1 SPECIALFEATURE CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 3, 2018 SPECIAL FEATURE Celebrating Batabano’s 35 years High of 88 Low of 76 Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR ATTEMPTS TO SORT OUT CAYMAN’S TRASH WOES ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY MAY 3, 2018 PremierHealth Feel the power of smart health insurance! Britcay settled 257,684 health claims in 2017. 95% in 5 working days. 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. Call 949-8699 www.britcay.ky cgigrp BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE AGENCIES LIMITED BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International Ltd. : insurance, health, pensions, life Territories react to UK action OTs accuse Britain of ‘modern colonialism’ MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com The decision by the U.K. parliament to threaten an order in council to force the overseas territories to make their benefi- cial ownership registries public has caused consternation in Bermuda, the BVI and other territories. Bermuda’s premier and finance minister David Burt called the vote “a significant backwards step in the relations between the United Kingdom and the Overseas Territo- ries” and “a return to base colonialism” that has no place in 2018. “It is ironic that in the very year we cel- ebrate the 50th Anniversary of our Constitu- tion, Bermuda is confronted with this regret- table ‘about face’ which fails to acknowledge this long history of full internal self-govern- ment,” he said. He noted the government of Bermuda had a strong constitutional position and would “take the necessary steps to ensure our Con- stitution is respected.” Government to challenge order in council MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands government is re- taining legal advisers to challenge the threat of an order in council by the U.K. government forcing Cayman to implement a public reg- ister of beneficial ownership. “The issue goes way beyond public regis- ters and it is an issue that we are going to challenge,” Premier Alden McLaughlin said, speaking on Radio Cayman on Wednesday. Mr. McLaughlin said the House of Com- mons was arrogating to itself the power to make legislation for the overseas territories with its decision to include a clause in its Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill that instructs the secretary of state to issue an order in council directing the territories to establish public registries detailing the owners of companies. “We don’t want to wind up in a situation where every time the U.K. parliament dis- agrees with a decision in one of the territo- ries, it has the power to legislate for us,” the Cayman prepares for hurricane season Workers from the Public Works Department erect hurricane shutters at the Bodden Town Primary School Wednesday morning, as Cayman’s government and support staff took part in the annual National Hurricane Exercise this week. Members of the National Hazard Management Council and Emergency Support Teams met for a briefing on Tuesday and reconvened for a hurricane table-top exercise on Wednesday. For more on this story, see page 7. – PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY Manderson apologizes for garbage collection failures JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Government’s top civil ser- vant has a simple message for residents frustrated with incon- sistent household garbage col- lections: “We’re sorry.” Deputy Governor Franz Man- derson said he had personally intervened to help put things back on track. He blamed a combination of equipment problems, staff shortages, staff absenteeism and issues with the management of overtime at the Department of Environmental Health for per- sistent problems with road- side collections. Residents across Cayman have reported late and incon- sistent collections since late last year and a petition, started by Newlands MLA Al Suckoo, is cir- culating, calling on government to deal with the problem. Mr. Manderson said, “I am sorry that our waste collec- tion team has failed to reliably and effectively manage waste PRIVATE HEALTH COSTS, INSURER EARNINGS SOAR BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Earnings for Cayman’s private sector health insurers nearly quadrupled in one year following changes made to the islands’ stan- dard health insurance contract rules, mem- bers of the Legislative Assembly’s Public Ac- counts Committee heard Wednesday. At the same time, committee members said monthly premiums paid by private sector em- ployees for healthcare coverage went up by an average of between $1,000 and $2,000 per year. The numbers do not include public sector employees or retirees who are fully covered under a healthcare plan maintained by the government. The government plan does not charge monthly premiums to civil servants, their dependents or retired civil servants. Bodden Town West MLA Chris Saunders noted the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority annual reports for each year since 2011 showed significant increases in earnings for the health insurance sector, going from about $4 million in 2011, to $10.8 million in 2012, to about $14 million in 2014 and a sudden jump to $51.5 million by December 2015. Those earnings are calculated after sub- tracting premium payouts, underwriting costs and other staff costs, the figures for which are provided each year to CIMA by PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL NEWS lice still hope to draw on the expertise and guidance of the professional dive community, but he cited the potential for volunteers to be injured during a search and rescue operation among police’s primary con- cerns in such situations. He added that having a specialist dive unit within the police force will enable of- ficers to develop plans and work on specific skills relevant to search, rescue and recovery. Monday’s exercise was not without problems. The chal- lenge of bringing the body to the surface without lift bags was one of a handful of issues that will be addressed as the training exercise is reviewed. Mr. Connolly added, “You can never practice for every single situation, we couldn’t practice on every coral reef. It is really about getting the system right and putting the processes in place that will make it a safer dive environ- ment for everyone.” Superintendent Pete Lans- down said he had person- ally volunteered for the unit as “visible leadership” and a show of support for the project. He said the exercise had shown the abilities of the of- ficers, but also exposed areas where specialist skills needed to be developed. “We are going to have to practice grid search patterns and things like that, and prac- tice as a team,” he said. “We also need to work on the plan- ning we do before we go in the water. “We found a mannequin body on this occasion. We all learned from it. I think we also need more equip- ment, which is something we learned through that training exercise.” He added that police divers could also be used in crim- inal investigations to recover drugs, weapons or other evi- dence thrown from boats. Ash McKnight, owner and PADI course director at GoPro Cayman, said he had been happy to help facilitate the training exercise. “The dive industry has been very active over the years and has helped in search and rescue, helped in recov- ering bodies,” he said. “I’m sure they will continue in the future also.” He said dive accidents were relatively rare in Cayman but it was important to ensure any rescue or recovery opera- tion, when required, was well planned and well executed. “We are just trying to pre- pare, [so that] in the unlikely event that there is an acci- dent, we will be able to act fast and take care of the situa- tion,” he added. THURSDAY MAY 3, 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. - THURSDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR 3D (PG13) 12:15 2D VIP I 12:20 I 3:30 2D VIP 3:35 2D I 6:45 2D VIP I 6:50 2D 9:10 I 9:55 2D VIP WRINKLE IN TIME 3D (PG) 2:40 2D I 5:05 I 7:30 2D A QUIET PLACE (PG13) 12:15 I 7:35 I 10:15 I CAN ONLY IMAGINE (PG) 2:30 I 10:00 EVERY DAY (PG13) 12:20 I 5:10 I 9:50 RAMPAGE 3D (PG13) 12:50 2D I 4:40 2D I 6:40 I 10:00 2D READY PLAYER ONE (PG13) 1:35 I 3:25 I 7:10 JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Flashlights flicker in the dark, underwater cor- ridors of the USS Kittiwake as a team of police officers combs every corner of the famous shipwreck. In the gloomy interior of the ship’s hold, the raspy sound of divers breathing through scuba regula- tors provides an eerie soundtrack to the search. Police Constable Richard Connolly is the first to find the body. He taps on his tank to alert his fellow divers and they muscle the lifeless form out of a porthole and on to the sand. In this case, the body in question is a mannequin in a wet suit, hidden on the wreck by instructors from GoPro Cayman as part of a training exercise. But Mr. Connolly, a ma- rine police officer who heads up a new scuba unit being developed by the Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice Service, warns that next time could be for real. Concerned about issues of liability when commu- nity volunteers become in- volved in search, rescue and recovery operations under the water, police are in the process of es- tablishing their own dive response team. The divers, volunteers pulled from various units within the police force, will be involved in regular