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Soualiga (15814)

Thailand to consider electronic tags for tourists following double murder

INTERNATIONAL - Thailand's tourism chief has suggested several measures to improve safety for visitors following the brutal murders of British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller two weeks ago.

Tourism minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said these could include issuing tourists with wristbands with the contact details of the resort they are staying in and possibly fitting them with 'some sort of tracking device', and introducing a 'buddy system' with local minders at holiday resorts assigned to look after tourists.

She said these measures were being discussed, along with plans to introduce a curfew to end beach parties earlier. The bodies of 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge and 24-year-old David Miller were found on a beach on the southern island of Koh Tao after they had been to a late-night party.

Their killer or killers have not been found.

Kobkarn said tourists could be issued with wristbands when they check in to their hotels, and these could contain their ID and the contact details for the hotel, so they could be easily assisted if they got lost.

She said these might even include some sort of electronic tracking device at a later stage, but she admitted hotels had expressed concerns that some holidaymakers might not want to wear them.

Meanwhile, a taxi driver has claimed to have been beaten by police investigating the murders after he allegedly refused to accept a bribe of 700,000 baht (around £13,000) to give false evidence against a football team.

Pornprasit Sukdam, a member of the Sun Service Football Team which threw a party at a club where the victims were seen on the night of their deaths, told Thai journalists he has since asked the district chief for protection.

A police spokesman said they were waiting for the results of DNA samples taken from more than eight of the amateur footballers. (Travel Mole)

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EBOLA: Jamaica on High Alert after U.S. Identifies First Imported Case of EVD

CARIBBEAN – Jamaican Prime Minister (PM) Hon. Portia Simpson Miller on Wednesday as a reaction of the Texas imported case of Ebola into the United States of America, convened a special emergency meeting to assess the threat of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) for the country.  According to a media release from the Cabinet of the PM, the Jamaica Ministry of Public Health has heightened surveillance at all ports of entry and health facilities.

The PM was also informed that a special treatment center has been established and all hospitals have identified isolation rooms in the event of an imported case of EVD.

EVD, formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
This EVD outbreak has a fatality rate of 54%.  Early intervention is having a positive result on mortality as it used to be 90%.

Those who still decide to travel to West Africa are advised to adopt the following necessary precautions: practice frequent hand washing (e.g. after going to the toilet, or when hands are soiled); avoid direct contact with blood, secretions or other body fluids of infected living or dead persons or animals, as well as environments that have become contaminated with these infectious fluids such as soiled clothing, bed linen, or used needles.

Avoid participating in burial ceremonies which require direct contact with the body of a deceased infected person; avoid contact with wild animals, including bats, monkeys, apes, chimpanzee and gorillas, whether alive or dead, including their raw or undercooked meat.

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BREAKING NEWS: First Imported Case of Ebola in the United States

CARIBBEAN - The United States Center of Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed the first case of imported Ebola virus disease into the United States.  The patient arrived from Liberia.  More information will be forthcoming with this developing story.

DETAILS: The CDC confirmed today, 30th September  through laboratory tests, the first case of Ebola to be diagnosed in the United States in a person who had traveled to Dallas, Texas from Liberia. The patient did not have symptoms when leaving West Africa, but developed symptoms approximately four days after arriving in the U.S. on Sept. 20.

The person fell ill on Sept. 24 and sought medical care at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas on Sept. 26. After developing symptoms consistent with Ebola, he was admitted to hospital on Sept. 28. Based on the person's travel history and symptoms, CDC recommended testing for Ebola.

The medical facility isolated the patient and sent specimens for testing at CDC and at a Texas lab participating in the CDC's Laboratory Response Network. CDC and the Texas Health Department reported the laboratory test results to the medical center to inform the patient. Local public health officials have begun identifying close contacts of the person for further daily monitoring for 21 days after exposure. A CDC team was dispatched to Dallas this morning.

