ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY MAY 24, 2018 High of 84 Low of 74 Rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet. Small craft should exercise caution over open water. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 BRITAIN AND BRUSSELS: THE DOUBLE THREAT TO CAYMAN’S ECONOMY LOCAL | PAGE 3 CAYMAN WATERS DEADLY IN 2018 Premier Health This is what smart health insurance feels like! Just over 6 out of 10 local and 8 out of 10 US claims are submitted electronically and 95% of claims are settled 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 Premier: UK orders on beneficial ownership will be fought in Cayman BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com If the United Kingdom decides to man- date a public beneficial ownership registry for Cayman companies, the Mother Country will face a legal challenge in the Cayman Is- lands courts, Premier Alden McLaughlin said Wednesday. “The position of the Cayman Islands gov- ernment is the attempt by parliament to legis- late for this territory … is unlawful and we do not accept it,” Mr. McLaughlin said. The premier’s comments were made at a government press conference Wednesday af- ternoon where he was flanked by Opposi- tion Leader Ezzard Miller, Cayman Finance Chief Executive Jude Scott and Cabinet Secre- tary Samuel Rose. Mr. McLaughlin said Cayman would not seek any challenge within the U.K. courts to the May 1 vote in the House of Commons that amended Britain’s Sanctions and Anti- Money Laundering Bill. The amendment in- serted a requirement in the bill that all U.K. overseas territories – but not Crown depen- dencies – implement an open public reg- ister of company ownership by Dec. 31, 2020. If that deadline is not met, the bill requires the U.K. Secretary of State to draft orders in council to force the territories to comply. Premier McLaughlin said legal advice re- ceived by Cayman’s government in the U.K. noted that taking action against the vote in the Commons “brings the difficulties inherent in the arguments surrounding parliamen- tary supremacy.” Parliament is the supreme legal entity in the U.K. and even if the courts do find its PORT DIRECTOR SUSPENDED IN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands Port Authority Director Clement Reid was suspended Wednesday for “up to three months” in connection with an in- ternal investigation at the authority. Port Authority Board Chairman Errol Bush said Wednesday the matters that led to the suspension were not all related to issues re- vealed in a recently released report by the Cayman Islands Auditor General. Mr. Bush said some of the matters con- tained in the auditor’s report led to the sus- pension, but he said other concerns had arisen which were not contained in that report. He declined to specify what the other is- sues were in relation to Mr. Reid. Mr. Bush told the Cayman Compass the suspension was not an indication that Mr. Reid had done anything wrong, but rather that he could not continue in his position as director while the internal investigation was proceeding. According to a Port Authority statement re- leased Wednesday afternoon: “The board of di- rectors of the Port Authority of the Cayman Is- lands has, with immediate effect, suspended Mr. Clement Reid, port director, for a period of up to three months in order to facilitate an internal investigation into matters allegedly concerning Mr. Reid.” The Cayman Compass contacted Mr. Reid for comment Wednesday, but he had not responded by press time. Police and students partner to protect disabled parking SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Watch where you park. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service has enlisted the help of students from the Lighthouse School to halt unauthorized people from parking in disabled parking spaces. Local students drew a series of five per- sonalized signs that have been hung next to the disabled parking spaces in Camana Bay, and the hope is they will soon show up at other venues around Grand Cayman. RCIPS community officer Jonathan Kern came up with the concept when meeting with the students from the Lighthouse School, and they unveiled the new designs Wednesday afternoon at Camana Bay. “This is really an educational program,” said Constable Kern of the personalized parking signs. “Parking there for a minute is something that really does affect people. It’s a process that some families have to go through to load up their car and drive somewhere. If they can’t park there, it might be a minute for you, but it’s 20 min- utes or a half-hour for somebody trying to find a space.” One of the homemade signs bore the Police community officer Jonathan Kern poses with students of the Lighthouse School who designed disabled parking signs. The signs were erected in Camana Bay Wednesday. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL THURSDAY MAY 24, 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) PART 1 (PG13) 12:25 VIP I 3:55 3D I 6:35 BREAKING IN (PG13) 1:55 I 4:15 I 7:10 I 9:55 DEADPOOL 2 (R) 1:10 I 3:45 VIP I 9:25 I FEEL PRETTY (PG13) 4:00 I 9:20 LIFE OF THE PARTY (PG13) 1:40 I 4:35 I 7:15 I 9:45 OVERBOARD (PG13) 1:05 I 6:40 RAMPAGE (PG13) 12:55 I 3:25 I 7:05 I 9:45 Potential storm emerges on horizon SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com The official start of At- lantic hurricane season is still a week away, but the Caribbean may be gearing up for an early storm. The National Hurricane Center in Miami identified a low pressure system off the coast of northeastern Belize Wednesday that could de- velop into a storm over the next five days. The NHC’s Atlantic Trop- ical Weather Outlook on Wednesday morning stated there was a 0 percent chance the system would form into a cyclone within 48 hours, but a 60 percent chance it could do so within five days. The system is expected to move north over the next few days and could hit a danger zone once it reaches the Gulf of Mexico. Allan Ebanks, a meteorologist with the Cayman Islands Na- tional Weather Service, said the system is unlikely to de- velop into anything until the end of the week. “Within the next two or three days, it’s slowly going to move itself northward,” Mr. Ebanks said. “It’s not until it gets into the south- eastern Gulf of Mexico that it’s seen as having some higher potential to become a possible depression. As it sits right now, given its proximity to land and not much of any thundershower activity around it, its very weak and its upper-level support is not there as well.” The official start of At- lantic hurricane season is on June 1, and it runs through Nov. 30. The NHC’s outlook on Wednesday morning said that locally heavy rainfall could develop over western Cuba and the Cayman Is- lands over the next few days and over Florida and the northern Gulf Coast by the weekend. But Mr. Ebanks did not see heavy rainfall in Cay- man’s immediate future. “We will continue to get cloudy and rainy conditions basically for the balance of the week,” he said. “Not too much heavy rain. It’s mainly cloudy conditions with in- termittent showers and also light rain most of the time. It’s not until Friday where we’re expecting more scat- tered showers and thunder.” Cayman has been buf- feted by inclement weather for the last few days, and Monday played havoc with incoming airline schedules. Two incoming Cayman Air- ways flights were diverted from Grand Cayman, causing five-hour delays for a pair of outgoing flights from Owen Roberts International Air- port to Miami. All afternoon flights heading into Little Cayman and Cayman Brac were af- fected by delays – some of which lasted up to three hours – and two were ulti- mately canceled. Cayman Air- ways added an extra jet for service to and from Miami, and Tuesday’s flights oper- ated largely on schedule. The National Hurricane Center’s five-day forecast on Wednesday morning showed a low pressure system possibly developing into a storm as it moves toward the Gulf of Mexico. Ganja sentences for two, trial for three Guilty pleas to importing 692 pounds of illegal vegetable matter CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Three Jamaica nationals who said they landed in Cayman Brac because of bad weather will stand trial in July for importation of ganja. Oshane Nickoy Ricketts, 29, Andre Washington Rob- inson, 33, and Nicholas Odell Maxam, 30, are also charged with illegal landing. They were arrested in Cayman Brac on Friday, Jan. 26. Two other men charged with importing ganja and immigration offenses have pleaded guilty. Yoandy Ebanks-Swaby, 36, and Terry Christopher Wright, 39, have admitted to im- porting approximately 692 pounds of ganja on Jan. 25. They were ar- rested later that day in the vicinity of Uncle Bob’s Road in West Bay. A police press release about an incident around that date said officers of the Joint Marine Unit came upon two vessels acting sus- piciously around 4:30 a.m. in the vicinity of the Big Channel entrance to North Sound. One of the vessels continued toward land while the other made off to sea. The case, as presented by Crown counsel Darlene Oko, is that the three Jamai- cans who landed in Cayman Brac were aboard the vessel that made off to sea. Defense attorney John Furniss said at their first court appearance that they were in the Brac because of the weather. All three, who are from Westmoreland, had listed their occupation as fisherman. On Wednesday this