ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY MARCH 26, 2018 High of 91 Low of 80 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 OUR WARMEST WELCOME TO GOVERNOR CHOUDHURY AND HIS FAMILY LOCAL | PAGE 3 COMMUNITY HELPS REBUILD HOME FOR SINGLE MOM, DAUGHTER 8 BUTTERFLY SHRIMP, REG FRIES AND BISCUIT $805$805 New governor makes arrival BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Governor Anwar Choudhury, 58, is due to arrive in the Cayman Islands late Monday morning to take up his post as the British Overseas Territory’s 14th governor since the position was established in 1971. The former U.K. Ambassador to Peru will begin official duties just after his arrival, starting with a formal greeting from territo- rial leaders and a police guard of honor salute at the Owen Roberts International Airport. After that, he will head to the governor’s residence with his wife and three children to settle in. The official swearing-in ceremony for Monday at the Legislative Assembly is set for 3 p.m. As has become the custom for arriving gov- ernors, a public reception will be held Monday night at Pedro St. James between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. All are invited to attend to hear remarks from the new governor, enjoy some local food and a musical performance. “The governor designate and his family will be very welcome in the Cayman Islands and between good old-fashioned local hospitality and the warmth of the Caymanian people, we look forward to dazzling them,” Premier Alden McLaughlin said of the Pedro event. On Tuesday, it’s down to business with a series of meetings with Cabinet members and senior government officials. On Wednesday, Mr. Choudhury is due to travel to Cayman Brac and Little Cayman for an all-day visit. He will hold his first formal briefing with the press on Thursday. The governor had served as the U.K.’s Pe- ruvian ambassador since 2013 and has a lengthy, distinguished career in the British foreign service. In the decade before taking the post as the Peruvian ambassador, Mr. Choudhury served as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office di- rector of diplomatic excellence from 2012 to 2013 and director of international institutions from 2008 to 2011. OFFICIALS HEAD BACK FROM HONG KONG TO GREET NEW GOVERNOR The Cayman Islands delegation attending the U.K.-sponsored Great Festival of Innova- tion in Hong Kong last week headed back home a bit early in order to greet new Gov- ernor Anwar Choudhury. Premier Alden McLaughlin, along with ministers Tara Rivers, Joey Hew and Dwayne Seymour, attended the Wednesday-Friday events for the trade show, which was hosted by the U.K. as a way to expand British busi- ness overseas. Cayman received an invite as a U.K. Overseas Territory. “We’ve been able to have key meetings with Hong Kong-based business people as well as with officials of Her Majesty’s government,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “Equally important, my ministers along with others in the delegation have been able to very ably showcase financial services, healthcare and luxury tourism to the audiences in attendance.” Separate days of the Great Festival focused on different business sectors, with finan- cial services taking center stage Wednesday, health services on Thursday and tourism/en- tertainment being the focus of Friday’s con- ference events. On Friday, Cayman Commerce Minister, Mr. Hew, took part in a panel discussion about the future of luxury in both retail and tourism. “It was a pleasure to be part of a panel with such creative and talented people and to have the opportunity to tell the Caymankind story on a world stage,” Mr. Hew said. In addition to the public events, pri- vate meetings were occurring between min- isters, business groups like Cayman Finance and the Chamber of Commerce, and repre- sentatives of the group Invest Hong Kong to Prisons director to review release scheme BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Interim Prisons Director Steven Barrett said he will re- view Cayman’s temporary re- lease program for lower-risk in- mates at Her Majesty’s Prison, Northward, but that he was “not aware of any significant failure” in that system since his ar- rival in February. Questions have been raised locally about the program after some higher-profile inmates, such as convicted financial crimes offender Canover Watson, have been spotted in recent months out in the community during daytime hours. Mr. Watson was sentenced to seven-years’ imprisonment in February 2016 following his conviction for conspiracy to commit fraud on the government in connection with the CarePay swipe-card scheme at the public hospital system. Prison officials confirmed to the Cayman Com- pass that Mr. Watson was par- ticipating in the release on tem- porary license program and working at a local auto dealer- ship as part of the arrangement. Cayman’s prisons launched a North Side honors Bo Miller at beach dedication Derrington “Bo” Miller, seated on left, was honored Saturday at a groundbreaking ceremony for a North Side public beach that will bear his name. The event celebrated the life of Mr. Miller, a well-known businessman and community leader who has been fighting cancer in recent months. For more on this story, see page 8. - PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSS PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »2 WORLD&REGIONAL MONDAY MARCH 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS • Matinees Daily (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00, Mon-Fri Before 6pm • Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 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 - 640-FILM (640-3456) MARY MAGDALENE (PG13) 1:30 I 4:15 I 10:00 TOMB RAIDER 3D (PG13) 1:45 I 3:40 2D VIP I 7:20 2D I 10:00 BLACK PANTHER (PG13) 12:45 I 4:00 I 6:45 VIP I 7:00 I 9:15 SHERLOCK GNOMES (PG) 1:00 VIP I 4:30 I 7:05 I 9:20 PETER RABBIT (PG) 12:20 I 2:40 I 5:00 I 7:20 I 9:40 DEATH WISH (R) 1:15 I 4:00 I 6:50 I 9:45 VIP Two guilty of robbery at jewelry store Sentencing set for May 24 after social inquiry reports CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two people charged with the 2015 robbery of Mitzi’s Fine Jewelry were remanded in custody on Friday after- noon after Justice Stephen Hellman found them guilty. Madeinys Ebanks-Pol, 39, and Adrian Adela Gea, 32, had pleaded not guilty to the charge that on Nov. 18, 2015, at the store on West Bay Road, they stole jew- elry valued at approximately $516,201 belonging to Mitzi Callan, and that they did so by using force against a named person, the clerk in the store. Justice Hellman said he was satisfied that Mr. Gea was the robber and that Ms. Ebanks-Pol was the lookout, who also supplied Mr. Gea with the motor ve- hicle used in the robbery and license plates. The judge did not give his full reasons, but said he would supply them in writing. He had conducted the trial without a jury, as the defendants elected. Mr. Gea was also charged with possession of an imita- tion firearm with intent to commit an offense. On this count, the judge found him not guilty. He said he was satisfied so that he was sure Mr. Gea did have something that looked like a firearm when he was in the store. “I cannot be satisfied that it was only an imita- tion. Unsatisfactory though that may be as a basis for an acquittal, it is one I feel logically impelled to,” the judge explained. Defense attorneys Nich- olas Dixey, who represented Mr. Gea, and Keva Reid, who represented Ms. Ebanks- Pol, asked that social in- quiry reports be prepared for their clients before sen- tencing. The judge agreed and set Thursday, May 24 for sentencing. The case for the prosecu- tion was conducted by Crown counsel Scott Wainwright. Caution needed in considering defendants’ personal circumstances, magistrate says CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Three Jamaican nationals who pleaded guilty to im- porting 461.74 pounds of ganja were sentenced on Friday, with one man re- ceiving a prison term more than twice as long as the other two. Leroy Johnoton Morgan, 31, and Demarco Deinton Cunningham, 37, were sen- tenced to