"Ebola can be scary. But there's all the difference in the world between the U.S. and parts of Africa where Ebola is spreading. The United States has a strong health care system and public health professionals who will make sure this case does not threaten our communities," said CDC Director, Dr. Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "While it is not impossible that there could be additional cases associated with this patient in the coming weeks, I have no doubt that we will contain this."

The ill person did not exhibit symptoms of Ebola during the flights from West Africa and CDC does not recommend that people on the same commercial airline flights undergo monitoring, as Ebola is only contagious if the person is experiencing active symptoms. The person reported developing symptoms several days after the return flight. Anyone concerned about possible exposure may call CDC-Info at 800-CDC-INFO for more information.

CDC recognizes that even a single case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States raises concerns. Knowing the possibility exists, medical and public health professionals across the country have been preparing to respond. CDC and public health officials in Texas are taking precautions to identify people who have had close personal contact with the ill person and health care professionals have been reminded to use meticulous infection control at all times.

We do know how to stop Ebola's further spread: thorough case finding, isolation of ill people, contacting people exposed to the ill person, and further isolation of contacts if they develop symptoms. The U.S. public health and medical systems have had prior experience with sporadic cases of diseases such as Ebola. In the past decade, the United States had 5 imported cases of Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF) diseases similar to Ebola (1 Marburg, 4 Lassa). None resulted in any transmission in the U.S.

CDC has been anticipating and preparing for a case of Ebola in the United States. We have been:

  • Enhancing surveillance and laboratory testing capacity in states to detect cases
  • Developing guidance and tools for health departments to conduct public health investigations
  • Providing recommendations for  healthcare infection control and other measures to prevent disease spread
  • Providing guidance for flight crews, Emergency Medical Services units at airports, and Customs and Border Protection officers about reporting ill travelers to CDC
  • Disseminating up-to-date information to the general public, international travelers, and public health partners

The data health officials have seen in the past few decades since Ebola was discovered indicates that it is not spread through casual contact or through the air. Ebola is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids of a sick person or exposure to objects such as needles that have been contaminated. The illness has an average 8-10 day incubation period (although it ranges from 2 to 21 days); CDC recommends monitoring exposed people for symptoms a complete 21 days. People are not contagious after exposure unless they develop symptoms.

More information is available at www.cdc.gov/ebola. (CDC Report)

 

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The Formation of a Government: Informateur and Formateur

PHILIPSBURG – At the moment Joe Richardson and Marcel Gumbs have been appointed by His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday as informateurs, and are currently busy with the process of forming a government based on the Governor’s instructions.  Richardson and Gumbs have been given until October 3rd to present their report with respect to the next Government of country Sint Maarten. 

During the first formation process for a National Alliance (NA), Democratic Party (DP), and United St. Maarten (US) Party Government, the Governor appointed a formateur rather than an informateur.  Approximately four weeks ago, the Governor was informed about an eight seat majority support for a new Government consisting of the NA/DP/US. Leader of the NA Hon. Member of Parliament William Marlin was appointed by the Governor as the formateur.

On September 24 the Governor was informed that there was a new eight seat majority and it was a United People’s (UP) Party – seven seats in parliament - and Member of Parliament-elect Cornelius de Weever.  This signalled that the previous eight seat majority of the NA/DP/US and lost its majority.

The Governor then appointed two informateurs which is the Governor’s prerogative to do so.

The process of forming a government

Here is the typical approach usually followed in the formation process of a government. The first step is for an informateur to investigate which political parties could form a coalition.

Tasks of the informateur

It is the informateur’s task to explore the various options for a new Cabinet. He examines which parties are able and ready to form a new Cabinet and any obstacles which have to be overcome.

The informateur examines which parties are able and ready to form a new cabinet and any obstacles which have to be overcome. Consequently, parties have to cooperate to form a coalition government. Parties who are not included in the coalition constitute the opposition. 

The scope of the assignment given to the informateur depends on the polling results. If two parties have a majority and they agree with each other, the informateur will have a limited role. After completion of their duties the informateurs propose to appoint a formateur.

