PvdA senator Jeroen Recourt wants to appoint an independent researcher to analyze the aftermath of colonialism.

THE HAGUE – PvdA senator Jeroen Recourt wants to appoint an independent researcher to analyze the aftermath of colonialism. According to Recourt, this fraught past an implicit and explicit role in contemporary Kingdom relations. The senator suggested this yesterday during the policy debate on relations with the Caribbean countries and municipalities of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

According to Recourt, relations between the countries are in need of reform. “Our Kingdom is not determined by similarities, but by differences. The differences between the Netherlands and the Caribbean part, and the differences between the Caribbean parts themselves are large.

They are still too much clinging to each other like loose sand within the structure of the Statute, ”said the Senate. The islands would have become more dependent on the Netherlands because of the great economic, geographic and / or geopolitical vulnerability.

The PvdA faction therefore proposes to sit down with all the Caribbean islands and the Netherlands to explore which tasks, responsibilities and powers are needed to make cooperation future-oriented.

Colonialism

In addition, Recourt argues for research into the most sensitive part of the relationship: “the fact that our Kingdom is built on the racism and oppression that are typical of a colonial system”.

This would play both an implicit and an explicit role to this day. As an explicit example Recourt cites St Martin’s non-subtle accusation that the Netherlands behaves like colonial and racist oppressors.

Implicit barriers would show themselves in the relationships, ideas and self-awareness of the countries. In addition, colonialism would be visible in not taking responsibility for mistakes made, including mistakes made in a much more distant past.

That is why Recourt proposes to investigate which obstacles exist in the cooperation that arise from the colonial past, in the Netherlands and in the three other countries of our Kingdom, each in their own way.

This investigation is best conducted by an independent party. Because an outsider’s perspective can indicate possible blind spots. “You don’t know what you don’t see,” said Recourt.

Eerste Kamerlid Recourt pleit voor onderzoek naar kolonialisme

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D66 Senator Boris Dittrich, Feels That The Population Of Sint Maarten Is Being Unjustly Punished For A Conflict Between The Island Government And State Secretary Knops

This is because State Secretary Knops stopped the financial support after the States of Sint Maarten submitted a petition to the United Nations. In this, they accused the Netherlands of a colonial and racist attitude in setting conditions for liquidity support.

The Senate held a debate yesterday with outgoing State Secretary Raymond Knops of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. The policy debate was about relations with the countries and municipalities in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Several senators spoke about St. Maarten’s complaint to the UN and the compiled relationship with the island’s government.

Bad relationship

According to SP senator Arda Gerkens, the relationship with the Sint-Maarten government is “downright bad”. Eric van der Burg of the VVD stated that this deteriorated relationship has to do with the UN complaint. “As far as I am concerned, those accusations say nothing about the Secretary of State and his actions in this matter, but more about the politicians who made those accusations.”

Paul Rosenmöller of GroenLinks called the petition a “sad low point”. “The State Secretary responds by turning off the money tap. That is a new step in an escalation model, where de-escalation is so desirable. But I agree with the Secretary of State; it takes two to tango ”, says Rosenmöller.

Unjustified punishment

D66 senator Boris Dittrich asked Knops a number of questions about the specific policy for Sint Maarten. According to Dittrich, the residents of Sint Maarten have nothing to do with the UN complaint. “After the complaint, the State Secretary suspended aid and that raises questions among the D66 faction, because it punishes the population,” said the senator. “My question is whether there is actually sufficient dialogue between St. Maarten and the government.”

Dittrich questioned the “turning off of the money tap” for Sint Maarten. “How will it reopen and under what conditions? I have the feeling that the population of St. Maarten is now being punished because there is a conflict situation between the island government and the State Secretary. Surely it cannot be the intention that the population has to pay the price for this? “

Not naive

In his answer, Knops agreed with Dittrich that the population is certainly not served by a stalemate between two governments. “But on the other hand, I can also expect the Parliament of Sint Maarten to set priorities at the moment and that you, as a representative of that country, when that country is in crisis, do everything you can to ensure that those resources become available. ”

Knops said he was “not naive” about the contradiction of the petition after the government did agree to the support. “You cannot walk two tracks and say that they are both true, if those tracks are diametrically opposed to each other, legally, but also politically”. & Nbsp;

Slap in the face

The State Secretary called the complaint a slap in the face of a country within the Kingdom that wants to help. The secretary of state said he is now awaiting a statement on the charges. He could now say nothing more about this, except that he hopes that Sint Maarten will make the right choices in the interest of its own inhabitants.

According to Knops, Sint-Maarten has received the third tranche of 90 million euros in financial support. This means that a total of 352 million has been deposited into the trust fund to be spent on projects. In addition, the Netherlands has offered to provide technical assistance. For example for waste processing and the airport. “The Netherlands then pays these and they are deployed by the government, at least under the authority of the World Bank and in collaboration with the government of Sint Maarten,” said the State Secretary. https://koninkrijk.nu/2021/04/07/senaatslid-dittrich-bevolking-sint-maarten-wordt-onterecht-gestraft/

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Concerns Developments in the health situation in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom

Dear Chairman,
In recent months, the share of the British variant of the Coronavirus (B.1.1.7) in the Leeward Islands has increased sharply. Germ surveillance in Curaçao has now shown to be 96% of the infections with the British variant. Partly as a result of this, there is currently a strongly increased incidence of infections with SARS-CoV 2, mainly on Curaçao and Bonaire. See also the graph below for the development of the incidence values. In Aruba, the increase is slightly slower, but there too the epidemiological situation can be qualified as “very serious” according to the Caribbean assessment framework of the RIVM, given the 7-day incidence, which is well above the norm. The situation on Sint Maarten is qualified as “worrisome”, due to a slightly increasing incidence. No mutated variants with an increased infectivity and / or a more serious clinical course have yet been demonstrated on the Dutch side of this island, but given the partly ongoing passenger traffic and the presence of the British variant on the French side of the island, it is despite the precautions it is to be expected that these variants will also have a negative effect on the epidemiological situation there in the short term. The virus is currently not circulating on Saba and St. Eustatius.

As a result of the greatly increased circulation of the virus, there is a rapid increase in hospitalizations in Curaçao and Bonaire, and to a lesser extent in Aruba. As a result, the curative sector on the Leeward Islands is currently seriously overburdened. Modeling of the expected infections and hospital admissions by RIVM shows that the end of the wave is not yet in sight, and that with unchanged policy, clinical care in Curaçao can no longer be guaranteed in the short term. On the advice of the RIVM, therefore, work is currently being carried out along three lines to reverse the serious situation: 1) taking maximum measures to prevent the spread of the virus, 2) strengthening the care capacity and 3) accelerating the vaccination process on the islands. In this letter I explain, also on behalf of the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, which actions have been taken in this context in recent days.