two and a half years. Derrick Anthony Adlam, 53, was sentenced to five years and four months. All three, from the White- house area of Westmore- land, admitted importing the ganja on Sept. 14. Magistrate Valdis Fol- dats explained that the first two defendants had no pre- vious convictions in Cayman and only minor convictions in Jamaica. Mr. Adlam, how- ever, had three previous con- victions in Cayman, including a ganja-related offense in 1999 for which he received two and a half years, and an- other in 2014, for which he received 45 months. The maximum sentence for a first ganja offense is seven years. The maximum for a second or subsequent ganja offense is 15 years. The magistrate started Mr. Adlam’s sentence at eight years, but then gave him a full one-third credit for his guilty plea, bringing 96 months down to 64. The starting point for the other men was four years: with three months deducted for mitigating factors, the total was 45 months; with one third off for their plea, the final figure was 30 months. The magistrate com- mended the officers of the Joint Marine Unit who had intercepted the defendants in their canoe off East End. The operation had been dan- gerous because it occurred at night and the persons in the canoe could have been armed, he pointed out. In addition to arresting the defendants, the officers had recovered the large amount of ganja. Despite this over- whelming evidence, the mag- istrate said he was giving full credit for the guilty pleas be- cause the six police officers involved were not required to waste time in court for a trial instead of being out on patrol. In addition, he said he wanted to encourage other guilty individuals to take advantage of the discount. One-third credit should be a powerful incentive for recent offenders to take advantage of, he suggested. But the magistrate said the court should be cautious in attaching weight to de- fendants’ personal circum- stances when considering sentences. Family problems or financial difficulties are no excuse for illegal behavior, he pointed out. If these fac- tors were considered as mit- igating, then the organizers of drug importations would recruit carriers or crew who had family problems or fi- nancial difficulties. In Mr. Adlam’s case, two of his sons had died in sepa- rate traffic accidents and he had needed to borrow money to bury them. When he could not pay the money back, threats were made against him, his daughter and the daughter’s mother, attorney Amelia Fosuhene had told the court. The alternative of- fered to him was to get in- volved in this ganja ship- ment, which he did. In Mr. Cunningham’s case, his wife was suffering from cancer, attorney Margeta Facey-Clarke said. He did not earn enough as a fisherman to meet medical expenses, so in desperation, he had walked the streets asking for dona- tions. He came across some men who said they had a job for him: he could get some money by making a delivery in international waters. He said no and con- tinued seeking donations. When he saw the men again, they offered him Ja$200,000 (roughly $1,300). Since he had raised only Ja$31,000 (roughly $200), he accepted. Attorney Jonathon Hughes spoke for Mr. Morgan, noting it was his cli- ent’s first time in prison. He had not been able to com- plete his schooling because of financial constraints, but had developed con- struction and auto body re- pair skills by which he sup- ported family members. Now he was in anguish be- cause of the suffering he had caused them. The magistrate accepted that the defendants were all family men who will be un- likely to see their families again until they complete their sentences. That was a foreseeable consequence, he said. They had made the deci- sion to come to Cayman with drugs, so they had to accept the results of their actions. Sentencing for ganja im- portation is based on three considerations, the magis- trate said: the quantity in- volved, the defendant’s role and the defendant’s previous convictions. The people who bring the ganja to Cayman are the link between the foreign supplier and the local distributor, he said, and crew members may not even know who the for- eign supplier is. In this case, he was treating all three defendants as crew. Crown counsel Ken- neth Ferguson had fairly agreed that there was no evi- dence as to who was the cap- tain of the boat, although the magistrate admitted to having a high suspicion. He ordered that the boat be forfeited to the Crown. Despite the overwhelming evidence, the magistrate said he was giving full credit for the guilty pleas because the six police officers involved were not required to waste time in court for a trial instead of being out on patrol. Repeat ganja importer from Jamaica gets double prison time Mr. Gea was also charged with possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit an offense. Puerto Rico rejects pension cuts sought by federal board SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Puerto Rico government of- ficials said Friday they will not bow to demands from a federal control board over- seeing the island’s finances that they implement cuts to a struggling public pension system as part of an up- coming fiscal plan to help pull the U.S. territory out of an economic crisis. Gov. Ricardo Rossello told reporters the biggest disagreement between his administration and the board is over a proposed average 10 percent cut to pensions of more than $1,000 a month paid by a system facing nearly $50 billion in liabilities. Christian Sobrino, the governor’s representative to the board, defended the gov- ernment’s revised fiscal plan and said it would generate a $5.5 billion surplus in up- coming years and help re- verse the economic slump while avoiding the elimina- tion of vacation or sick days and reductions in maternity leave, among other things he said the board has proposed. “We’re not talking about business as usual here in Puerto Rico,” Sobrino said. “The fiscal plan recognizes the island’s fiscal and de- mographic spiral. If we don’t stop it, the game is over. Puerto Rico will be a footnote in the history of the Caribbean.” The board had been ex- pected to vote on the re- vised fiscal plan Monday, but it announced Friday that it was postponing the vote, without providing a new date. The board has the power to implement its own measures if it dis- agrees with those proposed by the government. Sobrino warned that the board is considering some measures which would have a detrimental effect on an island mired in an 11-year-old recession as it struggles to rebound from Hurricane Maria and re- structure a portion of its $73 billion public debt. Some members of the U.S. Congress also weighed in Friday on the upcoming fiscal plan, with 35 of them signing a letter voicing op- position to privatizing much of Puerto Rico’s De- partment of Correction and Rehabilitation. They said the move would in- crease the island’s deficit and lead to higher rates of recidivism. Many in the U.S. terri- tory of 3.3 million people are wary of the overall pro- posed fiscal plan and fear they will struggle economi- cally more than before even as they try to recuperate from Hurricane Maria. Nearly 100,000 power cus- tomers remain in the dark six months later, and more than 130,000 people are es- timated to have left the is- land since the storm, ac- cording to one study.