High of 87 Low of 76 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 THE UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF CAYMAN’S TOURISTS SPORTS | PAGE 19 DARIEL EBANKS WINS GOLD IN CARIBBEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 34 DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER TO VOTE ELECTION 2017 ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 14, 2016 GOVERNMENT: ‘CRITICAL ERRORS’ IN TAX HAVEN REPORT Oxfam report names Cayman as ‘second worst’ tax haven MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com A report by aid agency and advocacy group Oxfam which names Cayman the world’s second worst tax haven – behind Bermuda and ahead of the Netherlands – is riddled with er- rors and misinformation trying to influence public policy, the Cayman Islands government said in a statement. Oxfam said its “Tax Battles” report shows how tax havens “are leading a global race to the bottom on corporate tax that is starving countries out of billions of dollars needed to tackle poverty and inequality.” It lists the “world’s worst tax havens” based on whether they employ “damaging tax poli- cies,” such as zero corporate tax rates, unfair tax incentives and the extent to which they fail to cooperate with international tax transpar- ency efforts to tackle tax avoidance. “Once you’ve read the report, and partic- ularly the methodology, government believes that the public will understand that certain or- ganizations’ continued efforts to exploit misin- formed public opinion, as part of an agenda to influence the public policy of G-20 countries, is unhelpful at best,” said Financial Services Minister Wayne Panton. “Indeed, it may be det- rimental to the overall shared goal of com- bating criminal behavior and addressing in- come inequality.” Oxfam claims “tax dodging by multina- tional corporations” is taking at least $100 bil- lion from poor countries every year. “Corporate tax havens are helping big busi- ness cheat countries out of billions of dollars every year,” said Esme Berkhout, tax policy ad- viser for Oxfam. “They are propping up a dan- gerously unequal economic system that is leaving millions of people with few opportuni- ties for a better life.” Oxfam’s overriding error, Minister Panton said, is its failure to differentiate between cap- ital flows and profit shifting. “To engage in profit shifting, a country must attract significant multinational corpo- rations, or MNCs. Cayman does not have this type of business. We do, however, receive cap- ital flows that are used to the benefit of other jurisdictions, via investment projects,” he said. In a veiled reference to the upcoming EU blacklist for uncooperative countries in tax matters, Oxfam demands that tax blacklists should be based on “objective, comprehensive Officer sues over dog bite during Cuban breakout JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A police officer is attempting to sue a local security firm, claiming she was bitten by one of its dogs amid chaotic scenes as a group of Cubans tried to escape from the Immigration Detention Center. Marcia Marie Ellis has filed a lawsuit against The Security Centre, which at the time of the attempted escape in May 2014 had a security contract at the detention facility. In her writ filed with the Grand Court last month, the of- ficer says she was seconded to assist at the detention center in an effort to help prevent 43 Cuban refugees from escaping. She described how police, prison officers and The Security Centre staff, including K-9 units, had tried to contain the situ- ation as several migrants at- tempted to scale the fences. She said some had escaped into the bushes, while others were forcing a chain link gate to the Tourism sector fears expat pension exodus Late 2017 deadline to retrieve refund BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands tourism sector man- agers fear “skyrocketing turnover” within the next year, following government’s deci- sion to set a cutoff date for when workers can receive cash refunds from their retirement accounts. That date, around the end of next year, depending on when an employer makes the final payment into a worker’s private sector pension account, will encourage many workers to leave Cayman to collect money already saved, some members of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association said Tuesday. Changes made this year to the National Pensions Law will serve to prevent workers from receiving cash refunds from their pension accounts after December 2019. However, in order to receive such a refund under the current pensions scheme, the em- ployee must have stopped making contribu- tions to the retirement fund for at least two years and must also have left the islands for at least six months. That means, to collect a refund, most workers would have to quit their current jobs and have made their final pension contribution as of Dec. 30, 2017. The Na- tional Pensions Law applies only to private PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Cayman’s second-largest industry, tourism, may lose a significant number of its workers over the next year, according to CITA members. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY2 LOCAL&REGIONAL WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 14, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 640-FILM (640-3456) *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - WEDNESDAY - OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY (R) 12:30 | 7:00 | 9:30 FANTASTIC BEASTS (PG13) AND WHERE TO FIND THEM 3D 12:15 | 3:20 2D | 6:30 | 9:40 2D MOANA 3D (PG) 12:45 | 3:30 2D | 6:45 | 9:20 2D ALMOST CHRISTMAS (PG13) 1:15 | 4:20 | 7:05 | 9:50 THE BOUNCE BACK (PG13) 1:30 | 4:15 | 7:10 | 10:00 SULLY (PG13) 1:00 | 4:00 | 7:15 | 9:55 CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Venezuelans took a break from lining up to buy food and medicine on Tuesday and waited with hundreds of others to deposit bank notes about to become worthless. President Maduro made a surprise announcement this week that the 100-bo- livar note will be taken out of circulation Wednesday. It is the country’s largest- denominated bill and the most widely used. Monday was a bank hol- iday, so starting Tuesday morning people lined up before the banks opened to deposit the 100-bo- livar notes into their ac- counts. Wealthier Venezu- elans skipped the lines and spent backpacks full of bills at restaurants and upscale shopping centers. People working in the informal sector who keep their savings in cash talked gloomily at taxi stands and street kiosks. About one- third of Venezuelans do not have bank accounts, and so have no way to deposit the soon-to-be-worthless bills. The 100-bolivar note fell in value this year from 10 cents to 2 cents. Some are using the bills to decorate Christmas trees, or handing them out as party favors at bars. Maduro has promised to release higher-denomination notes this week amid the world’s highest inflation. But economists say the rollout will not be fast enough to replace the 100-bolivar note and avoid a temporary freeze on cash transactions. On Monday, Maduro shut down the border with Co- lombia, saying