Page 1 of 5

Tightening measures
In the past week I have had various conversations with the ministers of health of Aruba, Curaçao (also with the Prime Minister) and St. Maarten and with the Lieutenant Governor of Bonaire. It discussed the need to further tighten up measures to prevent the spread of the virus. In Curaçao, the measures have been tightened weekly since March 8 and a lock-down has been in effect since March 24. Nearly all services to the public have been shut down, with the exception of a few essential services, including medical services and fuel and food supplies. People are only allowed on the road on two days a week for these essential things, as long as the service is not already limited to home delivery. This is regulated on the basis of the number plate of cars. Primary and secondary education has now also been shut down, with the exception of education related to final exams. All traffic is stopped on Sundays and almost all services are prohibited on that day. Home visits and organized sports are no longer allowed. Finally, there is a curfew from 7:00 PM to 4:30 AM. A similar approach is visible on Bonaire, where a lock-down has been in effect since March 18. Again, there is a curfew (from 9pm), non-essential services are closed and work is done from home. In Aruba, but also on the other islands, the authorities have indicated that they will do their utmost to prevent transmission and that they are prepared to take further measures where necessary. With a view to the past Easter weekend, efforts were made to implement additional communication and measures to combat conglomeration, including the closure of stores. Residents are urged to comply with the rules and to be tested in case of complaints. The effect and follow-up of the measures, as well as the possible need for further tightening, is monitored daily by the authorities and GGDs. The RIVM and VWS have also advised Sint Maarten to introduce measures in the short term to limit the influx and spread of the British variant as much as possible.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the travel advice

for the islands has been tightened in the past period, as a result of which travel restrictions apply from the islands to the Netherlands. Travelers are urged to make only necessary journeys. In addition, inter-island travel has been further curtailed since last week and the Dutch
Representation on Curaçao Dutch residents are called upon to leave Curaçao as soon as possible, if a stay on the island is not strictly necessary.

Strengthen capacity for curative care
Over the past year, the countries and the Caribbean Netherlands have worked on strengthening care for Covid patients. For example, the number of beds in intensive care units in all hospitals has been expanded by sending equipment and deploying additional staff via Dutch and American medical employment agencies. The stock of personal protective equipment for healthcare is also secured via LCH. On Sint Maarten, the capacity has been expanded by setting up a Covid pavilion with 16 beds, 6 of which are IC. The same type of pavilion is located on St. Eustatius for the reception of low-complexity patients and palliative care for residents of St. Eustatius and Saba. The Dutch Caribbean Hospital Alliance (DCHA) was recently established, a partnership of the four hospitals in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. The Amsterdam UMC has developed an online training platform on behalf of the DCHA and VWS, on which, among other things, task-oriented training is offered to IC buddies.

Due to the high incidence, the number of hospital and intensive care admissions is also increasing rapidly. Due to their insular nature, the hospitals have limited (personnel) capacity and indicate that the current scaled-up capacity is hardly able to cope with the large number of admissions. The pressure on healthcare is therefore very high at the moment. Elective care has been scaled down on all Leeward Islands and on Curaçao and Bonaire it has even stopped completely. Last weekend, 4 patients were transferred from Curaçao to Aruba due to lack of space. Given the limited intensive care facilities, Bonaire is dependent on hospital care in Curaçao and Aruba. In view of the necessary import of medicinal oxygen on Bonaire, it is not possible to expand the IC capacity there further than the current IC capacity of 6 beds. In recent weeks, 5 IC patients with Covid-19 have been transferred from Bonaire to Aruba and Curaçao, due to lack of space, 5 patients also had to be transferred to Colombia. This is another reason why it is necessary to deploy additional personnel to further scale up the IC capacity of Aruba and Curaçao.

The DCHA is currently also organizing the crisis capacity planning of the 4 hospitals in the region. Staff are deployed in mutual consultation in the hospital where the pressure is highest. As of this week, the National Coordination Center for Patient Distribution (LCPS) will also include the Caribbean region in the capacity overview. Additional staff is currently being recruited in the Netherlands and the US. Last week, medical personnel were recruited for a period of four weeks with the help of Dutch temporary employment agencies. This weekend 16 general nurses and 5 medical doctors left for the Caribbean islands. This week another 4 nurses and 5 doctors will travel from the Netherlands to support the hospitals. During the Easter weekend, “Extra Hands for Care” also approached medical staff from their files whose profile and availability match the needs in the Caribbean region. The first team of Extra Hands for Care will leave Friday, April 9. This team consists of approximately 30 healthcare professionals with a wide range of expertise. A second team of a similar size will follow in the week of April 12.

In addition, in collaboration with the National Network Acute
Healthcare (LNAZ), the Regional Consultation Acute Care (ROAZ) and the Dutch Association for Intensive Care (NVIC), recruited IC and ambulance personnel in the Netherlands. They will be deployed this week. In addition, additional IC personnel are also deployed via the American employment agency AMI. In the past year they provided IC personnel for Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Last week, AMI recruited extra efforts, namely 20 IC nurses and 8 IC doctors. This will be scaled up further in the course of this month. From the Netherlands, with the help of the National Aid Consortium (LCH) and the Erasmus MC, additional equipment (including 28 breathing machines, syringe pumps and patient monitoring systems) and material necessary for further upscaling will be supplied to hospitals. The scaling up of IC capacity in hospitals is shown in the overview below.

(Ei) land IC capacity pre
Covid Current IC capacity

Betreft Ontwikkelingen gezondheidssituatie in de Caribische delen van het Koninkrijk

Geachte voorzitter,
De afgelopen maanden is het aandeel van de Britse variant van het Coronavirus (B.1.1.7) op de benedenwindse eilanden sterk toegenomen. Uit kiemsurveillance blijkt op Curaçao inmiddels 96% van de besmettingen met de Britse variant te zijn. Mede als gevolg daarvan is er momenteel sprake van een sterk verhoogde incidentie van infecties met SARS-CoV 2 op voornamelijk Curaçao en Bonaire. Zie voor het verloop van de incidentiewaarden ook de grafiek hieronder. Op Aruba gaat de stijging iets minder hard, maar ook daar is de epidemiologische situatie volgens het Caribische afwegingskader van het RIVM te kwalificeren als “zeer ernstig”, gezien de 7-daagse incidentie die ruim boven de norm ligt. Op Sint Maarten wordt de situatie gekwalificeerd als “zorgelijk”, wegens een licht oplopende incidentie. Er zijn aan de Nederlandse kant van dit eiland nog geen gemuteerde varianten aangetoond met een verhoogde besmettelijkheid en/of een ernstiger klinisch beloop, maar gezien het deels nog doorgaande reizigersverkeer en de aanwezigheid van de Britse variant op de Franse zijde van het eiland, is het ondanks de voorzorgen te verwachten dat deze varianten ook daar de epidemiologische situatie op korte termijn negatief zullen beïnvloeden. Op Saba en Sint Eustatius is momenteel geen sprake van circulatie van het virus.

Als gevolg van de sterk verhoogde circulatie van het virus vindt een razendsnelle stijging plaats in hospitalisaties op Curaçao en Bonaire, en in mindere mate op Aruba. Hierdoor wordt de curatieve sector op de benedenwindse eilanden momenteel ernstig overbelast. Modellering van de te verwachten infecties en ziekenhuisopnamen door het RIVM laat zien dat het einde van de golf nog niet in zicht is, en dat bij ongewijzigd beleid de klinische zorg op Curaçao op korte termijn niet meer kan worden gegarandeerd. Op advies van het RIVM wordt daarom momenteel langs drie lijnen gewerkt om de ernstige situatie te reverseren: 1) het maximaal treffen van maatregelen om verspreiding van het virus tegen te gaan, 2) het versterken van de zorgcapaciteit en 3) het versnellen van het vaccinatietraject op de eilanden. In deze brief zet ik, mede namens de minister van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport, uiteen welke acties in dit kader de afgelopen dagen zijn ondernomen.

