SINT MAARTEN/THE NETHERLANDS – The Netherlands must ban crypto currencies as soon as possible before the ‘invitable crash’ happens, according to Pieter Hasekamp, the director of the government’s economic think-tank CPB.

Unlike in other countries, the Dutch authorities have been slow to legislate on crypto currencies despite warnings by the CPB of its inherent ‘bad money’ characteristics, such as ‘fraud, criminal use, gambling addiction, financial instability and the dependence on huge amount of energy’, Hasekamp wrote in an essay for the Financieele Dagblad.

The lax approach to regulation is ‘legitimising’ crypto currencies, he said. ‘The longer we wait the bigger the negative consequences of the inevitable crash’, he said.

An immediate ban on the production, possession and trade of crypto currencies could deprive them of their lifeblood which is its ‘acceptance by others since it lacks intrinsic value’, Haseskamp said.

Such a ban will be difficult to police, experts say, because crypto currencies are not issued by financial institutions and are traded internationally. That was the reason finance minister Wopke Hoekstra rejected a ban in 2018.

According to some estimates around 700,000 people in the Netherlands are currently investing in crypto currencies.

(DutchNews)

SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - The House of Parliament will sit in a Central Committee meeting on Friday, June 11, 2021.

The Central Committee meeting is a continuation of the meeting which started on March 31, 2021 and was adjourned on April 26, 2021. The meeting will be reconvened at 14.00hrs. in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment, and Infrastructure will be present.

Upon the request of the Chairman of Parliament, the agenda for this continuation meeting has been amended to add a second agenda point.

The agenda points are:

1. The (financial) status of N.V. G.E.B.E. (I.S./1135/2019-2020 dated August 18, 2020, and I.S./169/2020-2021 dated November 16, 2020)

This meeting was requested by M.P. S.A. Wescot-Williams, MP M.D. Gumbs, MP C.A. Buncamper and MP G.S. Heyliger-Marten

2. Ontwerplandsverordening tot wijziging van de Landsverordening Algemene Rekenkamer, de Landsverordening Constitutioneel Hof, de Landsverordening Ombudsman en de Landsverordening Raad van Advies in verband met het verhogen van de leeftijdsgrens van de leden (ZJ 2020-2021-147)

(National Ordinance amending the National Ordinance of General Audit Chamber, the National Ordinance Constitutional Court, the National Ordinance Ombudsman, and the National Ordinance Council of Advice in connection with raising the age limit for members (Parliamentary Year 2020-2021-147)

Due to measures taken to mitigate the coronavirus (COVID-19), the House of Parliament is only allowing persons with an appointment to enter the Parliament building.

The parliamentary sessions will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 115, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the internet www.sxmparliament.org, www.pearlfmradio.sx and Parliament’s Facebook page: Parliament of Sint Maarten

SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - The House of Parliament will sit in a Central Committee meeting on June 11, 2021.

The Central Committee meeting is scheduled for Friday at 10.00 hrs. in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor will be present.

The agenda point is:

Discussion regarding all matters to date pertaining to the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) (IS/534/2020-2021 dated March 29, 2021)

This meeting was requested by MP C.T. Emmanuel, MP C.A. Buncamper, and MP A.E. Arrindell

Due to measures taken to mitigate the coronavirus (COVID-19), the House of Parliament is only allowing persons with an appointment to enter the Parliament building.

The parliamentary sessions will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 115, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the internet www.sxmparliament.org, www.pearlfmradio.sx and Parliament’s Facebook page: Parliament of Sint Maarten

SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - The Police of Sint Maarten (KPSM) would like to issue a correction to a press release dated 17 May 2021, where it was stated that the tenant of a complex was the victim of a stabbing incident at the Dr. Tjong Sie Fat Road in Cole Bay.

The police says that, however, we must clarify that the landlord's son was the victim of the assault by the tenant with a knife at the aforementioned location. (KPSM)