ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY MAY 25, 2017 Personal Insurance In 1984, customers knew us as BritCay. In 2017, they and the next generation still do. Your insurance cover with BritCay is supported by a group of companies managing $390 million in insurance and pension contributions. More cover, more benefits, more security. BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International Ltd. : insurance, health, pensions, life Call 949-8699 www.britcay.ky cgigrp Cayman’s new elected representatives ■■ Bodden Town East: Dwayne “John John” Seymour, independent ■■ Bodden Town West: Chris Saunders, independent ■■ Cayman Brac East: Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, Progressives ■■ Cayman Brac West & Little Cayman: Moses Kirkconnell, Progressives ■■ East End: Arden McLean, independent ■■ George Town Central: Kenneth Bryan, independent ■■ George Town East: Roy McTaggart, Progressives ■■ George Town North: Joseph Hew, Progressives ■■ George Town South: Barbara Conolly, Progressives ■■ George Town West: David Wight, Progressives ■■ Newlands: Alva Suckoo, independent ■■ North Side: Ezzard Miller, independent ■■ Prospect: Austin Harris, independent ■■ Red Bay: Alden McLaughlin, Progressives ■■ Savannah: Anthony Eden, independent ■■ West Bay Central: Captain Eugene Ebanks, CDP ■■ West Bay North: Bernie Bush, CDP ■■ West Bay South: Tara Rivers, independent ■■ West Bay West: McKeeva Bush, CDP INDEPENDENTS’ DAY BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A disparate group of independent candidates triumphed in Wednes- day’s general election, but they did not manage to win a 10-seat ma- jority in the Legislative Assembly. Independent candidates swept Bodden Town’s four seats, as well as those in East End and North Side. Independent Kenneth Bryan pulled off the upset win of the evening, de- feating Progressives Minister Marco Archer in George Town Central. There were jubilant scenes out- side George Town Town Hall where a large crowd of supporters hoisted Mr. Bryan on their shoulders before leading a celebratory procession through the streets. “The people wanted change and they came out in numbers and they voted,” Mr. Bryan said. “It is a long road ahead, there is a lot of work to be done. I want to be a part of the government, however that is formed. I want to make sure I have access to get things done for the people.” Radio talk show host Austin Harris, an independent, won the Prospect constituency in George Town. Independent Minister Tara Rivers, who was supported by the Progressives during the cam- paign, also won her district of West Bay South. “I am willing to serve in what- ever capacity,” Ms. Rivers said when asked if she wished to stay on as education minister. “I think I need to figure out now what the landscape is and then we make those decisions going forward.” The election results were a mixed bag for the Progressives, who suffered the crucial loss of three sit- ting ministers in George Town and Bodden Town, but who also picked up two unexpected wins in George Town. The Progressives won seven seats in all. Party leader Alden McLaughlin and deputy leader Moses Kirkconnell won reelection easily in their districts. At the Progressives headquarters, the party leaders, including Mr. McLaughlin, were huddled in a back office into the early hours of Thursday morning. Speculation spread through the small crowd gathered outside Kenneth Bryan celebrates his victory with supporters after being announced the winner at George Town Central, defeating the Progressives’ Marco Archer. - PHOTO: JAMES WHITTAKER Coalition government looming PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 12 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL THURSDAY MAY 25, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING (PG13) 12:30 I 2:50 I 5:10 I 7:40 I 10:15 THE LOST CITY OF Z (PG13) 12:45 I 3:50 I 7:10 THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS 3D (PG13) 2:00 2D I 5:00 I 8:00 2D ALIEN: COVENANT (R) 1:30 VIP I 4:30 I 7:05 VIP I 10:00 KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD 3D (PG13) 1:20 I 4:15 VIP I 7:30 2D I 9:50 VIP GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 3D (PG13) 12:30 2D I 3:30 I 6:30 2D I 9:30 - THURSDAY - 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. *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. 640-FILM (640-3456) Zika hit Florida months before infections found, study says NEW YORK (AP) – Zika began spreading in Florida mos- quitoes about three months before infections showed up in the Miami area last summer, and the virus likely was carried in by travelers from the Caribbean, new re- search suggests. Mosquitoes there started picking up the virus from in- fected travelers as early as March last year, according to scientists who examined ge- netic information from sam- ples from about 30 people with Zika as well as from mosquitoes. It was not until July that Florida health offi- cials said they had detected a local infection – the first in the U.S. mainland. Mosqui- toes spread Zika by biting someone who’s infected, then biting another person. The bugs may have been causing infections in Miami as early as March, too, said researcher Kristian Anderson of the Scripps Research In- stitute in La Jolla, California. But there were likely few cases before July, and it’s not clear any of them sought treatment, he said. Most people infected with Zika do not get sick. It can cause a mild illness, with fever, rash and joint pain. But infection during pregnancy can lead to se- vere brain-related birth de- fects in babies. Anderson said it likely took mosquitoes biting 30 to 40 infected travelers to pro- duce the outbreak that flared last year in Florida. Most of the 256 cases reported in the Florida outbreak did not occur until late summer, he added. Health officials de- clared Miami-Dade County clear of continuing Zika in- fections by December, though isolated infections have con- tinued, including this year. Texas is the only other state that had homegrown Zika cases last year. All the other Zika cases in the U.S. have been connected to travel to areas with recent large outbreaks, mostly to South America and the Caribbean. Zika that spread in Florida mosquitoes mainly came from the Caribbean, the ge- netic information studied in- dicated. About 3 million trav- elers arrived in Miami from the Caribbean during the first half of 2016. About 2.4 mil- lion of them came on cruise ships, but it’s not clear that cruise ship passengers were the main spark in the Florida outbreak, Andersen said. The Florida research was one of three papers on Zika published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The two others concluded there was a lag of six to 12 months between Zi- ka’s arrival and its detection in Brazil in 2015 and other parts of South America. Screening efforts using new technologies – if devel- oped further – could change that, wrote the University of Arizona’s Michael Worobey, in an editorial accompanying the Zika articles. “We should be detecting such outbreaks within days or weeks” and not months or years, he wrote. Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae swim in a container displayed at the Florida Mosquito Control District Office in Marathon, Florida, in August 2016. - PHOTO: AP POLICE ARREST AUXILIARY CONSTABLE Police on Tuesday arrested a 50-year-old auxiliary con- stable on suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident. Police did not identify the George Town resident. Their statement said the in- cident is under investiga- tion and has been referred to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service Professional Standards Unit. Police said that around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 21, officers responded to a report of an accident at Tropical Plaza on Smith Road where a woman had been hit by a car. The driver of the ve- hicle had already left the scene, police said. The woman was taken to hospital, where it was learned that the car had run over her foot, po- lice reported. After inquiries, police were able to contact the driver and met him at his residence in George Town, where he was arrested. He was released on police bail. Former Cayman resident Takkas pleads guilty in FIFA case BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Costas Takkas, a former business partner and attaché for Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb, pleaded guilty to money laun- dering conspiracy in U.S. fed- eral court Wednesday as part of the ongoing FIFA racketeering and bribery investigation. Takkas, a U.K. national, was a Cayman Islands resi- dent for some 20 years be- tween the 1980s and early 2000s and also served as former general secretary of the Cayman Islands Foot- ball Association. He agreed to change his earlier plea of not guilty to one count in the in- dictment issued against him. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn) accepted the guilty plea to money laun- dering conspiracy in relation to a scheme in which fed- eral prosectors said Takkas helped funnel US$2 million in bribes to Webb. The bribes were allegedly paid by two sports marketing companies in exchange for the award of lucrative com- mercial rights to FIFA tourna- ments, in this case, World Cup qualifier matches to be held in the Caribbean region ahead of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments. According to a press state- ment released Wednesday by U.S. prosecutors: “Webb, Takkas and Traffic USA, one of the sports marketing com- panies, arranged for Traffic to secretly funnel half of Web’s US$3 million bribe through front companies and accounts controlled by Takkas.” A portion of the bribe prosecutors said was paid by the second company, Media World, was also sent through accounts controlled by Takkas. That portion of the second company’s payment was ap- proximately US$500,000 prosecutors said. Takkas was one of seven men arrested in Zurich, Swit- zerland, on May 27, 2015 as part of a U.S. federal crim- inal probe into FIFA activi- ties. Dozens of former high- ranking members of world football’s governing body have been accused of ac- cepting millions in bribes in exchange for awarding lu- crative commercial contracts for various football tourna- ments to certain sports mar- keting companies in North and South America. Webb, who was a FIFA vice president at the time, pleaded guilty to seven counts in the U.S. indictment that include allegations of racketeering, money laundering conspiracy and wire transfer conspiracy. He faces sentencing in July. Takkas’s guilty plea Wednesday was only to one of the charges against him. He was also accused of mul- tiple counts of wire transfer conspiracy and a racketeering charge. He faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment when he is sentenced in September. Bribery scheme The FIFA indictment, is- sued in 2015, revealed details of the US$3 million bribe re- quested by Webb via inter- mediaries – one of whom was Takkas – in 2012. That alleged bribe was partly paid by Traffic USA, the in- dictment alleges. However, Traffic USA paid only half of the bribe money, the indictment states. The other company involved, Media World, also joined in the scheme to obtain the mar- keting rights to certain 2018 and 2022 World Cup quali- fying matches – rights that were previously held by Ca- ribbean Football Union member associations. It is alleged that Roger Huguet – the CEO of Media World – and Takkas met in South Florida to arrange the payment for Webb. Eventually, some cash was transmitted to Takkas, U.S. authorities said. For instance, in De- cember 2014, it is alleged that US$170,000 was wired from Panama to a Deutsche Bank Trust Company account in New York City and then for- warded to an account held by Takkas in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The payments stopped in early 2015, the in- dictment states, when Hu- guet was informed about the U.S. Justice Department’s in- vestigation and advised that Media World “should not make additional payments to- ward the US$1.5 million bribe it owed to Jeffrey Webb.” The full amount of Media World’s bribe payment was never made, prosecu- tors have said. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn) accepted the guilty plea to money laundering conspiracy in relation to a scheme in which federal prosectors said Takkas helped funnel US$2 million in bribes to Webb.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 25, 2017 105 TONS OF NATHAN’S HOT DOGS RECALLED TAD STONER tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com Supermarkets in Cayman have removed some Na- than’s hot dog products from shelves following a re- call prompted by metal being found in the eight-item, 14- ounce sealed packs. The U.S. Department of Ag- riculture Food Safety and In- spection Service said 105 tons of recalled hot dogs “may be contaminated with extraneous materials, specifically metal,” although “there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions or injury due to con- sumption of these products.” Foster’s Food Fair-IGA an- nounced on Tuesday it was removing Nathan’s Famous Skinless Franks from sale. Both Foster’s and a Na- than’s hotline created in the wake of the May 19 recall say “no reported injuries or ill- nesses” have resulted from the defective products. Hot dog manufacturer John Morrell and Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, on Jan. 26 produced 210,606 pounds of hot dogs in 14-ounce sealed film packages of Nathan’s Skinless 8 Beef Franks and 16-ounce packages of Curtis Beef Master Beef Franks, shipping them to retail out- lets nationwide. The Nathan’s products have a use-by date of Aug. 19, 2017. The Curtis Beef Master Beef Franks have a use-by date of June 15, 2017. Both products bear estab- lishment code “EST. 296” on the side of the package. On May 19, after receiving three complaints of “metal flakes” between the trans- parent packaging film and the hot dogs, John Morrell con- tacted the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection unit, recalling the products the same day. The USDA said “con- sumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.” No other products were af- fected by the recall, the hotline said. Curtis Beef Master Beef Franks are unavailable locally. Foster’s Senior Marketing Manager Julian Foster said all affected products have been pulled from the shelves. “Customers should check the UPC on Nathan’s branded products in your home to be sure none of the affected product has been purchased,” he said. “We encourage all customers who have pur- chased this product from any of our Foster’s Food Fair-IGA locations to return the af- fected product for a full re- fund. Please discontinue use of any affected product. Those who have questions or concerns may email info@ fosters-iga.com or call 945- 3663, Mr. Foster said. Both Hurley’s and Kirk Supermarket said they car- ried Nathan’s products, but none came under the recall. “We don’t have any of the affected products,” said Kirk assistant store manager Tom Sheahan. “We