a 72-hour closure was needed to at- tack “mafias” that are de- stabilizing the economy by hoarding hard-to-find bolivar notes and sending them back across the border for huge gain. Critics mocked the idea that gangsters would keep their wealth in the world’s fastest devaluing currency. The opposition planned to take up congressional impeachment proceedings against the embattled so- cialist president on Tuesday afternoon. Lawmakers had been holding largely sym- bolic impeachment hearings against Maduro in October. They put the campaign on hold to engage in Vatican-me- diated negotiations with the government, but those talks fell apart last week after the opposition walked away to protest the government’s lack of concessions. But few people were paying attention to the ses- sion Tuesday and the Na- tional Assembly building was all but abandoned as poli- tics took a backseat to the currency chaos. Venezuelans rush to unload bank notes before deadline John Gray High School students gave a lunchtime concert at the Government Administration Building on Tuesday. School groups will be performing at the building throughout the week, according to a government spokeswoman. – PHOTO: CHARLES DUNCAN SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Police in Puerto Rico say they will crack down on Uber drivers who attempt to pick up passengers in des- ignated tourist zones across the U.S. territory’s capital in- cluding airports. Tuesday’s announcement comes after police met with Uber employees and cab drivers following a weekend protest that paralyzed traffic in the capital of San Juan. Cab drivers organized the protest after accusing Uber drivers of encroaching on their territory. Police urged cab drivers to write down the license plates of Uber drivers instead of physically confronting them. Cab drivers have increasingly clashed with Uber employees since the ride-booking com- pany began service in Puerto Rico in July. Police said Uber drivers could face penalties ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 if they violate a law that bars them from tourist zones. PUERTO RICO POLICE TO CRACK DOWN ON UBER IN TOURIST ZONES JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – The El Faro’s data recorder shows that the doomed ship’s cap- tain urged a frightened crew member to move quickly to abandon ship in the vessel’s final moments. The recordings tran- scribed from the ship’s voyage data recorder were released Tuesday morning by the National Trans- portation Safety Board in Washington, D.C. The 790-foot freighter sank in October 2015 during Hur- ricane Joaquin after losing propulsion between Jackson- ville, Florida, and Puerto Rico. All 33 people on board died. The more than 500-page transcript sheds light on de- cisions by the ship’s Capt. Michael Davidson to try to sail south of Hurricane Joa- quin instead of taking a longer, safer route. It also revealed the cap- tain believed he needed to consult with Tote Mari- time officials before taking a longer, safer course home, something the company has disputed. DATA RECORDER DETAILS EL FARO’S FINAL VOYAGE Schools treat civil servants to Christmas music A customer prepares bank notes to deposit at a bank in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday. The 100-bolivar note, the country’s largest-denominated bill, will be taken out of circulation Wednesday. - PHOTO: AP RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Al- most four months after the Olympics ended, Rio de Ja- neiro organizers are unable to pay some of their bills, in- cluding $3.7 million owed to the International Para- lympic Committee. IPC spokesman Craig Spence told The Associ- ated Press on Tuesday that the money is owed for travel grants, which is part of the contractual agreement to host the Olympics and Paralympics. “Never have we faced an issue like this with an orga- nizing committee being so late paying travel grants,” Spence told AP. The default is the latest for embattled Rio organizers, who have also been late paying hundreds of creditors and contract employees. Spence said the unpaid travel expenses were dam- aging national Paralympic committees, particularly those with tiny budgets. “Some of our smaller na- tional Paralympic commit- tees, who took out loans to pay for their travel for the Games, are now in serious danger of defaulting on their repayments,” Spence said. Cash flow problems, budget cuts and cost over- runs dogged organizers in the run-up to South Ameri- ca’s first Olympics. Despite this, International Olympic Committee offi- cials last week described the Rio games as “the most per- fect, imperfect games,” dis- counting empty seats, or- ganizational setbacks, and pea-green water in a diving and swimming venue. As the Olympics opened on Aug. 5, organizers needed millions in a bailout from the city and federal governments to fund the subsequent Para- lympics. This broke a promise to use only private money to fund the $2.8 billion op- erating budget. “We told everybody before the Paralympics that we were short for the Paralympic Games because of lack of sponsorship and ticket sales,” Rio spokesman Mario Andrada said. Spence said Rio CEO Sidney Levy shocked officials just four weeks before the Paralympic opened, saying “there was no money to do the Paralympics.” Four months after Olympics, bills not paid3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 14, 2016 www.rbcroyalbank.com/caribbean ® / ™ Trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. from Omari Corbin Country Manager, RBC Royal Bank Cayman Islands Thank you and Happy Holidays From RBC Royal Bank To our valued clients, thank you for allowing us to help you meet your financial goals. To our staff, thank you for your commitment through the year, and for putting our clients first in all that we do. On behalf of RBC Royal Bank, I extend warm greetings for the holidays and wish you a prosperous New Year. You continue to be an integral part of our success story. We look forward to providing you with the best solutions for your financial future in the coming years which aligns with our purpose, “Helping clients thrive and communities prosper”. Wishing you hope, love, joy and peace for the holidays. Thank you. It’s All About You John Gray teens treat moms to dinner JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Teenage boys at John Gray High School got a taste of the high life when they took their moms out to dinner as part of a program aimed at teaching them to be gentlemen. The Boyz 2 Men group participated in etiquette training at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman before taking their mothers for a meal at the Lobster Pot. Pastor Christopher Murray, the school coun- selor who runs the group, said the boys responded well to the program and treated their mothers to a memorable night. “They opened doors for them, pulled out their chairs, they allowed them to order first and at the end of the day they each gave their mothers a red rose and ser- enaded them with a senti- mental expression of what they mean to them. “It was so good. I think some of the mothers didn’t want the evening to end.” Twenty-two boys took part in the dinner