ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY APRIL 18, 2018 High of 87 Low of 74 Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 CAYMAN COCKFIGHTING: NOTHING TO CROW ABOUT LOCAL | PAGE 7 OFFSHOREALERT ANNUAL CONFERENCE HELD IN MIAMI AIRPORT TERMINAL OVERHAUL TO EXCEED $55 MILLION BUDGET KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com When government unveiled the first glimpse of the Owen Roberts International Airport upgrade in December, Tourism Min- ister Moses Kirkconnell said that the project was on target to meet its $55-million budget. That is no longer the case, however. Cayman Islands Airports Authority CEO Albert Anderson has confirmed that changes have been made to the project that will in- crease its cost to more than $55 million. Mr. Anderson declined to provide specifics on the changes or the development’s new projected cost. “We know there have been change or- ders, we know the project will cost more than $55 million, but negotiations are ongoing and that’s pretty much all I can say at this point,” he said. Mr. Kirkconnell did not respond to re- quests for comment on the matter, and the project’s contractor, McAlpine Ltd., de- clined to comment. The Cayman Compass is pursuing freedom of information requests to ascertain exactly how much the cost and the scope of the air- port project has increased. Government signed its deal with McAl- pine in May 2016 to undertake the project, which will triple the airport’s capacity. In December, officials opened the first element of the project, a new wing to the check-in area. About a month later, the facility had its arrival wing opened, which includes Police car arson latest attack on law enforcement BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two new Royal Cayman Is- lands Police cars being outfitted for patrol service at a George Town auto dealership were set on fire early Tuesday, in what the police commissioner called an “unacceptable attack on law enforcement.” It was the second time this year that an arsonist targeted vehicles connected with police. In early February, two personal vehicles belonging to a senior police officer were deliberately set alight outside the officer’s George Town home. A third ve- hicle burned in that incident belonged to the officer’s next- door neighbor. Severe damage was caused early Tuesday to one of the pa- trol cars parked inside the se- curity fence on the south side of the Vampt Motors Ford-Toyota dealership lot. The second police vehicle, parked next to it, had its interior seats and steering wheel damaged by flames. The fire was considered suspicious due to the two distinct points of origin. Cayman Islands Fire Service crews were called just before 3 a.m. to extinguish the fire. All ve- hicles were unoccupied and no one was hurt. Four police vehicles were parked at the dealership lot at the time the fire broke out, but only two were damaged. “This is an unacceptable at- tack on law enforcement and government property,” Police Commissioner Derek Byrne said Tuesday. “It will impact the ‘Ghost net’ found off Cayman Hundreds of fish and sharks trapped in net JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Fishermen made the horrific find of hundreds of dead fish and sharks tangled in an abandoned net drifting off Grand Cayman on Monday. The “ghost net” may have been floating for several months, trapping and killing everything in its path, according to ma- rine researchers. The Cayman Islands Department of En- vironment scrambled the mosquito plane for a reconnaissance mission and issued an alert to all boaters Tuesday in an effort to relocate and potentially recover the net. Dominick Martin-Mayes, one of the fish- ermen who made the initial discovery, said there were potentially 30 or more sharks trapped in the tangle of weighted netting that spanned 40 feet across and an esti- mated 40 feet deep. He said some of the an- imals caught in the net were so badly de- composed, it was impossible to tell what species they were. Tim Austin, deputy director of the De- partment of Environment, said the marine growth on the net and the amount of crea- tures caught up in it suggested it had been floating for some time. “If we can locate it, we can assess whether we can recover it or tow it some- where to secure it till it can be dealt with safely,” he said. “We don’t want it to end up in the reef and we need to stop its deadly ghost fishing.”A discarded fishing net, dubbed a ‘ghost net,’ was found off Grand Cayman on Monday. - PHOTO: DOMINICK MARTIN-MAYES PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » A new RCIPS patrol vehicle that was set alight by an arsonist early Tuesday. - PHOTO: BRENT FULLER2 LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY APRIL 18, 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. - WEDNESDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) BLOCKERS (R) 2:35 I 3:45 I 7:35 I 9:50 WRINKLE IN TIME 3D (PG) 1:15 I 4:00 2D I 6:40 2D I 9:35 BLACK PANTHER (PG13) 1:00 I 6:45 I 9:40 PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING (PG13) 1:25 I 5:00 I 7:15 I 10:00 RAMPAGE 3D (PG13) 1:10 I 4:00 2D VIP I 7:00 2D VIP I 9:15 2D READY PLAYER ONE 3D (PG13) 12:40 2D VIP I 4:10 I 6:30 2D I 9:30 2D VIP PETER RABBIT (PG) 12:15 I 4:00 For assistance or enquiries, please check www.eso.ky or call 244-4600 or 244-4607. Better Data...Better Decisions…Better Business Business Survey 2018...Your Response Matters! In 2016, the growth rate of Cayman's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was twice that for the USA. How did this change in 2017? The annual System of National Accounts (SNA) survey collects the information necessary to measure the health and performance of Cayman’s economy and its various industries. The survey runs from April 9th to June 1st 2018. Data collected for the SNA survey is CONFIDENTIAL under the Statistics Law (2016 Revision) and is EXEMPT from the Freedom of Information Law. Growth in Real GDP 2007-2016 2007200820092010201120122013201420152016 CaymanUSA Cayman Islands prepares for Earth Day this weekend Several organizations are hosting events throughout the Cayman Islands to mark Earth Day on Sat- urday, April 21. At least three separate cleanups will be held Sat- urday. The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce, Plastic Free Cayman and vol- unteers at North Sound Es- tates are all hosting cleanups of the island’s beaches, parks and roadsides. Chamber of Commerce cleanup The Chamber of Com- merce will hold a roadside and beach cleanup on Grand Cayman Saturday. Beginning at 7 a.m., teams of volunteers will head out across the is- land to pick up trash. The Department of Envi- ronmental Health and Fos- ter’s Food Fair IGA will supply volunteers with trash bags and gloves, and par- ticipants will receive exclu- sive Earth Day items, in- cluding hats, tote bags, and T-shirts designed by wild- life artist and conserva- tionist Guy Harvey. Those interested in vol- unteering can register a team at caymanchamber.ky/ earthday.html. Mangrove cleanup Plastic Free Cayman is or- ganizing a mangrove cleanup off the Red Sail Dock on Turnberry Drive, SafeHaven, on Saturday from 8 a.m. In previous cleanups, upward of 100 people have participated, with thousands of pounds of garbage being picked up. The organization is also looking for volunteers to stay on shore and help with sorting and weighing. More information on this cleanup can be found on the Plastic Free Cayman Facebook page. North Sound Estate cleanup The North Sound Es- tate Annual Neighborhood Cleanup also will be held on Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Volunteers are invited to meet on the lawn area adja- cent to the ICCI campus be- fore heading to their des- ignated sites. The areas covered in this cleanup include the district of Savannah, from Spotts and Newlands Road to the Agricultural Grounds and all roads, canals, lakes and ponds along the way. Contact organizers at 938-7680 or 321-9443 for more information. West Bay Earth Day Fair Meanwhile in West Bay, on Saturday, the West Bay Central Earth Day Com- mittee is organizing an Earth Day Fair at the Sir John A. Cumber Primary School Field from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The family friendly event will include music, food stalls, exhibits, artist zones and eco-friendly vendors. In addition, West Bay Central MLA Captain Eu- gene Ebanks and the com- mittee have begun an initia- tive called “Trash for Cash,” which is a competition they hope will motivate children to get involved in Earth Day. The competition will involve children picking up garbage and trash they come across on the streets. “Children will com- pete to pick up the most trash, with the winner re- ceiving an award of $150,” Mr. Ebanks said. Earth Day quiz On Saturday evening, the Eco Divers Reef Foundation will host an Earth Day pub quiz at the Hard Rock Café in George Town at 7 p.m. Entry costs $10 per person, with teams of up to six people. There will be prizes for the top three teams. There will also be a raffle throughout the evening with all proceeds benefiting the Coral Nursery Program. Tables can be re- served by emailing laura.e.butz@hotmail.com. School competition Also in recognition of Earth Day, the Department of Environmental Health has launched an initiative which it hopes will increase the na- tional interest and awareness of the need for sustained waste reduction. The department has in- vited primary schools to de- velop a catchy jingle using the theme “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” The winning jingle will be used in an ongoing educational campaign to minimize the volume of waste being generated in the Cayman Islands. Plant sale On April 28, the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park will hold an “Earth Month” plant sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the park’s nursery. Plant- buyers can find prices as low as $4 and can receive a free plant for every five plant pots they donate. For more information, email info@botanic-park.ky or call 947-9462. Cayman Brac underwater cleanup The Shore Divers Asso- ciation in Cayman Brac is planning an underwater scuba diving cleanup for Wednesday, April 18. Continuing the trend of their monthly cleanups, this cleanup will occur oppo- site the police station near the bakery on Handcuff Reef, which locals know as Panama Canal. Weather per- mitting the cleanup to occur, any qualified diver is wel- come to get involved. Divers interested in get- ting involved can con- tact Nina Banks on 928-0507 or islandmango- mama@gmail.com. Student beach cleanup on Brac Cayman Brac’s Layman E. Scott High School is orga- nizing its own beach cleanup, to be held on Thursday, April 19, from 9 a.m. Around 160 students and teachers are expected to get involved in this year’s cleanup, which will take place on Long Beach. Last year, three busloads of stu- dents and teachers were out on the beach cleaning up. National Trust Brac beach cleanup The National Trust will also be hosting a beach cleanup on Cayman Brac on Sunday, April 22, on the southeast coast, by the Great Caves. The Brac Goat Farm and Billy’s Market are providing bags to be used by the Na- tional Trust, and it is expected that there will be a sizable turnout for the cleanup. Volunteers take part in last year’s Chamber of Commerce Earth Day cleanup. A number of cleanups will be held across the Cayman Islands on Earth Day, Saturday, April 21. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY APRIL 18, 2018 P r i z e P ac k ag e i n c l u d e s Airfare and accommodations at a five-star hotel Tickets for exclusive seating at UEFA Champions League Final KIEV 2018 Private city tour of Kiev, Ukraine Exclusive dining 188013-Ad-FP-Comp_CAYMAN_UEFA_CL_Final_2018.indd 14/12/18 3:49 PMThe 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. WEDNESDAY APRIL 18, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS The Cayman Islands, home to some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, epicurean excellence and … cockfighting? That is not the kind of marketing slogan we would expect to pass muster at the Department of Tourism. Nor is cockfighting an activity that our islands can afford to condone. If last month’s raid is any indication, the unsavory pastime has gained a firm foothold on Grand Cayman. Police say that a search of a property in the area of North Sound Estates uncovered more than 40 roosters that had sustained various injuries caused by acts of cruelty. Also found were artificial spurs, along with pro- hibited biomedical drugs and other implements, and 40 additional chickens at various stages of maturity. The property owner, a 50-year-old Bodden Town man, was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty. The number of birds and peripheral supplies that were seized suggests that this was a large breeding and “training” facility for the blood sport – in which two roosters specifically bred and “trained” for aggression are placed in a small ring where they fight to the death. Cockfighting is said to be one of the world’s oldest spectator sports. It can be found all over the world – from the Caribbean to the Philippines, from the United States to Japan – and has been banned in nearly as many, including the Cayman Islands. That is for good reason. The seedy enterprise is, indeed, cruel to animals. But much more than that, it is emblematic of a larger, human problem. Partially due to its illegality, and absolutely stemming from the brutal and bloodthirsty nature of the matches, the underground cockfighting community (we use the term loosely) attracts rough characters and provides a fertile breeding ground for criminality, iniquity and vice. Gambling is likely common, as spectators place wagers (illegally) on the outcomes of the matches. Illegal drugs, guns and other trafficking activities may take place. Children may be present, exposed to sub- stance abuse, vulgar behavior and gruesome violence. We are not talking about fancy hats, opera glasses and paper fans at Churchill Downs or Royal Ascot. Perhaps most troubling, the presence of organized cockfighting in Grand Cayman is one more piece of evidence of the coarsening of our society. The activity police discovered in North Sound Estates demon- strates the peril our country faces of developing, or tolerating, a permanent criminal underclass defined by flagrant and consistent flouting of the law. Cockfights, gambling, illegal motorbiking, burglaries, robberies, assaults of citizens and police – these dis- reputable “activities” are more than mere crimes. They are symptoms of a malaise threatening the well-being of our society and the foundation of our economic success. Let us be clear and unequivocal: For decades, Cayman has deservedly attained an international reputation as a safe, conservative, tranquil and beau- tiful haven for our residents – and destination for our visitors. We have succeeded beyond the imagination of many of our Caribbean neighbors who have given short shrift to the rule of law and order. We remain the “go to” destination in the region, and we must protect that reality with every resource at our disposal. In an overly politically correct world, intolerance is often viewed as a social sin. In fact, when it comes to maintaining civility and tranquility in our community, intolerance is the opposite: It is a virtue. And when Cayman encoun- ters something as socially heinous as cockfighting on our shores, zero tolerance is the only advisable, and acceptable, response. Cayman cockfighting: Nothing to crow about Economic freedom in Europe I periodically share data comparing the United States and Europe, usually because I want to convince people that America’s medium-sized welfare state is better (less worse) than Europe’s bloated welfare states. In other words, Bernie Sanders is wrong. But I sometimes feel guilty when making these unflattering comparisons be- cause Europe – at least by world standards – actually deserves a good bit of praise. If you look at Economic Freedom of the World, you will find that the 28 nations of the European Union have relatively strong scores. In- deed, 27 of them rank in the top half, with Greece being the embarrassing exception. And 17 EU nations rank in the top quartile, three of them above the U.S. If you dig into the data, you will find that EU nations generally get crummy scores for fiscal policy, but misguided policies on taxes and spending are more than offset by supe- rior scores for trade, monetary policy, regulatory policy, and quality of governance. Now let’s look at some re- cent trends. I’m at the Euro- pean Parliament in Brussels for a conference on economic freedom. My friend Martin Agerup from Denmark gave an overview of economic freedom in EU nations, and I want to highlight some of his analysis. We will start with his modified ranking of eco- nomic freedom, which looks at where a hypothetical Eu- ropean nation would rank if it cherry-picked the best real-world scores (for the five major indices) of the various EU countries. This hypothetical country, based on the best prac- tices of various EU nations, would have the third-highest score for economic liberty – trailing only Hong Kong and Singapore. This underscores my point about considerable eco- nomic liberty in Europe. Martin also looked at trends in the European Union. First, there was a dra- matic improvement in eco- nomic freedom in Western Europe from 1975-2000. Many people know about Thatchernomics, but there was a lot of pro-market re- form in the rest of Europe. Second, there was a giant jump in economic freedom in Eastern Europe from 