News

Signs have been put up at Saba’s playgrounds and parks, asking people not to smoke in these areas. The placing of the colorful signs, depicting happy children faces, are part of the public health strategy to create a smoke-free generation. Although there is no specific regulation forbidding people to smoke …

The Dutch government is looking at the possibility of sending mail for St. Eustatius and Saba directly to St. Maarten. Dutch State Secretary of Economic Affairs and Cli­mate Mona Keijzer stated this in a letter to the Sec­ond Chamber of the Dutch Parliament earlier this week in response to a …

Stray goats are a problem on Saba. Reason for the Public Entity Saba to take action by starting a culling (controlled eradication) program to tackle vegetation loss, erosion and the damage to people’s private property. The course of action consists of two parts, a small-scale approach that focuses on inhabited …

Saba has engaged in a large, four-week island-wide clean-up campaign ‘Keep Saba Clean’ which started on June 21 and runs until July 13. Armed with garbage bags and gloves to protect their hands, groups of volunteers have been cleaning in and near the villages for the past two Fridays and …

The Caribbean Netherlands Sector Consultation, a meeting that takes place three times a year between the Dutch Government as employer and the labor unions representing the National Government Department RCN employees, was held on Saba on Monday, July 1. Representatives of RCN, the Ministry of Justice and Security (J&V), the …

On Saturday, June 29th , the police station was notified of a unilateral collision on the Spring Bay Road on Saba. A car crashed head-on against a tree and then crashed because it drove over a boulder. The driver was thrown out of the car and ended up under the …

The Committee for Financial Supervision CFT for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba has said that Saba has its finances in order. The Committee spoke with the Executive and Island Coun­cils about the 2018 financial statements, the implementa­tion of the 2019 budget and about financial management. Saba has prepared the 2018 …

On July 1st, 2019 The Occupational Safety Decree IV Caribbean Netherlands (‘Arbeidsveiligheidsbesluit IV Caribisch Nederland’) entered into force. This decree sets rules for work in the diving sector, working with asbestos and physical strain. This is in the interest of healthy and safe working conditions in the Caribbean Netherlands. Everyone …

On July 1st, Schadefonds Geweldsmisdrijven launches a temporary subsidy scheme for preventative measures to reduce robberies on houses or companies. The Schadefonds provides this subsidy on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and Security (JenV). Research has shown that persons or companies that have been robbed and who do not …

Kralendijk Pension Fund Caribbean Netherlands (PCN) closed the year 2018 off with a good result. The coverage ratio of the fund, which reflects the ratio between the liabilities and the available assets, amounted to 111.5%. PCN experienced a strong recovery in 2018, after the fund was forced to implement a …

As of July 1st, 2019 Mr Albert Gieling will fulfill the position of Interim General Commander of the Caribbean Netherlands Fire Department (Brandweerkorps Caribisch Nederland, BKCN). Mr Gieling (48) was previously employed at the Twente Security Region. He has comprehensive experience within the fire department organization. His last position at …

In 2018, most of the children living at home in the Caribbean Netherlands had working parents. Of the nearly 5.2 thousand children up to the age of 25 living at home on Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba, 92 percent have at least one working parent. This is reported by Statistics …

Dutch State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops and Saba Commissioner Bruce Zagers signed the Saba Package, a comprehensive administrative agreement to further Saba’s development, at the end of a meeting with the other Caribbean Netherlands islands and the Netherlands in St. Eustatius on Thursday. The agreement …

Wageningen Marine Research reported ten reef-associated shark species in the Dutch Caribbean in a recent published study as part of Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA)’s Save Our Sharks Project. The most common species are the nurse shark and the Caribbean reef shark. Overall, more sharks were observed in conservation areas …

Effective from next year the cabinet will dedicate more funds to the improvement of childcare and pre- and after-school facilities in the Caribbean Netherlands. From 2020, 9.8 million Euro’s will be available annually for childcare. With the funds the costs paid by parents for the care can be reduced and …

The Dutch Cabinet has set a benchmark for a social minimum in the Caribbean Netherlands, an indicative amount that someone at least needs to live on. The indicative amount is for a single person set at approximately $945 a month on Bonaire, $1,056 on St. Eustatius and $1,077 on Saba. …

State Secretary of Social Affairs and Labor Tamara van Ark and Commissioner of Social Affairs Rolando Wilson on Wednesday launched the pilot project to increase cooperation between the Public Entity Saba and the Social Affairs and Labor SZW unit of the National Government Department RCN. The agreement entails that for …

People born in the former Netherlands Antilles and Aruba and migrants partly choose other residential areas in St. Eustatius and Saba. Among migrants there is a difference in residential area preference between migrants from Europe and North America, and migrants from Central and South America. This is evidenced by the latest …

State Secretary of Social Affairs and Labor Tamara van Ark arrived on Saba Tuesday afternoon, June 25. On Wednesday morning, June 26, the State Secretary will visit the Sacred Heart Primary School for the school breakfast. After that she will go to the construction site of the Under the Hill …

Departing Commander of the Royal Dutch Marechaussee in the Dutch Caribbean Lt. Colonel Hans Vroegh and the incoming Commander Lt. Colonel Roland Scheltens visited Saba on Tuesday, June 25. Island Governor Jonathan Johnson received the Commanders at the Government Administration Building. Scheltens will officially succeed Vroegh per July 1. Vroegh …

