ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 High of 91 Low of 80 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 CAYMAN CANNOT PAVE ITS WAY OUT OF TRAFFIC JAMS LOCAL | PAGE 6 BIG SHAVE RAISES MORE THAN $267K FOR CHILD CANCER RESEARCH SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA RED BAY BACON CHEDDAR RANCH CHEDDAR BBQ BACON BACON CHEDDAR RANCH NEW CRISPY CHICKEN NEW CRISPY CHICKEN PRESELL + INSERT Former minister asks court to send local blogger to prison BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The attorney for former Finance Minister Marco Archer has requested a “committal order” against local blogger Sandra Hill (formerly Sandra Catron), alleging that Ms. Hill vio- lated a court order prohibiting pub- lication of defamatory material against Mr. Archer. A committal order is an order of the court that sends an individual to jail. Ms. Hill’s attorney, Ben Tonner, QC, on Friday denied that she had breached any court order against pub- lication of the material. The issue was set down for a hearing this week. Mr. Archer and Ms. Hill have been at odds since last month when the former minister sued Ms. Hill and won a temporary injunction against the publication of a blog post that Mr. Archer alleged had defamed him. The specifics of the matter cannot be re- ported due to the court order issued on Aug. 30 prohibiting publication. The order, made after Mr. Archer sued Ms. Hill, stated that: “[Ms. Hill], her servants or agents, be restrained from broadcasting or continuing to publish a post first published on her website ‘Caymanmarlroad.com’ which is located at [weblink listed] enti- tled “Archer accused of abuse of of- fice in stamp duty fiasco” [“the Defam- atory Post”].” The order asked that the post be removed from the website and “any forms of social media where it has been published” and that Ms. Hill be Martinez hopes to lift Cayman football SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Sebastian Martinez is nur- turing the future of Cayman football with his skill and his ambition. Martinez, who recently signed a two-year deal with Leixoes S.C. in the second tier of Portuguese football, came home to Cayman over the weekend in order to shine a light on other talented players in his homeland. The youngster, who left Cayman at age 12 to sign an apprenticeship contract with Swindon Town F.C. in England, went to the Annex field on Sat- urday to watch a few youth foot- ball teams run through their paces. Martinez is currently playing for the B team with Leixoes, and he hopes his journey will blaze a trail for others. “It’s a great chance to be back, to celebrate my accom- plishments and to enjoy some of the weather and food,” he said of his brief visit home. “I’m here to watch the kids play and present the trophies at the end. It was ANOTHER TWIST IN ‘UNTENABLE’ LIQUOR LICENSE SITUATION BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The six-month saga of a Red Bay conve- nience store’s efforts to obtain a license to sell alcohol on Sundays took another odd twist late last week when a government employee suddenly appeared at a local lawyer’s office with a $1,000 check. The money, according to a Sept. 21 email to senior Cayman Islands government officials, appeared to be a “refund” on Peanuts conve- nience store owner Gary Rutty’s March appli- cation for a retail liquor license. The applica- tion to sell alcohol on Sundays at the store was rejected, according to the Department of Com- merce and Investment employee who arrived at the Ogier firm’s offices, and the government wanted to give Mr. Rutty his money back. “I refused to accept the refund of the fees as the accompanying letter gave no reason for the purported refusal,” Mr. Rutty’s attorney, Ogier Associate Cline Glidden Jr. said in the Sept. 21 email to Deputy Governor Franz Man- derson, Commerce Minister Joey Hew, DCI Di- rector Ryan Rajkumarsingh and Liquor Li- censing Board Chairman Noel Williams. Mr. Glidden said he received a response to his Sept. 21 email from Mr. Manderson the Lumbering down the highway Workers undertake some emergency trimming to ensure the large tree they are transporting for landscaping can pass safely through the Dart Group’s underpass on the Esterley Tibbetts Highway. The truck was part of a convoy of three tree-laden vehicles Sunday morning. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Marco ArcherSandra Hill2 LOCAL&REGIONAL MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS I Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. 640-FILM (640-3456) 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. - MONDAY - VICTORIA & ABDUL (PG13) 1:00 I 3:55 I 7:25 I 9:50 KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (R) 12:20 VIP I 12:45 I 3:35 I 6:30 6:40 VIP I 9:35 IT (R) 12:55 I 3:30 VIP I 6:50 I 9:50 VIP THE NUT JOB 2 3D (PG) 12:30 2D I 5:05 2D I 9:55 GUN SHY (R) 2:50 I 4:10 I 7:30 I 10:00 AMERICAN ASSASSIN (R) 1:35 I 4:35 I 6:55 I 10:00 Dr. Wayne R. Porter MD F.A.A.D. Dermatologist call : 946-9020 between 9am to 5pm Dees Plaza #282 on Crewe Road, GT He will be in office from October 2nd - October 10th, 2017 Federal aid begins to flow to hurricane-hit Puerto Rico GUAJATACA, Puerto Rico (AP) – Large amounts of federal aid began moving into Puerto Rico on Saturday, welcomed by local officials who praised the Trump administration’s response but called for the emergency loosening of rules long blamed for condemning the U.S. territory to second- class status. In northwest Puerto Rico, people began returning to their homes after a spillway eased pressure on a dam that cracked after more than a foot of rain fell in the wake of the hurricane. The opening of the is- land’s main port in the cap- ital allowed 11 ships to bring in 1.6 million gallons of water, 23,000 cots, dozens of generators and food. Dozens more shipments are expected in upcoming days. The federal aid effort is racing to stem a growing hu- manitarian crisis in towns left without fresh water, fuel, electricity or phone ser- vice. Officials with the Fed- eral Emergency Management Agency, which is in charge of the relief effort, said they would take satellite phones to all of Puerto Rico’s towns and cities, more than half of which were cut off following Maria’s devastating crossing of Puerto Rico on Wednesday. The island’s infrastruc- ture was in sorry shape long before Maria struck. A $73 billion debt crisis has left agencies like the state power company broke. As a result the power company aban- doned most basic mainte- nance in recent years, leaving the island subject to reg- ular blackouts. A federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico’s fi- nances authorized up to $1 billion in local funds to be used for hurricane response, but Gov. Ricardo Rossello said he would ask for more. “We’re going to request waivers and other mecha- nisms so Puerto Rico can respond to this crisis,” he said. “Puerto Rico will prac- tically collect no taxes in the next month.” U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez of New York said she will re- quest a one-year waiver from the Jones Act, a federal law blamed for driving up prices on Puerto Rico by requiring cargo shipments there to move only on U.S. vessels as a means of supporting the U.S. maritime industry. “We will use all our re- sources,” Velazquez said. “We need to make Puerto Rico whole again. These are Amer- ican citizens.” A group of anxious mayors arrived in the cap- ital to meet with Rossello to present a long list of items they urgently need. The north coastal town of Manati had run out of fuel and fresh water, Mayor Jose Sanchez Gonzalez said. “Hysteria is starting to spread. The hospital is about to collapse. It’s at ca- pacity,” he said, crying. “We need someone to help us immediately.” At least 10 dead from storm in Puerto Rico The death toll from Maria in Puerto Rico was at least 10, including two police of- ficers who drowned in flood- waters in the western town