ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY JANUARY 11, 2018 Personal Insurance Shrink your insurance bills in 2018! Save up to $400 on home and motor insurance! Pay up to 15% less for comprehensive insurance. Low deductibles too! Ask BritCay for a quote! 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 Earthquake sparks tsunami scare MIAMI MURDER SUSPECT IN COURT GARFIELD WONG TRIAL RESUMES Bush attends Speakers’ meeting in Seychelles BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A suspected baby killer who Miami-Dade police said shot a 27-year-old pregnant woman, leading to the eventual deaths of her and her infant daughter, was arrested on Grand Cayman Wednesday afternoon. Wayne Collier, 29, appeared in Summary Court late Wednesday. He is wanted in Miami-Dade County for first degree murder of the 12-day- old baby girl. Initial reports from the U.S. indi- cated that the child’s mother, Heidy Bowen, had survived the shooting. However, Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice confirmed that both the mother and child eventually died as a result of the shooting incident. CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd. Senior immigration officer Gar- field Wong went into the witness box on Wednesday to give his ac- count of what had happened in the early hours of Dec. 28, 2013 when he was driving home along Shamrock Road. As a result of a road accident, Mr. Wong was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, care- less driving and leaving the scene of an accident. The trial began last year before Magistrate Grace Don- alds and was adjourned several times because of the conflicting schedules of expert witnesses, the court and attorneys. Mr. Wong said he was driving Cayman Islands Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush, second row, far left, was among more than 70 parliamentary presiding officers from more than 50 nations who attended this week’s Commonwealth Conference in the Seychelles. See page 3 for more details. JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A 7.6 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Honduras Tuesday night triggered a tsunami scare that impacted the Cayman Islands and raised new questions about the islands’ emergency alert capability. Hazard Management Cayman Islands officials confirmed Wednesday morning that the territory had been impacted by a small tsunami, bringing sea level rises of less than a foot. The quake hit at 9:52 p.m., 25 miles east of Swan Island, Honduras, and reg- istered as a minor tremor 190 miles away in Grand Cayman. Residents reported feeling vibrations, in some cases shaking furniture, knocking pictures off the wall and causing minor wave action in condo swimming pools. The U.S. Tsunami Warning Center briefly placed the Cayman Islands on an advisory watchlist Tuesday night, warning of poten- tial wave impact between 1 and 3 feet at around 10:30 p.m. Information about the quake and the scale of the anticipated tsunami was not im- mediately available locally, prompting spec- ulation and some concern among residents, who feared a more serious wave impact. The first official notification from gov- ernment’s Hazard Management unit dropped at 10:46 p.m. – 15 minutes after the anticipated wave impact. Simon Boxall, education and communi- cations officer at Hazard Management, ac- knowledged that public concern about emer- gency communications was justified. He said government does not currently have an ef- fective and efficient system of notifying the public in the case of “rapid onset events,” like a tsunami, major fire or a toxic spill. He said the team had reacted swiftly, PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM PROPOSED JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Government is in discussions with cell- phone providers over a new emergency alert system that will allow it to send in- stant messages to all smartphone users in the Cayman Islands. Similar to the U.S. “amber alert” emer- gency broadcast response system, the mass notification system is expected to cost more than $1 million to implement. It is part of a three-phase approach to improving emergency communications, which faced criticism again Tuesday night, following a tsunami scare. Hazard Management chiefs are already working on a system that will allow them to commandeer radio airwaves with emer- gency updates. That is expected to be in place by March. The second phase involves partnership PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » High of 84 Low of 72 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 QUAKING IN OUR… ER ... SANDALS WORLD | PAGE 8 13 DEAD IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AS RAIN TRIGGERS MUDSLIDES Hazard Management’s Lee Madison surveys data on the earthquake Wednesday. TREMORS FELT ON GRAND CAYMAN2 LOCAL NEWS THURSDAY JANUARY 11, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS • Daily Matinees Every Day • $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 • Additional charges will apply per 3D/VIP ticket requested SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - THURSDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) MOLLY’S GAME (R) 12:55 I 6:45 STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (PG13) 12:45 VIP I 3:40 I 6:55 I 9:25 THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (PG) 4:25 I 7:15 I 9:50 FERDINAND (PG) 1:40 I 4:25 I 7:00 INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY (PG13) 1:35 I 3:50 I 6:50 VIP I 9:45 JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (PG13) 4:05 VIP I 6:45 I 9:20 VIP I 10:10 PITCH PERFECT 3 (PG13) 1:20 I 4:00 I 9:50 Defense: Trespass at home of chief justice a random act Defendant had 60 previous convictions CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The trespass late last month onto the residen- tial property of Chief Jus- tice Anthony Smellie was a random act, with no knowl- edge on the part of the tres- passer as to whose yard he had entered. That was the position of defendant Thadeus (Thad) Kaemeron Bodden as ex- plained by his attorney, John Furniss, before sen- tencing on Tuesday. Magistrate Valdis Foldats specifically asked if the prop- erty had been targeted. Mr. Furniss said it was totally random and senior Crown counsel Candia James said targeting was not suggested. When caught, Mr. Bodden had said he went to the premises on Patrick’s Island because he was looking for a girl he had met at a bar ear- lier that night. After hearing further de- tails of this and similar of- fenses, the magistrate im- posed sentences totaling eight and a half months. He noted that the max- imum penalty allowed by the law for criminal tres- pass is imprisonment for one year. A first offense of crim- inal trespass by someone with no previous convictions could be met with a sen- tence of community service, he pointed out. Ms. James provided de- tails of Mr. Bodden’s offenses. She said that in the early hours of Saturday, Dec. 30, an auxiliary constable on patrol saw the figure of someone jumping over the fence at the Chief Justice’s house. The of- ficer chased the figure and caught the man, who turned out to be Mr. Bodden. After his arrest, police were advised of an incident earlier the same night, in which the owner of another property got an alert on his phone suggesting that there was a trespasser. He checked the CCTV and saw a man ap- proach a vehicle in the yard and attempt to open it. He called police. Mr. Bodden initially de- nied being the man on the CCTV and seemed to have an alibi, but he subsequently admitted his guilt. He en- tered his pleas in Summary Court on Jan. 2. Ms. James advised the court of three previous of- fenses, which occurred in No- vember 2016. The defendant was captured on CCTV trying several car doors in an ap- parent attempt to break into them. After his arrest, he ad- mitted going into one of the vehicles, saying it was to get cigarettes. Items in the vehicle were disturbed, Ms. James con- firmed, and that was what led to the charge of at- tempted theft. A few days later, he was seen going into several yards, looking around, and riding out again on a bicycle. When arrested, he initially said he had found the bi- cycle and was looking to re- turn it; however, he later ad- mitted trespassing. Mr. Bodden pleaded guilty to these charges in 2016; sen- tencing was adjourned be- cause he successfully applied to enter the Drug Rehabil- itation Court. Mr. Furniss reminded the court of efforts the defendant had made to stay off drugs and attend court and coun- seling sessions in 2017. In passing sentence, the magistrate noted that Mr. Bodden, now 41, had 60 pre- vious convictions. He be- lieved the defendant’s re- cent efforts were genuine, “but you are at an age now where you risk defining your- self by your actions – being known as a thief.” He urged the defen- dant to use his time in cus- tody to reflect. For the 2016 offenses, he said the attempted theft added to their seriousness. Those, plus the two new tres- passes, could have attracted a total of 28 months impris- onment, he said. However, he gave one third credit for guilty pleas and made the 2016 sentences run concur- rent and the 2017 sentences concurrent but consecutive to the first set. The result was 12 months. The magistrate then gave Mr. Bodden credit for time spent in custody after the 2016 offenses, plus half credit for the time he had been on restricted bail. The final result was eight and a half months. POLICE: WATCH FOR BOGUS WORKMEN The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service has re- ceived a handful of reports within