High of 86 Low of 74 Slight with wave heights of 1 to 3 feet, becoming rough at times LocaL | Page 2 AmericAn mAn on fireArms chArges fAils to Attend court editoriaL | Page 4 BrAc’s untreAted medicAl wAste is A ‘pAn-cAymAn’ proBlem ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – thursdAy mAy 10, 2018 Lifestyle Protection From happy beginnings to happy ever after. BritCay has been protecting home owners since 1984 with the best insurance cover at the best possible price. BRITISH CAYMANIAN INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED BritCay House, 236 Eastern Avenue, George Town, P.O. Box 74, KY1-1102 Tel. 949-8699 www.britcay.ky A member of Colonial Group International Ltd. : insurance, health, pensions, life cgigrp Call 949-8699 www.britcay.ky OfReg seeks $1 million cash injection Brent fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman’s recently formed utilities and commodities regulator, OfReg, has asked for a $1 million cash injection from government to make up a funding shortfall that the agency says was not addressed when the British Overseas Territory combined its various regu- latory agencies last year. The shortfall led to, among other things, a delay in plans to resolve problems with how emergency calls are routed to the 911 Emer- gency Communications Centre, the Legisla- tive Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee heard Wednesday. OfReg Vice President Alee Fa’amoe told committee members that money left in cash reserves held by the former Information and Communications Technology Authority fol- lowing the merger of regulatory agencies had to be spent to fund operations during the last government budget. In 2017, legislators approved the merger of the ICTA, as well as the Water Authority – Cayman, the former Electricity Regu- latory Authority and some functions of the former Petroleum Inspectorate under one entity – now known as OfReg. Mr. Fa’amoe said it was assumed at the time that OfReg’s budget would include funding provided via the territory’s water and fuel regulators, but he said that has not been sorted out. OfReg ended the 2016/17 budget year in deficit, Mr. Fa’amoe said. At the start of this year’s budget, Mr. Fa’amoe said he and the agency’s president, J. Paul Morgan, went through the OfReg budget and found it had just 90 days of cash left. Accountant General Matthew Tibbetts said a paper requesting the additional $1 million was presented to Cabinet Tuesday, which he said should cover OfReg’s losses for the pre- vious budget year. Mr. Fa’amoe said the issue was dis- cussed in government’s political caucus, and a number of solutions were discussed to ad- dress the funding issues going forward during 2018 and 2019. Public Accounts Committee Chairman Ez- zard Miller was incredulous. “This OfReg legislation is nearly two years old and here we are now trying to sort out where the funds go?” “The budget we put forward at the time Police: No iNvestigatioN of Port eNgiNe ‘theft’ Brent fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service confirmed this week that it has no ongoing in- vestigation into the unauthorized removal of boat engines belonging to the Cayman Islands Port Authority from a local marina. According to port authority documents dated from January sent to the Cayman Com- pass, the incident involving four boat engines being removed from Harbour House Marina was “an ongoing matter” that was still being investigated. However, those records do not state who was investigating the matter. “We have no ongoing investigation and it does not appear from our records that the theft was reported,” said RCIPS spokesperson Jacqueline Carpenter. Port officials were contacted for comment Monday and Wednesday of this week about the issue, but they did not respond by press time Wednesday. What was termed a “theft of four boat en- gines” from the marina was made public in an auditor general’s office review released under the Freedom of Information Law last Friday. It was alleged that port employees re- moved four engines being stored at the ma- rina, valued at $6,000, without prior authori- zation to do so. “No one claims to be aware of authority being given to release these engines,” au- ditors stated in their report of fraud risks Departures lounge opens as airport takes shape JAmes whittAKer jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Along the boarded walkways that lead passengers through Cayman’s airport, a sign asks for travelers’ patience with the ongoing construction work. “Excellence takes time,” it says. While traveling through the Owen Roberts International Airport seems, at times, like walking through a building site, the pieces of the jigsaw are starting to fall into place. The opening of the new departure lounge this week was another major mile- stone in the three-year, multimillion dollar redevelopment project. Though the terminal remains a work in progress, with the signature entrance arches currently under construction, air- ports boss Albert Anderson believes the project is now on the home stretch. He is confident it will be completed by Christmas. Mr. Anderson acknowledged there had been budget overruns, which he attributed to a mix of unforeseen problems and addi- tional features added to the design. He said the project would likely be around 10 percent over budget once complete. “We are going to go past $55 million. I don’t have a fix yet on how much that is be- cause we are still negotiating some of the changes with the contractors,” he said. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » Passengers wait to board their planes Wednesday at the new departures area at the Owen Roberts International Airport. - Photo: alvaro serey PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL THURSDAY MAY 10, 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) I FEEL PRETTY (PG13) 1:30 I 4:05 I 6:45 I 10:05 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 9:20 I 9:55 2D VIP OVERBOARD (PG13) 1:00 I 3:45 I 7:00 I 9:40 A QUIET PLACE (PG13) 12:30 I 2:45 I 5:00 I 7:30 I 10:00 RAMPAGE (PG13) 1:30 I 4:15 I 9:50 I CAN ONLY IMAGINE (PG) 7:10 American man on firearms charges fails to attend court Judge issues warrant for arrest of David Meadors CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com David Dean Meadors, charged last year with pos- sessing unlicensed fire- arms in Cayman Brac, failed to attend Grand Court on Wednesday. Justice Mar- lene Carter issued a warrant for his arrest. Defense attorney Ben Tonner told the court, “I don’t know where he is. I suspect he is in America.” Mr. Tonner noted that the court previously had been asked to extend his bail on medical grounds. Court orders made public indicate that Mr. Meadors, 52, appeared at a case man- agement hearing via video link on April 19. He was to return to Cayman on Friday, April 27, return his pass- port to the court on Monday, April 30, and appear in court on May 9. When the court office did not receive the passport, in- quiries were made. Confir- mation was received from the Immigration Depart- ment that Mr. Meadors had not returned. The defendant first ap- peared in court last July, after customs officers in Cayman Brac found 240 rounds of nine-millimeter ammunition in a shipping container at the site where Mr. Meadors, an American citizen, was building a retirement home. A search of the residence where he was staying revealed a Glock nine-millimeter handgun, a Smith & Wesson BB gun and BBs. Mr. Meadors was initially granted bail with a charge on his Brac property and three Caymanians signing as sureties for a total sum of $23,000, plus a cash de- posit of $5,000. In September, Mr. Tonner applied for a bail variation to allow Mr. Meadors to travel to Florida ahead of Hurri- cane Irma so that he could secure his property and as- sist his family. Justice Carter increased the charge on his Brac property from $200,000 to $400,000 and allowed him to leave this jurisdiction for a specified period. Before leaving, he was required to enter pleas to the charges against him. He pleaded guilty to importing and possessing the Glock handgun without the proper licenses. He pleaded not guilty to the other charges. Mr. Meadors returned to Cayman and appeared in Grand Court on Oct. 13. On that date, his trial was set for April 9, but it subsequently did not proceed on that date. On Wednesday, Jus- tice Carter summarized the present situation. She said Mr. Meadors had made an application to the court on medical grounds. There was information that he could not travel. The Crown and the court felt he should be given time. Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Patrick Moran added that Mr. Meadors had subsequently failed to pro- vide the medical papers re- quested by the court. He pointed out that Mr. Meadors was already sub- ject to a seven-year sentence for the firearm to which he had pleaded guilty, unless a court found exceptional circumstances. Mr. Moran noted that Mr. Meadors might still come back, or that there were measures that could be taken to bring him back. He asked for a trial date in No- vember and a warrant for Mr. Meadors’ arrest. Justice Carter said she would agree to issuing the warrant. She set the trial for Nov. 19. Mr. Moran suggested that the court deal at that stage with the financial securi- ties and the people who had stood surety. MINIBUS OVERTURNS A minibus overturned on the Esterley Tibbetts Highway following a collision during Tuesday evening rush hour, just south of the round- about leading to Seven Mile Beach Public Beach. The West Bay No. 1 public bus flipped over and was lying on its side on a south- bound lane of the street. The crash was reported just after 5 p.m. According to police, a white Honda CR-V and the grey Toyota Hiace collided in the southbound lanes of the highway. The Toyota minibus overturned as a result of the crash, police said. The minibus driver and one bus passenger were taken to hospital and both received treatment for minor injuries. Intertrust funds school breakfast program Students at Sir John A. Cumber primary school will have fewer growling stom- achs during morning class, thanks to a $12,000 donation by Intertrust Cayman to sup- port a PTA-sponsored break- fast program at the school. The program cur- rently serves 35 children at the school. Intertrust employees held several internal fundraisers, all targeted at raising money for students at the school. In addition, 14 Intertrust employees volunteered two hours of their time to assist with race time-keeping duties at the school’s annual swim- ming gala held on Friday, April 27, at the Lions Aquatic Centre in George Town. Jenna Gaio, a senior client relationship officer at Inter- trust, has a son who attends the school and saw the need for the breakfast club. “I brought this initiative to the Intertrust charity com- mittee, with the intention of obtaining a small donation to get the breakfast programme off the ground,” Ms. Gaio said in a press release. “Intertrust has surpassed, not just my own expectations, but those of the school by sponsoring this entire programme. We are very grateful.” The Intertrust team at Sir John A. Cumber primary school, helping with the breakfast club. From left, Warren Keens, Lesley Connolly and Jenna Gaio. The overturned bus lies at the side of the Esterley Tibbetts Highway on Tuesday afternoon. - PHOTO: DAVID R. LEGGE PARAGUAY COURT CONFIRMS EXTRADITION OF SOCCER OFFICIAL LEOZ ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) – A Paraguayan court on Tuesday confirmed the ex- tradition of Nicolas Leoz, the former president of South America’s soccer confederation. However, his defense attorney said they would appeal the decision at the country’s Supreme Court. The 89-year-old Leoz was charged in a corrup- tion scandal being inves- tigated by the U.S. Justice Department, and has been held under house arrest in Asuncion fighting the ex- tradition order. A court in November approved his extradi- tion to the United States, where he has been wanted since 2015 on charges of receiving mil- lions of dollars in bribes from marketing compa- nies in exchange for TV and marketing rights to soccer tournaments. Leoz denies any wrongdoing. An appeals court on Tuesday con- firmed the decision by de- nying an appeal. “Two of the three mem- bers of the appeals court voted for his extradition, while one of them voted in favor of our position to deny the extradition be- cause Paraguay doesn’t have similar legislation to the U.S., where bribery in the private sector is con- sidered a crime,” Leoz’s at- torney, Nicolas Preda, told The Associated Press. Preda said his legal team would soon appeal to the Supreme Court, which he said does not have a deadline to rule. Leoz was president of CONMEBOL from 1986 to 2013, when he resigned after acknowledging he received $130,000 in pay- ments from a former mar- keting partner of FIFA. Amid the scandal, Leoz also quit as a member of FIFA’s executive com- mittee, citing health rea- sons. Soccer’s ruling body reprimanded Leoz but never sanctioned him. The U.S. Justice De- partment has indicted more than 40 soccer and marketing officials, in- cluding Leoz, on charges of bribery, racketeering and money laundering. Leoz lobbied Para- guay’s legislators in 1997 for a law making the headquarters of CON- MEBOL exempt from legal intervention. He once bragged that only the Vatican enjoyed the same kind of “immunity and total privileges.” After the FIFA scandal broke in 2015, Para- guay signed a law re- pealing the immunity that CONMEBOL’s head- quarters enjoyed for nearly two decades. Once the immunity was lifted, the building was raided by authori- ties, who seized thou- sands of documents that were sent to the U.S. Jus- tice Department.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 10, 2018 Celebrate Celebrate Celebrate Mother's Mother's Mother's Day Day Day with with with BrunchBrunchBrunch Day Brunch Day Day Day Brunch Day Brunch Day Brunch Day Day Day Brunch Day at at at Brunch at BrunchBrunchBrunch at Brunch at Brunch at BrunchBrunchBrunch at Brunch Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant $45.00 including a glass of Prosecco or Moscato with with with BrunchBrunchBrunch Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Guy Harvey's Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant Restaurant $45.00 $45.00 $45.00 $45.00 including a glass of Prosecco or Moscato Prosecco or Moscato running from 11-3pm, Sunday May 13th 2018 tel: 946-9000 email: info@guyharveysgrill.com Tourists join in beach baptisms JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com “Is there another?” Min- ister Freddie Creary calls out as he wades from the water at Spotts Beach with a newly baptized member of his flock. “Is there another who will answer the call to serve the Lord?” It’s an otherwise typical Sunday afternoon and the crowd of well-dressed wor- shippers from the Bethel Refuge Apostolic Church stand out amid the beach- goers in their swimsuits and T-shirts. Tourists sit in the gen- erous shade of the scattered palm trees, stretch out in the sun or snorkel in the warm, shallow water searching for sea turtles. These ocean baptisms have become an almost weekly event at Spotts Beach. For many, the dramatic ceremony provides an interesting side- show to a day at the beach. For some, it is a more pro- found experience. Julie Miller, a visitor from the U.S., was moved to ask to be baptized herself after witnessing a baptism at the beach last month. According to Pastor Chris- topher Murray, five people were baptized that day, in- cluding four who made an on-the-spot decision after witnessing the ceremony. “As the baptism was coming to close, an appeal was made, ‘Is there another?’ and folks just started coming out of nowhere,” he said. “An elderly guy came for- ward and said for years he had been meaning to be bap- tized and he believed this was the moment. An American girl said the same morning she was praying and she asked the Lord to reveal himself to her. She too was baptized.” Beach baptisms are nothing new in Cayman, but Pastor Murray says for his church they are becoming in- creasingly frequent. And this year is the first time he has noticed tourists joining in. Some are baptized on the spot in their swimsuits or in robes borrowed from the minister. “What has really got me excited is the interest from tourists,” said Pastor Murray. He said the church, which does not have a baptismal pool, had baptized more than 30 people since January – al- ready more than the total for last year. “It is thrilling, it is ex- citing. You have some nay- sayers, but most people on the beach are pleasant and folks are praising the Lord too.” He said the church’s philos- ophy was to bring the word of Jesus to the people. As well as outreach ministries at the prison and the hospital, it hosts street services. “We decided we would be like Domino’s Pizza; we were not just waiting in the church for people to come to us. We were bringing the word of God to them. “There are people that will not come to us, but Jesus tells us to go out on the high- ways and byways. We can get comfortable in our pews and forget what our duty really is.” On a Sunday, a few weeks ago, Justin Wright, a young man who had lost the use of his legs, was baptized at the beach. Last Sunday, a girl from the Frances Bodden Children’s Home was baptized. Pastor Murray says the church is keen to baptize anyone who is prepared to follow the words of St. Peter, “repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Members of the Bethel Refuge Apostolic Church look on as Justin Wright is baptized. - PHOTOS: JAMES WHITTAKER Tourist Julie Miller is baptized on the beach earlier this year. Volunteers sought for North Sound inlet cleanup Plastic Free Cayman’s Claire Hughes has organized a cleanup to take place this Sunday, May 13, on an inlet of North Sound accessible at the end of Sparkys Drive in George Town Industrial Park. The area, which is prone to local littering as well as debris being washed up from North Sound, was not among those that were cleaned during the Earth Day cleanups last month. The cleanup begins at 8 a.m. and is expected to last a couple of hours, but volun- teers are welcome to stay for as long or as short as they wish, Ms. Hughes said. Images taken by Ms. Hughes show extensive plastic and debris that has become an eyesore to those who know the area, and she said there is a danger to wildlife that inhabit the shallow waters and shoreline along North Sound. “Plastic debris can be in- gested by local wildlife and marine life, which can re- sult in death, in some cases,” said Ms. Hughes. Red Sail Sports is spon- soring the cleanup, and vol- unteers are urged to sign in upon arrival for a chance to win a trip by Red Sail Grand Cayman. A. L. Thompson’s will be supplying buckets and tools to pick up debris and JUNK Cayman will take away recyclables. Plastic Free Cayman asks any other businesses or organiza- tions interested in getting in- volved to reach out to them via Facebook or to email plasticfreecayman@gmail.com. Volunteers are asked particularly to bring their own reusable gloves if they have any – although Plastic Free Cayman will be able to provide some to those who do not. Further information on the cleanup and future events can be found on Plastic Free Cayman’s Facebook page. Plastic waste and other debris litter the shoreline along a North Sound inlet. Volunteers will be cleaning up the area on Saturday. - PHOTO: CLAIRE HUGHES “As the baptism was coming to close, an appeal was made, ‘Is there another?’ and folks just started coming out of nowhere.” PASTOR CHRISTOPHER MURRAY, Bethel Refuge Apostolic ChurchThe 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” Appearing on the front page of Tuesday’s newspaper was an image both unsightly and unhealthy – piles of untreated medical waste dumped into an open pit at the Cayman Brac landfill … and mixed in with other mate- rials, including bags of bird feed! Do you know what bags of bird feed attract? That’s right: Birds. Specifically, flocks of chickens foraging for food in the open pit, and roaming about the landfill, which in addition to being “unlined” is also “unfenced.” In other words, it is entirely possible, even likely, for pets or feral animals to be scurrying from untreated medical waste, to general garbage, and then into somebody’s yard or home. The dozens of red biohazard bags observed by a Compass reporter in the Brac landfill constitute a dan- gerous and irresponsible disregard for public health that cannot be allowed to continue. The bags are used by the Brac’s Faith Hospital to hold used syringes, blood- and fluid-soaked bandages and other used medical materials. By law, the waste is to be incinerated or sanitized by the Department of Environ- mental Health before disposal, to prevent the possible spread of infectious disease. (Importantly, it is not the hospital’s duty to incinerate the waste. Their job is done once they bag it and leave it for collection by DEH.) This improper, potentially dangerous, and possibly illegal disposal apparently has been happening since at least April 11, when the landfill incinerator broke down. Officials say they are waiting for replacement parts to be shipped from overseas. When the reporter asked the DEH to detail what measures were being taken to treat the medical waste, officials replied that it was “layered with soil as often as is practicable.” The department did not respond to questions about how the disposal method is in accordance with public health regulations for medical waste disposal. Environ- mental Health Minister Dwayne Seymour did not respond to calls or messages seeking comment. Malicious or not, the department could hardly have done it better if they’d been trying to spread disease or pestilence. Tack on the task of “cleaning up the medical mess on the Brac” to the long list of items on the DEH’s to-do list, which is growing as rapidly as the overflowing George Town landfill. Public health experts from the United States gasped at the conditions at the Brac landfill as described by our reporter. One of them responded, off the cuff, that he was “so sorry.” The bottom line is that the people on the Brac are “our people.” (Many are “our readers,” as well.) Historically, what happens on the Brac often stays on the Brac. Brackers are, and always have been, fiercely independent. They have their own way of doing things. They take care of business on their own. By default, we are major proponents of the laissez- faire approach to, well, just about anything. But “hands off” doesn’t mean “eyes off,” particularly when it comes to the Brac, where the Cayman Islands government has society on long-term life support, courtesy of a steady infusion of taxpayer dollars – largely supplied by resi- dents and businesses on Grand Cayman. It is worth noting that the Compass was able to uncover the medical waste story because we were on the scene – having purposefully sent a reporter to the Brac to cover newsworthy issues there. Going forward, this paper intends to maintain a regular presence on the Sister Islands, to better serve our readers. Brac’s untreated medical waste is a ‘pan-Cayman’ problem THURSDAY MAY 10, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Public registry would harm legitimate business Thanks for a very fine [editorial] titled “Betrayal!” (May 4), regarding the U.K. law on Cayman company ownership disclosure. What is so absurd about this new law is that true criminals, money-launderers, etc., will only find another banking venue, such as Ukraine, Cy- prus or virtually any African dictatorship to move their operations to, and what will remain in Cayman is that le- gitimate, honest company owners who comply with every aspect of company ownership will be publicly compromised just as if their private accounts at Google, Facebook, insurance com- pany, etc., had been hacked. Likely all the private in- formation the company for- mation applicant put on the original application form will be made public, and for sure sold or otherwise made available to the Russian GRU, which right now maintains extensive databases on indi- viduals all over the world. Thanks to this effort by the U.K. Parliament, the com- puter hackers at the GRU have been saved countless boring hours of attempted hacking and the Kremlin mil- lions of dollars in expense in data capture, handed to them by feckless backbenchers in Whitehall. Does anyone really think that the true criminals are not smart enough to find another venue to base their money laundering ef- forts in, just because honest people will now effec- tively hacked when they fill out any legal or financial form in Cayman? Thanks for the good work you do. Neal Gross Concerns about children and safety I have been to see a Coun- cilor in the Ministry of Edu- cation about several issues concerning our schoolchil- dren that are of great con- cern to me, and I believe others as well. I would like to commend the West Bay Primary School staff for their efforts in pro- tecting our children after school; instead of just letting them leave the school as they have done for many