The Coalition Agreement 
The scope of the assignment given to the informateur may involve the drafting of a Coalition Agreement. Sometimes a new informateur is appointed for this task. The informateur negotiates with the coalition parties about the common goals and the key policy themes of the future Cabinet. When they have reached an agreement, the coalition parties set out the arrangements in a so-called Coalition Agreement. The new Cabinet is bound by the Coalition Agreement and has to implement concrete policy measures over the coming years, on the basis of the agreements set out in the Coalition Agreement.

Duties of the formateur

After the informateur has recommended a coalition and the key themes of the shared policies have been set out in the Coalition Agreement, the Governor could appoint a formateur, who in most cases is the intended Prime Minister. He concludes the formation talks.

In most cases the formateur will be the intended Prime Minister. As a rule, the largest party provides the Prime Minister. He concludes the formation talks and divides the ministerial posts or “portfolios” The formateur will then look for people who are eligible to become ministers or state secretaries on behalf of the coalition parties. 

When the team is complete, the new Cabinet holds a so-called constituent assembly, where the ministers must state that they agree with the Coalition Agreement, setting out the common goals and the key policy themes of the future Cabinet. Subsequently, the Governor representing the Head of State swears in the ministers. Shortly afterwards, the Cabinet could take the route of delivering the Government's policy statement in the House of Parliament.

The duration of the formation process

The formateur aims to form a new government as soon as possible, as the caretaker government may deal only with ongoing matters and cannot initiate new policy. In some experiences, for example in the Netherlands, the formation process can last from a number of weeks to more than six months.

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Memorial to transatlantic slave trade will send ‘powerful message’ for years to come

AFRICA-CARIBBEAN – The United Nations took one more step towards constructing a permanent commemoration to the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade in what the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said would be “a message of hope, of tolerance, of human dignity.”

At a high level ceremony on the margins of the UN General Assembly, the representatives of six nations – The Netherlands, New Zealand, Qatar, Senegal, Jamaica and Spain – marked the financing ofThe Ark of Return, the new memorial which is expected to be unveiled on the grounds of the UN’s Headquarters in New York in the beginning of 2015.

Speaking at the event, UNESCO’s Director-General, Irina Bokova, highlighted the memorial’s role as “a powerful symbol” and said UNESCO was “deeply honoured” to have been associated with the coordination of the process by which the memorial was selected.

TheArk of Returnis the design of Rodney Leon, also the architect and designer of the African Burial Ground National Monument in Manhattan. It was selected as the winner of an international UNESCO-led competition in August 2013.

Maher Nasser, Acting Under-Secretary-General of the UN Department of Public Information – the body that manages the UN’s Remember Slavery commemorative programme – was equally humbled by the role the memorial would play in ensuring that the legacy of the slavery and the transatlantic slave trade not be forgotten.

“The memorial will be an important addition to UN Headquarters complex when it is built,” he told those gathered, “and it will send a powerful message on the need to remain vigilant about the dangers of racism and racial discrimination today.”

In his remarks, Ambassador Tete Antonio, the representative of the African Union to the UN, similarly described the inauguration of the memorial as “a momentous time in the history of the United Nations.”

“The overwhelming support of Member States is evident today in the generous contributions that continue to flow into the trust fund for the construction of the Ark of Return,” Mr. Antonio noted.

“This is a symbol set in marble that will stand high on the grounds of the United Nations for generations to come lest we forget.”

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Sint Maarten’s INTERPOL National Central Bureau in the global fight against foreign terrorist fighters

NEW YORK/SINT MAARTEN – The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously adopted a Resolution recognizing the efforts of INTERPOL against the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters, including through global law enforcement information sharing.

Sint Maarten’s INTERPOL National Central Bureau (SXM-INTERPOL NCB) as a member of the international police organization will also be expected to play a role against foreign terrorist fighters.  Caribbean nations who are members of INTERPOL will have to set up a system if one doesn’t already exist with connectivity to their National Security Services.  Intelligence gathered via one agency can then be interchanged with the next in search of potential foreign terrorist fighters or recruiters.