the past few days of criminal suspects posing as workmen trying to gain entry to local homes. These bogus workers have attempted, in some cases, to pass themselves off as Ca- ribbean Utilities Company crews or employees of other locally operated businesses. “They may potentially be connected to suspected burglary activity,” an RCIPS statement read. CUC’s general policy is for their workers not to enter a home unless there is some unusual circum- stance. All CUC staff mem- bers have official identifica- tion with them at all times, the company said. “If you are approached by someone in a similar situa- tion whom you suspect is at- tempting to enter your resi- dence under false pretenses, the police are requesting that you call 911 and make a report as soon as possible,” the police statement read. “Additionally, if you are able to note any identifying infor- mation, such as descriptions of the persons involved, de- scriptions of any vehicle they have driven, or the reg- istration numbers of any such vehicle, please do so.” Light pole falls on Smith Road A traffic-light pole fell onto the road at the in- tersection of Smith Road and Huldah Avenue Wednesday morning. By around 2 p.m., the lights at the intersec- tion were not functioning and the fallen pole had been removed. Police offi- cers were directing traffic through the area. National Roads Au- thority Works Manager Brian Chin Yee told the Cayman Compass that tem- porary replacement lights would be installed and his staff was working to make sure that the traffic lights would be fully functional as soon as possible. He said he anticipated that the lights would be op- erational by the end of the day Wednesday. The fallen pole will be reinstalled in about a week, Mr. Chin Yee said. He said the pole fell because of a “mechanical failure,” but declined to elab- orate further. National Roads Authority workers attend to a fallen traffic light pole around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday. - PHOTO: KEN SILVA LISTERIA SCARE PROMPTS ICE CREAM RECALL AT LOCAL GROCERY STORES Products removed from Foster’s Food Fair IGA, Kirk Market Supermarkets in the Cayman Islands have re- moved some ice-cream products by Stone Ridge from their shelves be- cause of fears of listeria contamination. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued the recall of the prod- ucts, which are manufac- tured by Fieldbrook Food Corporation’s Dunkirk, New York, plant. The FDA stated no ill- nesses had been reported in connection with the re- called products. Two local supermarkets, Foster’s Food Fair IGA and Kirk Market, carry the prod- ucts and have withdrawn them from sale. Listeria is a foodborne, disease-causing bacteria which invades and grows best in the central ner- vous system among im- mune-compromised indi- viduals, causing meningitis and/or encephalitis (brain inflammation). In particular, listeria poses a danger to pregnant women due to the potential harm to the fetus that can come about as a result of consumption of the product, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The affected products are: Stone Ridge Ice Cream Nov- elties’ Orange Cream Bar (six pack), Ice Cream Sandwich Variety Pack, and Ice Cream Bar (12 pack). No other Stone Ridge Ice Cream Novelties-branded products are included in this recall. Out of an abun- dance of caution, however, a representative from Kirk Market said the grocery store had removed all prod- ucts from the Stone Ridge Ice Cream Novelties product line from its shelves until further notice. Foster’s encouraged cus- tomers who have purchased these products from any of their stores to return them for a full refund and to dis- continue use of any af- fected products. After Mr. Bodden’s arrest, police were advised of an incident earlier the same night, in which the owner of another property got an alert on his phone suggesting that there was a trespasser. 3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JANUARY 11, 2018 285 to receive sports honors on Heroes Day Speaker Bush attends Commonwealth Conference THREE INJURED IN ACCIDENT Cayman Islands Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush was among more than 70 parliamentary pre- siding officers from more than 50 nations who at- tended this week’s Commonwealth Conference in the Seychelles. The conference, officially the 24th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Common- wealth, was held in the archipelago off the coast of east Africa for the first time. The meetings focus on collaborations and part- nerships to enhance democracy in the independent states and territories of the British Commonwealth. “We are all committed to the values inscribed in the Commonwealth Charter – democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,” said Seychelles Presi- dent Danny Faure during the conference opening on Tuesday. “We are all dedicated to the develop- ment of free and democratic societies, and the pro- motion of peace and prosperity to improve the lives of our people.” Alcohol not believed to be involved MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com A three-car accident on Shamrock Road Tuesday night snarled traffic for more than an hour and in- jured three people. One of those injured was trapped in the wreckage and had to be extracted by fire crews. Westbound traffic was completely stopped for a short time. Cayman Is- lands police officials said the crash happened just after 7 p.m. The accident involved a Honda Inspire, SsangYong Tivoli and a Dodge Cal- iber. The Honda crossed the center median into on- coming traffic. The Dodge ended up on its side. Police spokesman Mikhail Campbell said he could not provide the exact sequence of events, but said the Honda’s tra- jectory across the center of the road was “not a spon- taneous thing.” The female driver of the Honda was the person trapped in the wreck. It took nearly an hour for crews, using the “Jaws of Life,” to remove her from the car. She was taken to Cayman Is- lands Hospital and is being treated for non-life-threat- ening injuries. The driver of the SsangYong and a passenger in the Dodge were also taken to the Cayman Islands Hospital for minor injuries and subsequently released. The driver of the Dodge was treated at the scene. Police said alcohol was not believed to be a factor in the crash. No one has been cited in the incident, but police are investigating and Mr. Campbell said it’s possible that citations or charges may be made in the future. The Cayman Islands gov- ernment will honor 285 people for their contribu- tions to sports in the islands on National Heroes Day, Monday, Jan. 22. Categories of awards that will be issued at the cer- emony at Heroes Square include “Early Pioneer,” “Pioneer,” “Emerging Pio- neer,” “Long Service Award” and “Memorial Scroll.” Early Pioneers refer to in- dividuals, alive or dead, who made significant con- tributions to the early de- velopment and/or delivery of sports in the Cayman Is- lands before 1960; Pioneers are individuals, alive or dead, who has made significant contributions to sports be- tween 1960 and 2006 and Emerging Pioneers are those who have made significant contributions to sports from 2007 to present. Long Service Awards are for living individuals who may not have been leaders, but long serving in the sports community, who have con- tributed for 10 years or more; while Memorial Scrolls will be presented to families of deceased individuals who were leaders or notable con- tributors to the development and/or delivery of sports. Each Early Pioneer, Pio- neer and Emerging Pioneer will be awarded a commemo- rative specially designed pin, made from metal and enamel. The pin, designed by Kara Coe of the Government Infor- mation Service, incorporates “significant features to rep- resent sports in the Cayman Islands,” according to a GIS press release. The design includes a flaming torch – a symbol uni- versally associated with the Olympic Games and with sports in general – and a wreath, which was an an- cient prize for the winners of sporting competitions. It also features a ribbon “to represent the finishing line at a sports competition,” the release states, as well as a thatched rope twisted around the edges, to repre- sent Cayman’s national tree, the silver thatch palm, sym- bolizing the importance of rope-making to the economy of the Cayman Islands’ earlier days. At the center of the design is the Cayman Islands crest, identifying the insignia as a national honor. The awards ceremony will be followed by a sports exhibition in the Town Hall in George Town and there will also be local food and live entertainment. The cer- emony begins at 9 a.m. and is free to attend. Orga- nizers advise attendees to be seated by 8:30 a.m. Categories of awards that will be issued at the ceremony at Heroes Square include “Early Pioneer,” “Pioneer,” “Emerging Pioneer,” “Long Service Award” and “Memorial Scroll.” One of those injured was trapped in the wreckage and had to be extracted by fire crews. President of Tynwald (Isle of Man parliament) Stephen Rodan, left, greets Cayman’s Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush during this week’s Commonwealth Conference in the Seychelles.