of Aguada. That number was expected to climb as offi- cials from remote towns con- tinued to check in with offi- cials in San Juan. Authorities in the town of Vega Alta on the north coast said they had been unable to reach an entire neighborhood called Fatima, and were par- ticularly worried about resi- dents of a nursing home. “I need to get there today,” Mayor Oscar Santiago told The Associated Press. “Not to- morrow, today.” Rossello said Maria would clearly cost more than the last major storm to wallop the island, Hurricane George in September 1998. “This is without a doubt the biggest catastrophe in modern his- tory for Puerto Rico,” he said. Rossello and other offi- cials praised the federal gov- ernment for planning its re- sponse in detail before the storm hit, a contrast with what Puerto Rico has long seen as the neglect of 3.4 mil- lion Americans living in a ter- ritory without a vote in Con- gress or the electoral college. “This is the first time we get this type of federal coor- dination,” said Resident Com- mission Jenniffer Gonzalez, Puerto Rico’s non-voting rep- resentative in Washington. Cracked dam forces evacuations A dam upstream of the towns of Quebradillas and Isabela in northwest Puerto Rico was cracked but had not burst by Saturday night as water continued to pour out of rain-swollen Lake Guajataca. Federal officials said Friday that 70,000 people, the number who live in the sur- rounding area, would have to be evacuated. But Ja- vier Jimenez, mayor of the nearby town of San Sebas- tian, said he believed the number was far smaller. Secretary of Public Af- fairs Ramon Rosario said about 300 families were in harm’s way. The governor said there is “significant damage” to the dam and authorities believe it could give way at any moment. “We don’t know how long it’s going to hold. The integrity of the structure has been compro- mised in a significant way,” Rossello said. Some residents nonethe- less returned to their homes Saturday as the water levels in the reservoir began to sink. “There were a lot of people worried and crying, but that’s natural, because the reservoir was about to break through,” said Maria Nieves, 43. “They couldn’t open the spillway until later in the night.” The 345-yard dam, which was built around 1928, holds back a man-made lake cov- ering about 2 square miles. More than 15 inches of rain from Maria fell on the sur- rounding mountains. Officials said 1,360 of the island’s 1,600 cellphone towers were downed, and 85 percent of above-ground and underground phone and In- ternet cables were knocked out. With roads blocked and phones dead, officials said, the situation may worsen. National Guard personnel evacuate Toa Ville residents on Friday. Thousands of people were evacuated from the town after the municipal government opened the gates of the Rio La Plata Dam. - PHOTO: AP Relief efforts continue for victims of Irma, Maria Local organizations con- tinue to contribute to the re- lief efforts of the jurisdic- tions affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Hurley’s Media hosted a charity happy hour on Sept. 15 at Camana Bay and raised $5,500 in donations for the Red Cross Hurricane Irma Relief Fund. “The Cayman Islands Red Cross is grateful to Hurley’s Media for taking the initia- tive by hosting the happy hour event,” said Cayman Red Cross Director Jondo Obi. “We are in regular con- tact with our colleagues in the BVI, TCI and Anguilla, and there is still a need for additional supplies as the as- sessments continue.” The BVI Red Cross is also being assisted by Danielle Coleman, the Hazard Man- agement’s deputy director of preparedness and planning, who was dispatched to the British Virgin Islands to help with aid efforts. Her role includes damage assessment, aid distribu- tion and coordinating with other emergency relief stake- holders. She was dispatched on Friday following an offi- cial request to government from the Red Cross. Kevin Studds, country manager of the overseas branches of the British Red Cross, said the organiza- tion chose to dispatch Ms. Coleman because she is fa- miliar with disaster man- agement and knows the staff and volunteers of the BVI Red Cross. Dominica is also receiving assistance post-Maria, as the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility an- nounced on Friday that it is making a payout of more than US$19 million to the ju- risdiction. The payout will be made within 14 days of the hurricane. Cable & Wireless also an- nounced that it has launched a relief fund for victims of both Irma and Maria. The company seeded the fund with US$500,000, and Flow users can donate $1 by tex- ting “GIVE” to code 2300. C&W added that it has begun restoration work on Dominica’s telecommunica- tions infrastructure. “I’m hugely proud of our employees who have worked night and day to begin to bring our mobile network back online,” said Cable and Wireless’ CEO John Reid. “While the situa- tion on the ground in Dom- inica is grave, the passion of our employees to restore our mobile services enabling critical communications, as well as helping the broader relief efforts, has been truly inspiring.” Hurley’s Media hosted a charity happy hour on Sept. 15 at Camana Bay and raised $5,500 in donations for the Red Cross Hurricane Irma Relief Fund.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 Premier Health BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE AGENCIES LIMITED BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town.Tel. 949-8699 12 Kirkconnell Street, Stake Bay, Cayman BracTel. 948-1760 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International Ltd. : insurance, health, pensions, life British Caymanian Insurance Agencies Limited acts solely as an agent on behalf of Colonial Medical Insurance Company Limited and it does not act as an insurance broker on behalf of its customers. 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CALL 949-8699 or visit www.britcay.ky This is what smart health insurance feels like. *based on total claims for Bermuda, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands 2016 Arrest made in burned dog case SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com An individual has been ar- rested and charged with an- imal cruelty in relation to the dog that was brought to the Cayman Islands Hu- mane Society in August with burns from his head to the middle of his back. The dog, named Rufus, was treated by Dr. Ioanna Popescu of Island Veteri- nary Services, and he has been recovering in a foster home. After his recovery, Rufus will fly to Vancouver in November to join his new adoptive family. Dr. Popescu said in Au- gust that she could not be certain whether the wounds had been sustained mali- ciously, but she believed that the dog had been un- treated for a week before she had seen him. After an initial investiga- tion by the Department of Ag- riculture, the file was handed to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in late August. The DPP returned the file to the Agriculture Depart- ment on Sept. 12, and an in- dividual was arrested and charged with animal cru- elty on Sept. 21. 