do carry Na- than’s Skinless 8 Beef Franks, but we have them with a use- by date of Aug. 28,” not the defective Aug. 19 products. Hurley’s assistant meat department manager Cory Innes said, “We were not af- fected, so are not pulling any products off the shelves.” Seven puppies found dumped in plastic bag JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Wrapped in a garbage bag and left for dead, seven tiny week-old puppies were res- cued after being discovered by a workman who stopped to have his lunch at a se- cluded spot in West Bay. The puppies are so small that several were injured, one of them fatally, after being at- tacked by crabs. Now they are recovering in the care of Paula Wythe and Paula Blane, of charity One Dog at a Time, who are bottle-feeding the puppies to nurse them back to health. One of them has lost his tail, another has injuries to his paw, but the pups are otherwise healthy and will be put up for adoption lo- cally or overseas. Ms. Wythe said the pups would be going out to sepa- rate foster homes over the next few days where they will be cared for until they are old enough to be ad- opted. Still unable to fend for themselves, they have to be bottle-fed with baby formula every three hours. She said they had been left among other junk at a site off North West Point Road. She estimates they had only been there for a few hours when they were found. “They were lucky that gen- tleman stopped there for his lunch because if they had been there for much longer, they would all have died. It makes you wonder how many are dumped and no one notices.” She said there is no excuse for abandoning a litter of puppies in that way, when so many charities on island are able to assist. She said the real problem, though, is that people continue to refuse to spay or neuter their animals. “If the mother was fixed, this type of thing wouldn’t happen,” she said. The puppies were found on Monday, and the Department of Agricul- ture was called to the scene. The DoA passed them on to One Dog at a Time and is con- ducting its own investigation. Anyone who can help care for the puppies or is interested in adopting can call One Dog at a Time on 917-8284. One of the abandoned puppies is cared for by a One Dog at a Time volunteer. The pup’s paw was injured by a crab. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe 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. THURSDAY MAY 25, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS From before sunup until well after midnight, the Cayman Islands were ringing with the sounds of democracy in action. Officials and volunteers convened at Elections Office headquarters long before the proverbial early bird had a chance to hit the snooze button. In the pre-dawn darkness, and led by Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell, they packed up empty ballot boxes and necessary paraphernalia and transported them to all corners of the country, where other officials and vol- unteers waited at polling stations to prepare for the coming swarms of voters. They didn’t have to wait long, as queues of eager voters snaked around polling stations in anticipation of the 7 a.m. opening. Candidates and their repre- sentatives bustled about, inspecting, verifying and meeting-and-greeting supporters, friends, neigh- bors and critics alike – all in the spirit of ensuring that Election Day 2017 remained just as peaceful and civil as in years past. (We are happy to report that police officers sta- tioned at the polling places ended up having little to do on their shifts. Perhaps the most law enforce- ment “excitement” was limited to voluntary consta- bles noticing the odd campaign sign or two that had been overlooked, and had not been taken down by midnight Wednesday. Boring, especially when it comes to policing, is a good thing.) After the polls closed at 6 p.m., the ballots were counted diligently – and swiftly enough – with results published on a regular basis by the Elections Office. No serious questions were immediately raised about the transparency of the elections process or the accuracy of the vote tallies. To all the candidates – the victors and the less- fortunate – your countrymen owe you a consider- able measure of thanks for stepping up to offer your services and leadership to these islands. Caymanian voters also need to be recognized for participating in this fundamental component of our free society. And, of course, elections officials and volunteers deserve a special “thumbs-up” for, well, stepping up. Here we’ll reserve a well-deserved word or two of praise for Elections Supervisor Howell, who we imagine is the most elated (and most relieved) of all the parties mentioned above about how Election Day went. Although Mr. Howell has been involved with the Elec- tions Office for decades, Wednesday was the first time he was tasked with conducting the symphony, since taking the baton from predecessor Kearney Gomez. An additional challenge for Mr. Howell was that Wednesday was also the first time for Cayman’s elec- tions to be held under the new One Man, One Vote system – with 19 individual constituencies across our three islands. The highest praise one can bestow upon a body- guard or an antivirus software (or a careful editor), and the definitive sign that they have performed their function admirably, is that the ordinary person’s atten- tion is never drawn to their presence. That invisible presence is the product of considerable time invested in preparation, and the considerable effort of constant vigilance. The same could be said about Elections Supervisor Howell and the performance of him and his team on Wednesday. Looking back at the vigor of the campaign season and its apotheosis on Wednesday, we can all, finally, let ourselves relax a bit – and look forward to the future with calm optimism and anticipation. Election Day 2017: A good moment for democracy in Cayman 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 find their own way” After Manchester RICHARD WALTON Special to The Washington Post The Manchester terrorist attack Monday night was the deadliest since the 7/7 London Underground bomb- ings in 2005 and one of the most shocking ever com- mitted in Britain. It will cause pain and an- guish across the country as families and communities come to terms with the sheer horror of such a senseless act targeted against mostly young teenage girls enjoying a pop concert. If inspired or directed by the Islamic State, it will only serve to strengthen the resolve of the people of Britain who want to see the radical group de- feated. Manchester has expe- rienced Irish-related terrorist in the past, and its citizens will demonstrate to the world how resilient it remains. Now Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, and counterterrorism police units, whose capacity is already se- verely stretched from dealing with the Westminster ter- rorist attack just eight weeks ago, are likely to come under pressure as they face ques- tions about why another ap- parently “known” extremist was not prevented from killing so many. One explanation is the un- precedented recent surge in threats against Britain from Islamic State-inspired attacks. British authorities have actu- ally been able to stop many such attempts; London’s Counter Terrorism Command at Scotland Yard successfully disrupted three separate ter- rorist plots (mostly involving knives) in the past four weeks, two within a 24-hour period. All of the would-be perpetra- tors, including four women, were subsequently charged with