WILLEMSTAD – K1 DIRECT – K1’s emergency and crisis team is currently recruiting new volunteers to be part of their team based in Curaçao. Since its launch on September 6, 2018, K1 DIRECT, in collaboration with local, regional and international relief organizations and initiatives, become a team of over 40 volunteers based in Sint Maarten and Curaçao. The decision to develop a branch in Curaçao, came from the strategic location of the island outside the hurricane belt and social access Sint Maarten.

K1 DIRECT is trained in various areas of disaster management to support the emergency response structure of Sint Maarten and other islands through its main tasks as Shelter Management, First Response and Distribution Management in the region. The most recent mission of the team was to support the relief in the Bahamas caused by Hurricane Dorian. Where volunteers spend time in Nassau and Freeport, Grand Bahama helps in registering evacuees, assessing properties for additional collecting and managing a distribution warehouse stocks.

Program managers Iris Hakkens & Alan Schet will from October 3 to October 8, 2019 in Curacao to perform several radio and TV interviews. They will also be on Monday, October 7th, 2019 hold an evening information session for interested persons. Exact time and location to be announced.

If you or someone you know than interested to learn more or to be part of the team, come to the information session, contact K1 DIRECT via their Facebook page on www.facebook.com/K1SXM or their website at www .k1britanniafoundation.org via email direct@k1britanniafoundation.org or by telephone on + 5999-5201614

https://curacao.nu/k1-direct-noodhulp-crisis-team-rekruteert-nieuwe-leden/#

Goood morning St.Maarten!!

For this election season, I would like to see this abandoned car that is left on the public sidewalk and a monument for the tourists, removed. Instead of holding meetings, printing fancy posters and flyers. Pay a tow truck to have it removed. VROMI said they would remove them but……Show us what you can do to make this island better, instead of running your mouths.
Have a blessed and productive week all.

M. Bruney

[wpvideo ZwKG8X99]

Video Accident Car Flipped Over St Maarten. There is also another accident Dutch Quarter working on that.

Governmental party VVD is completely ready with the agreements between the Netherlands, Curaçao, Aruba and St Maarten. As far as the liberals are concerned, the so-called Statute for the Kingdom of the Netherlands can be trashed.

The 1954 agreement, which has been amended several times, governs relations between the four countries. “But if nobody on the islands complies with the agreements, why should the Netherlands comply with the rules?” Asks VVD MP André Bosman.

According to him, the islands do what they want and they turn it into a mess. Sint-Maarten now has the ninth cabinet in ten years and Aruba, which is struggling with a mega debt, refuses to put things in order. “The statute does not work.”

Unilaterally from the statute

Bosman wants the Netherlands to unilaterally withdraw from the statute. “It will be ready at some point.” Cooperation between the four countries must be revised, according to the liberal. The current status dates back to the decolonization of the Antilles. But according to the government, that process of becoming independent is over, the VVD emphasizes.

It is also unclear who should be approached and when. The European Court of Human Rights for abuses in Curaçao, for example, was blamed on the Netherlands, while the country of Curaçao itself is responsible for that.

Bosman wants to “throw the stone in the pond” during a debate about the Kingdom in the Lower House on Tuesday.

https://www.trouw.nl/politiek/vvd-afspraken-tussen-nederland-curacao-aruba-en-sint-maarten-kunnen-in-de-prullenmand~b52b406d/

The region’s top regatta managers, yacht club representatives, race officials and dinghy sailors are heading to English Harbour, Antigua next month to a new format event, Caribbean Sailing Week.

The combined conference, regatta and training session will bring together a forum of sailing race organisation and race management to the Caribbean islands and countries of central America – with some competitive dinghy racing thrown in for good measure.

Caribbean Sailing Week will aim to combine a conference whose agenda will address the continuing progression of increasing the participation, successes and inclusivity of home-grown sailors and events, together with the growth of attendance and reputation for excellent organisation of the region’s international regattas. As well as the conference, which will be preceded by a Race Management Clinic on 15-17 October, the Caribbean Dinghy Championships will take place at the same time.