205 reports of animal cruelty or abuse The Department of Ag- riculture fielded more than 200 reports of animal cru- elty or abuse in the first eight months of 2017; only one had been referred for prosecution before September. The Cayman Compass filed a freedom of informa- tion request to get a break- down of animal cruelty re- ports this year. The data shows that 50 of the 205 re- ports did not require inter- vention by the Department of Agriculture. The Depart- ment indicated that 155 of the cases warranted treat- ment through education or improved awareness of ap- propriate care and the needs of the animal. The Department handled more than 20 reports of an- imal cruelty in seven of the year’s first eight months, and the data shows that one of the two officers who handled those reports had at least 18 cases every month from January to May. The case that was in- tended for prosecution is still an active investiga- tion. Vanessa Rivers, opera- tional human resources and information manager for the Department of Agricul- ture, said she is unable to provide any more informa- tion until the investigation has been closed. However, Ms. Rivers was able to pro- vide some clarity regarding how the department decides which reports can be han- dled through education and which need to go through the legal process. “The officers responsible for Animal Welfare make the determination based on the merits of the situa- tion,” she said in an email. “The DOA completes the in- vestigation in conjunction with the [Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service] after which the completed inves- tigation report is submitted to the Office of the [Director of Public Prosecutions] for a ruling.” There was also a re- port of another injured dog, Dora, which was allegedly set aflame intentionally by her owner earlier this year. The RCIPS made an arrest in that case; the suspect was subsequently released on po- lice bail. The DPP returned the investigative file to the RCIPS on Sept. 17, but there is no word yet on whether the case will be set aside for prosecution. After an initial investigation by the Department of Agriculture, the file was handed to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in late August. St. Lucia prime minister praises Health City St. Lucia Prime Min- ister Allen Chastanet praised Health City Cayman Islands after meeting with medical professionals at the East End healthcare facility. “The Cayman Islands and the northwestern re- gion of the Caribbean are ex- tremely lucky to have Health City serve them,” Mr. Chas- tanet said in a press re- lease, adding that St. Lucia hopes to adopt this model of healthcare. The hospital is a joint project between India-based Narayana Health and U.S.- based Ascension, and is ac- credited by Joint Commis- sion International. Mr. Chastanet was im- pressed to see radiology scans being read in real time by professionals in India. “We would like to have the same facility in St. Lucia to allow St. Lucians and people in the eastern Caribbean access to the standards, experience and technology that’s being put into practice at Health City,” he said. Health City’s execu- tive leadership is also inter- ested in exploring opportu- nities for collaboration with St. Lucia and other nations in the Caribbean. “We were extremely pleased to receive Prime Min- ister Chastanet at Health City,” said Dr. Chandy Abraham, CEO and medical director at Health City. “We have also been very impressed with the prime minister’s vision for the sus- tainable development of the Caribbean and look forward to working with him and his government on how we can expand the provision of com- passionate, high-quality, af- fordable healthcare services to the people of the region in a world-class, comfortable, patient-centered environ- ment,” he said. The prime minister was assured that Health City would support the work of existing medical facilities in St. Lucia. “We would like their team to come down to St. Lucia as soon as possible so we can sign a memorandum of un- derstanding and get some- thing started very quickly,” Mr. Chastanet said. Rufus, who appears to be about one year old, was brought to the Humane Society with extensive burns along his back.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. MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.” – Emmett “Doc” Brown, “Back to the Future” OK, perhaps time-traveling scientist Doc Brown was a bit optimistic about transportation needs in the 21st century. For now and for the foreseeable future, good old- fashioned roadways remain the primary component of a city’s transportation infrastructure. A country’s roads can be likened to a body’s circu- latory system. They are a conduit that enables the free flow of critical resources (instead of blood and nutri- ents – people and goods). A well-designed, – maintained and – functioning transportation system breathes life into every corner of the community – increasing livability and facilitating economic development. An unfortunate side effect of Grand Cayman’s great economic fortune is that as our population and house- hold wealth have increased, so too has the amount of traffic, which at peak times (the beginning and end of workdays and school days) overwhelms the capacity of our road network, despite continual improvements, expansions and upgrades over the past several years. Certainly, more robust arterial roads will help alle- viate congestion and allow traffic to flow more freely. However, there is a limit to how much asphalt, and automobiles, are desirable in our insular slice of paradise. (Where would you rather live or vacation: On the side of a seething highway, choked with noisy traffic? Or on the beachside, caressed by fresh breezes and murmuring waves?) Solving the long-term riddle of traffic congestion requires creative thinking. Eventually, the mantra of “more roads, forever” will lead to a dead end. Cayman is not alone in the struggle to help resi- dents and visitors get from point A to point B as pain- lessly, even as pleasantly, as possible. Among the mul- titude of ideas and innovations out in the wider world of transportation, here are a few that merit consider- ation in Cayman: 1) “Complete streets” policies There are many ways to travel, but too often, trans- portation planning focuses only on private automo- biles. Incorporating infrastructure for “active transpor- tation” such as bicycling and walking can encourage residents to use those alternate forms, removing cars from our busy roadways. In Cayman, that might mean, for example, improving existing road shoulders for use as bicycle/pedestrian lanes, connecting gaps in existing sidewalks, or planting shade trees to make paths more attractive and provide protection from the sun. 2) Strategic subtraction Just as important as having roads where we need them is reducing or eliminating the flow of traffic where we do not. Diverting traffic from cramped and congested areas such as downtown George Town could reduce snarls coming into and out of the area, and can “pave the way” for pedestrian-friendly urban renewal that will encourage visitors and residents to linger downtown. 3) Rational and reliable mass transit Cayman’s microbuses provide an important service to many passengers, but there is tremendous capacity for growth, especially on busy commuter routes. Identi- fying and eliminating barriers to bus ridership – whether it be schedules, routes, capacity or simple lack of knowl- edge about this transportation option – could help get more commuters out of cars and onto buses. 4) Incentives for behavior While we generally disagree with governmental attempts to control personal purchasing decisions, we would support incentivizing the purchase of smaller cars, motor scooters or electric vehicles (which already have a lowered import duty of 10 percent) through reduced or eliminated tariffs. 