training exercises, like this one, to hone their skills and be ready to deploy in a real emergency. Mr. Connolly, who has trained as a dive instructor as part of the project, said he had established a team of 10 officers that would be certified as “rescue divers.” Eventually, he hopes to ex- pand the unit to as many as 25 officers. He said Monday’s exer- cise on the Kittiwake had shown the officers’ ability to work in tight spaces, to control their buoyancy and conduct searches in diffi- cult conditions. “We are trying to make these kind of search and rescue efforts more pro- fessional, to do more training and more team- work,” he added. Typically, when a diver or swimmer goes missing on Cayman’s reefs, it has been local scuba instruc- tors that have stepped up to lead the search. Mr. Connolly said po- New police dive unit trains on Kittiwake Dive staff lower a mannequin into the water ahead of a police dive training exercise on Monday. - PHOTOS: JAMES WHITTAKER Customs officer takes stand in gun case CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedia The trial of customs of- ficer Claude Terry continued on Wednesday, with jurors hearing a taped interview in which he answered ques- tions about a firearm found in a plastic box in the water tank behind his Cayman Brac apartment on Aug. 23, 2016. Mr. Terry is charged with possessing the firearm – a Smith & Wesson revolver and eight rounds of .44 Magnum ammunition – without a li- cense. He pleaded not guilty and the matter is being heard by a jury of five women and two men, with Justice Mi- chael Wood presiding. The case for the prose- cution, conducted by Crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson, is that the gun had been held at the Customs office on the Brac, but went missing. The box with the gun in it was recovered from the water tank by Inspector Wendy Parchment, after an employee of the apartment owner saw the box when he went to pump the water out. Mr. Terry explained in his interview that he knew the individual water tanks for the apartments were being removed because the units had been connected to the Water Authority supply. He said he still had water in his tank and got some out on the Saturday, Aug. 20, in order to mop his floors. He was on vacation that week and was home when he heard voices outside by the tank on the Tuesday. He saw Ms. Parchment and the land- lord and he thought they were talking about her buying the tank or being given it. Mr. Terry said he went outside and asked if they had seen his case. He ex- plained that, after mopping on Saturday, he had taken his phone out of its case be- cause he wanted to submerge the phone in water to test if it was waterproof. He said it seemed to work, so he put the cover back on the water tank, not realizing the phone case had fallen inside. When he did realize, he decided he was not going into the tank to get it. He denied asking the of- ficer and landlord if they had seen his “box.” He told his interviewers, “I never used the word ‘box.’” He said he had no idea they were at the premises for any reason other than Ms. Parchment getting the tank. He said he did recognize the gray box, but had not seen it for about two years. It had been used to carry hand tools aboard vessels for repairs at sea. The box had been kept in the boat shed on the district administra- tion compound, but the shed was not secure. Mr. Terry said he also rec- ognized the firearm. It had been under Customs control, but had gone missing over a year earlier. He said he had handled it at the Customs office when he was moving things around in a weapons storage cabinet to make more room. “I saw the gun all the time with the rest of my co- workers,” he said. Asked whether mem- bers of the public would have had access to where firearms were kept, he said they should not have access, but in the Brac, things were so “lackadaisical” and he re- ferred to a back-door access. Asked if he knew anyone who would want to put the firearm in his water tank, he said he could think of a long list. He said he had felt un- justly targeted over the past few months and had received animosity. He noted that his dog had been poisoned ear- lier that month. Also on Wednesday, jurors heard from forensic DNA sci- entist Angela Tanzillo-Swarts. She explained that she had examined various swabs from parts of the gun and had found multiple-source DNA profiles. For example, on the grip of the gun, she found a profile containing DNA from at least two indi- viduals. Mr. Terry could not be excluded as a contrib- utor, she said. Asked how long DNA could remain on an item, she said that if the environ- ment was good, it could last for years. “Our techniques are becoming more and more sensitive,” she noted. Defense attorney Crister Brady asked if an item were wet or moist, could DNA sur- vive three or four days? The witness said it would depend on the amount of moisture present. Previous witnesses have said the box containing the firearm was found sus- pended by a cord from the water tank cover and kept afloat by a buoy. Police Constable Richard Connolly helps lift the mannequin out of the lower compartment in the front port side of the Kittiwake.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 3, 2018 Track star Hyman pays tribute to his brother and ‘inspiration’ Conch, whelk, lobster and game bird seasons close The Department of En- vironment is reminding the public that the season for taking conch, whelk, lobster or game birds is now closed. “After May 1, everyone should remember that they cannot take conch, or whelk, or lobsters, or either of our two game birds, until those seasons reopen,” said John Bothwell, manager of the De- partment of Environment’s Legislation Implementation and Coordination Unit. “Our goal is to promote a sustainable recreational fishery that will serve the public for years into the fu- ture,” he said. “Not taking marine life when they are spawning is a major compo- nent of a sustainable fishery and one of the reasons why the Cayman Islands and other fisheries jurisdictions around the world have closed and open seasons, along with bag and size limits, for ma- rine life that is at risk of being overfished.” Conch and whelk season reopens on Nov. 1. The DoE also reminded people that chitons, periwin- kles, bleeding teeth and echi- noderms, including starfish, sea eggs/urchins, sea cucum- bers and sand dollars, may not be taken at any time. The season for Nassau grouper also closed on May 1, and will reopen on Nov. 30. “Sharks, rays and Nassau grouper (larger or smaller than the size allowed to be kept, or more than the catch limit) should be re- leased alive if accidentally caught, even if they are in- jured during catching. For sharks, simply cut the line as close to the hook as safe,” the DoE advised. The department also urges fishermen to use circle hooks when fishing as it makes releasing undersized fish, or protected species like Nassau grouper, stingrays, or sharks, easier as they are un- likely to be gut hooked. “Having a release rig ready to use when fishing in 75ft+ water means you can easily release undersized, un- desirable or protected spe- cies (like Nassau groupers), as their swim bladders will recompress by using the re- lease rig,” the DoE said in a statement. Sharks and rays may not be taken from Cayman waters at any time, the DoE stressed. Cayman’s lobster season, which closed on March 1, will reopen on Nov. 30. The game bird season is now also closed. The season for blue-winged teals closed on April 30 and will reopen on Sept. 1, while the season for white-winged doves closed on March 31 and will reopen on Oct. 1. “The open and closed sea- sons for the different species are designed to give the local populations a break from harvesting during the parts of the year when they repro- duce the most,” Mr. Both- well said. “The closed season is an effective and efficient way to limit how many conch get taken, which will give Cayman a sustainable rec- reational conch fishery not just this coming November, but for years in the fu- ture as well.” He added, “We urge per- sons not to support poaching. Don’t buy conch or anything else from people during the closed seasons. It is a crime and should be reported to authorities.” To report poaching, call 911, or contact DoE enforcement officers in Grand Cayman on 916-4271, in Cayman Brac on 926-0136, or in Little Cayman on 925-0185. Maxwell Hyman died Friday at age 29 JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands sprinter Kemar Hyman has faced some tough races in his ca- reer, but none more so than at the prestigious Drake re- lays in Iowa on Saturday. The athlete competed just 24 hours after learning his brother and “inspiration” Maxwell Hyman had died. “I knew he would want me to run,” said Kemar, “so I ran for him.” Maxwell Hyman, 29, died Friday in hospital in Miami less than a year after being diagnosed with lupus, a disease that impacts the immune system. He was a respected ath- lete in his own right who competed for the Cayman Is- lands in various disciplines at the CARIFTA Games and Central American and Ca- ribbean Games. He was also part of the Cayman Islands gold medal-winning sprint relay team at the 2009 Island Games in Aland, Finland. His preferred events were the 400 meter hurdles and 200 meter sprint. Brothers Maxwell and Kemar were less than a year apart in age and were insepa- rable growing up. “We went to college to- gether, graduated together. He was always