week, defense attorney Jon- athon Hughes elaborated on their position before Mag- istrate Philippa McFarlane. He agreed that the men had no immigration status when they landed in the Brac: “What took them there was necessity,” he said. By July, the men will have been in custody six months, he noted. “Meanwhile, their fam- ilies in Jamaica are suf- fering significant hard- ship,” he said. Sentencing for Mr. Ebanks-Swaby and Mr. Wright on the ganja charge was set for June 25. Mr. Ebanks-Swaby had entered a plea of “guilty with ex- planation” on March 29. Mr. Wright, who had a change of attorneys, did not enter his plea until this week. Their sentencing was ad- journed because of time needed for the preparation of social inquiry reports. The trial for the three men who pleaded not guilty was set for three days, beginning July 23. The magistrate said the matter might not take that long, but she wanted to en- sure the would be enough time for all issues to be properly aired – relating to both the illegal landing and the ganja importation. Tahini recalled after salmonella scare Supermarkets selling Ziyad Tahini have pulled the product from their shelves following a voluntary recall of be- cause of possible salmonella contamination. Five types of the tahini have been recalled. These in- clude the following: ■■ 6x½ gal. glass jar, UPC Number 0-74265- 00307-6, Lot 35417. ■■ 12x32 oz. glass jar, UPC Number 0-74265- 00155-3, Lot 00318. ■■ 12x16 oz. glass jar, UPC Number 0-74265-00156-0, Lots 35317/35417/35517/35617. ■■ 12x88 oz. glass jar, UPC Number 0-74265-01097-5, Lots 34817/01218. ■■ 6x16 oz. glass jar, UPC Number 0-74265- 00156-0, Lot 34917. A press release from Fos- ter’s Food Fair IGA advises customers to check the UPCs on the Ziyad Tahini products in their homes to be sure none of the affected product has been purchased. The store is asking all cus- tomers who have purchased the product from any of its stores to return the item for a full refund and to discontinue use of any affected product. The manufacturing com- pany, based in Cicero, Illinois, said in its recall notice that it had not yet received the results of confirmation testing for sal- monella, but it initiated the re- calls as a precautionary move. The salmonella was re- vealed as a result of a random sampling by the Michigan De- partment of Agriculture and Rural Development. JURY NOTICE All Grand Court Jurors in the April 4 to July 4 session are advised that their report date has been changed. They should now report for duty on Monday, May 28, at 9:45 a.m. Jurors are advised to call the jury information line at 244-3899 for the most up-to-date information or email jury@judicial.ky. BRAZIL LEADER SCRAPS BID, SUPPORTS EX-FINANCE MINISTER RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Ac- knowledging the unlike- lihood of his re-election, Brazil’s deeply unpopular president on Tuesday said he was not running and en- dorsed his former finance minister for the top office less than five months be- fore voters in Latin Amer- ica’s largest nation pick a new leader. President Michel Te- mer’s decision to back former Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles came after months of weighing whether to run himself. Te- mer’s approval rating has consistently been below 10 percent – at one point it reached 3 percent – and mounting corruption alle- gations against him have frequently drowned out his government’s ambitious reform agenda. “Meirelles is the best of the best,” Temer said, standing next to the former finance minister at an event in Brasilia put on by Meire- lles’ Brazilian Democratic Movement party. In his short speech, on Globo TV, Temer acknowl- edged his chances of re- election were slim. “I am realistic. I know what I did and what I did not do (in office),” he said. Temer was vice president when he moved into the top office in 2016 after President Dilma Rousseff was im- peached and removed from power for illegally managing the federal budget. While overseeing a handful of reforms, in- cluding a rewriting of labor laws, Temer’s gov- ernment has suffered nu- merous scandals. Temer himself has been charged with corruption in two cases by the country’s attorney general. Congress’ lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, which must approve any prosecu- tion of a sitting president, voted twice last year to shield Temer from being put on trial. He could still be tried in those cases once he leaves office at the end of this year.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 24, 2018 Cayman waters deadly in 2018 BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands has already seen at least as many water-related deaths in the first five months of this year than it did for all of 2017, ac- cording to statistics released by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. Seven of the water deaths to occur so far in 2018 in- volve visitors from the U.S. who were between the ages of 57 and 83. The latest incident hap- pened Saturday in East End when a 57-year-old man got into trouble while snorkeling. He was brought to shore by onlookers and taken to the Cayman Islands Hospital where he later died. Six of the seven visitors experienced difficulties while they were out on snorkeling or swimming trips; the sev- enth visitor death involved a 70-year-old diver. Another death, reported April 2, involved a 76-year- old West Bay man who had been out fishing when he got into distress. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Ser- vice clarified that incident was not being recorded as water-related due to the cir- cumstances surrounding it. A possible eighth fatality involves missing swimmer Linvol Smith on Cayman Brac, who disappeared over the long holiday weekend. Searches for Mr. Smith were called off Monday. Cayman recorded seven water-related fatalities for all of 2017, according to the RCIPS annual report released earlier this month. It saw a higher number, 11 water-related deaths, for 2016. However, that year saw a tragedy involving five Cay- manian boaters – including two children – being lost at sea on the same craft. The 2016 incident led to an overall review of Cay- man’s marine response capa- bility for both water rescues and interdiction of drugs and weapons shipments. The RCIPS, working with the local fire service, put five new Wave Runners in ser- vice to help with search- and-rescue efforts near the coasts, speeding marine of- ficers’ ability to respond to emergency calls. Cayman’s long-range pa- trol craft, the Guardian, was sent to Miami for a refit and was expected to be back in Cayman sometime during this year, police noted. The RCIPS has also been training its officers and some civilian support staff on un- derwater searches and diving exercises, including an April 30 search-and-rescue exer- cise at the site of the Kitti- wake wreck off Seven Mile Beach. The dive team went to Cayman Brac last weekend to search for Mr. Smith. The RCIPS helicopter has been outfitted with night-vi- sion imaging to aid in search and rescue, as well as crime- related searches as part of the effort to bolster marine response capabilities. The police service may be adding other assets to its aerial patrols in the near future, according to the annual report. “The RCIPS has obtained … permission to operate small, unmanned surveillance aircraft and [is] currently op- erating the technology with a view to developing a wider capability in support of ex- isting resources,” the police report noted. The Cayman Islands Joint Marine Unit responded to 36 vessels in distress calls during 2017 and an addi- tional 16 calls for people in distress in local waters, ac- cording to police statistics. There were seven people re- ported missing at sea last year in the Cayman Islands. In addition, the unit inves- tigated 62 incidents of ma- rine-related thefts, police said. Police divers practice underwater search-and-rescue techniques on April 30 at the site of the Kittiwake wreck off Seven Mile Beach. The training was part of an overall effort to improve RCIPS marine response capabilities. - PHOTO: JAMES WHITTAKER CUC may settle lawsuit over ‘dangerous’ equipment KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Caribbean Utilities Company is in settlement talks with U.S.