Dear Editor,
I am a long time vacationer to St. Martin. My wife and I are on our 27th visit to the Island spanning 39 years. We are currently being held against our will at Orient Beach by a lawless mob due to the blockade of the road heading in both directions. Neighbors missed their planes, friends could not get back to the Dutch side for medicine, and tourists were unable to travel to activities and reservations. Local shops were closed as their employees could not get to work.
Protestors, regardless of the merit of their cause, have decided that they can shut down ingress and egress to the Orient Beach community and effectively hold thousands of people hostage. And the worst part is that the government on the French side has had the gendarmes stand down, and let the mobs rule. I have always had great respect for the gendarmes, but now I know they are responsive to politics and do not protect visitors entrusted to their protection.
When a government loses the ability to protect visitors who are the major contributors to the economy and are visiting legally; it is time to question whether French St. Martin has a modern government or is a third world country with protesters who are immune from the law. Evidently, the protesters have the right to close roads and insult tourists who want to pass. This is not exactly the "Friendly Island."
While this is happening on the French side, it impacts the Dutch side as well. We and many of our friends stay on both sides of the island. We have previously enjoyed two countries and cultures, with open boarders and free access to beaches, restaurants and tourist attractions.
St. Martin has developed the reputation as being increasingly unconcerned about the lifeblood of their economy, the tourism industry. While I have watched real estate litigation and the loss of investment in vacation property; experienced the routine loss of electricity and water, I have now experienced the loss of my freedom. It has really made me think whether or not this Island has really become a modern country.
Media reports indicate that the blockades will be reinstituted today. Maybe the United States State Department needs to put out a travelers advisory for St. Martin, "Visitors to the Island should be prepared to lose their freedom and be held captive by protestors, the government will do nothing to protect them. Visitors should proceed at their own risk."
Paul Burgdorf
New York
