Dutch Sint Maarten RST Investigating Curacao’s Themis Case, No Limit Gang Hato Airport Shooting.

Posted on March 13, 2021 by admin

Dutch Sint Maarten RST Investigating Curacao’s Themis Case, No Limit Gang Hato Airport Shooting. No Limit Soldier Arrested In Dubai FULL STORY: 38-year-old C.F.L. and 34-year-old A.A.F.E. appeared yesterday at a pro forma session in the large-scale investigation called Themis. Both suspects were arrested during a major action in Curaçao on November 26 and 27, 2020. They have since been in custody. In the investigation, the sights are focused on the NLS gang of Coral Specht and Shurandy “Tyson” Quant. He was arrested and extradited in Dubai last November. The 36-year-old J.K. arrested who was involved in the Hato shooting at the airport of Curaçao in 2014. Both men who now had to appear are also suspected of being part of the No Limit Soldiers (NLS). According to the Public Prosecution Service a criminal organization. It is held responsible for international drug trafficking and multiple violent crimes. In the Themis case, an investigation is being conducted into criminal offenses that have been committed in the various countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and in countries outside it in recent years. A criminal investigation team was therefore formed especially for this investigation, consisting of members of the police forces of Sint Maarten, Curaçao, Aruba and the Criminal Investigation Cooperation Team (RST). This investigation team is headed by the Public Prosecution Service Sint Maarten and the Public Prosecution Service Curaçao. The Court of First Instance today rejected requests from the suspects to be released. The custody of both men has today been extended by the General Court until June 25, 2021, when the case will return to court. The criminal investigation is continuing.

……..Postponement of appeal shooting at Hato Airport
January 31, 2016

Last Thursday, the Common Court of Justice in Curaçao decided to postpone the case, which was named “Hato-shooting”, until April 7. This at the request of the defense, who needs more time to prepare further.

As is known, the case concerns the shooting of July 15, 2014 at Aeropuerto Hato, the airport of Curaçao. Around a quarter past eight that evening, passengers of the Air Berlin flight came out of the exit. As usual for a flight from Europe, many collectors were waiting for the passengers. They do this outside, there is no accommodation in the airport for collectors.

Automatic weapons
When one of the passengers, Erwin “Djais” Juliana, came out, fire was opened on him with automatic weapons, fatally injuring Juliana as well as his accompanying cousin Shentley “Champi” Arnhem and seven people were seriously injured.

Later it turned out to be a total of five perpetrators, two of which were the shooters: Judrin Martis and Adrian Martha. A 28-year-old police officer, Xavier de Windt, was also involved in the liquidation. He passed on the flight data to the perpetrators, for which he received 35,000 Antillean guilders.

On June 26, 2015, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for complicity in the double murder, two years more than the demand of the Public Prosecution Service.

First instance
On June 18, 2015, the Curaçao Court of First Instance (the District Court) ruled in the Hato case, finding it proven that the five men collaborated to liquidate Erwin “Djais” Juliana at Hato Airport for a fee. They also fired at the pursuing police with their automatic weapons.

Airport shootout leaves two dead on Curaçao
Two people are dead, and at least six others are injured after passengers drove a car up to the arrivals hall of the Curacao International Airport and started shooting at some of the passengers. At least one of those killed in the shootout was inside the car. A witness told local media outlet Vers Geperst that another person shot was Jais Juliana, an alleged underworld crime boss and the possible target of the brazen attack. The gunfire erupted at about 8:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday. Several others were critically injured. Local reports say a woman in a wheelchair was hit by a stray bullet while she was in a parking lot. A woman in the arrivals hall was also struck in the leg. Police have identified neither the ages, nationalities nor hometowns of those shot. “I thought it was fireworks for a moment,” said Katinga van Horssen. She had been at the airport with her daughter-in-law waiting for her son to arrive. They saw a man fall down, and the two women dropped to the ground as the shots continued. “When it stopped, we wanted to get up, but the shooting started again. One man near the exit was very badly injured; I do not know if he is still alive,” van Horssen said. “When it stopped again, we ran inside.” Police sources told local media that the incident could be the latest crime in an ongoing war between rival drug gangs. Curacao is a key drug trafficking export point for narcotics headed from South America to Europe. The intended targets were believed to have been on a flight from Germany. Those in the arrivals hall included passengers from an Air Berlin flight that had landed just before the shooting