5) Private enterprise Even though infrastructure is not the responsi- bility of private-sector companies, employers can look to cope with predictable traffic congestion by examining policies such as flexible hours, staggered shifts, employee car pools or remote work sched- ules. Employers might encourage active transporta- tion by adding bike racks and basic shower facilities for employees who cycle or walk to the office. Traffic congestion and unsightly roads are more than a drive-time irritant. Left unaddressed, those problems could impede our country’s economic growth, diminish our islands’ attractiveness as a tourism destination and detract from residents’ quality of life. When envisioning a highly effective transportation system that is uniquely suited to Cayman, our leaders should not be afraid to switch lanes, shift gears or explore routes that are “less traveled” but more scenic. Cayman cannot pave its way out of traffic jams The steep cost of ‘cheap speech’ WASHINGTON — At this shank end of a summer that a calmer America someday will re- member with embarrassment, you must remember this: In the population of 325 million, a small sliver crouches on the wilder shores of politics, an- other sliver lives in the dark forest of mental disorder, and there is a substantial overlap between these slivers. At most moments, 312 million are not listening to excitable broad- casters making mountains of significance out of molehills of political effluvia. Still, after a season of dan- gerous talk about responding to idiotic talk by abridging First Amendment protections, Americans should consider how, if at all, to respond to “cheap speech.” That phrase was coined 22 years ago by Eugene Volokh of UCLA Law School. Writing in The Yale Law Journal (“Cheap Speech and What It Will Do”) at the dawn of the internet, he said that new information tech- nologies were about to “dra- matically reduce the costs of distributing speech,” and that this would produce a “much more democratic and diverse” social environment. Power would drain from “interme- diaries” (publishers, etc.) but this might take a toll on “so- cial and cultural cohesion.” Volokh anticipated today’s a la carte world of instant and inexpensive electronic distri- butions of only such content as pleases particular individ- uals. Each person can craft delivery of what MIT Media Lab founder Nicholas Negro- ponte called a “Daily Me.” In 1995, Volokh said that “let- ting a user configure his own mix of materials” can cause social problems: customiza- tion breeds confirmation bias — close-minded people who cocoon themselves in a cloud of only congenial informa- tion. This exacerbates polit- ical polarization by reducing “shared cultural referents” and “common knowledge about current events.” Technologies that radically reduce intermediaries and other barriers to entry into society’s conversation mean that ignorance, incompetence and intellectual sociopathy are no longer barriers. One re- sult is a miasma of distrust of all public speech. Although Volokh leans libertarian, what he foresaw — “the demassi- fication of the mass media” — led him to conclude: “The law of speech is premised on certain (often unspoken) as- sumptions about the way the speech market operates. If these assumptions aren’t valid for new technologies, the law may have to evolve to re- flect the changes.” He warned about what has come about, odious groups cheaply dis- seminating their views to thousands of the like-minded. Nevertheless, he stressed the danger of letting “government intervene when it thinks it has found ‘market failure.’” Now, Richard L. Hasen of the University of California, Irvine offers a commentary on Volokh, “Cheap Speech and What It Has Done (to Amer- ican Democracy),” forthcoming in the First Amendment Law Review. Hasen, no libertarian, supports campaign-spending regulations whereby govern- ment limits the quantity of campaign speech that can be disseminated. Given, however, that “in place of media scar- city, we now have a media firehose,” such regulations are of diminished importance. As, Hasen says, using the in- ternet to tap small donors has “a democratizing and equal- izing effect.” But, he correctly says, cheap speech is reducing the relevance of political parties and newspapers as intermedi- aries between candidates and voters, which empowers dem- agogues. Voters are directly delivered falsehoods such as the 2016 story of Pope Fran- cis’s endorsement of Donald Trump, which Hasen says “had 960,000 Facebook en- gagements.” He cites a study reporting approximately three times more pro-Trump than pro-Hillary Clinton fake news stories. Hasen says that during the 2016 election, digital ad- vertising revenue reached $1.4 billion, a 789 percent in- crease over the 2012 cam- paign, with Facebook and Google receiving 85 percent of it. Courts have rejected the idea of government bodies de- claring campaign statements lies; besides, as Hasen deli- cately says, this is “an era of demagoguery and disinfor- mation emanating from the highest levels of government.” But because “counterspeech” might be insufficient “to deal with the flood of bot-driven fake news,” Hasen thinks courts should not construe the First Amendment as pro- hibiting laws requiring “social media and search companies such as Facebook and Google to provide certain information to let consumers judge the ve- racity of posted materials.” Hasen errs. Such laws, written by incumbent legis- lators, inevitably will be in- fected with partisanship. Also, his progressive faith in the fiction of disinterested gov- ernment causes him to pro- pose “government subsidizing investigative journalism” — putting investigators of gov- ernment on its payroll. The most urgent debate concerns the First Amend- ment implications of regu- lating foreign money that is insinuated into campaigns. This debate will commence when Robert Mueller reports. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2017, Washington Post Writers Group GEORGE F. WILL 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”5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 Man with STD found guilty of gross indecency with a child Lawsuit filed against constable who hit man with baton MAN ARRESTED IN RAPE CASE Officer was found guilty of assault in incident in November 2014 KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com A police officer who was found guilty earlier this year of assaulting a suspect in custody is now being sued over the incident. Glen Andrew Bush is seeking damages for assault and false imprisonment against senior constable Mi- chael “Bobby” Peart. The civil lawsuit stems from an incident in No- vember 2014 when Mr. Peart conducted a traffic stop on Mr. Bush on Eastern Avenue in George Town. According to Mr. Bush, the officer forcefully threw him on the bonnet of his car and further assaulted him with a baton in the back seat of the vehicle while he was handcuffed. Mr. Bush also claims that Mr. Peart “violently and unlaw- fully” grabbed him by his neck and squeezed it at the police station. Mr. Peart was charged with assault causing ac- tual bodily harm, went on trial last November, and was found guilty on Dec. 5. Mr. Bush was also charged with disorderly conduct, assault, and resisting arrest. Before he was sentenced in March, Mr. Peart’s at- torney, Kathleen Ryan, ar- gued that the conviction against her client should not be recorded. According to Ms. Ryan, Mr. Peart had been as- sisting another officer by re- straining the prisoner. “His intention was to keep the situation from esca- lating,” she said at the miti- gation hearing. At the sta- tion, his purpose in acting as he did was to reduce the prisoner’s aggression. Ms. Ryan said Mr. Peart had an exemplary record over his 16 years with the police service; he had twice received a commissioner’s commendation; he had never had any disciplinary ac- tions against him. She asked the court to balance that one incident against his ca- reer as a whole. Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez agreed that the conviction against Mr. Peart should not be re- corded, citing a U.K. Court of Appeal case in which the judge acknowledged the extremely difficult task police have in discharging their duties. They have a difficult job, especially when dealing with disor- derly or difficult people. People being detained can become violent as a result of being angry or in an at- tempt to secure their re- lease. But the force police use must be proportionate to the situation. In Mr. Peart’s case, the magistrate commented, the man being arrested “was no doubt a nuisance, but not a threat.” Assistance was re- quired to get the man hand- cuffed and into the police car, but force was not rea- sonable when it involved the use of Mr. Peart’s baton and later holding the man by his throat. She referred to the so- cial inquiry report, which contained information that was not known to her be- fore and helped her un- derstand Mr. Peart’s reac- tions that night. Without indicating what that in- formation was, she said she considered the period around November 2014 to have been extraordinary times for him. When that information was consid- ered in light of the inflam- matory words from the complainant, it amounted to substantial mitiga- tion, she said. The magistrate pointed out that the law gives her the discretion to not record a conviction when the char- acter, antecedents, age or health of the defendant, or extenuating circumstances, make it inexpedient to inflict any punishment. She emphasized that she was not turning a blind eye to the officer’s use of force, but said her decision was based heavily on the extenu- ating circumstances. Mr. Peart was uncondi- tionally discharged, and has resumed active duty with the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. A 24-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the report of an alleged rape on Sept. 13. A woman reported being raped around 3 a.m. at her home in Shamrock Road, Prospect. The suspect is in custody on suspicion of rape and ag- gravated burglary, Royal Cayman Islands Police Ser- vice Chief Inspector Frank Owens said Saturday. Victim, age seven, contracted the infection, court hears CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) was found guilty on Friday of gross indecency with a girl who was seven years old at the time. Devon Alanzo Stewart, 57, was remanded in custody until his sentencing hearing, which was set for Nov. 20. Justice Timothy Owen told him that a custodial sentence was inevitable. Justice Owen, who con- ducted the trial without a jury at Stewart’s request, heard evidence and submis- sions over four days and gave his detailed decision the next day. The offense occurred in the defendant’s car during the latter half of 2016. It came to light a few days later when the girl’s mother went to bathe her. The moth- ertook the child to a doctor. who confirmed the pres- ence of an STD infection an- dadministered the appro- priate treatment. Justice Owen said he had reviewed the video of the girl’s interview with author- ities about what had hap- pened. The girl was reluc- tant to answer questions but eventually did say that someone did something they were not supposed to do. Questioned further, she said Stewart had touched her private parts. The video was accepted as her evidence in chief and the girl appeared in court via video link; guidelines were followed for the cross-exam- ination of children. Justice Owen said he formed the view that the girl was intelligent and well able to tell the difference between the truth and a lie. He did not accept the suggestion that her allegation against Stewart was something she had been persuaded to invent. He accepted defense at- torney Alex Davies’s criti- cism that because of the leading questions that were asked, the girl’s interview was “hardly a model” for the way such interviews should be conducted. Because of her age, the girl was not required to take an oath before giving her evi- dence. In such cases, the law requires corroboration, the judge explained. In this case there was “extremely strong corroboration” – Stewart him- self was infected: he had tested positive six days be- fore the incident in his car. The medical evidence alone did not prove guilt, Jus- tice Owen cautioned. He had heard expert evidence as to possible non-sexual methods of transmitting the disease. The judge also heard evi- dence from Stewart. He said he was sure the defendant was lying about certain mat- ters; he pointed out that those matters had not been put to the girl or her mother. But he could not assume Stewart was guilty just be- cause he lied. He found no credible basis for undermining the girl’s ev- idence and said it would be an extraordinary coincidence that the person she accused was, in fact, infected. After the verdict, the ques- tion of identifying the defen- dant was discussed. Crown counsel Greg Walcolm, who had presented the case for the prosecution, said pub- lishing the defendant’s name would not go so far as to form a link to the identifica- tion of the girl. Justice Owen agreed and revised his reporting restric- tions accordingly. He noted that Stewart had no previous convictions and on that basis asked for a so- cial inquiry report. The re- port was expected to take six to eight weeks to pre- pare, so sentencing was set for Nov. 20. Justice Owen said he formed the view that the girl was intelligent and well able to tell the difference between the truth and a lie. The George Town courthouse FLORIDA FAMILY LOOKS FORWARD AFTER LOSING HOME TO SINKHOLE MIAMI (AP) – A Florida family will soon be searching for a new place to gather after their home of nearly five de- cades was lost to a sinkhole. Elena Hale said cracks began appearing in the wall of her grandparents’ Apopka home last Monday, and the wall was separating from the ceiling when they woke early Tuesday morning. A hole in the yard grew larger as the morning went on, and the bottom of the house was starting to sag by 11 a.m. “By that point, my grand- parents had the fire depart- ment there, so they helped them move a lot of the furni- ture toward the front of the house so that we could get it out,” Hale said. “And then it was just a matter of time, to be honest. The sinkhole was growing rapidly.” The back section of the house eventually collapsed into the sinkhole. Ellen and Garry Miller have moved to a hotel while they figure out what to do next, but rebuilding the condemned house does not seem to be an option. A home in Apopka, Florida, is swallowed by a sinkhole on Sept. 19. - PHOTO: AP According to [the complainant], the officer forcefully threw him on the bonnet of his car and further assaulted him with a baton in the back seat of the vehicle while he was handcuffed. 6 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Joshua Pavolik, right, has his head shaved as supporters of the Big Shave look on. – PHOTOS: TANEOS RAMSAY Big Shave raises more than $267K for child cancer research KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com More than 1,000 people attended the fifth annual Hannah’s Heroes Big Shave on Friday night, raising more than $267,000 for children’s cancer research. The crowd at Cricket Square watched as 107 people – including 27 women and 12 children – had their heads buzzed to raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foun- dation, the largest nongov- ernment funder of pediatric cancer research in the U.S. It was Cayman resi- dent Eugene Nolan’s fourth year participating in the event. More than $45,000 has been raised on Mr. No- lan’s behalf since 2013, but he wanted to give something extra this year. “This year, I instituted some challenges …. The one I wasn’t expecting was taking my eyebrows off,” he said. “Fantastically, we raised another $1,000 when I announced I was shaving my eyebrows.” The added donations helped Mr. Nolan and his team, Savage Cuts Con- sulting, raise the second highest amount, with a total of $26,469 by the end of the night. Maples and Balder raised the most with $31,192, and Natasha Casebolt was the top-ranked individual with $10,512. Donations like those have led to tangible results, ac- cording to St. Baldrick’s Foundation CEO Kathleen Ruddy, who traveled from the U.S. to attend. She said that the contributions have helped St. Baldrick’s award more than $230 million in 1,052 grants to more than 358 re- search institutions. Recently, St. Baldrick’s- funded research led to the FDA approval of CAR T Cell PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » The crowd at Cricket Square watched as 107 people – including 27 women and 12 children – had their heads buzzed to raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Derek Haines and Mustapha Elouarghani line up to have their heads shaved.St. Baldrick’s