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY MARCH 26, 2018 Community helps rebuild home for single mom, daughter JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com As home transformations go, they do not come much more life-changing than this. Little over a month ago, Treasan Myles stood in the tumble-down bed- room she shares with her 5-year-old daughter, Kelana, crouching under the ram- shackle timber roof. A backed-up pipe was leaking sewage into the sleeping quarters and holes were beginning to open up in the floor. Last week, she stood in the same spot, watching her daughter playing happily on her new bunk bed, strug- gling to believe this was the same house. In just a few weeks, a small army of skilled tradesmen and volunteers mobilized by the charity Acts of Random Kindness have renovated half of the home. The roof has been torn down and rebuilt to modern planning standards, new tiled flooring has been installed along with an en suite bath- room and shower. A new room, with a painted mural from the movie Frozen, has been cre- ated for Kelana, and the faulty plumbing has been repaired. “I am overwhelmed,” Ms. Myles told the Cayman Compass. “I can actually breathe. It feels like a good breath of fresh air. I could never be more grateful.” ARK has been running its Cayman CASA program, which helps renovate unsafe housing for families in need, for several years. But Tara Nielsen, who runs the charity, says she has never seen such an overwhelming community response as the outpouring of support for Ms. Myles and her daughter. Some donated money. Some gave their expertise. Others donated time. “We’ve been donated ev- erything from bunk beds to rugs to bedding, mattresses, tiles, paint, volunteers, fans, funds. I could go on and on telling you what we have been donated from this amazing community,” she said. ARK hired Dream Maker Bath and Kitchen to trans- form the living quarters. They were supported by vol- unteers from Ogier and The Ritz-Carlton who painted the home, inside and out. Ms. Nielsen said the experience had been transformative for Ms. Myles. “When we met her, she was feeling depressed and hopeless and now she is glowing because this has shown here she is not alone.” There is still work to do, however. ARK held another fun- draising event Saturday to raise money to tackle the other side of the home. Ms. Nielsen said the first priority had been to create a safe sleeping space for Ms. Myles and her daughter. Next, the charity plans to re- build the kitchen and living area, where part of the roof has collapsed. She said someone has al- ready donated “an entire kitchen” but the appliances can’t be installed until the floor and roof are repaired. “We need the same miracle as we had for the bedrooms,” she said. “My goal is new roof, new ceiling, new floor and more volunteers to paint it and then we can complete the kitchen.” She said the next phase would likely begin in May after the latest round of fundraising. Ms. Nielsen said she had been hugely encouraged by the generosity of the commu- nity on this project. She said there were many more homes in poor condi- tion around Cayman, some of which had not been repaired properly since Hurricane Ivan. ARK prioritizes cases where the health and safety of young children are affected. “We have had lots of ap- peals and there is a long waiting list. We constantly get sent photographs. It is really a bottomless pit of homes that need improving. “We could just keep on going. It is a matter of funds, time, resources and how long the community can keep up this amazing support.” For Ms. Myles, the pro- cess has inspired her to want to help others. “I have never really seen a lot of big movements like that. It really moved me, es- pecially in my life and where I come from here. “It keeps your spirits up and makes you feel better, makes you want to do better and help other people.” Treasan Myles and her daughter Kelana stand in their George Town home, where volunteers are working to give the family a new life. Treasan Myles, left, stands with her daughter, Kelana, and community volunteers, led by the charity ARK, who are working to build the family a new home. - PHOTOS: ALVARO SEREY The transformation of the Myles’s home is already underway. To the right is the half of the home that has already been remodeled. To left is a reminder of what the entire home once was. Treasan Myles poses in her newly remodeled bedroom, as volunteers work to create safe living conditions for her family.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. Our warmest welcome to Governor Choudhury and his family Today’s arrival of new Governor Anwar Choudhury marks a new phase in his professional life and a new chapter in the political history of Cayman. Based on his curriculum vitae, Governor Choudhury seems a cosmopolitan gentleman. We think he will be pleasantly surprised at the level of sophistication to be found on our little islands, thanks to our seafaring history and our role as a global financial center. We are saddened that what should be a wholly cel- ebratory occasion – the new governor taking up his new post in Cayman – comes amid what is no doubt an emotionally difficult time for Governor Choudhury and his family. The governor’s father, Afruz Bakht Choudhury, died in London earlier this month. On behalf of the entire community, we offer our condolences and sympathies. We think that Governor Choudhury, as a family man – he brings with him his wife Momina and three children – will appreciate the close-knitted nature of Cayman society, our relatively relaxed lifestyle and gen- erally enviable level of public safety. We hope that the new governor is able to carve out appreciable amounts of time from his important duties to enjoy with his family the finest characteristic of Government House – its location on the world-famous Seven Mile Beach. The governor is the most prominent and powerful figure in Cayman, bearing responsibility for our islands’ safety and security, constitutionally charged with ensuring “good governance,” overseeing the civil service, appointing members of the judiciary and public commis- sions, and holding a general, but rarely exercised, “veto power” over actions of our local government. All governors brings their own style and exper- tise to their role in Cayman. A seasoned diplomat, Governor Choudhury appears to come especially well prepared for his new posting. He possesses impres- sive experience from his service in the British military, years spent in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and terms as Her Majesty’s ambassador in Bangladesh and, later, Peru. He also has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a Master of Business Administration. Biographically, he was born in what is now Bangla- desh, and moved to the U.K. at a young age. We trust that Governor Choudhury will find Cayman to be a warm and welcoming community, approximately half of whom, like himself, were born elsewhere. And while Cayman is a “Christian Nation,” our jurisdiction is home to residents from an array of faiths (including, according to the 2010 census, an Islamic community of more than 200 people) and more than 120 nationalities. Governor Choudhury’s career has been distin- guished by exemplary resolve and dedication. In 2004, he was the target of an assassination attempt by Islamic militants 18 days into his assignment in Bangla- desh. According to local news reports at the time, he was leaving a religious shrine when a terrorist threw a grenade at him – the bomb bounced off his abdomen and then exploded, wounding Governor Choudhury and some 70 others, and killing a police officer and two bystanders. While Governor Choudhury can expect a far more sedate stay in Cayman, we hope he brings his strong resolve to bear on the challenges and opportunities for success he will find here. That includes persistent problems such as the creeping specter of violent crime, lackluster public schools, a bloated and inefficient civil service, a clogged court system, fully occupied prison and the continually rising tide of red tape and regulation. The governor has the full support of this news- paper as he attempts to discharge his official duties. We convey to him and his family our warmest welcome as the newest members of the Cayman community. WASHINGTON – I’m a rock- ribbed conservative who wants Republicans to keep control of Congress. But I’m not unhappy that Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone ap- pears to have lost the spe- cial election in Pennsylvania’s 18th Congressional District. Why? Because he in- sulted my mother. Trailing his Democratic opponent in a district Donald Trump won by 20 points, but which still has more regis- tered Democrats than Repub- licans, Saccone hit on a ge- nius idea to turn out the vote: At a campaign rally just be- fore voters went to the polls, he declared that liberals hate America and hate God. “I’ve talked to so many of these on the left,” he said. .