The CSA Conference itself will open on 17 October and will run concurrently with the Caribbean Dinghy Championship. Sponsored by the fighters against the plastics in our oceans, Sailors for the Sea, the conference will embrace two days of discussion, presentations and strategising about regatta organisation, marketing, race management, measurement and sailing development.

Key speakers will include Robbie Ferron, resident of Cole Bay, St Maarten, and the founder of the original CSA Conference format. He plans to review the potential that regional players have in order to make significant changes to how yachting in the Eastern Caribbean functions. “I will be providing some historical background and analyses of the positives and negatives of where the events and local sailing find themselves in 2019,” he reports. Robbie is one of the Caribbean’s greatest drivers of today’s sailing scene in the region. He is the founder of St Maarten Yacht Club, and the St Maarten Heineken Regatta.

Elizabeth Jordan of Antigua is founder and President of the National Sailing Academy Antigua which offers the opportunity for Antiguan school children to learn sailing free of charge. Explaining how she will be presenting the successes of the Academy and providing inspiration to others she says “We are approaching the end of year 10 and have now trained several hundred young people to sail as well as providing further training to give them the qualifications to look for careers in the sailing/yachting industry.”

From Puerto Rico, another longstanding contributor to the success of the Caribbean region’s sailing calendar is Jaime Torres. Now Race Manager of Antigua Sailing Week (ASW), he comments “I want to contribute to making ASW and every other Caribbean sailing event as great as it can be.”

Jaime was use the CSA Conference to outline his aims to continue to maintain and grow Antigua Sailing Week’s status by anticipating and meeting the needs of the racers, both owners and crews. “I would love to see the event grow in every racing class: owner driven cruiser/racers and grand prix boats, with charter fleet boats bringing in more people to sample the amazing combination of hard core racing followed by wonderful shore side activity.”

One of the best-known sailing legends of the Caribbean Region, Peter Holmberg, will also be delivering a presentation on the overview of global racing events, although he will not be there himself as he is away in Europe at a grand prix event. The winning America’s Cup sailor and multiple Olympic medallist comments “The greatest aspect of the CSA organization is how effective we are at bringing all the players of the region together to share information, cooperate, and unite for the benefit of the entire Caribbean. We need to keep this feature prominent and strong.”

Paige Myatt from US-based Sailors of the Sea, the world’s only ocean conservation organization that engages, educates and activates the sailing and boating community toward restoring ocean health, will help attendees examine the way towards clean green regattas. Meanwhile another stalwart of the race management structure, Tim Cross, will present his ‘big plan’ to improve the standards and capabilities of the island-wide network of sailing coaches and trainers.

Other key presenters from around the islands will also be adding their vital input to the agenda.

While the conference is under way, the Caribbean Dinghy Championship, sponsored by Seahawk Premier Yacht Finishes, will be take place on the water right next to the venue at Antigua Yacht Club. Sailors from Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA) member clubs around the region will compete in the three-day series in a selection of dinghy classes for all ages, vying for the coveted Nations Cup. Trophies will abound for the classes, including women’s, and physically-challenged divisions, reflecting the equality and inclusivity of the event.

Entries have already been received from Trinidad, St Maarten, St Kitts & Nevis and Barbados with many others expected to follow in the next couple of weeks. A unique all-inclusive package is on offer to the participants, making the event even more attractive, including the provision of a boat, airport transfers and all meals.

Details and updates of the event can be found at caribbeansailingweek.com.

Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok announced that starting in the middle of next year, Venezuelans should update their visa to enter the Dutch Caribbean. The measure was released after several months of consultations with the prime ministers of Aruba, Curacao and St. Maarten.

The temporary visa requirement is part of a larger package of measures being prepared, Blok said in his letter to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament.

Minister Blok is also responsible for the Dutch Caribbean countries in matters related to foreign relations, who explained that the total package aims to ensure the trafficking of people in Venezuela in a responsible and regulated manner.

The package also includes the introduction of a travel authorization system (ESTA) and an advance passenger information system (APIS), as well as pre-boarding controls, the Curacao Chronicle newspaper published.

