High of 89 Low of 78 Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 FCO SILENCE, TABLOID MEDIA AND GOV. CHOUDHURY LOCAL | PAGE 3 LEGAL PANEL PROPOSED TO HANDLE ASYLUM-SEEKERS ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018 187818_PRINT-Ad-Strip-Compass-FiPage 1 4/20/18 11:54:13 AM Traffic, immigration changes ahead Legislature meets Wednesday BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands lawmakers have a busy schedule ahead in the next two weeks, with more than a dozen bills on the table affecting issues such as immigration, traffic rules, when and where liquor can be sold, and employees who report wrongdoing. There are also a number of private mem- bers’ motions filed by lawmakers, including a highly controversial matter concerning whether a senior government manager should face perjury charges over answers she gave the Public Accounts Committee during a hearing last year. Finance Minister Roy McTaggart has said there may also be an interim budget review considering any substantial changes govern- ment has made in its two-year spending plan since the start of this year. The raft of legislation and additional mat- ters up for consideration are in stark contrast to a brief legislative meeting held in March where just two bills were considered. Traffic Law Proposed changes to Cayman’s Traffic Law contemplate the use of speed cameras, facili- tate police seizures of illegally operated mo- torbikes and seek to fine drivers up to $10,000 for not using electronic license plates. Among the changes, the bill seeks to put the onus on drivers who are caught out by de- vices like speed cameras or red-light cameras to prove their innocence, rather than having the typical presumption of innocence in favor of the defendant. Cayman currently uses closed circuit tele- vision cameras to monitor certain public rights of way and included with those devices are automatic number plate readers or ANPR cameras. However, the territory has never im- plemented speed cameras, which capture speed limit violators, or devices that take pic- tures of motorists who run through red lights. The amendment bill would essentially set the legal groundwork for the use of such de- vices, and outlines an extensive set of rules for how data captured by those cameras must be used and stored. Further proposed changes to the Traffic Law mandate that all legal drivers must have electronic license plates affixed to their vehi- cles. A driver using a vehicle without an elec- tronic tag, or with a damaged tag, could be fined $10,000 upon conviction if the Traffic DISCONTENT GROWS IN OVERSEAS TERRITORIES OVER BRITISH RULE JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Voices of discontent over British rule are growing louder across the U.K.’s overseas ter- ritories in the wake of the controversial de- cision to mandate public beneficial owner- ship registries. In the British Virgin Islands and Bermuda, as in Cayman, the decision is seen not only as a threat to the islands’ economies but as an affront to their right to self-government on domestic matters. While there is no immediate push for full independence from the U.K., representatives from Bermuda and the BVI told the Cayman Compass that the beneficial ownership con- troversy had accelerated the conversation in those territories. In the Cayman Islands, where there has traditionally been little political appetite for independence, politicians are seeking consti- tutional reform. Premier Alden McLaughlin met with U.K. government representatives and legal advisers in London earlier this month, to push for changes that would remove the U.K.’s reserved powers to legislate for Cayman. The Cayman Islands, in effect, is asking for what Bermuda already has. While in Cayman for the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference, Thomas Christopher Famous, an MP from Bermuda, told the Compass that Bermuda’s constitution puts it in a stronger position than other ter- ritories when it comes to challenging the U.K. over beneficial ownership. “We have said no, we are not doing it. We Blue iguanas near milestone number in wild SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman’s blue iguana population is healthy and poised to reach a round number milestone in its renaissance from the threat of near-extinction. The Blue Iguana Re- covery Program will release its 1,000th specimen into the wild at some point this summer, accomplishing a rare victory in the field of species conservation. At the population’s nadir in 2002, the Blue Iguana Recovery Program estimated that there were only 10-25 blue iguanas left in the wild. The wild population was con- sidered functionally extinct in 2005, but the captive breeding program has yielded suc- cess in rejuvenating the species found only on Grand Cayman. There are currently 170 caged blue iguanas at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, and they have been undergoing a de- tailed health analysis over the last few days by a visiting team of international veter- inarians. If all goes well, they will start being released into the wild at some point next month. Fred Burton, the Terrestrial Re- sources Unit manager for the Department of Environment, said Monday morning that At some point this summer, the Blue Iguana Recovery Program expects to release its 1,000th blue iguana into the wild. – PHOTO: ALVARO SEREY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS • Matinees Daily (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00, Mon-Fri Before 6pm • Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - TUESDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) JURASSIC WORLD: THE FALLEN KINGDOM (PG13) 1:00 VIP I 1:30 3D I 4:00 VIP I 4:25 7:20 3D I 10:10 INCREDIBLES 2 (PG) 12:45 3D I 3:30 I 6:30 3D I 9:20 TAG (R) 1:35 I 4:30 I 7:40 I 10:05 BREAKING IN (PG13) 12:45 I 3:00 I 5:15 I 7:30 I 9:45 OCEANS 8 (PG13) 1:15 I 4:10 I 7:20 I 10:00 CLASSICS@ THE CINEMA: TITANIC (PG13) 7:00 VIP Cayman freediver excels in Miami contest JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands freediver Richard Collett broke three national records in the pool at a tournament in Florida earlier this month. Mr. Collett held his breath for 6 minutes and 17 seconds in the “static apnea” breath- hold challenge, then swam 166 meters underwater in the pool with a monofin and 114 meters without fins. The performance was enough to get him second place at the South Florida Apnea Chal- lenge in Miami as well as setting three new Cayman Islands records. Mr. Collett, who fin- ished third in the interna- tional Deja Blue competi- tion held in Cayman in May, said he was happy that seven months of training had paid off with another suc- cessful performance. He said his next target was to push toward the 200-meter mark in the pool discipline – four lengths of an Olympic-size swimming pool. “The North American Con- tinental record is 208m and breaking that starts looking possible if I can hit 200m,” he said. “I have just got to make it happen now.” Music fans recently gath- ered at the Southern Cross Club on Little Cayman for a week of scuba diving, fishing, hermit crab racing and touring the island. They were invited to join in a number of projects such as educational classes on the invasive green iguanas and the indigenous rock iguanas, along with turtle nest locating. The group also volun- teered in a litter clean-up on Owen Island. The “trop- rock” Barefoot fan visitors – some from as far away as Seattle, Washington and Hawaii – ended their week with a “Pirates Party” sunset cruise in full pirate dress and full flasks of rum. Later that evening, Cayman’s Barefoot Man performed an unplugged-style concert for his fans. “Trop-Rock” is a genre of popular music that incorpo- rates elements and influences of rock, reggae, country music and Calypso with themes and musical compositions in- spired by an island style. Music fans help clean up Owen Island Firearms amnesty enters final week 11 weapons turned in so far BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A total of 11 firearms have been turned in so far during the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service’s month-long am- nesty program. “As of Monday … three handguns, eight rifles and 462 rounds of ammu- nition have been handed over to police,” an RCIPS statement noted. The program is due to end Saturday, June 30. It’s the first firearms am- nesty the police service has held since 2011. Through Saturday, the RCIPS is offering clem- ency for anyone who voluntarily turns in a firearm – regardless of whether it is legally or il- legally held – to a local police station or at a number of participating churches, where pastors have volunteered to col- lect the weapons. Cayman Crime Stoppers will also process tips on weapons held and will work with local police to ensure any firearms people want to surrender get into the right hands. The amnesty period lasts from 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. each day. Any weapons that are turned in must