“?.?. And I tell you, many of them have a hatred for our country.. ?.?. I’ll tell you some more – my wife and I saw it again today: They have a hatred for God.” My mother is a liberal Democrat, and I can tell you: She does not hate America or God. Quite the opposite; she is one of the most patriotic people I know. She grew up in Nazi-occupied Poland, fought with the Polish underground, was taken to Germany as a prisoner of war, was liber- ated by Patton’s Army and moved to London. Eventu- ally, she became a doctor and made her way to the United States, where she became a U.S. citizen. There is no one prouder to be an American. When Poland held its first free elections in 1989, Polish Americans living in the United States were in- vited to vote. Many did so, but my mom refused. She loved the land of her birth, but she was an American citizen now and would not vote in a for- eign election. When someone hears her thick Polish ac- cent for the first time they often ask, “Where are you from?” She answers proudly: “New York City.” She’s also a proud Dem- ocrat, who voted for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. We disagree about politics, but we both love America and want to make this country great. We just have different ideas about the best ways to do it. So when Saccone says liberals hate America, he’s talking about my mother. I take it personally. And you should, too. Whether you are liberal, conservative or in between, I’ll bet you have a loved one who disagrees with you about politics. We should not stand for politicians who insult them or question their mo- tives or their patriotism. Too often, politicians on both the left and right do just that. We saw this re- cently when, during an event in India, Clinton insultingly claimed that Trump won the parts of the country that were not “moving forward.” She said those voters liked what she characterized as Trump’s message that “you know you didn’t like black people getting rights. You don’t like women, you know, getting jobs. You don’t want, you know, to see that Indian American succeeding more than you are.” If you have a loved one who didn’t vote for Clinton in 2016, you should be offended. I doubt the people you love are against civil rights, or women working, or people of color succeeding. They just thought Clinton was a terrible choice for presi- dent – an impression she con- firmed with those comments. We see it in the gun control debate that followed the Park- land, Fla., school shooting. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said that if you are not in favor of immediate action on guns, “you’re an accomplice” to the Parkland killer. Seri- ously? Do you have a loved one who disagrees with you about gun control? Are they accomplices to mass murder? No, they just disagree that gun control is the solution. The problem exists on both sides of the aisle, and it’s not just politicians. American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks recalls how a few years ago he was giving a speech at a large conservative event. “I said that while my own views are center-right, I have no reason to believe progressives are stupid or evil,” he recalls. “An audience member countered, ‘You’re wrong: They are stupid and evil.’” Brooks is from Se- attle, which means almost every member of his family is progressive. Progressives are not stupid and evil. Conservatives are not racists and misogy- nists. Our fellow Americans who disagree with us are not our enemies. They are our fellow Americans who differ with us. And we should not put up with politicians, on the left or right, who cannot seem to understand this. Follow Marc A. Thiessen on Twitter, @marcthiessen. © 2018, The Washington Post Writers Group MONDAY MARCH 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Liberals and conservatives are not enemies MARC A. THIESSEN MARC A. THIESSEN Progressives are not stupid and evil. Conservatives are not racists and misogynists. Our fellow Americans who disagree with us are not our enemies. They are our fellow Americans who differ with us. 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&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY MARCH 26, 2018 187737-Ad-PrimeRate-3colx8.indd 13/22/18 2:47:21 PM RCIPS helicopter, UK Navy head off Haitian migration BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police air operations unit, along with the British Royal Navy, was called to the Turks and Caicos Islands last week for an emergency re- sponse to a sudden spike in Haitian immigrants coming to the small eastern Carib- bean island territory. The Turks and Caicos Is- lands chain is due north of Haiti and annually receives hundreds of migrants from its southern neighbors who come ashore in makeshift water craft and are typically detained and deported if they come ashore. However, the migration went to much larger numbers when “word got out” that the TCI’s coastal radar equip- ment had gone down, ac- cording to Matthew Forbes, head of the Cayman Gov- ernor’s Office. The RCIPS helicopter and the RFA Mounts Bay arrived in the TCI last Monday to as- sist local police officers track down migrant groups. “The RCIPS helicopter was instrumental in operations to capture a large number of il- legal migrants,” a statement from the Cayman Islands gov- ernment Friday noted, adding that once the migrants real- ized the additional British and Caymanian patrols were there, the numbers reduced dramatically. “The helicopter returned to the Cayman Is- lands [Friday] after urgent re- pairs to TCI’s coastal radar were completed.” This is the second time in the past year that the RCIPS helicopter has been deployed to assist the Turks and Ca- icos Islands. The chopper was also sent to the TCI in September to assist the is- lands after Hurricane Irma hit the eastern Caribbean in August-September 2017. TCI Police Commissioner James Smith, who served as acting police commissioner in Cayman during late 2008 and early 2009, said the assis- tance given by Cayman offi- cers during the migrant crisis was of “incredible value.” “The crews worked ex- tended hours providing in- valuable aerial cover and surveillance at sea and on land facilitating successful operations in challenging conditions,” Mr. Smith said. “I am very grateful to the commissioner of police of the RCIPS, the Cayman government, but espe- cially the crews and engi- neer for the service they provided. They are a great credit to the service and Cayman Islands.” Officers patrol the beach in Turks and Caicos with the help of the RCIPS helicopter. - PHOTO: RCIPS Police respond to BT death Police reported that a man found near Bodden Town died Saturday morning after they re- ceived calls of someone in distress. Royal Cayman Islands Police Service spokes- woman Jodi-Ann Powery said police received the call just before 6:30 a.m. De- tails of the scene they en- countered on Bodden Town Road just west of Frank Sound Road were not yet being released, she said, because it was still being actively investigated. The 28-year-old man found at the scene was transported to Cayman Is- lands Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 8 a.m. The man’s name has not yet been released. ARGENTINA PAYS HOMAGE TO BRIT WHO RECOVERED FALKLANDS DEAD BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) – They looked eye-to-eye and shed tears together: On one side the families of Argentine soldiers killed in the 1982 war with Britain, across the table the former British army of- ficer who helped recover and rebury their loved ones. A forensic study recently identified the remains of 90 Argentine soldiers buried in a Falkland Islands ceme- tery after the war. The fami- lies of the fallen troops will travel next week to the far- away graves on a lonely hill- side in the South Atlantic, where until now gravestones have read: “Argentine soldier known only to God.” The identification pro- cess was led by the Interna- tional Red Cross under an agreement between the two nations. But it was only pos- sible thanks to the efforts of Geoffrey Cardozo, who is a re- tired British colonel. When the war ended on June 14, 1982, most Argentine bodies were left untouched on the battlefield or in tem- porary graves during the southern winter. Britain tried for months to send them to Buenos Aires, but the ruling military junta said they were already in their homeland. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher finally agreed to build a cemetery. Cardozo, then a 32-year-old captain, was ordered in Jan- uary 1983 to recover and re- bury the dead. “They very quickly be- came my boys because they were orphans. Their mothers and fathers were not on the island and I was the only one who could look after them,” Cardozo told The Associated Press. “And so I took great care to bury them, to look after them. And every step I took along the way with each body, I had in my mind their mothers, their families.” Cardozo assembled a team of British funeral directors that rappelled into minefields from helicopters and dug up mass graves to recover Argen- tine corpses. They carefully prepared each one for reburial in individual coffins. The families of the sol- diers and Argentine officials paid homage to Cardozo at an emotional ceremony in Buenos Aires. “Today, I feel a great joy, a great tranquility,” Cardozo told the relatives as they broke into tears. MAN BADLY INJURED IN MOTORCYCLE CRASH An unidentified man was badly injured in a motorcycle crash Sat- urday morning on Shedden Road near Dorcy Drive in George Town. A Royal Cayman Islands Police Service spokes- person said police received an emergency call shortly before 6 a.m. and found an unresponsive man along with a “badly dam- aged motorcycle.” The man was taken to the Cayman Islands Hos- pital where he received treatment for serious lacer- ations to the face and arms, and a broken femur. The man’s name has not been released and the crash remains under investigation. The 28-year-old man found at the scene was transported to Cayman Islands Hospital. Former British Army officer Geoffrey Cardozo, center, talks during a meeting with Argentine government authorities in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday. - PHOTO: AP6 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY MARCH 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Walkers lends hand to GT Primary School SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com The kids at George Town Primary School will soon have their very own stage from which to shine. Thanks to a generous benefactor and countless vol- unteers, the George Town Pri- mary School Performing Arts Center is closer to becoming a reality. Representatives from Walkers, an offshore law firm, handed over a ceremonial check worth $30,000 to school officials Friday for the pur- pose of finishing the theater. Cheyenna Mae Hoaglund- Stewart, project coordinator, said Friday that the journey to funding and completing the theater has taken six years. The school has raised about $70,000 in donations over that time, and the adminis- trators are hoping to open the theater in time for the 2018-19 school year. The performing arts center will be nestled in a building that also houses the school’s cafeteria, and Ms. Hoaglund- Stewart said the funds al- lowed the school to modernize a structure built in 1989. “We brought the existing hall up to code,” she said of the building’s improve- ments. “We put in handi- capped accessible bathrooms, new doors and new alarm system. We brought in a new generator.” The lighting and sound system have already been paid for, and the theater orga- nizers are still trying to figure out how its guests will be seated when they watch per- formances. But the important part, said principal Sharon Campbell-Danvers, is giving students opportunities to en- rich their lives through art. “When you see the next actors or singers or dancers from Cayman, this is where it starts,” Ms. Campbell-Dan- vers said. “We’re giving them the opportunity to showcase their talents.” The theater will be ar- ranged in a “black box” concept, and Ms. Hoa- glund-Stewart said that will allow different back- drops and stagings to make each performance unique in its own right. Walkers was able to make its contribution by virtue of February’s Rockuary fun- draiser, which encouraged staff members to get up and sing in front of a band and all their peers. James Burch was deemed the winner by staff vote for his performance of Motor- head’s “Ace of Spades,” and the judges’ vote went to Neil Sherlock, who performed “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. Anne Dolan was recog- nized by the firm for having the most Instagram posts and hashtags and Gloria Ebanks was cited as Rock- uary’s best dressed rock star. Tim Buckley, a partner at Walkers, said Friday that the firm was really excited to have fun and positively impact the community at the same time. “There’s so much research that proves without a doubt that children with access to music and arts do better gen- erally in all areas. We believe that and we’re absolutely de- lighted to be a little bit of help,” said Mr. Buckley on be- half of his firm. “In the in- terest of full disclosure, we had a cracking night. It was a lot of fun. This was nothing but an absolute pleasure for us, and we think it’s such a worthy and important thing to be doing for children that really fall through the cracks a lot of the time.” Students compete in annual math challenge Alex Cummer and Sky Wolfe were the big winners at this year’s Minds Inspired Mathematics Challenge, held March 15-16 in Johnson Hall at the University College of the Cayman Islands. Sky was the overall winner in the junior division, while Alex took top prize in the senior division. Now in its sixth year, the challenge drew 112 sec- ondary students from pri- vate and public schools. Students could compete in- dividually and as members of a team, where they might partner with students from different schools, in the team challenge event. Besides the overall award, Sky, from Hope Academy, also took home the Year 8 award. The Year 7 award went to Tabitha Hawkins of Cayman International School and her schoolmate Oliver Johns grabbed the Year 9 award. St. Ignatius Catholic School won the school team event – the math scavenger hunt. The junior mixed team winners were Abigail Rose from John Gray High School, Charlotte Dowell from Clifton Hunter High School, and Nicholas McCallum from Cayman Prep and High School. Alex Cummer, of Cayman International School, was also the Year 12 winner. Se- lina Zhu and Charlotte Hodkin of Cayman Prep and High School took the Year 11 and Year 13 awards, re- spectively. The winning se- nior mixed team comprised of Year 11 winner Selina Zhu, alongside Sadie Finch from Cayman International School and Alwayne Allen of John Gray High School. The overall Junior and Se- nior Champions were each awarded $200 Camana Bay gift cards and had their names permanently af- fixed to the Mathematics Challenge trophy. STUDENTS EXPLORE DIAPERS, SLIME AND MORE MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com There were volcanoes, models of human cells and slime, lots of slime. The annual student science fair at Clifton Hunter High School on Friday also had an array of not-so-traditional displays, such as one on brain differences by gender, one that used water to generate power and another on which diaper brands are most absorbent. Donna Rhule, subject leader for sci- ence at the school, said the science fair was started three years ago, when she and her colleagues recognized students needed more hands-on opportunities. “Their problem-solving skills were un- derdeveloped,” Ms. Rhule said. “This was our solution for that.” The fair is required for Year 7 students, but others can participate as well. Ms. Rhule said she thinks the event has had an impact on students’ performances. “We have seen significant results,” Ms. Rhule said. “Last year we had a 15-percent increase (in exam scores).” By focusing the event on Year 7 stu- dents, Ms. Rhule and others said it puts stu- dents on a better footing for their science studies later on. “They’re better able to follow the criteria and come up with end products that are the highest-possible level,” said science teacher Kashena Bennett. Rebecca Jackson, 11, and her teammates