years, the security guard is making sure that they are being picked up by parents or guardians. Another concern that I have is that of the children’s shoes; their shoe laces are al- ways coming loose – this looks very untidy and it is also un- safe. Their shoes should be a part of their uniform; the girls should be alike and the boys alike – perhaps they could be shoes with a strap for the girls and velcro sneakers for the boys. Something needs to be done immediately. I also mentioned that our children are not wearing caps during P.E. on the field when it is very hot out. Our children should wear caps when they are out in the hot sun playing P.E. There must be caps made especially for this purpose. This is also very important and should be looked into ASAP. I have written about our children not having bus shel- ters; if it is raining, they have nowhere to shelter while waiting on the bus. In any case, we have only about two bus shelters in the district of West Bay and these are mainly for passengers waiting on the public buses. I feel that our government needs to do more for our schoolchildren. If a bus could pick up our primary school children in the mornings, that would also be good as some of them have to walk a long way to get to school. Transporta- tion is provided in the after- noons but not in the morn- ings. This issue should also be looked into. Another concern of mine is – where do they play P.E. when it is rainy? Can govern- ment get a proper cafeteria for our young ones? And the list probably goes on. Aside from the education issues, I am very concerned about the speeding and care- less driving that I see on our roads. It is frightening and very dangerous for all road users. I thought speed limit signs and better lighting on our roads would help, but it seems like it only got worse. Many drivers are taking our roads for race tracks, it seems. What can we do to make our streets safer? Maybe we need to place speed bumps on all our roads and not very far from each other. This is a very serious problem and we have to do some- thing about this! I appeal to all drivers, in- cluding riders of motorcycles, to please drive slowly and carefully, and ask all other road users to be very careful on the roads. Continuing about our roads: when is the govern- ment going to do something about the litter problem and continue the yellow painting on the roundabouts and side- walks? Can nothing be done before the end of the year? Like I said before, there should be a budget in place to keep our streets clean and make them safer. Perhaps I should also take this opportunity to thank the department re- sponsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the park next to the public library in George Town for making it safer and more beautiful. What it still needs is a cov- ering where people sit. The covering will help to shelter us from the heat or the rain and to help keep the place cleaner from the birds and iguanas. As I mentioned ear- lier, it is a place where many people go and sit and it is also frequented by visitors as well, so it should be safe and beautiful! Last but not the least, I hear that our government is going all out and allowing the liquor shops to open on Sundays. What next? There is more that I could write about, but I will make this one short. Dora A.E. Ebanks (Ms.)5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 10, 2018 MASSIVE STARTING FRIDAY MAY 11TH Bedside Manor THE BEDDING STORE MARKET STREET, CAMANA BAY Monday thru Saturday 10am - 7pm HUGE DISCOUNTS ON OVERSTOCKED AND DISCONTINUED ITEMS! ALL PRICED TO CLEAR UNBELIEVABLE BARGAINS! 20% OFF STOREWIDE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ONLY!! *Some restrictions may apply Hurricane shelter training kicks off for volunteers KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com On Tuesday night at John Gray High School, Depart- ment of Children and Family Services Deputy Director Paulinda Mendoza-Williams asked a roomful of more than 200 people what was the one thing they’d bring to a hurri- cane shelter in the event of a Category 5 storm. “I’ll make sure I come with my first aid kit,” said one man, followed by others who said they’d bring med- ication, passports, tooth- brushes and flashlights. Ms. Mendoza-Williams’s thought experiment kicked off a two-day training ses- sion for the more than 200 volunteers who have signed up to open, operate and close the territory’s hurri- cane shelters. After one of the most dev- astating hurricane seasons in recorded history last year, the number of volunteers in Cayman has risen from 169 in 2017 to 229 this year. The trainees included nurses, people who work at retirement homes, and those who just want to lend a helping hand. “Instead of sitting there not doing anything [in the aftermath of a hurri- cane], you’re there to make sure the needs of others are being met,” one woman re- sponded, when asked why she volunteered. After the two-day course, there will also be a third day of training at the end of the month for those who are se- lected as shelter managers and district representatives. These people will undergo intensive scenario-based training, as their roles will require them to do more. Along with training on running the shelters, the session also included infor- mation on child protection matters. The Department of Children and Family Ser- vices and Hazard Manage- ment Cayman Islands are also identifying volunteers with special skills in elec- trical work, plumbing, car- pentry, etc., to ensure that each shelter has capacity within its volunteer group to deal with issues that may arise during a storm. Home Affairs Minister Tara Rivers spoke before the training began, thanking the volunteers for their service to the community. “Managing a shelter during a disaster is a big responsibility, and your de- cision to volunteer in this role demonstrates caring and compassion for your fellow human beings,” Ms. Rivers said, adding, “While we all hope that this hurri- cane season is uneventful, if there is a need to open the shelters at any point, I en- courage you to do your best to treat everyone who ar- rives in the same way that you would want one of your loved ones to be treated – with dignity, respect and kindness.” Access to online court records still in the works SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Delays are continuing in the creation of a digitized court records system that is accessible to the public, with no launch date for the ser- vice in sight. Court administrator Su- zanne Bothwell told the Cayman Compass in late February that web designers were in the final stages of up- loading all public court regis- ters to an online format, but Shiona Allenger, Cayman’s clerk of courts, said Monday that she cannot affix a time line to the process. “The site is under con- struction,” said Ms. Allenger in an email response to a re- quest for comment. The online system was slated for launch in either December or January. The court began uploading regis- ters onto its platform in Jan- uary, but the site has still not reached completion, four months later. The court administrator told the Compass in February that all public documents going back five years will be freely available as part of the online register. The court also hopes to install a kiosk for viewing documents expressly for people who do not have access to computers at home. Ms. Bothwell told the Compass last year that the only fees associated with the online register will be for people who are interested in purchasing court documents. Recently, a Cayman Com- pass reporter was told that Judicial Administration will no longer provide free au- topsy reports. Autopsy re- ports will cost $20 plus $0.50 per page. Ms. Allenger said that does not represent a change in policy as much as it is adherence to ex- isting court rules. “The fees charged are gov- erned by the Court Fee Rules 2009,” said Ms. Allenger. “Autopsy reports are pro- vided to the parties to the matter as a courtesy copy in the first instance and should further copies be required, then they are governed by the Court Fee Rules.” Part C of the Court Fee Rules 2009, section 2, states that supplying photocopies and certified copies will cost $20 per document and $0.50 per page. More than 200 people have volunteered to help out at hurricane shelters this year. - PHOTO: KEN SILVA The courthouse building in downtown George Town.