be un- loaded and wrapped in a plastic bag with duct tape around it. Any ammuni- tion turned in during the period would also have to be wrapped separately in a similar fashion when it is turned in. RCIPS Deputy Com- missioner Kurt Walton said the wrapping is done for safety, but also to en- sure that if a police of- ficer pulls over a vehicle inside of which an il- legal firearm is found during the amnesty pe- riod, the people in the ve- hicle cannot simply claim they are in the process of handing in the weapon. Unless the weapon is wrapped up and located in the vehicle’s trunk, the officer making the traffic stop would take the “necessary action,” Mr. Walton said. Police will continue interdiction efforts with illegal firearms during the amnesty period, Mr. Walton said. Richard Collett hit 166 meters swimming under water with a monofin at a freediving tournament in Florida. – PHOTO: BROCK BURGGRABE Mike Giltzow, left, Nancy Monahan and Tish Disston clean up Owen Island near Little Cayman. CORRECTION In a story that ran on page 6 on June 25, “CIMPA awards recognize cream of Cayman’s marketing professionals,” the date of the annual conference for the Cayman Islands Mar- keting Professionals Association was incorrectly stated. That conference will be held Sept. 25 and 26 at the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort. WOMEN MARCH IN RIO TO DEMAND LEGAL ABORTION RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Hun- dreds of women marched in Rio de Janeiro on Friday to demand the legalization of abortion in Brazil. The march followed a breakthrough for abor- tion supporters in neigh- boring Argentina, where the lower house of congress approved a bill this month that would legalize elec- tive abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. Carrying banners reading “rich [women] abort but the poor die” and chanting slogans in support of abortion legalization, the protesters in Rio marched from the state assembly to the city council late Friday. “A woman should not be forced to be a mother” said Tina Tigri, a producer of cultural events who has two children and partici- pated in the protest. “We just want it [abortion] to be legal, safe, in a hospital” In August, Brazil’s lower house will debate abortion in a public audience. Con- gress’ decision will help the Supreme Court decide on a case presented last year, when a woman filed a petition to abort because a new child would emo- tionally and financially af- fect her family. It is unclear when the Supreme Court will de- bate the case. Abortion in Brazil, home to the largest population of Roman Catholics and fast- growing evangelical faiths, is legal in three cases: when a woman’s life is in danger, if a woman has been raped, or when a fetus has anencephaly, a malfor- mation of the brain. According to health ex- perts between 400,000 and 800,000 women have an abortion each year in the Latin American country – nearly all of them illegally.3 LOCAL&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018 WE HAVE MOVED! Effective Monday, June 25, 2018 our Corporate Headquarters, Cayman First Centre, will be open at 17 Vibert Bodden Drive (off Shedden Road) Call 345-949-7028 Email askus@caymanfirst.com Visit caymanfirst.com COMMERCIAL. HEALTH. HOME. MARINE. MOTOR. STRATA. CAYMAN FIRST CENTRE Monday, June 25, 2018 Legal panel proposed to handle asylum seekers BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands is seeking to form a panel of legal experts to help the British territory deal with re- quests from non-Caymanians who seek to remain here on the basis of political per- secution occurring in their home countries. The Immigration [Amend- ment] Bill, 2018, due to come before the Legislative As- sembly later this week, would establish a “Refugee Pro- tection Appeals Tribunal” to hear specific cases where re- quests for asylum have been turned down by the chief im- migration officer. The five-member tribunal, to be chaired by experienced attorneys, would hear any asylum appeals cases that are now falling before the Im- migration Appeals Tribunal. Immigration law spe- cialist and attorney Alastair David of HSM Chambers said last week that the asylum appeals board, if the legal amendments are approved, is a positive step in dealing with what has been a thorny problem for the islands. “The Cayman Islands have obviously identified that asylum cases, because of the seriousness and different con- siderations, require a spe- cialist tribunal to consider these matters,” Mr. David said. So far this year, Cayman has approved at least four asylum applications, all of them from Cubans who had landed in the is- lands illegally. In one matter earlier this year, a Cuban man being held at the Immigration Detention Centre in Fairbanks, George Town was granted asylum and released to temporary government housing after waiting nearly two years for the result of his appeal. At least two other immigrants have been granted asylum this year, one by the appeals tribunal and one by the Im- migration Department. There are 13 people cur- rently housed in the Immi- gration Detention Centre awaiting repatriation or out- comes of their asylum cases. In recent months, the flow of Cuban migrants to Cayman has slowed from its earlier pace in 2015/2016, when more than 100 undocumented mi- grants landed in Cayman each year – forcing the government to open community centers to house the overflow population. At the end of 2016, the U.S. government ended its long- standing “wet-foot, dry-foot” policy for migrants – essen- tially that those migrants in- tercepted at sea would be sent back to their home countries, while those on land would be given a chance to apply for resident status. It was thought by Cayman authorities that the former U.S. policy encouraged Cuban mi- grants to come to Cayman via makeshift watercraft, looking for safe passage to Hon- duras or elsewhere in Central America. The migrants were eventually seeking entry to the U.S. where they could rejoin families or find employment. Typically, the Immigra- tion Department had consid- ered those individuals “eco- nomic migrants” rather than political refugees seeking asylum and, until 2016, there were virtually no asylum cases granted. Between 2011 and 2014, the Immigration Department interviewed more than 100 people who applied for polit- ical asylum – one of those ap- plications was granted. Although, Cayman has maintained extensive and specific rules for asylum applications that involve written or verbal applica- tions made to an immigration officer who then performs an initial assessment of the re- quest, questions were raised more recently about whether those applicants – most of them Cubans – understood the process or if they had ac- cess to legal representation. If the review approves the application for further con- sideration, a formal interview is conducted with the appli- cant, the immigration officer and a translator, if needed. Once the interview and all evidence, if there is any, has been collected, it is for- warded to the chief immigra- tion officer for a final deter- mination. If the application is refused initially, there is a right of appeal to the Im- migration Appeals Tribunal. If the immigration amend- ment bill is approved, those appeals will pass to the new migrant tribunal. THIRD ARREST IN CORRUPTION CASE INVOLVING DVDL EMPLOYEE A third person has been arrested in connection with a bribery case involving a Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing Depart- ment employee. The Cayman Islands Anti-Corruption Commis- sion announced the arrest of a 35-year-old George Town man Monday in connection with an ongoing bribery and fraud probe. The man, who was not charged, was still being held for questioning as of press time Monday. He was arrested on suspicion of bribing public officials, fraud on the government and breach of trust. Corruption commission of- ficers said the arrest was re- lated to the Oct. 12, 2017 ar- rest of a 31-year-old female public officer, a DVDL em- ployee, as well as a second ar- rest that occurred earlier this year involving a 22-year-old man. Neither suspect has been charged in the investigation. The Immigration Detention Centre at Fairbanks houses asylum applicants while their cases are being reviewed, a process that can take years to complete. - PHOTO: TANOES RAMSAY INCA FESTIVAL PAYS HOMAGE TO SUN ACROSS THE ANDES CUZCO, Peru (AP) – Long be- fore electricity, ancient In- cans relied on one sole en- ergy source to power their daily lives: the sun. So each year when winter approached and the sun’s daily jaunt across the sky became increas- ingly short, Incan worship- pers offered a festival of music, dance and sacrifices in hopes of being granted a plentiful harvest. The festival was known as Inti Raymi, and today it is still celebrated throughout the Andes, not to mention more than a few yoga stu- dios. On Sunday, indige- nous communities along the path of the once powerful Incan Empire gathered for the Southern Hemisphere’s winter solstice