outing. The Boyz 2 Men pro- gram originally was aimed at boys who faced suspen- sion or were continually in trouble for behavioral is- sues. But it has broadened its scope this year and includes a cross-section of boys from throughout the school. “In years gone by,” Pastor Murray said, “the group has been for boys on the ex- treme end of the spectrum, but we mixed it up a bit this year and included a few boys that are doing very well, in the hope that they would be leaders for the group and model good behavior. “The boys treated their moms so well, and what it showed me is that when they are exposed to the right type of environment and in- struction, they can meet the challenge.” Donna Yen said it was an honor and a privilege to attend the night with her son Taj. She said it was a splendid evening she would remember forever. “The boys showcased their etiquette skills and all that they have learned in the pres- ence of their mothers, and it was a pleasure being in their midst,” she said. “This will teach and groom our boys in becoming responsible and outstanding gentleman and citizens in the community and within these islands.” Pastor Murray said the next initiative for the group would involve volunteer work at the Pines Retire- ment Home. He said get- ting the boys out of their comfort zone and showing them different sides to the Cayman Islands helps them in school and in life. “There is still room for im- provement for some of them, but their teachers are telling me they are seeing positive progress,” he added. The Lobster Pot subsi- dized the meals, and Ma- ples FS, Cayman National Bank and Crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson contrib- uted sponsorship to help fund the evening. FIDEL’S RAISES $950 FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL PROGRAM A Christmas Karaoke Night at Fidel Murphy’s raised about $950 for Step- ping Stones, the government program that helps pri- mary school students with emotional or social difficul- ties reintegrate into tradi- tional schools. Wayne Roberts, with the Department of Educa- tion Services, said the extra money will help the pro- gram get supplies for the children that they could not afford. He said they have not yet decided what the money will be spent on. He said the mission at Stepping Stones is to “give the kids the skills they need to succeed in a mainstream class.” Stepping Stones has an average six chil- dren in the program at any time, he said. This is the second year the staff and customers at Fidel Murphy’s has collected money for the program. The Irish pub on West Bay Road donated all the proceeds from the Dec. 2 event. Mr. Roberts said Fidel’s has “always been great, al- ways very supporting.” Caitlin Dunne, owner of Fidel Murphy’s, said, “I be- lieve in what they are doing. “I’m glad we were able to help and look forward to doing it again next year.” Twenty-two boys treated their mothers to dinner at the Lobster Pot restaurant as part of the Boyz 2 Men program.Jonasci Carter, 15, and his mother Janet Ebanks at the event.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will findtheirownway” Do you want tax reform? Now, for the difficult ques- tions: What is your definition of tax reform? And what will be the consequences of each of your proposals? Nearly all serious tax re- form advocates call for a re- duction in the corporate in- come tax rate for several very simple reasons: The United States has the highest cor- porate tax rate in the world among major economies, which drives U.S. companies to move to sunnier tax climes and discourages foreign com- panies from moving to the U.S. – all of which reduces the number of jobs and eco- nomic growth. The corporate tax is correctly regarded by most tax professionals as a terrible tax for more reasons than can be described in this space. Recent studies show that most of the cost of the tax falls on workers in terms of lower wages and benefits. One impediment to con- structive tax reform is the very rules under which Congress operates. Without getting into the complexities of the so- called budget “reconciliation” process, tax reform is limited by a requirement that tax re- ductions be “paid for” by other tax increases or spending cuts. For decades, many of us have been in the battle to use “dynamic scoring” rather than “static scoring” in determining the “costs” of tax reduction. Dynamic scoring is the at- tempt to look at the feedback effects of tax changes, such as the number of new jobs and, hence, taxable wages that would be created. Did the Reagan tax rate cuts pay for themselves in terms of new tax revenue that was created as a result of the additional economic growth generated by the tax changes? Most tax econo- mists on the left have argued “no,” and even many Repub- licans and free-market econ- omists have also argued “no.” In an attempt to answer this question a number of years ago, I looked at the projec- tions made by the Congres- sional Budget Office and the Carter administration of- ficials before they left in 1981 – which forecast much lower levels of real economic growth than actually oc- curred after the Reagan tax rate reductions. The economic pie grew more rapidly, but the percent going to federal income taxes declined. It took about seven years for the in- flation-adjusted economic pie to become sufficiently larger than the forecasts made in 1980-81 to compensate for the tax rate reductions. The reason the above his- tory is important is that the initial House of Representa- tives tax proposal contains a provision for a “border- adjustable” corporate tax system (as a partial pay for the corporate rate reduc- tions). In essence, the pro- posal would eliminate much of the corporate income tax for products that are ex- ported from the United States while not allowing any cor- porate tax deduction for the cost of imported goods and services. In short, this means that imports would be taxed more heavily than U.S. ex- ports. A major problem with the proposal is that many companies that produce and sell (and thus create jobs) in the United States rely heavily on imported raw materials and components, and such a tax provision could cost them dearly, forcing them to raise prices to American con- sumers and reduce their U.S. work forces. The tax, as now proposed, would probably be challenged by the World Trade Organization as an unfair subsidy, which might push the tax writers into making it a Value Added Tax (VAT) like the Europeans have, and which is border adjust- able according to the rules. A VAT would be a whole new major tax, whose rates are easily raised, as the Euro- peans have shown, leading to bigger government and more economic stagnation. Some tax rate reductions, like the capital gains tax, have almost immediate posi- tive economic feedbacks and often pay for themselves in as little as two or three years. Other income tax rate reduc- tions take many years (as the Reagan reductions showed) to totally pay for themselves, even as there were tremen- dous shorter term benefits in all of the new and higher- paying jobs that were created. It is important that the tax writers in Congress not let themselves be limited by the