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 10, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS 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. SUNDAY, MAY 13 LITTLE CAYMAN: Child Month Church Service 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Little Cayman Baptist Church, Refreshments and games 1–3 p.m. COASTAL CLEANUP: Plastic Free Cayman is organizing a cleanup at an area of land at the end of Sparkys Drive, George Town. From 8 a.m. See Plastic Free Cayman Facebook for details. MONDAY, MAY 14 CDS PRODUCTION MEETING: 6:30 p.m. at Prospect Playhouse. This meeting will take applications for performance proposals to the end of 2020. Open to all who want to be involved, put forward a show, or just hear what is coming up at the Cayman Drama Society. FRIDAY, MAY 18 NATIONAL MUSEUM DAY: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Museum on the Waterfront. Local food and crafts featured. At 11 a.m. guest curator Christine Rose- Smyth talks about the 1938 Oxford Expedition to the Cayman Islands. All are invited. 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. THURSDAY, MAY 24 BRAC COURT: Aston Rutty Centre, from 10 a.m. today and tomorrow. SATURDAY, MAY 26 CAR BOOT SALE: 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Credit Union parking lot, across from the farmers Market and cricket pitch in George Town. Hosted by the Edna M. Moyle Primary School PTA. Book a selling spot by email at emps.pta@gmail.com or call Carol at 547-2900 or Kim at 925-0242. $30 per vehicle in advance or $35 on the day. Bargains to customers. Food and drink on sale. 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 BRAC CHILD MONTH: Church Service 11 a.m. to noon, Cross Road United Baptist Church. WIND OF HOPE: 5K Walk/ Run to benefit Nadine Andreas Residential Foster Home. Smith Barcadere. Walkers begin at 6:30 a.m., runners begin at 6:45 a.m. Timed race. Registration $20 adults, $10 children under 12. Trophies and giveaways. 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, and 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. 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 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 centers. 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. CERAMIC OPEN STUDIO: Available to adults who want to work independently in an inspiring atmosphere, Wednesdays 9 a.m. to noon: Watler House Studio, Pedro St. James. $15 pp/$25 pp non-members. Includes use of studio, glazes, and ceramic tools. Kiln and clay orders available for extra fee. To register, email ceramics@visualartcayman.com. FARMERS ARTISAN MARKET: Noon to 8 p.m. Wednesdays. Visual Arts Society artists sell arts, crafts, paintings, prints, hand-crafted jewelry, ceramics and more at the VAS tents by KARoo Restaurant. For more information or to inquire about table space, email info@visualartcayman.com. ART OPEN CANVAS: At KARoo Restaurant in Camana Bay, Wednesdays 7-11 p.m. Artists of all levels are welcome to come and enjoy painting and socializing with other artists. Includes use of easels, lights, space, beverage ticket. No fee. For more information, contact 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. Visit 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. THE MODEL AIRPLANE FLYING CLUB: Meets Sundays 2 p.m. at the J. Bodden Marlpit/Old Raceway. Call 916–2327. PARENT AND TODDLER PLAY GROUP: For children from 2 weeks to 4 years. Meets Mondays 9:30- 11:30 a.m. in the South Sound Community Centre. Children must be accompanied by parent or helper. Toys, activities, light refreshments provided. $6 per session per family. Email sspg@foxwood.ky. HEARTS THROUGH HANDS: Meets Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. to noon at The Family Life Centre, Room 10, Academy Way. Women make crafts for charity and missions. Call 946–3067 or 947–1863. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The Cayman Chess Club meets every Tuesday night, 5-8 p.m. at the West Indies Wine Company. Beginners welcome.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 10, 2018 EDITION BOOKING DEADLINE Monday May 21st NO PUBLICATION Tuesday May 22nd Thursday May 17th Wednesday May 23rd Thursday May 17th Thursday May 24th Friday May 18th Friday May 25th Tuesday May 22nd DISCOVERY DAYDISCOVERY DAYDISCOVERY DAYDISCOVERY DAY Celebrate the long weekend DISCOVERY DAYDISCOVERY DAY May 21st (345) 949-5111 • sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Please be advised there will be no newspaper on Monday, May 21st, Discovery Day. OUR OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED ON MONDAY PUBLICATION DEADLINES: assumed the funding mech- anisms for fuel and water [agencies] would be sorted out, and they were not,” Mr. Fa’amoe said. Government backbencher Barbara Conolly, an accounts committee member, asked what happened to the funds for the 911 project. Mr. Fa’amoe responded that part of the funds ear- marked for the 911 system fix were taken from the former ICTA reserve fund, which was largely consumed in the operating costs of the new entity that was formed, OfReg, as the “one-stop- shop” regulator for telecom- munications, electricity, pe- troleum and water. “There was no other way to fund the costs of that en- tity,” Mr. Fa’amoe said. Mr. Fa’amoe suggested that one solution would be for government to allow OfReg access to an additional $1.4 million it collected in royal- ties from telecommunications licenses. “Unfortunately, that didn’t happen either. We’ve essentially brought that pro- posal directly to Cabinet,” he told the committee. Later Wednesday, Mr. Miller said he wished to re- cord “how disappointed I am” that “after all the fan- fare and pages and pages of legislation,” that OfReg wasn’t funded properly, at least initially, to perform its functions. “Some Cabinet decisions have been taken which will now fix that, but we were dis- appointed that the funding didn’t happen as rapidly as it could have,” Mr. Morgan, OfReg’s president, said in re- sponse to Mr. Miller. The 911 problem The issue discussed Wednesday by lawmakers has been a troubling one for Cayman in recent years and involves how calls are routed to the 911 center. Previously, those calls had to be routed through a third- party service provider and, as has happened in the past, if the service was down, calls could not get through to 911. Former Governor Helen Kil- patrick agreed to green-light a change made by the former ICTA that obliged the tele- communications companies to connect directly to 911 and use, as a backup, other tele- communications providers in case their systems failed. Mr. Fa’amoe said regula- tors found, in their investiga- tion of the issue, that the 911 center’s equipment was “ob- solete” and that there was no budget to replace it. The former ICTA re- quested proposals for the 911 upgrade and even went to a vendor selection process. “But unfortunately, those funds are no longer there,” he said, referring to the sit- uation now occurring with OfReg’s finances. and hiring issues at the port during the authority’s 2016/17 budget year. The report then opines that the actions of the authority employees, without authoriza- tion, “would suggest theft.” “But there is no evidence of further actions being taken by senior management in spite of knowing of this loss following its reporting by the manager of cruise op- erations and security,” the report states. In comments made to the Port Authority board in Jan- uary, obtained by the Com- pass last week, Port Director Clement Reid acknowledged the auditor’s comments that he gave no authority for anyone to remove the engines. “This is an ongoing matter under investigation,” the summary given to the Port Authority board stated. “[The incident] was reported in an email to [port cruise opera- tions manager Joey] Woods from Jonathan Cuff, general manager of Harbour House Marina on Feb. 20, 2016. “I immediately received a copy of the above email from Mr. Woods, in which he in- quired whether I had given authorization to release the used engines, to the [Port Au- thority] employee concerned. “I confirmed that no such authorization or approval had been given by me.” “Although this matter is ongoing, it clearly identifies the need for an asset man- agement policy,” Mr. Reid continued. “Asset manage- ment is the responsibility of the chief financial officer and, as such, that