefited from spotlighting their products, experiences and infrastructure to the industry's most influential decision makers-over 100 executives, presidents and CEOs from FCCA's 19 Member Lines.

Cozumel and Mexico aim to actualize these benefits by hosting their second FCCA Conference & Trade Show from October 5 - 9, 2015. The destination knows the significance of hosting this event because of their progress after their first Conference in 2007.

According to data from the port authorities, in 2006 Cozumel received 2,028,002 passenger arrivals, and Mexico received 5,551,176. Just one year after hosting the event, Cozumel experienced a 21 percent increase, with 2,450,381 passenger arrivals from FCCA Member Lines alone, and Mexico saw 10 percent growth, with over 6.1 million Member Line passenger arrivals. Plus Cozumel continued rising, seeing over 3.3 million passenger arrivals from FCCA Member Lines last year and garnering the second-most passenger arrivals in the region.

As Cozumel and Mexico recognize, these numbers extend far beyond the cruise pier; they impact the entire country's economy, to the tune of $565.4 million in passenger, crew and cruise line spending, in addition to 15,990 jobs and $93.5 million in wages generated through cruise tourism, per the Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA) 2007 study, Economic Contribution of Cruise Tourism in Mexico.
The 2009 BREA study, Economic Contribution of Cruise Tourism to the Destination Economies, found that the average expenditure per passenger in Cozumel was $104.58 (a 17 percent increase compared to 2007), which directly benefited numerous industries through purchases of goods and services, including food and beverage at restaurants and bars, shore excursions, ground transportation and retail purchases.
The same study showed that Cozumel benefited from crewmembers spending $25.6 million for similar products and services; cruise lines paying $24.6 million; and cruise tourism generating 7,089 jobs with wages of $41.4 million (a 28 percent increase compared to 2007).

By these numbers, if Cozumel's 2014 FCCA Member Line passenger arrivals grew the same 20 percent experienced after hosting their first FCCA Conference & Trade Show, it would represent $69.4 million more in passenger spending alone, along with the coinciding increases of employment and crew and cruise line spending, as well as indirect contributions that include supplies purchased by tour operators, restaurants and port authorities.

Even a single additional cruise vessel would carry a large economic wake for Cozumel and the country. BREA's figures show that just one average cruise ship-130,000 GRT, carrying 3,000 passengers and 500 crewmembers-in Cozumel generated $313,740 in passenger spending and $31,740 in crew spending, along with roughly $29,000 in port fees, totaling $374,480 in direct economic contribution, not including employment and indirect contributions.

Considering this potential economic impact, it becomes easy to understand why Cozumel and Mexico again decided to invest in the country's economy by hosting the FCCA Conference & Trade Show.

To learn more about and/or register for the FCCA Conference & Trade Show, please visit www.regonline.com/fccacozumel.

PHILIPSBURG:----- The Office of Disaster Management (ODM) and the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten are closely monitoring reports related to the undersea submarine volcano known as ‘Kick ‘em Jenny’ which is located near the island of Grenada in the South Caribbean Sea.
There is no imminent threat, and the Government of Sint Maarten will be informed by the relevant scientists if there is a need for action to be taken at the local level, but that is not the case at this point in time.
According to the Seismic Research Centre of the University of the West Indies (UWI-SRC), on Thursday, July 23rd from 1:25am to 3:00am local time, a strong continuous signal was observed on instruments monitoring the Kick ‘em Jenny submarine volcano.
Signs of elevated seismicity (earthquakes) began on 11th July and continue to present. For the period since the 11th July a total of more than 200 micro and small earthquakes, of varying magnitudes, have been recorded, with the largest, prior to the strong signal, less than magnitude 3.0.
There have also been observations from divers of degassing occurring off the west coast of Grenada in the Moliniere Sculpture Park area.
This activity is being closely monitored by The UWI-SRC and further updates would be issued as more information becomes available.

