ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY JULY 30, 2018 6 Opposition questions ‘fairness’ of Gov. Choudhury investigation ANOTHER MONTH, ANOTHER RECORD AS TOURISM GROWTH CONTINUES Boat enthusiasts cruise at Harbour House Marina The 14th annual Harbour House Marina Boat Show took place on Saturday, bringing a crowd of interested onlookers to admire three new Sea Ray and Boston Whaler models on display for the first time in Grand Cayman. The yearly event aims to show off the latest accessories, technology and mechanical services for boating fans. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com More than 1.3 million tourists arrived in the Cayman Islands by air and sea in the first six months of 2018, blitzing previous records. The total represents a 20-percent increase on the same period last year. The more lucrative stay-over market saw a surge in arrivals in the first half of the year with more than 250,000 tourists touching down on the islands – a 16-percent increase on last year. The figure potentially puts Cayman on course to break the barrier of half-a-mil- lion air arrivals for the first time by the end of the year. Ships diverted to the island from schedules in the eastern Caribbean, where the tourism industry is still recovering from the impact of hurricanes last year, helped Cayman’s cruise arrival figures tip the one-million mark in the first six months of the year. A similar perfor- mance in the second half of the year would mean an annual record for cruise arrivals. Department of Tourism officials say the is- land has welcomed a total of 215,000 more visitors than in the first part of last year. They estimate that those additional passengers have brought at least $45 million extra to the economy in spending. Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said the island had now seen 15 consecutive months of tourism growth. He added: “I am very pleased that tourism performance in the Cayman Islands is registering consistent growth and continues to outpace projections. By applying the right BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands Opposition Leader Ez- zard Miller has questioned whether the public spokesperson in the investigation of with- drawn Governor Anwar Choudhury – Head of the Governor’s Office Matthew Forbes – is the same person who filed complaints against the absent governor. The issue, raised in a July 27 memo to Acting Governor Franz Manderson, is one that many in the Cayman public service have raised privately since the Cayman Compass reported that staff complaints had been filed with the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Of- fice against Mr. Choudury, causing him to be “temporarily withdrawn” after just two-and-a- half months in office. The foreign office has confirmed, following an open records request made by the Compass, that it has received complaints from the Gov- ernor’s Office staff, but it declined to release those complaints citing privacy concerns. In his July 27 memo to Mr. Manderson, Mr. Miller notes that an attempt by the acting gov- ernor and Mr. Forbes to quell community con- cerns via a “letter to the editor” to local media outlets sent on July 26 had done the opposite. “If indeed the ‘Head of the Governor’s Of- fice’ is also the chief complainer, the signing of the [July 26] letter would amount to a one- upmanship over [Mr. Choudhury] that would all but concede that the complainer was jus- tified,” Mr. Miller wrote. “This would fly in the face of your letter’s assertion that the foreign and commonwealth office was committed to an ‘investigation … that is fair to all.’” “In the larger picture, this whole spectacle, as underscored in your letter, creates further alienation in U.K./Cayman relations and trust.” Mr. Manderson and Mr. Forbes were asked to comment on the claims made in Mr. Mill- er’s memo. The acting governor said Saturday that he and Mr. Forbes had no further com- ment beyond their July 26 letter to the editor. Governor Choudhury, who arrived in Milestone reached with release of blue iguana The blue iguana odometer has turned over. The National Trust of the Cayman Is- lands announced Friday that it has re- leased its 1,000th blue iguana into the wild. That specimen, named Renegade, was let go last Monday into Colliers Wil- derness Reserve and marked a milestone in the return of Cayman’s endemic spe- cies from the brink of extinction. Renegade, like the other blue iguanas that have been released into the wild, was microchipped and fitted with colorful bead markings for future identification purposes. Renegade was one of 10 iguanas released last week, and the Blue Iguana Recovery Program plans 50 more this year. The blue iguana was considered func- tionally extinct in the wild as recently as 2005, but the captive breeding pro- gram at the Queen Elizabeth II Bo- tanic Park has given the species a chance to rebound. At this point, the Blue Iguana Re- covery Program is looking to continue its sustained releases and to focus more on monitoring the population in the wild. There has been mounting evidence that the blue iguanas are actively breeding in the wild, but it is uncertain how many there are in the wilderness reserve. The blue iguana remains on the endan- gered list, and the Blue Iguana Recovery Program is seeking funds to ensure it can maintain the genetic diversity necessary to keep the species thriving. People interested in donating to the program or sponsoring and naming an individual iguana can visit www.nationaltrust.org.ky or call 749-1121. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 »2 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY JULY 30, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The number of Indian na- tionals holding work permits in the Cayman Islands has increased by 26 percent in just the past two years, ac- cording to Immigration De- partment data reviewed by the Cayman Compass. The number of Filipino na- tionals holding work permits here also increased substan- tially – by about 17 percent – during the same period. Meanwhile, the number of expatriate workers from North America and the U.K. steadily decreased between July 2016 and this month, with American ex- pats leading the way – their work permit numbers fell by 16 percent. During 2018, the number of Indian work permit holders surpassed the number of Americans permitted to work in the islands for the first time, according to records re- viewed by the Compass. There may be some anec- dotal local evidence for why the demographics of Cay- man’s expatriate popula- tion has shifted away from North Americans, in par- ticular, and more toward workers from the Asian con- tinent. The establishment of Health City Cayman Islands in 2014, for example – often referred to locally as “the Shetty hospital” because of its founder, Dr. Devi Shetty of India – has brought a signif- icant number of south Asian workers to Cayman. The number of Filipino workers has also seen a steady increase in Cayman since the early 2000s, their work permit numbers overtaking every other foreign nationality here apart from Jamaicans, Cayman’s next- door Caribbean neighbor. However, the increase of Asian expatriate workers since the turn of the cen- tury is a global trend and has been noted by business management firms, like U.K.- based Employment Condi- tions Abroad Ltd., which sur- veyed the topic in 2016. “We found that sending employees to work overseas was more popular than ever before,” the ECA study noted, “but that there had also been some significant changes to the demographics. “Asia was just as likely to be a source of expatri- ates as Western Europe and North America.” The ECA survey looked at what was considered to the be “typical” expatriate em- ployee during the end of the 20th century compared to what an expat worker looked like in 2016. One thing had not changed in almost 20 years: the vast majority of ex- patriate workers were men between ages 35 and 50. However, those men circa 1999 were usually North American or European workers accompanied to the foreign jurisdictions by their families. By 2016, the split was just about even, with expat workers just as likely to come from Asian as from “western” countries. The 2016 version of the expat was also far less likely to be trav- eling with family in tow and also less likely to be given a longer-term contract. “There had been a major shift away from one-off, three year assignments to shorter term and commuter assignments with fewer being accompanied by fam- ilies,” the ECA survey find- ings noted. “We saw com- panies increasingly utilize international assignments as career and talent develop- ment programs.” Despite the significant increase in Filipino and In- dian workers over the past two years in Cayman, the islands have not seen large numbers of workers from other Asian countries that have flocked to jobs in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and elsewhere in the Ca- ribbean. Chinese nationals held 39 work permits here in July 2018, Japanese workers seven permits and South Ko- reans just two. Smaller Asian coun- tries like Nepal (295 per- mits) and Sri Lanka (124) have far more expatriate workers in Cayman. Also, the decrease in Amer- icans, Canadians and British work permit holders might not mean those individuals are no longer on the islands. Some of those residents may have remained in Cayman long enough to obtain perma- nent residence or even Cay- manian status, which means they would no longer be in- cluded on the work permit lists maintained by the Immi- gration Department. As of July 2018, the Im- migration Department listed 25,620 work permits ac- tive in the Cayman Islands, including non-Caymanian workers here on government contracts. However, those figures do not include per- manent resident non-Cay- manians or non-Caymanian spouses of Caymanians. • 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) MISSION : IMPOSSIBLE FALLOUT (PG13) 12:30 VIP I 1:00 3D I 3:45 VIP I 4:15 7:00 VIP I 7:30 3D THE EQUALIZER 2 (R) 1:15 I 4:25 I 6:35 I 9:30 HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3 (PG) 1:35 I 6:45 INCREDIBLES 2 (PG) 4:00 I 9:10 BLINDSPOTTING (R) 7:20 I 9:40 MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN (PG13) 1:00 I 3:40 I 7:25 I 10:00 SKYSCRAPER (PG13) 1:50 3D I 4:10 I 10:10 VIP Dr. Wayne R. Porter MD F.A.A.D. Dermatologist call : 946-9020 between 9am to 5pm Dees Plaza #282 on Crewe Road, GT He will be in office from July 30th - August 4th, 2018 Reshaping of Dart’s coastal land progresses JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Bulldozers are sculpting and reshaping a large area of land bordering Seven Mile Beach as the Dart group makes headway on a se- ries of projects. The developer was re- cently granted approval for a $1.5 million water sports center next to Tiki Beach, which will provide a home for Red Sail Sports. The res- taurant itself has been ab- sorbed into the neighboring Kimpton Seafire resort and is being renovated and used as an events venue. Significant work is also taking