to honor the ancient sun god Inti. In the small Ecuadorean town of Cotacachi rowdy revelers danced in tradi- tional costumes in a colo- nial plaza. In the former Incan capital of Cuzco, Peru, a few thousand mainly for- eign tourists paid upward of $160 for a grandstand seat to watch hundreds of actors re-enact a llama sac- rifice at an ancient citadel. Tens of thousands more, mostly poor Peruvian, spec- tators congregated on three hillside vantage points to watch from afar with red tape and police dogs keeping them in check. “This is too beautiful,” said Jeane Heap, a retiree from England who was making her first trio to Peru. “The Incans were incred- ibly intelligent.” According to historians, the Incas be- lieved each year’s winter solstice marked the rebirth of a sun god who watched them from above and ruled over whether crops with- ered or grew in abundance. Incas from what is now Ec- uador, Bolivia, Chile and Ar- gentina traveled to Peru and dressed in gold and silver jewelry for the festivity fea- turing theater, dance and llama sacrifices. Spanish conquerors and Roman Catholic priests prohibited the celebration in the 16th century but worshippers kept the ritual alive with smaller under- ground festivities. On Sunday in Cuzco, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, the annual fete began in a temple where Incas once wor- shipped the sun and con- tinued at a central plaza before reaching the fort, where 700 actors recreated the ancient ritual.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. FCO silence, tabloid media and Gov. Choudhury The continuing silence from British officials in regard to the “withdrawal” of Governor Anwar Choud- hury is fueling speculation, gossip and rumor – in other words, tabloid fodder. Enter the recent article by the U.K.’s Daily Mail, which we summarized on the front page of Monday’s Cayman Compass. The unsubstantiated “dirt” dished out by the Daily Mail is the first time the purported contents of the official complaint against the Mr. Choudhury have found their way into print. We will be frank: The material yielded by Compass reporting does not meet the threshold for publication, in terms of transparency, verifiability and legality. However, the Daily Mail – being what it is, and being located where it is – has far different standards from the Compass. And so they went to press with what they had, and placed into the public discourse informa- tion that, while unconfirmed, does great reputational harm to Mr. Choudhury. Citing anonymous “sources in Britain and the Caymans,” the Daily Mail outlines accusations against Mr. Choudhury, including “bullying and shouting at staff,” asking “a maid to massage his shirtless back, though there is no suggestion of sexual impropriety,” engaging in “a drunken row with his elderly mother-in- law,” “misbehavior toward his wife,” and asking “the maids to nanny his baby daughter.” Even if all of the above were true – and there is no evidence offered whatsoever that it is – we would ask the question, “Is that all there is?” Shouting? Asking someone to baby-sit? … Arguing with his mother-in-law? … (Greeting card lines and comic strips have been created around this cliché.) The only thing the Daily Mail’s report makes clear is that the FCO and Governor’s Office must be far more forthcoming about Mr. Choudhury’s removal. They are hiding behind the tired, but often-invoked bromide, “We can’t comment because we don’t want to inter- fere with an ongoing investigation.” Not all lips in Cayman are locked as tightly as the FCO’s. We do not doubt that Mr. Choudhury was unpop- ular among some working at Government House and the Government Administration Building. When a leader arrives as an “agent of change,” a predictable reaction among subordinates is – rather than making those changes – to attempt to change the change agent. We know that some of Mr. Choudhury’s employees were disgruntled and were talking about it, freely, incessantly and liberally to whomever would listen. These conversations included details about the personal lives of the governor and his family. To be clear, we aren’t talking about complaints of official misconduct (which, if formally lodged through official channels in good faith, should be protected), but plain- old, “upstairs/downstairs,” marl road gossip. Such lack of discretion should be grounds for immediate termination. The Governor’s Office is aware of the behavior to which we refer but, to our knowl- edge, has yet to hold anyone accountable. The FCO and, by proxy, the Governor’s Office find themselves in a extremely difficult position. They have yanked our new governor, clearly popular with the people of these islands, without even offering a cursory accusation or a scintilla of evidence of wrongdoing. That very act, in and of itself, might have career-ending consequences for Mr. Choudhury, a 15-year veteran of the British foreign service who rose to the coveted rank of foreign ambassador before being tapped for the gov- ernor’s post in these Cayman Islands. Now they are asking the indulgence of the people of these islands, and this newspaper, to simply “trust them” until their “official investigation” is completed. We have two observations: 1) The FCO’s reputation for “trustworthiness” has been well-established by their behavior during inci- dents such as the Eurobank scandal and Operation Tempura. Ask former RCIPS Commissioner Stuart Kernohan what he thinks about the trustworthi- ness of the FCO and their Cayman representative, former governor Stuart Jack. 2) No self-respecting newspaper trusts blindly in any government. Why should it? The Compass will get to the truth of this matter, and when we do, we will publish it. Mr. Choudhury may never return to the Cayman Islands, but we will cer- tainly be returning to this subject. TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Paying off the mortgage, but not too quickly The new tax law sim- plifies April 15. Many folks will be claiming new higher standard deductions instead of itemizing mortgage in- terest and the like, but folks should not rush to pay off their home loans. Congress increased stan- dard deductions for individ- uals and married couples from $6,500 and $13,000 to $12,000 and $24,000 respec- tively, and limited deduc- tions for state and local in- come, sales and property tax deductions (SALTs) to $10,000 per return. For single individuals, with SALTs totaling close to the $10,000 limit and sub- stantial mortgage interest payments, itemizing deduc- tions can still make sense – especially those with large mortgages, high medical costs or significant chari- table deductions. Medical expenses in ex- cess of 7.5 percent of ad- justed gross income are now deductible (the old floor was 10 percent), casualty losses are no longer deductible un- less incurred during a feder- ally declared disaster, and interest on mortgages up to $350,000 for single tax- payers and $750,000 for married taxpayers is de- ductible. On loans taken out before Dec. 15, 2017, the older limits of $500,000 and $1 million apply. Only mortgages obtained to purchase or substantially improve a residence count – home-equity loans to fix the roof or take a Caribbean va- cation do not. A home-equity loan to air condition a pre- viously hot-in-the-summer dwelling should count. If Sally and Jim live to- gether unmarried in a home Sally owns, she pays $10,000 in interest on a $250,000 mortgage and pays SALTs of $13,500 (including $4,000 in property taxes), Jim pays $9,500 in SALTs, and each donates $1,000 to charity, Sally should take allowable itemized deduc- tions equaling $21,000. Jim should take the standard de- duction of $12,000. Now suppose Jim and Sally decide in favor of wedded bliss (no fair older folks telling them tales of mid-life crises and divorce), then their taxes go up. Although single tax- payers may take deductions for SALTs up to $10,000, married taxpayers filing separately only get $5,000 each. Hence, Sally’s allow- able deductions are cut to $16,000, and Jim should now itemize allowable de- ductions of $6,000. The marriage would cost them $11,000 in combined deduc- tions, and they would likely pay at least $2,000 in ad- ditional taxes.If Sally ac- counted for most of their combined income, filing jointly and taking the stan- dard deduction could make sense, but they should be cautious about paying off the mortgage too quickly. At the extreme are Ward and June, a married couple with a single-wage earner but the same com- bined numbers as above. Their SALTs deductions are capped at $10,000, their total allowable itemized deduc- tions are $22,000 and they should take the $24,000 standard deduction. The tax savings on mort- gage interest will be gone – depending on their tax bracket that is likely in the general range of $2,000 – but they too should be cautious about rushing to pay off their mortgage. Most folks do not have $250,000 in savings and before accelerating repay- ment, they should max out contributions to tax-shel- tered retirement plans at