PHILIPSBURG:---- United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake is calling on Government to come up with creative financing ideas and to foster stronger more meaningful public-private partnerships. Such partnerships will increase the development of the economy and improve services for the entire country.
“The private sector has been the driving force for years as an essential pillar of the economy and to the economic achievements of our country. They are why we are tops in the Caribbean in a lot of areas over the years. In these challenging economic times with a government that doesn't have money, that is the only way we can move forward as a country is hand-in-hand with the private sector,” said MP Lake.
“When government and the business community work together the ultimate winners are the people of St. Maarten. Good partnerships, that’s what it’s all about,” said the MP. The partnership will stimulate growth, stability, create decent jobs and enhance community togetherness to reduce crime and poverty.”
St. Maarten’s economy saw a 1.5 per cent growth in 2014 and is projected to see a 1.6 per cent growth this year, according to the Annual Report 2014 of the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (CBCS).
Lake: “I know St. Maarten can show a better increase in economic growth if we show more political maturity and work together to build this country. We need to raise the bar to take this country to another level.”
The drastic decline in the construction sector in 2014 shows the urgent need for government to boost the economy by starting projects to benefit the people, said Lake. “The country’s budget it tight, I know, but that’s the reason we need to get creative. Government needs to build homes for our young professionals. The Vorst Land is now in the hands of government – free and clear. We have no reason to wait, let’s start the process. When the private sector sees government is going something in the community, the confidence level will go up and more will start to happen.”
“Why we can't build more affordable housing with the assistance of the General Pension Fund APS for local professionals at a deducted rate, create financing with SHTA to pay law and hospitality teachers to execute much needed courses for our university with public/private partnership projects,” said Lake.
“What’s the holdup on completing the taxi way for the airport to keep our competitive edge in the Caribbean for the upcoming season? Why the businesses in Front Street and Back Street can't contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of the streets in Philipsburg in the form of a public/private partnership,” asked Lake.
The MP questioned that status of utilities company GEBE’s investments in waste-to-energy and alternative energy to reduce to cost of living which is the main areas hurting our people.
Lake called for a revamp of the tax system so everyone, including undocumented people pay taxes, instead of a just a few. “The integration of all tax related departments and unique number system are needed promptly to increase tax compliance.”
Government needs to create other incentives, other than money, to help entrepreneurs to jump start their businesses and by extension the economy, said Lake.
Central Bank President Emsley Tromp has advised government in the Annual Report to reconsider of St. Maarten’s authority to borrow on the capital market and the country’s budgetary constraints leaves limited or no room to borrow for much needed capital investment projects. “These projects are very critical for continued economic growth in our country, the Dutch is not going to let us borrow and create a budget for capital investments for St. Maarten,” said Lake.
Lake said in his former post as VROMI Minister he was successful without a balanced budget thanks to his “Back to Basics” approach of working with the community and coming up with creative financing ideas, including forging public/private partnership projects.
“I hit the ground running as a minister working very closely with the Timeshare Association, St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association, Harbour, Airport, Rotary and many other associations and community councils in connection to public/private partnership projects. These led to the upgrading of the entrance at Oyster Pond, Pelican, improved road signage, streetlights, adopting roundabouts and paving of dirt roads within the different districts,” said Lake.
Lake wanted to complete the upgrading of the sidewalks along the main road of Simpson Bay together with area businesses to create a safer walk and running path, and addressing the drainage problem by Atruim Hotel going into Pelican, giving the local contractors within their district a tender two year contract to clean the trenches within their district, outsource the road painting contract but his 18 months term as a minister ended in December 2014 and he headed into Parliament. “I wanted to do the same type of public-private partnership project we did with the improved road in Cupecoy.”
MP Lake concluded that he understands everything costs money, but: “If we come together and everyone contributes with a public-private partnership initiative, we would get a lot more accomplished for the country.
“Government needs to hit the ground running and start building especially in a time where construction is stagnant at the moment. We need to build more sewage treatment plants and water tanks in strategic areas, and this could be done via the aforementioned initiative along with the landowners.”

