ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY JULY 9, 2018 High of 90 Low of 78 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 SALUTING THE OUTSTANDING MEN AND WOMEN OF THE RCIPS WORLD | PAGE 9 4 RESCUED FROM CAVE IN THAILAND; 9 STILL TRAPPED OfReg spends $1M on consultants Employee salaries and benefits average about $100K per person KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Utility Regulation and Competition Of- fice, known as OfReg, spent some $2.2 million on salaries and benefits for 22 employees last year, and also had to spend more than $1 mil- lion on consultants because the staff lack the skills to carry out the office’s regulatory work, according to OfReg’s 2017 annual report. OfReg’s report states that it spent $1,052,451 on consultancy and professional fees, which was $177,368 more than the office budgeted for last year. The overspending took place because OfReg needed more consultancy services in the telecommunications sector to handle an increased number of projects, the report states. The report notes that OfReg is “endowed with a small group of enthusiastic, willing and dedicated staff” but that “the organization currently lacks, in house, the range of requi- site skills to perform its regulatory work.” Therefore, OfReg “must rely on consultant help,” states the report, which also shows that OfReg spent $2,228,992 on salaries and ben- efits for a “total full-time equivalent staff” of 22 people – about $100,000 per employee. The report explains that OfReg is working to train its staff to be “the best of the best,” and is also committed to recruiting econo- mists, engineers and lawyers who have the skills to succeed at the office. “The expectation is that in the short- to medium-term, consulting and training costs will be high,” the report states, “but consulting costs will trend downwards as the effects of the training and development initiatives are realized.” Along with consultancy and professional fees, OfReg also spent $243,752 on legal fees last year – nearly $37,000 more than budgeted. The legal expenses were made for an on- going court case between OfReg and Datalink, THREE NIGHTS, FOUR ARMED ROBBERIES Kebab business hit twice BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A well-known kebab stand, a food truck, a public bus driver and a man walking along a main road in Grand Cayman were all victims of armed robberies since late Thursday. Firearms were used in at least three of the cases and in the fourth, the victim was beaten and stabbed. Royal Cayman Islands Police officers had not linked any of the cases as of press time Sunday, although two of them oc- curred at properties of the same business – Al La Kebab – and no arrests were immedi- ately reported in any of the incidents. Armed robbers hit Al La Kebab twice in the space of 48 hours. The kebab eatery on Lawrence Boule- vard, George Town was held up late Sat- urday night. Police said four masked sus- pects approached employees around 11:20 p.m. Saturday, with one carrying a handgun. The robbers took an undisclosed amount of money. There were no reports of injuries or shots fired during the incident. On Thursday night, two gunshots were fired during a robbery of an Al La Kebab food truck, Al La Kevroom, that was parked in Red Bay. That robbery occurred just before mid- night at the corner of Selkirk Drive and Shamrock Road. Police said two masked men took cash from the register and a handbag from a food truck employee before running away from the scene. ‘Elephant’ suddenly appears in Cayman MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com The elephant in the field was meant to be the elephant in the room. But someone took the room. Carlo Lee, 29, the artist who created the 8-foot-high elephant trash sculpture that appeared recently along Esterley Tibbetts Highway, in a field just north of Lime Tree Bay Avenue, said he wanted to make a point about Cayman’s trash issue. His message is still coming across, he said, but he would have preferred to have the elephant surrounded by a wooden frame as originally planned. He said he had the lumber on site. “But being Cayman, someone took it,” he said. The piece was originally supposed to be installed as part of the LIVE Festival on June 8. But rain forced the festival to move to the Lions Centre. Mr. Lee decided to put the elephant up anyway, and completed it on June 25. It will remain in place no more than an- other week or two, he said. “We are looking for a space for it,” he said, “somewhere permanent.” Mr. Lee, who is primarily a photogra- pher, said he and some other artists have also been talking to the National Gallery about mounting a show of pieces created from recycled material. He’d like to see the elephant as a centerpiece if the exhibit PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » The 8-foot-tall elephant, made from plastic trash collected by artist Carlo Lee, stands in a field beside the Esterley Tibbetts Highway. - PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER FLETCHER PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 REGIONAL NEWS MONDAY JULY 9, 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. - MONDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (PG13) 1:50 3D I 3:45 VIP I 6:45 VIP I 7:00 9:35 VIP I 9:55 3D THE FIRST PURGE (R) 12:45 I 4:35 I 5:30 I 10:05 UNCLE DREW (PG13) 4:35 I 10:00 INCREDIBLES 2 (PG) 12:45 3D I 4:10 I 6:30 3D HOTEL ARTEMIS (R) 3:10 I 7:50 I 9:40 JURASSIC WORLD: THE FALLEN KINGDOM (PG13) 12:30 VIP I 1:20 I 3:35 3D I 6:50 I 9:20 3D SICARIO 2: DAY OF THE SOLDADO (R) 1:45 I 7:10 SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Gusty winds began to hit the eastern Caribbean on Sunday as Tropical Storm Beryl moved rapidly to- ward a region struggling to recover from last year’s deadly hurricanes. And a new storm formed off the U.S. East Coast. Beryl, which had been the Atlantic season’s first hurricane, was losing power, but residents on is- lands stocked up on food and water and prepared for possible damaging winds, rains and waves. Intermittent rain storms already were hitting Domi- nica early Sunday, and the U.S. National Hurricane Center said 1 to 3 inches of rain could fall as the storm moves through or near the island on Sunday night. Meteorologist Marshall Alexander told The Associ- ated Press that officials were worried about those still living with tarps on their roofs after Maria slammed into Dominica as a Category 5 storm last year, killing dozens of people. “We are in a vulner- able state,” he said. “The system can still cause a lot of damage regardless of whether it’s a tropical storm or a hurricane.” Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Chris formed off the Carolinas, and the U.S. Na- tional Hurricane Center said it was likely to grow into a hurricane while heading to the northeast, roughly par- allel to the coast. It was not projected to directly threaten land over the next few days, though forecasters said it could kick up dan- gerous swells. In the Caribbean, a trop- ical storm warning was up on Guadeloupe and Domi- nica, while a tropical storm watch was issued for the French Caribbean territories of Martinique, St. Martin and St. Barts as well as St. Maarten, Barbados, Saba and St. Eustatius. Dominican Prime Min- ister Roosevelt Skerrit told people to store water be- cause the government would be shutting down the water system as a protective mea- sure, and he warned them to stay alert despite the storm weakening. “They should not let their guard down,” he said. Long lines were reported Saturday at grocery stores on Dominica, Puerto Rico and elsewhere as people shopped for food and water. “We can’t take chances with weather,” Jeffrey Xavier, manager of Mr. Clean Bed & Breakfast, said in a phone interview. “There was a lot of buying.” The U.S. National Hurri- cane Center said Beryl had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph early Sunday. It was centered 285 miles east of Martinique and was moving west-northwest- ward at 20 mph. The storm was forecast to weaken into a depres- sion Monday by the time it reaches seas just south of Puerto Rico, which was dev- astated by Hurricane Maria in September, but that is- land remained under a state of emergency. Forecasters warned that the U.S. territory could see between 15 to 25 mph winds, as well as heavy rains that could cause flooding and mudslides. National Weather Ser- vice meteorologist Carlos Anselmi told the AP that 1 to 2 inches of rain was ex- pected across Puerto Rico, with double that in isolated areas. Conditions were ex- pected to deteriorate late Sunday and last through Tuesday morning. Gov. Ricardo Rossello said in a press conference late Saturday that the is- land could experience power outages and urged people without sturdy roofs to move in with relatives or a gov- ernment shelter. More than 1,500 power customers re- main in the dark more than nine months after Maria, and some 60,000 people still have only tarps for roofs. Off the U.S. East Coast, Tropical Storm Chris was centered about 150 miles south of Cape Hatteras early Sunday, with max- imum