place on a network of vehicle, pedestrian and cycle paths to create access through Dart’s properties to the beach. A section of the old West Bay Road, transferred to Dart as part of the deal that led to the construction of the hotel and bypass road, has closed and is being transformed into a landscaped path. Meanwhile, prepara- tions are continuing on the neighboring plot of land to shape the site that will host the KAABOO music festival early next year. Part of Raleigh Quay, the road that intersects the Kimpton and the festival site is being redeveloped, and will serve as an access road to an expanded parking area in front of Tiki Beach and the new Red Sail Sports facility. A 24-foot beach access path will allow pedestrian and vehicle access to Seven Mile Beach in the same location. Separate parking areas are also planned on the op- posite side of the event site and across the Esterley Tib- betts Highway. Some of the work now taking place, including the clo- sure of a larger stretch of the old West Bay Road, has been planned since Dart agreed on a land-swap deal with govern- ment as part of the National Roads Authority agreement. Work has accelerated in preparation for KAABOO and in an effort to upgrade the facilities and accesses around the Kimpton. The Central Planning Au- thority approved an appli- cation in May for utilities and parking infrastructure, including space for nearly 2,000 vehicles and two secu- rity huts for the festival site. Last month, multiple ap- plications were approved for the water sports center, the renovation of Tiki Beach and the beach access path. In its submission to the CPA, Dart wrote that the works comprised a “com- prehensive design solu- tion” to enhance the experi- ence of visitors and tourists in and around the Kimpton Seafire resort. “The various components support the resort’s con- tinued success as Grand Cay- man’s newest luxury resort while improving the access and public enjoyment of the surrounding beach area.” Dart is preparing the festival site that will host the KAABOO music event next year.Work is taking place on a series of projects on land close to the Kimpton. - PHOTOS: JAMES WHITTAKER Work permit numbers: Cayman’s expatriate population changing MOST FOREIGN NATIONALS HOLDING CAYMAN ISLANDS WORK PERMITS July 2016 1. Jamaicans 9,973 2.Filipinos3,086 3.British1,957 4.Americans1,388 5.Canadians1,233 6.Hondurans977 7.Indians925 July 2018 1.Jamaicans10,924 2. Filipinos 3,626 3.British1,798 4.Indians1,168 5. Americans 1,165 6.Canadians1,143 7.Hondurans1,0703 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 30, 2018 North Side meeting highlights burglaries Best police tip – know your officer CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Anyone who reports an in- cident to the police has the right to receive updates on that report, Commissioner of Police Derek Byrne said Thursday night during a public meeting at the Crad- dock Ebanks Civic Centre in North Side. The best way to ensure getting those updates is to know the name of the officer who took the report. “You’re entitled to know,” Mr. Byrne assured his au- dience while responding to one person with a particular complaint. The officer who responds to the report of a suspected crime is respon- sible for following through; he or she is accountable for his or her actions or inac- tions, he said. “If he or she is not doing the job, let me know,” he said. The specific complaint was that property had been stolen from a man’s boat the previous weekend while he was at Kaibo with friends. He said police attended and took a report, but then nothing happened. Before the public meeting, the man had spoken to Kaibo’s manager, who asked him when police were coming to look at the CCTV on site. Mr. Byrne said it was the function of the officer to seize the CCTV at the first oppor- tunity: “If there’s a failure, we need to deal with it.” The commissioner of- fered to set up a face-to- face meeting with the com- plainant and the officer to get to the bottom of the problem. Reported incidents are placed in a Record Manage- ment System known as RMS and assigned numbers. The person who makes a report can ask for the RMS number and can inquire about up- dates, he said. Inspector Winsome Pren- dergast, area commander for the eastern districts, added that officers who take reports can request assistance from specialists within the po- lice department. Mr. Byrne noted: “We should be able to copy footage from your [CCTV] system pretty quickly.” His remark was during a discussion of residen- tial burglaries. Ms. Prend- ergast began that portion of the meeting by reporting sta- tistics for the district. Be- tween Jan. 1 and July 23, 2018, there were 20 reported burglaries in North Side and seven attempted burglaries. In about 90 percent of the in- cidents, there was no forced entry, she said. Challenged on that point, she explained that when the crime scene officers go to the premises, they cannot say that locks were tampered with. She sug- gested that property man- agers brief guests about se- curity and advised having dead bolt locks on doors. Some of the difficulties in solving burglaries are be- cause there were no eyewit- nesses, no CCTV, no sign of forced entry. Another factor was guests who leave the island without cooper- ating with police. Mr. Byrne identified 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. as the time a lot of the break-ins had occurred. He warned about the recent “spree” of breaking into ve- hicles and expressed some frustration