Congressional Budget Office and other tax models that do largely static or very limited dynamic tax revenue fore- casts. They also need to have sufficient time horizons in their forecast models to allow the full effect of the tax rate reductions to work through the economy. For such pur- poses, a 10-year forecast may well be appropriate. Yes, cutting tax rates sharply will add to the def- icit in the short run. But if properly structured, it should create many more jobs and even greater total tax rev- enues in the long run. This will lead to a smaller fed- eral debt burden as a share of gross domestic product, if coupled with real spending restraint. At the same time, taxing imports will only drive up consumer prices, increase costs, and kill jobs for the millions of American businesses, which depend on foreign components and raw materials to run their own businesses. Finally, the federal budget is so bloated, including mas- sive waste in the Defense De- partment as was revealed this past week, that an al- most unlimited number of spending reduction “pay fors” are available if the new Trump administration and Congress are serious about budget and tax reform. Richard W. Rahn, chairman of Improbable Success Productions and a board member of the American Council for Capital Formation, is on the Editorial Board of Cayman Financial Review. © Copyright 2016 The Washington Times, LLC. WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 14, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” – Yogi Berra We (obviously) haven’t read the new five-year tourism plan being developed by Cayman Islands gov- ernment consultants, but, as we reported in Monday’s newspaper, part of the report will examine ways to lure tourists away from the country’s three most popular attractions – Seven Mile Beach, Stingray City and the Cayman Turtle Centre – each of which draws more than 1 million visitors annually, and spread them out to other venues, such as Hell, Pedro St. James and the Queen Elizabeth II Royal Botanic Park, each of which attracts some 20,000 visitors per year. Good luck with that. Imagine you are a cruise tourist visiting Grand Cayman for the first time. Once your feet touch the earth, you have approxi- mately three or four hours on the island before you have to queue back up for a return tender. These are the three questions going through your mind, roughly in order: • “Where is the beach?” • “Where are the stingrays?” • “Where is the shopping, the food and the drinks?” We need not dwell too deeply on the reasons for consumers’ choices. The free market has voted. The numbers tell us what tourists are interested in. On a different note, we are sure that the consul- tants from George Washington University and Solimar International are perfectly capable; however, why does our government feel it is necessary to retain the services of off-island experts on, of all things, the topic of Cayman tourism? Putting aside that Cayman’s tourism ministry and department employ dozens of people, if by now Cayman does not possess enough local expertise about our own tourism industry, then who does? We will volunteer a handful of our own observa- tions. People come to Cayman for three main reasons: • Seven Mile Beach (ranked the number one beach in the world by U.S. News & World Report, and just recently voted best beach in the Caribbean by readers of the Caribbean Journal); • Safety and security (which, unfortunately, is at risk of being compromised incrementally by displays of lawlessness, such as the country’s rogue dirt bikers); • The overall tourist experience, highlighted by friend- liness, cleanliness, quality and good customer service (which is also being threatened by, for example, the handful of unscrupulous taxi drivers who take advantage of visitors). Taken separately, the unlicensed public beach vendors threaten to erode all three aspects of Cayman’s edge in the tourism industry. They crowd Seven Mile Beach with beach chairs, vehicles and stands. Though we sympathize with their inability to get a definitive response from government, the vendors are openly operating without official sanction. Some vendors have become pushy toward visitors and combative among themselves, as they attempt to stake out turf on what is actually Crown property. Rather than commissioning ever more reports from outside consultants, the government should focus on addressing the country’s internal issues. If officials neglect those responsibilities, Cayman will have a far more serious problem than “too many” tourists; we might end up with too few. The unequal distribution of Cayman’s tourists Tax cuts pay for themselves eventually RICHARD W. RAHN RICHARD W. RAHN5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 14, 2016 www.rbc.com/caribbean, ® / ™ Trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. Antonette Baptist A financial advisor and certified anti money laundering specialist, (ACAMS), Antonette Baptist brings more than 15 years of experience to her role as Private Banker. She provides exceptional service to clients and will serve as the primary point of contact, with a keen focus on maintaining relationships. She has also served as a Relationship Manager and Assistant Vice President, personal banking & lending. Certified in business management, Antonette is looking forward to providing proactive portfolio management to high net worth private banking clients. Through her expertise, she is able to help clients identify and meet their financial goals. Antonette consistently strives to deliver a “best in class” client experience to high net worth private banking clients in the Cayman Islands, as RBC continues to help our clients thrive and communities prosper. Direct Contacts: 914-8264 or 925-1659 Email: Antonette.baptist@rbc.com Private Banker, RBC Royal Bank 45 receive Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards Program celebrates 60th anniversary Marking the 60th anni- versary of the Duke of Ed- inburgh’s Award, 45 young people in Cayman received recognition last week for passing through the program. The global youth program, created by the Duke of Edin- burgh, Prince Philip, in 1956, has requirements for commu- nity service, skills, physical activities and expeditions. Thirty-five young people in Cayman received a bronze award and 10 received silver at the awards ceremony on Dec. 7. No one in Cayman won a gold award this year, which requires a residen- tial component for extended volunteer work. The awards, given out at the Family Life Centre, went to students at Cayman Prep, St. Ignatius and Grace Chris- tian Academy schools, as well as members of the George Town and Savannah Girls’ Brigades, and the Cayman Is- lands Cadet Corps. Youth Minister Osbourne Bodden gave out the silver awards, while his chief of- ficer, Dorine Whittaker, pre- sented the bronze awards. This year’s Young Cayma- nian Leadership Award re- cipient, Brianna Wilkerson, gave the keynote address at the ceremony. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award arrived in Cayman in 1968, as a pilot program launched by the Girls’ Bri- gade. Since then, about 5,000 young people in Cayman have taken part in the program. Worldwide last year, 119,892 awards were achieved, according to the Duke of Ed- inburgh’s Award website. ICCI students hold voter registration drive 13 new voters sign up Thirteen people registered to vote Friday evening during a drive by students of the In- ternational College of the Cayman Islands to get new voters signed up. Public speaking class stu- dents Nadia Martinez, Lis- beth Gratereaux, Justin Ebanks, Doran Kelly and Jamie Lee Wood held the drive at The Office bar. The general election is scheduled for May 24, 2017. In a press release, Elec- tions Supervisor Wesley Howell praised the efforts of the students to get other students registered. “Peer-to-peer communi- cation is an effective way of sharing a message,” he said. “The ICCI Public Speaking stu- dents demonstrated how well peer-to-peer communication works when they effectively communicated the value of voter registration and voting to their peers last Friday eve- ning, when they signed up 13 potential new voters.” Mr. Howell pointed out that the last date to reg- ister to vote in the election is Monday, Jan. 16, 2017. The Elections Office announced last week that the original voter registration deadline of Dec. 31 had been extended. Cayman Islands Cadet Chanutae Martinez receives her Duke of Edinburgh’s silver award from Minister for Community Affairs, Youth and Sports Osbourne Bodden. Chief Officer for Community Affairs, Youth and Sports Dorine Whittaker presents John Gray High School student Daujaughn Murray with his Duke of Edinburgh’s bronze award. From left, ICCI students Nadia Martinez, Lisbeth Gratereaux and Justin Ebanks help students register to vote for next year’s general election. ROAD CLOSURE IN GT Cardinall Avenue in George Town will be closed between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14, for a KPMG Christmas charity event. Police advised that Har- bour Drive will be open to traffic during that time.DISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days Sister Islands WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 14, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Mock plane crash tests emergency responders The Brac was tempo- rarily transformed into a di- saster scene as emergency responders took part in a full-scale exercise staged at the Charles Kirkconnell Inter- national Airport last month. The Cayman Islands Air- ports Authority organizes emergency exercises in Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac every two years as part of in- ternational requirements, ac- cording to a press release. The Brac exercise, called Operation Wet Deal, was held on Nov. 30. It involved the mock crash of a com- mercial plane following a bird strike to both engines, which caused the aircraft to dive into the coastline and one of its engines to ex- plode on impact. The press release states that the main objective was to test the ability of airport staff and emergency response agencies as they worked to- gether in an organized re- sponse to save lives. “Living on an island sur- rounded by water pres- ents its own challenges for aviation. At the top of the list is the possibility of an air- craft accident in the water,” said CIAA Chief Safety Of- ficer Andrew McLaughlin. “For this reason, the Air- ports Authority Emergency Planning Committee wanted to do something different with this exercise, and added an element of a partial crash in the water to further com- plicate the accident sce- nario,” he said. He added that he was very pleased with the way it turned out, and that lessons were learned. Agencies involved in- cluded the Civil Aviation Au- thority, H.M. Rescue and Fire Fighting Service, the Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice Service, Sister Islands Emergency Committee, De- partment of Immigration, Emergency Medical Ser- vices, Cayman Islands Red Cross, Port Authority of the Cayman Islands, Cayman Airways and the Health Ser- vices Authority. “In playing out the sce- nario, the normal assets required for a water response were not readily available, and when the call for assis- tance went out, a local diving company called Reef Divers was happy to assist with the water rescue element,” said Mr. McLaughlin. “It was very reassuring to see the Reef Divers boat at- tend the scene of the acci- dent and provide search and rescue services side by side with the Fire Service. “These type of exercises are extremely important in maintaining our International Airport Certification and could not happen without the help of the adjoining commu- nity at the airport.” Mr. McLaughlin thanked the beachfront property owners who accommodated the request to use their land, as well as all the government and nongovernment agencies, volunteers and students from Layman Scott High School. “Without their vol- unteerism and partici- pation we just could not make this happen,” said Mr. McLaughlin. 50 YEARS AGO: PTA meetings go well; Christmas excitement builds The Dec. 21, 1966 edi- tion of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, featured a special Cayman Brac Christmas supplement in which Brac correspondent Lilian Ritch wrote: “Last week was PTA week. At Spot Bay, head teacher H.M. Morris and the meeting, having been plan- ning through the year for the prize giving, acknowl- edged with gratitude con- tributions from individ- uals and firms. From Grand Cayman they received do- nations from H.O. Merren and Co. Ltd., Seaview Lodge Hotel, Air Jamaica c/o BWIA, Mr. Isaac Tatum, Mr. H. McCoy, British American Insurance Co. Ltd. and the Caymanian Weekly. “They also thank Mr. and Mrs. Hugh of Ocean View Guest House, Montego Bay, Jamaica. “The West End meeting was full and enjoyable and discussed improve- ments to the school, i.e., sanitary conveniences as recommended by the Min- istry of Health. “At the Creek, the teachers were very apprecia- tive of the better attendance and cooperation of parents. Business was preparation of the school programme on the 13th and it was agreed that there should be school year prize awards. “The stork: Mr. and Mrs. Hendenburgh Dixon of Spot Bay received a daughter (8 pounds) on the 2nd at Nurse Petrona Bodden’s house. “Welcome home! Happy to have you with us once more for the winter, Mrs. Lovie T. Arnold of West End. “Greetings to Mrs. Ele- thea Solomon of New York, home to visit family and friends, especially the par- ents and brother for whom she cares, Mr. and Mrs. Theophilius Dilbert and Mr. Gladstone Dilbert of Watering Place. “Happy to be home with the family, Mrs. Audry, Terry and Shelly, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Ryan of Stake Bay is Mr. Alfred Ryan of Port Arthur, Texas. Mr. Ryan sails on the Texaco Massachusetts, and is one who survived the collision of this ship with the Alva Cape in New York harbour in June this year. He is en- thused at the possibility of a hospital on the island. “Mrs. Hewitt McLean (Dolly) of Brooklyn, New York, was guest for a week ending Dec. 4 with her brother, Mr. and Mrs. Arlen Reid and family of the Bight. The McLeans emigrated as a family three years ago. Ac- companying her mother was 22-month-old Dawn, who thoroughly enjoyed Cayman Brac’s out-of-doors. “We asked news of the others. Diane’s teacher de- scribes her as a ‘delight in class.’ Duritt is in his last year of Junior High and is a keen student of ceramics and Morse code. Daphine is in her pre-college year and had the distinction of being chosen as her school’s representative to college achievement week at Min- nesota College, Minnesota, a workshop attended by stu- dents from across the na- tion. Dad, ‘Jim Jim’ is in painting and designing, an employee of Stan Art. “Many happy returns of the day to Capt. Bertie Foster. A small gathering honored him on his 76th birthday at the Buccaneer’s Inn on the 5th. “Souvenirs of Little Cayman can be had at ‘El- sie’s Gift Shop’ in the home of Miss Ella Scott. “On Tuesday morning, the 6th, seven refugees sailed into the Channel at 11:30. There were five men and two women. They said they left on the 3rd from Camaguey province, Cuba. Ships at the Creek “At dawn, Friday 9th, the Motor Vessel Kirksons called in at the Creek. Capt. Dillon Kirkconnell disem- barked for ‘Kirk Kicks,’ Little Cayman, and the 2nd engineer Erlington Dilbert for the Christmas vacation with his family at the Creek. “Making a courtesy call here early afternoon was the ship Alcyon, registered at Yokosoka, Japan of 36.95 net tonnage. Master, Mr. Yoshio Kishaba. A fishing- vessel with the most modern equipment, she was built in a Japanese dockyard and has been one month out. “She is operating under a United Nations Fish- eries Scheme for experi- menting and training fish- ermen in the West Indies in modern techniques and equipment. Stationed in the Western Caribbean, she ar- rived in Jamaica a few days ago. We have a little pride in that her chief officer is Mr. Lincoln C. Brown of Watering Place. “The Motor Vessel Bar- etia spent two days here en route Curacao to La Ceiba, Honduras. She took on Chief Mate Irving Ritch of Spot Bay and left chief engineer C.I. Brown of the Bight to rejoin the Kirk Pride. Her Master, Captain Charles C. Connor, is a native of Spot Bay. The Baretia num- bers this her 13th consec- utive year of transporting live cattle to the Nether- land Antilles.” Emergency responders attend the scene of a complicated mock plane crash.DISTRICT DAYS 7 District Days Sister Islands CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 14, 2016 Hundreds attend Cayman Brac Rotary Christmas tree lighting Musical performances and gifts for the children completed the evening More than 300 people celebrated the Rotary Christmas tree lighting on Dec. 5 at Cayman Brac’s Government Administra- tion Building. In addition to a visit from Santa, there were mu- sical performances, food ven- dors, Brownies and Guides selling items to raise funds, and a bouncy castle for the children. Layman Scott High School student Antonia Mena got the evening started with the national song, followed by re- marks from Rotary President Lauriese Ashman. Pastor David Woods delivered a de- votional, and Kevin Roberts performed a musical inter- lude before official greetings from District Commis- sioner Ernie Scott. The Combined Primary Schools sang, and Brac Power and Light general manager Jonathan Tibbetts also de- livered remarks. Students Matthew Gis- combe and Michael Ste- phens performed an instru- mental Christmas medley, followed by the Primary choir singing “Feliz Nav- idad,” and a performance by the Baptist Boys, Nicholas DaCosta, Jonathan Tibbetts and Remardo Ebanks. The audience then sang “Joy to the World.” After the tree lighting video show, introduced by Pastor Audley Scott, Santa and his helpers arrived and distributed gifts to the chil- dren. They also assisted with the drawing of the Christmas Cash raffle. The tree lighting event was organized by the Rotary Club of Cayman Brac, with sponsorship from the Ministry of District Administration, Tourism and Transport, and the Cayman Brac Power and Light Co. Brac student wins spelling bee Christon Asa Ferguson from Creek and Spot Bay Primary School in Cayman Brac correctly spelled “guerrilla” to win the RBC Royal Bank Spelling Bee on Dec. 8 at the Red Bay Holiness Church in Grand Cayman. Deiondre Williams from Bodden Town Primary School was second and Tanis Cor- tens, who is home schooled, was third. Nearly 40 primary stu- dents from across the Cayman Islands took part in the annual com- petition, which educators say is aimed at fostering overall language and literacy skills. “The event was an- other spectacular display of our children’s literacy skills, and I am so very proud of them, and wish them the best in all their future endeavours,” said Mitzie Bailey, manager of the RBC Royal Bank Red Bay branch. The Combined Primary School Choir get set to sing. Rotarians lead the crowd in singing ‘Joy to the World.’ Hundreds turned out for the Christmas tree lighting in front of the Brac District Administration Building. The top three students in the RBC Royal Bank Spelling Bee, from left, Deiondre Williams (second), Tanis Cortens (third) and winner Christon Asa Ferguson. Back row, Mitzie Bailey, Omari Corbin and Rolan Heeralal of RBC.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 14, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS CI Government Department of Environmental Health (DEH) 2016 Annual Bulk Waste Clean-up The schedule for each district is as follows: EAST END / NORTH SIDE DISTRICTS November 21st to November 26th – bulk items will be collected BODDEN TOWN DISTRICT November 28th to December 3rd – bulk items will be collected. GEORGE TOWN DISTRICT December 5th to December 10th – bulk items will be collected. WEST BAY DISTRICT December 12th to December 17th – bulk items will be collected. CAYMAN BRAC AND LITTLE CAYMAN November 28th to December 15th – bulk items will be collected. Bulk waste should be placed on the curbside where they can be accessed by DEH trucks but not an obstruction to traffic. Bulk waste includes the following items: Household appliances, furniture, and yard waste. (Items not handled by normal DEH residential garbage weekly collection) Construction and demolition debris WILL NOT BE COLLECTED. (Construction and demolition debris is NOT considered residential bulk waste and is therefore not part of this campaign). The public should separate the following waste items from the rest of bulk waste: • METALS - including old appliances, metal furniture, metal roofing etc… • VEGETATION – All yard & plant trimmings etc. • OTHER RECYCLABLES –old tyres, scrap aluminium, batteries, and e-waste (old computers, TV, printers, etc.) RESIDENTS ARE REMINDED THAT ITEMS SHOULD NOT BE PUT OUT AFTER THE ABOVE DATES AS DEH CREWS WILL NOT BE RETURNING TO AN AREA ONCE IT HAS BEEN CLEANED. For further information, in Grand Cayman contact the DEH solid waste dispatch unit at 949-8793; in the Little Cayman & Cayman Brac, contact DEH Cayman Brac office at 948-2321. ************ ground and escaping through the main entrance. As the of- ficers and security staff tried to contain the situation, she claims she was bitten by one of the security dogs. According to the writ, “She felt an excruciating pain and an awful burning sensation on her lower left arm. When she turned and looked at her arm, she saw that she had three puncture