An Aruban female was detained in Belguim with possible links to terrorism. Rosliana Adelline Geerman (21) was arrested by Belgian Police authorities on suspicion of recruitment for ISIS, according to Belgian media reports.  According to Belgian investigators, Geerman attempted to send at least two girls that they are aware of to go and fight in Syria.

Resolution 2178 (2014), which was submitted during a special session of the UNSC chaired by US President Barack Obama, also highlights the use of INTERPOL’s I-24/7 secure police communications network, global databases and system of advisory notices, in addition to its counter-terrorism efforts and procedures to track stolen, forged identity papers and travel documents.

To this end, global complementary tools provided by INTERPOL to prevent the international travel of foreign fighters include its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database, as well as I-Checkit, a screening measure enabling companies in the transport, banking and tourism industries to submit passport information for screening against the SLTD database.  It currently contains more than 43 million records from 167 countries.

The Resolution further encourages INTERPOL to intensify its efforts against the foreign terrorist fighter threat and to recommend or put in place additional resources to support and encourage national, regional and international measures such as expanding the use of INTERPOL Special Notices to monitor and prevent the transit of foreign terrorist fighters.

Welcoming the adoption of the UN Resolution, INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said the world police body is working to ensure authorities worldwide use INTERPOL’s global tools and resources to their fullest potential to identify terror threats.  This statement would also apply to Sint Maarten’s INTERPOL NCB.

“The UN Resolution recognizes that the transnational threat of foreign fighters is a global collective responsibility, and that sharing information through INTERPOL’s global network is vital to more effectively identify suspected foreign fighters and prevent them from travelling,” said Secretary General Noble.

“INTERPOL is working to facilitate exchanges between our 190 member countries to compile and compare information and identifiers of suspected foreign fighters, but this must be complemented by efforts on the ground. The time to act is now, and UN Resolution 2178 will be crucial to that effort,” added the Head of INTERPOL.

On behalf of the international law enforcement community Secretary General Noble also strongly condemned the ‘despicable’ murder in Algeria of French tourist Herve Gourdel by a jihadist group reportedly linked to Islamic State (IS) militants.

INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Washington announced the formation of a dedicated INTERPOL Foreign Terrorist Fighter programme in partnership with the US National Security Council, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security.

In this respect, US Attorney General Eric Holder said: “In a world that is increasingly interdependent and interconnected, INTERPOL helps to defend against a range of evolving challenges by disseminating information, combating crime, and identifying potential threats.”

The issue of foreign terrorist fighters will be high on the agenda of the 83rd INTERPOL General Assembly in Monaco (3-7 November), which will include a ministerial meeting including Home Affairs, Justice and Security Ministers from more than 100 countries.   Soualiga Newsday will find out if Sint Maarten will be represented at the 83rd INTERPOL Assembly since it’s one of the members.

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World Tourism Day 2014 and Sustainable Development

CARIBBEAN/SINT MAARTEN – In harnessing the benefits of global tourism, the international community will take “critical” steps forward in advancing the United Nations’ sustainable development goals and post-2015 development agenda,Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon said today, 27 September, 2014 on the occasion of World Tourism Day 2014 (WTD 2014).

The Sint Maarten Tourist Bureau organized various activities highlighting WTD 2014.  The Minister of Tourism Affairs Hon. Ted Richardson also released a message for the occasion while Port St. Maarten Chief Executive Officer Mark Mingo pointed out in his address of reinventing cruise.

In amessagedelivered to mark the annual observance of World Tourism Day, the Secretary-General emphasized the benefits of tourism for local communities, adding that as an industry it “helps people to develop a variety of skills” and builds “stronger and more resilient communities.”

