An agreement on the border demarcation between the Dutch and French sides of the islands was on the agenda of Friday’s Kingdom Council of Ministers RMR meeting in The Hague. It was deferred to March 31 due to Foreign Minister Hoekstra’s trip to the United Nations (UN).
That’s just too late for the 375th anniversary of the Treaty of Concordia signed on March 23, 1648. Despite this partition accord, because the border was not marked everywhere conflicts arose later, for example at Oyster Pond.
Arrangements were then made to maintain the status quo pending a final determination of the border. In 2016, French gendarmes nevertheless raided Captain Oliver’s Restaurant and Marina to halt a renovation of piers, claiming the modifications changed the structure to such an extent that this violated a development freeze in the disputed area.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands Foreign Affairs Ministry protested in Paris. Under pressure from the Dutch Second Chamber of Parliament, the French were invited to stipulate the border in a joint treaty.
Once the proposed document is ratified this matter will be resolved once and for all, hopefully well ahead of St. Maarten/St. Martin Day on November 11. Doing so was important to prevent potential misunderstandings that could hamper ongoing and enhanced practical cooperation at the local level.
The latter remains very desirable and in certain cases highly necessary, such as with law enforcement. In the past people might have been able to commit a crime on one side and get away by escaping to the other, but that is becoming increasingly unlikely.
Two establishments located close to one another in Simpson Bay were reportedly robbed on Saturday, apparently by culprits on scooters. They seemed to have fled over the causeway possibly in the direction of the Cole Bay/Bellevue border.
Perhaps it is time to take the next step by installing joint frontier electronic surveillance where officials on both sides at least monitor exactly what goes across the border 24/7 so relevant authorities can receive an early warning if required, enabling a quicker and more effective response.
When it concerns safety and security for residents as well as visitors who drive its tourism economy “The Friendly Island” should know no boundaries.