wounds and that the defendant’s K-9 of- ficer and his dog were going past her as if nothing had happened.” She was treated at the Cayman Islands Hos- pital, the writ states. The court documents state that Ms. Ellis, 49, was a police constable at the time of the incident, though it does not clarify whether she is still employed by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. She is claiming damages for negligence on the part of The Security Centre for not restraining the dog prop- erly and for failing to con- trol the dog to prevent it from biting her. The writ claims she suf- fered shock as well as phys- ical injuries as a result of the incident. sector pensions, not the gov- ernment worker retirement plans run by the Public Ser- vice Pensions Board. “One of the problems that [the amended pensions law] will cause is skyrocketing turnover,” said Valerie Hoppe, the human resources di- rector of the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort. “We will have a lot of people leave the Cayman Islands, whether they are expatriates or Caymanians.” Ms. Hoppe said in many countries where workers earn much less than in Cayman, the retirement savings repre- sents employees’ “nest eggs,” which they plan to invest in property or live off of when they return home. “So get prepared, em- ployees will be resigning to take those funds with them,” Ms. Hoppe said. The news is not all bad from the new pensions re- gime, Ms. Hoppe and dms Senior Finance Manager Victoria Taylor told about 60 CITA members gathered at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman to hear the details of changes to the retire- ment scheme. Both women agreed that changes to allow pension plan mem- bers to contribute more money for longer periods into the respective plans are positive developments for the islands. “We commend the govern- ment for thinking long term,” said Ms. Taylor. However, staff turnover, especially at some of the larger hotels and tourism operations, could be signifi- cant, which means human resources-related costs would increase as well, Ms. Hoppe said. “If you’re a large employer … you may be looking at up- wards of 80 to 100 people leaving,” she said. Janette Goodman, who moderated the CITA discus- sion panel, noted that 80 to 100 workers would be about one-third of the Marriott’s total staff. “How do you plan to mitigate that?” she asked. “We need to start now; it won’t be a normal re- cruitment year,” Ms. Hoppe said, adding that the Mar- riott would probably start recruiting for the 2018 tourism high season in Jan- uary or February. Ms. Taylor said those workers now have “a year to plan” their exit from Cayman, if they are so inclined. Also, she noted that workers with less than $5,000 in their re- tirement savings accounts could still get cash refunds even when the changes to the law take effect. “But recruitment will be your biggest battle,” Ms. Taylor told the CITA audience. How it works The changes to the Na- tional Pensions Law do not prevent retirement savings funds from being transferred from the Cayman Islands to an analogous retirement plan outside the country after De- cember 2017. The new law restricts workers’ from get- ting a cash refund of their pension before retirement, unless their account holds less than $5,000. “We routinely deal with overseas transfers,” said Pen- sions Superintendent Amy Wolliston. “The U.S., Canada, the U.K … they all have es- tablished plans that we have transferred to in the past.” In order to access a pen- sion refund before the change in the law, the worker would have to ensure their final payment, or payment on their behalf by an employer, was made into the account before Dec. 31, 2017. The key, Ms. Wolliston said, is not when the worker leaves their job or leaves the islands, it is the date when the last pension payment was made. The cash refund could then be received before Dec. 31, 2019 – the date which government has set as the deadline by which all pen- sion refunds under the cur- rent law must be paid. CITA members asked whether a worker who left the islands seeking a cash re- fund from their pension ac- count might be penalized if an employer made a pension payment late or was delin- quent in paying into the ac- count. Ms. Wolliston said it is the policy of the National La- bour and Pensions Office not to penalize workers for their employers being in arrears, and in such a case she be- lieves they would be able to receive a refund. Ms. Goodman, asking questions submitted on be- half of CITA members, que- ried whether a worker from a country that did not have such well-recognized pension providers as the U.S. or the U.K. would lose those funds if they attempted to transfer them to their home country. Ms. Wolliston said if workers are concerned about that, they could leave their pension funds in the Cayman account and arrangements could be made upon retire- ment to withdraw funds di- rectly from here. “It is important to ensure that as a member, your pen- sions plan has your up-to- date information,” she said. “I can’t tell you how impor- tant that is.” Cayman Turtle Centre boss Tim Adam asked during Tuesday’s meeting whether any country in the Caribbean region has a similar pension scheme that allows workers to access pension funds be- fore retirement after they stop paying into the account. “We actually can’t identify another jurisdiction where the primary retirement sav- ings product would allow persons to get a refund,” Ms. Wolliston said. “That is a rather unusual activity.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Officer sues over dog bite during Cuban breakout CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Tourism sector fears expat pension exodus Members of the CITA pension law review panel give a briefing on the new law to members of the tourism industry Tuesday. From left, Superintendent of Pensions Amy Wolliston, Chamber Pension Plan Operations Director Randall Fisher, Silver Thatch Pensions Customer Relations Manager Victoria Taylor and Marriott Beach Resort Human Resources Director Valerie Hoppe. - PHOTO: BRENT FULLER LARGE PROTESTS IN POLAND AS LEADER VOWS TO STIFLE OPPOSITION WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Thousands of anti-govern- ment protesters marched Tuesday from the former Communist party head- quarters in Warsaw to the offices of Poland’s cur- rent ruling party, a sym- bolic route chosen to un- derline the charge that the government is de- stroying democracy. The march, held under the slogan “Stop the Devas- tation of Poland,” was held on the 35th anniversary of martial law being declared by the communist regime in 1981 to crush the Solidarity democracy movement. It was organized by the Committee for the De- fense of Democracy, a civic rights group that arose in reaction to the poli- cies of the ruling Law and Justice party. The populist party with a conservative streak has moved quickly since win- ning control of the govern- ment last year to solidify its power by weakening the judiciary and assuming more influence over state media, among other steps. The European Union and the United States have crit- icized the moves. “I don’t like the way things are going in Poland,” said Joanna Grabowska, a 63-year-old taking part in the march as others around her whistled and waved Polish flags and placards. “I am terrified that democracy and freedom of expression are being taken from us.” Members of the polit- ical opposition, including former Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz of the Civic Plat- form party, were among the marchers. Earlier in the day, Law and Justice Chairman Ja- roslaw Kaczynski said he does not like the style of political debate in Po- land and said government leaders would make “at- tempts to introduce some kind of order into the oppo- sition’s activity.” Kaczynski, a former prime minister widely rec- ognized as the power be- hind the government, did not specify the measures or their timing, but said he ex- pects they will be criticized by many as efforts to limit freedom and democracy.