there for me, he inspired me to become who I am right now,” said Kemar. “He was qualifying for meets and was faster than me at one point. He gave me the motivation to progress, to never miss a meet, to al- ways strive for the best – that’s what he taught me as a young man growing up. “It is really a sad loss for our family. We are trying to hang in there and be there for each other.” The brothers attended King University together on track scholarships, later transferring to Florida State where they were teammates on the college track team. After graduation, Max- well took a job at PwC in the Cayman Islands, while Kemar’s career took him around the globe to var- ious track meets. “Wherever I was com- peting in the world, I would always call him and tell him about it.” Just last month, Kemar’s track career hit new heights with a 5th place finish in the Commonwealth Games. But he quickly came down from that high to the low of learning his brother’s con- dition had worsened and he had been transferred to hos- pital in Miami. “I didn’t even have a small celebration; it was right back to reality. I got off a 24-hour flight and heard he was in hospital. “I went down to see him the next day. We hadn’t been together since January and to see him again in a different state was heartbreaking. I hope he knows that ev- eryone loved him and was there for him.” He said there had been an outpouring of love and sup- port for the family from a tight network of cousins and friends of Maxwell. “He was a light that shined in many of his friends’ lives. Everyone had a story to tell about Max. “He was a happy, funny guy – a peacemaker. He would never do anything to hurt anyone. He was always joyful.” Kemar said he and his brother were “like twins” and enjoyed travelling together, and had been planning a trip later this year. “It is sad to see him go, to see my mum cry, We just have to hang in there and be there for each other.” Maxwell Hyman, 29, died Friday in hospital in Miami less than a year after being diagnosed with lupus, a disease that impacts the immune system. Conch season in Cayman closed on May 1. It will be illegal to take conch from Cayman waters until the season reopens on Nov. 1. “The open and closed seasons for the different species are designed to give the local populations a break from harvesting during the parts of the year when they reproduce the most.” JOHN BOTHWELL, Department of Environment Maxwell Hyman was a scholar and an athlete. He competed for Cayman in track and went on to work for PWC after graduating from Florida State University. Kemar Hyman, left, said his brother Maxwell, right, was an inspiration in his track career.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. 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 findtheirownway” For any readers who may have been off-island, in hibernation or otherwise blissfully unaware of Grand Cayman’s months-long garbage woes, allow us to set the scene: • Inconsistent trash collection since at least the beginning of the year. • Growing piles of trash, marring our neighborhoods, attracting pests and festering in the sun and rain – sometimes for weeks. • Fed-up residents driving to the George Town landfill, to drop off their rubbish in piles that have over- flowed into the car park. • And, finally, an inexcusable failure to cart off the tons of trash collected by hundreds of volunteers participating in Earth Day cleanup activities around the island. At the center of this sorry saga, there have been two key questions: Question 1: When are they going to collect the garbage? Question 2: Where is Roydell Carter, the director of the Department of Environmental Health? Public concerns about Grand Cayman’s trash problem grew to such a level that Deputy Governor Franz Manderson, the country’s highest-ranking civil servant, felt it necessary to roll up his own sleeves and get his hands dirty. The deputy governor’s personal intervention is a welcome development. His Wednesday statement suitably contained the requisite apologies (“I am sorry that our waste collec- tion team has failed to reliably and effectively manage waste collection”) and assurances (“As the Deputy Governor and Head of the Civil Service, I offer no excuses, only a firm commitment that the civil service is focused on correcting the failure and restoring the public’s confidence.”). The statement did not, however, include any mention of DEH Director Carter, who has managerial respon- sibility for garbage collection and who apparently has been on unspecified “leave” since late last year. As to the matter at hand, the deputy governor said the department has now caught up on its weekly residential waste collection and has taken proac- tive steps to “move toward a more stable footing,” including disciplining employees for poor performance and non-attendance, filling “mission-critical vacancies” through emergency appointments, and working with the Department of Vehicle and Equipment Services to minister to an “aged fleet” and effect a vehicle replacement strategy. That all sounds good, but a fair question is why has it taken all these months to get to this “new beginning?” In the grander scheme, there has been no word on when government expects officially to hand over solid waste and landfill responsibilities to Dart Enterprises – which was named the “winner” of a 25-year agree- ment back in October (seven months ago). At the time, the tentative time line was for final negotiations, planning approvals and an “environ- mental impact assessment” – yes, on a landfill – to have proceeded to the point where construction of the new facility would commence this summer and be operational by 2021. In our opinion (and, we imagine, the vast majority of Cayman’s), the sooner Dart takes over the dump, the better. The Deputy Governor attempts to sort out Cayman’s trash woes THURSDAY MAY 3, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Letters to the editor Grateful for excellent medical care Please allow me space to express my thanks to Dr. Sidney Ebanks of CTMH Doc- tors Hospital for a spot-on di- agnosis and referral to Dr. Christopher Bromley who ad- vised I needed an emergency surgery. Together with Dr. Zoltan Szucs, they performed the surgery that night. I’m so pleased CTMH was equipped to operate right away. Being offered the op- tion of a private room meant I could get a full night’s rest without any snoring and be on the road to recovery. All of my doctors had an excellent bedside manner and kept my spirits up, which is important when going into surgery and re- covering. I am extremely grateful to Dr. Ebanks, Dr. Bromley, Dr. Szucs, the ultra- sound team and the nurses at CTMH Doctors Hospital for the care I received. Above all, thank God ev- erything went well and thanks be to God for my continuing recovery and ul- timate healing. Thanks also to my par- ents, siblings, and other close family for being there. Marilyn Whittaker Work together to keep Cayman clean Regarding garbage bins: The Environmental Health Department may have in place guidelines, but I have noticed for years that once the garbage has been picked up, the workers just throw the garbage bins wherever. Upon returning home from work, I will then have no- ticed that the garbage was or was not collected and when collected, the ques- tion is where are my gar- bage bins? These would later be found down the street or in the neighbor’s yard. This is not good. Should we be paying a fee for better treatment? Regarding garbage pick- up: The garbage is being picked up whenever. Take, for example, the recent is- landwide cleanup which was done voluntarily by caring members of our so- ciety who took the time out from their personal sched- ules to engage in the pick- up of tons of garbage. Our children were also involved. These bags of garbage were placed alongside the road for collection, but still remain there as chickens and other stray animals in- tervened, hence causing a duplication of garbage. This was a good effort and excel- lent teamwork in the heat done for he “love of country.” There must be some- thing in place for better- ment. Our country was also known to be one of the cleanest, if not the cleanest in the Caribbean. LET’S KEEP IT THIS WAY. Jacqueline Thomas Eager for Cayman Airways’ westward flights Dear Cayman Airways, we read with great delight your ideas on expanding flight services to the western states of the U.S. and especially to Denver. Being from Boulder, Colo- rado. We have been trav- eling to the Cayman Islands since 1968 and built a home here in 1987. As you can see, we have had to make complicated flight plans for many a year, as have many friends and relatives. Over the ensuing years, friends and Cayman neigh- bors have related to us their ease of travel from Boston, New York, Chicago, Tampa etc. via Cayman Airways. We would look forward with great delight to travel again on Cayman Airways as we did many years ago after a long flight from Los Angeles to Miami before our retire- ment to Colorado. We still have our Sir Turtle card! As you know, Colorado is an extremely active scuba, snorkeling and outdoor active state. We cannot tell you how many visitors we have en- countered from Colorado, but it is too numerous to count. Just last week, a family rented a home near ours and they were from Grand Junc- tion Colorado, in the western part of our state. It was their first trip here and they cannot wait to return Denver is also a quick and large hub