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Aanscherpen maatregelen
De afgelopen week heb ik diverse gesprekken gevoerd met de ministers van gezondheid van Aruba, Curaçao (ook met de minister-president) en Sint Maarten en met de gezaghebber van Bonaire. Hierin is gesproken over de noodzaak tot het verder aanscherpen van maatregelen om de verspreiding van het virus tegen te gaan. Op Curaçao zijn sinds 8 maart de maatregelen wekelijks aangescherpt en geldt sinds 24 maart een lock-down. Vrijwel alle dienstverlening aan het publiek is stilgelegd, met uitzondering van enkele essentiële diensten, waaronder medische diensten en brandstof- en voedselvoorziening. Mensen mogen slechts op twee dagen in de week de weg op voor deze essentiële zaken, voor zover de dienstverlening niet reeds is beperkt tot thuisbezorging. Dit wordt op basis van de kentekenplaat van auto’s gereguleerd. Het basis- en voortgezet onderwijs is inmiddels ook stilgelegd, met uitzondering van onderwijs dat gerelateerd is aan eindexamens. Op zondagen wordt het gehele verkeer stilgelegd en vrijwel alle dienstverlening is op die dag verboden. Thuisbezoek en georganiseerde sport zijn niet langer toegestaan. Ten slotte geldt er een avondklok van 19:00 tot 04:30 uur. Een soortgelijke aanpak is zichtbaar op Bonaire, waar sinds 18 maart een lock-down geldt. Ook hier is een avondklok van kracht (vanaf 21:00), zijn niet essentiële diensten gesloten en wordt vanuit huis gewerkt. Op Aruba, maar ook op de andere eilanden hebben de autoriteiten aangegeven zich maximaal in te zetten om transmissie tegen te gaan en bereid te zijn verdere maatregelen te treffen waar nodig. Met het oog op het afgelopen Paasweekend is ingezet op extra communicatie en maatregelen die samenscholing tegengaan, inclusief sluiting van winkels. Ingezetenen worden opgeroepen om zich aan de regels te houden en zich te laten testen bij klachten. Het effect en de opvolging van de maatregelen, alsook de eventuele noodzaak tot verdere aanscherping wordt dagelijks gemonitord door de autoriteiten en GGD’en. Het RIVM en VWS hebben daarnaast Sint Maarten geadviseerd om op korte termijn maatregelen in te voeren om de influx en verspreiding van de Britse variant zoveel mogelijk te beperken.
Het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken heeft het reisadvies voor de eilanden de afgelopen periode aangescherpt, waardoor reisbeperkingen gelden van de eilanden richting Nederland. Reizigers worden dringend opgeroepen om alleen noodzakelijke reizen te maken. Daarnaast wordt sinds afgelopen week het interinsulaire reisverkeer verder ingeperkt en heeft de Nederlandse
Vertegenwoordiging op Curaçao Nederlandse ingezeten opgeroepen om Curaçao zo snel mogelijk te verlaten, indien een verblijf op het eiland niet strikt noodzakelijk is.

Versterken capaciteit curatieve zorg
Het afgelopen jaar is in gezamenlijkheid met de landen en Caribisch Nederland gewerkt aan het versterken van de zorg voor Covid-patiënten. Zo is het aantal bedden van de intensive care van alle ziekenhuizen uitgebreid door het sturen van apparatuur en het inzetten van extra personeel via Nederlandse en Amerikaanse medische uitzendbureaus. Ook wordt de voorraad persoonlijke beschermingsmiddelen voor de zorg via LCH geborgd. Op Sint Maarten is de capaciteit uitgebreid door het opzetten van een Covid paviljoen met 16 bedden, waarvan 6 IC. Op Sint Eustatius staat eenzelfde soort paviljoen voor de opvang van laag complexe patiënten en palliatieve zorg voor ingezetenen van Sint Eustatius en Saba. Recent is de Dutch Carribean Hospital Alliance (DCHA) opgericht, een samenwerkingsverband van de vier ziekenhuizen in het Caribisch deel van het Koninkrijk. Het Amsterdam UMC heeft in opdracht van de DCHA en VWS een online scholingsplatform ontwikkeld, waarop onder andere taakgerichte scholing wordt aangeboden aan de IC-buddy’s.

Vanwege de hoge incidentie neemt ook het aantal ziekenhuis- en intensive care opnames snel toe. De ziekenhuizen beschikken vanwege het insulaire karakter over beperkte (personele) capaciteit en geven aan dat de huidige opgeschaalde capaciteit nauwelijks opgewassen blijkt tegen de grote hoeveelheid opnames. De druk op de zorg is momenteel dan ook zeer hoog. De electieve zorg is op alle benedenwindse eilanden afgeschaald en op Curaçao en Bonaire is deze zelfs volledig gestopt. Afgelopen weekend zijn 4 patiënten uit Curaçao naar Aruba overgeplaatst vanwege plaatsgebrek. Gezien de beperkte faciliteiten op het gebied van intensive care is Bonaire afhankelijk van de ziekenhuiszorg op Curaçao en Aruba. Het is gezien de noodzakelijke import van medicinale zuurstof op Bonaire niet mogelijk om de IC capaciteit daar verder uit te breiden dan de huidige ICcapaciteit van 6 bedden. In de afgelopen weken zijn 5 IC-patiënten met Covid-19 van Bonaire overgeplaatst naar Aruba en Curaçao, wegens plaatsgebrek moesten er ook 5 patiënten overgeplaatst worden naar Colombia. Ook hierom is het noodzakelijk om extra personeel in te zetten om de IC capaciteit van Aruba en Curaçao verder op te schalen.

Vanuit de DCHA wordt op dit moment ook de planning van de crisiscapaciteit van de 4 ziekenhuizen in de regio georganiseerd. Personeel wordt in onderling overleg ingezet in het ziekenhuis waar de druk het hoogst is. Het Landelijk Coördinatiecentrum Patiënten Spreiding (LCPS) zal vanaf deze week ook de Caribische regio in het capaciteitsoverzicht opnemen. Extra personeel wordt momenteel geworven in Nederland en de VS. Afgelopen week is met behulp van Nederlandse uitzendbureaus op zeer korte termijn medisch personeel voor een periode van vier weken geworven. Dit weekend zijn 16 algemeen verpleegkundigen en 5 basisartsen vertrokken naar de Caribische eilanden. Deze week zullen nog eens 4 verpleegkundigen en 5 artsen vanuit Nederland reizen om de ziekenhuizen te ondersteunen. Ook heeft ‘Extra Handen voor de Zorg’ in het Paasweekend medisch personeel uit hun bestanden benaderd van wie profiel en beschikbaarheid aansluiten bij de behoefte in de Caribische regio. Het eerste team van Extra Handen voor de Zorg vertrekt vrijdag 9 april. Dit team bestaat uit ongeveer 30 zorgprofessionals met een breed scala aan deskundigheid. In de week van 12 april volgt een tweede team van soortgelijke omvang.