work. Regular payday in- vestments in an index mu- tual fund will likely leave them much better situated 10 years from now. Mortgages initiated in re- cent years offer just about the cheapest money ordi- nary working folks will ever borrow, and it’s better to first pay down credit card and student loans balances. If hard times hit, you are out of a job and over- extended, credit card bal- ances can be more easily re- negotiated than mortgage debt. Student loans, unlike most other debt, are not dis- chargeable in bankruptcy. Lots of folks lost homes in the financial crisis, got absolved of some credit card debt and residual mortgage balances on properties sold for less than their mort- gages, but they are carrying student loans into their middle age and retirement. Finally, if you own an older home and are facing big maintenance expenses – for example, furnace, air conditioning, roof and window replacements or re- pair – that will require a home equity loan or some other financing, the interest rate on those will be much steeper than most mortgages taken out in recent years. I have always counseled getting out of debt but care- fully pay off the most bur- densome debt first. Acceler- ating mortgage repayments can make sense, but you need to save for retire- ment and have spare cash for contingencies. With CDs paying decent rates again, do the math. Peter Morici is an economist and business professor at the University of Maryland, and a national columnist. © 2018, The Washington Times, LLC. PETER MORICI PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” If hard times hit, you are out of a job and over-extended, credit card balances can be more easily renegotiated than mortgage debt. Student loans, unlike most other debt, are not dischargeable in bankruptcy.5 LOCAL&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018 Please be advised there will be no newspaper on Monday, July 2nd, Constitution Day (Public Holiday) Constitution Day PUBLIC HOLIDAY Monday, July 2nd PUBLICATION DEADLINES: Celebrate (345) 949-5111 • sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com EDITION BOOKING DEADLINE Monday July 2 No Publication Tuesday July 3 Thursday June 28 Wednesday July 4 Friday June 29 Thursday July 5 Friday June 29 Friday July 6 Tuesday July 3 ‘Large-scale drug trafficking’ defendants appear in court Men accused of importing 250 pounds of ganja KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two men who were alleg- edly caught importing some 250 pounds of ganja into Cayman appeared in court on Monday, where Magistrate Valdis Foldats denied them bail and set a case manage- ment hearing for July 12. According to Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryll Richards, police spotted the men – 38-year-old Cayma- nian Jonathan Moore and 24-year-old Jamaican Nick- arthur Sanderson – im- porting the ganja on Saturday around 5:30 a.m. At that time, police on Queen’s Highway observed through binoculars what ap- peared to be a handoff in the waters off the East End coast, Ms. Richards said. After the alleged handoff was complete, one of the boats came ashore while the other headed toward Ja- maica, she said. Onshore, four men were allegedly seen unloading packages from the boat. When officers shouted at the men, “Police!,” one of them fled northward and another went into the bushes, ac- cording to the prosecutor. Ms. Richards said police caught the two defendants. Mr. Moore was determined to be the boat captain and Mr. Sanderson one of the people unloading the packages. No mention was made of the other men that were allegedly at the scene. Mr. Moore allegedly told police that he was fishing, found some packages, “and decided to take a chance.” Mr. Sanderson, for his part, alleg- edly told police that he was just in the area to find a spot to fish later. In applying for bail, defense attorney Prathna Bodden said her client Mr. Moore is a Caymanian with a pregnant wife and a job. “Court has to be minded that spacing issue [at prison] is a problem,” Ms. Bodden added. For Mr. Sanderson, de- fense attorney Oliver Grim- wood said his client has never been in trouble before in Jamaica or Cayman. Mr. Sanderson also was caught by police heading south, and therefore could not have been fleeing, Mr. Grimwood argued. The attorney added that his client was “not one of the organizers” of the alleged ganja importation scheme. However, DPP Richards opposed bail because of the seriousness of the offense – “large-scale drug trafficking” – and because there is risk that the defendants may not appear again in court. Magistrate Foldats agreed with the prosecutor, saying that the case against both men is strong. SAO PAULO (AP) – U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will visit Latin America’s largest and most popu- lous nation this week, but the focus of his trip will be the deteriorating humani- tarian situation in neigh- boring Venezuela. This will be the vice president’s third trip to the region, and previous visits also emphasized ef- forts to isolate the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro. “The reason Pence is going can be summed up in one word: Venezuela,” said Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly maga- zine. American officials “be- lieve that Maduro is suscep- tible to pressure from the rest of the region, and they’re just trying every tool in their toolbox to try to tighten the screws on Maduro.” The trip comes at a time when U.S.-Brazil relations are in a holding pattern, as is Brazil itself. The South Amer- ican country is reeling from a colossal corruption scandal, struggling to recover from a deep recession and trying to look beyond the remaining months of President Mi- chel Temer’s lame duck ad- ministration ahead of Oc- tober elections. Temer, whom prosecutors have twice accused of cor- ruption, is Brazil’s most un- popular president in a gen- eration, casting doubt on his administration’s ability to act on anything decided with Pence. Pence will also be visiting at a moment when most Brazilians will be focused on the World Cup. On Wednesday, Brazil plays Serbia. On his next stop, in Ec- uador, Pence is also ex- pected to press Venezuela concerns. The Andean na- tion has begun distancing it- self from Maduro, but dis- appointed Washington when it abstained during a recent vote on a resolution that could trigger a process for suspending Venezuela from the Organization of American States. The vice president will also visit Guatemala to meet with those affected by a volcanic eruption and dis- cuss aid efforts. The United States has al- ready leveled sanctions on Venezuela, but the Trump administration is hoping to persuade Brazil and other countries in the region to ramp up pressure on Mad- uro’s government. Maduro won a second, six-year term in May in an election boy- cotted by the main oppo- sition parties and broadly condemned as illegitimate by the U.S. and other for- eign governments. Venezuela, which sits atop the world’s largest oil reserves, was once one of Latin America’s wealthiest countries. But mismanage- ment and a drop in global oil prices have resulted in a deepening economic and po- litical crisis. The country is experiencing critical short- ages of food and medi- cine and more than 1 mil- lion Venezuelans have fled in recent years. Brazil has received tens of thousands of those mi- grants, many of whom ar- rive at the border malnour- ished and with myriad health problems. Pence will visit a migrant facility in Manaus, the capital of the border state of Amazonas. Pence is also expected to address trade with Temer after the U.S. recently im- posed tariffs on Brazilian aluminum and quotas on its steel. While Brazil fought the restrictions, the matter has largely blown over. US VP to focus on Venezuela in third trip to Latin America REPORT FINDS INDUSTRIAL CHEMICALS MORE TOXIC THAN THOUGHT WASHINGTON (AP) – A family of industrial chem- icals turning up in public water supplies around the country is even more toxic than previously thought, threatening human health at concentrations seven to 10 times lower than once realized, according to a government report re- leased Wednesday. The chemicals are called perfluoroalkyl and polyflu- oroalkyl. They were used in such goods as fire-sup- pressing foam, nonstick pans, fast-food wrappers, and stain-resistant fabric and carpet, but are no longer used in U.S. man- ufacturing. Water sam- pling has found contam- ination in water around military bases, factories and other sites. Exposure at high levels is linked to liver damage, developmental problems and some forms of cancer, among other risks. A draft of the report, by the Department of Health and Human Services’ tox- icology office, had set off alarms within the Trump administration earlier this year. A January email from a White House official, re- leased under the Freedom of Information Act, re- ferred to the findings as a “potential public rela- tions nightmare.” The draft went under months of government re- view before Wednesday’s publication, but the key finding – that the chemi- cals are dangerous at spe- cific levels much lower than previously stated – was not changed. The EPA, which sched- uled a series of hearings on the chemicals, said last month that it would move toward formally declaring the two most common forms of PFAS as haz- ardous substances and make recommendations for groundwater cleanup, among other steps. U.S. manufacturers agreed in 2006 to an EPA- crafted deal to stop using one of the most common forms of the chemical in consumer products. The findings will likely lead state and local water systems with the contami- nant to boost filtering. A case management hearing has been set for July 12 for a case regarding the importation of 250 pounds of ganja. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe 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. TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27 CONSERVATION COUNCIL: The National Conservation Council will hold a general meeting from 1 p.m. at the Government Administration Building in room 2024. The agenda of the meeting will be posted on the DoE website www.doe. ky/natl-conservation- council/general-meetings. This meeting is open to observers from the public and press. If anyone wishes to submit comments or questions to the Council in advance of the meeting they may do so via email to conservationcouncil@gov.ky. SATURDAY, JUNE 30 DEALS ON WHEELS: The mobile Thrift Shop of the Cayman Islands Red Cross will be in North Side, junction of Hutland and North Side Roads, from 6-10 a.m. Items available include ladies’ accessories and bags, clothing and shoes, books, toys, linens, household items and more. SATURDAY, JULY 7 MANGOS AT THE MUSEUM: Celebrate mango season at the National Museum on the waterfront. Admission is free. Enjoy local food and mango products, a mango peeling competition and more. TUESDAY, JULY 31 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. For fees and registration forms that are available online, contractors should visit www.planning. ky/boards-all/builders-board. SUMMER CAMPS YMCA: Register this week. Friday, June 29 is the last day to register for Y summer caps. Open every weekday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Field of Dreams For more information about camp prices or registration details, log on to www.ymcacayman. ky. Scholarships are also available to those in financial need. For more information email ysummercamp@ ymcacayman.ky. Camps will run July 3 to Aug. 24. NATIONAL MUSEUM: For students ages 9 to 12. July 16-20, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The theme is Cayman Nature – Safeguarding Biodiversity. Students will learn about the different habitats, flora and fauna, visiting Cayman Crystal Caves, Mastic Trail and Botanic Park. Cost of camp includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, admission to parks, a cap and T-shirt. To register, complete form at National Museum Gift Shop during regular hours or email shenicemcfield@ museum.ky Cost is $100 per child. A $50 deposit should be made upon confirmation. Balance due one week before the first day of camp. NATIONAL TRUST: For kids ages 6–12. July 23-27, July 30 – Aug. 3. 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dart Family Park. Includes field trips. Email education@nationaltrust. org.ky to register. $275 for members, $300 for non-members. KIDSABILITY: A variety of programs for various ages, with activities from school readiness to bike riding. Contact www.kidsability.ky. GENERAL INTEREST OLIVE MILLER EXHIBITION: At the Old George Town Library. Ms. Olive Miller is one of three Cayman residents who were recognized in the U.K. New Year’s Honors List. Betty Baraud and the late Dr. Bill Hrudey received MBEs, and are also featured in this exhibition, which is open until July 31. SEAMEN AND VETERANS: The Ministry of Community Affairs is providing additional dates for recipients of the Ex-Gratia Seamen & Veterans Benefit who need help completing the Seaman & Veterans Continuation Confirmation forms. Contact the ministry at 244-2426 or the Community Development Officers. Bodden Town, Flavia Gardner, 926- 0490. West Bay, Vanda Powery, 916-7902. George Town, Dorline Welcome, 925-4083. NEW LICENSE PLATES: The Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing has uploaded its list of new electronic license plates that are ready for collection. An additional 1,200 plates are now ready to be picked up from the DVDL office on Crewe Road. Vehicles owners are reminded that they must bring in the temporary/old plates, the windshield tag, as well as their logbook. The list can be viewed on the department’s website at www.dvdl.gov.ky. EARLY CHILDHOOD FEES: The Ministry of Education provides financial assistance for Caymanian children between 3 and 4 years of age before Sept. 1, 2018, to assist with 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. 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. 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. 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. THE WOMEN’S HEALTH CENTRE: Breast-feeding Clinics every Thursday 10 a.m. to noon in the Women’s Health Centre. No appointments, no fees. Phone 244–2649. CAYMAN BRIDGE CLUB: Meets Tuesdays 7 p.m. at Comfort Suites, West Bay Road; Fridays, 9 a.m. at the Rugby Club. For further information, contact Helen Haines at 947-3217 or Alex Wood at 947-3693. BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S CLUB: Meets third Wednesday of every month, Governors Square Boardroom at 5:30 p.m. Visit www.facebook.com/ BPWGrandCayman. BREASTFEEDING SUPPORT GROUP: MothertoMother meetings first Tuesday of every month, 3-4 p.m. outside Women’s Health Centre at the Cayman Islands Hospital. Children welcome. Contact Women’s Health Centre at 244-2649. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. The National Museum will celebrate Cayman’s mango season on July 7. Admission is free. Enjoy local food and mango products.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018 Law amendments are ap- proved. The Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Li- censing is still in the process of replacing some 45,000 ve- hicle license plates with the new electronic tags. ‘Ghosts’ Certain local residents who believed for years, even decades, that they were Cay- manian – only to learn that they did not legally hold that status – will be allowed to apply to obtain it, regardless of their age or how long they have been in the territory. If changes are approved by lawmakers, the so-called gen- eration of “ghost Caymanians” will essentially be given a new lease on life. Lawmakers from all sides of the polit- ical aisle have previously in- dicated they would generally support such a change. The problem is a complex legal one, rooted in the simple fact that being born within the Cayman Islands does not automatically grant a person citizenship rights. A “ghost” Caymanian, as they are sometimes called in immigration circles, is a person who was born in Cayman to, or who came to Cayman as a child with, non- Caymanian parents who later received Caymanian status. Caymanian status is a legal designation similar to local citizenship that gives someone “the right to be Caymanian.” Those children, under the current Immigration Law, are not automatically con- sidered Caymanian by birth. When their parents receive their legal status, the chil- dren typically become Cay- manian as well, via their par- ents. However, the law now requires those children, before they turn 18, to apply for Cay- manian status in their own right. Hundreds, possibly even thousands, have not done so. Liquor sales Legislation before the as- sembly during the next week seeks to resolve two long- standing issues within the local tourism and entertain- ment industry – the sale of al- cohol on Sundays and hosting parties with live music on New Year’s Eve holidays that fall on a Sunday. Amendment bills seeking to change the Liquor Li- censing Law and the Music and Dancing Control Law would allow bars, nightclubs and promoters to permit live music on New Year’s Eve when it falls on a Sunday. Last year, venues were forced to wait until midnight – when the clocked changed to Monday, Jan. 1 – before they could get the party started. Proposed changes to the Liquor Licensing Law would extend Sunday opening to package license holders, at the Liquor Licensing Board’s dis- cretion, and clarify that retail licenses should be reserved for bars and other venues that sell alcohol on the premises. Whistleblowers Lawmakers have pro- posed a clarifying amend- ment to the Whistleblower Protection Law to reenforce the point that Cayman’s first legislation protecting those who report wrongdoing in the workplace will apply to all legal entities, both in the public and private sector. The original legislation took effect earlier this year. The amendment bill reads: “For the avoidance of doubt, this law applies to all employees and employers in the islands, including em- ployees and