office will be accountable for developing and delivering a draft asset management policy for the board’s consideration.” He said the additional costs were necessary and would come out of the Cayman Islands Airports Au- thority’s budget. The project is being funded through a mix of CIAA revenues, col- lected through a passenger facilities charge levied on every airport user, and a gov- ernment cash injection. There are now two se- curity lines and nine gates open in the new departures lounge. Once it is complete, there will be six security lines and 11 gates. The tender process to find the businesses to fill 18 slots for restaurants, cafes, duty-free and other shops is still ongoing. Even with significant work still to be done, the por- tion of the departures lounge now in use is already larger than the old departures area. Keeping the airport run- ning smoothly as the work continues has been chal- lenging, officials admit. “This whole process has been an exercise in op- erational dexterity,” said Mr. Anderson. “Every week, we have to move something to keep the contractors working. From here on, rather than con- stricting space, we will start to expand again.” He said the feedback from the traveling public had been very good and the lines of frustrated passen- gers seen at the start of the year had been brought under control. By December, when high season kicks in again, he is confident there will be no similar complaints. “A lot of people don’t re- alize we haven’t finished yet. Immigration isn’t what it is going to be; the departures lounge isn’t what it is going to be at the end; check-in is going to be bigger. People say to me sometimes, ‘Are you sure you built it big enough?’ I’m confident we did.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Police: No investigation of port engine ‘theft’ Alee Fa’amoe, OfReg vice president CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 OfReg seeks $1 million cash injection Government telecom licensees not paying fees BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Some government entities that are licensed to provide telecommunications services by the territory’s regulator are not paying their annual licensing fees, a senior official at the agency confirmed Wednesday. The Legislative Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee Chairman, North Side MLA Ezzard Miller, asked during a public hearing Wednesday whether certain government entities pay OfReg licensing fees on time. OfReg Vice President Alee Fa’amoe told the committee that, in his opinion, anyone who received an OfReg license should have to pay. However, some of the government enti- ties that were licensed were “of the opinion” that those licenses should be free. “We remain at odds with some of our government li- censees about that,” Mr. Fa’amoe said. “But the fees are very small … so it is not worth starting a war over.” “Except that the law, is the law, is the law,” Mr. Miller replied. Ministry of Finance repre- sentatives at the hearing also indicated it was their view that the government licensees should have to pay. “That would be the proper way to do it,” said Michael Nixon, deputy chief of- ficer for the ministry. “The budget we put forward at the time assumed the funding mechanisms for fuel and water would be sorted out, and they were not.” ALEE FA’AMOE, vice president, OfReg It was alleged that port employees removed four engines being stored at the marina, valued at $6,000, without prior authorization to do so. Departures lounge opens as airport takes shape There are now two security lines and nine gates open in the new departures lounge. Once it is complete, there will be six security lines and 11 gates. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY MAY 10, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Immigrant lawsuit extended to include Hondurans A lawsuit filed to protect Haitian and Salvadoran immigrants from Donald Trump’s decision to end a special status that has allowed them to live and work in the U.S. has been extended to include Honduran immigrants. Trump argues the status was never meant to be permanent. Detainees freed in North Korea, returning to US with Pompeo Japan, China, South Korea agree to cooperate on North Korea TOKYO (AP) – China, Japan and South Korea warmed their chilly relations Wednesday, brought together by a common goal: ending North Korea’s nuclear program. Leaders from the three countries held their first three- way summit in more than two years, demonstrating a spirt of cooperation despite con- tinuing differences over North Korea and other issues. While short on specifics, the show of unity, especially ahead of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s expected talks with President Donald Trump, was seen as a major success. “It was extremely signifi- cant that Japan, China and South Korea reaffirmed the importance of their cooper- ation ahead of a U.S.-North Korea meeting,” Chief Cab- inet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, praising the outcome of the summit. The agreements came at the first summit for the Northeast Asian neighbors after a hiatus of more than two years, bringing together Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. “The three countries will take leadership to achieve peace and prosperity in the Northeast Asia,” Abe told a joint news conference in Tokyo, with Li and Moon standing on both sides, all wearing almost identical blue neckties. Abe said the three dis- cussed how they can get North Korea to give up its nu- clear weapons, but he did not provide any details. China and Japan, in particular, have differences over how best to achieve North Korea’s nu- clear disarmament. The meeting comes amid a flurry of developments on the Korean Peninsula. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Moon on April 27 and Chinese President Xi Jin- ping earlier this week, in a surprise visit to the Chi- nese coastal city of Dalian. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew to Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, early Wednesday to finalize details of a summit planned between Trump and Kim. “We must lead the on- going momentum toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and achieve peace and stability in Northeast Asia,” Abe said. The three countries agreed on promoting regional free trade, another hot-button issue challenging their region in the face of Trump’s Amer- ica-first trade policy. Trump has threatened all three countries with tar- iffs in a bid to seek trade concessions from them. His moves have raised fears of a trade war between the U.S. and China. Li, the No. 2 official in China after President Xi Jinping, said earlier that free trade is a good way to promote a global eco- nomic recovery. “We are willing to work with Japan and South Korea to jointly maintain regional stability and push forward the development of the three countries,” he said before the meeting started. WASHINGTON (AP) – Three Americans detained in North Korea for more than a year are on their way back to the U.S. with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday in the latest sign of improving relations be- tween the two longtime ad- versary nations. Trump said on Twitter that Pompeo was “in the air” and was with “the 3 won- derful gentlemen that ev- eryone is looking so forward to meeting.” The president, who had been hinting about an imminent release, said he would greet them at An- drews Air Force Base at 2 a.m. Thursday. The release of the de- tainees came as Pompeo visited North Korea on Wednesday to finalize plans for a historic summit be- tween Trump and the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un. Trump said on Twitter that there had been a “good meeting with Kim Jong Un,” adding: “Date & Place set.” North Korea had accused Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak Song and Tony Kim, all Ko- rean-Americans, of anti-state activities but their arrests were widely seen as politi- cally motivated and had com- pounded the dire state of relations over the isolated na- tion’s nuclear weapons. The family of Tony Kim thanked “all those” who worked for his return and also credited Trump for engaging directly with North Korea. “Mostly we thank God for To- ny’s safe return,” the family said in a statement, and they urged people to “continue to pray for the people of North Korea and