Daarnaast wordt momenteel, in samenwerking met het Landelijk Netwerk Acute
Zorg (LNAZ), het Regionaal Overleg Acute Zorg (ROAZ) en de Nederlandse Vereniging voor Intensive Care (NVIC), IC- en ambulancepersoneel in Nederland geworven. Zij zullen deze week worden ingezet. Daarnaast wordt ook extra IC personeel ingezet via het Amerikaanse uitzendbureau AMI. Zij hebben het afgelopen jaar voorzien in IC-personeel voor Aruba, Curaçao en Sint Maarten. Afgelopen week heeft AMI extra inzet geworven, te weten 20 IC-verpleegkundigen en 8 IC-artsen. In de loop van deze maand wordt dit verder opgeschaald. Vanuit Nederland wordt met hulp van het Landelijk Consortium Hulpmiddelen (LCH) en het Erasmus MC ook extra apparatuur (waaronder 28 beademingsmachines, spuitpompen en monitoringssystemen voor patiënten) en materiaal noodzakelijk voor verdere opschaling aan de ziekenhuizen geleverd. De opschaling van de ICcapaciteit in de ziekenhuizen is weergegeven in het onderstaande overzicht.

(Ei)land IC-capaciteit pre
Covid Huidige ICcapaciteit
Aruba 7 22*
Bonaire 1 7*
Curaçao 7 46**
Sint Maarten 3 6**

  • Dit is inclusief non-Covid IC bedden.
    ** Dit is exclusief non-Covid IC bedden.

Versnellen vaccinatietraject
Ervaringen uit het Verenigd Koninkrijk en Nederland laten zien dat met strenge maatregelen als een lock-down, de uitbraak weliswaar minder snel om zich heen grijpt, maar dat dit niet voldoende is om het R-getal voldoende omlaag te krijgen om de uitbraak te laten afnemen. De beste en snelste bescherming tegen de stijging in besmettingen is om zo spoedig mogelijk alle volwassen inwoners die daartoe bereid zijn te vaccineren. Strikte maatregelen dienen daarom gepaard te gaan met een vaccinatietraject dat met grote urgentie wordt uitgevoerd. Hierbij wordt ingezet op het zo spoedig mogelijk toedienen van de eerste prik. Deze geeft al een zekere mate van bescherming die naar verwachting het aantal ernstig zieken dat hospitalisatie nodig heeft, aanzienlijk zal doen dalen.

Op dit moment verloopt de vaccinatiecampagne op de Caribische eilanden goed.
Op Saba heeft 90% van de volwassenen een of beide vaccinaties ontvangen, op Sint Eustatius is dat 37% en op Bonaire heeft 21% van de volwassen bevolking een of beide vaccinaties ontvangen. De huidige percentages op Sint Maarten, Curaçao en Aruba liggen op 11%, 16% en 21% respectievelijk. Dit aantal reeds gezette vaccinaties komt overeen met de vaccinatie plannen zoals deze zijn geschetst in de Kamerbrief van 23 maart.

Gezien de huidige epidemiologische situatie en de beperkte curatieve faciliteiten, is, op advies van het RIVM en de vaccinatiegezant voor de Caribische delen van het Koninkrijk besloten tot het versneld uitvoeren van het vaccinatietraject op de eilanden. In de overleggen tussen de staatssecretaris en de ministers van gezondheid van de Landen is besproken hoe Nederland kan helpen met de verdere opschaling van de vaccinatiecampagne, zodat alle volwassen inwoners die dat willen vóór 1 mei een eerste prik kunnen ontvangen. Vanaf komende week kan iedere volwassene zich daarom registreren, waarbij uiteraard extra aandacht wordt gegeven aan ouderen en risicogroepen.

Om de huidige uitbraak op Curaçao zo snel mogelijk in te dammen en de druk op de zorg te verminderen is het nodig de vaccinatiecampagne aanzienlijk te versnellen. Uitgangspunt is om alle volwassen inwoners die dat willen binnen 10 dagen na de start van de opgeschaalde campagne op 8 april de eerste prik te geven. Hiertoe heeft Nederland op 2 april 30.000 extra vaccins naar Aruba en Curaçao verstuurd en zullen benodigde aanvullende zendingen volgen. Er is dagelijks contact tussen de eilanden, de vaccinatiegezant voor de Caribische delen van het Koninkrijk, VWS en RIVM om te overleggen of de vaccinvoorraad toereikend is. Ook zijn er via een lokaal uitzendbureau extra prikkers en via Nederland extra artsen voor toezicht geworven. Zij zullen de lokale GGD ondersteunen in de vaccinatiecampagne. Daarnaast wordt er specifieke logistieke expertise beschikbaar gesteld door GGD West-Brabant. Twee logistieke experts die nauw betrokken waren bij de inrichting van de XL-priklocatie Breepark Breda zullen deze week Curaçao bezoeken om te ondersteunen bij het fors opschalen van het vaccinatieprogramma.

Tot slot
Aan de hand van de hierboven geschetste lijnen werken de Landen, Bonaire, het RIVM, het ministerie van VWS en andere betrokken partijen aan het terugdringen van de druk op de zorg en het stoppen van de uitbraak met de Britse variant op de benedenwindse eilanden en Sint Maarten. Naast acute ondersteuning aan de ziekenhuizen en in de vaccinatiecampagne wordt hierbij ook op andere vlakken steun geleverd, ook door collega departementen. Zo trekt de handhaving van het straatverbod, de avondklok en andere maatregelen, een zware wissel op de capaciteit van het politiekorps en andere inspecties op de Landen en Bonaire. Vanuit onder meer de Curmil (dienstplichtigen) en het Vrijwilligerskorps wordt reeds versterking geboden, maar door de aard van de maatregelen is ook op dit punt ondersteuning gevraagd door Curaçao en Bonaire. Deze steun aan de Caribische delen van het Koninkrijk zal met behulp van de andere departementen worden geleverd.
Hoogachtend,

de staatssecretaris van Volksgezondheid,
Welzijn en Sport,

Paul Blokhuis

Posted in Covid-19 Coronavirus | Tagged | Leave a comment

Updated: OFFICIAL POLICE REPORT 4 Videos photos Madame Estate leaving an armed robber dead and another seriously injured.

Front Street armed robbers shot by police. One dead and one wounded
SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) – The Central Dispatch received several calls about an armed robbery in progress at a jewelry store on Front Street on Wednesday morning at approximately 10.45 am, the police said in a statement.

Several patrols and detective personnel were immediately directed to the location. Shortly after the robbery, the Central Dispatch received additional suspect information that three men on two scooters, all dressed in dark clothing had robbed the jewelry store a few minutes prior to the call.

After robbing the store, they continued up Front Street in the direction of Juancho Yrausquin Boulevard. Based on information received, a police patrol spotted a scooter matching the description and attempted to intercept the suspects in the vicinity of the Freedom Fighters roundabout.

Upon sighting of the police patrol one of the scooter riders fled in the direction of Sucker Garden road. The second scooter took off at high speed in the direction of the Nisbeth road toward the Salt Pickers roundabout. Chase was given and shots were fired on Arch Road, leaving one suspect dead. The other suspect on the same scooter was wounded and later rushed to Sint Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) for treatment.