PHILIPSBURG:---- 89 years later the late Albert Claudius Wathey also known as Claude Wathey was honored with a wreath laying ceremony in front of the Government Administration Building on Friday moring.
Family members of the late politician and supporters flocked by his statue to pay tribute to the “ole man” Erno Labega started out the wreath laying session with some words about the late politician.
Al Wathey laid the first wreath along with Michaela Hodge on the part of University of St. Martin. Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams and Erno Labega laid a wreath on behalf of the Democratic Party.
The United Peoples Party was represented by Sylvia Meyers, President of the board and Gina Illidge. Grandkids Ariana Rivers and Melony Wathey took a moment of silence infront of the statue and laid their wreath.
The Dr. Claude Wathey Political Awareness Foundation member Valerie Giterson-Pantophlet laid a wreath on behalf of the organization.
MP Wescot Williams called the occasion a special one. Wathey was responsible for placing a young Wescot Williams on the democratic party list years ago. The Council of Ministers of St. Maarten was represented by Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Claret Connor who laid the last wreath and congratulated the family for the work Wathey done for St. Maarten and was honored to be present at the ceremony.

Minister Connor lays wreath on behalf of COM at 89th birthday commemoration of Dr. A.C. Wathey

 Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications Hon. Claret Connor, on behalf of the Council of Ministers, Friday, July 24th 2015, laid a wreath at the statue of Dr. A.C. Wathey in front of the Government Administration Building in commemoration of his 89th birthday.
Wreaths were also placed at the statue by representatives of the Wathey family, the United People’s (UP) party, Democratic Party (DP), A.C. Wathey Foundation, and the University of St. Martin (USM).

POINT BLANCHE:---- Port St. Maarten – On Thursday afternoon, one of Port St. Maarten’s Gottwald cranes, a 14-year old HMK 260E, was loaded onboard the Cargo Vessel BBC Congo for a six-day voyage to Mexico.

Port St. Maarten has acquired a new Terex Gottwald Model 6 Crane after RBC Bank signed up to supply the loan for the acquisition. The new crane is tentatively set to arrive in September, and in the meantime cargo operations will continue as the port has another Gottwald crane.

The involvement of RBC Bank once again demonstrates the continued trust and commitment of the financial institution with respect to Port St. Maarten in continuing to nurture and foster their business relationship with the port, but also to be a continuous partner in the development of the country.

As part of the acquisition of the new Gottwald Model 6 crane, Port St. Maarten was also able to find a suitable buyer for the older Terex Gottwald HMK 260E, also known as Crane 1.
The acquisition of the Terex Gottwald Model 6 Mobile Harbour Crane and the additional Bromma spreaders will in no doubt bolster Port St. Maarten’s position and continue to expand its cargo related activities and foot print within the North Eastern Caribbean region.
As a result of this new development whereby initial discussions started some years ago, Port St. Maarten has recently concluded all ground work and due diligence in acquiring and trading in their older version Model 4 Gottwald Crane for a newer Model 6 crane with an outreach of 15 across and load capacities of 125t, to be able to properly accommodate and continue to grow its foot print within the north eastern Caribbean region.
The Terex Gottwald Model 6 harbour crane is high performance for higher handling rates, and is part of the large crane family from Terex Port Solutions. The crane can be used on ships up to post-Panamax and Capesize Bulker class.
The Model 6 crane is equipped with the technical and ergonomic functions and features required to improve productivity, environmental compatibility and facilitate operation to boost economical and sustainable cargo handling in ports and terminals. Port St. Maarten crane staff is already trained in using this model of crane.
Over the years Port St. Maarten has invested significantly in Cargo, where infrastructure, dredging, and upgrading of Cranes are concerned; training of staff leading to six local certified operators and supervisors.

With increasing cargo volumes especially related to transshipment where enormous growth opportunity exist, brings about a good feeling for port officials.
Port St. Maarten cargo facility investments have led to a steady growth in containerized business making the island a regional sub-hub for the North Eastern Caribbean.
Port St. Maarten serves the islands of Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis, and Antigua & Barbuda. The port is also in the process of developing a special relationship with the Caribbean Netherlands islands of Saba and St. Eustatius with respect to port handling, operations, economic development and sustainability. Both islands receive their cargo shipments/services from Port St. Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG:---- The St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation helped to spread the word about the delight of healthy eating when it offered a range of vegetarian delicacies at its booth at the Roman Catholic Church Family Fun Day and Food Extravaganza held recently.