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. Are you aware that the White House, con- gressional offices and most major media employ “fact checkers?” Given the amount of misinformation these organizations spew, a reasonable conclusion is that the fact checkers are often biased, igno- rant, or ignored. Mr. Trump frequently seems to speak in a fact- free zone. The mainstream media quite correctly notes many of his errors; yet, rather than being able to take advantage of the president’s mistakes, they turn right around and tell whoppers of their own – which enables him to call them “fake news.” The new tax bill is a case example. Minority leaders Pelosi and Schumer kept engaging in the claim that the tax bill only bene- fits the “rich.” The actual facts were presented in the websites of reputable organizations, such as the Tax Founda- tion, where the first and secondary distributional effects of the changes were presented. But many in the main- stream media preferred to either repeat the Pelosi/ Schumer talking points as fact, or assemble little panels of know-nothing “experts” to give their opin- ions, rather than facts. The mainstream media then re- ported that the majority of taxpayers thought the tax bill would not help the middle class. Real reporters present actual facts to their readers/listeners, which they keep separate from their opinions. Misin- forming their audience and then reporting that the people believe the misin- formation makes journal- ists look like fools. Many of these same journalists claim that the president is mentally unfit to serve, yet they ignore the hysterical rant of Mrs. Pelosi against the tax bill, which made her look truly unhinged. Sen. Al Franken re- signed last week, as far as I can tell not because he had engaged in some crim- inal offense – but behaved in ways that offended some number of women before he was elected to the Senate. I am no fan of Mr. Frank- en’s politics or much of his humor (which is moronic), but it should have been up to Minnesota voters as to whether or not he con- tinued to represent them. A recent poll has shown that a majority of Minnesotans believe that he should not have resigned. In a civil society, in- stitutions matter. Much of what the political class does offends me – spending other people’s money on ac- tivities that are not autho- rized by the Constitution, for example. The Democrats are probably going to re- gret giving the Washington power elite the right to de- cide who will be an accept- able representative rather than the voters. Many in the “me too” movement say the woman must always be believed. Not so. There are studies showing that women tend to be no more honest than men, but that is not the real issue. We are all in- dividuals and have equal rights regardless of our sex or race. It was only a few decades ago that courts in many parts of the U.S. would discount the testi- mony of a black witness when it conflicted with that of a white – because whites were considered to be more honest. As a result, many black people suffered from a mis- carriage of justice because they were not treated as equal individuals. Likewise, when it comes to allega- tions of sexual harassment, every individual has the right to be considered in- nocent until proven guilty. To do otherwise will lead to more abuses like the Duke Lacrosse team. The claim is made that it can be uncomfortable for a woman to have to name those she accuses – in public, and often that is true. But being uncomfort- able does not override due process and the presump- tion of innocence. Think of those a few decades ago who testified against mem- bers of the mob – that took real courage. People in private orga- nizations are not subject to all of the due process pro- tections, because of impor- tant principle of “employ- ment at will” that are in the public sphere. But in recent years, a number of Human Resource departments have become weaponized by indi- viduals within the organi- zation – sometimes manage- ment, sometimes others. Employees quickly learn they can gain points by accusing other less fa- vored employees of racism or sexism – whether justi- fied or not. I know of one case, where the new CEO, apparently jealous of his more accomplished pre- decessor, told the former CEO he was not welcome at the headquarters, be- cause some unnamed em- ployee felt uncomfortable about an alleged comment from him. The former CEO was not told what the al- leged comment was nor who had made the complaint. Basic due process and jus- tice were denied. The solution to the problem is for responsible managements to abolish anonymous witch hunts, which undermine organi- zational cohesiveness. Sec- ondly, to realize that indi- viduals have very different views of what is funny and what is not. The next time someone says something you find offensive, realize that we are all insensitive at times, take a deep breath, assume that they meant no harm, and let it be. For a better world, rather than getting angry, take the failings of others with good humor. Richard W. Rahn is chairman of Improbable Success Productions and on the board of the American Council for Capital Formation. © 2018, The Washington Times, LLC Vicki Wheaton, an editor and writer at the Compass, was the first member our staff to detect Tuesday night’s earthquake. “Everybody feel that tremor?” she asked newsroom colleagues via WhatsApp shortly before 10 p.m. Norma Connolly, managing editor of the newspaper, responded to Ms. Wheaton, “Are you sure Pumpkin (her beloved cat) hasn’t fallen off the sofa again?” No, it wasn’t Pumpkin. Within minutes, Compass reporters and editors con- firmed that a 7.8 magnitude earthquake had struck midway between Cayman and Honduras’ Swan Islands. (Later, the quake would be downgraded to 7.6 on the Richter Scale). And so, the Compass newsroom came alive long after the next day’s newspaper had “gone to bed.” As Managing Editor Connolly and others coordi- nated efforts, reporters scoured official sources and made phone calls to emergency management officials. The Compass’ first article was published online at 10:21 p.m., warning readers that potentially hazardous conditions might develop. Our newspaper was one of the first news outlets, anywhere in the world, to relay weather experts’ warnings that the earthquake might generate tsunami waves that could affect the Carib- bean region, including the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Mexico, Honduras, Cuba, Belize, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. When the U.S. National Weather Service eventu- ally removed the Cayman Islands from its tsunami advisory map, the Compass immediately updated the article, which had by then been widely read and shared by readers looking for potentially life-or-death information. The Compass continued to update its online coverage until the “all-clear” was sounded around midnight. By noon on Wednesday, our late night story had been viewed nearly 30,000 times on www.cayman- compass.com — with nearly 15,000 views coming from Cayman. The remaining readers came from 124 coun- tries, ranging alphabetically from Algeria to Zambia. Additionally, our updates on Facebook had reached more than 27,000 additional followers (more than 250 of whom commented or “shared” the news with their friends online). In a note of thanks, one reader wrote to the Compass: “I searched for information on caymanpre- pared.ky, cnn.com and many other sites and nobody had any information about this tsunami.” We’re not sharing these figures for self-congratu- latory reasons — well, maybe just a little — but to illus- trate the local and international reach of our publica- tion. Such impact during breaking news events doesn’t suddenly materialize out of nowhere. It is the product of years of daily effort by our journalists to build and maintain a relationship of trust with our readers. When something is happening that involves or may affect Cayman, you can expect the Compass to provide timely, relevant and useful information, in a variety of media, including the print newspaper you’re holding right now, our website, online video and social media networks. In this age of anonymous blogs, so-called “citizen journalism” and special interests labeling news they don’t agree with as “fake,” it is essential for a com- munity to have a team of professional journalists able to sift through the noise and the nonsense and report the news that matters in a straightforward, timely and objective manner. We hope that the bond of trust between the Compass and our readers is that when we do make mistakes, we unhesitatingly correct them — quickly, completely and prominently. Media outlets unwilling to correct their errors (unless under the threat of likely lawsuits) are indeed practicing “fake news” and do damage to the very pro- fession they claim membership in. Quaking in our … er … sandals THURSDAY JANUARY 11, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS 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” Better facts, more humor RICHARD W. RAHN RICHARD W. RAHN The next time someone says something you find offensive, realize that we are all insensitive at times, take a deep breath, assume that they meant no harm, and let it be. 5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JANUARY 11, 2018 tasteofcayman.org @tasteofcaymaN MEDIA LTD. HURLEY’S BRITCAY CAYMAN’S CULINARY MAGAZINE january 27, 2018 festival green · 5pm - 11:45pm Buy your ticket now for $150 at TasteofCayman.org, in-store at Bon Vivant, Funky Tang’s and all Blackbeard’s and Big daddy’s stores. Experience voucher priority parking Welcome drinks es VIP Hospitality lounge Film devotees focus in on new UCCI program MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Diante Scott wants to help put the Cayman Islands on the film industry map. Mr. Scott, 19, is a student at University College of the Cayman Islands and is en- rolled in the school’s vid- eography course this spring. He is hoping it will be a stepping stone toward be- coming a recognized