“As a service sector with cross-cutting impact on agriculture, construction or handicrafts, tourism creates millions of jobs and business opportunities,” Mr. Ban noted.

“Its capacity to lift people from poverty, promote gender empowerment and help protect the environment has made it a vital tool for achieving positive change in communities across the world.”

Celebrated annually on 27 September,World Tourism Dayserves to raise awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and the contributions it can make in the economic, political and social sectors.

This year’s theme,Tourism and Community Developmentwill focus on “the ability of tourism to empower people and provide them with skills to achieve change in their local communities,” according to the UN’s World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the UNWTO, also highlighted the important role played by tourism in developing communities, particularly when engaging local populations by contributing to social values such as participation, education and enhanced local governance.

“There can be no real tourism development if such development damages in any way the values and the culture of host communities or if the socio-economic benefits generated by the tourism sector do not trickle down to the community level,” affirmed Mr. Rifai in hismessageon the Day.

“This year’s World Tourism Day represents an opportunity to further advance tourism’s contribution to economic, social and environmental sustainability,” he continued.

“Empowering individuals and communities around the world at all levels through tourism can be a fundamental step towards these goals.”

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Specter of climate change looms large, say small island nations at UN

CARIBBEAN/SINT MAARTEN – Leaders of small island developing nations on September 26, 2014 urged the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to prioritize climate change and assist in their front line battle against its mounting impact.

“The international community’s actions to address climate change are grossly inadequate. We are focusing more on symptoms, not the root causes,”saidSamoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele, whose capital city, Apia, hosted the third annual UN conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) earlier this month.

Sint Maarten sent a delegation to Samoa who formed part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands delegation that also included representatives from Curacao and Aruba.  Soualiga Newsday has published two articles related to the Sint Maarten experience and outcome at the Samoa SIDS Conference and can be found in this site for background info.

The Samoan Prime Minister called on Member States to follow up on the political, economic and other promises made in the “Samoa Pathway”, agreed outcome from the Conference.

“We took seriously the commitments given for SIDS at the conference and we will remain deeply mindful of how those commitments are turned into actions,” he stressed.

Samoa and other small islands will bring the “human face of SIDS” to each issue that comes before the UN – security, human rights, climate change, development, gender, or Indigenous, Mr. Sailele noted.

“That way, SIDS issues are at the forefront of the UN agenda, they remain topical and relevant, and are considered, debated and actioned daily, weekly or monthly and not conveniently set aside to be discussed only when we have another SIDS conference ten years from now,” the Prime Minister stressed.

The President of Dominica, Charles Savarin,echoedMr. Sailele’s statements, adding that the survival of this group of states depends not only on the individual and collective actions taken by SIDS, but on action or inaction of the entire international community.

He noted that this year’s General Assembly falls during the International Year of Small Island Developing States, a name delegated by this very world body.

In addition, the President voiced support for a legally-binding outcome to climate change negotiations next year in Paris.

“This should be buttressed by a post-2015 agenda that engenders poverty eradication, increased access to education and training, healthcare, potable water and sanitation, and promotes sustainable and inclusive economic development,” Mr. Savarin said referring to new sustainable development goals that would guide world leaders’ work starting in January 2016.

He noted in particular the need for development partners to conduct macroeconomic and trade policies that would facilitate growth opportunities for SIDS, reduce income gaps, reduce poverty, and achieve their development aspirations.

Similar concerns wereraisedby Trinidad and Tobago’s Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who presented the perils of climate change and the importance of following through on the Samoa Pathway not only from the point of view of SIDS, but also the Caribbean Community.

The Prime Minister also raised the issue of trans-Atlantic slavery, reiterating the Community’s determination to “engage in reparatory dialogue with the former slave owning European Nations in order to address the living legacies of these crimes.”

“Sustainable development cannot be achieved in an environment where people are denied their basic rights to live free from fear; with daily deprivation of the necessities of life due to the ravages of war and other types of instability,” Ms. Persad-Bissessar said.