sustained winds of 40 mph. It was expected to remain almost stationary over the next few days be- fore growing to hurri- cane force and moving to the northeast. Tropical Storm Beryl moving closer to eastern Caribbean This National Hurricane Center graphic shows the positions of Beryl and Chris on Sunday afternoon. JUDGE ORDERS BRAZIL’S LULA RELEASED, BUT ANOTHER SAYS WAIT SAO PAULO (AP) – A Bra- zilian appeals court judge has ordered former Presi- dent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva released from jail – but another judge has asked the police to hold off on the order. It is not clear if he will actually be freed. Da Silva began serving his sentence in April after he was convicted in a case connected to Brazil’s mas- sive corruption investiga- tion. He denies wrongdoing. His defense team has ar- gued that he should not be jailed until all his appeals have been exhausted. A judge on duty Sunday at the appeals court that upheld da Silva’s convic- tion ordered the former president released. But the judge who originally con- victed da Silva then asked police to hold off. Nicaragua’s Ortega nixes early election as crisis solution MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) – Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is rejecting calls for early elections as a solution to a political crisis in which more than 250 people have been killed amid a heavy-handed crack- down on protests. Ortega said late Saturday that the Central American country’s constitution sets the rules and they “cannot be changed overnight.” He said protesters who are demanding he leave of- fice are “coup mongers” and said they should “seek the vote of the people” if they want to govern. Ortega’s current term runs through 2021. The president also blamed those who oppose him for the killings since the onset of protests in April. Human rights groups say most of the dead are young protesters killed by police and civilian groups allied to Ortega’s polit- ical movement. MEXICO’S PRESIDENT-ELECT TO PROPOSE AMNESTY LAW MEXICO CITY (AP) – The se- curity advisers for Presi- dent-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday that amnesty legislation aimed at lessening vio- lence will be developed with the input of crime vic- tims and presented to Mex- ico’s congress. The security cab- inet meeting was the first of a long day of gather- ings for Lopez Obrador. In the evening he met for several hours with his economic team. Alfonso Durazo, pro- posed as the new ad- ministration’s public se- curity minister, said the amnesty law would be part of a “Mexican recipe for peace.” Amnesty would not be given at the discre- tion of the president, he said. Congress will have the final word. “The objective of this law is to bring youth who for various reasons of eco- nomic survival, extortion, pressure from organized crime are [working] in the illegal into the legal,” Du- razo said. There could be hundreds of thousands of youth working as look- outs for organized crime, he said. “We have to give them a way out.” The advisers said any amnesty would be aimed only at lower-level people involved in cartel activ- ities, often out of coer- cion. Criminals guilty of violent acts would be ex- cluded, they said. Lopez Obrador’s op- ponents attacked him throughout the campaign about the amnesty idea, but he won a landslide election victory July 1 and will take office Dec. 1. He met with the security mem- bers of his proposed Cab- inet on Friday. Olga Sanchez, the pro- posed interior secretary, said the president-elect had made clear that Mexi- co’s runaway violence will not be addressed with more violence. She also mentioned the possibility of reducing some crim- inal penalties without pro- viding more detail. Mexico is on pace to have more killings in 2018 than in any other year in at least the past two decades. More than 200,000 people have been slain since the country began waging a war on drug cartels when President Felipe Calderon took office in late 2006. Lorreta Ortiz, Lopez Ob- rador’s human rights ad- viser, said the new admin- istration will immediately begin holding citizen fo- rums and knocking on doors around the country to gather input that can be used to develop am- nesty legislation. “At the outset, no one who has committed a vi- olent act, a single vio- lent act, will receive am- nesty,” Ortiz said. Those who could be eligible would be children and women recruited by or- ganized crime to work as lookouts or mules, rural farmers who grow drug crops and people impris- oned for political crimes based on ideology.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 9, 2018 CUSTOMER NOTICE Scotiabank & Trust (Cayman) Ltd. wishes to advise that due to the announcement by the Federal Reserve to increase the federal funds rate by 0.25% on June 13, 2018, the following changes will occur: • USD Prime Rate 4.75% to 5.00% Effective June 14, 2018 • KYD Prime Rate 4.75% to 5.00% Effective June 28, 2018 All products linked to USD and KYD Prime Rates will be adjusted on the effective dates indicated. ®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia. Suspicious finance reports skyrocket BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com An unusually large number of suspicious ac- tivity reports were filed with the Cayman Islands Financial Reporting Authority during the last half of 2017, ac- cording to records presented to the Legislative Assembly. There were 563 reports of suspicious financial activity filed between July 1 and Dec. 31, only slightly less than was reported during the pre- vious 12 months, based on reporting authority records. Suspicious activity re- ports, or SARs, can involve anything from an unusual number of deposits in a bank account, to suspected money laundering activity. Typically, the initial reports are made by various financial insti- tutions to the Financial Re- porting Authority and involve both corporate and indi- vidual transactions. More than half of the SARs made late last year came from banks with the re- mainder being from entities like money transmission ser- vices, investment companies, insurance services and fidu- ciary services. The vast majority of the reports came from finan- cial institutions in either the Cayman Islands or the United States. During the latter half of 2017, comparatively few re- ports were made of suspected activities that concern inter- national regulatory agencies, such as money laundering and financing of terrorism. Suspected tax eva- sion was the most common reason for entities making SARs with 185 of the 563 re- ports [33 percent] submitted for that reason. Simply because a sus- picious activity report is made does not indicate a violation or offense has been committed. The Finan- cial Reporting Authority will initially consider all such reports and pass them along to law enforcement or taxing entities as necessary. For many of the reports, no further action is taken be- cause nothing untoward has occurred. “A large number of re- ports filed with the Finan- cial Reporting Authority are due to suspicious activity wherein the reporting entity is noticing more than one unusual activity, but could not arrive at a specific sus- picion of an offense,” the report states. Financial Reporting Authority officials noted Cayman did amend its Penal Code last year to add a crim- inal offense of “intent to de- fraud the government of gen- eral revenue,” but indicated the increase in suspicious activity reports toward the end of 2017 was “not directly correlated” with that change. Suspected fraud was re- ported in 102 cases that came before the authority including allegations of bank fraud, securities fraud, debt collection scams and coun- terfeit check schemes. The reporting authority received 28 cases of sus- pected money laundering, 5 percent of the total number reported. Cases of sus- pect drug trafficking or ter- rorism-related financing made up about 1 percent of all cases reported during the six month period. $500,000 worth of ganja taken off streets Police and customs offi- cers have seized 689 pounds of ganja in marine operations since mid-June. The drugs are estimated to have a street value of be- tween $250,000 and $560,000, depending on how they were to be sold, police said. Seven suspects accused of bringing the drugs ashore were arrested in two opera- tions on June 19 and June 23. “These latest operations are examples of how, working together, we are disrupting criminal enterprises in drug dealing, gambling and other illegal activities around the islands with increasing fre- quency,” Customs Collector Charles Clifford said Friday. On June 19, officers inter- cepted a boat carrying drugs near Smith Cove in George Town and arrested five men. Ganja weighing 467 pounds was recovered during the op- eration. One of the five men arrested has been charged and was due back in court later this week. On June 23, another boat carrying drugs off East End was stopped and two Bodden Town men were arrested. An- other 222 pounds of ganja was recovered during that operation. Both men have since been charged with ganja importation and have appeared in