-based manufacturer Howard Industries Inc., which CUC claims sold defective elec- trical equipment that cost the power company “millions of dollars” in damages and po- tentially endangered Cay- man’s residents. According to documents filed with the U.S. Southern District Court of Mississippi, CUC states that it purchased numerous stainless-steel dis- tribution transformers for its operations from the Missis- sippi-based Howard Industries Inc. between 2000 and 2016. However, the transformers and/or their component parts were defective and eventually failed, CUC claims. “Such defects were latent, and it took time for the la- tent defects to manifest,” Cay- man’s power company states in its claim, which was filed last November. CUC claims that Howard Industries intentionally con- cealed design defects, manu- facturing deviations, substan- dard manufacturing practices and other problems in order to “induce” the utilities com- pany to continue to buy equip- ment from the manufacturer. “The failures in and defects to the transformers made them dangerous to human life and to property,” CUC states in its lawsuit. “The danger in- cludes, but is not limited to, the transformers leaking haz- ardous oil on persons and/ or property and falling from high locations on persons and/or property and causing damage due to their defec- tive condition.” CUC is seeking refunds for its costs and damages, which it claims to be in the mil- lions of dollars. In a response filed in Jan- uary, Howard Industries de- nied the allegations of wrong- doing against it, including the allegations that the trans- formers were defective. “[Howard Industries] re- spectfully requests that [CUC’s] complaint against it be dismissed with prejudice, with costs assessed against [CUC],” Howard Industries states in its response. U.S. District Court Judge Keith Starrett initially set a pretrial conference for May 16, 2019, and a trial to begin on June 3, 2019. Since then, however, the judge has also set a settle- ment conference for June 20. Before that conference, both parties are required to submit memoranda outlining their arguments on the points of law and fact, the settle- ment negotiations history of the case, and possible set- tlement figures. “The purpose of the set- tlement conference is to ef- fectuate settlement of the case if possible, but the set- tlement conference will be conducted in such a manner as not to prejudice any party in the event settlement is not reached,” states Judge Star- rett’s order, which was made earlier this month. “All mat- ters communicated to the settlement conference judge in confidence will be kept confidential by the judge, and will not be disclosed to any other party.” Catboat racers brave rain for Discovery Day regatta Heavy rain showers and cloudy skies did not deter Cayman’s catboat sailors Monday, who took to the water to take part in the Cayman Catboat Club’s Dis- covery Day Premier Cup Race. Three of the traditional blue and white boats took part in the race, which started at 10:45 a.m. from the Cayman Is- lands Sailing Club in Red Bay. The sailors took part in three races in total. Kem Jackson captained his catboat, Captain D, to two victories, while Jerris Miller, skipper of Whittaker Cat, won one race. Skipper Rommell Ebanks, in Brac Cat, came third in the races. The overall results were: Kem Jackson and Joey Jackson in first place; Jerris Miller, Ned Miller, Tim Adam and Nordell Jackson in third place; and Rommell Ebanks in third place. Man beaten and robbed A man who was followed from a bar on Crewe Road in George Town was beaten and robbed by two men on Prospect Point Road early on Monday morning, po- lice reported. According to police, of- ficers responded to a re- port of a robbery shortly after 12:30 a.m. The victim had just arrived at the lo- cation when a vehicle with two men and two women in- side pulled up. Police said he was ap- proached by the two male occupants of the vehicle, beaten, and robbed of per- sonal items. The culprits then drove away. “The victim had been speaking with these individ- uals at a bar on Crewe Road before the incident; it ap- pears that they followed him after he left the location,” police said in a statement. One of the women is de- scribed as being in her 40s, about 5 feet, 4 inches in height, with a stocky build and short brown hair. The other woman is described as being in her early 20s, 5 feet, 6 inches tall, with a stocky build and short curly hair, wearing dark blue shorts and top. Police said one of the men is described as being in his 20s, about 6 feet, 1 inch tall, with a muscular build, dark skin, and hair trimmed at the sides. He was wearing a blue hoodie and jeans. The other man is described as being about the same age, about 5 feet, 2 inches in height, with a slim build, dark skin and hair trimmed at the sides. The victim was taken to the Cayman Islands Hospital where he was treated for his injuries, including receiving stitches to his head. He was subsequently released. Kem Jackson and Joey Jackson, on board the Captain D, the overall victor on the day. The Whittaker Cat, skippered by Jerris Miller, came second overall in the Premier Cup Race on Monday. Three of the traditional blue and white boats took part in the race, which started at 10:45 a.m. from the Cayman Islands Sailing Club in Red Bay.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. WASHINGTON – Repeal of Prohibition in 1933 instantly reduced crime by reducing the number of criminalized activi- ties, including some that mil- lions of Americans considered victimless activities and none of the government’s business. Now, America is going to be- come more law abiding, the Supreme Court having said that the federal government cannot prohibit states from legalizing what Americans have been doing anyway with at least 150 billion of their dollars annually. This large figure (almost five times the combined revenues of MLB, the NFL, NBA and NHL; 14 times the movie industry’s do- mestic ticket sales) is a guess and might be much less than the actual sum that Ameri- cans wager on sports. In 1992, when sports bet- ting was illegal in most states, Congress, prompted by New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bill Bradley (Princeton all-Amer- ican basketball player, Olym- pian, New York Knick), passed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). This did not do what Con- gress has the power to do: Because the court’s permis- sive construing of Congress’ power to regulate all sorts of more or less economic activi- ties for all sorts of reasons, Congress could criminalize sports gambling. Instead, however, it gave New Jersey, alone among the 46 states that did not already have such betting, one year to adopt it, after which New Jersey would be forbidden to do so. Illegal sports betting was estimated to involve only $25 billion annually when PASPA was passed. Its subsequent burgeoning is redundant evidence that restraining a popular appetite with a statute is akin to lassoing a locomotive with a cobweb, which should chasten busy- body governments. While one should formally frown upon the lawlessness of wa- gering Americans, their anar- chic tendencies are, on bal- ance, wholesome. Also in 1992, the Supreme Court began enunciating the “anti-commandeering” doc- trine: The federal government may not pursue its objectives by requiring states to use, or refrain from using, their resources for those objec- tives. The Constitution’s 10th Amendment (“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor pro- hibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states re- spectively, or to the people”) means, the court has held, that “while Congress has substantial powers to govern the nation directly, including in areas of intimate concern to the states, the Constitution has never been understood to confer upon Congress the ability to require the states to govern according to Con- gress’ instructions.” In a 2011 referendum, New Jersey voters strongly ap- proved sports betting; two months later, the Legisla- ture approved such betting in casino sports books and at horse tracks. After courts twice held that New Jersey was violating PASPA, the state appealed to the Supreme Court, saying: “Never before has federal law been enforced to command a state to give effect to a state law that the state has chosen to repeal.” This month the court ruled, 6-3, in favor of New Jersey and three principles of good government that are threatened by federal com- mandeering. Writing for the majority, and joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Anthony Ken- nedy, Clarence Thomas, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch, Samuel Alito said: The anti- commandeering rule protects individual liberty by main- taining a “healthy balance of power” between the states and the federal government. The rule “promotes polit- ical accountability” because “voters who like or dislike the effects” of a regulation “know who to credit or blame.” And the rule “prevents Congress from shifting the costs of regulation to the states.” This season, an NHL team began playing in Las Vegas, where the NFL’s Oakland Raiders will relocate in 2020. Because of what the court did Monday, soon a majority of states, with a majority of the nation’s population, prob- ably will be regulating and taxing legalized sports gam- bling. The unembarrassable National Collegiate Athletic Association has said without blushing that sports betting threatens “student-athlete well-being and the integrity of athletic competition.” Actually, an infusion of run-of-the-mill back-alley bookies in soiled raincoats might elevate col- lege basketball’s moral tone. Just after PASPA was en- acted, 56 percent of Ameri- cans opposed legalized bet- ting on professional sports events. A quarter of a cen- tury later, 55 percent approve. The nation’s most insistent promoters of gambling are state governments that run lotteries. Law lags morals, but not forever. The professional sports leagues were on the losing side Monday, but will find ways to profit from betting on their products. Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and a maverick himself, thinks that intensi- fied fan interest will double franchise values across base- ball, football, basketball and hockey. Want to bet against him? Go ahead. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2018, Washington Post Writers Group Britain and Brussels: The double threat to Cayman’s economy At the beginning of May, the U.K. House of Commons acted to force public registers of beneficial ownership upon the Cayman Islands and other British Overseas Territories. Now, that the House of Lords has acquiesced to the lower chamber’s version of the relevant legislation, the betrayal of Cayman and our sister territories by the U.K. Parliament is complete. It is, perhaps, some small solace that several members of the House of Lords spoke up in our defense – strongly and rationally – during the debate on the U.K. Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, before the legislative body ultimately decided not to intervene and prevent the real harm being wrought upon the territories by our own British government. Lord Tariq Mahmood Ahmad of Wimbledon, the minister responsible for the overseas territories, demonstrated his firm grasp of the seriousness of the situation – an awareness that stands in stark contrast to the ignorance on the subject displayed nearly universally in the earlier House of Commons debate. Lord Ahmad reminded the Peers that overseas territories are separate, self-governing jurisdictions whose local governments must be overridden only in the most exceptional of circumstances. “By contrast, financial services are an area of domestic responsibility for territory governments, where they surpass – an important point to remember – international standards in the context of beneficial ownership,” Lord Ahmad said. Lord Naseby, Michael Morris, the vice chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Cayman Islands, accurately labeled the legislation as “a catas- trophe for financial services in the overseas territories.” Lord David Edmond Neuberger of Abbotsbury said, “There has been no consultation with the democrati- cally elected governments of any of the territories about the legislation. There has been no investiga- tion of the effectiveness of this law in relation to any of the territories. There has been no inquiry as to the economic and social consequences of the legislation on any of the territories.” And yet, the offending legislation moved forward. During these perilous times, we urge Cayman’s leaders to be uncharacteristically open and communi- cative with the people of these islands. The offshore financial sector provides over half of the entire gov- ernment budget, and any threat to that industry threatens us all. Meanwhile, on the “eastern front” of the war against offshore financial centers, the European Union is poised to decide (most likely in December) which jurisdictions make its “white list,” “blacklist” or perhaps remain on its “grey list,” where Cayman now resides. Financial Services Minister Tara Rivers is in Brussels this week, lobbying on our behalf. In regard to the British legislation, Premier Alden McLaughlin has been both active and vocal. On Wednesday, the premier and other leaders held a press conference about recent discussions with the U.K. government, including with Prime Minister Theresa May, and more importantly, Cayman’s plan of action in response to the anticipated U.K. Order in Council. (For more, read our story on Page One.) Regardless of the best efforts of our elected members, at home and abroad, we must not lose sight of the fact the Cayman’s “A Team” cannot be found on government benches but rather in the financial services industry itself. Cayman’s private sector, understandably, is far more knowledgeable and able in all matters financial than its public representatives, and it is, therefore, paramount that they inform and participate in our strategy going forward. Most of our top talent resides in member firms of Cayman Finance, the professional association representing our financial services industry. To date, government has usurped too large a portion of the role that rightfully could be better executed by a true public-private partnership. With so much at stake for these islands, we cannot afford to leave our star players sitting silent on the sidelines. THURSDAY MAY 24, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” Prohibition has been lifted at last on sports wagering GEORGE F. WILL GEORGE Illegal sports betting was estimated to involve only $25 billion annually when PASPA was passed. Its subsequent burgeoning is redundant evidence that restraining a popular appetite with a statute is akin to lassoing a locomotive with a cobweb, which should chasten busybody governments. 5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 24, 2018 The burning question: cremation or burial JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com As burial spots in the Cayman Islands grow scarcer and government faces the daunting question of where to find more burial land, Cay- manians are looking to cre- mation as an option. Cremation versus burial has been a difficult and much debated choice for as long as the practice of crema- tion has existed, with reli- gion playing a major part in the discussion. For many Caymanians, cremation is out of the ques- tion because of their Biblical views. Others said it was not an option they considered because it was not available until recently. Offering a solution to the long-standing problem of di- minishing graveyard space, Cayman’s first crematorium was opened by Bodden Fu- neral Services in 2016 on Walkers Road. “It isn’t just Cayman, there are people all around the world that don’t want to be burned.… What it really boils down to is people’s personal views,” said Scott Ruby, gen- eral manager and funeral di- rector for Bodden Funeral Services. “Both generational Caymanians and non-Cay- manians are choosing to be cremated.” Seventy-four people, half of whom were Caymanian, have been cremated since the crematorium opened, he said. The cremation process Cremation takes just under three hours, Mr. Ruby explained, and families are invited to view the process. Once cremation is chosen, a numeric identification tag is attached to the toe of the deceased. The crematorium is brought up to operational temperature, which can reach 2,400 degrees Fahren- heit. The body is placed in a casket, inserted into the cre- matorium, the door is closed, and the timers are switched on. Afterward, the ashes are collected, sifted for metal and packaged. “It’s just like a convection oven,” explained Mr. Ruby. It does not have a smoke stack but a pressure release. If any smoke is detected by the machine, it sends off an alarm and shuts the whole process down. According to Mr. Ruby, a burial by cremation can cost $2,000, which includes em- balming, casket and church program. A burial vault alone costs up to $1,200. Shortage of burial plots Cemeteries on Grand Cayman are filling up and most are already full, said Mr. Ruby, so trying to get a spot next to a loved one is not an option in some ceme- teries anymore. The main West Bay dis- trict cemetery and the old Bodden Town cemetery are both effectively full. There is still space in Prospect and North Side, but this does not help a person who died in Bodden Town and wants to be buried beside relatives, Mr. Ruby said. “If we would have put more thought into conserva- tion and places earlier, they would have had more room now.… Right now, there is still a little room, but every time we bury someone, that gets taken up. I did have people come in that did not have a family plot asking what to do. They have been directed into other ceme- teries,” he said. According to a 2015 gov- ernment report, the main West Bay district cemetery ran out of space in 2012. Meanwhile, the North West Point cemetery, also in West Bay, is due to close in 2026. A third cemetery in West Bay, the smaller Boatswains Bay, has space for 167 vaults and will not close until 2052. The report stated that Bodden Town’s old cemetery was full and a new parcel of land for burial had been purchased alongside it. The Biblical perspective “I do want to clearly es- tablish that when a person is dead, though the dead body remains, the ‘person’ has gone to his or her eternal re- ward, whether heaven or hell. Regardless of how we treat the body of the deceased, it does not affect the ‘person’ in any way whatsoever,” said Torrance Bobb, senior pastor at the First Assembly of God church. He said the defining as- pect about laying a body to rest, especially in a Chris- tian tradition and culture, is that it be done with dignity, respecting the life of the de- ceased, and the emotional, spiritual and physical well- being of the immediate rela- tives and friends. “One should be guided by the desires of the de- ceased, but also the feelings and concerns of relatives and other persons signifi- cant to the deceased,” Pastor Bobb said. “While many, be- cause of funeral costs, burial space, transporting the body of the deceased and other reasons, opt for cremation, most people will find the traditional burial is much more acceptable for clo- sure and coping with the grieving process. “The Jewish tradition is not to cremate, rather it is to bury the deceased’s body in their entirety,” said Rabbi Berel Pewzner, of the Chabad Cayman Jewish community. He said the Jewish per- spective on burial is the body is sacred, because it is the “temple of the soul” and is the medium by which people do good in this world. Judaism regards the human form and the physical body as having been “created in the image of God” and, therefore, holy, the rabbi said. Hence, the laws that prohibit mutilating the body. In death, the body, which held life and the Godly soul, retains its holiness. With laws addressing its treatment from the moment of death, Jewish tradition is about how the body is pre- pared for burial and how it is buried, he said. “The Lord God ‘formed man of dust from the ground’ – and must therefore re- turn to the earth. This is ex- pressed in the words that God tells Adam, the first man, ‘For dust you are, and to dust you will return.’ Cremating a body destroys most of the body, making burial of the flesh impossible, and thus vi- olates the biblical command,” said Rabbi Pewzner. According to Mr. Ruby, when he inspects the Bible in terms of the question of cremation, he said Gen- esis 23 speaks of a body in- terred, but very little is said about cremation. “If it’s a matter of faith and how you feel Bibli- cally, definitely speak to your pastor,” Mr. Ruby said. Bishop Juliette Fagan of Vision Miracle Church of God, believes that crema- tion goes against the teach- ings of the Bible and that the modern church should not embrace it because it de- stroys the body and soul. The whole body should be buried to preserve not only the physical being but also the soul and spirt of the person, she said. She uses the example of Jesus’s cruci- fixion, saying his whole body was entombed and three days later he was able to rise from the dead. The Roman Catholic church still recommends, and prefers, the custom of burying the bodies of the faithful, according to the Archdiocese of Detroit for the Catholic Churches in the Cayman Islands. The church allows cremation as long as it is not an “intentional de- nial of the church’s teaching regarding the resurrection of the body.” The order of Christian funerals is arranged such that cremation of the de- ceased takes place after the funeral liturgy and not be- fore it. However, when this is not possible, the cre- mated remains are permitted to be present for the fu- neral liturgy. The cremated remains must always be treated with respect, the same respect at- tributed to the body. After the funeral, they are to be interred or entombed, pref- erably in a Catholic ceme- tery or mausoleum. The Rite of Committal should accom- pany this action. They should never be separated or scat- tered or disposed of in any way other than a dignified in- terment or entombment. The people’s choice The Compass spoke to several local residents about their views on cremation. “It’s less costly and un- like burial, there is no huge funeral service. There is no viewing of body and no casket; also less distress on family seeing loved ones in a casket for the last time,” said Marilyn Nasirun. “We running out of space in the cemetery? Then use stack cement drawers like what is done in Cuba,” said Twyla Vargas. “Give people a name and vault number.” “Cremation is cleaner and cheaper rather than rotting in ground,” said Lyn Carter. “From dust I came, and to dust I shall return,” said Jen- nifer Martinez, who said she would opt for cremation. “Give me my flowers when I’m alive,” said Rose Arnold. “Cremation is less costly, burial is a waste of land space.” Children’s convention concludes Child Month A Children’s Convention at the Family Life Centre on May 20 concluded Seventh- day Adventist observance of Child Month, held in conjunc- tion with the Department of Children and Family Services. A large congregation of children, parents, volunteers and other supporters gath- ered for the one-day event, which ended eight weeks of training and a subsequent week of sermon presenta- tions by the children. The day involved a sermon presentation by 14-year-old child preacher Javon Le- winson, a Year 10 student at Clifton Hunter High School, and a musical drama directed by Lisa Pearce featuring chil- dren from various Adven- tist churches who sang and danced their way through the story of salvation. Javon demonstrated ex- pertise gained over the four years he attended the an- nual eight-week training pro- gram which prepared child preachers for their roles during Child Month. Other highlights of the day included presentations by the Kings Church chil- dren’s choir, a children’s chorale from the Savannah Church, and adult finalists in a gospel singing competi- tion sponsored by Optimist Club to bring awareness about childhood cancer. The Department of Children and Family Ser- vices annually spearheads the national initiative of Child Month. Adventist observance of Child Month concludes on Sunday with a chil- dren’s fun day at the Agri- culture Grounds. All chil- dren and youth are invited to attend the day of fun and recreation. The Children’s Convention is arranged by Cereta Mc- Donald, assisted by Melissa Smith and a team of leaders drawn from the various Ad- ventist churches across Grand Cayman. The Kings Church Children’s Choir. The crematorium at Bodden Funeral Home is operated by Scott Ruby, general manager and funeral director. - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVYThe 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 24, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS THURSDAY, MAY 24 ASTRONOMY CONFERENCE: Continues today and Friday. The William Hrudey Caribbean Astronomy Conference takes place from 9 a.m. at the Chamber of Commerce Conference Centre, Governors Square. Students are invited to attend for free. The remaining passes will be $25 each day. Contact vmcleod@candw.ky. BRAC COURT: Aston Rutty Centre, from 10 a.m. today and tomorrow. SATURDAY, MAY 26 FULL GOSPEL BUSINESSMEN: The Grand Cayman chapter of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International has its monthly breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at Lola’s restaurant in Camana Bay. 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. Proceeds to benefit the school’s Literacy and Home Reading programs. 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. MONDAY, MAY 28 WEST BAY SCHOOL INSPECTIONS: A public meeting is being held by the Office of Education Standards to get input on the new inspection framework, “Successful Schools and Achieving Students.” Sir John A. Cumber School Library, 6 p.m. TUESDAY, MAY 29 GEORGE TOWN SCHOOL INSPECTIONS: A public meeting is being held by the Office of Education Standards to get input on the new inspection framework, “Successful Schools and Achieving Students.” 6 p.m. John Gray High School School Hall ISLAND HERITAGE CHARITYDRIVE: Each time you drive by the Island Heritage roundabout or engage with them on social media, Island Heritage will donate $1 of your behalf, in support of the Special Needs Foundation. Visit www.charitydrive.ky for details. WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 SNUGGLE UP AND READ: This Child Month activity takes place at Bodden Town Primary School, 6:30-8:30 p.m. EAST END SCHOOL INSPECTIONS: A public meeting is being held by the Office of Education Standards to get input on the new inspection framework, “Successful Schools and Achieving Students.” 6 p.m. East End Primary School. ISLAND HERITAGE CHARITYDRIVE: Each time you drive by the Island Heritage roundabout or engage with them on social media, Island Heritage will donate $1 of your behalf, in support of the Family Resource Centre. Visit www.charitydrive.ky for details. THURSDAY, MAY 31 BODDEN TOWN SCHOOL INSPECTIONS: A public meeting is being held by the Office of Education Standards to get input on the new inspection framework, “Successful Schools and Achieving Students.” 6:30 p.m. Bodden Town Primary School. ISLAND HERITAGE CHARITYDRIVE: Each time you drive by the Island Heritage roundabout or engage with them on social media, Island Heritage will donate $1 of your behalf, in support of the Central Caribbean Marine Institute. Visit www.charitydrive.ky for details. FRIDAY, JUNE 1 NORTH SIDE SCHOOL INSPECTIONS: A public meeting is being held by the Office of Education Standards to get input on the new inspection framework, “Successful Schools and Achieving Students.” 6 p.m. Edna M. Moyle Primary School. SATURDAY, JUNE 2 TALES AND ALES: St. Matthew’s University Shelter Club has organized this fundraiser to benefit animal services. 4-8 p.m. at The Lodge (formerly Whiskey Mist) in the Strand. Raffle tickets and 50/50 draw. Free admission. All are invited. GENERAL INTEREST SEAMEN AND VETERANS: Recipients of the ex gratia Seamen and Veterans benefit who need help completing the Continuation Confirmation Certificates can get assistance. These certificates need to be completed every two years. Community Development Officers will be at the following locations and recipients are asked to bring a current photo ID with them. West Bay CDO is Vanda Powery, 916-7902. She will be at the district library 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, May 22 and 29. George Town CDO is Dorline Welcome, 925-4083. She will be at Seafarers Hall 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays, May 23 and 30. Dates and times for East End, North Side and Cayman Brac will be announced later. Housebound recipients should contact the Ministry on 244-2426 or their district’s Community Development Officer. 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. 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. For fees and registration forms that are available online, contractors should visit www.planning.ky/ boards-all/builders-board. 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, Tuesdays, 7:15 p.m. For details, contact Vanessa Gilman 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. The 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. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The late Dr. William Hrudey in his observatory at the University College of the Cayman Islands in August 2017. An astronomy conference named after him is being held in Grand Cayman this week. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 24, 2018 message: “Stop. Respect dis- abled parking.” Another had more of a personal touch: “Please do not park in my space.” Camana Bay has 10 dis- abled parking spaces, and all of them have one of the new signs affixed. PC Kern said he came up with the idea with some help from the students at the Lighthouse School. “We were talking about how we can really drive this message home for people,” he said of the project’s or- igin. “I was doing a day with the kids; we did a Police Day with them, and we had this idea. Why don’t we get these guys to give the message rather than it coming from the police? People sometimes get tired of being told what to do by the police. Maybe if they hear it from the kids, they’ll start listening.” Chelsea Frederick, a stu- dent at the Lighthouse School, spoke briefly about the sign that she had made on Wednesday and said she was inspired to help some of her less-fortunate classmates. “It’s not fair to always have people parking in their spots,” she said. “It’s not fair that people who actu- ally don’t have special needs problems – or their children aren’t sick or anything – come and park in these spots. It’s not fair for our special needs children. It’s not fair for them to come and do that.” PC Kern said he hopes other businesses will follow Camana Bay’s lead and in- stall the signs in their own parking lots. The signs cost $45 and can be purchased by contacting the RCIPS and asking for PC Kern. The RCIPS has recently declared parking in dis- abled spaces to be a “zero- tolerance” offense, and PC Kern said that if more people are educated about the problem, the frequency should drop off in time. “If it’s seen, it’s supposed to be dealt with,” PC Kern said. “If you see it happening and it’s reported, the RCIPS has the responsibility and the instruction to deal with it there and then.” There is no data about how frequently people park in disabled spaces, but PC Kern said that RCIPS of- ficers are cracking down and making sure the spaces are clear for the appro- priate people. “Some days when there’s a lull in traffic, I’ll go out and look specifically for this,” he said. “There really isn’t an excuse. The last ticket I gave out for parking in a disabled bay was 38 minutes past midnight outside a nightclub. Just because it’s very early in the morning doesn’t mean it’s your right to do that.” Long-time port oper- ations manager Joseph Woods has been appointed as acting port director in the interim period. Mr. Reid was initially given a second chance via a warning letter dated Feb. 21, following the release of the auditor’s review to the port board that identified a number of “irregularities” in the agency’s hiring prac- tices. Other areas noted in the audit report included a suspected theft of boat en- gines that was not reported to police, and the assign- ment of an employee to at- tend a member of the Leg- islative Assembly during out of town trips. Mr. Bush said the hiring problems highlighted in the auditor’s report were not the reason for Mr. Reid’s suspension on Wednesday. “The board wishes to advise you that it is gener- ally displeased to have dis- covered the matters raised by the [auditor general’s] report, in particular … the manner in which you have unnecessarily created new positions and hired new staff at excessive salary rates in excess of the ad- vertised salary ranges,” the Feb. 21 letter sent to Mr. Reid read. “The board is of the view that your conduct is tantamount to gross or serious miscon- duct in the course of your employment which would justify the board in sum- marily dismissing you without notice.” However, the board stated, following a detailed presentation by Mr. Reid explaining his actions in relation to the various mat- ters raised in the auditor’s report, that it would not adopt “such a draconian course” as terminating the director’s appointment. Rather, board mem- bers issued the written warning, essentially stating that if similar misconduct was seen in the future, a termination of employ- ment would occur. Mr. Reid was given a month to “commence per- forming duties in a sat- isfactory manner” and has now been kept on be- yond that point. “The board has taken into account your long tenure with the port au- thority, your detailed written responses to the [auditor general’s] report and willingness to meet the board at short notice on Feb. 15, 2018, your alacrity in acknowledging that mis- takes were made by you and your evident commitment to do your job to the best of your ability,” the port letter of warning further stated. This sign reads ‘Please do not park in my space.’ – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY RCIPS community officer Jonathan Kern came up with the concept when meeting with the students from the Lighthouse School, and they unveiled the new designs Wednesday afternoon at Camana Bay. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Police and students partner to protect disabled parking Port director suspended in internal investigation Clement ReidJoseph Woods CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 decisions to be unlawful, it is ultimately up to the law- makers themselves to go back and change them. The premier said govern- ment would wait to see if the U.K. issues the order in council to require the establishment of a public company ownership registry and then wait further to see if it seeks to implement that in Cayman. “Cayman’s best course of action is to challenge any de- cision of the U.K. government by order in council to amend local legislation … which will render the issue to our courts here,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “That [challenge] will never happen if the U.K. doesn’t make the order in council.” Premier McLaughlin said the legal battles surrounding that process were likely to take years and, in the mean- time, regulatory standards could change. “When this becomes a global standard, Cayman is there,” he said. Mr. Scott said he doubted that would ever occur. “In large jurisdictions, quite likely, [the public register of companies] will never be a standard they will ever follow,” he said. In the meantime, Premier McLaughlin said he consid- ered prior agreements made with the U.K. to allow law en- forcement agencies and legal taxing entities to inspect Cay- man’s existing register of com- panies null and void as a re- sult of the U.K. parliament’s vote on May 1. Mr. McLaughlin said he did not want that comment to be misinterpreted as Cayman re- fusing to meet international obligations in fighting against money laundering and terrorist financing, but he said the spe- cifics of the “exchange of notes” agreement made with the U.K. need no longer be followed. “We are now, as we regard it, freed from any obligation under the original agreement,” the premier said. Future concerns Premier McLaughlin said he brought up the issue of constitutional change during meetings last week with U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and senior MP David Lid- ington, seeking to prevent a reoccurrence of what hap- pened with the May 1 House of Commons vote on the amend- ment to the Sanctions and Anti Money Laundering Bill. The issue was summarized by Mr. Miller, Cayman’s oppo- sition leader: “We are … very concerned that if they’re al- lowed to get away with this act, there’s no telling where they will stop.” Mr. Miller opined that the U.K. could force changes to things like Cayman’s Immi- gration Law, voting rights and other issues historically con- sidered to be local matters. Mr. McLaughlin said he considered the issue of whether Cayman decides to have an open public register for its companies to be one for the locally elected gov- ernment alone. “We are striving to have as- pects of the constitution clari- fied to ensure that the ability of the U.K. parliament to leg- islate for the Cayman Islands and its other overseas territo- ries is significantly restricted,” the premier said. For instance, Mr. McLaughlin said, Cayman proposes that the reserved powers to legislate for Cayman given to Her Maj- esty’s government under sec- tion 125 of the Cayman Is- lands Constitution Order, 2009, should be removed. The U.K. has taken such a step with one of Cayman’s sister territories, Bermuda, after which U.K. foreign offi- cials declared there would be “no more Bermudas” – insisting that the remaining territories either maintain their current constitutional status or seek independence from the U.K. Mr. McLaughlin said any constitutional changes that are made should provide that, as long as Cayman is in keeping with its international obliga- tions and standards, its power of self-governance is “absolute.” Mr. McLaughlin said he did not perceive any of the U.K.’s recent actions, or Cayman’s challenging of those actions, as “steps toward independence.” “But if the U.K. parlia- ment comes to believe they can legislate for the territo- ries any time they disagree … it is a threat to our very exis- tence,” he said. Premier: UK orders on beneficial ownership will be fought in Cayman CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 From left, Opposition Leader Ezzard Miller, Premier Alden McLaughlin, Cabinet Secretary Samuel Rose and Cayman Finance CEO Jude Scott speak to the Cayman Islands media at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. - PHOTO: BRENT FULLERThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY MAY 24, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Brits rush to get German citizenship before Brexit German officials say the number of British nationals who received German citizenship hit a new high last year, likely linked to the U.K.’s 2016 referendum to leave the European Union. 