PHILIPSBURG:--- Destination: St. Maarten/St. Martin was well represented by the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB) at the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) 2024. At this year's convention, STB, represented by Cherinah Franken - Head of Product Development & Visitor Relations, and Rosette Generlette-Pantophlet, Secretary & Product Development Assistant, hosted an interactive and informative workshop for 100+ travel agents, eagerly anticipating poignant selling points to promote destination St. Maarten among their customers and associates. Themed "EXPERIENCE Sweet St. Maarten/St. Martin," this immersive workshop was facilitated by IMBRACE Group's CEO, Jacqueline Louis, with supporting performances by Funtopia's cultural ambassadors.

All core aspects of St. Maarten's tourism products were passionately shared with conference attendees through a multi-sensory presentation. This included using vibrant visuals, rhythmic local music, cultural singing, and dancing, along with a sweet and savory taste of Colombier Guavaberry and tarts. Strategically designed to awaken the minds, souls, hearts, and spirits of all participants, compelling information regarding the destination of St. Maarten was uniquely intertwined. The details ranged from the local history, geography, culture, and ecology - including beaches and St. Maarten's diverse landscapes, agriculture, and adventures, to cruise ports, hotels, restaurants, transportation, events, and activities, as well as the countless sites to see, things to do and places to go on the island.

Furthermore, STB's participation included an on-site display booth that showcased the destination to thousands of Conference attendees at the Broward/Fort Lauderdale Convention Center. Direct one-on-one interactions and ongoing networking also promoted St. Maarten by providing pertinent information to busloads of inquisitive participants.

Working seamlessly together, Team St. Maarten successfully achieved the desired objectives, which included raising awareness and inciting the desires of travel agents to visit and explore destination St. Maarten personally. Many conference attendees expressed their inspiration and enthusiasm to keep the island at the forefront of their minds by encouraging CLIA's wide-ranging global membership and their respective customer bases to vacation on the island.

Internationally recognized as the only official conference of the cruise industry, CLIA Cruise360 brings together travel professionals, cruise line representatives, ports, destinations, industry suppliers, and CLIA-preferred partners for a truly panoramic view of the cruise industry. The CLIA community includes the world's most prestigious ocean, river, and specialty cruise lines; a highly trained and certified travel agent community; and widespread industry stakeholders, including ports & destinations, ship development, suppliers, and business services.

CLIA represents 95% of the world’s ocean-going cruise capacity and 54,000 travel agents, including 15,000 of the largest travel agencies in the world. Jointly, CLIA's membership encompasses the world's largest cruise industry trade association, which provides a unified voice and leading authority of the global cruise community. CLIA supports policies and practices that foster a secure, healthy, and sustainable cruise ship environment, promoting positive travel experiences for more than 30 million passengers who have cruised annually.

PHILIPSBURG:--- In the wake of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the formation of the new government in St. Maarten, the Honorable demissionair Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA), and Member of Parliament for the United People’s Party, Omar Ottley says, "Formateur Dr Luc Mercelina should be more forthcoming about the results of the screening process in the interest of transparency to the electorate.”

As St. Maarten finds itself embroiled in a political saga during carnival, the fate of ministerial candidates hangs in the balance. The public, ministerial candidates and their families are now gripped by uncertainty as the screening process for potential ministers unfolds amid allegations of lack of transparency and political maneuvering. A major concern is the prolonged delay in announcing the screening process results, with no information forthcoming from the Formateur, leaving many candidates in limbo.

At the heart of the controversy lies the screening law, a fourteen-year-old statute designed to ensure ministerial candidates meet the requirements for holding office. However, without clear-cut criteria outlined in the law, there have been accusations of the process being manipulated to exclude certain candidates from assuming ministerial roles. Dr Luc Mercelina, the appointed Candidate Prime Minister tasked with forming the government, has come under fire for the perceived lack of transparency and communication surrounding the screening process. Speaking on behalf of the United People's Party, Ottley has called for swift action to resolve the impasse and avoid further delays in government formation.

"Enough is enough," declares Ottley. "The people of St. Maarten deserve a government that works for their interests, not one shrouded in secrecy and uncertainty. It's time for the Formateur to stop playing games and clarify which candidates will be sworn in."

The situation has reached a boiling point as conflicting reports emerge regarding the status of ministerial candidates. While newspaper articles hint at a full slate of seven ministers being sworn in, press releases from coalition parties hint at potential issues with certain candidates failing background checks.

As the clock ticks down to the swearing-in ceremony, tensions run high. The public and even the President of Parliament remain uncertain about the swearing-in date of Thursday this week as she, too, has yet to be informed. Ottley's impassioned plea for transparency resonates with many, who fear that the prolonged uncertainty may undermine the stability and effectiveness of the new government.