that police were not getting information from the community about who was handling stolen goods. District MLA Ezzard Miller said there had been instances of private secu- rity companies not giving ac- cess to cameras. Ms. Prendergast pointed out that a camera on one per- son’s property could capture what happened on a neigh- bor’s property. For the district bur- glaries this year to date, she said three suspects had been identified, but there have been no convictions yet. “Most of the problems today stem from crimes committed by our young people. Many of them have no regard for the law,” Ms. Prendergast said. She re- ferred to the adage older generations knew – that it takes a community to raise a child. “Where has that gone?” she asked. “We need to get that back.” People who live in a com- munity must own that com- munity – know their neigh- bors and have fellowship together, she urged. She said police were en- couraging the formation of neighborhood watch pro- grams, increasing visible patrols in the district and identifying “hot spots” that warrant particular atten- tion. There are plans to have the North Side Police Station open during certain hours in the near future, she said. Cyclist hit by vehicle on Cayman Brac A female bicyclist is in critical condition at Health City Hospital after being struck by a car Thursday evening on Cayman Brac, according to police. The accident took place just after 8:30 p.m. The unidentified woman was riding against traffic on Gerrard Smith Avenue, when she was struck by a white Hyundai H1, police officials said. After receiving emer- gency treatment at Faith Hospital, police said, the woman, a Brac resident, was airlifted to Grand Cayman and taken to Health City around 5 a.m. The driver of the Hyundai H1 did not receive any injuries. The collision is under police investigation. A spokesperson for the Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice Service said Sunday that the cyclist was still in critical, life-threatening condition and will re- main in the hospital until further notice. Police officers take the stage in North Side on Thursday night. From left, Commissioner Derek Byrne, Inspector Courtney Myles, Sergeant Davis Scott, North Side police constables Davison Crichlow and Brenda Chery, Inspector Winsome Prendergast, and Police Detective Wanda Nixon. - PHOTO: CAROL WINKER OFFICERS RESPOND TO AGGRAVATED BURGLARY Officers responded to a report of an aggravated bur- glary off Crewe Road just after 1:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Two suspects en- tered a home on Palm Dale and demanded money from the residents. One of the al- leged burglars appeared to be carrying a gun. Both sus- pects had their faces covered. One of the suspects has been described as short and slim, while the other was tall and large built. The tall man is the one who is al- leged to have been car- rying the gun. The two men threatened the resi- dents and made off a with a quantity of cash, but none of the victims were injured. The matter is cur- rently under investigation by the police. Anyone with information about the burglary can call police at 949-4222. POLICE RESPOND TO LATE NIGHT ROBBERY Police and other emer- gency services responded just after 11:20 p.m. Thursday night to a report about a man who had been biking home from work when he was robbed by three men. One of the assailants al- legedly hid behind a con- tainer at a construction site on South Church Street near Thompson Way be- fore emerging and hit- ting the victim on the back of his head. The victim fell off his bike, and another man who was carrying a knife took a number of personal items and threatened to stab him. The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment and later released. One suspect has been described as tall, clad in a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants and wearing a face covering. Another suspect was described as short, wearing a white ma- rina and black shorts and also wearing a cover on his face. There was no de- scription provided for the third suspect. The incident is currently being investigated by police. People with information can contact George Town CID at 949-4222, and they submit a tip anonymously directly to police at www.rcips. ky/submit-a-tip or through Crime Stoppers at 800-8477 or online at www.crimestoppers.ky/home.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 Lawmakers will consider a request to allow members of the Anti-Corruption Commission to carry Tasers, police batons and pepper spray. Does Cayman really need this expanding “arms race”? Proposed amendments to the Anti-Corruption Law would allow the governor to empower the chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission to equip investi- gators with the non-lethal weapons, body armor and restraints, and to set the conditions for their use. Advocates of the bill say the change will safeguard the officers’ safety in potentially dangerous situations. A better and safer alternative for these quasi-law enforcement agents may well be to call in the real police for “backup” if they suspect a situation may get out of hand. Anti-Corruption investigators have similar duties and the same powers of arrest as officers with the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. The main dif- ference, of course, is that the scope of anti-corrup- tion investigators’ activities is limited to suspected violations of Cayman’s Anti-Corruption Law. Gen- erally, we think of these offenses as “white collar crimes,” not