court. “These operations are fur- ther examples of the results that can be achieved through interdepartmental coopera- tion,” said Commissioner of Police Derek Byrne. “We are committed to working with our partner agencies to target and prosecute those who continue to import and deal in illicit drugs, which results in all forms of criminality throughout the island.” Song contest raises more than $10,000 for charity JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Optimist Club of George Town has donated $10,617 to the Cayman Is- lands Cancer Society to help childhood cancer sufferers. The Cancer Society’s project coordinator Victoria Anderson-Gray accepted the check at the Cancer Society of- fice on Maple Road on Friday. The Optimist Club held its inaugural Cayman Gospel Song Competition and fund- raising concert on Saturday, June 16, at the Lions Centre to raise the money. “I’m amazed at how much fundraising they were able to accomplish. Raising over $10,000 is a huge accomplish- ment for any first-time group, especially from a concert be- cause there are a lot of con- certs that go on,” said Ms. Anderson-Gray. “It’s a testament to how hard everybody worked,” she added. The money, she said, will be used for the patient fi- nancial aid program. One of the ways that the Cancer Society helps families who have children with cancer is to pay for their accommoda- tion overseas. “No child that has cancer is treated in the Cayman Islands because it’s too highly specialized,” Ms. Anderson-Gray said. The Optimist Club is an international service organi- zation geared toward bringing out the best in youth and the community. The Optimist Club of George Town has been in operation for 10 years. Club president Elaine Harris said the song compe- tition provided a platform to showcase the incredible talent of children and adults in the Cayman Islands. Six youth and 10 adult fi- nalists performed at the event, affectionately termed a Songspiration by contest co- chairman Gail Bell. The con- cert also featured special guest artist Clifford Henry and local band Clarity. Complimentary passes were issued to the Cancer So- ciety for its clients who have been diagnosed with, or who have overcome cancer. Additional support for attendees in the form of a prayer tent was made avail- able at the event, where vol- unteer pastors were kept busy throughout the night. From left, Optimist Club representatives Aldington Stephenson, Dwayne Euter, Gail Bell, Mark Ray and Fred Dallas, the Cancer Society’s Victoria Anderson-Gray, gospel concert adult winner William Whyte and Optimist Club President Elaine Harris at the check presentation at the Cancer Society office on Friday. Police display some of the ganja seized in recent operations. - PHOTO: RCIPSThe islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will findtheirownway” It’s actually understandable that reporters and editors have a warm spot in their hearts and minds for police officers. An inordinate percentage of journalists get their start in the trade covering the police beat. The Compass newsroom is no exception. It’s filled with former police reporters who have drunk gallons of bad coffee out of Styrofoam cups in police press rooms around the world. When you think about it, it makes sense because what better way is there to get to know an entire community – literally (to use a trite phrase), the good, the bad and the truly ugly. The police get to see it all and, if a journalist is along for the ride, he or she gets exposed to a view of the world that few residents ever get to experience firsthand. And so, we at the Compass applaud the loudest at the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service out- standing service awards that each year put the spot- light on Cayman’s most dedicated, finest and, yes, bravest officers. The award ceremonies took place last week at Government House with Acting Governor Franz Manderson and Commissioner Derek Byrne presiding. To the individuals and departments who received commendations for their extraordinary contribu- tions over the past year, we offer our sincere con- gratulations. One more time, let’s name them: Police Officer of the Year Constable Christopher Donaldson; Auxiliary Constable of the Year Shawn Bazil of the Custody Unit; Diversity Award winner Auxiliary Con- stable Fabian O’Connor; Welfare Award recipient Tiffany Rankine from the crime scene unit; Commu- nity Spirit Award recipient Alfredo Powery of West Bay; Special Constable of the Year Willian Petit; Support Staff of the Year award winners Wayne Bobb-Semple and Monique Burton; and, receiving particular notice, the Criminal Investigation Unit, which earned the Unit Citation Award. The dais at this year’s service awards ceremony was a bit more crowded than it has been in recent years – and deservedly so, in recognition of the scores of RCIPS officers who rushed to the aid of storm-rav- aged Turks and Caicos and the British Virgin Islands after Hurricane Irma flattened buildings, disrupted services and threatened the public order. The first officers arrived in BVI early last September. They were replaced by another cohort in October, and yet another later in the month. They helped secure the islands and apprehended prisoners who had escaped from the severely damaged prison. The work was dif- ficult and the conditions harsh, but scores of RCIPS officers answered the call – many even volunteering to remain in BVI for a second tour of duty. In their post-Irma efforts, the men and women of the RCIPS not only provided vital assistance, they demonstrated for our Caribbean neighbors the RCIPS’s (and Cayman’s) values of respect, courtesy, integrity, professionalism and service. As Acting Governor Franz Manderson phrased it at the recent service awards ceremony, “The RCIPS has led the way in making us world-class.” In addition to recognizing our finest with once-a- year service awards, the Cayman community can do more – 365 days a week. We can support our police – and our judicial system – by joining them in their quest to eradicate crime from this jurisdiction. That means stepping forward when we witness wrongdoing, testifying willingly (even anxiously) in a courtroom during the prosecution of the malefactors, and, in every way we can, supporting and respecting the RCIPS. They are there “24/7” for us. We need to be there “24/7” for them. Saluting the outstanding men and women of the RCIPS MONDAY JULY 9, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Conservatives’ long game finally hits magic number DAVID VON DREHLE During the bitter cam- paign of 1968, half a cen- tury ago, Richard M. Nixon tapped anger over the liber- alism of the so-called Warren Court – the Supreme Court led by Nixon’s longtime rival, Chief Justice Earl Warren. Even then, the anger was nothing new. For years, bill- boards demanding “Impeach Earl Warren” had dotted the byways of the South and Mid- west, put there by conserva- tives outraged by the court’s landmark decisions regarding civil rights, voting rights, reli- gion, free speech, sexual liber- ation, protections for accused criminals and more. But Nixon’s presidency was not the triumph conser- vatives desired. Like many presidents before him, Nixon took an offhand approach to appointing justices. When Warren retired, Nixon’s choice to replace him was the vain but lightweight Warren Burger. His pick for asso- ciate justice, Harry Blackmun, was Burger’s pal from Min- nesota. A conservative dud, Blackmun entered the lib- eral pantheon with his abor- tion rights opinion in Roe v. Wade. Richmond lawyer Lewis Powell Jr. was 64 when Nixon appointed him, so his time on the court was short by today’s standards. Only William Rehnquist, who later became chief justice, proved to be a powerful and en- during conservative force – and Nixon might not have nominated him if his pre- ferred choice had been faster to return a phone call. Four vacancies: only one accidental home run. But the conservatives did not fold. In- stead, the right dug in for a long war to control the Su- preme Court. It was a war of ups and downs: They were disappointed by President Gerald Ford’s nominee, John Paul Stevens. And again by President George H.W. Bush’s choice of David Souter. Even conservative beacon Ronald Reagan fell short of purity in their eyes when he pro- moted the agile compro- misers Sandra Day O’Connor and, after stalwart originalist Robert Bork was voted down, Anthony Kennedy. Through each letdown, conservatives maintained their focus and, in the pro- cess, they transformed the selection of justices from a haphazard art to a polished science. This science has changed the character of the Supreme Court. With the retirement of Kennedy, conservatives stand at the brink of claiming their prize. President Donald Trump intends to swap the idiosyncratic Kennedy for a solidly reliable conservative justice. The resulting five-vote majority of rock-ribbed con- servatives will surely domi- nate the court with a philo- sophical unity unseen in the United States since Warren’s long-ago heyday. In making his choice, Trump will likely rely on the precision-tooled