1995- 2005. The collapse of com- munism has resulted in vast improvements in eco- nomic liberty. Third, the overall conti- nent has seen comparatively little progress in recent years. But averages can be de- ceiving. Agerup’s presenta- tion revealed that some na- tions did rise and fall over the past decade. Many Eastern European nations boosted their scores by a modest degree, and Sweden also deserves a special men- tion. Greece stands out for the worst performance in the past 10 years. Finally, Sweden suffered a deep crisis at the start of the 1990s, somewhat akin to what Greece suffered in 2008. But the two countries re- sponded in radically different ways. Sweden shrank govern- ment and boosted economic liberty while Greece in- creased the size and scope of the state (aided and abetted by bailouts!). Notwithstanding the rela- tively nice things I just wrote about Europe, the continent faces some major fiscal chal- lenges. And middle-class tax- payers, who already are being suffocated by high taxes, will probably get further pillaged. Daniel J. Mitchell, chairman of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, is on the Editorial Board of the Cayman Financial Review. DANIEL J. MITCHELL PULLING TOGETHER FOR THE BRAC DG’S 5K CHALLENGE A wonderful event on the Brac, the DG’s 5K Challenge this past Sunday! Looking at the photos of the race – all the Brackers joining in the beautiful community effort – is evi- dence that Cayman Brac is a blessed place in Cayman. Thanks to Lizzette Year- wood, to Dr. Srirangan Ve- lusamy, director of the Sister Islands Health Services, to Faith Hospital’s valiant EMS rescuers on the Brac, to MLA Moses Kirkconnell and all the elderly and “wellderly” Brackers and very young girls and boys who ran and made their mark in Brac his- tory and joy in 2018. When world events have us worrying about our dear ones’ lives, it is wonderful to witness (even in photos) the joy of a small community of people pulling together and racing for their own health and well-being. Nan Socolow 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” If you look at Economic Freedom of the World, you will find that the 28 nations of the European Union have relatively strong scores. Indeed, 27 of them rank in the top half, with Greece being the embarrassing exception.The islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY APRIL 18, 2018 GET THERE FASTER. 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The Cayman Islands Classic is coming back for a second edition in No- vember, and its eight-team field will feature four teams that qualified for the 2018 NCAA tournament. Clemson, Creighton, Georgia State and St. Bo- naventure all went to this season’s year-end tourna- ment, and Akron, Boise State, Georgia and Illinois State will fill out the rest of the Cayman field. “Excited is an under- statement,” said Victor “Voot” O’Garro, one of the driving forces behind the tour- nament’s inception. “This is a better field than last year. Every year, we are getting better.” Three teams from last year’s inaugural Cayman Is- lands Classic – Cincinnati, Buffalo and South Dakota State – qualified for March Madness, the nickname given to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. Cincinnati was crowned the first champion of the Cayman Islands Classic and ultimately earned a No. 2 seed in the year-end tournament before losing in the second round. Buffalo, meanwhile, upset No. 4 seed Arizona but also lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Clemson did both of those teams one round better by beating New Mexico State and Auburn, advancing to the final round of 16 before falling to top seed Kansas. Kansas would ultimately go to the Final Four. Creighton has gone to the year-end NCAA Tournament in all of the last five seasons, and Georgia State has man- aged a March Madness ap- pearance in two of the last four years. St. Bonaventure, meanwhile, earned its first NCAA tournament win since 1970 by beating UCLA in its opening round game. Boise State had a down year last year but has gone to the NCAA tournament three times since 2000. Akron has gone three times since 2007, and Illinois State last went to March Madness in 1998. Georgia, a former NCAA pow- erhouse, is trying to return to form under celebrated coach Tom Crean. “Our tournament di- rector started putting to- gether this field at the end of the last tournament,” said Mr. O’Garro of the second field for the Cayman Islands Classic. “The public still does not understand college bas- ketball. But you have people that do. I know that people who follow college basket- ball will know that four of the teams we have played in the tournament this year. And that’s a big thing.” The Classic will be played again in the gym at John Gray High School. Deputy Premier Moses Kirkconnell said in an official statement that the first edi- tion of the tournament was a big success. “We are excited to host the second year of this tourna- ment in the Cayman Islands,“ Mr. Kirkconnell said as part of a press release. “Last year’s tournament was a great suc- cess with over 1,000 fans visiting our Islands, and the feedback received from the teams and visitors alike was extremely positive. “The organizers are working hard to create an even more amazing experi- ence for this year’s teams and visitors as they grace our shores to experience great basketball and a true Cay- mankind welcome.” The public is invited to take an international trip on Saturday, April 21 at Sir John A. Cumber Primary School from 6-8 p.m. Each year, the school’s students research the coun- tries of a particular global region as part of being an International Baccalau- reate school. In doing so, they learn about a coun- try’s culture, customs, reli- gion, political structure, ed- ucational system, weather patterns, food, dress and other features. On Saturday, at the 2018 “International Night,” which this year is called “Passport to the World – A Celebration of Cultures,” each student will take part in a cultural performance, including such elements as dance, songs, poetry, video presentations and drama. They also have food and craft items related to their country of study and informational displays. For more information, contact the school at 949-3314. John A. Cumber to hold ‘International Night’ Cincinnati topped Wyoming in the inaugural Cayman Islands Classic finals on Nov. 22, 2017. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY. Drug council office officially opens in Cayman Brac A government delegation led by Minister Dwayne Seymour, front row, second from left, officially opened a National Drug Council office in Cayman Brac last week. The NDC office, which has been operating since last year, affords Cayman Brac residents full-time support and services. Before the office opening, Cayman Brac residents could only rely on limited services provided during visits by NDC staff.7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY APRIL 18, 2018 Premier Health BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE AGENCIES LIMITED BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town.Tel. 949-8699 12 Kirkconnell Street, Stake Bay, Cayman BracTel. 948-1760 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International Ltd. : insurance, health, pensions, life British Caymanian Insurance Agencies Limited acts solely as an agent on behalf of Colonial Medical Insurance Company Limited and it does not act as an insurance broker on behalf of its customers. Premier Health is a smart health insurance plan that does most of the thinking for you once you present your I.D. card. 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CALL 949-8699 or visit www.britcay.ky This is what smart health insurance feels like. *based on total claims for Bermuda, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands 2016 Journalists and offshore representatives clash at OffshoreAlert conference MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com The fight between off- shore law firm Appleby and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists over the publication of the firm’s client data in the inter- national press continued at the annual OffshoreAlert con- ference in Miami on Monday. There were no Appleby representatives present in a panel discussion of what the ICIJ dubbed the “Para- dise Papers” but the firm’s Global Managing Partner Michael O’Connell sent a statement to conference or- ganizer David Marchant in which he accused journalists of publishing stolen, privi- leged property and breaching client confidentiality without justification. The media, he said, con- tinue “to appear to give no consideration as to whether the documents give rise to any matter of public in- terest or that they raise mat- ters of sufficient importance to justify the major viola- tion of confidence, privilege and privacy.” The accusations echoed allegations Appleby made in a lawsuit against the BBC and The Guardian news- paper in the U.K. In the legal action filed in December 2017, Appleby is suing for breach of confidence and seeks a permanent injunc- tion against further use of the information, as well as the disclosure and return of the documents. Mr. O’Connell said his firm was the victim of a highly so- phisticated cyberattack and not a leak by an insider as suggested by the ICIJ. Gerard Ryle, director of the ICIJ, responded on the panel that his organization had not taken part in any criminality in any way. He said the ICIJ had consulted its lawyers as to whether it could make use of the documents, “and we were told we could.” Frederik Obermaier, one of the reporters of Sued- deutsche Zeitung who re- ceived the Appleby data, said as a general policy, the German newspaper first checks whether any informa- tion obtained from whistle- blowers or informants is in the public interest. “This is not an easy pro- cess for us. There are many lawyers involved,” he said, “and we definitely see huge public interest in the Panama Papers, as well as the Para- dise Papers publication.” Mr. Ryle added the real issue was the secrecy found in the offshore world: “That is what is in the public interest.” He noted, unlike Mos- sack Fonseca, the Panama- nian law firm that was the subject of the Panama Pa- pers, Appleby is an upmarket law firm which counts some of the richest people and big- gest companies in the world among its clients. “It really showed the sys- temic problem in the offshore world in a way that had not been shown before. It was not an outlier firm. It showed that the offshore world al- lowed you to play by dif- ferent rules,” he said. Michael Dunkley, former premier of Bermuda, in con- trast, emphasized the is- land’s role as a major in- surance center and stated Bermuda was not a place to hide money. He also high- lighted Bermuda’s 36th place ranking in the Tax Justice Network’s Secrecy Index, ar- guing that most large coun- tries are placed well ahead of the offshore jurisdiction on the tax advocacy group’s secrecy list. Bermuda’s former finance minister Bob Richards in turn accused the media and large countries of double standards. Journalists, he ar- gued, had their own confi- dentiality needs, for instance when they protect their sources, and large countries constantly create rules for the offshore world that they do not follow themselves. In his statement, Apple- by’s group managing partner denied there had been any wrongdoing by his firm and claimed the journalists that published news stories on the basis of Appleby’s in- ternal documents were laying the groundwork for fur- ther cybercrime. “By being prepared to use highly confidential stolen documents without any jus- tification, journalists are simply emboldening the ac- tions of these serious crim- inal cyberhackers and fa- cilitating them in future to commit this crime,” Mr. O’Connell said. He said the theft of the firm’s data should be a pri- mary public concern: “Unless this activity is confronted and seen for what it is – se- rious criminal activity – next time, it could be your data, your private details, your health records, etc.” Bermuda’s former premier Michael Dunkley, left, and former finance minister Bob Richards at the OffshoreAlert conference in Miami on Monday. - PHOTOS: DAVID R. LEGGE David Marchant, founder and CEO of OffshoreAlert, makes the opening remarks Monday at the media company’s annual North American conference.