News

According to figures released by Statistics Netherlands today, inflation on Bonaire was 1.5 percent in the third quarter of 2014. This is lower than the 2.2 percent measured in the second quarter. Prices of clothes and mobile telephony tempered inflation on Bonaire. On St Eustatius and Saba, on the other …

The Daily Herald announced in an article today that the road has been cleared for the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament to approve the law proposal enabling non-Dutch nationals in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba to vote in the March 2015 Island Council elections and to also be elected …

Secretary General for the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Affairs, Richard van Zwol and Secretary General for the Ministry of Finance, Manon Leijten have concluded successful talks with the Public Entities of St. Eustatius and Saba as well as private sector representatives on both islands. On Monday, Tuesday and …

Harbor Masters from the neighboring islands of St. Eustatius and St. Maarten recently met on Saba for their regular consultations. Also part of the consultation are the law enforcement agencies, including the Coast Guard, police immigration and customs from each island. Environmental conservation organizations for the various islands are present …

Caribisch Netwerk reports that an eighteen year old resident of St. Eustatius was declared “unwanted” by the Immigration and Naturalization Service Caribbean Netherlands (IND). The young man, Juan Huggins, can be deported anytime to St. Kitts. In December last year, when he was seventeen, Huggins was convicted of rape. In …

The Daily Herald reports that a motion tabled by Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Sietse Fritsma of the Party for Freedom PVV to immediately dismiss National Government Representative (“Rijksvertegenwoordiger”) for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, Gilbert Isabella, was voted down on Tuesday. Fritsma tabled his motion …

The Daily Herald writes today that research efforts to exploit geo-thermal energy in Saba, which would mostly be destined for St. Maarten, have beenput on hold because other sustainable energy sources like wind and solar energy are quicker and cheaper to generate. Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Henk Kamp and …

Caribisch Netwerk reports that the Secretary-General of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Richard van Zwol and Secretary General of Finance, Manon Leijten, are making a working visit to Saba for an assessment of the economy on the island. The president of the Saba Business Association (SBA), Wolfgang …

Dutch News reports that almost three out of four students attending an hbo college (hogeschool) are taking courses which offer poor job prospects and almost half should have little expectation of finding a related job, according to a new report on college education. The college guide was drawn up by …

On Friday October 3rd, an Island Wide clean-up campaign on Saba was organized by the Tourism and Public Works Department of The Public Entity Saba. The clean-up was a held just ahead of the start of the tourist season with the intention to make the public aware that they also …

Schools in The Netherlands have been left out of the decision-making process when it comes to education policy reforms according to Finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem’s 2008 commission. The government is too influential in educational affairs. This comes from a report from the Education Council, De Volkskrant reports.  At the time, Dijsselbloem argued …

The site Dutch News reports that the European Commission has been asked to comment on a Dutch government decision to link a wide variety of official registers in an effort to profile potential social security and tax cheats. The technique, known as the Systeem Risico Indicatie (SyRI) derives from security …

Commissioner of Finance, Bruce Zagers, presented the multi-year budget 2015-2018 to the Central Committee on October 1st. The total amount for the draft budget for 2015 is $10,420,850. Of this amount $939,500 is local revenue and the remainder comes from the vrije uitkering or the free allowance. Local revenue represents …

Statia News reported that in a well attended town hall meeting in Statia former Governor of the Netherlands Antilles, Prof. Jaime Saleh, a scholar in constitutional law, shared with his audience his views on the current constitutional status of Statia. He said that, although he agreed with many of the …

Dutch News reports that the government needs to intervene to ensure people eat less meat, salt, sugar and fat, according to the influential scientific council for government policy (WRR) in a new report. The WRR advises the government on ‘future developments of great public interest’ and focuses on sustainable food …

The Daily Herald writes today that there will be no new constitutional referendum in Bonaire for now, at least not on December 10 as proposed by the opposition parties and also not before the Island Council election of March 2015. A motion presented by the PDB and MLB fractions was …

The Daily Herald writes today that a majority in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament backs the call of Members of Parliament (MPs) Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP) and André Bosman of the liberal democratic VVD party to launch a criminal investigation against United People’s (UP) …

Political parties have been required by law to publish their gifts of over €4,500 since last year. They must also report debts of over €25,000. The SP’s leading position stems from the fact that paid officials have to hand over part of their income to party coffers. Former SP MP …

On Wednesday, October 1st , police arrested a 20 year old man with the initials J.L.F. for an assault which had taken place on Sunday evening at a dance bar in The Bottom. The suspect was taken into custody for further investigation. The police has also made ​​another arrest on …

On Friday October 3rd,   an Island Wide clean-up campaign is being organized by The Public Entity Saba.  All Government employees are being given the opportunity to participate and we would like to include all interested Foundations, businesses and individuals to pitch-in as well. The meeting place will be at the Public …