were showing how to gen- erate electricity using pieces of fruit. “I came to the page in my science book on electricity,” Rebecca said, “and I remem- bered a video I watched on YouTube and they were using a potato for electricity.” Citric acid in fruit, she learned, could do the same thing, once an anode and cathode – in this case, galvanized nails – were properly attached to the fruit. The team decided to test which fruit was most conductive, testing an orange, lemon, pine- apple and apple. The lemon and apple tied as the winners. “They pretty much have the same level of acidity,” said Mieah Leon, 11. Doing the ex- periment, she said, taught her that fruit “is good for your body and your health and for your home and your appliances.” Stephen Ta’Bois is the science, tech- nology, engineering and math specialist for the Ministry of Education. He was judging the student presentations and said the fair is a good way to get students thinking about STEM subjects. “It’s good for them to explore their own questions in something they’re really inter- ested in,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity to generate their interest in science.” Representatives from Walkers and George Town Primary School stand with a ceremonial check representing a $30,000 donation to the school’s new performing arts center. – PHOTO: SPENCER FORDIN Rebecca Jackson, left, of Clifton Hunter High School, works with a teammate to determine the electrical conductivity of an apple. - PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSS From left, Hope Academy teacher Max Sereda stands with junior champion Sky Wolfe and Dart Education Programmes Manager Glenda McTaggart. Van Nall, left, a teacher at Cayman International School, poses with senior math challenge champion Alex Cummer.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY MARCH 26, 2018 The BK BIG FISH would like to say a BK BIG THANKS to the CI Angling Club, tournament sponsors and all the local fisherman who helped make the inaugural 2018 tournament a huge success. Don’t forget - we will be back even BIGGER and BETTER in 2019! Before that he was the British High Commissioner in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 2004 to 2008. It was during that posting that Mr. Choud- hury was targeted by Is- lamist militants in connec- tion with a grenade attack in Sylhet, a city to the north- east of the country’s capital. According to reports in The Guardian newspaper, an explosion occurred as Mr. Choudhury, who is Muslim, left a mosque at the end of prayers. At the time of his 2004 appointment in Ban- gladesh, Mr. Choudhury was Britain’s first ethnic-minority senior high commissioner ap- pointed to that position. He also has significant ex- perience in the British mili- tary, having served in both the Royal Air Force and at the Ministry of Defence. Mr. Choudhury was born in East Pakistan [now known as Bangladesh] in June 1959. According to biograph- ical details found online, he has lived in Britain since he was a child. New governor makes arrival release on temporary license or ROTL program for inmates last year, which serves as a method of reintroduction to society for offenders selected to participate. Prisoners are only ad- mitted into the release pro- gram if its determined that they do not pose a security risk while they are outside the prison grounds. Inmates who partici- pate can work for pay at se- lected companies for between six months and a year, al- lowing them to have some cash on hand when they finish serving imprisonment terms. In most cases, they are only allowed to be released from prison during normal business hours. Mr. Barrett, who took over as interim director on Feb. 19, did not comment on any specific prisoner’s situation in the temporary release pro- gram. However, he noted the ROTL program is “a standard approach” taken in other ju- risdictions to help offenders reintegrate into society. “It presents a real oppor- tunity to resettle into normal life,” Mr. Barrett said. “The se- cret to that is to have every applicant to that [program] appropriately assessed.” Mr. Barrett said there is no requirement for govern- ment or the prisons service to notify the general public when anyone, either on tem- porary release or someone being released from prison outright, gets out of North- ward. However, in certain sit- uations, certain crime victims may be notified of the release. “Is it appropriate to tell the whole world we have somebody coming out on re- lease on temporary license? No,” Mr. Barrett said. “We have a responsibility to en- sure that there are adequate controls in place.” “Everybody’s situation will be different,” he said. “The responsibility for us is to ensure when anybody goes out on a temporary license [that] expectations are set very clearly … both on the side of the prisoner, but also on the side of the employer that is going to work with them on a temporary basis.” Mr. Barrett said prison staff will periodically visit prisoner work placement lo- cations to verify compliance with the release conditions. Conditional release With the exception of murder convictions, all other criminal offenses that carry more than a one-year sen- tence require the offender, under Cayman’s Conditional Release Law, to serve at least 60 percent of that sen- tence in prison. If the pris- oner is deemed no longer to be a threat to the com- munity, he or she will serve the remainder of the sen- tence under supervised re- lease. Sentences of a year or less require release after 60 percent of the jail term is served, barring exceptional circumstances. The law, which took effect in early 2016, replaced pa- role provisions in the Prisons Law that require a prison- er’s release – unsupervised – at the “earliest release date,” meaning after they have served two-thirds of the sen- tence. The release under the Prisons Law is regardless of whether the offender is still believed to be a risk to so- ciety or whether the prisons system believes they can be rehabilitated. Under the Conditional Re- lease Law, a prisoner who is sentenced to 10 years would be considered for release after six years. If the pris- oner is determined to have been rehabilitated, his or her release would be under li- censed supervision for the remaining four years of the sentence. discuss Cayman’s financial services sector. “It was very encouraging to hear firsthand from impor- tant clients of our jurisdic- tion,” Financial Services Min- ister Rivers said. “There was a clear understanding of the advantages of Cayman’s tax neutrality in raising capital for major infrastructure proj- ects, pension funds and so- cial development projects, as well as its strong regulatory regime that supports sound business in a commercially friendly manner.” On Thursday, Premier McLaughlin hosted a meeting with U.K. Secretary of State of International Trade, Dr. Liam Fox, to discuss closer trade ties. Earlier in the day, Dr. Devi Shetty from Health City Cayman Islands was a guest speaker as well as a partici- pant on a panel discussion on the topic “Living Longer, Living Better.” Dr. Shetty talked about his vision of af- fordable healthcare for ev- eryone and how technology is changing the way health- care is delivered, improving patient outcomes and making healthcare more affordable. Dr. Shetty noted that Health City Cayman Islands was built with a focus on medical tourism, but has also shown great potential to transform healthcare not only in the Cayman Islands, but across the Caribbean and Latin America. “Globally we are spending trillions of dollars on health- care annually but still hun- dreds of millions of people do not have access to af- fordable quality healthcare,” said Dr. Shetty. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Governor Anwar Choudhury CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Prisons director to review release scheme Officials head back from Hong Kong to greet new governor Premier Alden McLaughlin and Dr. Liam Fox, the U.K. Secretary of State for international trade, met Thursday evening in Hong Kong. From left, Viren Shetty poses with his father, Dr. Devi Shetty, and Premier Alden McLaughlin. Commerce Minister Joey Hew, far right, participated in a panel discussion Friday in Hong Kong. On the panel with Minister Hew were Andre Fu, AFSO founder, Roksanda Llincic, fashion designer, Angie Lau, of the Li Ka Shing Foundation and Horizons Ventures, Hannah Whyte, British Airways global brand strategy manager and Elaine Yan Ling Ng, Fabrick Lab founder.