machinery of the Federalist Society. Founded in the early 1980s amid frustration over the con- tinued left lean of the courts, the group rallied right-leaning legal scholars and govern- ment officials to create a pipe- line for young conservatives to rise without friction from liberal pressures. Never again should Republican presidents have to guess, as Nixon did, at the bona fides of a potential judge: The Federalist Society would foster the development of a farm system for the fu- ture bench. Within the com- munity – which now num- bers in the tens of thousands – conservative ideologues bolster their confidence in their own ideas. The group’s logo features a bust of James Madison, principal author of the Con- stitution, but it might as well be a likeness of the late jus- tice Antonin Scalia. As faculty sponsor of the first chapter at the University of Chica- go’s law school, Scalia was present at the creation, and when Reagan added him to the Supreme Court in 1986, Scalia became a role model and yardstick for conserva- tive judges of the future. Today, the court is filling up with justices stamped from Scalia’s mold. Like him, they were appointed rela- tively young, in hopes they would have long tenures ahead of them. They arrived at the court with track re- cords that made their views clear – but unmuddied by controversy. They spoke the language of judicial inde- pendence, yet they all knew they were taking sides in the long battle for the soul of the highest court. Long gone are the days when a president’s political pal would serve a two-year cup of coffee on the court, as did President Franklin Roos- evelt’s appointee, James By- rnes. And gone are the days of philosophical surprises, such as Nixon’s Blackmun, or Dwight Eisenhower’s William Brennan. In 1956, the Repub- lican Eisenhower relied on his attorney general to vouch for the conservative leanings of that genial New Jersey judge. Herbert Brownell got it wrong: Over a 34-year ca- reer, Brennan proved to be perhaps the most influen- tial liberal in the history of the court. Trump’s nominee will be a well-known quantity, a rela- tive youth with the stamp of the Federalist Society glis- tening on his or her fore- head. The actuarial tables will promise decades of de- pendable service to the con- servative cause. And with that, conservatives will arrive at the magic number toward which their movement has been working all these years. © 2018, The Washington Post They spoke the language of judicial independence, yet they all knew they were taking sides in the long battle for the soul of the highest court.5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 9, 2018 The Corrine Thompson Memorial Scholarship The Business and Professional Women’s Club of Grand Cayman is accepting applicants for a two-year scholarship ($2,000 CI per annum) to the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) or the International College of the Cayman Islands (ICCI) commencing Fall 2018. Applicants must be female, aged 18 to 35 years, of good character and academic standing with a further their education. Deadline for applications is 15 July 2018. Contact: info@bpwgcm.org www.facebook.com/BPWGrandCayman Airlines slow to toss out customs forms BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Air travelers arriving in Cayman this month have no- ticed customs goods decla- ration forms have not ex- actly disappeared from the itinerary. Passengers on a number of airlines noted over the long Constitution Day weekend that they were still required to fill out claims forms, even though Her Maj- esty’s Customs service had announced those were no longer needed for people without goods to declare. Customs Collector Charles Clifford asked for people’s patience as word gets around about the new policy. “We anticipated that in the first few months of this policy there would be some inconsistency with the advice given to passengers by the cabin crews on arriving air- craft, especially the foreign carriers serving our islands,” Mr. Clifford said. “This is be- cause, despite our communi- cation with the station man- agers and corporate offices of those carriers, the cabin crews on those carriers are often new to the destination and have not yet been up- dated about new policies. “This matter is outside of our control, but we expect that within a few months ev- eryone will be familiar with … the new policy and that the advice to passengers by cabin crews will be consis- tent and in accordance with the new policy.” The new policy on the customs declarations forms was announced June 18 and took effect June 30. HM Customs no longer re- quires the goods declaration form for inbound travelers as long as those travelers do not exceed the $350 per person allowance for bringing goods into the Cayman. The change applies to inbound pas- sengers at both Owen Rob- erts International Airport on Grand Cayman and Charles Kirkconnell International Air- port in Cayman Brac. If arriving passengers are bringing in more than $350 of dutiable goods per person, they will still be required to fill out goods declarations and pay duty as normal. Established allowances for alcohol and tobacco products will also be moni- tored as per normal, but as long as the arrivals keep it under the limit, no forms will be required. Passengers carrying $15,000 in cash or cash equivalents or who are bringing in agricultural or farming products also must make the normal declara- tions to customs. Mr. Clifford has said that removing the bureaucratic forms for a number of trav- elers will allow customs of- ficers more time to focus on significant threats, rather than pestering visitors and residents for paperwork. The change with the cus- toms declaration form was lauded by recently with- drawn Cayman Islands Gov- ernor Anwar Choudhury in what he said was part of gov- ernment’s effort to “burn or shred” bits of bureaucracy from public sector operations. Mr. Clifford said customs officers reserve the right to examine luggage for arriving ATTEMPTED MURDER TRIAL SET AFTER STABBING CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Lyle Sampson Alexander Peart, 18, appeared in Grand Court on Friday, when he pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Mr. Peart was charged after an incident outside Margari- taville on Harbour Drive in George Town in the early hours of Saturday, June 16. Defense attorney Oliver Grimwood told Justice Marlene Carter that the complainant was now out of hospital. No bail application was made at this time, but Mr. Grimwood indicated one might be in the near future. Following discussions with senior Crown counsel Nicole Petit, the judge set Mr. Peart’s trial to start on Oct. 29. It was expected to last five days. AGGRAVATED BURGLARY GOES TO GRAND COURT CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man accused of aggra- vated burglary on Saturday, June 30, appeared in Sum- mary Court on Tuesday, July 3, when his case was trans- mitted to the Grand Court for mention of Friday, July 6. Presley Charles Whit- taker, 35, was charged with entering a premises on Old Robin Road in North Side with intent to steal and, at the time of entering, had in his possession an offensive weapon – namely, a machete. At Mr. Whittaker’s first court appearance, magis- trate Valdis Foldats pointed out that the presence of the weapon was the aggra- vating feature and the charge could be dealt with only in Grand Court. On Friday, defense at- torney Neil Kumar requested a short adjournment before his client entered a plea. Jus- tice Marlene Carter set the matter for mention again on Friday, July 20. There was no application for bail, and the defendant was re- manded in custody. Stolen items included food, liquor, iPhone CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man charged with bur- glary at an East End re- sort told Magistrate Valdis Foldats late Friday that he would wait for an attorney to apply for bail on his behalf. Donald Arlington Miller, previously known as Donald Arlington Hall, is accused of entering a guest’s room at Morritt’s Tortuga Resort on Wednesday, July 4, as a trespasser and stealing a number of items. The charge lists those items as including three bottles of liquor, a pair of designer sunglasses, two T-shirts and an iPhone 6 in a case valued at US$600. Food items al- legedly stolen included cheese and muffins. Mr. Miller, 49, was also charged with criminal tres- pass after an incident at the resort on July 3. Particu- lars of the charge are that he entered the resort without lawful business thereon. Crown counsel Garcia Kelly said he would have ob- jected to bail if the applica- tion had been made. The magistrate set the matter for mention again on Monday, July 9, and re- manded the defendant in custody until then. Mr. Miller is also charged with possession and con- sumption of ganja fol- lowing his arrest for the July 4 incident. Man remanded for resort burglary Mr. Miller, 49, was also charged with criminal trespass after an incident at the resort on July 3. passengers if they be- lieve the passenger “is not being honest” about his or her decla- ration. If