film director. A course in docu- mentary-making last year al- ready helped him improve his camera skills, he said. “It allowed me to step out of my box and be re- ally creative,” said Mr. Scott, who has been making videos for the past four years and has his own fledgling pro- duction company. He is just the kind of stu- dent Ivan Eubanks had in mind when he began formu- lating a new media studies program last year. Many of those new courses were first offered this semester, which began on Monday. Mr. Eubanks, who earned his Ph.D. in Slavic languages at Princeton and taught at Boston University and Mos- cow’s New Economic School, came to the Cayman Islands two years ago. He grew up in Florida, but had never been to the island before. He said a rebranding study that was done about the same time had led to Lance Parthé, an instructor and owner of a local pro- duction company, to suggest establishing more clubs on campus and having each one increase its visibility through creating and posting videos on social media. Promoting the idea of creating videos led to other things. “Lance wanted to do a documentary filmmaking class,” Mr. Eubanks said. “I was acting dean of ac- ademic affairs, so we got that through and offered that course.” Mr. Eubanks had taught film history both in Boston and Moscow. At the latter, he assigned video projects for his students, teaching them the basics of videography. “I started getting more into the creative pro- cess,” he said. The idea of using video to boost the profile of UCCI seemed like a nat- ural progression. “When I got here, it all kind of fell together,” he said. During the course of last year, Mr. Eubanks put to- gether a slate of courses in the genre, including videog- raphy, sound engineering and an introductory class to broadcast journalism. In recent years, UCCI has focused on providing more job-specific programs, such as nursing and accounting. The idea has been to train Caymanians, few of whom have had such skills, for po- sitions often filled by for- eign workers. With the media studies courses, however, there is no well-established industry to tap into. Mr. Eubanks is not wor- ried. He has something of a “Field of Dreams” philosophy. If there are trained people, the work will follow. “That’s the idea,” he said, “to generate an industry. The idea is that if more people graduate and want to do filmmaking, even if there aren’t jobs here, they could get off-island clients. You’ve got Florida, with Miami right there. You’ve got Jamaica.” Several of Mr. Eubanks’s students are just as optimistic as he is. They see evidence of increased local opportunities. “There are more people interested in doing film as a career,” said Thea Foster Ebanks, 16. “Even in [some] high schools they’re offering media courses.” Ms. Ebanks recently par- ticipated in the Young Image Makers program, a film- making competition for young people, through the Cayman National Cultural Foundation. Winners get to spend a week at the New York Film Academy. She said putting together a documen- tary on a foreign student’s struggle to adapt after trans- ferring to Ms. Ebanks’s high school, whetted her appetite. “I want to look at writing my own screenplays and then shooting them,” she said. She thinks she will leave the island to study at some point, but that move would be more out of choice than necessity. Her classmate Grace Ruby, 19, is of similar mind. “Since I want to do full features, I will probably have to go off island,” Ms. Ruby said. “But they’re starting to do more [here] and I wouldn’t be surprised if more films might be done down here.” Ms. Ruby won the Young Image Makers competition and went to New York in 2016. Since then, she said, she has worked on the set with some Cayman production compa- nies. She is focused on a career in film and said she would like to be one of the first woman to win a Golden Globe for di- recting. Barbara Streisand is the only woman to have won the award for best director, claiming it in 1983 for “Yentl.” The UCCI course she is taking will help her, she said. “I feel like I will learn some valuable things,” she said. “I just hope they offer more classes.” Mr. Eubanks said that is part of the plan. “I’m looking at expanding into a filmmaking degree,” he said. “I’d eventually like to turn it into a BA program.” The plan, he said, is to create an associate degree in media studies first. By the time the first class of stu- dents attains their degrees, the BA program would be in place so those same students could smoothly transition into upper division classes. Such a program would allow students to complete their undergraduate studies here before looking for jobs in the industry or going on to film school, as some are al- ready planning to do. Mr. Scott has his eye on going to film school in Los Angeles. Ms. Ruby said she may study in Toronto, but she does not intend to leave Cayman completely behind. “If I do make it,” she said. “I will definitely try to film a feature film down here.” Such a program would allow students to complete their undergraduate studies here before looking for jobs in the industry or going on to film school. Ivan Eubanks, right, explains properly setting up a video camera to students Johanan Eugene, left, and Thea Foster Ebanks, center. - PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSSThe islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. THURSDAY JANUARY 11, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS TUESDAY, JAN. 16 SEAFARERS: The Cayman Islands Seafarers Association holds its yearly Council Nomination General Meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Seafarers Hall, 11 Victory Ave., Prospect. Buses will be provided from West Bay Town Hall at 6 p.m. A bus route has been added in George Town, leaving the public library parking area at 7 p.m., stopping at the Cayman Compass building and the Airport Foster’s. The bus is marked Bobo $1 Public transport and is blue in color; there is no charge. WEDNESDAY, JAN. 17 BRAC DLP VISIT: Representatives from the Department of Labour and Pensions will visit Cayman Brac today and tomorrow to assist clients with any issues or disputes. The DLP officials will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and reopen from 5 to 7 p.m. to serve clients after work hours. On Thursday, employers and employees can meet with representatives from 9 a.m. until noon. The Cayman Brac DLP office is located at 256 Creek Road. Appointments can be made by contacting Gene Hydes, Head of Inspections, via email at gene.hydes@gov.ky or by calling 244-4008. Walk-ins are also welcome. DVDL LATE HOURS: The Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing Crewe Road office will remain open longer on Wednesdays this month. The office will open as normal at 8:30 a.m. but close later at 7 p.m. All other days – Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays – the office will operate as usual from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. THURSDAY, JAN. 18 PUB QUIZ: The Humane Society Quiz Night is 7 p.m. at Fidel’s. $10 per person. Teams maximum of six each. Reserve a table with Sarah at 949-5189 or sarah.dyer.81@gmail.com. FRIDAY, JAN. 19 CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING: Today is the last day to recycle natural Christmas trees, which the Department of Environmental Health will turn into mulch. All wires and ornaments should be removed from trees before they are placed into collection bins located at Ed Bush Stadium, West Bay; George Town Cricket Field; George Town landfill public drop-off area; Spotts Dock; Entrance of Frank Sound Road; Front of George Dixon Park, East End. MUZAIC: The annual DJ Showcase, organized by the Cayman Music and Entertainment Association, takes place at Margaritaville Bar and Restaurant from 5 p.m. $10 cover charge. SATURDAY, JAN. 20 CLOTHES SALE: Clothes Sale to benefit One Dog At a Time. Montessori School of Grand Cayman, South Sound, 8-11 a.m. Many bargains, including designer clothes at everyday prices, and a wide selection of ladies, men’s and children’s items too. FREE MULCH: Natural Christmas trees placed in collection bins by Jan. 19 will be shredded and made available as free mulch at the George Town Cricket Field today from around 8 a.m. Mulch will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Residents are invited to come out early and to bring their shovels and bags for the removal of the mulch. MUZAIC: Young Musicians Showcase, 1-5 p.m. at Harquail Theater. Free admission. Organized by Cayman Music and Entertainment Assoc. Musical Salute at Da Station Bar, 5 p.m. till midnight. SUNDAY, JAN. 21 FAMILY FUN DAY: The Annual Family Fun Day takes place at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, hosted by The Garden Club of Grand Cayman, in conjunction with the Botanic Park. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. $5 adult admission charge for the event gives full access to the park for the day. Children younger than 16 are admitted free. Activities include Children Lawn games, a magic show, a children’s craft table, a tombola, plant sale, children’s feel, touch and learn nature table, face painting and a butterfly trail. Refreshments for sale, including baked goods and juices. CMEA MUZAIC AWARDS: Ceremony takes place at Harquail Theater. Gates open at 6 p.m. MONDAY, JAN. 22 HEROES DAY: National Heroes Day celebrations take place in Heroes Square, George Town and all are invited. The public should be seated by 8:30 a.m. with the awards ceremony beginning at 9 a.m. promptly. This will be followed by a sports exhibition in George Town Town Hall featuring displays from sports associations. There will also be local food and live entertainment at the family- friendly event. For further information, contact the Protocol Office at telephone 244-3612, or via the email nationalevents@gov.ky. LIVE MUSICIANS SHOWCASE: Event organized by Cayman Music and Entertainment Assoc. at Margaritaville Bar and Restaurant, from 3 p.m. $10 cover charge. SUNDAY, JAN. 28 HATTITUDE: The National Trust gala brunch takes place at Ristorante Pappagallo 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Trust members, $100. Non-members, $125. Kids ages 3 to 12, $50. Theme is “Fantasea,” to bring awareness to plastic pollution and ocean conservation. Guests are encouraged to draw inspiration from the ocean when dressing for the occasion, whether in full regalia or just highlighted by choice of hat. WEDNESDAY, JAN. 31 OVERSEAS SCHOLARSHIPS: Today is the deadline to apply for government overseas scholarships for the 2018/2019 academic year. Anyone planning to apply is invited to complete the Overseas Scholarship Application at www. education.gov.ky. Contact the Scholarships Secretariat for any further information at scholarships@gov.ky or 244-2482. GENERAL INTEREST LOBSTER SEASON: The open season for lobster runs until Feb. 28. Bag limit is three per person per day or six per boat per day, whichever is less. Minimum size is a six-inch tail length. No taking lobsters from Marine Protected Areas. Only spiny lobster may be taken. No wearing gloves while snorkeling. No taking of lobster (or any marine life other than lionfish) while scuba diving. CONCH AND WHELK SEASON: The open season for conch and whelk runs until April 30. The legal limit for conch is five per person per day or 10 per boat, whichever is less. The limit for whelk catches is two-and-a-half gallons in the shell, or two-and-a-half pounds of processed whelks, per person, per day. BETHESDA COUNSELLING CENTRE: Caters to all who seek help. Open Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 68 Mary St. Appointments available Saturdays and late evenings. Owned and operated by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Call 946-6575. HUMANE SOCIETY BOOK LOFT: North Sound Road. Open Monday 12:30-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 5:30-7:30 p.m. Volunteers needed for front desk a few hours per week. Email humanesocietybookloft@ candw.ky or call 946-8053. Donations of books, games, CDs, stationery, DVDs, cards etc., in good condition always needed. RED CROSS THRIFT SHOP: The Thrift Shop opening hours are Tuesday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Friday hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed evenings. Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. COMMUNITY CHESS: Tuesdays 5-8 p.m., West Indies Wine Company. Join the Cayman Chess Club for a complimentary chess class and open challenges weekly. Anyone can learn to play and enjoy chess, even beginners. OPEN CANVAS: Every Wednesday. Visual Arts Society supports this event at KARoo Restaurant located in Camana Bay. 7-11 p.m. No fee. Easels provided for artist of all levels to come out and enjoy painting and socializing with other artists. Email info@visualartcayman.com or jar.was@gmail.com. MUSEUM TOURS: The National Museum provides guided tours for students and school groups free of cost. Students will gain an understanding of Cayman’s geological formation, flora and fauna, seafaring and rope-making heritage, political history and more. Contact the museum to book a tour in advance at 949-8368 or email info@museum.ky. CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: Meets daily to help with drinking problems. Call 926-9044 or visit www.caymanaa.org. NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS: Is available for substance abuse help. Call the info line at 929–NANA (6262). AL-ANON GROUP MEETING: Are you troubled by someone’s drinking? Al-Anon Family Groups can help. Call 928-8843 or email caymanalanon@gmail.com for meeting times. OVERCOMERS OUTREACH: A Christ-centered 12-step recovery group addresses addictions and those affected by them. Meetings at Cayman Islands Baptist Church, Pedro Castle Road, Mondays, 7 p.m. For details, contact Virginia Castillo at 946-2422, or visit www.overcomersoutreach.org. DEMENTIA/ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP: This group meets on the last Wednesday of each month at ADACI’s office, 4th floor Cardinall Plaza, 30 Cardinall Ave., GT. All are invited to attend. Call 924-4170 or email info@adacyman.com. ROTARACT BLUE OF CAYMAN: Meets Wednesdays 6 p.m., at Royal Palms Beach Club, West Bay Road. Contact rotaractblue@gmail.com or www.rotaractblue.org. LEO CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets first and third Wednesdays of the month, 6:30 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre. For more information, contact Secretary Letisha Allen at 924-2819. THE LIONS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets every first and third Thursday 7:30 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre. For more information, email LionsClubGCM@hotmail.com. THE LIONS CLUB OF TROPICAL GARDENS: Meet every first and third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Elizabethan Square (corner unit next to the MLA’s office). Members of the public are invited to attend. ROTARY CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN SUNRISE: Service club meetings 7 a.m. every Wednesday at George Town Yacht Club, 612 North Sound Road. website at www.rotarysunrise.ky or contact info@rotarysunrise.ky. KIWANIS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets first and third Wednesdays of the month, 12:30 p.m., at Britannia Golf Course Restaurant. Projects include promoting well- being of children in the community and schools. email president@kiwanis.ky or view www.kiwanis.ky. OPTIMIST CLUB: Meets first and third Thursdays at the Hibiscus Conference Room, George Town Hospital at 6:30 p.m. Email optimistcayman@yahoo.com. THE MODEL AIRPLANE FLYING CLUB: Meets Sundays 2 p.m. at the J. Bodden Marlpit/Old Raceway. Call 916–2327. PARENT AND TODDLER PLAY GROUP: For children from 2 weeks to 4 years. Meets Mondays 9:30-11:30 a.m. in the South Sound Community Centre. Children must be accompanied by parent or helper. Toys, activities, light refreshments provided. $6 per session per family. Email sspg@foxwood.ky. HEARTS THROUGH HANDS: Meets Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. to noon at The Family Life Centre, Room 10, Academy Way. Women make crafts for charity and missions. Call 946–3067 or 947–1863. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The Cayman Islands Seafarers Association will hold its yearly Council Nomination General Meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 16.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 According to Miami po- lice reports, the shooting occurred Nov. 3, 2017 in northwest Miami. Ms. Bowen, who was eight months pregnant at the time, was left in critical condition after being shot three times in the torso. Local doctors there de- cided to deliver the baby girl after the shooting, due to the mother’s dete- riorating health condition. The child survived only 12 days, police said. It was not imme- diately known when Ms. Bowen died. On Wednesday, Cayman police arrested Mr. Collier around 1:30 p.m. on a pro- visional warrant. They did not state how long Col- lier had been in Cayman or how he came here. He appeared before Summary Court Magis- trate Angelyn Hernandez around 4 p.m., who advised him of his rights to an at- torney and spoke to him briefly about the extra- dition process. Mr. Collier said he did not have an attorney. Magistrate Hernandez said veteran local de- fense lawyer John Furniss had volunteered to assist with the case and would “deal with the matter” Thursday morning. The defendant was to be held in custody until that time. He did not state during the hearing whether he would contest extradi- tion to the U.S. In addition to the two murder charges, Mr. Col- lier is also facing an illegal firearms possession charge in Miami-Dade. CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JANUARY 11, 2018 Earthquake sparks tsunami scare briefing journalists and up- dating their social media pages, but acknowledged more universal communica- tion was needed. “It re-emphasizes what we have been saying for a while. We need a mass no- tification system. It is fairly standard in other coun- tries …. The public need and expect to be informed if a threat is coming their way,” he added. He said government was working on a solution that will enable much swifter ac- cess to information in emer- gency scenarios. Even with sharper com- munications, he acknowl- edged, residents may not have much time to prepare if a more serious tsunami struck the Cayman Islands. Depending on the location of the earthquake, the lead time for residents in the Cayman Islands could be anything from a few minutes to eight hours. Danielle Coleman, acting head of the Hazard Manage- ment unit, said part of its focus was a public education campaign to ensure residents knew what to do. “We are not used to having tsunamis. It is a mysterious topic for a lot of people, but they are a re- alistic threat. If you feel an earthquake, you need to go inland and up – it might be nothing but it is much better to be safe than sorry.” Boaters are advised to stay on the water and go out to sea, she added. The likelihood of a more serious tsunami impacting Cayman is considered to be remote but not impossible. Mr. Boxall said, “We are in a seismically active