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY APRIL 18, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Churchill’s Funeral Home Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Derrington “Bo” Miller, who passed away on Sunday April 8, 2018. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Saturday April 21, 2018 at 2:00pm at Craddock Ebanks Civic Center, North Side Road. Donations can be made at North Side District Council (Must Reference Deposit), Bo Miller Beach (Royal Bank acc# 2635175), Cayman Hospice Care and Cayman Islands Cancer Society. Interment Follows at Miller’s Cemetery Old Robin Road. e have been asked to announce the passing of District Council (Must Reference Deposit), Bo Miller Beach (Royal Bank acc# 2635175),Bo Miller Beach (Royal Bank acc# 2635175), An image, taken by Mr. Martin-Mayes from beneath the surface, clearly shows an Oceanic whitetip shark trapped in the outer web of the net. He said there were also jacks, triple tails, big ocean turbots and a variety of pelagic fish caught inside. The dead and trapped an- imals create a bloody chum slick which attracts sharks and other predators, and un- less the net is recovered or makes landfall, it could drift indefinitely trapping yet more marine creatures. “It is heartbreaking,” said Mr. Martin-Mayes, who is also a dive instructor on Grand Cayman. “The fish come and eat what is there and get caught up in it themselves, so it just snowballs and be- comes this gigantic floating net of death.” The fishermen made the find around four miles off Grand Cayman, just before 5 p.m. Monday. Mr. Martin-Mayes and his friends free-dove on the net and freed some of the fish that had been recently trapped. But they were un- able to continue with the operation because of the risk of getting caught in the net themselves or being at- tacked by an injured shark or another predator drawn to the chaos. The fishermen attempted to drag the net back to- ward land, but it was too heavy for them to move. Mr. Martin-Mayes said he had informed the Department of Environment of the coordi- nates in the hope that they could recover it. Researcher and conserva- tionist Guy Harvey was also out on the ocean, Monday, tagging Oceanic whitetip sharks as part of a conser- vation project. He said he had not been informed of the net until much later and missed the opportunity to go to the scene. From his examination of the photographs, he said the barnacle-covered net could have traveled for hun- dreds of miles. “They are so destructive because when the equipment is lost, it continues to kill. From my assessment of the conditions of the net, it has been out there a long time.” He said the strength and speed of the currents would make the net difficult to lo- cate again and it could con- tinue to drift, causing serious damage to marine life. Mr. Austin said it was not clear what type of net it was. He said it had floats on and appeared to be fairly coarse, suggesting it may be a kind of seine net, used to encircle large schools of fish which are then pulled on board a boat. He said, “Nets are regu- larly dumped at sea when they wear out so it’s difficult to determine if this is lost gear or dumped.” The Mosquito Research and Control Unit, which has a light aircraft used for spraying for mosquitoes, loaned its pilots and its plane to the Department of Envi- ronment Tuesday for a recon- naissance flight, which was still ongoing at press time. Mr. Austin said the depart- ment had also alerted marine police, the Port Authority and the boating community in an effort to locate the net. Mr. Martin-Mayes said the find was horrifying but he hopes it will draw atten- tion to the dangers of both unscrupulous fishing prac- tices and the dumping of dis- carded nets and other dan- gerous trash in the ocean. “When you see this sort of thing on television, on doc- umentaries,” he said, “you think that’s terrible, but when you see it firsthand, it is gen- uinely heartbreaking. The sad thing is it is not likely to be the only one out there.” patrols those vehicles were intended for, but more im- portantly, [it] appears to be a continuation of reckless arson attacks on vehicles around the island last year. “Such behavior endan- gers everyone and must be stopped. We are asking members of the community to come forward with any information.” No arrests were immediately reported. The string of arson fires Commissioner Byrne referred to happened in February, starting with the attack on the senior officer’s home in the Ryan’s Retreat subdivi- sion. A raging overnight fire in that incident singed the officer’s home, destroyed the two vehicles and damaged a third one parked next door. When contacted by the Cayman Compass, the of- ficer said they did not know why the vehicles had ap- parently been targeted. “I am frightened for the life of my family,” said the officer, who said two chil- dren live in the home where the cars were targeted. “I am scared that my kids are going to look at me and say … ‘I can’t live in my own house.’ “If anybody out there knows anything … I’m asking them to go forward and contact the police.” No arrests were reported in connection with the ve- hicle fires in Ryan’s Retreat. Another four car fires were reported around Grand Cayman – three on Valen- tine’s Day and one three days later – but there were no connections made to po- lice in any of those incidents. Shots fired, superintendent attacked Attacks on local police have not been limited to ve- hicle arsons during 2018. Two armed robbery sus- pects were involved in a shoot-out with RCIPS offi- cers in early March during a pursuit. The two sus- pects were believed to have been involved in a rob- bery on March 3 at the Czech Inn outdoor eatery in Bodden Town. According to police, of- ficers tracked down the suspects at Victory Av- enue in Prospect. The men left their vehicle and ran, firing shots at the pur- suing officers. The police returned fire, but it was not believed that anyone was hit in the exchange. One man has been arrested and charged in connection with the robbery. In October 2017, a se- nior RCIPS officer was at- tacked during a traffic stop. Two men were charged in connection with an attack on Superintendent Peter Lansdown that left the se- nior investigator uncon- scious and hospitalized for several days. Mr. Lansdown was in full uniform at the time of the attack. Police said he stopped at the scene of a car crash along the Es- terley Tibbetts Highway when one of the suspects allegedly punched the su- perintendent in the face, knocking him down. He was subsequently treated for a broken rib and stitches. That case is now before the Court of Appeal.customs, baggage and immi- gration areas. Once finished, the up- graded airport will have a maximum annual passenger capacity of around 2.5 mil- lion. The airport was origi- nally built to handle about 500,000 passengers annually but currently accommodates more than twice that many. With exploding tourism numbers – a record 2.1 mil- lion people visited here in 2017, with 418,403 coming by air – some have ques- tioned whether the project goes far enough. Mr. Kirkconnell, for his part, said that the new air- port will be equipped to handle the influx. “When the airport is com- plete, you will see that it is well sized to handle a lot more than 500,000 [tour- ists] a year,” he told the Com- pass last month. Government has said the terminal over- haul will be completed by around Christmas. ‘Ghost net’ found off Cayman CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The net has potentially hundreds of dead fish and sharks trapped inside. – PHOTO: DOMINICK MARTIN-MAYES Airport terminal overhaul to exceed $55M budget CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Police car arson latest attack on law enforcement The damage to one of the patrol vehicles from Tuesday’s arson fire is severe. – PHOTO: BRENT FULLER The renovation and expansion of the Owen Roberts International Airport was originally budgeted to cost $55 million. - IMAGE: ARCHITECT’S RENDERING9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY APRIL 18, 2018 SaxonMG Insurance is seeking witnesses to a serious motor vehicle/motorcycle accident which occurred on Tuesday 6 January 2015 on the Esterley Tibbetts Highway at around 6 p.m. in the vicinity of Raleigh Quay, West Bay and involving a Toyota Windom and a Kawasaki motorcycle, and possibly witnessed by the driver of a green Honda. If you witnessed this accident would you please call 623-7788. Compensation may be available for your time. SEEKING WITNESS UK leader sorry for Caribbean citizens immigration mix-up Trump, Abe to meet despite strain over North Korea, tariffs WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – President Donald Trump is playing host to Japa- nese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe this week amid growing strain between the countries over the president’s planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the push for new tariffs. The visit gives the leaders an opportunity to discuss Trump’s upcoming summit with North Korea, which Japan eyes warily. It will also serve as a test of whether the fond personal relationship the two leaders have forged on the golf course and over meetings and phone calls has chilled following Trump’s re- cent moves, including failure to exempt Japan from new steel and aluminum tariffs. Trump welcomed the two days of meetings. “I am in Florida and looking for- ward to my meeting with Prime Minister Abe of Japan. Working on Trade and Military Security,” he tweeted Tuesday. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the White House expects the summit “to be very positive.” “Obviously, the president has got a great relationship there, and it’s going to be centered primarily on prep- aration for talks with North Korea as well as a lot of trade discussion is expected to come up,” she said. The official visit begins Tuesday afternoon with a one-on-one meeting followed by a small group discussion with top national security officials focused on the Kim summit. The president and first lady Melania Trump will also have dinner with Abe and his wife. On Wednesday, the agenda will broaden to include other issues affecting the Indo-Pa- cific region, including trade and energy. Trump and Abe will also hold a news con- ference before the president and first lady host the Japa- nese delegations for dinner. Abe will return to Japan on Thursday morning. Golf is not on the offi- cial schedule, but senior ad- ministration officials did not rule it out completely. Trump and Abe played to- gether during Abe’s trip to Florida a year ago and during Trump’s maiden trip to Japan late last year. When Trump hosted Abe at his private Mar-a-Lago club in West Palm Beach, Florida, shortly after the in- auguration, North Korea con- ducted its first missile test of Trump’s administration, and the two delivered a joint state- ment denouncing the launch. This time, Abe’s visit comes weeks after Trump took him – and the region – by surprise by announcing he had accepted an invitation to sit down with Kim following months of increasingly heated rhetoric over the North’s nu- clear weapons program. Among the major powers in Northeast Asia, Japan has been left out of the re- cent flurry of diplomacy with North Korea. Abe will be seeking reassurance from Trump that security threats to Japan will not be over- looked in the U.S.