a customs of- ficer suspects an in- dividual has not been truthful, the passenger will be given a second chance to make a full declaration before they are subjected to a sec- ondary examination. Passengers pass through the customs area at the arrivals hall at the Owen Roberts International Airport. - PHOTO: ALVARO SEREY6 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY JULY 9, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS 71 nominees vie for this year’s Stingray Tourism Awards The nominees for the 15th annual Stingray Tourism Awards, which recognizes talent in the Cayman Islands tourism sector, were an- nounced Friday. The awards ceremony, organized by the Cayman Is- lands Tourism Association, will be held at The Ritz- Carlton, Grand Cayman, on Tuesday, July 17. A total of 71 nominees were selected from var- ious sectors in the tourism field, including accom- modation, allied/attrac- tion/transportation, res- taurant, and water sports. Winners will receive co- balt blue, handblown glass Stingray Awards. Tiffany Dixon-Ebanks, CITA executive director, said “With the high cal- iber of nominations this year, I would like to ex- tend congratulations to all nominees for their dedica- tion and contribution to our tourism product. Each person is a winner in their own right and I wish ev- eryone the best at gaining the prestigious glass rays. “I encourage members of the Cayman Islands com- munity to come out and support these talented in- dividuals on awards night. With our past year of re- cord-breaking visitor ar- rivals, it is very fitting to recognize those that ulti- mately drive the success of this industry.” This year’s nominees are: Accommodations Employee of the Year ■■ Claudia Spaulding, Little Cayman Beach Resort ■■ Teresa Lu, Little Cayman Beach Resort ■■ Janice Holness, Sunset House ■■ Emma-Jane Nich- olsby, Sunset House ■■ Lezma Ebanks, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa ■■ Elizabeth Angela Brown, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa ■■ Nathashia Dixon, Grand Cayman Mar- riott Beach Resort ■■ Kassandra Douglas, Wyndham Reef Resort ■■ Roberta Bush, The Westin Grand Cayman ■■ Sidiam Marquez, The Westin Grand Cayman ■■ Jasmine Williams, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman ■■ Adriana Airinei, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman ■■ Marvin Montoya Be- tancourt, The Ritz- Carlton, Grand Cayman Accommodations Manager of the Year ■■ Justin Miller, The Heritage Club ■■ Trudy Viers, Cayman Brac Beach Resort ■■ Sandrine Dixneuf, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman ■■ Peggy Onaga, The Ritz- Carlton, Grand Cayman ■■ Anthony Herzog, Wyndham Reef Resort ■■ Iulia Nichitoae, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa ■■ Kylie Rae Fitzgibbons, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa Allied/Attraction/ Transportation Employee of the Year ■■ Kartik Mehta, Netclues ■■ William Chisholm, Cayman Turtle Centre ■■ Malav Shah, Fast Signs Allied/Attraction/ Transportation Manager of the Year ■■ Mark Mclaughlin, Budget Rent a Car Grand Cayman ■■ Ned Jerris Miller, Cayman Turtle Centre ■■ Lorraine Nembhard, Red Sail Group ■■ Jamie Ebanks, Britannia Tours Restaurant Employee of the Year ■■ Andrea Brooks-Powell, Sunshine Grill ■■ Paul Davidson, Rum Point Club ■■ Kristine Pacag, Cimboco Cafe ■■ Elizabeth Barnes, Andiamo, The Ritz- Carlton, Grand Cayman ■■ Phillip Ebanks, Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort ■■ Denise Solomon, Anchor & Den, Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort ■■ Restaurant Manager of the Year ■■ Wesley Hepburn, Andiamo, The Ritz- Carlton, Grand Cayman ■■ Crystal Marshall, SEVEN, The Ritz- Carlton, Grand Cayman ■■ John Desouza, Rum Point Club ■■ Thomas Zimmermann, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa ■■ Laszlo Boros, AVE, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa ■■ John Stanton, AVE, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa ■■ Tammy McGregor, Coccoloba, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa Water-sports Employee of the Year ■■ Jon Barron, Ocean Frontiers ■■ Daniel Dixon, Go Pro Diving/Seasports ■■ Derick Phillips, Red Sail Sports ■■ David Steemson, Red Sail Sports Water-sports Manager of the Year ■■ Aaron Hunt, Cayman Eco Divers ■■ Sharon Maher, Reef Divers ■■ Mike Painting, Lobster Pot ■■ Andrew Wilson, Ocean Frontiers Rising Star Tourism Award ■■ Jermaine Taylor, Wyndham Reef Resort ■■ Kadian Facey, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa ■■ Orlando Johnson, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa ■■ Oliver Swaby, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa ■■ Andrew Ebanks, Islandlife Watersports ■■ Elena Fear, Caribbean Club ■■ Jessica Moore, Taste This Life ■■ Samantha Solomon, Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort ■■ Deandra Ebanks, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman ■■ Kelly Phillips, The Ritz- Carlton, Grand Cayman ■■ William Chisholm, Cayman Turtle Centre ■■ Chandall Shamar Byrd, Luxury Cayman Villas Diamond Award (Formerly Long Service Award) ■■ Elizabeth Angela Brown, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa ■■ Lezma Ebanks, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa ■■ Elizabeth Ebanks, The Westin Grand Cayman ■■ Luigi Moxam, Cayman Cabana ■■ Garfield Ebanks, Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort ■■ Marlene Seymour, Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort ■■ Ned Jerris Miller, Cayman Turtle Centre ■■ Juliet Williams, Chicken!Chicken! ■■ John Buckley, Rum Point Club ■■ Janine Walton, Plantana Condos The awards gala begins with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. Dinner and awards will begin at 7 p.m. For tickets, visit the CITA website at www.cita.ky/stingrayawards. Winners of the Stingray Tourism Awards will receive a handblown glass stingray. Hundreds attend Cayman’s first Student Volunteer Fair More than 700 students from six high schools at- tended Cayman’s first Stu- dent Volunteer Fair. The fair brought stu- dents together with 20 non- profit organizations which informed the teens about the various voluntary and com- munity service work they can get involved in. The Youth Services Unit of the Ministry of Education, Sports, Youth, Agriculture and Lands, organized the event, which was held at the John Gray High School Gym- nasium on June 22. Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly urged at- tendees to take advantage of the opportunities the fair represented for both giving back to the community and deepening their sense of civic responsibility. “As Minister for Educa- tion, I am pleased to see such a large turnout of stu- dents, voluntary groups and teachers,” Ms. O’Connor-Con- nolly was quoted as saying in a press release. “As a caring community and a responsible govern- ment, we must provide op- portunities for our youth to develop into hardworking and compassionate adults,” she said. “My ministry be- lieves that education twinned with structured voluntary work is an excellent way to achieve these goals. Only by giving to your community can you truly become in- vested in it.” She thanked the Youth Services Unit, particularly the unit’s Youth Services Co- ordinator James Myles and Programmes Officer Ca- mille Angel, for bringing the event to fruition. The minister said she hoped that the fair would become an annual event. Head of the Youth Ser- vices Unit, Katherine Whit- taker, addressing the par- ticipants, which included teachers and principals, said, “We want all young people to become engaged in community projects and causes as one of the means of finding their place in our society. We want them to understand the impor- tance of giving without ex- pecting anything in return, to experience the joy of vol- unteering and to be a part of a group of like-minded people, making valuable contributions to the cause of their choice.” She said there was a cause and an organization for everyone. “And for those organizations that don’t yet exist or where there are gaps, we want young people to learn how to meet such needs,” she added. “It’s important for our young people to be exposed to the realities of life and to be encouraged to know that they can help no matter their age,” said the National Council of Voluntary Organ- isations Coordinator Mona Lisa Meade. “This is a great event and we are so happy to be able to share what the NCVO does and offer up ideas of simple ways the students can assist us and our clients by volunteering. I hope this event continues to grow and through it we can encourage our youth to live a life of service.” Student volunteers from Layman E. Scott High High School pose with, front row, from left, Proud of Them honorees brother and sister Diarra and Annissa Hoyte, head of marketing at Island Heritage Monique Bush, Head of Youth Services Unit Katherine Whittaker, Minister of Education Juliana 7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 9, 2018 Undergraduate Scholarship At Kimpton, Seafire Resort and Spa, the real you is a job requirement; your diverse