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 MONDAY MARCH 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS TRIAL DATE SET FOR BT ROBBERY, FIREARM Defendant also charged with Prospect incident CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Odain Lloyd Ebanks, 23, pleaded not guilty in Grand Court on Friday to five charges arising from a rob- bery in Bodden Town ear- lier this month followed by an incident involving po- lice in Prospect. Mr. Ebanks is charged that he, together with an- other person unknown, stole $700 from a named individual on March 3 and, at the time of doing so, put that person in fear of force being used. He is also charged, on the same oc- casion and with a person unknown, with having possession of an unli- censed firearm. The next three charges relate to Prospect on that same date. He is charged, together with a person un- known, with discharging a firearm at two police offi- cers. He is further charged with possession of a pro- hibited weapon, a cannister of pepper spray as well as handling stolen goods in re- lation to the pepper spray. Director of Public Pros- ecutions Cheryll Rich- ards and defense attorney Prathna Bodden agreed on a trial date of June 26. Jus- tice Marlene Carter set the matter down for four days. North Side community honors Bo Miller at beach dedication MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Derrington “Bo” Miller was honored in a bitter- sweet ceremony Saturday evening, when a small public beach in the North Side district was dedi- cated in his name. Over 100 people attended the groundbreaking cer- emony for the Bo Miller Public Beach. But the event was more a celebra- tion of Mr. Miller’s life than photo opportunity for local leaders. A well-known businessman and commu- nity leader, Mr. Miller has been fighting cancer in re- cent months and is in poor health. He attended the event in a wheelchair. “This beach is part of your honor,” said Christen Suckoo, chief officer for the Ministry of Education. “We, sir, are your lasting legacy.” In his remarks, Mr. Miller said he was pleased that the longtime project was reaching fruition. The land that was acquired for the beach – on Old Robin Road just east of Frank Sound Road – belonged to the Miller family for many years, he told the crowd, serving as the site where his forefathers built ships. “The Millers go back here to the 1700s,” he said. “My father sailed from here at 16 years old and deliv- ered a schooner to Belize. They did it in two days. Those boats were fast.” They were fast enough to outrun the authorities, Mr. Miller added with a grin. The family eventually sold the land to a local church. But a few years ago, it was back on the market. Mr. Miller saw it as an opportunity to turn the property into a public beach he’d envisioned for many decades. “He’s been talking about this idea for 18 to 20 years,” said Mr. Miller’s son Justin. North Side MLA Ez- zard Miller said it seemed a natural fit to recognize the man who pushed the project forward. “We decided to put Bo’s name on it, since he laid the groundwork,” Ez- zard Miller said. The property also in- cludes a small Miller family cemetery. Plans call for a paved parking area next to the cemetery and a series of cabanas along a pathway to the beach. “We would like to in- clude a small maritime mu- seum,” Ezzard Miller said, which would stand between the parking lot and the first of the cabanas. “We’ll prob- ably start having fund- raisers for that.” Debra Broderick, chair of the North Side District Council, said there is still much to be done to complete Bo Miller’s vision. “I would like us to be as determined as Bo and see this to the end,” Ms. Brod- erick told the crowd. “Just imagine this as a first-class beach site where you and your children can come and enjoy it. “You have done us proud, Bo,” she added. “We, in turn, plan to make you proud of us.” While never elected as a public official – he ran twice for the Legislative Assembly – Bo Miller was well- known and active in po- litical circles. He was also an entrepreneur and busi- nessman and said he partic- ipated in every kind of busi- ness Cayman had to offer, from finance to real estate investment to retail. He also championed pro- tection of the local environ- ment. As a George Town candidate in the 2013 par- liamentary elections, he promoted the establish- ment of an environmental protection agency. In 1980, he founded the Caymanian Businessmen Association, the island’s first think tank. “He had an opinion and ideas about almost every national issue,” said Min- ister of Finance Roy Mc- Taggart, who assisted in the groundbreaking. “You could always count on him to engage.” Mr. McTaggart said he could not think of a more fitting name for the beach. “Bo deserves every bit of recognition this gives to him,” he said. “This is a very fitting way to honor him.” Bo Miller said he is glad to see the land that once be- longed to his family serving the community. “I’ve been living here and helping people all my life,” he said. “This is our roots. I’m so glad we were able to preserve a piece of it.” “My father sailed from here at 16 years old and delivered a schooner to Belize. They did it in two days. Those boats were fast.” BO MILLER Businessman and community leader Derrington ‘Bo’ Miller listens with his grandson, Harrison Miller, during the dedication of a North Side public beach that will bear his name. A few of the people who attended a Saturday groundbreaking, take in the newly named Bo Miller Public Beach in North Side District. - PHOTOS: MARK MUCKENFUSS Iowa family died of gas asphyxiation at Mexican resort MEXICO CITY (AP) – Au- topsies indicate an Iowa couple and their two chil- dren died from inhaling toxic gas at a rented condo on Mexico’s Carib- bean coast, but there was no sign of foul play or sui- cide, Mexican authorities said Saturday. The prosecutors’ of- fice in the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo said “the cause of death was asphyxiation from inhaling toxic gases.” It said the type of gas hadn’t yet been determined, but added that “any vi- olent act or suicide has been discounted.” Photos released by the office showed investiga- tors in anti-contamination suits and firefighters with air tanks examining gas connections to a stove in the condo in Tulum. The office said investigators “carried out a physical in- vestigation of the gas con- nections in the room,” and the civil defense of- fice of Tulum would issue a technical report on the findings. In 2010, the explo- sion of an improperly in- stalled gas line at a hotel in the nearby town of Playa del Carmen killed five Canadian tourists and two Mexicans. Iowa officials identified the family as Kevin Sharp, 41; his wife, Amy Sharp, 38, and their children Sterling, 12, and Adri- anna, 7. They were from Creston, Iowa. The family was reported missing by rela- tives in their hometown about a week after the family left for vacation. Creston police contacted the U.S. State Department, and the bodies were found during a welfare check at the condo in Tulum, on the Yucatan Peninsula. The Quintana Roo prosecutors’ office said the family had been dead for between 36 and 48 hours by the time they were found Friday at the Tao condominium complex. Contacted Friday, the developer of the condo complex where the deaths occurred de- clined to comment. The Creston News Ad- vertiser newspaper in Iowa reported that the family flew to Cancun on March 14. According to her sister, Amy Sharp texted their mother the next day to say they had reached Tulum, but rel- atives did not hear any more from the family. The sister, Renee Hoyt, said the Sharps were scheduled to return to the U.S. this week. They were scheduled to depart from the Cancun airport on Wednesday and fly to St. Louis on a nonstop flight. The family had planned to then drive about 200 miles (322 kilometers) to Danville, Illinois, to watch a basketball game Thursday, Hoyt said. When the family did not arrive in St. Louis, family members contacted authorities, she said.