Immediately several police patrols, detectives, Forensic investigators, and paramedics were dispatched to the scene to conduct the initial police investigation into what had exactly taken place. The area was immediately cordoned off for the different departments, to collect evidence and for detectives to speak to potential witnesses.

The identity of the suspects has not yet been established. The investigation is in its preliminary stages and more details are unavailable at this time. As soon as more information becomes available the public will be informed.

Anyone with information with about this or any of armed robberies that have taken place over the last weeks, should contact SUR detectives via + 1 721 542 2222 ext. 203, 204 or 205, the anonymous tip line 9300, send a private message via Facebook Page: Police Force of Sint Maarten – Korps Politie Sint Maarten or website www.policesxm.sx. (KPSM)

The above audio Gromyko Wilson 721 News.

We are getting News that they BOTH died, unverified. The Detective Department is busy investigating a shooting that took place in Madame Estate leaving an armed robber dead and another seriously injured.

Police Spokesman Joe Josepha said that the suspects were armed and dangerous and they responded to police with gunfire. Josepha said police returned fire hitting two. They were taken to SMMC..

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Pandora Case Two arrests, house searches related to sexual abuse of minors. (JOINT PRESS RELEASE KPSM AND OM). Stroud Worked UTS

Two arrests, house searches related to sexual abuse of minors. (JOINT PRESS RELEASE KPSM AND OM).

Complaints about sexual abuse against minors involving an elementary school employee and her neighbor led to their arrests early today, Wednesday, April 7, 2021, by the Juvenile Department of the Police KPSM on the order of the Prosecutor’s Office OM SXM.

The houses of the two suspects were searched as part of the ongoing “Pandora” investigation that is also looking into child pornography. A firearm and a quantity of marijuana were found and confiscated from one of the houses. Data carriers were confiscated from both houses.

The investigation is ongoing and the suspects – Joyce D.Walters and B. E. H. Stroud remain in police custody.

One of the suspects is a (suspended) school employee who targeted her victims at school. The (alleged) abuse later took place when the victims attended after-school tutoring at the suspect’s home.

The abuse of the minors took place at the homes of the suspects over prolonged periods of time starting from around 2010. The time span of the abuse differs based on each victim’s contact with the arrestees. In the case of one victim, the abuse occurred on the premise of an elementary school. The abuse of another victim took place in 2019 and during the 2020 lockdown when the child was at tutoring classes at the home of one of the arrestees..

Aside from complaints of sexual abuse, one complainant stated that photographs of the victim(s) were taken by the school employee and shared with the second arrestee, who is her neighbor.

All of the victims in this case are/were below the age of 13 at the time they were abused by the suspects.

Cases involving the sexual abuse of minors are considered as heinous by OM SXM and KPSM as they target the most vulnerable in the community – children.

OM SXM and KPSM are cognizant that cases like this are very emotional ones and urges parents and guardians not to let emotions guide actions. The police and OM SXM are working diligently on tackling such cases for the safety of the community and in particular our children.

OM SXM and KPSM encourage everyone in the community to be mindful of the welfare of all children and to report any and all instances of sexual abuse whether against minors or adults. To report (sexual) abuse, call KPSM on + 1 721 554-2222, extension 501.

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This bill implements Article 12a of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands (hereinafter: the Charter),