background, talents and quirks are what help our company connect meaningfully with our guests. That’s why FORTUNE magazine has put Kimpton on its “Best Companies To Work For” list, seven times. The 266-room, 5 diamond Kimpton Seafire Resort and Spa is inviting applications from suitably qualified Caymanians for a maximum of a two-year scholarship. The scholarship will be an award of up to US$25,000 per year for a maximum of two years, commencing December 2018. The Successful Recipient will: • Have been accepted as a full-time student into an accredited associate or technical program in a field related to the hospitality industry, for a maximum of 2 years, • Be Caymanian, have the ability to prove Caymanian status and have proof of having resided in the Cayman Islands for at least 4 years prior to application • Be between the ages of 16 to 20 years of age, • Possess excellent character, work ethic and have a genuine interest in the Hospitality Industry • Have successfully received their high school diploma and, have maintained a minimum B average or GPA 3.5 over 4 years • Be available to interview in person Application forms may be downloaded from http://www.seafireresortandspa.com/hotel-scholarship- program/, and returned via email to seafirescholarshipprogram@seafireresortandspa.com or in person to our hotel at 60 Tanager Way, Seven Mile Beach addressed to: Seafire Resort and Spa Attn: People & Culture Director Scholarship 2018 DEADLINE: 31 August 2018 (Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted) Crisis Centre: Domestic abuse rises during World Cup The Cayman Islands Crisis Centre is running a public awareness campaign during this year’s World Cup period to promote its shelter for women, men and children who suffer domestic abuse. The organization’s exec- utive director, Ania Mila- nowska, said that globally there is a correlation be- tween the World Cup and an increase in domestic abuse cases. “Based on our sta- tistics from the 2014 World Cup, this increase in do- mestic violence cases also happened in Cayman,” she said in a press release. In 2014 during the World Cup, the three-bed- room, two-bathroom shelter housed 25 individuals (13 women and 12 children), 17 of those seeking a safe house during the games. Rotary Club of Grand Cayman has teamed up with the Crisis Centre with a donation of $1,000 to pay for the campaign. Justin Bodden, Presi- dent of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman, said, “The Crisis Centre provides such an important resource to the Cayman Islands com- munity and we are grateful for the opportunity to sup- port this cause.” He added, “It is unfortu- nate that the domestic vio- lence cases increase during large sporting events such as the World Cup, and we hope spreading the word about the shelter will re- mind victims and the gen- eral community their ser- vices are available.” Ms. Milanowska said the center hoped that domestic violence cases would be down this year. For more information about the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre, visit www.cicc.ky. The 24-hour crisis line is available at 943-CICC (2422). Rotary Club of Grand Cayman President Justin Bodden presents a campaign donation check to Cayman Islands Crisis Centre board member Brooke Moore. Suspended sentence for taking turtle Magistrate orders 120 hours of community service CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Magistrate Valdis Foldats handed down an eight-month prison term, suspended for two years, and 120 hours of community service to a fish- erman who illegally took a turtle from Cayman waters. Ivan Samosa Bush, 24, pleaded guilty to taking an adult green turtle from the sea on Aug. 3, 2017. He said he had not gone out to catch a turtle deliberately, but had “snagged” it while fishing and decided to keep it. The magistrate explored the numerous possible pen- alties when he sentenced Mr. Bush on Tuesday for the of- fense of taking a protected species from local waters. The penalty section of the National Conservation Law provides a range of sentencing options, the magistrate noted. One is a fine of up to $500,000. Another is imprisonment for up to four years. The court can also make an order “prohibiting the of- fender from doing any act or engaging in any activity that may result in the continua- tion or repetition of the of- fense.” In effect, the magistrate pointed out, he could ban the defendant from fishing for any length of time. He considered a three- month ban, saying, “I think that’s enough for a wake-up call.” He also commented that would-be offenders would be- come aware of what the court could do by way of sentence. After hearing from de- fense attorney John Furniss about Mr. Bush’s background, however, the magistrate de- cided he would not take away the defendant’s only means of earning a living. He said the sentence had to show denunciation of the of- fense and had to be a deter- rent. After reviewing previous cases involving the taking of turtle, he said the sim- plest way to send a message would be to say, “One turtle equals one year.” In this case, he gave one- third credit for the guilty plea, which resulted in a term of eight months. He then sus- pended the sentence for two years and ordered Mr. Bush to perform 120 hours of com- munity service. The magistrate referred to another option in the law’s penalty section – “directing the offender to perform commu- nity service in a protected area or in furtherance of the conser- vation of a protected species.” He asked Crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson to check whether specific programs were in place that would en- able him to make such an order. Mr. Ferguson said he would make enquiries. Mean- while, Mr. Bush is to per- form community service as is generally provided for in the Penal Code. “If it can be di- rected to marine conservation, that would be wonderful,” the magistrate said. Other sentencing options include the forfeiture of any vessel or vehicle or item used to commit the offense. In this case, the magis- trate indicated he did not have enough details about the of- fending to make such an order. A summary of the offense stated that officers on patrol responded to information from an anonymous member of the public after an adult turtle was observed on the back of a truck. Investigation led offi- cers to an East End address, where they spoke to the defen- dant. The turtle was found in a shed on the property. It was released back into the sea. When interviewed, Mr. Bush initially told officers he was following a family tradi- tion. He indicated he did not know it was an offense to take the turtle. “If you didn’t know, you should have known,” the mag- istrate told him. “If you’re a fishing person, you should know the law in relation to all the creatures of the sea.” After passing sentence, he urged Mr. Bush to find out the law, know about every fish and every open or closed season. Mother and daughter shine at UK pageant U.K.-based Caymanian Sheril McField and her daughter Daiezha both took to the catwalk in this year’s Miss British Isles. Ms. McField, who goes by the stage name Miss Precious Shaye, repre- senting Hertfordshire, placed fifth in the Miss British Isles Elegance cate- gory of the 2018 pageant in late May, which was held in Chester, England. Daughter Daiezha, who previously won Miss Cin- derella Tot, also took part in the model catwalk com- petition of the Miss British Isles for the first time, ap- pearing in the junior cate- gory. She ranked in the top 10 at the finals. Seventy-five partici- pants were picked from more than 10,000 appli- cants for the Miss British Isles pageant. Ms. McField said she won the title Ms. Surrey Galaxy in her first pageant in May 2016. In February last year, she was placed third runner-up against the 35 other county/ major city contestants in Ms. Galaxy 2017. The placement of both mother and daughter in the Miss British Isles pag- eant qualifies them for an international model com- petition in October, Ms. McField said. “I’m pleased with the outcome. All the girls were amazing and it was a tough competition but nonetheless every contes- tant shined bright,” Ms. McField said. She added, “When I was informed that my partner Jason Ahnien also placed 5th in the Mr. British Isles Men’s Elegant Category, I was rhapsodic. We’re all going to Internationals.” She said she was proud to see her daughter on stage in the competi- tion. “The catwalk can be quite intimidating and as [a] mom, I just wanted to hold her hand, but as she walked the stage she as- tounded me with her con- fidence and perseverance.” Sheril McField, aka Precious Shaye, at the Miss British Isles pageant in the U.K. in May. Daiezha McField placed in the top 10 in the Junior Miss British Isles this year. PUBLIC INVITED TO AIRBNB MEETING The Department of Tourism and Airbnb will host the first of a series of public information sessions to let members of the public know how to set up Airbnb services. “In these sessions, mem- bers of the public will learn how they can become Airbnb hosts or gain more insight on how to better use the Airbnb platform to leverage their business,” according to a no- tification issued by the De- partment of Tourism. The first meeting will be held at the Westin at 1-3 p.m. Tuesday. The Cayman Islands signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbnb in March this year, agreeing to joint marketing, data sharing and regulatory standards for hosts. Signing the agreement, Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said at the time that the memorandum was a “significant milestone” and that the expansion of Airbnb in Cayman would assist in bringing new rooms online and allow Caymanians to benefit from the growth in the industry.