BES Reporter

News from Bonaire, St. Eustatius & Saba

FIRST INCLUSIVE WEDDING ON ST. EUSTATIUS (CARIBBEAN NETHERLANDS)

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Oranjestad, St. Eustatius – The past weekend, another island was added to the Caribbean territories where same gender weddings are celebrated. On the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, born and raised Statian Walter Hellebrand (monuments director of the island) married his lifelong partner, Chris Russell, a freelance commercial writer. The chair of the College… [Read more]

Princess Beatrix visits Saba and Sint Eustatius

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Oranjestad, St. Eustatius, The Bottom, Saba – Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands visits Saba and Sint Eustatius on Thursday 12 December and Friday 13 December respectively. The visit to two Windward Islands in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom is all about nature conservation and social cooperatives. Thursday, December 12 – Saba… [Read more]

Statia’s First Job Fair Attracts about 100 Persons

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Oranjestad, St. Eustatius- The first-ever Job Fair hosted by the team of Personnel & Organization of the Public Entity of St. Eustatius attracted approximately 100 persons. The event was held held at the Ocean View Terrace on October 22nd with the goal to draw attention to the current vacancies within the Statia Government. A total… [Read more]

Upgrades at the Miriam C. Schmidt Botanical Garden

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Oranjestad, St. Eustatius- This Botanical Garden was created by St Eustatius National Parks Foundation (STENAPA) in 1999 when 5 hectares of land were leased from the island government in order to provide a sanctuary for Statia’s native flora to thrive, away from roaming livestock and invasive plants. Fast forward almost twenty years into 2017, STENAPA… [Read more]

2019 Statia domestic violence campaign focuses on the strength of the woman

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Oranjestad, St. Eustatius- On Monday November 25th Department of Social Support of the Public Entity of St. Eustatius will officially launch its new Statia Domestic Violence Campaign in commemoration of the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women. The theme of this year’s campaign is violence “DOING NOTHING ISN’T AN OPTION”. This year they… [Read more]

National Ombudsman visits Bonaire, Statia & Saba

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Starting this week, the National Ombudsman’s team will be visiting Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. Three times a year, the researchers come to Bonaire, Saba and Statia to assist residents with their complaints about the Government. Consultation sessions are open to anyone who has a complaint. Whenever necessary, the researchers will also visit people at their… [Read more]

Surprise over messy Board Appointments Statia Housing Foundation

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Oranjestad- St. Eustatius- The delayed appointment of members to the Board of the St. Eusatius Housing has led to raised eyebrows -and some dismay- on St. Eustatius. A letter signed by Government Commissioner Marcolino (Mike) Franco, dated November 13, 2019 advised board members that -pursuant to a Court decision of March 20, 2018- (sic) they… [Read more]

47 Applications Filed with Crime Compensation Fund

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Since April 1st, 2019, victims of violent crime on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba are eligible for a one-off compensation payment from the Schadefonds Geweldsmisdrijven (Violent Crimes Compensation Fund). Since the introduction of the fund in the Caribbean Netherlands, 47 applications have been submitted. Applications that meet the conditions and of which the crime was… [Read more]