-North Korea summit, slated for May or early June. Mike Pompeo, Trump’s pick for secretary of state, said the goal of the summit is to get North Korea to “step away from its efforts to hold America at risk with nu- clear weapons.” Abe has voiced fears that short- and medium-range missiles that pose a threat to Japan might not be part of the U.S. negotiations and has said he worries Trump may “end up accepting North Korea’s possession of nu- clear weapons.” James Schoff, a former Pentagon adviser on East Asia policy and now a senior asso- ciate for the Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the North Korea summit will be front and center of the visit. “Abe will want to know what Trump’s trying to get out of the meeting and what he’s willing to offer,” Schoff said. “Abe will want to re- inforce the idea that max- imum pressure must con- tinue until we get complete denuclearization.” Abe is also expected to push for exemptions on new U.S. tariffs on steel and alu- minum imports that have been granted to several key U.S. allies. Takehiro Shimada, a spokesman for the Embassy of Japan, said the country cannot accept Trump’s deci- sion on the tariffs and will push Trump to reconsider. “That’s what we really wanted to ask the America side is, ‘Why?’” he said. Japan could also express support for a U.S. return to the Trans-Pacific Partner- ship trade deal that Trump abandoned on taking of- fice. Trump opened the pos- sibility of rejoining last week amid a trade dis- pute with China. Both sides insist that Trump and Abe remain close. U.S. officials stressed that Trump has met with Abe more than any other world leader and say they have been in “constant con- tact” since Trump accepted Kim’s invitation. Abe is also expected to push the issue of Japa- nese abductees, one of his top policy priorities. Pyong- yang has acknowledging ab- ducting 13 Japanese, while Tokyo maintains North Korea abducted 17. LONDON (AP) – British Prime Minister Theresa May made a personal apology Tuesday for the treatment of long-term U.K. residents from the Carib- bean who have been asked to prove their right to stay in the country or face deportation. The plight of legal resi- dents wrongly identified as living in Britain illegally has erupted as the country hosts leaders from the 53-nation Commonwealth of the U.K. and its former colonies. May met with Caribbean leaders and envoys Tuesday, and told them “we are gen- uinely sorry for any anxiety that has been caused.” People who came to Britain after World War II are known as the “Windrush gen- eration,” after the ship Em- pire Windrush, which carried hundreds of Caribbean immi- grants to Britain in 1948. Those who arrived be- fore a change in the law in 1971 had an automatic right to settle in the U.K. But some from that generation, espe- cially those who arrived as children on their parents’ passports, say they have been denied medical treatment or threatened with deportation because they cannot produce papers to prove their status. “The Windrush generation helped to build the country that we are today,” May said. “And I want to dispel any im- pression that my government is in any sense clamping down on Commonwealth citi- zens, particularly those from the Caribbean who have built a life here.” On Monday, Home Sec- retary Amber Rudd said she was setting up a task force to sort out the Caribbean im- migrants’ paperwork simply and for free, and promised that no one would be de- ported. The government said it is checking to see whether anyone has been deported from Britain in error. Reports of long-time res- idents being detained or de- nied healthcare are a deep embarrassment to the British government as it hosts the bi- ennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London this week. Britain wants to use the meeting to bolster frayed ties with its ex-colonies, and to pave the way for new trade deals after the U.K. leaves the European Union next year. The British government has taken an increasingly tough line on immigration, which has increased dra- matically over the last 10 or 15 years largely as result of people moving to the U.K. from other EU countries. A desire to control immi- gration was a major factor for many voters who sup- ported Britain’s exit from the EU in a 2016 referendum. As part of its goal of re- ducing net migration to below 100,000 people a year, the Conservative government has tried to make Britain – in a phrase used by May when she was home secretary – a “hostile environment for il- legal immigrants.” One aspect of that policy is recent rule changes re- quiring people trying to rent property or use health ser- vices to show they have the right to live in the U.K. May said Tuesday that some Windrush immi- grants, “through no fault of their own,” had fallen foul of that policy. After the meeting, Ja- maican Prime Minister An- drew Holness said he ac- cepted May’s apology. “I believe that the right thing is being done at this time,” he said. “The truth is that [May] has said there has been a policy change, that this was an unintended consequence. As Caribbean leaders we have to accept that in good faith.” “The Windrush generation helped to build the country that we are today, and I want to dispel any impression that my government is in any sense clamping down on Commonwealth citizens, particularly those from the Caribbean who have built a life here.” THERESA MAY Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May and Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness speak during a bilateral meeting at 10 Downing Street, London, Tuesday. – PHOTO: APNext >