Bonaire police find body of missing Marlies

Officials on the Netherlands Antilles island of Bonaire have confirmed that the body of missing Dutch woman Marlies van der Kouwe has been found. Police discovered her remains on a stretch of land near a rubbish dump. Specialists from the Netherlands Forensic Institute were conducting investigations at the scene all day.

The 24-year-old pharmacist’s assistant vanished on Bonaire last month after leaving a beach party to travel home on her scooter.

Three men are currently in police custody in connection with the case. The main suspect, aged 27, has now been transferred to the Bon Futuro prison on Curacao. Public Prosecutor David van Delft says he expects more arrests to follow in the near future.

Dutch deputy minister travels to Antilles

Dutch Deputy Minister for Kingdom Relations Ank Bijleveld will visit the Netherlands Antilles this week. She will ask for information about the result of an investigation into the disappearance on Bonaire of the 24-year-old Dutch woman Marlies van der Kouwe, who was working on the island as a trainee pharmacist assistant.

She will also hold talks on political reforms. So far there has been little progress in negotiations on a new police law and the supervision of the islands’ finances. Ms Bijleveld told Radio Netherlands Worldwide that she has high hopes of achieving results during this week’s visit. Today she is visiting Aruba and on Tuesday she will arrive on Bonaire. On Wednesday, she will travel to Curaçao.