……
2014 …WILLEMSTAD, Curacao – Chaos broke out at the Hato International Airport on Tuesday evening when gun shots were fired at arriving passengers on an Air Berlin flight that arrived from Germany moments before. According to incoming reports, two persons were killed and between six to eight were wounded at the airport. Identities of those persons have not been released by the authorities as they continue to investigate the shooting incident. Police authorities locked down the Hato International Airport in search of the perpetrators. It seems that the shooting is gang related. One of the two killed apparently has links to the criminal underworld on the island, according to reports coming out of Curacao. The authorities already have a lead on who the perpetrators are and expect to make an arrest within short. According to eye witness reports, a car drove up to the Hato Airport Arrival Hall and one of the passengers came out and opened fire on a group of persons who were coming out of the arrival hall to meet friends, families or to catch a taxi to take them to their hotel to spend their holiday on the island. Tourism authorities are very concerned with respect to the incident and what impact it will have on the sector.

De 38-jarige C.F.L. en de 34-jarige A.A.F.E. verschenen gisteren op een pro forma zitting in het grootschalig onderzoek met de naam Themis. Beide verdachten zijn tijdens een grote actie op Curaçao op 26 en 27 november 2020 aangehouden. Zij zitten sindsdien in voorarrest. In het onderzoek is het vizier gericht op de NLS-bende van Koraal Specht en Shurandy ‘Tyson’ Quant. Die werd vorig jaar november in Dubai aangehouden en uitgeleverd. Eerder werd al de 36-jarige J.K. aangehouden die betrokken was bij de Hato-shooting op het vliegveld van Curaçao in 2014. Beide mannen die nu moesten verschijnen worden ook verdacht deel uit te maken van de No Limit Soldiers (NLS). Volgens het Openbaar Ministerie een criminele organisatie. Zij wordt verantwoordelijk gehouden voor de internationale handel in verdovende middelen en voor meerdere geweldsdelicten. In de zaak Themis wordt onderzoek gedaan naar strafbare feiten die de afgelopen jaren in de verschillende landen van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden en in landen daarbuiten zijn gepleegd. Speciaal voor dit onderzoek is daarom een rechercheteam geformeerd, bestaande uit leden van de politiekorpsen van Sint Maarten, Curaçao, Aruba en het Recherche Samenwerkingsteam (RST). Dit rechercheteam staat onder leiding van het Openbaar Ministerie Sint Maarten en het Openbaar Ministerie Curaçao. Het Gerecht in Eerste Aanleg heeft vandaag verzoeken van de verdachten om in vrijheid te worden gesteld afgewezen. Het voorarrest van beide mannen is vandaag door het Gerecht verlengd tot en met 25 juni 2021 als de zaak weer op zitting zal staan. Het strafrechtelijk onderzoek wordt voortgezet.
https://curacao.nu/pro-forma-zitting-onderzoek-themis/

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Royal Caribbean has revealed its 2022-2023 schedule of longer Caribbean cruises.

Posted on March 13, 2021 by admin

The line will offer an assortment of six-night western Caribbean voyages, as well as eight to ten-night sailings in the southern Caribbean. The itineraries will feature late-night and evening stays in the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) and Puerto Rico.

Odyssey of the Seas
Royal Caribbean’s brand-new ship, Odyssey of the Seas, will set sail on a 13-night transatlantic cruise from Rome to her winter home in Fort Lauderdale.

Once stateside, the vessel will operate eight-night southern Caribbean itineraries to destinations including Aruba, Curaçao, the Dominican Republic, and Royal’s private destination in Haiti — Labadee. Odyssey will alternate these sailings with six-night western Caribbean voyages that visit Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and private island Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas.

Vision of the Seas
Vision of the Seas will join Odyssey in the “Venice of America” to sail 10 and 11-night southern Caribbean itineraries from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale beginning in November 2022.

The 10-night cruises will visit destinations including Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Antigua, and Labadee. The 11-night sailings take passengers to locales such as Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.

Jewel of the Seas
Following a summer in Europe, Jewel of the Seas will move to Port Canaveral to sail eight-night southern Caribbean voyages to the ABC Islands, as well as eastern Caribbean voyages to Tortola, St. Croix, the Dominican Republic, and St. Maarten. The ship will make late-night visits to San Juan and Aruba, as well as longer days in Bonaire.

Jewel of the Seas will also head out on six-night adventures to western Caribbean destinations such as Costa Maya, Cozumel, Jamaica, Nassau, and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Grandeur of the Seas
Grandeur of the Seas will call Miami home for the winter season, offering guests five-night western Caribbean jaunts to Labadee and Key West alternating with nine-night cruises to St. Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, and St. Kitts and Nevis.