The Dutch Caribbean countries are preparing several of the measures for which they will receive support from the Netherlands.

“Taking into account the necessary preparation time, the visa requirement will be introduced in approximately six months, in the second quarter of 2020. For manageability reasons, the number of visa applications for the Dutch Caribbean will be maximized at 8,000 per year” declared Blok.

The implementation of a visa requirement for Venezuelans traveling to the Dutch Caribbean conforms to the Kingdom Visa Law and will only apply to the Dutch Caribbean. The decision has no effect on the entry of Venezuelans into the Schengen territory of the European Union, he clarifies.

According to Blok, the situation in Venezuela has deteriorated further, so regular migration has increased in the region in general. Countries near Venezuela, such as Peru, Ecuador, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Panama and Chile have already taken measures, including a visa requirement, he said.

The visa requirement for the Dutch Caribbean and other measures will contribute to a more effective form of supervision in passenger traffic, but it is not a completely safe solution and the risk of illegal migration by sea is still present, the minister said.

Supervision of the extradition of Venezuelan people who remain illegally on the islands remains of great importance to mitigate migration pressure, Blok said. However, discussions will continue with the Venezuelan authorities about the mutual responsibility of regulating human trafficking between Venezuela and the Dutch Caribbean islands.https://www.el-carabobeno.com/venezolanos-necesitaran-visa-para-ingresar-a-aruba-curazao-y-st-maarten-a-mediados-de-2020/amp/

PHILIPSBURG – “A watermelon for 6 dollars? For that price I can’t get it anywhere on the island ”, it sounds on the busy fruit and vegetable market of the Sint Maarten Consumers Coalition.

It is the second market that the consumer coalition organized and it attracted hundreds of Sint-Maarten people. “They show that it is possible: good quality and affordable prices,” says a customer.

Fruit and vegetables and other foods are relatively expensive on the island. Most food on Sint Maarten is imported, there is little agriculture on the island itself. And that particularly affects people with little income.

The consumer coalition that organizes the market is also called the “anti-poverty platform”. It is a collaboration between the Seniors and Pensioners Association and seven employees’ unions on St Maarten. Raymond Jessurun is one of the three founders of the coalition.

They do a test for three months: they import a container with fruit and vegetables from the Dominican Republic every two weeks. They then offer them for the purchase price. Consumers must register first. Jessurun: “It’s not a real market, we work with volunteers and don’t make a profit. We bundle the purchasing power of our members. ”

Health
Health education is also provided in collaboration with the Collective Prevention Services. Jessurun: “We want to make people more aware of cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes. Good nutrition can contribute to recovery or prevention thereof. But then it must be affordable. ”

The government regularly publishes a comparison of prices at various supermarkets and a maximum price applies to a number of basic items. But according to Jessurun that is not enough. “Since many families on St. Maarten have less than 4000 guilders – about 2222 dollars – a month to spend, that is not enough.”

Miguel Deweever, Secretary General at the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunications calls the market “a good initiative”. But he does not want to respond further to questions about the (high) prices of fruit and vegetables and what the government is doing about this.

Supermarket price
Alex Tanhueco, manager of fresh products from Carrefour does not want to say anything about what he thinks of the consumer coalition initiative. When asked whether the supermarket itself cannot make fruit and vegetables cheaper, he says that they do not only look at the price when purchasing.

“We give priority to local suppliers of St Maarten or, for example, the Dominican Republic. And if smaller farmers offer their products directly to me, I almost always buy that. Think of herbs, lettuce, pumpkin or tropical fruits. But farming here is unpredictable and dependent on the season. We also have operational costs: the building, staff, etc. That is why we charge a percentage. I estimate around 20 percent, but it varies per product. Sometimes it is 5 or 10 percent. And with offers we sometimes offer the products for the cost price or lower. ”

https://caribischnetwerk.ntr.nl/2019/10/06/supermarkten-op-sint-maarten-te-duur-consumenten-importeren-eigen-groente-en-fruit/