This bill implements Article 12a of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands (hereinafter: the Charter), which provides that provisions are made by Kingdom Act for the handling of disputes between the Kingdom and the countries designated by Kingdom Act. The bill states that the determination of the existence of a dispute will take place during continued consultation as referred to in Article 12, second paragraph, of the Statute. If the objections relate to the interpretation of the provisions by or pursuant to the Statute and these objections have not been resolved during continued consultation, a Minister Plenipotentiary may declare that this objection has persisted (dispute) and request an opinion from the Kingdom Disputes Division the Council of State of the Kingdom. The chairman of the council of ministers of the Kingdom may decide to reject this request if a compelling interest of the Kingdom requires immediate decision-making (Article 1, second paragraph, first sentence). A dispute may relate to any proposed decision of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom, except for decisions or proposed decisions for which a special procedure has already been provided for by Kingdom Act or Order in Council (1), proposals for Kingdom Act or draft general measures of Government Administration (2) , or decisions or proposed decisions that can be submitted to the Council of State of the Kingdom or to the Kingdom Disputes Division thereof on the basis of a special regulation (3). Following a request, the Kingdom Disputes Division of the Council of State of the Kingdom adopts an opinion and notifies the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, who then informs the parties of that decision. The Council of Ministers of the Kingdom will follow the judgment of the Division unless the nature and weight of the objection established does not outweigh a compelling interest, or unless relevant facts and circumstances that have arisen after the request for an opinion require a decision deviating from the judgment. The final decision, as well as the opinion of the Advisory Division of the Council of State of the Kingdom, will be announced simultaneously in the Government Gazette, unless this cannot be done on the basis of Article 26, fourth paragraph, of the Council of State Act. In the event of a deviation from the opinion, an obligation to disclose the reasons for the deviation from the opinion applies. Finally, the bill provides for an evaluation within three years after the entry into force of the effectiveness and effects of the Kingdom Act in practice. Situation i House of Representatives Written preparation i First room Plenary i Proclamation i Official Gazette (s) The proposal ( EK, A ) was adopted by the House of Representatives on 4 July 2019 . For: SP, PvdA, GroenLinks, PvdD, DENK, 50PLUS, D66, VVD, SGP, CDA and ChristenUnie. Against: PVV and FVD. On 4 February 2020, the Senate Committee for Kingdom Relations (KOREL) discussed the letter from the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations of 30 January 2020 ( EK, C ) with the position of the Kingdom Council of Ministers regarding the response of the vice-president of the Council of State. of 19 September 2019 to the amendment Thijsen et al ( TK, 25 ) about a new Kingdom Disputes Division within the Council of State. De commissie heeft op 25 februari 2020 het voorlopig verslag (EK, D) uitgebracht en wacht op de memorie van antwoord. De commissie heeft op 11 december 2020 een brief aan de staatssecretaris van BZK inzake een rappel betreffende de memorie van antwoord voorstel Rijkswet Koninkrijksgeschillen (EK, E) verzonden. De staatssecretaris heeft op 5 januari 201 middels een brief (EK, F) gereageerd. Op 15 januari 2021 heeft de commissie de staatssecretaris een brief (EK, G) gestuurd inzake de planning betreffende de memorie van antwoord. De staatssecretaris heeft op 1 maart 2021 middels een brief (EK, H) gereageerd en naar aanleiding van deze brief heeft de commissie op 9 maart 2021 besloten een mondeling overleg te voeren met de staatssecretaris van BZK. Dit mondeling overleg vond plaats op 16 maart 2021 en op 29 maart 2021 heeft de commissie het verslag van dit mondeling overleg (EK, I) uitgebracht. Het videoverslag van dit overleg treft u hier aan. On 15 October 2019, the Senate Committee for Kingdom Relations (KOREL) received the letter ( EK 35.300 IV / CXIX, C ) from the State Secretary of the Interior and Kingdom Relations regarding the implementation of motion Van Raak et al ( TK 35.099 (R2114), 23 ) and the motion -De Graaf et al ( EK 34,300 IV / CXIX, P ) and is of the opinion that the scope of the Senate motion-De Graaf et al is broader than that of the Senate motion-Van Raak et al and requests the government to take this into account. Core data submitted November 29, 2018 title Facilities for handling disputes between the Kingdom and the countries (Kingdom Disputes Act) written preparation Commission for Kingdom Relations (KOREL) input provided by GroenLinks – RR Ganzevoort PVV – AWJA van Hattem SP – A.M.V. Gerkens ChristenUnie – P. Ester SGP – P. Schalk D66 – B.O. Dittrich ondertekening minister van Algemene Zaken staatssecretaris van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties inwerkingtreding Op een bij koninklijk besluit Bladeren: [1-50] [51-52] documenten 29 maart 2021 verslag van een mondeling overleg met de staatssecretaris van BZK inzake de Rijkswet Koninkrijksgeschillen EK, I 23 maart 2021 korte aantekening commissie Koninkrijksrelaties (KOREL) 9 maart 2021 korte aantekening commissie Koninkrijksrelaties (KOREL) 1 maart 2021 brief van de staatssecretaris van BZK inzake beantwoording Kamervragen over planning memorie van antwoord Rijkswet Koninkrijksgeschillen EK, H 15 januari 2021 brief aan de staatssecretaris van BZK inzake nadere reactie rappel betreffende de memorie van antwoord Rijkswet Koninkrijksgeschillen EK, G 12 januari 2021 korte aantekening commissie Koninkrijksrelaties (KOREL) 5 januari 2021 brief van de staatssecretaris van BZK inzake de memorie van antwoord bij het voorstel van rijkswet Koninkrijksgeschillen EK, F 11 december 2020 brief aan de staatssecretaris van BZK inzake rappel memorie van antwoord voorstel Rijkswet Koninkrijksgeschillen EK, E 25 februari 2020 voorlopig verslag EK, D 18 februari 2020 korte aantekening commissie Koninkrijksrelaties (KOREL) 11 februari 2020 korte aantekening commissie Koninkrijksrelaties (KOREL) 4 februari 2020 korte aantekening commissie Koninkrijksrelaties (KOREL) 30 januari 2020 brief van de minister van BZK met het standpunt van de Rijksministerraad ten aanzien van de reactie van de vice-president van de Raad van State op het amendement Thijsen c.s. EK, C 15 oktober 2019 korte aantekening commissie Koninkrijksrelaties (KOREL) 2 oktober 2019 brief regering; Uitvoering van de motie van het lid Van Raak c.s. over een nadere invulling van de verantwoordelijkheden van de landen afzonderlijk en het Koninkrijk als geheel TK, 28 24 september 2019 korte aantekening commissie Koninkrijksrelaties (KOREL) 23 september 2019 brief van de minister van BZK inzake consultatie Raad van State naar aanleiding van amendement over een nieuwe Afdeling Koninkrijksgeschillen EK, B Bevat bijlage 10 september 2019 korte aantekening commissie Koninkrijksrelaties (KOREL) 4 juli 2019 gewijzigd voorstel van rijkswet EK, A 4 juli 2019 stemmingsoverzicht Tweede Kamer 4 juli 2019 stemming wetsvoorstel Handelingen TK 2018/2019, nr. 102, item 90 4 juli 2019 stemming motie Handelingen TK 2018/2019, nr. 102, item 63 4 juli 2019 stemming amendementen Handelingen TK 2018/2019, nr. 102, item 62 4 juli 2019 voortzetting behandeling Handelingen TK 2018/2019, nr. 102, item 39 4 juli 2019 Gewijzigd amendement van het lid Bisschop ter vervanging van nr. 18 over het uitdrukkelijk meenemen van de beoordelingsruimte in de evaluatie TK, 27 4 juli 2019 Gewijzigd amendement van de leden Diertens en Kuiken ter vervanging van nr. 22 over een inkadering van zwaarwegende gronden T
K, 26 4 juli 2019 Gewijzigd amendement van de bijzondere gedelegeerde Thijsen c.s. ter vervanging van nr. 20 over een nieuwe Afdeling Koninkrijksgeschillen binnen de Raad van State TK, 25 4 juli 2019 Amendement van de bijzondere gedelegeerde Thijsen en het lid Diertens ter vervanging van nr. 19 over het vragen van de Afdeling advisering als er is afgeweken TK, 24 4 juli 2019 Motie van het lid Van Raak c.s. over een nadere invulling van de verantwoordelijkheden van de landen afzonderlijk en het Koninkrijk als geheel TK, 23 4 juli 2019 Amendement van de leden Diertens en Kuiken over een inkadering van zwaarwegende gronden TK, 22 4 juli 2019 Amendement van het lid Drost over bevoegdheid verzoek af te wijzen ivm spoed TK, 21 4 juli 2019 Amendement van de bijzondere gedelegeerde Thijsen en het lid Van Dam over een nieuwe Afdeling Koninkrijksgeschillen binnen de Raad van State TK, 20 4 juli 2019 Amendement van bijzondere gedelegeerde Thijsen c.s. over het vragen van de Afdeling advisering als er is afgeweken TK, 19 4 juli 2019 Gewijzigd amendement van het lid Bisschop ter vervanging van nr. 17 over het uitdrukkelijk meenemen van de beoordelingsruimte in de evaluatie TK, 18 2 juli 2019 behandeling Handelingen TK 2018/2019, nr. 100, item 40 2 juli 2019 Amendement van het lid Bisschop over het uitdrukkelijk meenemen van de beoordelingsruimte in de evaluatie TK, 17 2 juli 2019 Amendement van het lid Bisschop over minder beoordelingsruimte bij afwijking van het oordeel van de Afdeling Advisering TK, 16 2 juli 2019 Amendement van bijzondere gedelegeerde Thijsen c.s. over bindende geschilbeslechting bij de Afdeling bestuursrechtspraak TK, 15 2 juli 2019 Amendement van de leden Özütok en Diertens over de mogelijkheid in een geschil te voorzien via mediation TK, 14 26 juni 2019 Nota van wijziging TK, 13 26 juni 2019 nota naar aanleiding van het verslag en nota naar aanleiding van het verslag van de Staten van Aruba, Curaçao, respectievelijk Sint Maarten TK, 12 6 juni 2019 verslag TK, 11 8 mei 2019 Voorlichting van de Afdeling advisering van de Raad van State van het Koninkrijk inzake Rijkswet Koninkrijksgeschillen TK, 10 20 maart 2019 verslag van de Staten van Curaçao TK, 9 4 maart 2019 verslag van de Staten van Aruba TK, 8 25 februari 2019 verslag van de Staten van Sint Maarten TK, 7 14 februari 2019 brief van het Presidium over een verzoek om voorlichting aan de Raad van State van het Koninkrijk inzake het voorstel van Rijkswet Koninkrijksgeschillen TK, 6 21 december 2018 brief regering; Reactie op verzoek van het lid Özütok, gedaan tijdens de Regeling van Werkzaamheden van 29 november 2018, over de gang van zaken rond het gewijzigde voorstel voor een regeling voor geschillen over de interpretatie van het Koninkrijksstatuut TK, 5 29 november 2018 advies Afdeling advisering Raad van State van het Koninkrijk en Nader rapport TK, 4 29 november 2018 Memorie van toelichting TK, 3 Bladeren: [1-50] [51-52] documenten Alle Kamerstukken en Handelingen in dit dossier

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Documents: This bill contains the budget of expenditure and receipts for the year 2021 of Kingdom Relations and the BES fund.