Amid the turmoil, Ottley remains steadfast in his commitment to upholding the democratic principles upon which St. Maarten's governance is built. "We cannot afford to let political gamesmanship overshadow the will of the people," he asserts. "Either candidates are sworn in, or they're not. It's time for decisive action."
As St. Maarten braces for the next chapter in its political saga, the nation's eyes remain fixed on the screening process's outcome. It hopes for a resolution that will pave the way for a government that truly serves the interests of its citizens.

Ottley reflected on his struggles with the screening process, where he was kept from being a minister for 14 months until he challenged the outcome and was vindicated of any wrongdoing and allowed to serve as a minister, where he earned the title of "Minister of Everything" based on his work ethics. After 14 years of this challenge, as an MP, I am hopeful that something will finally be done to make the process clear. Ottley expressed his shared sentiments for candidate ministers, such as MP Christophe Emmanuel, Raeyhon Peterson, and others, who should not have to sit on "pins and needles" waiting to learn if they will be allowed to serve their Country.

He said that as Ministers, the present government had not been allowed to work for over three months because the demissionair status of the Ministers sitting means that the Country has had slow to little progress for over three months. A further delay will weaken the island's economy.

Even the civil service have expressed their concerns of uncertainty about what policy priorities to continue to invest time in knowing the current position of Dr. Luc Mercelina on certain subjects. For example, the draft law SAAHA also known as Ottley Cares which will not only allow for sole proprietors, bus drivers, taxi drivers, etc to enter SZV.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Police Force of Sint Maarten expresses concern over recent incidents of individuals disregarding safety instructions during the Jumps Ups and Junior Parade on Sunday, April 21st, 2024. Despite clear directives from authorities to ensure the general safety and security of all participants and spectators, there were regrettable instances of non-compliance.

In one incident, officers were compelled to intervene with two scooter riders who callously bypassed barricades placed on closed roads designated for the safe passage of the parade. These riders, lacking any documentation for their vehicles and blatantly ignoring lawful orders from police officers, had their scooters confiscated.

To prevent such reckless behavior from escalating, the Police Force of Sint Maarten issues a stern warning to the public. A zero-tolerance policy will be enforced regarding such infractions during upcoming jump-ups and parades.

All individuals attending these events must adhere to safety protocols and instructions issued by law enforcement. Failure to comply will result in immediate action by officers to maintain the safety and security of all participants and spectators.

The Police Force of Sint Maarten remains committed to ensuring a safe and enjoyable environment.

KPSM Press Release.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Human trafficking and human smuggling are serious crimes of a global nature. Among other things, numerous international conventions have been entered into to prevent and combat this. The subject of a prostitution policy and its enforcement is also linked to this, for example through the form of sexual exploitation.

The Law Enforcement Council (the Council) has published another report today on its inspection into the follow-up of previous recommendations on the approach to human trafficking and human smuggling and the prostitution policy and its enforcement. This report concerns Sint Maarten. Based on this inspection, the Council concludes that the approach to human trafficking and human smuggling is (still) inadequate. The Council also concludes that insubstantial progress has been made in the area of updating the prostitution policy and its enforcement.

Follow-up inspection
Earlier in 2019, the Council published a report on the approach to human trafficking and human smuggling, in which it made nine recommendations to the Minister of Justice. In 2016, the Council published a report on the prostitution policy and its enforcement, in which it made six recommendations to the Minister of Justice. In 2023, the Minister of Justice requested that the Council conduct a follow-up inspection into the state of affairs regarding the follow-up to the aforementioned recommendations. In 2023, the Council reviewed the state of affairs in the follow-up to a total of fifteen recommendations.

Results
According to the Council, the results of the follow-up inspection show the importance of urgently (re)prioritizing the integrated approach to human trafficking and human smuggling. Furthermore, according to the reports of the U.S. Department of State, Sint Maarten has not met the minimum standards on this subject for three consecutive years and is not making any significant efforts to do so (Tier 3 status). The Council also notes that no substantial progress has been made in updating and enforcing the prostitution policy for the past seven years. Based on these findings, the Council stresses the urgent need for action.

Prioritizing an integrated approach
It is now up to the minister(s) involved to prioritize the integrated approach to human trafficking and human smuggling, to take the necessary decisions and to facilitate those involved as much as possible in the joint fight against this. This includes the subject of the prostitution policy and its enforcement.

Prosecution, Protection, Prevention and Partnership
The approach to human trafficking and smuggling is based on four main pillars, namely: 'Prosecution’, ‘Protection’, ‘Prevention' and 'Partnership'. These 4Ps form a framework for an effective integrated approach using barrier models. The research shows that there is some development in the field of 'Partnership', but that there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to the other three pillars.

Recommendations
In view of the current state of affairs, the Council has formulated two new recommendations in the report now published with regard to elements in the approach to human trafficking and human smuggling. In addition, the Council urgently recommends that the Minister give priority to the implementation of the recommendations that have not yet been followed.

The full inspection report and all other publications of the Council are available digitally in Dutch and English on the website: www.raadrechtshandhaving.com.