for the release of all who are still being held.” White House spokes- woman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement that Trump viewed the re- lease “as a positive gesture of goodwill.” The release capped a dra- matic day of diplomacy in Pyongyang for Pompeo. After his 90-minute meeting with Kim Jong Un, he gave re- porters a fingers-crossed sign when asked about the prisoners as he returned to his hotel. But it was only after a North Korean emis- sary arrived a bit later to in- form him that the release was confirmed. The three had been held for periods ranging between one and two years. They were the latest in a series of Americans who have been detained by North Korea in recent years for seemingly small offenses and typically freed when senior U.S. offi- cials or statesmen personally visited to bail them out. The last American to be released before this, college student Otto Warmbier, died in June 2017, days after he was repatriated to the U.S. with severe brain damage. Warmbier was arrested by North Korean authorities in January 2016. He was ac- cused of stealing a propa- ganda poster and sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor. His parents have filed a wrongful death lawsuit, ac- cusing the government of tor- turing and killing their son. Of the newly released de- tainees, Kim Dong Chul, a South Korean-born U.S. citizen, had been held the longest. The former Virginia resident was sentenced in April 2016 to 10 years in prison with hard labor after being convicted of espionage. He reportedly ran a trade and hotel service com- pany in Rason, a special eco- nomic zone on North Korea’s border with Russia. The other two detainees had not been tried. Kim Hak Song worked in agricultural development at an experimental farm run by the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, or PUST. The university is the only privately funded col- lege in North Korea and was founded in 2010 with dona- tions from Christian groups. He was detained last May for alleged anti-state activities. Tony Kim, who also uses the name Kim Sang-duk, was detained in April 2017 at the Pyongyang airport. He taught accounting at PUST. He was accused of commit- ting unspecified criminal acts intended to overthrow the government. Pompeo, in his visit, dis- cussed the agenda for a po- tential Trump-Kim Jong Un summit in his meeting with Kim Yong Chol, the vice chairman of the central committee of North Korea’s ruling party. The two sides plan to meet once again to finalize details. No specifics were of- fered although officials said Singapore is emerging as the most likely venue. The un- precedented meeting has been slated for this month or early June. Pompeo’s trip, his second to North Korea this year, had not been publicly disclosed when he flew out of Wash- ington late Monday aboard an Air Force jetliner. Trump announced the mission Tuesday afternoon as he laid out his case for withdrawing from a landmark nuclear deal with Iran, another bitter U.S. adversary. Pompeo, who first trav- eled to North Korea as CIA chief in early April, is only the second sitting secre- tary of state to visit the re- clusive nation with which the U.S. is still technically at war. The first was Madeleine Albright, who went in 2000 as part of an unsuccessful bid to arrange a meeting be- tween then-President Bill Clinton and Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il. A Trump-Kim meeting seemed a remote possibility just a few months ago when the two leaders were trading threats and insults over North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and bal- listic missile tests. But mo- mentum for diplomacy built this year as North and South Korea moved to ease tensions, including the North sending a contingent to the Winter Olympics in the South. The Koreas’ leaders’ held their own summit last month. In March, Trump unex- pectedly accepted an offer of talks from Kim after the North Korean dictator agreed to suspend nuclear and mis- sile tests and discuss “denu- clearization.” According to South Korea, Kim says he’s willing to give up his nukes if the United States commits to a formal end to the Korean War and pledges not to at- tack the North. Kim was quoted by Chi- na’s official news agency Xi- nhua as saying on Monday, “I hope to build mutual trust with the U.S. through dia- logue.” He added that a po- litical resolution of tensions on the Korean Peninsula and denuclearization should pro- ceed in stages, with all sides moving in concert. But his exact demands for relinquishing weapons that his nation spent decades building remain unclear. Pre- vious U.S. efforts to negotiate an end to the North’s nuclear weapons program failed under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush. Trump has said that with- drawing U.S. forces from South Korea is “not on the table.” Some 28,500 U.S. forces are based in the allied nation, a military presence that has been preserved to deter North Korea since the war ended in 1953 without a peace treaty. This file photo shows Kim Dong Chul, center, a U.S. citizen detained in North Korea. Dong Chul has been released ahead of an upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. – PHOTO: AP The release of the detainees came as Pompeo visited North Korea on Wednesday to finalize plans for a historic summit between Trump and the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un.9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 10, 2018 If Roses grow in Heaven please pick a bunch, Place them in my son’s arms and tell him they are from us Tell him we love him and miss him and when he turns to smile place a kiss upon his cheek Sadly missed from Mom and Dad Brothers, Sisters, Uncle, Aunts, Nieces, Nephews and the rest of the family Happy Birthday in Heaven Damian Rose May 10th 1993 – October 20, 2013 he turns to smile place a kiss upon his cheekhe turns to smile place a kiss upon his cheekhe turns to smile place a kiss upon his cheekhe turns to smile place a kiss upon his cheek Sadly missed from Mom and DadSadly missed from Mom and Dad Brothers, Sisters, Uncle, Aunts, Nieces, Brothers, Sisters, Uncle, Aunts, Nieces, Brothers, Sisters, Uncle, Aunts, Nieces, Brothers, Sisters, Uncle, Aunts, Nieces, Brothers, Sisters, Uncle, Aunts, Nieces, Brothers, Sisters, Uncle, Aunts, Nieces, Brothers, Sisters, Uncle, Aunts, Nieces, Brothers, Sisters, Uncle, Aunts, Nieces, Brothers, Sisters, Uncle, Aunts, Nieces, Nephews and the rest of the family Nephews and the rest of the family he turns to smile place a kiss upon his cheek Withdrawal from Iran deal deepens US isolation CIA nominee says ‘tough lessons’ learned from interrogation WASHINGTON (AP) – Presi- dent Donald Trump’s nom- inee to be the next CIA di- rector said Wednesday the spy agency learned “tough lessons” from its use of harsh detention and interro- gation tactics on terror sus- pects after 9/11 and that if confirmed, she would not permit the CIA to restart such a program. “CIA has learned some tough lessons, especially when asked to tackle mis- sions that fall outside our ex- pertise,” acting CIA director Gina Haspel told the Senate intelligence committee. “For me, there is no better ex- ample of implementing les- sons learned than what the agency took away from the detention and interroga- tion program.” “It is important to recall the context of those chal- lenging times immediately following 9/11,” she said. “Having served in that tumul- tuous time, I can offer you my personal commitment, clearly and without reservation, that under my leadership, CIA will not restart such a detention and interrogation program.” Haspel’s promise could put her at odds with Trump, who spoke during the cam- paign about toughening the U.S. approach to fighting ex- tremists and vowed to au- thorize waterboarding and a “hell of a lot worse.” Before the confirmation hearing got under way, pro- testers in the room shouted anti-torture slogans. Com- mittee chairman Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., said those who disrupt the hearing will be escorted out. He said the hearing is not about the now-defunct CIA interro- gation program, but about who should lead the agency in the future as it faces cur- rent threats to U.S. na- tional security. The sound of dozens of clicking cameras greeted Haspel as she entered the room and shook hands with members of the committee. In her opening