Documents: This bill contains the budget of expenditure and receipts for the year 2021 of Kingdom Relations and the BES fund. Situation House of Representatives Written preparation
The bill ( EK, B ) was passed by the House of Representatives on 8 December 2020 .

For: SP, PvdA, Krol, GroenLinks, 50PLUS, Van Kooten-Arissen, DENK, D66, VVD, SGP, CDA, ChristenUnie, PVV and FVD.

Against: PvdD.

The Senate dismissed the proposal as a gavel on December 15, 2020 . The faction of the PvdD has been given a note .

On April 6, 2021, the Senate held a policy debate on Kingdom Relations with the State Secretary for the Interior and Kingdom Relations. During this debate, the Rosenmöller (GroenLinks) motion about giving Kingdom relations a higher priority was presented by a new cabinet ( EK, L ). The Senate will vote on this motion on 13 April 2021.

The Senate Committee for Kingdom Relations (KOREL) will discuss the following letters on 13 April 2021:

letter from the State Secretary of the Interior and Kingdom Relations regarding the leakage of advice from the Council of State of the Kingdom on the legislative proposal on the Caribbean Body for Reform and Development (COHO) ( EK, M );

letter from the State Secretary of the Interior and Kingdom Relations regarding the liquidity needs of Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten (ACS) in the second quarter of 2021 ( EK 35,570 IV / 34,269, K with appendix );

letter from the State Secretary of the Interior and Kingdom Relations regarding the presentation of the Task Division and BES Fund reports ( EK, J with appendices ) and the

letter from the State Secretary of the Interior and Kingdom Relations on Implementation Agendas for the second quarter of 2021 ( EC, not yet printed as parliamentary document – with appendix ).
On March 9, 2021, the Committee decided to notify the letter from the State Secretary of the Interior and Kingdom Relations about the decision-making of the Kingdom Council of Ministers of 26 February 2021 regarding the liquidity needs of Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten and the budget standards for the first quarter of 2021 ( EK 34,269, B ) to take. This letter can be involved in the plenary debate on Kingdom Relations with the outgoing State Secretary for the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK).

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Motion Put Forth By Parliamentarian Rosenmoller To Make Kingdom A priority April 6th 2021

Motion Put Forth By Parliamentarian Rosenmoller To Make Kingdom A priority

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SUMMARY: Policy debate Dutch Caribbean Kingdom April 6, 2021 Tuesday, Senate Debated State Secretary Knops of Interior and Kingdom Relations About Government’s policy Regarding Relations With Countries & municipalities In Caribbean part Kingdom of the Netherlands.

SUMMARY: Policy debate on the Caribbean part of the Kingdom
April 6, 2021 On Tuesday, April 6, the Senate debated with State Secretary Knops of the Interior and Kingdom Relations about the government’s policy with regard to relations with the countries and municipalities in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The basis for the debate is formed by the budget statements of Kingdom Relations and the BES fund for 2021 . On Tuesday, April 13, the House will vote on a motion submitted during the debate by Senator Rosenmöller (GroenLinks) calling on the new cabinet to give greater priority to Kingdom relations by intensifying Dutch efforts in order to improve the ties in a concrete and sustainable way.

Policy debate on the Caribbean part of the Kingdom
The senators raised many different topics in the policy debate, with the relationship between the Netherlands and the other three countries of the Kingdom (Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten) and the BES municipalities forming the common thread. That relationship is currently under pressure for many reasons. Among other things, the increasing inequality, the major impact of the corona crisis on both health care and the economy of the islands, as well as the conditions that the Netherlands has set for financial support, the Dispute Settlement and the Coho Act were discussed. (Caribbean body for reform and development on which a recent advice has been issued by the Council of State of the Kingdom), and the still major consequences of Hurricane Irma that hit Sint Maarten in September 2017.

Policy debate status
Since October 10, 2010, the Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of four countries – Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands. Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES) are municipalities that together form the Caribbean part of the Netherlands. The political relationship between the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten is regulated in the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands .

The Senate sometimes treats budget proposals differently from other bills. Budget proposals are then accepted as hammer pieces if the discussion cannot be completed before a certain date. The policy debate will then only take place later. This gives the Senate the opportunity, even if the budget proposal has already been adopted, to discuss the policy of the relevant ministry with the government.

On December 15, 2020, the Senate dismissed the budget statements Kingdom Relations and the BES fund 2021 as hammer pieces . The faction of the PvdD has been given a note . This means that this group is considered to have voted against.

Impression of the debate
GroenLinks senator Rosenmöllerstated that the relationship between the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom is about trust and not mistrust. He asked the Secretary of State why he attacked autonomy in the summer of 2020 when he imposed heavy conditions on financial aid to the three countries. He also asked whether the State Secretary could provide an overview of what has been provided in loans per country. “We call this support solidarity, but it is also self-serving,” said Rosenmöller. The way in which the agreements about the country packages were reached is not good: “The policy of swallowing or choking does not fit in our Kingdom. The tone was too loud.” At the moment 20% to 25% of the population is dependent on food packages from the Netherlands. Real income is too low on the BES islands, according to Rosenmöller. He asked the State Secretary whether he agreed that too little has been achieved in creating a social minimum. Finally, he wanted to know what the State Secretary thought of the Council of State’s criticism of the Dispute Settlement.

SP Senator Gerkensexpressed concern about the corona numbers. According to her, the situation on all islands is dramatic, with regard to corona, but also political and economic. Eleven years ago it was really better, says Gerkens. She asked the State Secretary to reflect on the administrative relationships that are still struggling. Gerkens also looked at the Netherlands: “Not everything is in order here either, of course. The question is whether we should get involved, isn’t that up to the countries themselves?” Thanks to the Statute, the Netherlands is responsible for an ‘unclear laundry list’, says Gerkens. That is undesirable for the SP. According to her, the way forward is a different approach: together with all residents, not only from the countries, but also from the municipalities. According to Gerkens, it is important that the dispute settlement comes into effect as quickly as possible.

Senator Beukering(Group Nanninga) said that they value good relations and balance between the countries and in the region. The islands have been hit hard by the corona virus. Beukering: “People get to know their friends in difficult times. What will be of great importance in the future is to get out of this crisis together.” He pointed out that the islands themselves have already made plans for the period after the crisis, but that a lot of money is needed for this. Beukering advocated a 5D model: dream, think, dare, do and persevere. His group’s dream is one of togetherness, thinking is making plans. This means that the islands have already come a long way, according to Beukering. Daring will have to be fulfilled by the politicians of the countries, but also by the business community. The Nanninga party sees additional possibilities for fundingInvest International (in formation). Importantly, ownership of all stakeholders, thus Beukering: “We will all, together with the business underneath must put our shoulders to come out of this crisis.”