terrorist offenses. They had all been living in Britain for years; they were not for- eign fighters returning from the collapsing “caliphate,” but known extremists inspired to act largely through access to radicalizing material on the Internet and social media contact with terrorists over- seas. It appears that Salman Abedi, named as the suicide bomber responsible for the Manchester attack, may have had a similar profile, having been born and raised in the city to parents who origi- nated from Libya. The investigation into this attack will be led by the Man- chester Counter Terrorism Unit. The unit was established after 7/7, when officials recog- nized that a lack of counter- terrorism capability outside London might have contrib- uted to poor intelligence on the 2005 attackers, most of whom lived in and around Leeds. Britain’s modern coun- terterrorism police network is now fully interoperable, with units embedded in all the major cities. Coordinated from London, police special- ists from across Britain are now supplementing investiga- tive resources being deployed from the Manchester unit. The police network has tested and exercised the response to an attack of this nature many times, and the investigation will undoubtedly be well-led and coordinated. Counterterrorism profes- sionals readily acknowledge, however, that the only mean- ingful performance measure is an absence of terrorist at- tacks. And Britain has now experienced two mass casu- alty attacks in its two largest cities in the past two months. In a rare public comment, An- drew Parker, the head of MI5, said Monday that his staff was “relentlessly focused” on fighting terrorism. In the af- termath of these attacks, he is likely to direct that the agency urgently reassess all “known” Britain-based ex- tremists to see whether any merit more intrusive sur- veillance and covert opera- tional activity. The raising of the threat level in Britain to “critical” by the Joint Ter- rorist Analysis Center con- firms that MI5 is not ruling out further linked attacks by outstanding suspects. The spike in terrorist plot- ting is likely to continue for months – even years – to come, despite military suc- cesses in Iraq and Syria. The harder it is for radicals to get from Britain to Islamic State-held land, the likelier it is they’ll try to strike in the West. The end of the “phys- ical” caliphate may be near, but the “virtual” caliphate on- line will endure. The lesson from the Westminster and Manchester attacks is surely that mass-fatality terrorism does not need to be com- plex or particularly sophis- ticated, such as the attacks carried out in Paris in De- cember 2015. Lone individ- uals can easily be inspired to kill many people with knives, cars and homemade bombs; British officials rarely have to worry about disrupting plots with guns, thanks to our strict firearms laws. The only way of preventing such attacks is by knowing the mind-set and intent of the ex- tremists and then disrupting their planning, either through good intelligence and covert monitoring or by family or communities reporting their concerns to police. Serious questions will now be asked across Britain about its Muslim commu- nities and whether Muslim leaders and role models are saying and doing enough to counter the poisonous narra- tives emanating from Islamic terrorist groups. Despite the existence of a mature and well-developed national ter- rorism prevention strategy in Britain, hundreds of largely British-born nationals have left the country in the past four years to join the “ca- liphate,” and one has to ask what more needs to be done to prevent this particularly potent brand of Islamic ex- tremism from flourishing. The British government will be particularly con- cerned about a potential lack of community cohesion in the northwest of England after this attack, which is vulner- able to a backlash against Muslim minority commu- nities. The region is less in- tegrated than many other parts of Britain, and ex- tremist right-wing groups have gained ground there, as evidenced by the terrorist murder of the British law- maker Jo Cox by Thomas Mair last year. It is an unintended con- sequence, but the advent of social media has placed a turbo charge on extremism, providing a vehicle for ex- tremist narratives to be prop- agated across the world and joining up like-minded pro- ponents. There is much more to be done to combat these radicalizing influences. All countries now need com- prehensive counterterrorism strategies that include main- streaming steps to identify and deal with extremism in all its forms. Walton is a director of Counter Terrorism Global Ltd., a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and was the head of the Counter Terrorism Command at New Scotland Yard from 2011 to 2016.5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 25, 2017 Cayman dominates at international freediving competition JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com It was a great week for Cayman Freediving as is- land resident Kurt Ran- dolph triumphed in the Deja Blue international competi- tion, and Caymanian diver Richard Collett set six new national records to finish in third place. The Deja Blue competi- tion, for underwater ath- letes from all over the world, ran in parallel with the first Cayman Open National Championships, which at- tracted 11 local competitors and was also won by Ran- dolph. The competitions ran from May 14-21. In both events, divers compete across multiple dis- ciplines, ranging from swim- ming lengths of a pool un- derwater to diving to extreme depths on a single breath. Randolph, originally from Ohio, hit a staggering 77 me- ters (252 feet) in the Con- stant Weight freediving category, where divers fin- kick to depth. He won the overall award by less than a point over Chi- na’s Jessea Lu, who won the female competition. Second in the men’s event was Brandon Hen- drickson, who broke a conti- nental record for the Amer- icas, holding his breath for 8 minutes and 35 seconds, during one event. Collett, participating in his first competition, finished third in the international event, breaking multiple na- tional records in the pro- cess. He set new marks for the Cayman Islands in each depth and pool freediving discipline and then broke two of his own records later in the week, hitting 54 me- ters (177 feet) in two of the depth disciplines. Collett said he had been training diligently for eight months with the aim of breaking the records. “Attaining this goal and being able to go on and break two of these records again in the same competi- tion in 8 out of 10 dives is more than I could have hoped for,” he said. “I’m also very proud to have secured podium places in both Deja Blue and the CONC competitions against a field of some very capable and experienced local and in- ternational freedivers.” Jeremy Walton, a former Cayman national record holder and the president of the Cayman Freediving As- sociation, sat out this year’s competition as the organizer of the Cayman Open. He said both the local and international events were a huge success. “It really was spectacu- larly successful. In terms of the local competition, we had 11 competitors. All of them broke personal bests in one event or another, and some of them broke national re- cords for their home coun- tries. The winner of the in- ternational competition was a Cayman Islands resident, and then Richard, of course, set a full slate of new na- tional records.” He said the Cayman Open would return next year with the focus on