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 14, 2016 THE RESTAURANTS OF CAMANA BAY PRESENT Guest DJ | Dancing under the stars | Waterfront bars Fireworks at 7pm & midnight | Family-friendly fun | NO COVER CHARGE Complimentary valet parking and Purple Ribbon Bus available For more information, visit camanabay.com or call the restaurants to reserve a table. Abacus 623.8282 | The Brooklyn Pizza + Pasta 640.0005 | KARoo 946.6633 | The King’s Head 924.6877 Lola 743.1012 | Mizu Asian Bistro + Bar 640.0001 | The Waterfront Urban Diner 640.0002 A NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY Saturday 31 December 6pm-1am, The Crescent Camana Bay Countdown THE RESTAURANTS OF CAMANA BAY PRESENT Camana Bay CountdownCamana Bay Countdown criteria, including whether or not a country offers zero rates of corporate tax.” Mr. Panton noted the Cayman Islands has never had a direct tax system, choosing instead an indi- rect tax system that ade- quately meets the need of its population. “There is, therefore, no ‘race to the bottom’ and no tax incentives system de- signed to target non-resi- dent individuals or legal en- tities,” he said. Cayman had adopted several transparency and exchange of information mechanisms, including all three of the OECD criteria listed by Oxfam as impor- tant, he added. Minister Panton said the Cayman Islands also sup- ports the OECD-developed Base Erosion and Profit Shifting framework, and in particular, country-by- country reporting, called for by Oxfam. He said Cayman already has begun the work to consider the relevant as- pects of the initiative for local adoption next year. “With our demon- strable history of upholding international standards and engaging with foreign au- thorities on anti-tax evasion measures and against other serious crimes, it is wholly inaccurate for Oxfam to in- clude Cayman on its ‘tax haven’ list,” he said. “Examining the Oxfam definition of a tax haven and the methodology that they have chosen exposes the flaws in their reporting.” Essentially, Oxfam’s re- port calls for international cooperation in the setting of corporate tax rates. It says tax havens are only part of the problem and notes that worldwide, countries have slashed corporate tax rates to attract business. In the G-20 countries, for instance, average corpo- rate tax rates dropped from an average of 40 percent 25 years ago to less than 30 percent today. This reduction is borne by individual taxpayers, often through increased tax rates on consumption, the report noted. “When corpo- rate tax bills are cut, gov- ernments balance their books by reducing public spending or by raising taxes such as VAT, which fall disproportionately on poor people. For example, a 0.8 percent cut in corporate tax rates across OECD countries between 2007 and 2014 was partially offset by a 1.5 per- cent increase in the average standard VAT rate between 2008 and 2015,” Oxfam said. “There are no winners in the race to the bottom on corporate tax. Ordinary people – particularly the poorest – are paying the price for this reckless com- petition through increases in personal taxes and cuts to essential services, such as healthcare and education. Governments must work to- gether to stop this crazy race to the bottom on cor- porate tax and ensure com- panies pay their fair share,” said Ms. Berkhout. The full list of “the world’s worst tax havens” in the report includes: (1) Ber- muda; (2) the Cayman Is- lands; (3) the Netherlands; (4) Switzerland; (5) Singa- pore; (6) Ireland; (7) Lux- embourg; (8) Curaçao; (9) Hong Kong; (10) Cyprus; (11) Bahamas; (12) Jersey; (13) Barbados; (14) Mauri- tius; and (15) the British Virgin Islands. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Government: ‘Critical errors’ in tax haven report Journalist arrests at 30-year high NEW YORK (AP) – More jour- nalists have been jailed this year by governments around the world than at any time in nearly three decades, pri- marily because of the crack- down in Turkey after a failed coup in July, the Com- mittee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday. At least 81 journalists were imprisoned in Turkey as of Dec. 1, all facing anti- state charges, said the non- profit group that works to defend press freedoms. “In Turkey, media freedom was already under siege in early 2016, with authorities arresting, ha- rassing, and expelling jour- nalists and shutting down or taking over news outlets,” said the group’s report on its annual census of impris- oned journalists. Written by Elana Beiser, the report said a total of 259 journalists are jailed around the world, compared to 199 at the same time last year. That is the highest number since the group began keeping detailed re- cords in 1990. The num- bers do not include journal- ists who have disappeared or are held captive by non- state groups. A state of emergency is still in force in Turkey fol- lowing the July 15 coup at- tempt and the resulting government crackdown on alleged coup sympathizers has landed thousands in jail and forced tens of thou- sands of people from their jobs. Critics call the move a witch hunt. Western govern- ments, human rights group and legal experts have re- peatedly expressed concern over events in Turkey, which was once hailed as a model of Muslim democracy. In a two-month period, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s govern- ment detained more than 100 journalists and closed down at least 100 news out- lets, the report said. Even before the coup attempt, the rate of press freedom violations in Turkey spurred the Committee to Protect Journalists to launch last March a special diary called “Turkey Crack- down Chronicle.” The group said that after Turkey, the worst offender in 2016 was China, where 38 journalists were in cus- tody on Dec. 1. China had jailed the most journal- ists worldwide in the pre- vious two years. “In recent weeks, Beijing deepened its crackdown on journalists who cover pro- tests and human rights abuses,” the report said. Egypt was listed in third place, with 25 journalists incarcerated. This year marked the first time since 2008 that Iran was not among the top five worst offenders. The re- port said that is because many of those sentenced in a postelection crackdown in 2009 have served their sen- tences and been released.Next >