Which measures and facilities are needed to enable more students from the former Netherlands Antilles to successfully finish their studies broad? This was the central question during the conference “Studying abroad” on September 29 and 30 in Kralendijk, Bonaire. Participants included, besides the study counselors of the islands, representatives of …

Three-quarters of households in the Caribbean Netherlands had internet access at home in 2013. Of the people who had used internet in the three months prior to the study, 86 percent went online (almost) daily. Internet use is highest among young people and people with a higher level of education. …

The Daily Herald writes that the Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk has implored on the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament to proceed with the handling of the law proposal to regulate the voting rights of non-Dutch residents on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. The …

The Daily Herald writes that the Dutch media reported on Monday that there is majority support in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament for intervention through a large criminal investigation of “St. Maarten’s corrupt government.” Dutch politicians are especially worried now that the United People’s (UP) party of Theo …

Basketball teams and volleyball teams from mainly St. Maarten, but also from Aruba, St. Eustatius, Saba and the Netherlands participated in this highly successful event that drew several hundred students and young professionals from the islands to Oranje Sports Hall. This reports The Daily Herald. Some 85 basketball players, divided …

The police made ​​two arrests on Monday, September 29th, in the morning in an investigation regarding public violence and abuse, which took place in the Fort Bay Harbor of Saba on Sunday night, September 21st  2014 around 7.00 P.M. Two men, the 26-year-old, A.A.R.J. and the 23-year-old R.R.J.J., were arrested …

The Daily Herald writes that Saba Reach Foundation (SRF) held its third annual Banana Salsa Party at Eugenius Johnson Centre on Wednesday, September 24. Every year, the foundation hosts this event to highlight a specific theme and bring the community together in celebration of its initiatives. Wednesday’s event started with …

In 2013 the value of imported goods into Bonaire was 165 million US dollars (120 million euros). This writes The Daily Herald. Nearly a quarter of this amount regards machinery and transport equipment. This share of import is comparable to that of the European part of the Netherlands. On Bonaire …

The 2015 draft budget Saba, approved by the College Financial Supervision CFT, shows a positive balance of US $807,000, which will mainly be used to repay interest-free loans of the Netherlands. This writes The Daily Herald. The CFT concluded that the draft 2015 budget, which shows a revenue total of …

The Daily Herald writes that the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament, on Wednesday, requested Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk to research the possibilities of establishing an Electoral College for the Caribbean Netherlands to elect members of the First Chamber, the Senate, as well as a …

Arrests The Police Force Caribbean Netherlands recently made two arrests in unrelated cases, a press release stated. Both arrests were made in The Bottom. A man with the initials E.L.M. was held for an offence of trespassing and attempted burglary on Monday, September 22, around 3:30pm. The suspect and the victim …

Today the Second Chamber decided that Minister Plasterk has to investigate the possiblilities for a “Electoral College” for the islands Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba. The Second Chamber wants that the inhabitants of the islands get the same influence by voting for the parliament as the inhabitants of the continental part of …

The Daily Herald writes that opposition parties the Socialist Party (SP) and Democratic Party D66 in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament will be objecting to the proposed law change to take away the voting rights of foreign residents of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba during its handling in …

New Kingdom Representative for Saba, St. Eustatius and Bonaire Gilbert Isabella has paid his first working visit to Saba since he recently took office on September 1. This writes The Daily Herald. He arrived September 14 and paid visits to the Kingdom Department for the Dutch Caribbean (RCN) Departments; Customs, …

An independent Evaluation Commission headed by Mrs. Liesbeth Spies, former Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, will evaluate the impact of the new State structure of the Caribbean Netherlands. The Council of Ministers has agreed herewith based on a proposal by Minister Plasterk of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. …

The Daily Herald writes that Country coordinator for the Caribbean Netherlands for PUM Netherlands Senior Experts Marja Hendriksen recently visited St. Eustatius and Saba. PUM, a Dutch agency with a data base of more than 3,000 volunteer experts, has as its goal to connect entrepreneurs in developing countries and emerging …

The blog Caribbean Netwerk reports that this week, Kingdom Representative Gilbert Isabella was again on Saba. During his visit, he focused on the needs of the youth. One of the challenges the young people of Saba are facing is the transition from the English secondary school to follow a study …

The Daily Herald writes that Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk stated on Friday that the low turn-out for the European elections on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba in May this year is a source of concern. He wants a more effective information campaign for the …

Statia’s Executive Council approved on Wednesday, the publication of the side jobs of the members of the Committee for Financial Supervision for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. This writes The Daily Herald. The publication of the additional functions that CFT members Age Bakker, Sybilla Dekker and Hyden Gittens have conforms …

The Daily Herald writes that the organisation of Dutch senior experts PUM received a subsidy from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations in The Hague to assist entrepreneurs in the Caribbean Netherlands. A special introductory meeting was held at Captain Don’s Habitat in Bonaire, but the programme is …