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Pilot Warned Bosses of Overloaded Planes Days before Fatal Plane Crash

ENGLAND-CURACAO - Just days before he died in a crash landing in the Caribbean Sea, a young British pilot had voiced concerns about flying overloaded planes.

Captain Robert Mansell, 32, skilfully ditched his twin-engine aircraft in the water off Curacao after sending out a mayday message when one of his engines failed.

Mansell’s expert landing gave his nine Dutch passengers time to escape the aircraft before it sank, but he lost his own life after being knocked unconscious when the aircraft hit the water.

Although his passengers struggled to save him, his safety harness was damaged and they couldn’t release him from the cockpit which was rapidly taking in water. A post-mortem revealed that Mansell died from drowning after suffering a head injury.

The aircraft, which was flying from Curacao to Bonaire at the time of the October 22, 2009 accident, sank to the ocean floor minutes after hitting the water.

An inquest into the young pilot’s death, which was held at Birmingham (England) Coroner’s Court this week, revealed that he had expressed concerns about the overloading of the British-made Britten-Norman plane to his bosses at Divi Divi Air on a number of occasions.

He had also expressed safety concerns to his father Roger, a fellow pilot, in the days before his death.

At the inquest, Air Accident Investigator Timothy Atkinson said the maximum weight limit for the plane was 6,250lbs, but the crashed plane had weighed in at 7,211lbs.

An investigation reportedly revealed that this was no isolated incident.

“The overloading of the planes was a systemic habit with the airline,” Atkinson told the inquest.

The air accident specialist went on to say that an aeroplane could cope with being overweight with two working engines but not when one fails.

The doomed plane’s right engine cut out shortly after taking off from Hato airport bound for Flamingo, some 40 miles away from the crash site, the inquest revealed.

Mansell could have headed back to Hato Airport but elected to continue to Flamingo after alerting air traffic control to the situation, Atkinson said.

Only seconds away from land, he was forced to ditch the plane into the sea, however. The force of the impact knocked him unconscious, smashed his windscreen, and water began to pour into the cabin.

The jury at the inquest recorded a narrative verdict which said the “aircraft was significantly overweight.”

The Dutch Safety Board carried out its own investigation and made recommendations to the Curacao Aviation Authority to address the issues of flying overweight aircraft and to tighten controls.

Robert Mansell studied aeronautical engineering at Bristol University before obtaining his pilot licence in 2006. He became a captain shortly after.

He worked as a pilot in the Solomon Islands before moving to the Netherlands Antilles.

Speaking after the inquest, his 78-year-old father Roger, a retired civil aviation engineer, paid tribute to his son who he described as a “hero.”

“As a pilot myself I know the difficulty of landing these planes in the situation he found himself in. If he wasn’t a good pilot, he couldn’t have ditched it so everyone could be saved. Other pilots wouldn’t have known what to do, but he landed the aircraft so that everyone could get out safely. If he hadn’t ditched the aircraft properly it could have somersaulted over and would have most likely killed everyone on board.

“I am so proud of him. He really is a hero.” (Courtesy Curacao Chronicle)

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Dreamliner aircraft damaged at airport

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao– A Boeing 787 Dreamliner belonging to the Dutch Airline Arkefly and a ground vehicle were involved in an accident on the platform of the Curacao’s Hato International Airport. The Dreamliner was damaged. The passengers have therefore been delayed for almost a day.

The aircraft was damaged on Wednesday by a so-called high loader, which is used to transport supplies to the aircraft.

A spokesman for Arke said that the damage is small and the aircraft can safely be flown to Amsterdam. The delay was because of the meticulous research which was done on the damage. The passengers will be picked up at their hotel and are expected to depart today, Thursday September 25 to Schiphol, the Netherlands.

Arkeis currently the only Dutch airline with a Dreamliner. In mid-December, the second Boeing Dreamliner is expected to be delivered.

The last Dreamliner will be delivered in March of 2015. (Courtesy Curacao Chronicle)

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