attracting more Caymanian participants and more women. Walton also qualified with the International Association for the Development of Apnea as a certified judge, which he said would help the Cayman Islands host more events. Deja Blue is held annually in the Cayman Islands and is organized by Performance Freediving International, a leading pioneer of freed- iving and the longest-running Freedive Certification agency in North America. In both events divers compete across multiple disciplines, ranging from swimming lengths of a pool underwater to diving to extreme depths on a single breath. Richard Collett broke six national records and now aims to compete for Cayman internationally. - PHOTOS: EIKO JONES PHOTOGRAPHY Kurt Randolph dove to 252 feet to help him claim the Deja Blue crown. China’s Jessea Lu was the top female competitor. Brandon Hendrickson celebrates after breaking the breath-hold record. DEJA BLUE WINNERS Men 1stKurt RandolphUSA 2ndBrandon HendricksonUSA 3rdRichard CollettCayman Women 1stJessea LuChina 2ndAdriana BrandaoBrazil 3rdKatherine KlostermanUSA CAYMAN OPEN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Men 1stKurt Randolph 2ndRichard Collett 3rdMark Tilley Women Britney OuelletteDISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days Sister Islands THURSDAY MAY 25, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS 50 YEARS COMMONWEALTH DELEGATES VISIT BRAC Lilian Ritch, the Sister Is- lands correspondent for The Caymanian Weekly, a pre- cursor to the Cayman Com- pass, wrote the following article titled “Visit of CPA delegates to Cayman Brac,” in the May 24, 1967 edition: “The District Com- missioner Mr. D.A. Foster and Mr. K.P. Tibbetts MLA greeted the guests as they alighted from CBA on the 13th May and within minutes, with smiles and handshakes, a fruit cup and warm West In- dian calypsos by Eddie’s Beach Boys, Cayman Brac and representatives from Guyana, Br. Virgin islands, Belize, St. Lucia, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Bar- bados, St. Vincent, Jamaica and the U.K. had made each other’s acquaintance. “The Band played ‘The Queen,’ Capt. Tibbetts ex- tended a warm welcome on this memorable day. The Beach Boys were on their warmest and everyone just listened to their vocalist, Mike Hurlstone. “The D.C. then set us off on our tour of the is- land in cars and the local bus. The drive through the island was interesting to the visitors and they asked questions about our vege- tation, water, etc., wishing to know how we live. “Stops were made to see the fresh catch of turtle brought in by the ‘Trial’ that morning. “The new Sec. Mod. School, the gift of C.D. and W. drew comments of ad- miration and the chil- dren’s interest in educa- tion was commended. “Next there was a stop at Stake Bay to look at the Govt. Offices and War Me- morial and many climbed the iron stairway to better see the Cable & Wireless antenna tower. “Buffet lunch at the swimming pool was unforgettable.” WELLNESS CENTRE OPENS CLINIC IN CAYMAN BRAC KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Wellness Centre is ex- panding its mental health ser- vices in the Sister Islands with a clinic in Cayman Brac. The office will share space with the Neurology Pain Man- agement Clinic in the Hol- land Building on Gerard Smith Avenue. Five therapists are expected to travel to the clinic multiple times a week to offer a full range of psychological services, including individual counseling for adults and children, autism services and family therapy. Wellness Centre Director Shannon Seymour said the clinic seeks to address ser- vice gaps in Cayman Brac and provide more consistent care for special needs and mental health concerns. “To have our own location is going to make it more ben- eficial to our staff and people seeking our services,” she said. “We’ve known for a long time that the needs of people in the Brac have not been con- sistently met.” Until now, the center de- pended on rented and donated spaces such as unused class- rooms and offices. The Holland Building clinic will allow pa- tients to access consistent care in one location. Ms. Seymour highlighted research indicating the im- portance of consistent mental health care to provide the best patient outcomes. With the opening of the clinic, she said, the staff will evaluate the greatest areas of need on the island with an eye to expanding services in the future. In the long run, she said, the center hopes to employ a part-time adminis- trator to run the Brac office. “We aren’t going over there with any idea of what areas we should be targeting. We want to be present and hear from the people in Cayman Brac about what they need,” she said. Appointments can be made by contacting the Wellness Centre’s main office in Grand Cayman at 949-9355. Brackers come out to welcome new ambulance Cayman Brac politicians, residents and hospital staff on Monday welcomed a new ambulance at Faith Hospital. The 2017 Chevy G4500 TraumaHawk can accommodate more than one patient at a time. - PHOTO: JAMES TIBBETTS Wellness Centre psychologist Dr. Erica Lam currently travels for appointments in Cayman Brac every Friday. Professor sheds light on plant biology Dr. Martina Königer, ad- junct assistant professor of biological sciences at Wellesley College in the U.S. spoke on Monday at the Southern Cross Club as a guest lecturer in a re- curring Reef Lecture Se- ries, organized by the Central Caribbean Ma- rine Institute. Dr. Königer’s research and her presentation fo- cused on the physiological and cellular mechanisms that allow plants to deal with light intensities that vary dramatically. “I have been coming to CCMI for seven years now to teach an introduc- tory tropical biology class for Wellesley College stu- dents,” Dr. Königer said in a press release. “The students take a lec- ture class in the spring se- mester at Wellesley Col- lege to get prepared for this trip. Being at CCMI provides a unique oppor- tunity to explore both the marine and terrestrial envi- ronments of this beautiful island and allows my stu- dents to develop their own research ideas. “They not only explore different aspects of reef bi- ology, but also investigate how plants manage to sur- vive and thrive in this dry and hot environment. Many of the students who have participated in this course have greatly benefitted from this opportunity and have gone on to get PhDs in marine biology or other areas of biology.” The target species of Dr. Königer’s Monday night presentation were mem- bers of the genus Chloro- plasta, otherwise known as chloroplasts. Chloro- plasts are the tiny organ- elles within green plants’ cells that carry chlorophyll, which give these plants their bright green color. Dr. Königer and fellow scientists were able to prove that chloroplasts move within their cell, based upon the amount of light to which they are ex- posed. Their ability to adapt to shifting light conditions is essential to agriculture and food chains worldwide, particularly in the face of global climate change. In low light condi- tions, chloroplasts spread broadly across the cell membrane to maximize benefits from the light available, Dr. Königer said. However, when exposed to high or extreme light con- ditions, they experience stress, and chloroplasts bunch-up along the edges of the cell membrane. This bunching-up action allows the chloroplasts to angle themselves away from the intense light source so as to minimize the impact of high light stress or a poten- tial sun burn. Comparing the much more understood ecology of terrestrial plant spe- cies with the ill-under- stood ecology of marine plant species could poten- tially spur amazing discov- eries, she said. CCMI’s president and director of research, Dr. Carrie Manfrino said, “Sci- entific discoveries have ad- vanced society through the ages. Communicating sci- ence to society is a respon- sibility of every scientist who has made important discoveries. At CCMI, com- municating our research is an opportunity to edu- cate the general public on how we are intricately con- nected with the natural world around us.” Dr. Königer said it was a pleasure to share some of her research in- terests and findings with the CCMI staff, her stu- dents and guests at the Southern Cross. “Educating the gen- eral public about scien- tific concepts and, maybe even more importantly, about how science is done, is a very rewarding experi- ence,” she added. Dr. Martina Königer delivers her presentation at the Southern Cross Club on Little Cayman on Monday.