Foundation CEO Kathleen Ruddy addresses attendees of the Big Shave before the event kicks off. Hannah Meeson sits on the lap of her mom, Gaylene Meeson, while Mrs. Meeson has her head shaved.7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 OCTOBER 7, 2017 The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman www.breastcancerfoundation.ky info@breastcancerfoundation.ky Featuring Special Guest Speakers PRINT MEDIA SPONSOR Featuring Special Guest Speakers Rancic Bill & Giulianna THANK YOU TO OUR SPECIAL MENTION SPONSORS therapy for children with leukemia – a treatment that targets cancer cells while leaving the healthy ones in- tact, she said. Additionally, Ms. Ruddy said, four grants have been named in honor of Hannah’s Heroes to fight anaplastic medulloblastoma, the dis- ease that affected the event’s namesake, Hannah Meeson. Hannah, now 10-years old, was at the Big Shave on Friday, sporting a big smile as dozens of people had their heads shaved. Her mother, Gaylene Meeson, said Hannah is “thriving,” going to school in Hong Kong and participating in the Girl Scouts – a remark- able feat for a girl who was given less than a 5 percent chance of surviving when she relapsed in 2013. Ms. Meeson said she is “overwhelmed” that the Big Shave continues to garner such large support from Cayman five years after its inception, when 35 people shaved their heads. “Every year I think we must have peaked and people will get board of watching people have their head shaved,” she said. But “the more we raise awareness, the more people get involved. Be- cause children are involved.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 Big Shave raises more than $267,000 for child cancer research Savage Cuts Consulting raised more than $25,000 Friday night, the second-highest total behind Maples and Balder. Eugene Nolan takes a selfie of his newly shaved head.Mustapha Elouarghani has his locks chopped off.Asmaa Benzellak was one of 27 women to participate in the Big Shave.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS quite a long time ago for me, but still good memories of those days.” Martinez brought two important ambassadors, Cesar Boaventura and Paulo Lopo, back to Cayman. Boaventura heads the football agency GIC Ca- reer Management and Lopo is president of Leixoes S.C. They were both looking to further develop the skill level of Cayman’s young football players. Portuguese teams are unable to bring in foreign players before the age of 16, which means that fu- ture Cayman professionals would do well to follow Martinez and sign ap- prenticeship contracts at a younger age. But once they hit 16, said Boaventura, there’s a path for them to succeed in Portugal. “It’s possible,” he said. “The local government wants to develop the football in Cayman. We can put a coach here, and we can take the coaches from here to Por- tugal to work with Portu- guese coaches. We can bring about five or six players to Portugal for training. Every- thing is possible. We see big talents here.” Lopo, whose club currently has players of 16 nationalities, believes that Martinez’s playing abroad can only improve the level of play domestically. He wants to find three or four players near the ability of Martinez, which could in- spire better play at home for generations to come. “The players here have big talent. But they don’t have enough tactical in- struction in football,” he said, relying on Boaventura as an interpreter. “The im- portant part is talent, and we’ve seen all over the world the talent to move players. Every time a player with talent leaves the country, it’s important for the foot- ball in the country to go to another level. In Portugal, we can say that about Paulo Futre, about Luis Figo and about Ronaldo. It was very important for these players to show the world the talent of Portugal.” Martinez made another trip to visit local players on Sunday, and he is sched- uled to be feted by the gov- ernment at the George Town Yacht Club on Monday night. He’ll return to Por- tugal on Tuesday. Boaventura estimates that it will take a year for Martinez to break into the top team for Leixoes. This year will be spent preparing physically and technically for top-level football, but Boaventura said that Mar- tinez could move quickly through the European ladder. Boaventura and his business partner, agent and former footballer Fitzroy Simpson, want to see Mar- tinez at a big club like S.L. Benfica soon. “I trust in one year, Se- bastian will be on the first team,” Boaventura said of Leixoes. “But my project for Sebastian now is preparing him to go to a team like Benfica. Three years, max- imum. Because the player is consistent. All the time, he wants football. He has a big chance, because he has big talent.” Cayman youngster follows football dream to Portugal SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com The dream is familiar, but the pursuit has taken Sebas- tian Martinez to foreign soil. Martinez, an 18-year-old Caymanian driven to become a professional football player, is currently suiting up for Leixoes S.C. in Portugal and rounding out his skill day- by-day and game-by-game. This weekend, though, Mar- tinez was home in Cayman to visit friends and tell them about his journey. The challenge of living abroad is nothing new for the youngster, who played at England’s Swindon Town F.C. on an apprenticeship con- tract before signing in Por- tugal. At his last stop, Mar- tinez lived with his agent and heard English – his native language – both on the pitch and in his daily interactions. That comfort zone has been completely upended now. Martinez, who studied Spanish in school, is learning Portuguese and living with his youthful teammates. Ev- erything about Portugal has been an exciting adventure, and Martinez said parts of his new home remind him of his time in Cayman. “Life in Portugal has been easy for me to adapt to. It’s different from other places in Europe because the people are less hectic and not always in a rush,” Martinez said via email. “Communication has not been a huge problem for me because a lot of the popu- lation also speaks English. “Many of my teammates and the coaching staff are multilingual which makes my training and interactions much easier. Although Por- tuguese is a difficult lan- guage, it shares similari- ties with Spanish, which I have learned throughout my time in school, and I have been learning more and more each day. My new teammates help me improve my Portu- guese and I help them better their English.” Longtime goal Martinez, in some re- spects, has been working to- ward his goal for at least a third of his life. He left Cayman as a 12-year-old to play for Swindon Town’s academy. His transition there was eased by the presence of his agent, Fitzroy Simpson. Simpson, a former member of Jamaica’s national team who played with Manchester City of the Premier League during his distinguished professional career, has been there to offer guidance and encourage- ment along with vital tricks of the trade. For six years, Martinez lived with the Simpsons, building a close bond with Fitzroy’s son, Jordan, who has since gone on to sign with the Forest Green Rovers in England. Portugal made more sense for Martinez, said Fitzroy Simpson, but it caused some anxious mo- ments in his household. “I have two sons and a daughter, and there’s no dif- ference,” he said of his rela- tionship with Martinez. “Se- bastian is like a third son. I’ve always had a belief in him, as I do in all my clients, but to see him make this step to Portugal was hard on my wife. She treats him like a son, and she knows that like her biological sons, they have to fly the nest. He lived in my own home, and he treats it like his home. It will al- ways be his home, and I don’t care if he’s 30 years old. My wife is adamant that it’s Se- bastian’s room.” On the field With Martinez a two-hour flight away from Simpson’s home, football is the only consideration. On the field, he fits best as a classic No. 10, said Simpson, and he’s most ef- fective when allowed to play a creative role as an ad- vanced central midfielder. He can also play as an attacker split out to either wing, and the Portuguese style of play could allow Martinez to blossom quickly. “I’m expecting Sebastian at the age of 20 or 21 to be a major household name in Eu- rope,” said Simpson. “He just has to mature into under- standing the game the Portu- guese way. He’s re-adapting to freedom, but Sebastian has been well drilled and well disciplined. He’ll try to take on some defensive duties, but the coaches say, ‘No, we only want you for expression.’ It’s quite the marriage made in heaven for me.” For that marriage to work, Martinez will have to climb the organizational ladder. Martinez, who signed a two-year contract, is playing for the B team for Leixoes S.C., and if he succeeds there, he could be routed to the club’s first team by next season. At that point, he’d be playing against the B teams of major clubs such as Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Sporting Clube de Portugal and Sporting Clube de Braga. Simpson said that Benfica has the first option in case Leixoes decides to sell Martinez to an- other team, but nobody is in a rush for that to happen. “It’s going to be time and patience,” said Simpson. “If you look across the world globally, there just aren’t that many 18-year-olds playing senior football week- in and week-out. We have a plan for Sebastian, and he’s got set goals to be assessed every six months. The first six months’ goal is to adapt to the new environment and have a full understanding of what the coaches want technically.” Martinez got an early look at the club’s top players this summer, when he worked out with the first team be- fore splitting into the B team. Leixoes finished 17th in Liga Pro – the second tier of Por- tugese football – and nar- rowly avoided being relegated last year, but it is currently tied for fourth place with Porto II this season. If Leixoes finishes in the top two, it can move up to Portugal’s Pri- meira Liga next year. While he’s with the B team, Martinez will get to test him- self against other players his age. But if he moves up, he’ll have to play against grown men all competing for promo- tion up the football ladder. “All my life I’ve been ac- customed to playing against players bigger than myself,” said Martinez. “It provides me with a challenge and oppor- tunity to work on my phys- ical attributes. The players of the first team give good guid- ance and help in my develop- ment as a footballer. Playing football is about more than just technical aspects and training with the experienced professionals of the first team helps me improve my tac- tical understanding and de- cision-making because of the quicker speed of play.” Martinez, pressed on all sides from players who want to carve out the same future he’s aiming for, can shoulder his own ambitions and also those of his homeland. Simpson said that Leixoes S.C. would never think about stop- ping Martinez from the op- portunity to play internation- ally for Cayman. A path for Cayman youths That’s one of the reasons he came home this weekend. Martinez hopes to share his success with his Cayman youth teammates and also with the Cayman Islands Football Association, but more importantly, he’s ready to show the next genera- tion that they can follow in his footsteps. “I don’t think of myself as a great inspiration, but I know what I do has an in- fluence on younger Cayma- nians,” he said of blazing a football trail. “It’s impor- tant that all young Cayma- nian athletes know they can achieve their dream and I hope my journey encour- ages others to start their own. It gives me confidence to know that I’m laying a pathway for other young footballers to follow.” “He knows the coun- try’s behind him,” added Simpson. “Sebastian is a shining light for Cayman. There are some talented boys there. I’ve seen them personally. But Sebastian is proving that it can be done. And he is a very proud Cay- manian. Every time the na- tional team calls, he’s the first on the plane.” The youngster, who left Cayman at age 12 to sign an apprenticeship contract with Swindon Town F.C. in England, went to the Annex field on Saturday to watch a few youth football teams run through their paces. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Martinez hopes to lift Cayman football Sebastian Martinez showed up at the Annex field to inspire the next group of Cayman footballers to follow in his footsteps. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2017 restrained from “further distribution” of the post. It is alleged by Mr. Ar- cher’s attorney, Colm Fla- nagan, that the Aug. 30 court order was breached in two instances, once during a talk radio appearance and again in a later publication on Ms. Hill’s website. Grand Court Justice Timothy Owen, who was not the justice issuing the Aug. 30 injunction, said the matter of contempt of court should be decided promptly before any fur- ther action was taken in the civil lawsuit. Justice Owen extended the order against publi- cation and warned local media covering the hearing not to repeat any of the allegations in the orig- inal blog post. Disobedience of court orders is one kind of “con- tempt of court” under Cayman Islands law, and in this case what is alleged to have occurred is called “civil contempt,” rather than a criminal contempt. In such cases, the aggrieved party can make application to the court to jail the “con- temnor” (the person who is alleged to be in contempt of the order). According to the Cayman Islands Law Re- form Commission, it is pos- sible in the Cayman Islands to be given an “indefinite sentence” for contempt and to be released only when the individual has “purged” their contemptuous acts, meaning they comply with the court order. The cases are not de- cided by trial, but are in- stead ruled on from the bench typically by the judge who made the initial order. same day, but he declined to discuss that response with the Cayman Compass. Mr. Manderson said he be- came aware of the check de- livery only after Mr. Glid- den’s email, and that he has asked the ministry to look into why the DCI employee was sent to Ogier with the “refund” check. Mr. Glidden said his firm has repeatedly contacted the Department of Commerce and Investment regarding the status of the Sunday re- tail license, but still had no explanation why the gov- ernment-appointed Li- quor Licensing Board even- tually turned down that application. The department and the board were apparently in agreement immediately after a March 28 liquor board meeting that Peanuts was granted a Sunday retail li- cense, according to internal documents obtained by the Cayman Compass. How- ever, former liquor board chairman Woody DaCosta said months after the fact that the license was actu- ally denied at an “electronic” meeting sometime in June. No records of that meeting have ever been made public. and Mr. DaCosta has since been removed as the liquor board’s chairman. Mr. Glidden also said it was common practice at the liquor board to give reasons for the refusal of license ap- plications “except apparently for this application.” “The only response that we have had from the DCI since the application by Pea- nuts Ltd. in March … was the response from [former board secretary] Marva Scott notifying us that the retail application was approved,” Mr. Glidden wrote in the Sept. 21 email. Ms. Scott was transferred to another civil service department after Mr. DaCosta blamed her for sending out the liquor board decisions “prematurely.” Gov- ernment officials later said Ms. Scott’s transfer was not related to the controversy over the Peanuts application. The Sept. 21 email, which was shared with the as- sent of Mr. Rutty, also indi- cated Peanuts representa- tives received an “unsigned response” on Sept. 1 that at- tempted to explain the “inor- dinate amount