7,493 Britons were naturalized in 2017, compared to 2,865 a year earlier. Pompeo ‘very hopeful’ N. Korea talks will still take place Foreign media depart on train for North Korean nuclear site WONSAN, North Korea (AP) – A group of foreign jour- nalists departed by train Wednesday to watch the dis- mantling of North Korea’s nuclear test site after eight reporters from South Korea received last-minute permis- sion to join them. The remote site deep in the mountains of the North’s sparsely populated north- east interior is expected to have a formal closing cere- mony in the next day or two, depending on the weather. The closing was announced by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ahead of his planned summit with U.S. President Donald Trump next month. The train trip was ex- pected to take 8-12 hours, fol- lowed by several hours on a bus and then an hour hike to the site itself. The journalists were put in sleeping cars on the train, four bunks to a compartment. The compartments had win- dows covered with blinds, and the journalists were told not to open the blinds during the journey. Media were also expected to pay their own costs for the trip. The train fare was $75 per person round trip. Each meal was $20. North Korea had earlier refused to grant entry visas to the South Korean jour- nalists after the North cut off high-level contact with Seoul to protest joint U.S.- South Korean military exer- cises. But North Korea ac- cepted the list of the South Korean journalists to attend via a cross-border communi- cation channel. The journalists from the MBC television network and News1 wire service took a special government flight later Wednesday to go to the North’s northeastern coastal city of Wonsan. The other journalists from the United States, the UK, China and Russia arrived in Wonsan on Tuesday. The group includes an Associated Press Television crew. The North’s eleventh-hour decision to allow the South Koreans to join came just after Trump met South Ko- rean President Moon Jae- in in Washington to try to keep the Kim-Trump summit from going off the rails. Trump indicated he believes the meeting will take place, but left open the possibility it would be delayed or even canceled if a fruitful outcome does not seem likely. The summit could offer a historic chance for peace on the Korean Peninsula. But there has been in- creasing pessimism about the meeting after North Korea scrapped the inter-Ko- rean talks and threatened to do the same for the Kim- Trump summit in protest of the South Korea-U.S. mili- tary drills and what it calls Washington’s push for “one- sided” disarmament. The North’s decision to close the Punggye-ri nuclear test site has generally been seen as a welcome gesture by Kim to set a positive tone ahead of the summit. Even so, it is not an irreversible move and would need to be followed by many more sig- nificant measures to meet Trump’s demands for real denuclearization. By bringing in the foreign media, mainly television net- works, the North is appar- ently hoping to have images of the closing – including ex- plosions to collapse tunnel entrances – broadcast around the world. But it has not in- vited international inspec- tors to the ceremony, which limits its value as a se- rious concession. WASHINGTON (AP) – Secre- tary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he was “very hopeful” that the U.S.-North Korean nuclear summit would take place as planned next month, although he laid the meeting’s fate squarely on Kim Jong Un. The decision about whether the June 12 meeting in Singapore between Kim and President Donald Trump happens is “ultimately up to Chairman Kim,” Pompeo told the House Foreign Af- fairs Committee. Lawmakers’ questioning of Pompeo followed Trump’s comment Tuesday that “there’s a very substantial chance” the meeting would not proceed as scheduled. Pompeo said the North Korean leader “asked for the meeting, the president agreed to meet with him. I’m very hopeful that meeting will take place.” The former CIA director, who has met twice with Kim since the start of April, told the committee that it’s his hope that when Trump and Kim confer, “we can get the North Koreans to make this strategic shift about how best to serve the country – that the nuclear weapons program isn’t in fact the thing that keeps the regime in power, but the thing that prevents the regime from being in a place it wants to be with economic success.” Pompeo said he had raised the issue of human rights with Kim “and it will be part of the discussions as we move forward.” Asked by lawmakers whether he had a commit- ment from Kim to make it the part of a deal, Pompeo said, “We have broad outlines of what it is that each nation is prepared to do.” The summit would offer a historic chance for peace. But there also is the risk of a diplomatic failure that would allow the North to revive and advance its program. Trump’s newfound hesi- tation appears to reflect re- cent setbacks in efforts to bring about reconciliation between the two Koreas, as well as concern whether the self-proclaimed deal-maker can deliver a nuclear ac- cord with Kim. “The fate and the future of the Korean Peninsula hinge” on the meeting, South Ko- rea’s president, Moon Jae-in, told Trump in an Oval Office meeting Tuesday. Trump said Kim had not met unspecified “conditions” for the summit. But Trump also said he believed Kim was “serious” about negotia- tions. Moon expressed “every confidence” in Trump’s ability to hold the summit and bring about peace. “I have no doubt that you will be able to … accomplish a historic feat that no one had been able to achieve in the decades past,” Moon said. Trump said he did not want to “totally commit” him- self on whether North Korea should denuclearize all at once or in phases. “It would certainly be better if it were all in one,” Trump said, before adding, “You do have some physical reasons that it may not be able to do exactly that.” Trump suggested the summit could be delayed rather than canceled: “It may not work out for June 12, but there is a good chance that we’ll have the meeting.” He did not detail the con- ditions he had laid out for Kim but said if they aren’t met, “we won’t have the meeting.” His spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said Trump was referring to a commitment to seriously dis- cuss denuclearization. Skepticism about the North’s intentions have mounted in recent weeks after Kim’s government pulled out of planned peace talks with the South last week, objecting to long-scheduled joint mili- tary exercises between U.S. and South Korean forces. The North also threatened to abandon the planned Trump- Kim meeting over U.S. insis- tence on rapidly denuclear- izing the peninsula, issuing a harshly worded statement that the White House dis- missed as a negotiating ploy. Trump expressed suspi- cion that the North’s recent aggressive barbs were influ- enced by Kim’s unannounced trip to China two weeks ago – his second in as many months. Trump said he’d no- ticed “a little change” in Kim’s attitude after the trip. The president said he hoped Chinese President Xi Jinping was actually com- mitted to the goal of denucle- arizing the Korean Peninsula, calling him a “world-class poker player.” Trump said he was displeased by Chi- na’s softening of border enforcement measures against North Korea. Trump encouraged Kim to focus on the opportunities of- fered by the meeting and to make a deal to abandon his nuclear program, pledging not only to guarantee Kim’s personal security but also predicting an economic revi- talization for the North. “I will guarantee his safety, yes,” Trump said, noting that promise was con- ditioned on an agreement to complete, verifiable and ir- reversible denuclearization. Trump said if such an agree- ment is reached, China, Japan and South Korea would in- vest large sums to “make North Korea great.” The summit would offer a historic chance for peace. But there also is the risk of a diplomatic failure that would allow the North to revive and advance its program. The journalists were put in sleeping cars on the train, four bunks to a compartment. The compartments had windows covered with blinds, and the journalists were told not to open the blinds during the journey. South Korean journalists arrive at Kalma Airport in Wonsan, North Korea, Wednesday. Eight journalists from South Korea departed for rival North Korea on after the North allowed them to join the small group of foreign media in the country to witness the dismantling of its nuclear test site this week, Seoul officials said. – PHOTO: AP South Korean President Moon Jae-in waves as he is welcomed by President Donald Trump to the White House in Washington, Tuesday. - PHOTO: AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY MAY 24, 2018 In tech push, France’s Macron takes on Facebook’s Zuckerberg PARIS (AP) – French Pres- ident