for airline passen- gers from all the western and midwestern states (a fact we are sure you are already aware). We hope your con- siderations are quickly con- firmed as we look forward to booking our two to three flights next year on Cayman Airways from Denver. Thank you for listening! Betty and Arthur Annecharico Welcome to Cayman’s new governor Firstly let me welcome our new governor – His Ex- cellency Mr. Anwar Choud- hury. Already, his de- meanor reminds me of the best governor this island has ever had, the late Mr. Thomas Russell. Keep up the good work, sir. Secondly, I speak about the overcrowded prison at Northward. My opinion is that when non-violent per- sons are charged with pos- session of ganja, instead of putting them at Northward Prison, the courts should give them house arrest with a curfew of 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and have them wear a tracking device. A police of- ficer should make random checks at their house to see if they are complying with court orders. Being free during the day will allow the person to earn a living, and alleviate the crowding at Northward Prison. Thirdly, my opinion re- garding why there are so many traffic offenses is be- cause there are too many cars on this little 2x4 island. Work permit holders, who we may need, should not be allowed to import vehicles. What many of them do is to import cars from Japan to sell, and send the proceeds back to their country of or- igin. I see it happening. I am sure that hundreds of work permit holders did not have a vehicle back home. There is one more thing that I would like the governor to look into (sad to say, it is a waste of time to give our MLAs any suggestions). Our unemployment for Cayma- nians is terrible, all one can hear is, “Caymanians are too lazy.” Just look at the hun- dreds of Caymanians who were at the Lions Centre in December, trying to register for a two-week job to clean up the island for Christmas. That is proof that all Cayma- nians want is a job, as long as it is an honest job. It is too easy to get a work permit. Some nationalities can manage while making under $10 per hour because they share living quarters and cook together, whereas Caymanians cannot survive on less than $10 per hour. Many of them have a family to support, pay a big monthly mortgage, and every week prices are increasing at the supermarkets – no price con- trol. Something has to be done for Caymanians. Place a moratorium on the grant or renewal of work permits until every Caymanian that is able to work is employed. Also, the Needs Assess- ment Unit needs to stop paying rent and giving food vouchers for able-bodied Caymanians. Also, per- sons married to Cayma- nians should be exempt from work permits. Edward C. Ebanks5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 3, 2018 CAYMAN ISLANDS GOVERNMENT DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, TOURISM & TRANSPORT MINISTRY OF Police reveal areas hit by burglars BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com For the first time, the Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice Service has released maps detailing the location of burglaries occurring on Grand Cayman. A pinpoint map made public Tuesday on the RCIPS website shows all bur- glaries reported for the month of April 2018 in each of Grand Cayman’s five dis- tricts. There is no corre- sponding map at this point for the Sister Islands, but the police did report two burglaries on Cayman Brac during the month. The red dots on the pin map each represent a sepa- rate spot where a burglary was reported in April. Not all of the burglaries reported for the month are recorded on the map yet, but it does list the majority of them. Most notably, the map shows an already-publicized rash of break-ins in north George Town’s Snug Harbour neighborhood. It also reveals that Bodden Town district reported 12 burglaries last month; four of those in the Beach Bay area, four in historic Bodden Town and three in Savannah. In total, George Town dis- trict reported 23 burglaries in various locations, while West Bay saw just four. The less-populated districts of East End and North Side re- ported one burglary apiece during April. The ability to report gen- eral locations of certain crimes has been a goal of the RCIPS since Commissioner Derek Byrne took over the depart- ment in late 2016. Mr. Byrne said in his first press briefing that police crime statistics were not entirely useful in giving the public informa- tion they needed about crimes in their area. During a briefing Tuesday, RCIPS officials said it was unlikely that more serious crimes like murders, robberies or rapes could be disclosed via pinpoint mapping in the future. However, the maps could be used for things like traffic accidents. Police said the burglary maps would be released each month, starting with April 2018, separately from the bi- annual release of police crime statistics that typically lags a few months behind. Residential and commer- cial burglaries have been in- creasing since the start of last year and have perenni- ally been a thorn in the side of Cayman police. Overall, burglaries at local homes and businesses rose nearly 20 percent last year while attempted break-ins went up more than 30 percent, according to RCIPS crime sta- tistics which compared 2017 crime reports to those for 2016. Commercial burglaries in- creased sharply during 2017, going up nearly 40 percent when compared to the year before. The RCIPS crime re- port, released last month, also highlighted a 70 percent year- over-year increase in criminal trespass crimes. The police report looked at the number of burglaries com- mitted in the islands between 2013 and 2017 and found that last year had the second- lowest number of burglaries – 515 break-ins – out of the five year period. Only 2016 had a lower total. During 2014 there were nearly 700 burglaries in the islands. By 2016, that number had dropped to 439. “It is the position of the RCIPS that even the lowest burglary figure … is still too high an annual inci- dence of burglary for a pop- ulation of 60,000,” the police report stated. The map can be found on the RCIPS website at https://www.rcips.ky/ crime-info/crime-statistics/. Brewery thieves steal $15 charity money, no beer MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Four thieves went to a lot of trouble to carry away two donation boxes with an esti- mated total of $15 in them. Cayman Islands Brewery reported its facility was broken into at 3:40 a.m. Tuesday, May 1. The masked perpetrators, caught on secu- rity cameras, used crowbars to get through several doors before setting off an alarm. They grabbed donation boxes for One Dog at a Time and the Alzheimer’s and Dementia As- sociation of the Cayman Is- lands before fleeing the scene. They did not appear to have taken any beer, said production manager Gar- field Griffiths. He said the donation boxes were mostly filled with tokens given to those who take the brewery tour. Those customers can use the to- kens to purchase a beer in the gift shop/bar area. Many throw them in the dona- tion boxes and the company makes an in-kind cash dona- tion to the charity. Griffiths said there were probably a “couple of hun- dred” tokens in the boxes. But they would be worthless to the thieves. He said the intruders damaged three doors on the premises, estimating the damage at about $200. One of the men walked with a limp, he said, but other than that they left little evidence with which to identify them. “They had crowbars, gloves; they wore masks,” Mr. Griffiths said. “They came prepared.” Only they failed to prepare for one thing. “We generally don’t keep any cash on the premises,” he said. Police are investigating the matter. They are also looking into a break-in at the Vigoro Nursery on Walkers Road at 3 a.m. the same morning. Of- ficials report that an office at the nursery was ransacked but it appeared that nothing was taken. It is unknown if the two incidents are related. The ability to report general locations of certain crimes has been a goal of the RCIPS since Commissioner Derek Byrne took over the department in late 2016.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. THURSDAY MAY 3, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS FRIDAY, MAY 4 HOSPICECARE BIG BASH: Fundraiser at Ristorante Pappagallo from 7 p.m. Open bar. Music by Bonafide and DJ Jacko. Dress code is cocktail chic. Tickets $250. Contact 945- 7447 or fundraising@ caymanhospicecare.ky. SATURDAY, MAY 5 DEALS ON WHEELS: The Red Cross Mobile Thrift Shop will be in North Side at the junction of Hutland and North Side Roads, 6-10 a.m. BODDEN TOWN OLDER PERSONS: The Older Persons’ Council seeks input from older persons and their families through a series of meetings in each of the Cayman Islands’ six districts. The meeting for Bodden Town is today, 5:30-7 p.m. at the Civic Centre. Light refreshments will be available. SUNDAY, MAY 6 OPEN STUDIO: Visual Arts Society offers Open Studio to those who want to work independently in an inspiring atmosphere on any medium or crafts. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Watler House Studio, Pedro St. James. Fee is $5 or $15 for non-members. Includes use of studio, easels, glazes, and ceramic tools. Glazes, firing and clay orders available for extra fee. To register, email info@visualartcayman.com. CELEBRATE CHILD MONTH: The Wesleyan Holiness Church of West Bay celebrates the Month of the Child at 11 a.m. Featuring songs by children, the Advanced Hand Bell Choir accompanying Xhailecia Grayson as she sings The Lord’s Prayer, signing by Hands of Praise, and scripture exhortation by Jordan McLean, the service will close with snacks for every child present. The public is welcome to attend. MISSION SUNDAY: Boatswain Bay Presbyterian Church invites everyone to Missions Sunday Service at 11 a.m. Guest speakers will be Will Ryan and Tomy Wilkerson. Lunch will follow. SATURDAY, MAY 12 DEALS ON WHEELS: The Red Cross Mobile Thrift Shop will be in West Bay, at the Lord’s Church Compound, junction of the West Bay Town Hall, 6-10 a.m. SPRING TEA PARTY: St. Ignatius School Courtyard, 2:30-5 p.m. $5 ticket includes finger food, entertainment and a chance to win great door prizes. Contact 949-6797. BREAKFAST FOR DINNER: Kiwanis Breakfast for Dinner, from 6:30 p.m. at the Marriott. The evening begins with a Champagne reception followed by a three-course breakfast, a fashion show and music. Dress code is smart casual but pajamas are encouraged. Benefits the Buy a Kid Breakfast program. Tickets are $100. Contact 916-8664 or president@kiwanis.ky. EAST END OLDER PERSONS: The Older Persons’ Council is seeking input from older persons and their families through a series of meetings in each of the Cayman Islands’ six districts. The meeting for East End is today, 5:30-7 p.m. at the East End United Church Hall, Gun Bay. Light refreshments will be available. SATURDAY, MAY 19 MUSIC BAZAAR: Concert organized by Cayman Arts Festival featuring jazz, strings, vocalists, youth choir and junior strong orchestra. 6:30 p.m. at Marriott Ballroom. Tickets available at www.caymanartsfestival.com, US$30 adults, US$10 for students. DEALS ON WHEELS: The Red Cross Mobile Thrift Shop will be in Bodden Town Rubis parking lot, 6-10 a.m. SUNDAY, MAY 20 CIMA WALK/RUN: The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority hosts its charity Walk/Run in support of the literacy and numeracy programs in government primary schools. Starts 5:30 a.m. at Elizabethan Square. Register for the 5K walk, 5K run or 10K run. Cost is $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. Registration deadline is May 16. Free event T-shirt to first 200. Refreshments included. Prizes awarded to the top finishers. All participants eligible for random spot prizes. For more information or to register, visit www.cima.ky or www.caymanactive.com. SATURDAY, MAY 26 DEALS ON WHEELS: The Red Cross Mobile Thrift Shop will be in East End, close to Pirates Cove Bar, 6-10 a.m. SUNDAY, MAY 27 WIND OF HOPE: 5K Walk/ Run to benefit Nadine Andreas Residential Foster Home. Smith Barcadere. 6:30 a.m., walkers; 6:45 a.m., runners. Timed race. Registration $20 adults, $10 children under 12. Trophies and give-aways. Contact windofhope5K@gmail.com or 328-2850. GENERAL INTEREST CONTRACTORS REGISTRATION: The Builders Board has extended the deadline for all local contractors to register with the board. The contractors’ deadline is now Tuesday, July 31, 2018. This registration requirement is for general and civil contractors, residential and building contractors as well as trade contractors. For fees and registration forms that are available online, contractors should visit www.planning.ky/boards-all/ builders-board. CHILD MONTH: The Department of Children and Family Services celebrates Child Month in May with more than 30 interactive and family friendly events across the Cayman Islands. For the full listing of Child Month events, visit the department’s Facebook page. CADET CORPS: The Cayman Islands Cadet Corps is looking for new recruits, ages 11-16, to join the Band Detachment or the Marine Detachment and School Detachments at John Gray High School, Clifton Hunter High School, Layman E. Scott High School and Triple C School. Program includes drilling, field craft and adventure, navigation, first aid, competition shooting, physical and leadership training, music and band, and water-based activities. For more information, contact the Cadet Corps at 938-8821/22, 946-9810 or email cadetcorps@gov.ky. On Cayman Brac, call 948-8824 or 938-8824. Website is www.cicadetcorps.ky. EARLY CHILDHOOD FEES: The Ministry of Education provides financial assistance for Caymanian children between 3 and 4 years of age before Sept. 1, 2018, to assist with payment of fees at an early childhood center between September and June 30. Application forms can be downloaded from www.education.gov. ky or collected from the Government Administration Building, the Department of Education Services and all early childhood centres. Contact Renee Barnes at 244-5735, Turnette Stewart at 244-5724 or email ecap@gov.ky. BETHESDA COUNSELLING CENTRE: Caters to all who seek help. Open Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 68 Mary St. Appointments available Saturdays and late evenings. Owned and operated by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Call 946-6575. HUMANE SOCIETY BOOK LOFT: North Sound Road. Open Monday 12:30-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 5:30-7:30 p.m. Volunteers needed for front desk a few hours per week. Email humanesocietybookloft@ candw.ky or call 946-8053. Donations of books, games, CDs, stationery, DVDs, cards etc., in good condition always needed. COMMUNITY CHESS: Tuesdays 5-8 p.m., West Indies Wine Company. Join the Cayman Chess Club for a complimentary chess class and open challenges weekly. Anyone can learn to play and enjoy chess, even beginners. OPEN CANVAS: Every Wednesday. Visual Arts Society supports this event at KARoo Restaurant located in Camana Bay. 7-11 p.m. No fee. Easels provided for artist of all levels to come out and enjoy painting and socializing with other artists. Email info@visualartcayman.com or jar.was@gmail.com. MUSEUM TOURS: The National Museum provides guided tours for students and school groups free of cost. Students will gain an understanding of Cayman’s geological formation, flora and fauna, seafaring and rope-making heritage, political history and more. Contact the museum to book a tour in advance at 949-8368 or email info@museum.ky. CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: Meets daily to help with drinking problems. Call 926-9044 or visit www.caymanaa.org. NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS: Is available for substance abuse help. Call the info line at 929–NANA (6262). AL-ANON GROUP MEETING: Are you troubled by someone’s drinking? Al-Anon Family Groups can help. Call 928-8843 or email caymanalanon@gmail.com for meeting times. OVERCOMERS OUTREACH: A Christ-centered 12-step recovery group addresses addictions and those affected by them. Meetings at Cayman Islands Baptist Church, Pedro Castle Road, Mondays, 7 p.m. For details, contact Virginia Castillo at 946-2422, or visit www.overcomersoutreach.org. DEMENTIA/ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP: This group meets on the last Wednesday of each month at ADACI’s office, 4th floor Cardinall Plaza, 30 Cardinall Ave., George Town. All are invited to attend. Call 924-4170 or email info@adacyman.com. GRAND CAYMAN TOASTMASTERS: Club meets each Thursday 6-7:15 p.m. on 3rd Floor, George Town Public Library. Visitors and guests welcome. Local contact is George R. Ebanks, 322-9369 or Grand Cayman Toastmasters club on Facebook. Email info@ toastmastersclub2686.org. ROTARACT BLUE OF CAYMAN: Meets Wednesdays 6 p.m., at Royal Palms Beach Club, West Bay Road. Contact rotaractblue@gmail.com or www.rotaractblue.org. LEO CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets first and third Wednesdays of the month, 6:30 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre. For more information, contact Secretary Letisha Allen at 924-2819. THE LIONS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets every first and third Thursday 7:30 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre. For more information, email LionsClubGCM@hotmail.com. THE LIONS CLUB OF TROPICAL GARDENS: Meet every first and third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Elizabethan Square (corner unit). Members of the public are invited to attend. ROTARY CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN SUNRISE: Service club meetings 7 a.m. every Wednesday at George Town Yacht Club, 612 North Sound Road. website at www.rotarysunrise.ky or contact info@rotarysunrise.ky. KIWANIS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets first and third Wednesdays of the month, 12:30 p.m., at The Wharf Restaurant. Projects include promoting well- being of children in the community and schools. Email president@kiwanis.ky or view www.kiwanis.ky. OPTIMIST CLUB: Meets first and third Thursdays at the Hibiscus Conference Room, Cayman Islands Hospital at 6:30 p.m. Learn more at www.optimistcayman.com. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The Humane Society’s Book Loft is looking for part-time volunteers to help out at the secondhand book store.7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 3, 2018 Government holds annual hurricane exercise SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman’s government and support staff gathered for the annual National Hurricane Exercise this week, plotting the path for the season ahead and mapping out the response to various contingencies. Members of the National Hazard Management Council and Emergency Support Teams met for a briefing on Tuesday and reconvened for a hurricane table-top exercise on Wednesday. The point was to review lessons learned from last year and to prepare for any storm-related occur- rences in 2018. “Thank you for coming. And thank you for taking this very seriously. At some point, we’re going to gather here and it’s going to be real,” Deputy Governor Franz Manderson told attendees on Tuesday. “We only have to look at what happened in [the British Virgin Islands] and Anguilla and our sister over- seas territories last year to see the devastating effects that a hurricane had.