Explorer of the Seas
Explorer will continue cruising from Miami for the winter, offering eight-night southern Caribbean cruises to the ABC Islands with late stays in Bonaire and Curaçao. The eight-night sailings will alternate with six-night adventures that visit Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

These 2022-2023 longer Caribbean sailings are now open for booking.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/cruiseradio.net/royal-caribbean-reveals-long-caribbean-cruises-for-2022-2023/amp/

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ST MAARTEN, ARUBA, CURACAO ECONOMY HARDEST HIT BY COVID19 IN CARIBBEAN

Posted on March 13, 2021 by admin

Willemstad – The economies of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten seem to be more affected by the corona crisis than other Caribbean countries. The open economies of the three countries in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom play a role in this, ”according to a publication in ESB, trade journal for economists. In it Koert van Buiren writes, among other things, that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates shrinkage figures for the three countries twice as high as the Caribbean average. “A successful recovery of tourism as an economic pillar requires a reorientation and a greater role for the government,” argues the partner at Economisch Bureau Amsterdam and lecturer at the University of Amsterdam. The contraction of the real gross domestic product (GDP) of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten is estimated by the IMF to be 20 to 25 percent respectively for 2020. “It is striking that Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten are being hit considerably harder by the corona crisis than other Caribbean countries. That’s because they have more open and more trade and tourism-oriented economies than most other Caribbean areas. ” The corona crisis comes on top of “the silent crisis” that has unfolded in the Caribbean region over the past decade and about which Van Buiren has previously written. Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten were also in an unfavorable economic position when the current crisis presented itself. “The three countries were each affected by the corona crisis in their weakened economic positions.” Most autonomous countries in the Caribbean region receive emergency financial support from the IMF, aimed at preventing balance of payments problems caused by the corona crisis. This support, according to the author, “acts as a catalyst” for additional support from the World Bank, the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB), the Development Bank for Latin America (CAF), and the donors and development organizations. Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten do not receive any financial support from the IMF due to their constitutional status. They do receive liquidity support from the Netherlands in the form of loans. With this support, the three countries finance emergency aid measures aimed at, among other things, maintaining employment, covering the financial deficits and keeping the foreign exchange stock up to standard. For the longer term, financial and economic reform programs (Country Packages) have been agreed with the Netherlands, which will be implemented in the coming years with the support of the Netherlands. “The measures taken by other Caribbean countries are broader than job retention, and more focused on income support for households,” said the economist. Particular attention is paid to workers in the informal sector, which is generally large in the Caribbean countries. Income support is also provided to vulnerable groups such as the elderly and the disabled. These groups are often financially dependent on family. Van Buiren: ,, Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten could also give more attention to this. ” In addition, economic reforms are needed. These are “essential” for the economic recovery and for structural resilience. Already before the corona crisis, several Caribbean countries have implemented or started reforms. For example, Jamaica (-8.6 percent of GDP in 2020) has completed a financial and economic reform program with the support of the IMF. As a result, the country has been able to reduce public debt, build the necessary buffers that can be deployed to combat the crisis, and the country is now economically resilient, which will help accelerate its exit from the current crisis. Barbados (-11.6 percent of GDP according to IMF) has started reforming the public sector and public companies, but there is still much room for improvement in the business environment. The country is seeking to accelerate recovery from the corona crisis by accelerating structural reforms. “Economic and financial reforms are also needed in Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten,” the ESB article continues. “It is evident what needs to be done for the reform of the labor market, the business climate, healthcare and the public sector. The speed with which the reforms are implemented will determine the strength of the recovery. ” Van Buiren argues for “reorientation of tourism policy”. “It is uncertain whether the corona crisis will cause a permanent shock to tourism, and how the pandemic will shape tourism in the Caribbean region in the long term,” said the author. Also, the pace at which tourism will develop. https://antilliaansdagblad.com/en/nieuws-menu/23285-harder-getroffen-dan-rest-cariben

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CURACAO GOVERNMENT LEANING TOWARDS ACCEPTING SAME SEX MARRIAGE. SOON DUTCH ST MAARTEN WILL HAVE TO DECIDE Dick Drayers

Posted on March 13, 2021 by admin

With the elections in sight, Curaçao politics is backing gay marriage

Political parties in Curaçao have spoken out in favor of same-sex marriage, but the question is what remains of that promise after the elections.

Curaçao will go to the polls on March 19. To the surprise of many, five parties said they were in favor of same-sex marriage last week. Four other parties are unwilling to go that far, but will not torpedo registered partnership proposals. Six parties are against any form of gay emancipation in legislation.

The outcome is not the result of a study of party programs; more than half of the fifteen political parties participating in the elections do not have a program and the parties that do have – with a few exceptions – often no further than a wish list.