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 MONDAY JULY 9, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS the Caribbean Utilities Company subsidiary that manages the territory’s telephone poles. DataLink is challenging a 2017 de- cision by OfReg that pro- hibits it from charging telecoms companies fees to reserve unused space on its telephone poles, which the companies need in order to expand their fiber-optic cable networks. The judicial review hearing for that case was held last month, but a judgment has not been made yet. OfReg stated in its report that the ex- pected cost of the legal dispute is about $250,000, though some of that may be mitigated if the regu- lator wins the case. OfReg also spent $234,233 on travel-re- lated activities last year, which was nearly double what was budgeted; and $304,630 on “other operating expenses,” which was $49,997 more than budgeted. These expenses as well as revenue shortfalls con- tributed to a nearly $1.5 million operating deficit by OfReg in 2017. OfReg officials have also stated that the office has been underfunded since it was created last year as a con- solidation of the Informa- tion and Communications Technology Authority, the Water Authority, the former Electricity Regu- latory Authority and some functions of the former Petroleum Inspectorate. In May, OfReg had to ask central government for a $1 million cash in- jection to address its budget shortfall. materializes. The sculpture is built on an armature of lumber donated by the construction company, NCB Group. The body is black lawn bags filled with trash, while the ears and tusks are of single-use containers such as water and juice bottles. Mr. Lee said Kerwin Ebanks as- sisted him in creating the piece. Half the trash came from Plastic Free Cayman, Mr. Lee said. The rest was from mate- rial he either picked up him- self or from the recycling col- lection containers stationed at the island’s supermarkets and Camana Bay. “We had four bags we went dumpster diving for,” he said. Mr. Lee said he’s gotten plenty of comments from people who have seen the elephant. “People are asking what is it about,” he said. “Some people get it. Some people call it Cayman’s trash elephant and people are getting the mes- sage.” He’d like to see Cayman set an example to other island communities in the way it han- dles its refuse. “We do have a trash problem,” said Mr. Lee. “We bag up all our trash and that’s it. We have trash washing up on our beaches. We need to recycle more.” Anyone with a prospective space for the sculpture can contact Mr. Lee at 924-6246. Beach, bus robbery A Cayman resident was beaten, stabbed and robbed by three robbers early Sat- urday as he walked along West Bay Road. Police said the man was attacked just after midnight near the West Bay Cemetery by suspects wielding a baton and a knife. He was struck with the baton and stabbed in the foot, police said. “The culprits tied the man up on the beach before making off with a backpack containing personal items,” an RCIPS statement on the incident read. The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life threat- ening injuries and some of his belongings were recovered by police during searches of the area later Saturday morning. About an hour after the Al La Kebab robbery Saturday, a public bus driver was held up early Sunday morning at the George Town Bus Terminal next to the downtown library. Police said a man with a handgun walked up to the parked bus around 12:40 a.m. and demanded cash from the driver and occupants of the vehicle. Typically, buses at the terminal wait there for pas- sengers to come along and will depart the terminal once the bus is filled. After taking some cash, the armed suspect fled in the direction of Mary Street. No shots were fired and no one was hurt. ‘Elephant’ suddenly appears in Cayman CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 OfReg spends $1M on consultants CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Three nights, four armed robberies CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Firearms were used in at least three of the cases and in the fourth, the victim was beaten and stabbed. Colombian protesters demand end to wave of activist killings BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) – Thousands of Colombians gathered in cities across the country Friday night to de- mand an end to a wave of ac- tivist killings that threatens to undermine a fragile peace process. Demonstrators holding candles filled Bogota’s main Plaza Bolivar to draw atten- tion to the 311 leftists and human rights defenders that authorities say have been killed since 2016, the year the government signed a landmark peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The gatherings in almost 50 cities came a little more than two weeks after Ivan Duque was elected Colom- bia’s president, and the con- servative politician’s pledge to roll back parts of the ac- cord was on many pro- testers’ minds. “A lot of us are worried that with the change of gov- ernment the progress in terms of human rights and the peace deal is at risk,” Chris Duarte said as she col- lected handwritten letters of support that she intends to deliver to activists in high- risk rural areas where the vast majority of the killings have taken place. The protests were or- ganized hastily over social media following an especially bloody week in which at least four activists were slain, in- cluding a campaign workerer for Gustavo Petro, Duque’s leftist rival in the polarizing presidential race. Ana Maria Cortes died Tuesday when an unidenti- fied gunman opened fire at her at a coffee shop just a few steps from a police station in the western town of Caceres. Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas further alarmed many people by claiming, without offering any evidence, that Cortes might have been linked to Colombia’s biggest drug-traf- ficking organization. “This is a sad mistake,” Adam Isacson, a Colombia expert at the Washington Of- fice on Latin America, said of Villegas’ comments. He said that instead of publishing information on victims, authorities should focus on the killers and those who fund and direct them. Petro said that Cortes had denounced the town’s mayor for corruption and that she and other campaign workers were targeted with insults and threats by the local police chief. While homicides in Co- lombia fell to the lowest level in four decades in 2017, ac- tivists tied to causes like peasant land rights and the environment are increasingly under threat, especially in re- mote areas where drug-traf- ficking gangs and dissident rebel groups are operating. Many of those gathered Friday said they feared a re- turn to the campaign of ex- termination that followed a previous attempt at peace with the FARC in the 1980s. Thousands of former guer- rillas, communist militants and trade unionists were gunned down by paramili- tary death squads, some- times in collaboration with state security forces. Outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos, the archi- tect of the peace deal, has boosted resources to investi- gate the killings and punish those responsible. The chief prosecutor’s office says it has identified the perpetra- tors in half of the 178 slay- ings of social leaders that it has registered since 2016 and made 184 arrests. But the killings continue – on average one every three days, according to the gov- ernment’s top human rights official. Duque joined Santos and the United Nations in condemning the killings. “I don’t accept that any Colombia undergo threats because of their political thinking, race or personal be- liefs,” the president-elect said from Spain. “I want a country where the law shines and all Colombians feel protected.” Jonathan Melo, a govern- ment employee, said he is tired of politicians’ promises and worries the opportunity to end decades of civil con- flict could be squandered, given that some of Duque’s allies have vowed to tear the peace accord to shreds. “It’s been a year and a half since authorities started warning about this problem,” Melo said at a demonstration in Bogota’s wealthier north, “and so far the killings are still taking place.” Demonstrators holding candles filled Bogota’s main Plaza Bolivar to draw attention to the 311 leftists and human rights defenders that authorities say have been killed since 2016. Demonstrators hold up candles during a candlelight vigil Friday for slain activists who have been killed since the signing of the 2016 peace accords in Bogota, Colombia. – PHOTO: APThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 9, 2018 Dutch carrier KLM halting flights to Iran Dutch airline KLM announced Saturday it will halt flights to Tehran ‘as a result of the negative results and financial outlook’ following the U.S. withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear accord. KLM ceased flights to Tehran in 2013, resuming them in 2016 after the nuclear deal was signed. 