… We’re very fortunate and God has blessed and protected us, but at some point we’re going to get hit again. We need to al- ways be prepared.” Hurricane season will of- ficially start on June 1 and will run until Nov. 30. This year’s hurricane pre- paredness exercises were held in the memory of Kirk- land H. Nixon, Cayman’s former fire chief, who helped establish the National Hurri- cane Committee and was piv- otal in the creation of Hazard Management Cayman Is- lands. Mr. Nixon passed away on Monday. The members of Tuesday’s briefing bowed their heads for a moment of silence in his honor. John Tibbetts, the director general of the Cayman Is- lands National Weather Ser- vice, told the assembled crowd what happened in last year’s hurricane season and what could be expected for this year. Last year, he said, was one of the most volatile hurricane seasons in recent memory. Four hurricane names – Harvey, Irma, Nate and Maria – were retired as a result of last season. According to Mr. Tibbetts, that was one off the Atlantic Basin record of five retired names set in 2005. Names of catastrophic storms are stricken from the list of hurricane names, and an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization chooses new names to replace them. Mr. Tibbetts used last year’s predictions to point out how inaccurate projec- tion models can be. Last year, the National Weather Service projected 11 named storms, four hurricanes and two major storms, but reality brought a total of 17 named storms, 10 hurricanes and six major hurricanes. “It was not supposed to be a very active season,” said Mr. Tibbetts when re- viewing the hurricane predic- tions for 2017. “Needless to say, the predictions were ter- ribly inaccurate.” This year, said Mr. Tib- betts, is presenting con- flicting signals. He said that western tropical Atlantic seas are warmer than normal, which could support the de- velopment of storms. But he also said that forecasters do not expect a significant El Nino effect for the rest of the hurricane season. Those two factors, he said, result in a slightly above average prob- ability of major hurricanes making landfall. The National Weather Service is currently working on installing a new state- of-the-art weather satel- lite system that should be in place by June. Mr. Tib- betts called it a “phenom- enal jump in technology” that should yield high reso- lution satellite images and provide data on lightning for weather researchers. He also said that local forecasters are taking a course on flood mapping and storm surge, and that he hopes Cayman will have its own storm surge model generated at some point in the future. Danielle Coleman, Hazard Management’s deputy director of prepared- ness and planning, shared some lessons she had learned in the wake of helping to co- ordinate the post-hurricane disaster response in the British Virgin Islands last year. The bottom line, she said, is being prepared for things you cannot anticipate. “Predictions are just pre- dictions,” said Ms. Coleman. “We really can’t rely too much on them and we need to learn how to expect the un- expected and how to be pre- pared for the worst. I don’t think BVI had ever imagined they would have three back- to-back storms with Harvey, Irma and Maria.” Ms. Coleman said that Cayman can currently shelter just 8 percent of Grand Cay- man’s population in the event of a major storm, and she hoped to greatly enhance that capacity in the years to come. She also said that in the wake of a major storm, it will help to have as many avenues of communication as possible. They had satel- lite phones, UHF radios, Ins- tagram and Facebook in the British Virgin Islands, but the most effective communica- tions tool was a simple What- sApp text messaging group. The government needs to consider, said Ms. Coleman, what to do if its headquar- ters were flooded. “If we couldn’t get back in the office for a whole month, what would we be doing?” she asked. “What would this department be able to do? How could we function? Where would our staff go?” A reading day for students on Cayman Brac JEWEL LEVY Jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com In celebration of Child Month, Brac primary school and day care cen- ters celebrated a day of lit- eracy on May 1. Police Constable Indrani Tahal and the Reverend Merle Ediger read with juniors at Creek and Spot Bay school from the Butterfly StoryBook collection 2018, written by Cayman school children. Ms. Tahal read the story “Washed Ashore” written by Aracely Matute-Trejo, a 10-year-old West End Pri- mary School student. Rev. Ed- iger read “Difference,” written by Jordanne Osbourne, a 10- year old student at Edna Moyle Primary school. Annie Rose Scott, Brac community development of- ficer for the Department of Children and Family Services, said the reading day was a big success and well re- ceived by everyone. “The children enjoyed and shared in the real-to-live sto- ries from the Butterfly Story- Book 2018, written by young authors of schools in the Cayman Islands and pro- duced by Rotarians of the Rotary E-club of the Carib- bean 7020,” said Ms. Scott. Reverend Merle Ediger reads to juniors at Creek and Spot Bay School. STORM NAMES FOR NEXT HURRICANE SEASON ■■ Alberto ■■ Beryl ■■ Chris ■■ Debby ■■ Ernesto ■■ Florence ■■ Gordon ■■ Helene ■■ Isaac ■■ Joyce ■■ Kirk ■■ Leslie ■■ Michael ■■ Nadine ■■ Oscar ■■ Patty ■■ Rafael ■■ Sara ■■ Tony ■■ Valerie ■■ William Members of the National Hazard Management Council and Emergency Support Teams attend a hurricane table-top exercise at the National Emergency Operations Centre on the second floor of the Government Administration Building on Wednesday. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY MAY 3, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS It was particularly telling that the Crown dependen- cies were not included in the amendments to the U.K. Sanc- tions and Anti-Money Laun- dering Bill, he said. “Bermuda sets the stan- dard in this area, and our rep- utation for sound regulation is well established, internation- ally recognized and will be vigorously defended.” British Virgin Islands BVI Premier Orlando Smith accused the U.K. government of “constitutional overreach” and a “breach of trust” that calls into question the islands’ relationship with the U.K. and the constitutional rights of the people of the BVI. He described the U.K. policy as “deeply flawed,” given that the BVI already exchanges beneficial ownership informa- tion with authorities in Britain. In the absence of global standards, the imposition of public registers on the BVI could have serious economic consequences, he said. Over the past few years, the BVI had prepared its financial services sector for changes like this, Mr. Smith said, and en- couraged the adoption of new business models. “Now is also an opportune time for us to embrace new businesses to support not only our recovery and development, but a futuristic economy with modern and innovative ideas and technology,” he added. Gibraltar Fabian Picardo, the chief minister of Gibraltar, had al- ready raised constitutional is- sues ahead of Tuesday’s action in a letter to Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell, who brought the amendment threatening the order in council. Mr. Picardo noted a long- standing convention between the U.K. government and Gi- braltar that no orders in council would be used to make laws in Gibraltar. “Indeed, my government considers that the use of unilat- eral Orders in Council imposed without the consent of the gov- ernment of the relevant territory (or any analogous mechanism) to legislate directly for an Over- seas Territory would amount to an unacceptable act of modern colonialism, which would in ef- fect overturn democracy in the relevant territory,” he wrote. “I cannot emphasize enough to you how unaccept- able this is, and how contrary to the direction of travel of the constitutional development of Gibraltar such a step would be. “It would be more than ret- rograde, and would call into question the very nature of the relationship of consent and mutual respect which exists today between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom, which I am forever committed to.” CARICOM The Caribbean Community, CARICOM, meanwhile issued a statement before Tuesday’s debate emphasizing that coun- tries in the region have ex- pended considerable resources to comply with anti-money laundering standards, sup- ported OECD tax transparency initiatives and concluded in- ternational agreements on the exchange of beneficial owner- ship information. The self-governance and democratic rights of CAR- ICOM members and associate countries should not be disre- garded, CARICOM warned. “In that context, we are deeply concerned about the potential impact on their econ- omies by any impositions that would go against the spirit of democracy and diminish their standard of living.” CARICOM’s associate members include Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Is- lands, Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands. premier said. “Then it is not just the issue of public regis- tries, it is not just the future of our financial industry that is at risk, it is our very existence.” Mr. McLaughlin said he would write to Prime Min- ister Theresa May and seek a meeting with her when he is the U.K. on May 14. The government also re- tained two U.K. constitutional lawyers to look at the issue. “We are prepared, if we get the advice that there is a proper basis for it, to challenge this at the highest possible levels in the court system,” Mr. McLaughlin said. The U.K. government ap- peared fully aware of the difficult constitutional grounds it was embarking on during Tuesday’s House of Commons debate. Alan Duncan, minister of state at the Foreign and Com- monwealth Office, said the government was concerned that the economic impact of imposing public registries on the overseas territories will be significant. “Furthermore, the overseas territories are separate jurisdic- tions with their own democrati- cally elected governments. They are responsible for their own fiscal matters and they are not represented in this parliament. Legislating for them without their consent effectively disen- franchises their elected repre- sentatives,” he said. “We do not want to legis- late for them, nor do we want to risk our long-standing con- stitutional arrangements with respect to their autonomy.” Mr. Duncan added that the U.K. government was “acutely conscious of the sensitivities about this in the overseas ter- ritories and the response it may provoke.” Only two years ago, the U.K. government forced the Cayman government to sign an agreement that established centralized registries of ben- eficial ownership. The infor- mation stored there is acces- sible to U.K. law enforcement and tax authorities, but not the wider public. The decision to force the overseas territories now to make these registries public betrayed the written and verbal commitment made by the U.K. and it betrayed the trust of the overseas territories, Mr. McLaughlin said. The premier was partic- ularly riled by the exclusion of the Crown dependencies from the obligation. A sepa- rate clause that would have im- posed the same obligation on Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man was withdrawn. “It is ugly, raw politics,” the premier said. “Unfortunately, as the Windrush fiasco has dem- onstrated, while the U.K. will continue to protest that it is the champion of human rights and insists that its overseas terri- tories adhere to these, when push comes to shove, the an- cient prejudices remain, and it is no question that they view the ethnically and geographi- cally different overseas terri- tories in a completely different light than they do the Crown dependencies.” Cayman Finance, the orga- nization that represents Cay- man’s financial services in- dustry, said the measure will not have the desired effect. “The House vote is a vain at- tempt to fight global problems like corruption and tax eva- sion by unfairly discriminating against a few jurisdictions – re- quiring public registers from Overseas Territories but not Crown Dependencies, for ex- ample,” said Jude Scott, CEO of Cayman Finance. “Global prob- lems require global solutions and standards that apply to all jurisdictions.” Opposition response Cayman’s opposition joined the government in condemning the “discriminatory” move. Leader of the Opposition Ezzard Miller in a statement said, “The Opposition sup- ports the Government in taking the necessary steps to de- fend our financial services in- dustry against this Draconian and despotic overreach by the U.K. Parliament.” At the same time, the op- position renewed its call for the creation of a National Stra- tegic Plan, as well as an update to the Development Plan to strengthen Cayman’s economic base. “While the U.K. politicians can blame the Overseas Terri- tories for their failed policies, we will have no one to blame but ourselves if we fail to plan,” the opposition statement said. Independence Premier McLaughlin said it is not yet the time to recon- sider Cayman’s constitutional relationship with the U.K. “Cayman has been British for a long time and I still be- lieve that there is a lot of merit and benefit for us in re- taining our British associa- tion,” he said. “I don’t think we are at this stage ready, as a country, as a people, as a government, for indepen- dence. Independence requires a whole new set of skills and abilities which we are still developing.” The premier said contem- plating independence would require a lot of planning and preparation. There are many failed states which took the step to independence when they were not ready, he added. collection. I offer no ex- cuses, only a firm commit- ment that the civil service is focused on correcting the failure and restoring the pub- lic’s confidence.” He said a number of em- ployees at the Department of Environmental Health had been disciplined, adding that these workers were letting themselves, their colleagues and the community down through non-attendance and poor performance. He said “emergency ap- pointments,” including solid waste drivers and assistants, and support staff for the fleet manager, had been made to address staff shortages. Private sector companies have also been engaged to “plug gaps” in cases of equip- ment failure, and a vehicle re- placement strategy is being drawn up to address the ageing fleet of garbage collec- tion vehicles. Mr. Manderson made no mention of the Depart- ment of Environmental Health’s director Roydell Carter who has been on leave since December. Government previously refuted suggestions that Mr. Carter had been suspended, but has declined to comment further or explain his lengthy absence from the key leader- ship role in the department. An internal audit in- quiry into the management of overtime at the depart- ment has been going on since late last year. Mr. Manderson said steps had been taken to manage scheduling at the depart- ment, which is responsible for garbage pick-ups, to avoid “unsustainable and exorbi- tant overtime claims.” Exactly what disciplinary action has been taken against the employees cited by Mr. Manderson for “poor perfor- mance” is unclear. Jennifer Ahearn, chief officer in the Ministry of Health, which in- cludes the DEH, responded to questions from the Cayman Compass indicating that “var- ious disciplinary matters” were being dealt with under the provisions of the Public Service Management Law and regulations. Mr. Suckoo said he was pleased to see the con- cerns addressed in his pe- tition, which gathered 500 signatures in the past two weeks, were starting to be addressed. He congratu- lated the deputy governor for stepping up and “owning the problem,” but said he would continue with his petition to present to the elected government. “I remain optimistic that the changes detailed by the deputy governor will provide a permanent fix to the prob- lems highlighted. I am, how- ever, very disappointed that the elected government re- mains silent on the concerns expressed, and that the min- ister [Dwayne Seymour] in particular has not opted to weigh in on this very serious issue.” the nine private sector in- surance companies oper- ating in Cayman. “What is happening?” Mr. Saunders asked Health Insur- ance Superintendent Mervyn Conolly during Wednesday’s proceedings. “I am really un- comfortable seeing … profits jumping up in one year on the backs of the consumers of this country. “Bear in mind, this is 2015 numbers we’re looking at … I dread to see the num- bers for 2016, 2017,” Mr. Saunders said. The Public Accounts Com- mittee was reviewing CIMA reports for the 2015/16 fiscal year, the latest available. Mr. Conolly said Mr. Saunders’s calculations showing how much health- care costs had increased for private sector employees were correct. “It is also very discon- certing for us at the Health Insurance Commission,” Mr. Conolly said. “It’s clear that the premiums [the insurers] are collecting [have] been significantly increasing.” Mr. Conolly said a major change to Cayman’s Health Insurance Law was made in 2013, eliminating four sepa- rate plans the Health Insur- ance Commission regulated and replacing them with one basic coverage plan, known as the standard health in- surance contract. If any employer or any individual wishes to obtain additional insurance cov- erage outside of the standard contract, they can do so. However, the Health Insur- ance Commission is not able to regulate the rates charged for those additional coverage plans, Mr. Conolly said. The premium rate for the standard health insurance contract has not changed since 2013, he said. Mr. Conolly did note that about 80 percent of the pri- vate sector health insurance contracts now operating in Cayman opted for additional coverage in some form. He also agreed with Public Ac- counts Committee mem- bers that companies could charge whatever the market would bear for those addi- tional services. “Year-on-year for those supplemental [health] plans, the approved insurers are automatically implementing an increase in the premium,” Mr. Conolly said. There is another side to the story, the superinten- dent said, when it comes to considering whether addi- tional regulation should be brought to bear on the local healthcare market. “There would be some implications if we restricted the plans that the insurers could offer … mainly in the area of choice,” he