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 25, 2017 Bomb in Jakarta kills policeman A suspected suicide bombing near a bus terminal in Indonesia’s capital Wednesday night killed a policeman and injured four other officers, police said. Vice National Police Chief Syafruddin said an initial investigation showed that the suspected bomber also died in the blast. UK deploys 1,000 soldiers to protect key sites after bombing MANCHESTER, England (AP) – British security forces ar- rested three more suspects Wednesday in connection with the Manchester con- cert bombing and sent hun- dreds of soldiers to secure key sites across the country, including Buckingham Palace and the British Parliament at Westminster. Home Secretary Amber Rudd said the bomber, iden- tified as British-born Libyan Salman Abedi, “likely” did not act alone when he killed 22 people and wounded dozens at an Ariana Grande con- cert Monday night in Man- chester. She said he had been known to security forces “up to a point.” Many at the concert were young girls and teens en- thralled by Grande’s pop power. The youngest victim of the bombing named so far was just 8 years old. Officials are examining Abedi’s trips to Libya and possibly Syria as they piece together his allegiances and try to foil any new potential threats. The government said nearly 1,000 soldiers were de- ployed Wednesday instead of police in high-profile sites in London and other locations. Police said three men were arrested Wednesday in south Manchester, where a day ear- lier a 23-year-old man was also arrested and a number of homes were searched. Britain raised its threat level from terrorism to “crit- ical” after an emergency government meeting late Tuesday amid concerns that the 22-year-old Abedi may have accomplices who are planning another attack. The changing of the guard ceremony at Buck- ingham Palace was canceled Wednesday so police officers can be re-deployed, Britain’s defense ministry said. The tra- ditional ceremony is a major tourist attraction in London. The Palace of Westmin- ster, which houses the British Parliament in London, was also closed Wednesday to all those without passes, and tours and events there were canceled until further notice. Armed police were also seen on patrol outside St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, another popular tourist spot. The Chelsea soccer team announced it would cancel Sunday’s victory parade in London that was to have cel- ebrated the team’s Premier League title win this season. “We are sure our fans will understand this decision,” the team said, adding that the parade would have diverted police from the bombing investigation. Suicide bomber Abedi was born in Britain to a Libyan family, grew up in Manchester’s southern sub- urbs and once attended Sal- ford University there. France’s interior min- ister said Abedi is believed to have traveled to Syria and had “proven” links with the Islamic State group. British officials, however, have not commented on whether Abedi had links to IS or other extremist groups. Police on Tuesday raided Abedi’s house, using a con- trolled explosion to blast down the door. Neigh- bors recalled him as a tall, thin young man who often wore traditional Islamic dress and did not talk much. Manchester police arrested a man early Wednesday at a house just a 10-minute walk from Abedi’s home. Omar Alfa Khuri, who lives across the street, said he was awakened at 2:30 a.m. by a loud noise and saw po- lice take away the father of the family that lives there in handcuffs. He said the man is named Adel and is in his 40s, with a wife and sev- eral children. “There was a policeman, armed policeman, shouting at my neighbor … and I realized there is something wrong here,” he said. “They arrested the father, and I think the rest of the family kind of disappeared.” He said he immediately suspected the arrest might be linked to the bombing since “somebody told me they were Libyans, or I read it somewhere.” He said he knew the man from the neighborhood and the mosque but “in the last 15 years, I haven’t seen him in trouble at all. I haven’t seen police come to his house.” Police also raided and searched a property else- where in Manchester where Abedi’s brother Ismail is thought to have lived. British Prime Minister Theresa May chaired a meeting Wednesday of her emergency security cabinet group to talk about intelli- gence reports on Abedi and concerns that he might have had outside support. Officials are probing how often Abedi had trav- eled to Libya, which has seen an eruption of armed Is- lamist groups since dictator Moammar Gadhafi was over- thrown and killed in 2011. Rudd said Britain’s in- creased official threat level will remain at “critical” as the investigation proceeds and won’t be lowered until secu- rity services are convinced there is no active plot in place. She also complained about U.S. officials leaking sensitive information about Abedi to the press. Rudd said Britain’s operational secu- rity could be harmed by the leaks, taking “the element of surprise” away from security services and police. “I have been very clear with our friends that that should not happen again,” she said. In addition to those killed in the concert attack, Man- chester officials raised to 119 the number of people who sought medical treatment after the attack. Sixty-four people are still hospitalized, Jon Rouse of the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Part- nership said Wednesday. Offi- cials say 20 of them are being treated for critical injuries. Many of them had se- rious wounds that will re- quire “very long term care and support in terms of their recovery,” Rouse said. Officials said all those hospitalized had been identified. As soldiers replaced armed police at Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street and Parliament, London Po- lice Commander Jane Con- nors said the goal is to “make our city as hostile an envi- ronment as possible for ter- rorists to plan and operate.” As soldiers replaced armed police at Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street and Parliament, London Police Commander Jane Connors said the goal is to “make our city as hostile an environment as possible for terrorists to plan and operate.” Armed police officers patrol a police cordon near the Manchester Arena on Wednesday. - PHOTOS: AP Mounted police patrol in central Manchester. Security officials search people’s bags outside St. Paul’s Cathedral in London before a service Wednesday to mark the 100th anniversary of the Order of the British Empire. A woman places