Four organizations that fight for equal rights for the LGBTQ community have therefore decided to compile and send in a questionnaire specifically asking about same-sex marriage and human rights. According to Mario Kleinmoedig, one of the initiators, the answers should be seen as a voting guide. “In the previous elections in 2017, no party was in favor of same-sex marriage or equal rights for the LGBTQ community.”

Still a second class citizen

“Perhaps the outcome is surprising, but it really is just a small step in the right direction,” says 44-year-old Ashric Martel, while he has a drink in the afternoon sun on the terrace of Madeiro Ocean Club. He is the manager of this beach club on Mambo Beach.

Martel is gay and in 2019 married to Jean Franco Cence from Venezuela. “We got married on Bonaire, because that island is part of the Netherlands and it is allowed there. Thanks to a ruling by the Supreme Court, Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten must recognize a marriage certificate from the Netherlands and register us as married in the population register. ”

But the three countries refuse to attach legal consequences to that recognition in the spirit of that judgment. “I still can’t arrange my pension like straight couples can or take out insurance.” Only in the field of immigration is it possible that same-sex partners can stay without any hassle and can work if they are married. “And all other rights are still withheld from us. I’m still a second-class citizen in my own country, and that’s how I feel. ”

Martel is especially disappointed in the so-called political advocates for gay rights in Curaçao, Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath of the ruling party PAR in the lead. “Four years ago, I will never forget, the Prime Minister led the way at Gaypride in Willemstad. He wore a T-shirt with the text #Huntu in rainbow colors ( huntu means together, ed.) And gave a moving speech for equal rights. What good is such a prime minister if his own party remains against same-sex marriage? ”

Disappeared in a drawer

Characteristic of the half-hearted attitude of politicians is the bill introduced in 2018 to open marriage to people of the same sex. The initiators come from the ruling party PAR and MAN. Both parties have answered questions from the gay organizations that they only support registered partnerships for the time being. The bill has gone through the advisory bodies, but has since disappeared into the drawers of parliament.

Martel has little hope that the parties will remember their position on same-sex marriage or registered partnership after the elections. “I only trust the parties that really have a vision of human rights. There are at most two. The fight for gay emancipation seems to be mainly inspired by individual members of parliament in a personal capacity, without support from their party. I don’t know if I will experience any change in my life. ”

Kleinmoedig does not want to be that pessimistic. “There is a judgment of the European Court of Human Rights that already ordered Curaçao to regulate equal rights by law in 2015. We are now on the political path, but will eventually go to Strasbourg to enforce it legally. ”
https://www.trouw.nl/binnenland/met-de-verkiezingen-in-zicht-schaart-politiek-curacao-zich-achter-het-homohuwelijk~bad54fcf/

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PAHO Epidemiological Update Coronavirus Disease Covid-19 23 pages

Posted on March 13, 2021 by admin
Posted in Coronavirus COVID 19, Coronavirus Covid19 St Maarten, COVID 19 Corona Virus St Maarten, Covid 19 St Maarten Sint Maarten Saint Martin Latest News Update | Tagged | Leave a comment

6 COVID-19 recoveries today Dutch Sint Maarten

Posted on March 13, 2021 by admin

** 6 COVID-19 recoveries today **

As of March 12th, there was four (4) persons who tested positive for COVID-19; however six (6) persons have recovered; bringing the total active cases to fourteen (14). The total number of confirmed cases is now two thousand and eighty two (2082).

The Collective Prevention Services (CPS) are monitoring twelve (12) people in home isolation. Two (2) patients remains hospitalized at the St. Maarten Medical Center. The total number of deaths due to COVID-19 remains at twenty seven (27).

The number of people recovered since the first case surfaced on St. Maarten has increased to two thousand and forty one (2041). Seventeen (17) people are in quarantine based on contact tracing investigations carried out by CPS.

The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (VSA) Airport Health Team in collaboration with Health Care Laboratory Sint Maarten (HCLS) have tested 2572 travelers arriving at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), while CPS tested 22, 027 people throughout the community. As the numbers continue to fluctuate, CPS will continue to actively execute its contact tracing measures.

CPS reported a total of 8, 209 persons who have registered to be vaccinated 3, 188 vaccines has been administered. One hundred and fourteen (114) vaccines were administered today.

If you haven’t done so already, please register for the vaccine (also if you are under 60 years) using the online registration link: https://forms.sintmaartengov.org/form.aspx?v=OGtn05kNmb ,or via a paper-based registration form, which can be picked up at several locations, including Collective Prevention Services (CPS) at the Vineyard Office Park Building in Philipsburg, the Division of Labor Affairs at the Simpson Bay Public Service Center in Simpson Bay, Doctors’ offices, the Government Administration Building, and select pharmacies.