area. These things don’t happen very often, but that’s part of the problem. We need people to know if these things do happen, how are you going to react to keep yourself and family safe.” The deep water around the Cayman Islands pro- vides some degree of protec- tion, because major tsunamis require shallower depths to build height But Mr. Boxall said there were enough such areas, in- cluding in the North Sound, for tsunamis to be consid- ered a credible threat to the territory. Tuesday night’s event was the first time a tsu- nami has officially been re- corded in the Cayman Is- lands, though the history books suggest there may have been previous events, before the advent of modern recording equipment. Mr. Boxall said there were documented accounts of a serious earthquake at sea in 1843 and an incident in 1856 where Cayman was “sunk” by an earthquake. In his book, “Islands from the Sea,” on the geology of Cayman, author Murray Roed documents a tsunami in Ja- maica in 1692 which he says impacted Cayman. He told the Cayman Com- pass Tuesday that the condi- tions did exist for tsunamis to impact the island. “A tsunami can be gener- ated in several ways: move- ment along faults, especially near continental edges, major landslides into water and also major submarine slides in places like the Cayman Trough,” Mr. Roed said. He added, “The Jamaica tsunami impacted Cayman. The Cayman Islands are near major transform faults trending east-west and also are at the edge of the North American Plate. So there are plenty of opportunities for tsunamis but are neverthe- less very rare.” along when his cellphone, that was on the seat be- side him, fell on the floor. He wanted to pick it up before it slid under one of the pedals, so he checked his mirror to make sure no one was close behind him. He could see there was no one in front of him, so he reached down to pick up the phone off the floor. “On reaching down, I did hear a thud, but I assumed I hit a pothole or ran over the markers on the road,” Mr. Wong told the court. He straightened up and did not see anything in front of him, so he con- tinued driving home. He said he became aware of lights flashing be- hind him, but did not stop because he did not know who it was. When he turned onto the street where he lives, the right wheel of his vehicle “kind of gave way.” At that point, he said, the man who had been fol- lowing him pulled up and asked if he realized he had been in an accident. Mr. Wong said he re- sponded, no. He asked if the other driver was OK. When police arrived, he was asked if he had been drinking. He responded that he had a few drinks earlier that night, but did not consider that his ability to drive was impaired, he told the court. He was given a road- side breath test and was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and transported to the Bodden Town Police Sta- tion, where another breath test was performed. Mr. Wong was still giving evidence by press time. Garfield Wong trial resumes CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 As a result of a road accident, Mr. Wong was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. with cable companies to allow government to inter- rupt television shows with scrolling updates. The third phase, which is expected to take longer to implement, involves in- stalling new technology and negotiating licensing agreements to allow Hazard Management to send im- mediate updates to every smartphone users on the is- lands. The messages would hit every smartphone in the vicinity, including cruise ship passengers’, but would not be viable for basic cellphones. A previous experi- ment using more basic SMS text blasts – similar to the strategy used by cellphone provides to advertise sales – proved ineffective. In a tsunami-exercise experi- ment last year, some users did not receive the message until days later. Lee Madison, deputy di- rector for communication at Hazard Management, said SMS messaging was not an effective technology for emergency communications, which need to hit thousands of phones instantly. He said implementing the new system would be com- plex and expensive but it was by far the best way to en- sure the messages reached people immediately. “It goes straight into the core of the system,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you are on a phone call or anything, it will hammer it in your data channels as an emer- gency message. It is a pro- cess that is going to take time. There are lots of nego- tiating factors to get into the core systems of the phone companies and it has to be negotiated carefully.” Raul Nicholson-Coe, CEO of Digicel, said the im- plementation of an alert system would be fairly easy to achieve from a tech- nology standpoint. He added, “We are cur- rently working with the regulator to help them to agree on an implementa- tion process and stand ready to work with all rel- evant agencies and parties to make these information services available to the benefit of the people of the Cayman Islands.” Hazard Management’s Mr. Boxall said government was well aware of the con- cerns about the level of emer- gency communications. Sim- ilar issues were raised about communication during a mass evacuation of homes in South Sound last year fol- lowing a fire at the Jackson Point fuel depot. He said the new system would be effective not just for tsunamis, considered a realistic but remote threat, but for other rapid onset emergencies, including fires and major storms. “It is an important public safety issue,” he said. “People expect us to make them aware in situations. We need the system and it is going to happen but people need to recognize that it takes a bit of time. It is not just gov- ernment; we are engaging with companies Digicel, Flow – there are costs involved, there is planning.” Emergency alert system proposed CARIBBEAN EARTHQUAKES According to the Earthquake Track website, which moni- tors quakes across the globe: ■■ The Caribbean and Cen- tral America has had 11 earthquakes in the past 24 hours as of press time, registering 1.5 magnitude or greater. ■■ 55 earthquakes in the past 7 days ■■ 216 earthquakes in the past 30 days ■■ 3,234 earthquakes in the past 365 days Wayne Collier, 28, appeared in Summary Court late Wednesday. He is wanted in Miami-Dade County for first degree murder of the 12-day-old baby girl. Wayne Collier Miami murder suspect in court CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Little damage as mag 7.6 quake hits in sea north of Honduras TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) – One of the strongest earth- quakes to hit the Caribbean in modern times struck off the coast of Honduras on Tuesday night, shaking the mainland and set- ting off tsunami warnings that were canceled about an hour later. There were no early re- ports of serious damage or casualties on land after the quake struck shortly before 10 p.m. local time. Officials in Honduras said shaking was registered across much of the nation and there were some reports of cracks in homes in Colon and Atlan- tida provinces along the northern coast and Olancho in eastern Honduras. Tsunami centers issued advisories and warnings for Puerto Rico, the Cayman Is- lands, Cuba, Jamaica and other Caribbean islands as well as on the coasts of Mexico and Central America, cautioning that sea levels could rise from a foot to 3 feet above normal, but no tsunami materialized. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at a pre- liminary magnitude of 7.6. The tremor struck in the sea about 125 miles north- northeast of Barra Patuca, Honduras, and 188 miles southwest of George Town, Cayman Islands. The tremor occurred about 6 miles below the surface. The northern coast of Honduras closest to the quake’s epicenter is sparsely populated, with much of it covered by nature reserves. The tremor was about 25 miles (44 kilometers) east of Honduras’ Swan Islands, which are unpopulated ex- cept for a small navy post. Tuesday’s quake was one of the largest to hit the Carib- bean in recorded history. The 2010 quake that devastated Haiti was magnitude 7.0. Garfield WongThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY JANUARY 11, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Iran’s foreign minister in Russia for talks Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is visiting Moscow for talks focusing on the future of the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and the situation in Syria, where both nations support President Bashar Assad. 15 dead in Southern California as rain triggers mudslides S. Korea open to summit with North’s Kim, but it will not be easy SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – It’s been more than a decade since the leaders of the two Koreas have held a summit. Could it happen now? South Korean President Moon Jae-in told reporters Wednesday that he remains open to a meeting with North Korea’s leader, if it would im- prove the strained relations between their two countries and help resolve the global standoff over the North’s nu- clear weapons development. It is not a new posi- tion for Moon, who took of- fice in May, but it took on new meaning coming one day after high-level officials from the two Koreas held a rare and apparently suc- cessful meeting, agreeing on the North’s participation in the upcoming Winter Olym- pics in the South. A meeting between the two leaders is not likely in the immediate future. The North’s Kim Jong Un has not met any foreign leader since he succeeded his father in 2011, and attitudes have hardened since the only two previous Korean summits in 2000 and 2007, when South Korean presidents were pur- suing a “Sunshine Policy” of trying to win over the North through engagement and aid. Moon is a liberal who fa- vors a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue and whose election ended nine years of hard-line conservative rule. He was chief-of-staff to former President Roh Moo-hyun, who held the last summit with Kim’s father in 2007. Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Dongguk University in Seoul, said a meeting during Moon’s five- year term is possible. “Kim has never met any foreign leader, so it would be meaningful for him to make his first summit a meeting between Koreans,” Koh said. During the televised news conference in Seoul, Moon said “I keep myself open to any meeting including a summit,” and that he would push for further talks and cooperation after Tues- day’s meeting. Moon called North Korea’s participation in next month’s Olympics “very desirable,” but said inter-Korean rela- tions cannot be improved without progress on the nu- clear issue. He warned that the North would face harsher international sanctions and pressure if it resorts to new provocations, adding that “denuclearization of the Ko- rean Peninsula is the path to peace and our goal.” Under the deal struck Tuesday at the border village of Panmunjom, North Korea will send officials, athletes, cheerleaders, journalists and others to the Olympics in Py- eongchang, a mountainous county near the border. South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon said Wednesday he expects the delegation will include 400 to 500 people. The accord stipulates the two Koreas will actively co- operate in the Olympics to “enhance the prestige of the Korean people.” The two sides also agreed to hold military talks, and North Korea said it had re- cently restored a military hotline with the South, the second reopening of an inter-Korean communication channel in about a week, ac- cording to South Korean of- ficials. All major communi- cations had been shut down because of the tensions over the North’s nuclear program. The accords, reached at the first meeting between the rival Koreas in about two years, were widely viewed as a positive step following a year of escalating ten- sion over Kim’s rapidly ad- vancing nuclear and mis- sile programs. Last year, Kim and President Donald Trump exchanged bellicose rhetoric and crude insults as North Korea conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test and three tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles that put the U.S. within its range. Trump contended that his tough stance had helped per- suade the North to sit down with the South. Some warn that tensions could quickly flare again as the North still wants to expand its weapons ar- senal. They also say Kim may be pushing for better ties with South Korea be- cause North Korea is feeling the pain of U.S.-led interna- tional sanctions. The countries have a long history of failing to follow through with rapprochement accords. In 2015, negotiators met for nearly 40 hours be- fore announcing a deal to pull back from a military standoff caused by land mine blasts that maimed two South Ko- rean soldiers. But animosities flared again several months later after the North Korea’s fourth nuclear test. John Delury, a China and North Korea expert at Yonsei University in Seoul, cautioned that the process is fragile, but said Tuesday’s talks are opening up new diplomatic possibilities, in striking con- trast to last year. “It’s still very early in this process, and we have to see how much momentum it ac- quires, but so far this year is definitely getting off to a very different start,” he said. “You have to knock on the door to see if it will open.” Two earlier liberal pres- idents, Roh and his prede- cessor Kim Dae-jung, met with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. But the conservative governments that followed them took a tougher line. The presidency of conser- vative Lee Myung-bak, from 2008 to 2013, was marked by animosity, including North Korean attacks on a warship and a border island that to- gether killed 50 South Ko- reans in 2010. His successor, Park Geun-hye, indefinitely suspended South Korean par- ticipation in a joint industrial park in North Korea’s Kae- song city in February 2016, the last remaining major symbol of cooperation be- tween the two. MONTECITO, Calif. (AP) – At least 15 people were killed and dozens of homes were swept away or heavily dam- aged Tuesday as downpours sent mud and boulders roaring down hills stripped of vegetation by a gigantic wild- fire that raged in Southern California last month. Helicopters were used to pluck more than 50 people from rooftops because downed trees and power lines blocked roads, and dozens more were rescued on the ground, including a mud- caked 14-year-old girl pulled from a collapsed Montecito home where she had been trapped for hours. “I thought I was dead for a minute there,” the dazed girl could be heard saying on video posted by KNBC-TV before she was taken away on a stretcher. Most deaths were be- lieved to have occurred in Montecito, a wealthy en- clave of about 9,000 people northwest of Los Angeles that is home to such celeb- rities as Oprah Winfrey, Rob Lowe and Ellen DeGeneres, said Santa Barbara County spokesman David Villalobos. Twenty people were hos- pitalized and four were de- scribed as “severely critical” by Dr. Brett Wilson of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. An unknown number were unaccounted for and author- ities were trying to deter- mine if they were missing or just had not contacted family members. The search for survivors continued into the evening, though Wilson noted that their conditions would dete- riorate if they got wet. The mud was unleashed in the dead of night by flash flooding in the steep, fire- scarred Santa Ynez Moun- tains. Burned-over zones are especially susceptible to de- structive mudslides because scorched earth does not ab- sorb water well and the land is easily eroded when there are no shrubs. The torrent arrived sud- denly and with a sound some likened to a freight train as water carrying rocks and trees washed away cars and trashed homes, smashing some into piles of lumber and filling others waist-deep in mud. “It looked like a World War I battlefield,” Santa Bar- bara Sheriff Bill Brown said. “It was literally a carpet of mud and debris everywhere with huge boulders, rocks, downed trees, power lines, wrecked cars, lots of ob- stacles and challenges for rescue personnel to get to homes, let alone to get people out of them.” Authorities had been bracing for the possibility of catastrophic flooding be- cause of heavy rain in the forecast for the first time in 10 months. Evacuations were ordered beneath recently burned areas of Santa Barbara, Ven- tura and Los Angeles coun- ties. But only an estimated 10 to 15 percent of people in a mandatory evacuation area of Santa Barbara County heeded the warning, au- thorities said. Aerial footage above Montecito showed what ap- peared to be a muddy river flowing through town. In fact, it was U.S. Highway 101, the link connecting Ventura and Santa Barbara, covered with trees and other debris and expected to be closed for two days. The worst of the rainfall occurred in a 15-minute span starting at 3:30 a.m. Mon- tecito got more than a half- inch in five minutes, while Carpinteria received nearly an inch in 15 minutes. The first confirmed death was Roy Rohter, a former real estate broker who founded St. Augustine Academy in Ventura. The Catholic school’s headmaster, Michael Van Hecke, announced the death and said Rohter’s wife was injured by the mudslide. Montecito is beneath the scar left by a wildfire that erupted Dec. 4 and became the largest ever recorded in California. It spread over more than 440 square miles and destroyed 1,063 homes and other structures. It con- tinues to smolder deep in the wilderness. The storm walloped much of the state with dam- aging winds and thunder- storms and dumped up to 18 inches of snow in the Si- erra Nevada. Downtown San Francisco got a record 3.15 inches of rain on Monday, smashing the old mark of 2.36 inches set in 1872. Under the deal struck Tuesday at the border village of Panmunjom, North Korea will send officials, athletes, cheerleaders, journalists and others to the Olympics in Pyeongchang, a mountainous county near the border. A resident crosses mud from an overflowed creek in Montecito, California, following heavy rain, Tuesday. – PHOTO: AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JANUARY 11, 2018 The family of Roy Randall Lewis announces his death on Wednesday, 3 January, 2018. A Funeral Mass will be held at 4:00 p.m. Friday 12 January 2018 at St. Ignatius Catholic Church, viewing will be from 3:00 p.m. Prior to the service. A wake will be held from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Thursday, 11 January 2018 at Bodden Funeral Service, 117 Walkers Rd. Colombia withdraws negotiator in setback for latest peace talks BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) – Co- lombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos said new rebel attacks Wednesday have prompted him to re- call his chief negotiator to peace talks with the coun- try’s last remaining insurgent group in a setback for efforts to end a half-century of po- litical violence in the South American nation. The reported clashes came hours after the expiration of a temporary bilateral cease- fire that the United Nations, church leaders and govern- ment officials had praised as an important advance in re- ducing violence and