4 rescued from Thai cave in risky operation; 9 still trapped Death toll climbs to 76 as heavy rains hammer southern Japan HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) – Searches continued Sunday night for victims of heavy rainfall that hammered southern Japan for the third straight day, as the government put the death toll at 48, with 28 others presumed dead. Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the whereabouts of 92 other people were unknown, mostly in the southern area of Hiroshima prefec- ture. More than 100 reports of casualties had been re- ceived, such as cars being swept away, he said. Some 40 helicopters were out on rescue missions. “Rescue efforts are a battle with time,” Prime Min- ister Shinzo Abe told re- porters. “The rescue teams are doing their utmost.” The Japan Meteorological Agency said three hours of rainfall in one area in Kochi prefecture reached an ac- cumulated 10.4 inches, the highest since such records started in 1976. The assessment of casu- alties has been difficult be- cause of the widespread area affected by the rainfall, flooding and landslides. Au- thorities warned that land- slides could strike even after rain subsides as the calamity shaped up to be potentially the worst in decades. In Hiroshima prefecture, water streamed through a residential area, strewn with fallen telephone poles, up- rooted trees and mud. Some homes were smashed. A woman who was re- ported as missing after get- ting trapped in her car was found but was pronounced dead, Kyodo news service re- ported. In another area in Hiroshima, 12 people went missing when a residen- tial area got sucked into a landslide, and one body was later found. Kochi prefecture, on Shi- koku, issued landslide warn- ings almost over the entire is- land. Public broadcaster NHK TV showed overturned cars on roads covered with mud. A convenience store worker, who had fled to a nearby rooftop, said water had reached as high as his head. The Japanese govern- ment set up an emergency office, designed for crises such as major earthquakes. Military paddle boats were also being used to take people to dry land. OKama prefecture said in a statement that four people had died, eight others were missing and 11 were injured, at least one of them seriously. Seven homes were destroyed, dozens more were dam- aged, while more than 570 were flooded. Kyodo reported several deaths in a landslide in Hi- roshima and more bodies were retrieved from collapsed housing in the ancient capital of Kyoto, both areas where the rainfall was heavy in the past few days. Throughout the hard- hit areas, rivers swelled and parked cars sat in pools of water. Japan has sent troops, firefighters, police and other disaster relief. People have also taken to social media to plead for help. MAE SAI, Thailand (AP) – Res- cuers in northern Thailand on Sunday extracted four members of a youth soccer team from the cave where they had been trapped for more than two weeks, part of an ongoing operation to rescue the 12 boys and their coach. The head of the opera- tion said it was going “better than expected.” The operation to rescue the boys, ages 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach by having them dive out of the flooded cave began Sunday morning, with expert divers entering the sprawling com- plex for the complicated and dangerous mission. Shortly before 8 p.m., Thai navy SEALs, who are taking part in the rescue opera- tion, reported on their official Facebook page that four had been rescued. Chiang Rai acting Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn, who is heading the operation, said the four boys had been taken to a hospital. “The operation went much better than expected,” Narongsak said at a news conference, adding that the healthiest were taken out first. He said the next phase of the operation would start in 10-20 hours. The entire operation to rescue all 13 could last two to four days, depending on weather and water condi- tions, said army Maj. Gen. Chalongchai Chaiyakam. Just after 9 p.m., Thai navy SEALs posted on their Facebook page again, saying: “Have sweet dreams ev- eryone. Good night. Hooyah.” Narongsak said earlier in the day that 13 foreign and five Thai divers were taking part in the rescue and that two divers would accompany each boy as they are gradu- ally extracted. The only way to bring the boys and their coach out of the cave is by navigating dark and tight passageways filled with muddy water and strong currents, as well as oxygen- depleted air. A former Thai navy SEAL passed out and died making the dive Friday. Experienced cave rescue experts consider an under- water escape a last resort, especially with people un- trained in diving, as the boys are. The path out is consid- ered especially complicated because of twists and turns in narrow flooded passages. But Narongsak said ear- lier that mild weather and falling water levels over the last few days had created op- timal conditions for an un- derwater evacuation that will not last if it rains again. Before announcing that the rescue was under way, authorities ordered the throngs of media that have gathered at the cave from around the world to leave. The boys and their coach became stranded when they went exploring in the cave after a practice game June 23. Monsoon flooding cut off their escape and prevented rescuers from finding them for almost 10 days. The ordeal has riveted Thailand and made global headlines, and the search and rescue operation has in- volved international experts and rescuers. President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Sunday: “The U.S. is working very closely with the Government of Thailand to help get all of the children out of the cave and to safety. Very brave and talented people!” Authorities had said that incoming monsoon rains that could send water levels in the cave rising, coupled with falling oxygen levels in the enclosed space, added to the urgency of getting those trapped out. Earlier efforts to pump out water from the cave have been set back every time there has been a heavy downpour. Narongsak said Saturday that experts told him water from new rain could shrink the unflooded space where the boys are sheltering to just 108 square feet. “I confirm that we are at war with water and time from the first day up to today,” he said Saturday. “Finding the boys doesn’t mean we’ve finished our mis- sion. It is only a small battle we’ve won, but the war has not ended. The war ends when we win all three battles – the battles to search, rescue and send them home.” The boys sounded calm and reassuring in hand- written notes to their fami- lies that were made public Saturday. The notes were sent out with divers who made an 11-hour, back-and-forth journey to act as postmen. One of the boys, iden- tified as Tun, wrote: “Mom and Dad, please don’t worry, I am fine. I’ve told Yod to get ready to take me out for fried chicken. With love.” “Don’t be worried, I miss everyone. Grandpa, Uncle, Mom, Dad and siblings, I love you all. I’m happy being here inside, the navy SEALS have taken good care. Love you all,” wrote Mick. “Night loves Dad and Mom and brother, don’t worry about me. Night loves you all,” wrote Night, in the Thai manner of referring to one’s self in the third person. The most touching note came from one whose name was not clear: “I’m doing fine, but the air is a little cold, but don’t worry. Although, don’t forget to set up my birthday party.” Another, of indistinct or- igin, asked their teacher not to give them a lot of homework. In a letter of his own, the coach, Ekapol Chanthawong, apologized to the boys’ par- ents for the ordeal. “To the parents of all the kids, right now the kids are all fine, the crew are taking good care. I promise I will care for the kids as best as possible. I want to say thanks for all the support and I want to apologize to the par- ents,” he wrote. An update Saturday from the Thai navy said three navy SEALs were with the boys and their coach, one a doctor. The 13 were having health evaluations and rehabilita- tion, and were being taught diving skills. Food, electro- lyte drinks, drinking water, medicine and oxygen canis- ters have been delivered to them. A major concern of the rescuers is that oxygen levels in their safe space could fall dangerously low. A road is damaged by flood water Sunday following heavy rain in Kurashiki city, southwestern Japan. – PHOTO: AP An ambulance leaves the cave entrance Sunday, hours after an operation began to rescue a group of trapped youth soccer players and their coach, in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand. – PHOTO: APNext >