of mistakes” that occurred with the Pea- nuts Sunday retail license application, but which still did not give an explanation why the license was suppos- edly rejected. The retail license to sell alcohol on Sundays has been listed as a “new” ap- plication at the upcoming li- quor board meeting agenda for Sept. 29, but Mr. Glidden said his client Mr. Rutty ac- tually applied for a renewal of an existing license. “This situation has now become untenable,” Mr. Glidden wrote in the Sept. 21 email. “Prior to making a public complaint and taking further steps necessary to protect our client’s rights, I have been instructed to reach out to yourselves in an attempt to provide some res- olution to this matter.” Internal audit report The controversy and un- certainty over the liquor board’s decision on the Pea- nuts Sunday retail license application has led to a gov- ernment-sanctioned review by the Internal Audit Service. A draft of the report on the liquor board issues was completed and circulated to government staff last week, and Mr. Manderson said it was his aim to release a copy of the report sometime this week, if possible. Commerce Minister Hew, who had also called for the internal audit, was off island last week. He was expected to review the report on his return Monday. Government lawyers were also reviewing the final draft of the audit. ETHIOPIA BANS WEAPONS AT RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL NEAR NATION’S CAPITAL ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) – Ethiopia has banned weapons at the upcoming Irrecha religious festival in order to avoid the violence that killed several dozen people last year. The state- ment from the restive Oromia region comes ahead of the Oct. 1 thanksgiving gathering. “The security situation in the region has improved im- mensely compared to last year so armed personnel will not be allowed to be at the center of the festival,” Lomi Beo, head of the Oromia Culture and Tourism Office, told the Associated Press on Sunday. “Armed police will be confined to the outskirts of the festival site as per the re- quest of the religious leaders. We don’t expect last year’s tragedy to happen again.” Up to 1.5 million people are expected to participate in this year’s celebration in the town of Bishoftu, 25 miles south of the capital Addis Ababa, she said. Last year se- curity forces at the Irrecha gathering dispersed anti-gov- ernment protesters with tear gas and gunfire, triggering a deadly stampede that of- ficials said killed at least 50 people. Activists said the death toll was much higher. Subsequent large-scale anti-government demonstra- tions across the Oromia re- gion claimed more lives, caused the destruction of several local and foreign- owned companies and led to the declaration of a state- ment of emergency that lasted for 10 months. “We are already wit- nessing signs of tensions as the day of the celebra- tion draws closer,” said Ni- mona Nigash, a resident of Bishoftu town. “People are told to avoid displaying anti-government signs and wearing black clothes during the event.” Human Rights Watch has urged the Ethi- opian government to allow an international inquiry into the deaths at the 2016 event and has called for restraint to prevent casualties at this year’s festival. “The security forces disas- trous and disproportionate use of force should not be re- peated this year,” said Felix Horne, a senior Africa re- searcher at Human Rights Watch. “With long-standing grievances still unanswered, this year’s Irrecha could be fraught with tensions.” Former Rwandan presidential aspirant is arrested KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) – Rwandan police have ar- rested Diane Rwigara, a leading critic of Rwandan President Paul Kagame and a women’s rights activist, for alleged offenses against state security. Rwigara’s mother and sister were also detained on the tax evasion charges and she is also being charged with forgery, Rwanda po- lice said in a Twitter post Sunday. The three who ar- rested Saturday have been under investigation and po- lice have interrogated them several times. “During ongoing in- vestigations, police un- covered credible evidence linking the trio to offenses against state security,” Rwanda police said. Police said earlier the three refused to cooperate with police and publicly re- vealed information that is, by law, supposed to be con- fidential. Rwigara was a women’s rights activist be- fore she announced plans to seek the presidency in last month’s election. Rwanda’s electoral board disqualified her, saying she did not have enough signatures to support her candidacy. Her brother, Aristide Rwigara, told The Associ- ated Press that his sister is being persecuted for having dared to challenge Kagame, the longtime president, in Rwanda’s August election. He also said the criminal al- legations against the family are fabricated, insisting they have been targeted by Rwan- da’s government for refusing to do business with the ruling party. “These charges are ab- surd. Every day, authorities in Kigali come up with some- thing new against my family,” Aristide said, speaking from the United States. Rwigara’s troubles started this year after she announced she would chal- lenge Kagame in the Aug. 4 vote. Two days after de- claring her candidacy, nude photographs allegedly of her were leaked on social media. It was not clear who was be- hind the leak. Rwanda has won praise for its advances in economic development and women’s rights over the last 20 years, but critics say Kagame rules with an iron fist and toler- ates little criticism. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Another twist in ‘untenable’ liquor license situation CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Former minister asks court to send local blogger to prison Justice Owen extended the order against publication and warned local media covering the hearing not to repeat any of the allegations in the original blog post. Witnesses: Many Rohingya still trying to flee Myanmar COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AP) – The massive exodus of Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar to escape brutal persecution appears to have slowed down, but several re- cent refugees say at least tens of thousands more are huddled near beaches or in forests waiting to escape. Some Rohingya who have fled over the last week said Myanmar army sol- diers were shooting at those trying to flee to Bangla- desh. Others said thousands were stuck in Myanmar be- cause most boatmen had made the crossing to safety themselves and soldiers had burned many of the boats that remained. Over the last month, an estimated 430,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh as their homes and villages were set on fire by mobs of soldiers and Buddhist monks. They have brought with them accounts of soldiers spraying their villages with gunfire. In the first three weeks of the latest convulsion of violence in Myanmar’s Ra- khine state, tens of thou- sands of Rohingya poured into Bangladesh each day, walking for days through for- ests or taking rickety wooden boats on the rain-swollen Naf River. Many crossed into the country via the thin sliver of the Bay of Bengal that separates Myanmar from Bangladesh. But Associated Press journalists have seen only a handful of people enter by land or sea at a few border crossings over the last week. However, there are several crossing points on the border between the two countries where Rohingya have entered over the last month, making it impossible to verify how many people enter Bangla- desh each day. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, also noted that the number of incoming Rohingya appeared to have dipped. One man who fled Myanmar, Syed Noor, said Sunday that tens of thou- sands of Rohingya were waiting at border points in Myanmar desperately trying to escape. Noor and his family had fled overnight into Bangladesh.Next >