moving toward an end to the nation’s final rebel conflict. Rebels with the National Liberation Army, known by its Spanish acronym ELN, and government delegates had both expressed hopes of reaching a new agreement on an extended case-fire during a fresh round of peace talks that were slated to start Wednesday in Ecuador. “Inexplicably, the ELN not only refused, but they reini- tiated terrorist attacks this morning,” Santos said in a short televised address. “On the exact day new talks were slated to begin.” Santos said he has asked chief negotiator Gustavo Bell to immediately return from Quito to “evaluate the future of the process” and ordered Colombia’s military to re- spond to the new aggressions with force. The Ministry of Defense announced less than an hour later that authorities had detained two ELN rebels on weapons and terrorism charges after being found with drugs and gun cartridges. “My commitment to peace has been and will be un- wavering,” Santos said. “But peace is obtained through willpower and concrete acts. Not just with words.” Colombia reached a his- toric peace agreement with the nation’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in late 2016, ending Latin America’s longest-run- ning conflict. The end of that conflict has been hailed in- ternationally though it has also opened a new power struggle in remote areas pre- viously controlled by FARC rebels and still occupied by ELN combatants. Peace talks with the smaller ELN, whose founders in the 1960s included rad- ical Roman Catholic priests, began last February. While the FARC peace agreement is credited with paving the way toward negotiations with the ELN, analysts say peace talks with ELN rebels also present distinct challenges. In a statement, Colom- bia’s peace delegation said there were four new attacks early Wednesday, including a grenade launched at ma- rines. The nation’s largest pe- troleum company said there was a “possible attack” on an oil pipeline in Aguazul, about 185 miles northeast of capital Bogota. Workers detected a drop in pressure and imme- diately suspended operations. “These acts are not just an attack against an oil pipe- line,” the government peace delegation said in a state- ment. “They are a direct af- front to the community.” ELN rebel negotiators said the new attacks “occur in the middle of a complex conflict” and shouldn’t alter the course of negotiations. They reiterated their com- mitment toward reaching an agreement on a new cease- fire that “overcomes the diffi- culties of the prior.” A spokeswoman for the delegation said Bell’s recall did not mean peace talks have been suspended, instead characterizing them as a “call for consultation.” Church leaders and the United Nations had urged both sides to extend the cease-fire, saying the tem- porary reprieve had re- duced violence in a ma- jority of the largely poor, rural areas affected by the conflict, “tangible benefits that give the peace process more legitimacy.” Under the temporary agreement, the 1,500-member ELN pledged to renounce hostage-taking, recruitment of minors and attacks on in- frastructure. The government in turn vowed to improve conditions for jailed rebels as well as boost protections for leftist activists in areas dom- inated by the ELN. ELN guerillas were ac- cused of violating the accord in two separate incidents that left a total of 14 people dead, including an indige- nous leader. The rebels also accused the government of failing to live up to their end of the accord during the 101- day cease-fire. Jean Arnault, the U.N. rep- resentative for the Colombian peace process, said the ELN had expressed “strong reser- vations” about the cease-fire’s implementation. “While the ELN leader- ship has proposed the negoti- ation of a stronger cease-fire, they have remained silent on their posture after the end of the temporary cease-fire yesterday,” he said, adding that it was “too early to ven- ture a sense of what the future holds.” Russian gains in Syria threatened by rebel attacks MOSCOW (AP) – Just weeks after Russian President Vlad- imir Putin declared victory in Syria, Russian military out- posts in the country have come under rebel attacks that are challenging Moscow’s gains. Russian bases located in Syrian President Bashar Assad’s Alawite heartland had been immune to rebel raids ever since Moscow launched its campaign in Syria in September 2015. But a series of drone at- tacks and mortar and rocket shelling in recent days has broken the calm. The incursions have raised doubts both about the sustainability of the Assad government’s recent victories and Moscow’s ability to pro- tect its assets in the country. A drone raid on Saturday was unusually massive, in- volving 13 of the aircraft equipped with satellite naviga- tion and launched from a dis- tance of up to 100 kilometers (60 miles) away, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. It said seven of the drones were shot down by air defense systems and the remaining six were forced to land. While the ministry said the attack caused no damage to the Hemeimeem air base in the province of Latakia and the naval outpost in the Syrian port of Tartus, it marked the first time the militants used drones against Russian assets on such a large-scale. No one has claimed re- sponsibility for the attacks. Without directly blaming any specific country, the Rus- sian military said the neces- sary data and capability for the attacks could only have been obtained “from one of the countries that possesses know-how in satellite naviga- tion” – a statement that ap- peared to be directed at the United States. It also noted a “strange coincidence” of a U.S. military intelligence plane flying over the Mediterranean near the two Russian bases at the mo- ment of the attack. Russian lawmakers skipped decorum, bluntly ac- cusing the U.S. of sponsoring the drone attack. “That ac- tion wouldn’t have been pos- sible without involvement of American structures,” said Gennady Zyuganov, head of the Communist Party and a member of the lower house. Dmitry Sablin, a lawmaker who coordinates parliamen- tary links with Syria, told the Interfax news agency the at- tack was even bigger than the Russian military acknowl- edged, involving 31 drones. The Pentagon strongly de- nied any involvement. “Any suggestion that U.S. or coalition forces played a role in an attack on a Russian base is without any basis in fact and is utterly irre- sponsible,” said Marine Maj. Adrian Rankine-Galloway, a Pentagon spokesman. The Russian and the U.S. militaries have maintained regular contacts to avoid conflict between their forces in Syria. In recent months, however, the Russian mili- tary brass has become in- creasingly critical of the U.S. role in Syria, accusing it of protecting militants who can carry out future battles against Assad – a claim the U.S. has angrily denied. The drone attack on the Russian assets in Syria also raised tensions between Russia and Turkey. Moscow and Ankara have backed opposite sides in the con- flict, but they struck a deal last year to set up de-esca- lation zones, which also in- volved Iran, another Assad backer. The agreement has helped reduce fighting sig- nificantly and contributed to warmer ties between Russia and Turkey. The official military daily Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) cited the Defense Ministry as saying the drones targeting the Russian bases were launched from al-Mouazzara in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, where Turkey wields influence with some rebel groups. The ministry said it has sent letters to Turkey’s mili- tary leaders, asking them to use monitors to help prevent further attacks from Idlib. Late last month, rebels in Idlib fired rockets at He- meimeem, which were shot down by air defense systems protecting the base. And on New Year’s Eve, the air base came under mortar shelling for the first time since the start of the Russian campaign in Syria. The business daily Kom- mersant reported the attack destroyed seven aircraft and caused a powerful explosion at an ammunition depot. The Russian Defense Ministry de- nied any of its aircraft were lost, but it acknowledged that two troops died in the shelling. The losses brought the Russian official military death toll in Syria to 43. The nearest rebel posi- tions in the area are east of Latakia province in the Jabal al-Akrad region, from which the militants have tar- geted the city of Latakia with rockets and shells. There have been reports in Arab media that the mortar attack might have come from within government controlled areas, hinting at local Alawite fighters or Iranian-backed gunmen seeking to send a message to Russia. The daring use of short- range mortars also pointed to the inability of Syrian forces to protect the Alawite heartland from hit-and-run raids by the rebels. That could significantly raise the stakes for Moscow. In a televised visit last month to the Hemeimeem air base where he declared vic- tory over the Islamic State group, Putin praised the “ex- cellent” performance of the Russian troops in Syria and he also ordered a partial withdrawal of the forces. “You have shown the best qualities of a Russian soldier – courage, valor, team spirit, decisiveness and excellent skills,” he said. “The Mother- land is proud of you.” Asked if the pullback an- nouncement was premature, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the remaining Russian forces have “all the necessary means” to fend off any attacks by the militants. Russian Su-27 fighter jets and a Su-34 bomber are parked at Hemeimeem air base in Syria in March 2016. - PHOTO: APNext >