flowers in memory of victims of the suicide bomb attack at the Ariana Grande concert on Monday night.8 WORLD&REGIONAL THURSDAY MAY 25, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS ‘We can use peace’: Trump and Pope Francis meet VATICAN CITY (AP) – U.S. Pres- ident Donald Trump and Pope Francis, two leaders with con- trasting styles and differing worldviews, met at the Vat- ican on Wednesday, setting aside their previous clashes to broadcast a tone of peace for an audience around the globe. Trump, midway through a grueling nine-day, maiden international journey, called upon the pontiff in a private, 30-minute meeting laden with religious symbolism and ancient protocol. Neither man, unquestion- ably two of the most famous in the world, repeated their prior criticism of the other. The statements released af- terward were deliberately vague and contained only hints of areas of disagree- ment. Trump smiled broadly, the pope smiled less, but both agreed, at least for a day, to settle on the same message: the need to avoid conflict. That theme was reflected in their words and their gifts. The pope, upon com- pleting their meeting, gave the president a medal fea- turing an olive branch. “We can use peace,” said the president, concurring with the symbolism. Francis also gave a mes- sage of peace and three bound papal documents that to some degree define his papacy and priorities, including the family and the environment. The pope told Trump he signed the message “person- ally for you.” Trump said he would read the books. In exchange, Trump pre- sented the pontiff with a custom-bound, first-edition set of Martin Luther King Jr.’s works, an engraved stone from the King memorial in Washington and a bronze sculpture of a flowering lotus titled “Rising Above.” “I think you’ll enjoy them. I hope you do,” Trump said. When Trump departed, he told the pope: “Thank you. I won’t forget what you said.” The visit began with a handshake after each man arrived, Trump in a lengthy motorcade, Francis in a Ford Focus. The president was heard thanking the pope and saying it was “a great honor” to be there. They posed for photographs and then sat down at the papal desk, the pope unsmiling, as their pri- vate meeting began. It ended a half-hour later when Francis rang the bell in his private study. The pontiff was then introduced to mem- bers of Trump’s delegation, including his wife Melania, his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as aides Hope Hicks and Dan Scavino. Smiling for the staff, Francis had a light moment with the first lady, asking via translator, “What do you give him to eat, potica?” referring to a favorite papal dessert from her native Slovenia. The first lady laughed and said “Yes.” She and Ivanka covered their heads in a sign of papal respect, a ges- ture they did not partake in Saudi Arabia. Afterward, as he met with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, Trump said of the pope: “He is something.” “We had a fantastic meeting,” the president said. “It was an honor to be with the pope.” Trump tweeted later that the meeting was the “honor of a lifetime.” A statement from the Vatican later said “satisfaction was expressed” at their “joint commitment in favor of life” and that there was hoped-for collaboration on healthcare, assistance to immigrants and protection of Christian communities in the Middle East. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Trump and the pope talked extensively about terrorist threats and extremism, and the radical- ization of young people. Til- lerson said climate change and migration issues came up in Trump’s meeting with the cardinal secretary of state. In recent days, Francis and Trump have been in agreement on a need for Muslim leaders to do more against extremists in their own communities. But there are few other areas where their views align. The president’s prior anti- Muslim rhetoric – including his musing that Islam “hates” the West – is the antith- esis of what the pope has been preaching about a need for dialogue with Muslims. Francis also differs sharply with Trump on the need to combat climate change and economic inequality. Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, had a pri- vate audience with Francis at the Vatican in 2014 that lasted 50 minutes. But the timing Wednesday was tight as Francis had his weekly Wednesday general audience. The thousands of pilgrims on hand forced Trump’s mo- torcade to enter Vatican City from a side entrance rather than the grand entrance through St. Peter’s Square. The meeting, which con- cluded Trump’s tour of the world’s largest monotheistic religions, comes after the president and pope collided head-on early last year, when Francis was sharply critical of Trump’s campaign pledge to build an impenetrable wall on the Mexican border and his declaration that the United States should turn away Muslim immigrants and refugees. “A person who thinks only about building walls, wher- ever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Chris- tian,” Francis said at the time. The pontiff has been a vocal advocate for aiding refugees, particularly those fleeing the violence in Syria, deeming it both a “moral imperative” and “Christian duty” to help. Trump then called Francis “disgraceful” for doubting his faith. Though both Trump and Francis are known for their unpredictability, papal visits with heads of state are care- fully arranged bits of polit- ical and religious theater that follow a specific program, with little room for devia- tion or unwanted surprises. Trump, the 13th president to visit the Vatican, also toured the Sistine Chapel. Trump’s visit to the Eternal City follows two stops in the Middle East where he visited the cradles of Islam and Judaism. In Saudi Arabia, he addressed dozens of Arab leaders and urged them to fight extrem- ists at home and isolate Iran, which he depicted as a menace to the region. In Is- rael, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to strong ties with the nation’s longtime ally and urged Israelis and the Palestinians to begin the process of reaching a peace deal. No details or timetable have yet to be established for negotiations. But while Trump received extravagantly warm wel- comes in Riyadh and Jeru- salem, the reception could grow cooler now that he has reached Europe, site of wide- spread protests after his elec- tion. Climate change activists projected the words “Planet Earth First” on the massive dome of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Tuesday night and protests are expected after Trump arrives in Brus- sels for a NATO meeting and Sicily for a G-7 gathering. In recent days, Francis and Trump have been in agreement on a need for Muslim leaders to do more against extremists in their own communities. U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump meet Pope Francis on Wednesday at the Vatican. - PHOTOS: AP Melania Trump plays with children during her visit to the pediatric hospital Bambin Gesu’ at the Vatican.9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 25, 2017 Priest among 14 hostages taken in siege of Philippines city MANILA, Philippines (AP) – Muslim extremists ab- ducted a Catholic priest and more than a dozen church- goers while laying siege to a southern Philippine city overnight, burning build- ings, ambushing soldiers and hoisting flags of the Islamic State group, officials said Wednesday. President Ro- drigo Duterte declared mar- tial law in the southern third of the nation and warned he would enforce it harshly. The violence