remarks, she acknowledged that the Amer- ican public wants to know her views on the CIA’s now- defunct detention and inter- rogation program. Haspel said that being in the public spotlight is new for her because she spent more than 30 years “in the shadows” working under- cover and acquiring secret in- formation from dead drops and meetings in dusty back alleys of third-world capitals. She portrayed herself as a “typical middle-class Amer- ican” with a “strong sense of right and wrong” who just doesn’t happen to have any social media accounts. She said she was born in Ken- tucky and while her family has deep roots there, she grew up as an Air Force “brat,” following her father to postings all over the world. Haspel emphasized her experience, saying, “I know CIA like the back of my hand.” “I joined CIA in 1985 as a case officer in the clandestine service,” she said. “From my first days in training, I had a knack for the nuts and bolts of my profession. I excelled in finding and acquiring se- cret information.” Haspel’s fate hinges on how well she fields tough questions from senators who want details of her time run- ning a covert detention site where terror suspects were waterboarded, a tactic that simulates drowning, and seek an explanation for why she wanted videos of the ses- sions destroyed. Haspel’s critics outside Congress have stepped up their opposition, arguing that anyone who willingly par- ticipated in one of the CIA’s darkest chapters should not head the spy agency. They argue that having Haspel as the face of U.S. intelligence will undercut America’s effort to champion human rights. Democrats have com- plained that the CIA has failed to declassify enough information on her career, leaving the public in the dark about the person who might end up leading the CIA. Sen. Mark Warner of Vir- ginia, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said that Haspel is among the most ex- perienced people to be nom- inated to serve as CIA di- rector. But, he said, many people, including him, have questions about the message the Senate would send by confirming someone for this position who served as a su- pervisor in the CIA Counter- terrorism Center during the time of the detention and in- terrogation program. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and three of his Democratic colleagues recently wrote a letter to Dan Coats, the di- rector of national intelli- gence, asking that his office, which oversees all U.S. intel- ligence agencies, declassify the documents. WASHINGTON (AP) – Presi- dent Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the landmark nuclear accord with Iran, abruptly restoring harsh sanctions in the most conse- quential foreign policy action of his presidency. He declared he was making the world safer, but he also deepened his isolation on the world stage and revived doubts about American credibility. The 2015 agreement, which was negotiated by the Obama administration and included Germany, France and Britain, had lifted most U.S. and international eco- nomic sanctions against Iran. In exchange, Iran agreed to restrictions on its nu- clear program, making it impossible to produce a bomb and establishing rig- orous inspections. But Trump, a severe critic of the deal dating back to his presidential campaign, said Tuesday in a televised address from the White House that it was “defective at its core.” U.S. allies in Europe had tried to keep him in and la- mented his move to abandon it. Iran’s leader ominously warned his country might “start enriching uranium more than before.” The sanctions seek to punish Iran for its nuclear program by limiting its ability to sell oil or do business over- seas, affecting a wide range of Iranian economic sectors and individuals. Major companies in the U.S. and Europe could be hurt, too. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that licenses held by Boeing and its Euro- pean competitor Airbus to sell billions of dollars in commer- cial jetliners to Iran will be re- voked. Certain exemptions are to be negotiated, but Mnuchin refused to discuss what prod- ucts might qualify. He said the sanctions will sharply curtail sales of oil by Iran, which is currently the world’s fifth largest oil producer. Mnuchin said he did not expect oil prices to rise sharply, forecasting that other producers will step up production. Iran’s government must now decide whether to follow the U.S. and withdraw or try to salvage what’s left with the Europeans. Iranian Presi- dent Hassan Rouhani said he was sending his foreign min- ister to the remaining coun- tries but warned there was only a short time to nego- tiate with them. Laying out his case, Trump contended, “If we do nothing, we know exactly what will happen. In just a short period of time, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapons.” The administration said it would re-impose sanc- tions on Iran immediately but allow grace periods for businesses to wind down ac- tivity. Companies and banks doing business with Iran will have to scramble to extricate themselves or run afoul of the U.S. government. Meanwhile, for nations contemplating striking their own sensitive deals with Trump, such as North Korea, the withdrawal will in- crease suspicions that they cannot expect lasting U.S. fi- delity to international agree- ments it signs. Former President Barack Obama, whose administration negotiated the deal, called Trump’s action “misguided” and said, “The consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding America’s credibility and puts us at odds with the world’s major powers.” Yet nations like Israel and Saudi Arabia that loathed the deal saw the action as a sign the United States is returning to a more skeptical, less trusting approach to dealing with adversaries. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wel- comed Trump’s announce- ment as a “historic move.” Trump, who repeatedly criticized the accord during his presidential campaign, said Tuesday that documents recently released by Netan- yahu showed Iran had at- tempted to develop a nuclear bomb in the previous de- cade, especially before 2003. Although Trump gave no ex- plicit evidence that Iran vio- lated the deal, he said Iran had clearly lied in the past and could not be trusted. Iran has denied ever pur- suing nuclear arms. There was a predictably mixed reaction from Con- gress. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said the Iran deal “was flawed from the be- ginning,” and he looked for- ward to working with Trump on next steps. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a Cali- fornia Democrat, slammed Trump in a statement, saying this “rash decision isolates America, not Iran.” In a burst of last-minute diplomacy, punctuated by a visit by Britain’s top dip- lomat, the deal’s European members had given ground on many of Trump’s demands for reworking the accord, ac- cording to officials, diplomats and others briefed on the ne- gotiations. Yet the Europeans realized he was unpersuaded. Trump spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese leader Xi Jinping about his decision Tuesday. Hours before the announce- ment, European countries met in Brussels with Iran’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs, Abbas Araghchi. In Iran, many are deeply concerned about how Trump’s decision could affect the al- ready struggling economy. In Tehran, Rouhani sought to calm nerves, smiling as he ap- peared at a petroleum expo. He did not name Trump di- rectly, but emphasized that Iran continued to seek “en- gagement with the world.” For the Europeans, Trump’s withdrawal consti- tutes dispiriting proof that trying to appease him is futile. Although the U.S. and Eu- ropeans made progress on ballistic missiles and inspec- tions, there were disagree- ments over extending the life of the deal and how to trigger additional penalties if Iran were found in violation, U.S. officials and European diplo- mats have said. U.S. allies in Europe had tried to keep him in and lamented his move to abandon it. President Donald Trump signs a Presidential Memorandum on the Iran nuclear deal from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, Tuesday, in Washington. – PHOTO: AP Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the CIA, testifies at her confirmation hearing Wednesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington. – PHOTO: APNext >