The Island Council of Saba has provided an update on its recent working visit to the Netherlands where the delegation, consisting of Island Council Members Eviton Heyliger, Vito Charles, Hemmie van Xanten, Carl Buncamper and Esmeralda Johnson, and Island Registrar Akilah Levenstone attended a number of meetings and a large …

The Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has established the maximum rates for the distribution of electricity in the Caribbean Netherlands that come into force on July 1st, 2019. Saba For Saba the variable usage rate drops from 0.3516  of USD/kWh to 0.3278  USD/kWh. For the consumption of an average …

As part of the annual hurricane exercise HUREX, the Royal Netherlands Navy vessel HMS Pelikaan visited Saba on Monday, June 24. A group of 13 people of the so-called Rapid Infra Assessment Team explored the island and made an assessment of all possible infra-related structures. Also, a group of new …

Disaster Management Advisor Pauline Kauffmann of the Public Entity Saba attended the National Conference on Crisis Management in the Netherlands last week. Kauffmann, who started her new job on Saba in May this year, attended several workshops at the conference, which was officially opened by Minister of Justice and Security …

For the last five days, two independent researchers from Bonaire have been on St. Eustatius to find out what people thought of the information campaign prior to the European elec­tion last month. Given that for example on Statia voter turnout was less than nine per cent of registered vot­ers, feedback …

Dear Saba, The long wait is over and its official! Saba has a fully operational dental clinic right here on Saba! We are pleased to announce the grand opening of Brilliant Dental Care, a fully functional dentist office located at the Breadline Plaza on Saba. Brilliant Dental Care is ready …

Princess Juliana International Airport, will be offering high-speed Wi-Fi internet again for its passengers. Operations with Microtech Pro. The Wi-Fi is expected to be ‘up & running’ in about 6 weeks time. As Wi-Fi connectivity becomes increasingly important to the world-class travelers at the Princess Juliana International Airport – SXM, …

An installation ceremony for the incoming officers of the Saba Lions Club was held at Eugenius Johnson Centre in Windwardside on Tuesday. Lion Mary Thielman, who has been an active member of the club for the past four years, was elected Club President for 2019-2020. Lion Xiomara Coffie was elected …

~~Annual report: 900 cases filed in 2018~~ The Prosecutor’s Office of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba works increasingly and intensively with other par­ties to increase the effect of punitive intervention and to reinforce government action as a whole. The realisation of the Bo­naire Integral Safety Policy is an example of …

State Secretary Knops (Interior and Kingdom Relations) and State Secretary Van Ark (Social Affairs and Employment) will pay a working visit to St.  Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius from June 25th till 27th . The visit of State Secretary Knops on June 25th and 26th is dedicated to concrete results. …

From now on the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) will carry out the supervision of electricity and drinking water in the Caribbean from the European Netherlands. In the past years, the ACM worked with two employees in the Caribbean Netherlands on defining this supervision. Frequent consultations took place with …

Dutch State Secretary of Public Health, Wellbeing and Sports Paul Blokhuis confirmed on Tuesday that the Health Insurance Office ZVK in Saba will be granted more authority in the area of medical referrals. A number of tasks involving providing logistical services and information will soon be transferred to the ZVK …

Welcome to the survey elections European Parliament on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba 2019. Before the elections, the Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland has organized an information campaign to inform you about matters like: When the elections took place, where you could go to vote, what you needed to vote, giving and …

The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard is recruiting youngsters to become Coast Guard during a recruitment day. The event will be held on Saturday, June 22, 2019 from 10AM – 4PM at the Coast Guard substation in Simpson Bay across from the police station. Those who wish to apply for a …

The ZVK, the Health Insurance Office BES, is going to decentralize part of its services so that these can be better adapted to the local conditions and needs of Saba and St. Eustatius. That was the message of state Secretary for Public health, Paul Blokhuis send to the second chamber. …

The BES(t) 4 kids program’s ambition is to offer all children in the Caribbean Netherlands good quality, safe and accessible childcare and after-school care by the year 2022. Since the program’s launch in January 2019, great efforts have been made to realize the objectives. The number of classrooms in Saba …

The absence of a dentist in Saba was brought up by the Socialist Party (SP) during a debate in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament with three state secretaries on Thursday. Member of Parliament (MP) Ronald van Raak (SP) explained that while visiting Saba in January this year, the …

The initiative whereby Dutch municipalities made personnel available to assist St. Maarten after Hurri­cane Irma will be expanded and become more structural for the entire Dutch Canbbean. Dutch State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops confirmed, in a letter he sent to the Dutch Parliament’s Second Chamber …

The Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament, during a general debate on Thursday with three state secretaries present, repeated its call for a reduction of the high cost of living in the Caribbean Netherlands, and to arrange less bureaucracy and more leeway for Saba. All Members of Parliament (MP) present …

On Thursday, Members of the Second Chamber Committee for Kingdom Relations have opened the attack on the bureaucratic way in which the Central Government deals with Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba in strikingly firm terms, This was done during a general consultation of the Commission with the secretaries of state Raymond …