Emmanuel Macron is taking on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other internet giants at a Paris meeting to discuss tax and data protection and how they could use their global influ- ence for the public good. Macron on Wednesday welcomed Zuckerberg and the leaders of dozens of other tech companies, including Microsoft, Uber, and IBM, at a conference named “Tech for Good” meant to address things like workers’ rights, data privacy and tech literacy. The meeting comes as Facebook, Google and other online giants are increas- ingly seen by the public as predators that abuse per- sonal data, avoid taxes and stifle competition. “There is no free lunch!” Macron joked to express his expectations of “frank and di- rect” discussions. He said tech giants could not just be “free riding” without taking into account the common good. He called on them to help improve “so- cial situations, inequalities, climate change.” Zuckerberg came to Paris after facing tough ques- tions Tuesday from European Union lawmakers in Brus- sels, where he apologized for the way the social net- work has been used to pro- duce fake news and interfere in elections. But the Face- book founder also frustrated the lawmakers as the testi- mony’s setup allowed him to respond to a list of questions as he sought fit. Macron sees himself as uniquely placed to both un- derstand and influence the tech world. France’s youngest president, Macron has cham- pioned startups and ag- gressively wooed tech- nology investors. But Macron is also one of Europe’s most vocal critics of tax schemes used by compa- nies like Facebook that de- prive governments of billions of euros a year in potential revenue. And Macron has de- fended an aggressive new Eu- ropean data protection law that comes into effect this week. The so-called GDPR regulation will give Euro- peans more control over what companies can do with what they post, search and click. Several companies took advantage of the meeting to announce new initiatives. Microsoft said it would extend the EU principles to its clients worldwide. Google committed $100 million over the next five years to sup- port nonprofit projects, like training in digital technolo- gies. Uber said it will finance insurance to better protect its European drivers in case of accidents at work, serious illness, hospitalization and maternity leave. And IBM an- nounced the creation of 1,400 new jobs by 2020 in France. Aides to Macron acknowl- edged companies like Face- book have become more in- fluential than governments. The aides insisted that Ma- cron is not trying to kiss up to such companies or let them whitewash their rep- utations through philan- thropic gifts. The aides spoke only on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to be publicly named. Privacy and taxes are among issues Macron was raising with Zuckerberg and the other tech executives in one-on-one meetings and a mass lunch Wednesday in the presidential palace with phi- lanthropists and politicians. Macron, Zuckerberg and others are then expected to attend the Vivatech gadget show in Paris on Thursday. At Tuesday’s hearing in the European Parliament in Brussels, Zuckerberg said Facebook “didn’t take a broad enough view of our responsi- bilities,” adding: “That was a mistake, and I’m sorry for it.” But lawmakers left frus- trated. Liberal leader Guy Verhofstadt asked whether Zuckerberg wanted to be re- membered as “a genius who created a digital monster that is destroying our democra- cies and our societies.” French President Emmanuel Macron, center, poses for a picture with Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, Facebook’s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and IBM President and CEO Virginia Rometty as he hosts the ‘Tech for Good’ summit over lunch with tech company CEOs at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Wednesday. - PHOTO: AP French government orders evacuation of Paris migrant camp PARIS (AP) – A burgeoning migrant camp in Paris, on a canal used by joggers and cyclists, is at the center of a tug-of-war over how best to respond to the unrelenting arrivals of migrants in the French capital – with hu- manity or with muscle. Two migrants drowned this month in canals and others have been injured in fights, increasing the pressure to act. France’s interior min- ister on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of some 2,300 migrants at the camp and others around Paris. But he and Paris Mayor Anne Hi- dalgo remain at odds over where to take them, and how to find a lasting solution. The debate raises a ques- tion shared across Euro- pean nations seeking to manage the migrant flux, which has ebbed since the mass Syrian refugee crisis a few years ago but remains a steady challenge. Collomb expressed “re- gret” at Hidalgo’s refusal to clear out the migrants, and said he had no choice but to order an evacuation, expected in the coming days. The mayor and aid groups want the migrants put in shelters, not just evacuated in a police opera- tion and dispersed or sum- marily deported. Paris po- lice have already cleared out some 28,000 migrants from Paris camps in the past three years, but the arrivals have not slowed. Collomb is behind the government’s tough immigra- tion bill that has rained criti- cism on President Emmanuel Macron, who is working to stop migration at its source and use a police approach at home. Refusing to shelter the Paris migrants exemplifies the approach. Side-to-side and back-to- back, hundreds of small tents are packed under bridges on the side of a canal in far northeastern Paris, beside a shopping center, banks and other businesses. The tents, filled mainly with African migrants, hold stories of horrific stays in Libya, desperate boat trips across the Mediterranean, frozen journeys on foot through the Alps – and visions of the good life that fuels the dreams of all migrants. Joggers, cyclists and those working in the area pass in the narrow space available, as river shut- tles and barges ply the canal’s waters. The surrealistic scene is repeated along the Canal Saint-Martin, a scenic stretch popular with tourists in the heart of Paris where an es- timated 450 migrants, many Afghan, are camped. “It’s not the best vision from the office window,” said Kevin Sadoun, who works at a major bank with of- fices around the largest en- campment, known as the “Millenaire” after the shop- ping center overlooking the tents. “We see people pee, defecate … But they have no choice,” he said. There are few portable toilets and urinals, and just one set of spigots where mi- grants wash clothes. Naby Sylla, a 20-year-old Guinean, is among migrants who crossed into France via the Alps, after traveling by raft from Sabratha, Libya, to Italy. He left Italy, he said, after being twice attacked, once with a bottle and needing hospital treatment. “In Africa, we thought that Europe was a place of wel- come. Unfortunately, we don’t find that,” he told The As- sociated Press. In this May 18 photo, a migrant takes a nap near tents where asylum seekers live in a makeshift camp alongside of the canal Saint-Martin in Paris. - PHOTO: AP Paris police have already cleared out some 28,000 migrants from Paris camps in the past three years, but the arrivals have not slowed. UK’S JOHNSON: LINKS TO ARGENTINA WILL GROW DESPITE FALKLANDS BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) – British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Tuesday that relations with Argen- tina will continue to grow despite the nations’ dispute over the Falkland Islands. Argentina lost a 1982 war with Britain after Ar- gentine troops invaded the South Atlantic archi- pelago. Argentina still claims the islands that it calls the Malvinas. Britain says the Falklands are a self-governing entity under its protection. “Our two positions on the sovereignty issue are well-known,” Johnson said during the first visit by a British foreign secretary to the Argentine capital in more than 20 years. “But that does not pre- clude and should not pre- clude all that we are doing to build partnerships in the areas that we have de- scribed, and in intensifying commercial relations.” In a breakthrough after decades of tense relations, both nations agreed to identify the remains of Ar- gentine soldiers. They also agreed in 2016 to lift some restrictions on the extrac- tion of natural resources, shipping and fishing in- dustries in the Falklands, and increase the number of flights between the islands and South America. Argentine Foreign Min- ister Jorge Faurie said in a joint press conference with Johnson that the flights are still being reviewed by both countries. He said that so far, five companies – two in Chile, two in Brazil, and one in Uruguay – have of- fered to provide the service. It would include a stop in Argentina. Johnson praised the initiative. “I can certainly say that when it comes to the flights issue, I’m grateful to the government of Argentina about the progress that has been made on that issue,” he said. “We seem to be making a lot of progress. If and when it happens, I certainly intend to be among the first passengers on that flight.” In all, the war claimed the lives of 649 Argentines and 255 British soldiers. A forensic study led by the International Com- mittee of the Red Cross identified the remains of 120 Argentine soldiers last year after a multinational team of experts exhumed the remains. Next >