Minister Panneflek advises everyone to remain vigilant when in public places and wear a mask when in public, practice 2-meters social distancing, sanitize and wash your hands frequently and remain cautious of large gathering’s.

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SMMC facilitates the installation of pedestrian crossing on Welgelegen Road

Posted on March 12, 2021 by admin

CAY HILL: in an effort to increase the safety of staff, visitors and all pedestrians, St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) has facilitated the installation of two pedestrian crossings on the Welgelegen Road.
Due to the construction of the new St. Maarten General Hospital (SMGH) and several essential upgrades to the existing hospital such as the construction of an MRI Suite, an Operating Room Complex and five (5) new double patient rooms, parking facilities on premise are not sufficient.
As such, patients are allowed to make use of the parking facilities (first three rows of the unpaved section) at the Belair Community Center.
The first crossing is located across from the Jehovah’s Witness property and SMMC and the second is located across from Emerald Funeral Home and the SMGH construction site. Both crossings are outfitted with signage alerting approaching motorists to the crossing.

SMMC kindly asks that motorists be mindful of the crossing and regulate their speed so pedestrians crossing the road may do so safely. SMMC also thanks the Ministry of VROMI and neighbors Belair Community Center, Jehovah’s Witness congregation, Asha Stevens Hillside Christian School, the Fire Department and the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex for their generosity and assistance during the construction of SMGH.

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Video How Will MTSA Dutch Vote Next Week In Holland’s Election?

Posted on March 12, 2021 by admin

The elections are approaching and the political barometer is fiercely measuring everything. Aziz el Kaddouri, opinion pollster, researches the voting behavior of a very specific group: the bicultural Dutch. And especially the MTSA groups, Moroccan, Turkish, Surinamese and Antillean Dutch. Today he shares the results of his research. What do the bicultural Dutch vote? https://www.nporadio1.nl/de-nieuws-bv/onderwerpen/73670-2021-03-12-wat-stemmen-de-biculturele-nederlanders

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French Saint Martin Begins AstraZeneca Vaccines Next Week As Other Countries Cancel Shipments Due To Bad Batches & Reactions

Posted on March 12, 2021 by admin

Saint-Martin, vaccination available for people over 75 years old and now people of all ages suffering from a chronic disease or obesity. Health professionals in the broad sense (caregivers of establishments and liberal, administrators of health and medico-social establishments, medical transporters, firefighters) are also invited to be vaccinated.

Vaccination via the Astra Zeneca vaccine begins this week in the territory. It is carried out in town by attending physicians, pharmacists, nurses and midwives. The vaccination center for the Pfizer Bio NTech vaccine is still located at the Louis-Constant Fleming hospital and receives appointments from Monday to Friday, in the morning and in the afternoon.

Since the start of the vaccination campaign on January 13, 816 people have received their first injection and 191 people have received their second injection.< img src="https://sxmgovernment.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/20210312_170452.jpg" class="wp-image-45631 alignnone size-full" width="720" height="1280" />

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Sint Maarten Covid19 Numbers Are Strikingly Low Compared To Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao. They Can’t Figure Out Why.

Posted on March 12, 2021 by admin

The Netherlands Is Surprised By Dutch Sint Maarten’s Strikingly LOW Covid19 Numbers Compared To Aruba, Bonaire And Curacao Info
Curaçao and Bonaire have had to deal with a sharp increase in the number of corona infections in the past week. On Thursday, there were 205 active infections on Curaçao, compared to 70 a week earlier. On Bonaire there were 164 on Thursday compared to 55 a week earlier.
As a result, Curaçao introduced an extension of the curfew last Monday; the clock now applies from 10 pm instead of midnight. Bonaire tightened up the corona measures a week ago, partly by closing unnecessary shops. Island Governor Edison Rijna said on Thursday that, despite the continuing increase in the number of corona infections, no new measures will be taken. However, more attention is paid to communication to the population and to mental health care.

It is striking that the number of infections on Sint Maarten has been low for quite some time. This week it was largely between 15 and 20 active infections. Aruba has seen a slight increase in the number of infections, which was 221 active infections on Thursday. The increase in the Antillean Islands is mainly linked to the British variant that is present on the islands. A vaccination program has been started on the islands since the end of last month. The second delivery of vaccines took place this week.

https://m.noordhollandsdagblad.nl/cnt/dmf20210312_80601073

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