employers or statutory authorities, govern- ment companies and private places of employment.” The provisions of the cur- rent Whistleblower Protec- tion Law (2015) took effect on Feb. 1, 2018 – about two and a half years after lawmakers passed the original bill – con- solidating various earlier leg- islation that sought to offer similar protection but was largely viewed as ineffective. ‘Perjury’ motion A private members’ mo- tion filed by Public Accounts Committee Chairman Ezzard Miller seeks to hold Health Ministry Chief Officer Jen- nifer Ahearn in contempt of parliament for allegedly knowingly providing false answers to the committee in October 2017. Speaker of the House McK- eeva Bush said last week that he would allow the motion to proceed, as it fell within the rules of the assembly. Mr. Miller, the North Side MLA, refers in his motion to last year’s PAC meeting at which he asked Ms. Ahearn about changes made to mem- bership of licensing bodies such as the Medical and Dental Council. Acting Governor Franz Manderson said recently that there was “no basis” for taking disciplinary action against Ms. Ahearn over Mr. Mill- er’s allegations. are not going to take or- ders from England. We will open up our books when everybody else does, when it becomes a global stan- dard. Our constitution is a little bit different to the Cayman Islands. It is 50 years old and provides for self-government. We can’t be governed by Westmin- ster,” he said. He believes similar le- verage is unlikely to be granted to the Cayman Is- lands before 2020 – the deadline set by the U.K. for its territories to introduce public beneficial owner- ship registers or have it im- posed on them through an order in council. “Let’s be realistic,” he added. “If Britain is telling the overseas territories, we want you to open up your books, they are not going to give you a constitution that allows you to say no. They may give it to you af- terwards, but not by 2020.” He warned that even with a stronger constitu- tion, Bermuda would have to fight, potentially through the courts, to defend its right to self-governance. “If Britain really wants us to open the books, they are not going to back off. We will have to fight and say our constitution doesn’t allow it, but that is still going to be their desire.” Mr. Famous believes Bermuda and other over- seas territories will ulti- mately have to push for in- dependence if they want to control their own destinies. “I personally feel Ber- muda is heading towards total sovereignty because the U.K. will, in one way or another, continue to impose its will on us,” he said. Though independence is a stated long-term goal of Mr. Famous’s party, the Progressive Labour Party, the island’s Premier David Burt has indicated it is not on the immediate agenda. Mr. Famous said the population was still split on the issue, but he be- lieves more people are be- ginning to question the re- lationship with the U.K. “People realize the days of being dictated to by Eng- land need to come to an end,” he added. A similar atmosphere of discontent is fermenting in the British Virgin Islands, where residents boycotted the Queen’s Birthday cele- brations in a show of pro- test against the U.K. Many were already un- happy at the level of sup- port they received from the U.K. in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria last year. Ingrid Moses-Scatliffe, the speaker of the House in BVI, who was also in Cayman for the conference, said the U.K. law on benefi- cial ownership was another “direct hit” on the island, and had prompted new dis- cussion on independence. “I call it Hurricane U.K.,” added Alvera Mad- uro-Caines, another BVI politician in attendance at the conference. She said the U.K. had given BVI a $400 mil- lion loan, which would have to be repaid, to help with rebuilding after the hurricane. “Now they are trying to shut down the in- dustry that would have helped us be able to pay it back,” she said. The BVI derives 60 per- cent of its government in- come from financial ser- vices. The islands’ leaders have indicated they will oppose any move toward introducing a public ben- eficial ownership reg- istry until it becomes a global standard. Ms. Moses-Scatliffe said the BVI had a constitu- tion which guarantees au- tonomy on domestic mat- ters and was preparing to challenge the order in court. She said independence was a difficult issue in the BVI, but many now feel it is something that has to be discussed. “We haven’t had a se- rious discussion on self- determination but all these matters have come together and that is starting to happen. We have to have a conversa- tion so that persons are not afraid of what they don’t know,” she said. the blue iguana has weath- ered a two-pronged assault on its recovery. The species has apparently survived a strain of helicobacter bacte- rial infection that recently caused the death of 14 blue iguanas, and also predation by dogs that have intruded into the Botanic Park. The latter threat forced the Botanic Park to erect a se- ries of fences that have par- tially closed the park to the outside world. There are still sections of the fence that need to be completed, but Mr. Burton said Monday morning that authorities are “reason- ably confident” the park is now dog-free. The helicobacter situa- tion is a little more fluid. The source of the bacterial in- fection has never been pin- pointed, and Mr. Burton said the DoE wants to be certain the iguanas are healthy before they are released into the rela- tive safety of the 646-acre ex- panse of the Salina Reserve. “We haven’t had any cases now in a couple of years,” he said. “Nonetheless, right be- fore we’re ready to release them, we’re putting 10 into quarantine cages off site and then monitoring them for 10 days. If they’ve got the heli- cobacter, they’re going to fall sick in that period of time. If they don’t fall sick in that pe- riod of time, then they don’t have the helicobacter and we know we’re safe to let them go. The only other way we can tell is by doing a fancy genetic testing that we don’t have the setup to do here.” The invasive green iguana was long thought to be a source of the helicobacter, but Mr. Burton said that ini- tial testing by Dr. Ioana Popescu of Island Veterinary Services has not confirmed that hypothesis. The green iguana has been found to carry the helico- bacter, but scientific testing of 100 green iguana specimens in and around the Botanic Park has come back negative. “We’re still trying to figure out where the reservoir was that these animals got in- fected from,” Mr. Burton said. “It obviously wasn’t originally here, and it’s obvious the blue iguanas are not co-evolved for this pathogen because it’s so toxic to them. It’s obviously a new experience for them al- together. They must’ve got it from something else, and we’re still trying to figure out what. One of our invasive spe- cies, almost certainly, but we haven’t been able to find the smoking gun, so to speak.” The Blue Iguana Recovery Program now estimates that there are more than 1,000 blue iguanas in the wild, and most of them are in the Sa- lina Reserve. The ones that have been released are mi- crochipped and adorned with colorful beads for identifica- tion purposes. And while the species is thriving in the reserve, it has become a little more rare to see one in the Botanic Park. There are currently only six or seven free-roaming blue iguanas in the park, and the recovery program seeks to re- lease an equal number back into the park in the coming weeks and months. “We used to have between 35-40 free-roamers here in the park,” said Alberto Este- vanovich, warden of the Blue Iguana Recovery Program and tour group leader at the Botanic Park. “We lost a lot of them killed by wild dogs. And they were big animals, very beautiful animals. We collected the rest of them and put them in captivity until we finish this fence. We’re going to put them back.” The caged blue iguanas at the reserve must be at least two or three years old be- fore they are released into the wild. They must be not only able to reproduce but also be big and strong enough to de- fend themselves in territorial squabbles against other blue iguanas or green iguanas that have infiltrated the reserve. Once they are deemed safe for release, they will be taken in groups of 10 and given a chance to thrive on their own in the wild. For the Blue Iguana Recovery Pro- gram, it’s a matter of delicate timing, because the effects of captivity on the species can have an adverse ef- fect on their chances to sur- vive in the wild. “Keeping iguanas in cap- tivity is not good for their health,” said Stuart Mailer, environmental programs manager for the National Trust. “It’s a trade-off. We can’t guarantee 100-percent safety to [the] animals, but they’re not 100-percent safe in the pens because it deteri- orates their health.” Traffic, immigration changes ahead Discontent grows in overseas territories over British rule CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Blue iguanas near milestone number in wild CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly building in George Town. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS General strike shuts down Argentine capital A strike led by Argentina’s largest union confederation has shut down much of the country’s capital – freezing public transportation, airlines, ports, schools, banks and government offices. The 24-hour walkout is to protest the economic austerity policies of President Mauricio Macri. Prince William arrives in Israel for historic royal visit Turkey’s victorious Erdogan set to assume sweeping powers ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has dominated Turkish politics for the past 15 years, pre- pared Monday to extend his rule and take on sweeping new powers after his victory in the country’s landmark presidential and parliamen- tary elections. Turkey’s High Electoral Board declared Erdogan, 64, the winner of Sunday’s votes, which usher in a new exec- utive presidential system in which the prime minister’s post is eliminated and exec- utive powers are transferred to the president, who rules with only limited checks and balances. The Turkish leader is ac- cused by critics of adopting increasingly authoritarian tactics but is loved by sup- porters for bringing pros- perity and stability. Erdogan may be facing rough times ahead, however, because an- alysts predict an economic downturn for Turkey amid rising inflation and a strug- gling currency. His win could also deepen Turkey’s rift with its Western and NATO allies, who are al- ready concerned by the coun- try’s setbacks in democracy and human rights as well as Turkey’s closer ties with Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Erdogan a telegram on Monday, con- gratulating him on his vic- tory, one of the first world leaders to do so. Turkey’s currency, the lira, rallied Monday over Erdo- gan’s victory, which reduces instability in the short term. In his victory speech, Er- dogan said he would work toward achieving his goal of making Turkey one of the world’s top 10 economies by 2023, when the Turkish Re- public marks its centenary. He also pledged a more “determined” fight against outlawed Kurdish rebels and alleged members of a move- ment led by U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he accuses of orchestrating a 2016 failed coup against his government. Gulen de- nies involvement. Some 50,000 people have been arrested and more than 110,000 civil servants have been fired in a massive gov- ernment crackdown that has taken place under a state of emergency imposed after the coup that is still in place. Under the new system, Er- dogan himself will appoint ministers, vice presidents and high-level bureaucrats, issue decrees, prepare the budget and decide on secu- rity policies. According to unofficial re- sults that have yet to be con- firmed by the electoral board, Erdogan garnered 52.5 per- cent of the presidential vote, while his ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, won 42.5 percent of the par- liamentary vote. Erdogan’s closest contender, Muharrem Ince of the secular opposition Republican People’s Party, won 30.7 percent support. Erdogan’s AKP fell short of winning a parliamentary majority but a better-than- expected performance by its nationalist ally should allow the party to control the 600- seat legislature. Luxembourg’s foreign minister, Jean Asselborn, said Monday it was now up to Er- dogan to decide whether Tur- key’s relations with the Euro- pean Union will improve. Margot Wallstrom, Swe- den’s foreign minister, said Turkey’s democracy has shortcomings – she cited op- position leaders sitting in jail – but said Erdogan should be given the chance to do that. “We are hoping for the end of the state of emer- gency [in Turkey],” she told re- porters in Brussels. JERUSALEM (AP) – Prince William arrived in Israel on Monday for the first of- ficial visit of a member of the British royal family to the tumultuous region London once ruled. Arriving from neighboring Jordan, the Duke of Cam- bridge landed at Israel’s Ben- Gurion International Airport and then departed to Jeru- salem, where he will stay at the elegant King David Hotel, site of the former adminis- trative headquarters of the British mandate. Three decades of British rule between the two world wars helped establish some of the fault lines of today’s Is- raeli-Palestinian conflict, and Britain’s withdrawal in 1948 led to the eventual establish- ment of Israel and Jordan. Britain has since taken a back seat to the United States in mediating peace efforts, and the royal family has mostly steered clear of the region’s toxic politics. For the 36-year-old Wil- liam, second in line to the throne, it marks a high-pro- file visit that could burnish his international credentials. Though the trip is being billed as non-political, and places a special emphasis on technology and joint Israeli- Arab projects, William will also be meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and visiting landmark Jerusalem sites at the heart of the cen- tury-old conflict. On Tuesday he will visit Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Ho- locaust memorial, where he will meet two survivors who escaped Nazi Germany for the safety of Britain. The me- morial has recognized Prince William’s great-grandmother, Princess Alice, as Righteous Among the Nations for her role in rescuing Jews during the Holocaust. In a 1994 visit to Yad Vashem, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, planted a tree there in his moth- er’s honor. Princess Alice hid three members of the Cohen family in her palace in Athens during the Nazi oc- cupation of Greece in World War II. Thanks to her, the Cohen family survived and today lives in France. The princess died in 1969, and in 1988 her remains were brought to Jerusalem. Later, the prince will meet Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before heading to coastal Tel Aviv to attend a football game of young Jewish and Arab players. He will also meet the mayor of Tel Aviv and at- tend a reception the British ambassador is holding in his honor. “It is the right moment we think for a visit to re- ally shine a light on that re- lationship and show how strong the contemporary re- lationship is between the two countries,” Ambassador David Quarrey told The As- sociated Press. “The Duke is very clear that he wants to come and get under the skin of the country, he wants to get a feel for Israel. He wants to get a flavor of the country.” Later in the week, he will be traveling to the West Bank, where he will meet Pales- tinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah before wrapping up the trip in east Jerusalem to visit his great- grandmother’s gravesite. The royal itinerary man- aged to anger Israeli politi- cians by mentioning Jeru- salem as being part of “the Occupied Palestinian Territo- ries.” Jerusalem Affairs Min- ister Zeev Elkin – who is run- ning for mayor of the city in this year’s elections – called the reference a “distortion” that cannot “change reality.” Israel captured east Je- rusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war and an- nexed it in a move not in- ternationally recognized. Is- rael considers the city, home to holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, as an inseparable part of its capital. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as their future capital. Ambassador Quarrey insisted the wording merely reflected decades of terminology used by British governments. “It is important to em- phasis that the Duke is not a political figure, this is not a political visit,” he said. The prince arrived from Jordan, where he kicked off his five-day Middle East tour by meeting young scientists, refugees and political leaders. He was hosted by Crown Prince Hussein, 23, a member of the Hashemite dynasty Britain helped install in then- Transjordan almost a century ago. The pair later watched the England-Panama World Cup match together. In Jordan, the prince at- tended a reception marking the birthday of his grand- mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and toured the ruins of the Roman city of Jerash, a major tourist attraction his wife had visited as a child when she and her family lived in Jordan. The Turkish leader is accused by critics of adopting increasingly authoritarian tactics but is loved by supporters for bringing prosperity and stability. Britain’s Prince William arrives on a Royal Air Force plane at the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Monday. – PHOTO: AP Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, waves to supporters in Ankara, Turkey, early Monday. – PHOTO: AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY JUNE 26, 2018 Mattis seeks less contentious visit with Chinese leaders Northern California wildfires prompt evacuations, burn homes TRUMP SAYS PEOPLE FROM MEXICO ‘INVADE’ U.S. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Hun- dreds of Northern California homes and businesses were threatened Monday after wind-driven wildfires broke out over the weekend, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes throughout rural regions north of San Francisco. The biggest fires con- tinued to grow but that there were no reports of injuries or deaths, California’s Depart- ment of Forestry and Fire Protection said. About 3,000 residents evacuated homes in Lake County, about 120 miles north of San Francisco. A wildfire there that was not contained at all grew to 12 square miles and destroyed a dozen homes and buildings, the agency reported. Fire Battalion Chief Jona- than Cox said more than 230 firefighters using helicopters, bulldozers and other equip- ment were battling the Lake County fire in a rugged area that made it difficult to get equipment close the blaze. “It’s kind of the worst pos- sible combination,” Cox said. Authorities also ordered residents to evacuate in Te- hama County, about 200 miles north of San Francisco, where two wildfires were burning. One grew to 4 square miles while the smaller one of about half a square mile destroyed multiple homes and busi- nesses in the city of Red Bluff. Officials said that fire was 20 percent contained. A nearby casino was serving as an animal evacuation center. Residents also fled a wild- fire in Shasta County about 300 miles north of San Fran- cisco. No cause has been de- termined for any of the fires. Officials said hot weather, high winds and dry condi- tions are fueling the fires less than a year after California’s costliest fires killed 44 people and tore through the state’s wine country in October, causing an estimated $10 bil- lion in damage. Downed power lines were blamed for 12 of the two dozen 2017 fires. The causes of the other fires are under investigation. WASHINGTON (AP) – Pres- ident Donald Trump com- pares people entering the U.S. from Mexico to invaders and says they should be im- mediately sent back without appearing before a judge. The American Civil Lib- erties Union said in re- sponse that such a step would be illegal and violate the Constitution that Trump swore to uphold. “We cannot allow all of these people to invade our Country,” the presi- dent said on Twitter as he was being driven to his pri- vate golf club in Northern Virginia. “When somebody comes in, we must imme- diately, with no Judges or Court Cases, bring them back from where they came. Our system is a mockery to good immigration policy and Law and Order.” “Most children come without parents … Our Im- migration policy, laughed at all over the world, is very unfair to all of those people who have gone through the system legally and are waiting on line for years!” he continued. “Immigration must be based on merit – we need people who will help to Make America Great Again!” “What President Trump has suggested here is both illegal and unconstitutional,” said Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project. “Any offi- cial who has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution and laws should disavow it unequivocally.” Trump has been criti- cizing immigration judges for weeks, both exaggerating the number currently hearing cases and saying that hiring more – as some members of Congress have proposed – would be unnecessary. Trump made his anti-il- legal immigration stance a centerpiece of his presiden- tial campaign and he has pushed for strict policies since taking office. He said during a campaign appear- ance Saturday in Las Vegas that being for “strong bor- ders, no crime” is a winning issue for Republicans to run on in November’s congres- sional elections. But he bowed to public pressure last week and re- versed a policy of sepa- rating adults and children who enter the U.S. illegally together at the border with Mexico, though his “zero- tolerance” policy of crimi- nally prosecuting all illegal border-crossers remains. EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AP) – Defense Secre- tary Jim Mattis laid out plans for a less contentious, more open dialog with Chi- nese leaders as he travels to Asia, less than a month after he slammed Beijing at an in- ternational conference for its militarization of islands in the South China Sea. Speaking to reporters on his plane Sunday en route to a stop in Alaska, Mattis avoided any of the sharp criticism of China that he had voiced re- cently. Instead, he insisted that he is going into the talks with Chinese leaders without any preconceived notions, and wants to focus on larger, more strategic security issues. According to officials, a key topic of the discussions later this week will be the denuclearization of the Ko- rean peninsula and the role China can play, considering its long-standing friendship with North Korea. “I want to go in right now without basically poisoning the well at this point. I’m going there to have a conver- sation,” said Mattis. “I do not want to immediately go in with a certain preset expecta- tion of what they are going to say. I want to go in and do a lot of listening.” Mattis’ more diplomatic tack reflects the U.S. admin- istration’s recognition of China’s crucial influence on Korea as negotiations move ahead to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear program. One senior U.S. official said that while Mattis will will- ingly lay out America’s po- sition on China’s military buildup in the South China Sea and other points of con- tention, the Pentagon chief does not want to open the con- versations with “the irritants.” Instead, the goal is to have higher quality talks about the two countries’ military rela- tionship, said the official, who spoke on condition of ano- nymity to discuss internal de- liberations on the trip. Last month, however, Mattis abruptly disinvited China from a multinational exercise in the Pacific that will begin in a few days, in retribution for Beijing put- ting weapons systems on manmade islands in the South China Sea. And days later he publicly threatened “much larger consequences in the future” if the militari- zation continued. China recently has de- ployed anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles, elec- tronic jammers and other equipment on the Spratly Is- lands, and landed a bomber aircraft at Woody Island. China says it is within its rights to build up defenses on islands in the South China Sea that it believes are its sovereign territory. Many nations fear that Beijing will use the construc- tion on the islands to extend its military reach and poten- tially try to restrict naviga- tion in the South China Sea. It’s all but certain the Chinese will raise those is- sues with Mattis, as well as Beijing’s long-held opposi- tion to increasing U.S. con- tacts with Taiwan. China claims the self-ruled island as its territory. For the U.S., however, North Korea will be a pri- mary topic in the talks with senior Chinese leaders. And while the U.S. would like to see China use its influence to reinforce the denucleariza- tion negotiations with North Korea, it also wants Beijing to remain committed to en- forcing sanctions against the North, as part of the pres- sure campaign. China also is likely pleased that the U.S. has suspended any major mili- tary exercises with South Korea as part of the nuclear negotiations. Mattis said Sunday that the Pentagon canceled two Marine military exchanges as well as the larger Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise this fall, because the defense department considered them consistent with what Pres- ident Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had agreed on at the summit about two weeks ago. The U.S. has also long been frustrated that China does not share much infor- mation about any war sce- narios or other contingencies it has in place in the event of a conflict on the Korean pen- insula or the collapse of the North Korean government. By improving its rela- tionship with Beijing, Wash- ington believes it could better prepare for any problems and be able to coordinate more effectively with China. This is Mattis’ first trip to China, both personally and as defense secretary. He said he has been in Hong Kong several times. The last Pen- tagon chief to visit China was Chuck Hagel in April 2014. But both Mattis and his immediate predecessor, Ash Carter, have spent a great deal of time in Asia, in the wake of the much-vaunted U.S. increased emphasis on the Indo-Pacific region. Mattis has traveled to Asia seven times during his 17- month tenure as defense sec- retary, and this marks his third visit so far this year. In addition, Mattis will travel to South Korea and Japan to meet with his de- fense counterparts as well as other national leaders. Firefighters battle a wildfire Sunday in an area northeast of Clearlake Oaks, California. – PHOTO: AP U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has laid out plans for a more convivial and open dialogue with Chinese leaders as he travels to Asia, less than a month after slamming Beijing at an international conference for its militarization of islands in the South China Sea. – PHOTO: APNext >