said. Cayman’s current range of healthcare provider op- tions could be affected if government took stricter reg- ulatory control of additional health insurance plans, Mr. Conolly said. Government to challenge order in council CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 OTs accuse Britain of ‘modern colonialism’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Manderson apologizes Private health costs, earnings soar CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 3, 2018 EU warns Trump on trade tariffs threat The head of the European Union’s executive has warned the United States that the bloc will not negotiate trade concessions under threat. The 28-country EU has warned that it will retaliate if Trump goes ahead with the tariffs, a development that could set off a trans-Atlantic trade war. Special counsel team has floated idea of subpoena for Trump WASHINGTON (AP) – The special counsel leading the Russia investigation raised the prospect in March of is- suing a grand jury sub- poena for President Donald Trump, his former attorney said, confirming that inves- tigators have floated the ex- traordinary idea of forcing a sitting president to tes- tify under oath. Attorney John Dowd told The Associated Press on Tuesday that special counsel Robert Mueller’s team broached the subject during a meeting with Trump’s legal team while they were negoti- ating the terms of a possible interview with the president. It was not immediately clear in what context the pos- sibility of a subpoena was raised or how serious Muel- ler’s prosecutors were about the move. Mueller is probing not only Russian election in- terference and possible coor- dination with Trump associ- ates but possible obstruction of justice by Trump. Trump lashed out against the investigation in a familiar fashion Wednesday, saying on Twitter: “There was no Collu- sion (it is a Hoax) and there is no Obstruction of Justice (that is a setup & trap).” Even if Mueller’s team de- cided to subpoena Trump as part of the investigation, he could still fight it in court or refuse to answer ques- tions by invoking his Fifth Amendment protection from self-incrimination. Dowd’s comments come more than a month after he resigned from the legal team, and they provide a new window into the nature of the Trump lawyers’ interactions with the special counsel, whom the president has in- creasingly tried to undermine through public attacks. On Tuesday, Trump said it was “disgraceful” that a list of proposed questions drafted in response to Muel- ler’s negotiations with the legal team was “leaked” to the news media. The about four dozen questions were compiled by Trump’s lawyers during ne- gotiations with Mueller’s in- vestigators earlier this year over the prospect of a presi- dential interview. A person familiar with the matter, who insisted on an- onymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, told the AP that the president’s lawyers ex- trapolated the list of expected questions based off conver- sations with Mueller’s team about the topics prosecu- tors wanted to cover in a po- tential sit down with Trump. The questions reflected what the defense lawyers antici- pated Trump would be asked, rather than verbatim queries that Mueller’s team provided, the person said. The Washington Post first reported that Mueller’s team raised the possibility of a subpoena for Trump. The New York Times first pub- lished the list of questions. According to the list, the questions range from Trump’s motivations for firing FBI Director James Comey a year ago to contacts Trump’s campaign had with Russians. Although Muel- ler’s team has indicated to Trump’s lawyers that he’s not considered a target, investi- gators remain interested in whether the president’s ac- tions constitute obstruction of justice and want to inter- view him about several epi- sodes in office. They have not yet made a decision about an interview. In his tweet, Trump said there were “no questions on Collusion” and, as he as many times before, called Muel- ler’s investigation a “Rus- sian witch hunt.” He said collusion with the Russians “never existed.” In a second tweet, Trump said: “It would seem very hard to obstruct justice for a crime that never happened.” The questions do appear to indicate that Mueller is looking into possible collu- sion. Some touch on Russian meddling and whether the Trump campaign coordinated in any way with the Kremlin. In one question, Mueller asks what Trump knew about campaign staff, including his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, reaching out to Moscow. Mueller has brought several charges against Manafort already, including money laundering and bank fraud. None of the charges relates to allegations of Russian election interfer- ence and possible coordina- tion with Trump associates, and Manafort has denied having anything to do with such an effort. The questions also in- volve key moments from the early months of the Trump administration, including his reaction to Attorney Gen- eral Jeff Sessions’ recusal from the Russia investiga- tion and Trump’s firing of his national security adviser, Michael Flynn. President Donald Trump speaks to media in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday. – PHOTO: AP Warring Brexit sides squeeze Theresa May as clock ticks down LONDON (AP) – Pro-Brexit lawmakers pressed British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday not to keep the U.K. tied to the European Union’s customs union, amid warnings from the bloc that Britain must hurry up and decide what kind of future relationship it wants. As May met with her di- vided “Brexit Cabinet” of senior ministers, 60 eu- roskeptic Conservative leg- islators argued that staying in a customs union with the EU would prevent Britain from striking new trade deals around the world. Other lawmakers, and many businesses, want Britain to maintain customs alignment with the EU to avoid barriers with the U.K.’s biggest trading partner. One option being consid- ered by the British govern- ment is a “customs partner- ship” that would see the U.K. collect tariffs on the EU’s be- half at ports and airports. Prominent pro-Brexit Conservative legislator Jacob Rees-Mogg said the idea was “deeply unsatisfactory.” He said a customs partnership “would not effectively take us out of the European Union; it would leave us de facto in both the customs union and in the single market.” Customs arrange- ments are key to solving the problem of maintaining an invisible border between the U.K.’s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland. Both Britain and the bloc say there must be no customs posts or other infrastructure along the 310-mile frontier. Britain rejects one sug- gestion from the EU – to keep Northern Ireland inside the bloc’s customs union. The EU also says the U.K. has yet to propose a work- able alternative. U.K. Brexit Secretary David Davis said Tuesday there had been “push back” from the EU on Britain’s suggestions so far, after EU Brexit nego- tiator Michel Barnier warned that Britain must come up with a proposal for the Irish border by June. Britain and the EU want to strike an overall Brexit agreement by October, so EU parliaments have time to ratify it before Britain leaves the bloc on March 29, 2019. But May’s government is split between pro-Brexit min- isters such as Foreign Sec- retary Boris Johnson, who want a clean break with the EU, and those including Trea- sury chief Philip Hammond who want to stay close to the bloc to protect the economy. That has led May, who heads an unstable mi- nority government, to put off taking a firm stand on key Brexit issues for as long as possible. PALESTINIAN LEADER’S REMARKS SPARK ISRAELI, U.S., EU OUTRAGE JERUSALEM (AP) – U.S., EU and Israeli officials on Wednesday slammed re- marks by the Palestinian president about the causes of 20th century anti-Semi- tism in Europe. In rambling remarks that were part of a lengthy speech to the Palestine Lib- eration Organization par- liament on Monday, Pales- tinian President Mahmoud Abbas said it was the Jews’ “social function,” including money lending, that caused animosity toward them in Europe, citing what he said were books by Jewish au- thors. He also portrayed the creation of Israel as a European colonial project, saying “history tells us there is no basis for the Jewish homeland.” On Wednesday, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, as well as Israel’s prime min- ister, lashed out at Abbas over his remarks. “Abu Mazen has reached a new low,” Ambassador David Friedman tweeted early Wednesday, refer- ring to Abbas by his nick- name. “To all those who think Israel is the reason that we don’t have peace, think again.” President Donald Trump’s special envoy for interna- tional negotiations Jason Greenblatt also responded to the remarks, calling them “very distressing and ter- ribly disheartening.” The rhetoric reflects the escalating tensions between the Palestinians and the Trump administration. Ties have been strained since Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last year, prompting the Palestinians to suspend contacts with the administration. Friedman and Abbas have sparred be- fore. In March, Abbas called Friedman a “son of a dog” in an angry rant. Friedman suggested the remark was anti-Semitic. British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in London, to attend Prime Minister’s Questions at the Houses of Parliament, Wednesday. – PHOTO: APNext >