Also Labor senator Recourtreflected on the consequences of the corona crisis for the islands: “The islands have been hit unprecedented by covid-19.” According to Recourt, the Kingdom is currently determined by the differences and not by the similarities; corona has magnified those differences. According to him, it seems that the Netherlands has imposed its entire wish list with regard to the islands as conditions for the financial support. According to Recourt, eleven years after the entry into force of the new constitutional relations, we see that the relations between the countries are in need of reform. He suggested sitting around the table with all the Caribbean islands to see what needs to be done to bridge the differences. Recourt made a concrete proposal. According to him, the fraught past implicitly and explicitly plays a role to this day: “Let’s explore the obstacles that stem from the colonial past.” According to Recourt, this investigation is best carried out by a person not involved in the colonial past. Such research has never been done before. It makes the elephant in the room visible and can improve relations between the countries, Recourt said. He asked whether the State Secretary is willing to prepare and finance such an investigation.

According to D66 senator Dittrichthe countries themselves also yearn for good, solid governance. D66 thinks it is logical that Dutch tax money should be spent on this. Quality standards must be met and agreements made must be observed, also by the Netherlands, Dittrich stated. His group thinks it is important to come out together with the three countries. He wanted to know how the State Secretary views the process surrounding the Coho proposals (which came out prematurely – ed.) And the associated country packages. According to him, the three countries in the Caribbean Netherlands seem to regard this as an attack and as a dictation. Dittrich wanted to know about the dispute settlement when the House will receive an answer to the questions posed by the standing committee for Kingdom Relations. According to Dittrich, the corona crisis has painfully exposed the need for more diversity in the economy in addition to tourism. He wanted to know from the State Secretary how he sees the economic future of the countries and the Caribbean Netherlands. Dittrich understood that a major conference between the four countries is on the way. He called on the cabinet not only to talk about administrative change there, but also about cultural diversity.

Also CDA senator Oomen-Ruijtenreflected on the corona crisis ‘which is on top of the crisis that has already hit the islands’. Despite everything, the Netherlands is still doing a lot in the area. The islands’ economies are particularly dependent on tourism. Giving poverty and food aid is one thing, but when there is poverty there are also other problems, according to Oomen, such as insufficient care for children and increasing crime among young people. According to Oomen, extra support measures are needed to get the economy back on track. When the corona virus disrupted the islands, the Netherlands stepped in ‘and that’s how it should be’, says Oomen. Within the Kingdom we must show solidarity, she stated. She admires the way the Secretary of State has tried to push through. He is also aiming for more responsibility for the democracies there and that is necessary, according to Oomen. It is good that work is being done to reduce poverty and increase the social minimum. Now something still needs to be done about the earning capacity of the islanders, according to Oomen: “This requires reform. Because the ultimate aim of all of us is real autonomy.”

VVD senator Van der Burg stated that the agreed reforms must be complied with, but that the countries are about themselves, the Netherlands is not about that. He agrees with the previous speakers that more focus is needed on kingdom relations. About the current situation of corona in Curaçao, Van der Burg said that it is good that the other countries in the Kingdom show solidarity. The consequences of the corona crisis are major, both in the short term and in the long term. He called on the State Secretary to look carefully at how the Netherlands can help other countries in this regard. Van der Burg asked the State Secretary for an assessment of the situation on St. Eustatius, three years after the intervention there.

According to SGP senator Schalk , the Netherlands must be very modest given the chaos that has arisen in the European part of the Kingdom after the recent parliamentary elections. Schalk said it was difficult to find a policy debate about the other parts of the kingdom in that situation. He asked the State Secretary to indicate how he works on a good balance between not too much interference and financial support. Schalk would like to apply a threefold approach: stabilize, normalize and democratize. He asked how the State Secretary currently indicates the state of affairs on the basis of this threefold approach. Schalk concluded his contribution by saying that it would be good ‘if the disputes about the dispute settlement could finally be settled’.

PvdD senator Nicolaï expressed his surprise at how Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten were put under pressure in the summer of 2020. He raised the issue of legality: the countries were told this summer that support would only come if they would amend laws they had passed themselves. According to Nicolai, a cross was forcibly placed under an agreement whereby representatives of the people had to amend their laws. “We don’t have the right to impose our wish on the Aruban legislator, do we?” said Nicolai. He also wanted to know why the State Secretary came up with the Coho proposal: “Those who hold the statutory principles high will not come up with the Coho proposal, it is a form of power play .” According to Nicolaï, such happenspower play normally takes place between states, but it concerns four countries that together form a state. He asked if the State Secretary could explain the direct connection between pledging help and setting conditions.

According to OSF senator Raven , this debate is too comprehensive, too late and too distant. “With all the problems that already exist, there is also a caretaker cabinet and yesterday the resignation of the government commissioner on St. Eustatius Marnix van Rij,” said Raven. He wanted to know about the liquidity of Sint Maarten: “What is their status when it comes to attracting own loans and own capital?” Raven got the feeling that in many places the dike is leaking and that the holes must be closed again quickly. OSF is in favor of parliament taking action this year and taking decisions to set out guidelines so that the Caribbean part of the Kingdom comes out of the crisis.

Response of the State Secretary
State Secretary Knopsin his response, he went into detail about the situation in the summer of 2020. He explained that the Netherlands had said to the countries: “We are happy to take this process with you, but under certain conditions.” According to Knops, these conditions are intended to improve the situation in the countries themselves, such as combating poverty. He could imagine that some politicians were grumpy about this, but said he had done it in the interest of the islanders. According to Knops, reform was not only the wish of the Dutch government, but also of the other governments in the Kingdom. Finally, Knops said that he would recommend the new cabinet to anchor kingdom policy more firmly in the various ministries and not just with the minister who will manage kingdom relations.

Plenary meeting report 6 April 2021

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England warns Brits about Sint Maarten. I don’t blame them

Lol, England warns Brits about Sint Maarten. Evidently St Maarten is some type of gateway to Peruvian marching powder. I was looking up the latest British restrictions
Foreign travel advice St Maarten Important Coronavirus (COVID-19) travel
It is illegal to travel abroad from the UK for holidays. Follow current COVID-19 rules where you live: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In England, you must have a permitted reason to travel abroad and complete the declaration form.

Some countries have closed borders, and any country may further restrict travel or bring in new social distancing rules with little warning. Check our advice for each country you will visit or transit through.

When you return, follow the rules to enter the UK from abroad (except from Ireland).
Update to information on entry requirements for travellers from the UK (‘Summary’ and ‘Entry Requirements’ pages), and where to find St Maarten government information on Coronavirus guidance (‘Coronavirus’ page)

The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to:

the whole of St Maarten based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks.
If you are returning to the UK from St Maarten, you will need to self-isolate on your return (unless you are exempt). Check the latest guidance for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Travel to St Maarten is subject to entry restrictions

The UK is currently classed as a ‘high-risk’ country as part of St Maarten’s COVID-19 restrictions. This means that anyone entering St Maarten who has been in the UK in the 14 days before their arrival will be subject to 14 days of compulsory self-monitoring. In addition, travellers must present a negative PCR test result of a test taken within 72 hours before departure. See the website of the Government of St Maarten.

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