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY MARCH 26, 2018 First direct flight from Australia to London The maiden flight of a new nonstop passenger service between Australia and Britain touched down at Heathrow Airport. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, operated by Qantas Airways, arrived Sunday just over 17 hours after setting off from Perth. Hundreds of thousands rally against gun violence across US On Palm Sunday, pope urges youth to raise their voices VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis on Palm Sunday urged young people not to be silent and let their voices be heard, even in the face of cor- rupt or silent elders. The pope’s message comes on the heels of a meeting of young Catholics who told the Vatican they want a more transparent and authentic church, and a day after hun- dreds of thousands marched in youth-led rallies across the United States to demand greater gun control. “The temptation to silence young people has always ex- isted,” Francis said. “There are many ways to silence young people and make them invisible …. There are many ways to sedate them, to keep them from getting involved, to make their dreams flat and dreary, petty and plaintive. “ But he told youths in his homily that “you have it in you to shout,” even if “we older people and leaders, very often corrupt, keep quiet.” As the Roman Catholic Church enters Holy Week, re- tracing the story of the cru- cifixion of Jesus and his res- urrection three days later on Easter Sunday, Francis urged youth to join those who offer praise, and not the masses calling for crucifixion. “Dear young people, the joy that Jesus awakens in you is a source of anger and irri- tation to some, since a joyful person is hard to manipu- late,” the pontiff said. Some 300 youths meeting at the Vatican this week pre- pared a document for next October’s synod of bishops at the Vatican focusing on to help youths better find their way in the church. The doc- ument, which was presented to Francis on Sunday, asked church leaders to address the unequal roles of women in the church and how tech- nology is abused. Before his traditional Sunday prayer at the end of Mass, the pope recalled the importance World Youth Day, marked this year on Palm Sunday at a diocesan level rather than as a big interna- tional gathering. The pope’s message also resonated with the Saturday protests across the United States for tougher laws to fight gun violence, a move- ment galvanized by the school shooting last month in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead. At the end of Mass, the pope and cardinals in red robes led a solemn procession clutching elaborately braided palm fronds as they walked through the throngs, followed by the papal blessing of palm fronds and olive branches. The processions recalls the bittersweet nature of Holy Week, with the faithful clutching simple palm fronds and olive branches to com- memorate Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem only to be followed later by his death on a wooden cross. The pope concluded by greeting the faithful in St. Peter’s Square, getting out of the popemobile to shake hands as many cheered and took pictures. WASHINGTON (AP) – They came from a place of heart- break to claim their spot in history: Hundreds of thou- sands of teenagers and sup- porters, rallying across the United States for tougher laws to fight gun violence. The “March for Our Lives” events on Saturday drew massive crowds in cities across the country, marking the largest youth-led protests since the Vietnam War era. In Washington, D.C., New York City, Denver, Los Angeles and other cities, demonstra- tors heard from student sur- vivors of last month’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida. “If you listen real close, you can hear the people in power shaking,” Parkland survivor David Hogg said to roars from protesters packing Pennsylvania Avenue from a stage near the Capitol to a spot many blocks away toward the White House. “We’re going to take this to every election, to every state and every city. We’re going to make sure the best people get in our elections to run, not as politicians but as Americans. “Because this,” he said, pointing behind him to the Capitol dome, “this is not cutting it.” The message at the dif- ferent rallies was consistent, with demonstrators vowing to vote out lawmakers who refuse to take a stand now on gun control. Many ral- lies had tables where vol- unteers helped those 18 or older register to vote while speakers detailed the poli- cies they wanted and the im- pact gun violence has had on their lives. The fire alarm at Trenton High School is scary, said 17-year-old Gabrielle James at a march in sub- urban Detroit. “We don’t know if it’s an actual drill or if someone’s actually inside the school, going to take your life,” James said at a march in Detroit. She said government has “extremely failed” to protect students from gun violence and she wants restrictions on automatic weapons. “I work extremely hard at my studies. Sometimes I just sit in my car be- fore going to school, won- dering if I’m going to be home to see my mother after school,” James said. Some of the young voices were very young. Yolanda Renee King, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 9-year- old granddaughter, drew from the civil rights leader’s most famous words in de- claring from the Washington, D.C., stage: “I have a dream that enough is enough. That this should be a gun-free world. Period.” By all appearances – there were no official num- bers – Washington’s March for Our Lives rally rivaled the women’s march last year that drew far more than the predicted 300,000. The National Rifle Associ- ation went silent on Twitter as the protests unfolded, in contrast to its reaction to the nationwide school walkouts against gun violence March 14, when it tweeted a photo of an assault rifle and the message “I’ll control my own guns, thank you.” President Donald Trump was in Florida for the weekend and did not weigh in on Twitter either. White House spokesman Zach Parkinson said: “We ap- plaud the many courageous young Americans exercising their First Amendment rights today.” He also pointed to Trump’s efforts to ban bump stocks and his support for school-safety measures and extended background checks for gun purchases. Since the bloodshed in Florida, students have tapped into a current of gun control sentiment that has been building for years – yet still faces a powerful foe in the NRA, its millions of sup- porters and lawmakers who have resisted any encroach- ment on gun rights. Organizers are hoping the electricity of the crowds, their sheer numbers and the under-18 roster of speakers will create a tip- ping point, starting with the midterm congressional elections this fall. To that end, chants of “Vote them out!” rang through the Washington crowd. Emma Gonzalez, one of the first students from Flor- ida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to speak out after the tragedy there, implored those of voting age to cast ballots. In her speech, she recited the names of the Parkland dead, then held the crowd in rapt, tearful silence for more than six minutes, the time it took the gunman to kill them. “We will continue to fight for our dead friends,” Del- aney Tarr, another Parkland survivor, declared from the stage. The crowd roared with approval as she laid down the students’ central de- mand: a ban on “weapons of war” for all but warriors. Student protesters called for a ban on high-capacity magazines and assault-type weapons like the one used by the killer in Parkland, comprehensive background checks, and a higher min- imum age to buy guns. Pope Francis celebrates a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. - PHOTO: AP Crowds of people hold signs on Pennsylvania Avenue before the ‘March for Our Lives’ rally in support of gun control Saturday in Washington. - PHOTO: APNext >