This was the first time that the St .Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation participated in the event. Commissioner Sandra Cheung said the foundation and its volunteers were extremely happy to have been of service at the event.

The Church sold a total of about 2,000 tickets for US $10 each for the event, which was held at the Roman Catholic Church in South Reward.

Tzu Chi had three different menu choices at its booth. The options included vegetarian Sushi, cassava cheese pasta, vegetable eggroll, vegan chicken sate, eggless cupcake and miracle juice made from beet, carrot, ginger and apple. The second vegan option was vegan lasagna, veggie croquette, vegetable fried rice, vegan spicy sate, eggless cupcake and fresh mango juice; while the third option consisted of vegan cheese baked potatoes, vegetable fried rice, vegan chicken sate, croquette, eggless cupcake and fresh juice.

Tzu Chi’s booth was very popular amongst patrons and its cuisine was sold out way before the event ended.

In addition to the St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation a number of other groups were present with food from their native countries including the Dominican Republic; Dominica; Mexico, Haiti; Suriname; Anguilla, Aruba, Jamaica, Guyana and St. Maarten.

Tzu Chi was said to be the only booth that offered varied vegetarian only delicacies and fresh natural local juices only.

Tzu Chi Volunteer Roger Yee-Fong, who participated in the event for the first time said for him the event had been a tremendous success not only because of the large number of participants, but more so by the many persons of different ethnicities who participated. “Very interesting was the fact that with many different distinct ethnicities come varied tastes, habits, smells, styles and even greetings. So here in St. Maarten, we are truly blessed to be able to experience this peaceful diversity,” he said in reflecting on the event.

“As a Tzu Chi Volunteer, I was indeed grateful for the opportunity that the Catholic Community would embrace the Tzu Chi Foundation's participation and the vegetarian food that was to be offered,” he added. “Our goal is to promote a healthier lifestyle by embracing a plant based diet. Many visitors could not believe the chicken sate, croquettes, spring rolls, baked potatoes, pasta and sushi were made from plant based-items because they taste no different.”

“As a Buddhist foundation in St. Maarten, we are grateful for the opportunity to help the Catholic Church and a chance to promote vegetarian and vegan food, and the most comfortable part is the feeling of no boundary of religion.”

Cheung thanked all volunteers for participating in the event and the Roman Catholic Church for accommodating the foundation at the event.

Philipsburg:---- On Friday 24th July at approximately eleven 11: 20 am, a jewel store situated on the Front Street was robbed by three unknown armed assailants. An undisclosed amount of merchandise was taken from the store. After committing their deed they fled the jewel store. Detectives were on the scene and they are conducting an investigation.
At this time the investigation is ongoing and for now this is the only information available. If anybody has any information about this case, please contact us at 542-2222 and ask for the detective department. If you want to share your information anonymously, you can call our tip line on 9300.

SMN News learnt that its Helena Jewelry store located at St. Rose Arcade that was robbed, workers in the area said that the three bandits smashed the counter of the store in order to get to the merchandize they stole.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs earlier in the week received the Ombudsman 2014 Annual Report from Ombudsman Dr. Nilda Arduin. Also present for the presentation was student and former chair of the Youth Parliament, Rochana Richardson, who is currently on a summer job stint at the Ombudsman Bureau. The report has been sent to the Council of Ministers for further review and handl

PHILIPSBURG:----- Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs invited Tracy Blijden who recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management from Johnson and Wales University.
Blijden spent one month in Singapore and is now off to Germany to further gain experience and expand her craft in culinary arts. To highlight the accomplishments of this young local professional, Blijden just 22 years of age, was invited by the Prime Minister to prepare lunch for the Council of Ministers.