erupted Tuesday night after the army raided the hideout of Isnilon Hapilon, an Abu Sayyaf commander who is on the United States’ list of most-wanted terrorists with a reward of up to $5 million for his capture. The mili- tants called for reinforce- ments from an allied group, the Maute, and some 50 gunmen managed to enter the city of Marawi. “We are in a state of emer- gency,” Duterte said after landing in Manila from a visit to Moscow, adding that skirmishes were continuing. “I have a serious problem in Mindanao and the ISIS foot- prints are everywhere.” He said he may declare martial law elsewhere in the Philippines if militants ex- pand their attacks. Archbishop Socrates Vil- legas, president of the Cath- olic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, and Marawi Bishop Edwin de la Pena said the militants forced their way into the Marawi Ca- thedral and seized a priest, 10 worshippers and three church workers. The priest, Father Chito, and the others had no role in the conflict, Villegas said. “He was not a combatant. He was not bearing arms. He was a threat to none,” Vil- legas said of Chito. “His cap- ture and that of his compan- ions violates every norm of civilized conflict.” Villegas says the gunmen are demanding the govern- ment recall its forces. Duterte declared martial rule for 60 days in the en- tire Mindanao region, the restive southern third of the Philippine archipelago. He had vowed to be “harsh.” “I warned everybody not to force my hand into it,” Duterte said on a plane en route to the Philippines on Wednesday. “I have to do it to preserve the republic.” Martial law allows Duterte to harness the armed forces to carry out arrests, searches and detentions more rapidly. He has repeat- edly threatened to place the south, the scene of decades- long Muslim separatist upris- ings, under martial law. But human rights groups have expressed fears that martial law powers could further em- bolden Duterte, whom they have accused of allowing ex- trajudicial killings of thou- sands of drug suspects in a crackdown on illegal drugs. City blacked out Details from inside Marawi were sketchy be- cause the largely Muslim city of more than 200,000 people appeared to be largely sealed off and without electricity. “The whole of Marawi city is blacked out, there is no light, and there are Maute snipers all around,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lo- renzana said late Tuesday in Moscow, where he was accompanying Duterte on an official trip. Duterte cut the trip short and headed back to the Philippines. Lorenzana said dozens of gunmen occupied city hall, a hospital and a jail and burned a Catholic church, a college and some houses in an assault that killed at least two soldiers and a police of- ficer and wounded 12 others. Hapilon, an Arabic- speaking Islamic preacher known for his expertise on commando assaults, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in 2014. He is a commander of the Abu Sayyaf militant group and was wounded by a military airstrike in January. Troops sealed off major entry and exit points to pre- vent Hapilon from escaping, military chief of staff Gen. Eduardo Ano told The As- sociated Press by telephone late Tuesday from Moscow, where he was accompa- nying Duterte. “We will conduct house- to-house clearing and do ev- erything to remove the threat there. We can do that easily,” Ano said, but added it was more difficult in an urban setting because of the need to avoid civilian casualties. He said the group erected Islamic State flags at sev- eral locations. Duterte looks for help from Russia Duterte met late Tuesday with Russian President Vlad- imir Putin and said he is counting on Russia to supply weapons for the Philippines to fight terrorism. “Of course, our country needs modern weapons, we had orders in the United States, but now the situa- tion there is not very smooth and in order to fight the Islamic State, with their units and factions, we need modern weapons,” he said, according to Russian state news agency Tass. While pursuing peace talks with two large Muslim rebel groups in the south of this predominantly Roman Catholic nation, Duterte has ordered the mili- tary to destroy smaller ex- tremist groups which have tried to align with the Is- lamic State group. Bahrain police raid Shiite cleric’s town; 5 killed, 286 arrested DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – A Bahraini police raid on the hometown of a promi- nent Shiite cleric facing pos- sible deportation has left at least five demonstrators dead and 286 people arrested in an assault in which officers fired tear gas and shotguns at protesters. The Interior Ministry said the operation on Tuesday tar- geting Diraz, home to Sheikh Isa Qassim and a long-run- ning sit-in supporting him, was to “maintain security and public order.” It called the area a “haven for wanted fugitives from justice.” Activists shared photo- graphs and videos showing youths throwing stones and climbing on an armored per- sonnel carrier. Gunfire could be heard in one video as white smoke from tear gas hung in the air. Another video showed a bulldozer smashing through the area that once hosted the sit-in. Police arrested 286 people, including “terrorists and con- victed felons” who hid inside of Qassim’s home, the Inte- rior Ministry said. It said 19 members of the island’s security forces were wounded in the raid that saw protesters throw gasoline bombs. “Forces were able to re- move a series of illegal road blocks and barricades,” the ministry said in a statement. “Police remain deployed in the area to ensure the safety of people.” Amnesty International later said Qassim was not arrested. At least five protesters were killed, activists and po- lice said. Activists shared im- ages of other protesters suf- fering what appeared to be birdshot wounds. The operation followed a Sunday court decision giving Qassim a year’s suspended prison sentence and seizing assets belonging to him and his ministry. Two of his aides received similar sentences. Police have besieged Qa- ssim’s hometown of Diraz for months, tightly control- ling access. He could be de- ported at any time after au- thorities stripped him of his citizenship last June over ac- cusations that he fueled ex- tremism. His supporters deny the allegations and called his trial politically motivated. Shiites and others took part in 2011 Arab Spring pro- tests for greater rights from the Sunni monarchy of Bah- rain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and an under-con- struction British naval base. Bahrain put down the pro- tests with the help of forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Since then, Bahrain has seen low-level unrest. But a yearlong government crack- down on dissent has raised the stakes, with local Shiite militant groups claiming some attacks. Bahrain long has accused Iran of aiding militants, something the Shiite power denies. Meanwhile, activists have been imprisoned or forced into exile. Indepen- dent news gathering on the island also has grown more difficult, with the govern- ment refusing to accredit two Associated Press jour- nalists and others. Police secure a checkpoint in Manila, Philippines, on Wednesday. The National Police were placed under full alert status following the declaration of martial law in Mindanao by President Rodrigo Duterte. - PHOTO: AP Security forces of Bahrain’s Interior Ministry on Tuesday raid a sit-in demonstration that has lasted nearly a year in support of a senior Shiite cleric in Diraz. - PHOTO: APNext >