violent crimes that take place in night club parking lots near closing time. Before 2016, Royal Cayman Islands Police Service officers assisted the anti-corruption unit with their investigations. Since that time, the unit has been authorized to hire its own investigators – and six cur- rently work for the team. They are unarmed, which is something Deborah Bodden, head of the commis- sions secretariat which manages the commission, wants to change. “It is simply about affording investigators the same health and safety protections that their counterparts in other entities, such as the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, are afforded,” Ms. Bodden said. Questions for Ms. Bodden: What is the evidence to date to support this request? Are there incidents unknown to the general public that suggest ACC officers are, or have been, in danger? Who are these officers? What are their backgrounds? What levels of training have they received? There are many agencies in Cayman – perhaps too many – with similar powers of arrest which could make a similar argument: Immigration, Customs, Department of Environment, the Port Authority … Imagine, a Taser in the hand of every government employee tasked with chasing down poachers, litterers, merchants of language proficiency test cheat sheets and other assorted scofflaws whose transgressions are punished by these quasi-law enforcement agencies. We must be careful here: Tensions can run high in nearly any confrontation, and adding weapons – even nonlethal weapons – to the mix raises, not lowers, emotional temperatures. It also places an added burden on investigators, who must make difficult, real-time decisions about the appropriate use of force, even while carrying out their intended duties. Our view is that force should left in the hands only of highly trained, highly accountable, and strongly reg- ulated professionals. If, in the course of their investiga- tions, anti-corruption agents encounter individuals who pose realistic threats to society, or specifically to the officers tasked with apprehending them, they should call for the assistance of the RCIPS. Too many policing agencies with arrest powers and weapons sound to us like a recipe not for law and order but more likely for trouble and lawsuits. – EDITORIAL – Don’t answer the latest ‘call to arms’ 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” MONDAY JULY 30, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Protectionism proves that evidence is unpersuasive WASHINGTON – If you are not collateral damage in the es- calating trade wars, the bul- letins from the wars’ multi- plying fronts are hilarious reading. You are collateral damage only if you are a manufacturer, farmer or con- sumer, so relax and enjoy the following reports. Whirlpool, which makes washing machines and de- mands for government pro- tection, wheedled Wash- ington into imposing tariffs on, and quotas for, imported machines. Unfortunately for Whirlpool, American steel and aluminum makers horned in on the protectionist fun, getting tariffs – taxes paid by Americans – imposed on imports of those materials that, The Wall Street Journal says, account for most of the weight of 200-pound washing machines. And for part of the decline in Whirlpool’s share price. And for declining de- mand for appliances, the prices of which have risen as protectionism increases manufacturing costs and de- creases competition. Citing the threat to Amer- ica’s “national security” from American consumers (they caused 2017’s imports of $192 billion worth of cars, 44 percent of all cars sold in America), the administration contemplates imposing tar- iffs on cars. USA Today esti- mates that the tariffs would add $4,000 to $5,000 to the price of a car (average price: about $32,000). U.S. auto man- ufacturers oppose the tariffs, which would also cover ve- hicle components, $147 billion of which were imported last year for cars made in America by Americans and sold mostly to Americans. General Motors’ supply chain includes 20,000 busi- nesses worldwide. Of the seven “most American” car models, measured by the value of domestically made components, four are Hondas, three models made in Ala- bama and one made in Ohio. The number of 2018 models whose parts are all American or Canadian: 0. However, the hundreds of thousands of Americans employed by Japanese auto- makers have less to fear than other American autoworkers do from the American govern- ment’s fears about American consumers’ threat to Amer- ica’s security. China, retali- ating against new U.S. tar- iffs on Chinese products, has raised to 40 percent the tariffs on imports of American-made autos. These include BMWs (87,600 of the 385,900 made in South Carolina in 2017 were exported to China) and Mer- cedes (The Wall Street Journal reports that two-thirds of the approximately 300,000 ve- hicles made in Alabama are exported worldwide). The New York Times reports that BMW has stopped exporting the X3 crossover from South Carolina to China, shifting production of it to plants in China and South Africa. Volvo, formerly Swedish but now Chinese-owned, just opened a $1.1 billion South Carolina plant that currently employs 1,200. Volvo has planned to increase employ- ment to 4,000, with half the workers building cars for ex- port, especially to the world’s largest auto market, China. (In 2018’s second quarter, GM sold 758,000 vehicles in America, 858,344 in China.) So, under current policies, China will impose a 40 per- cent tax on imports made by a Chinese-owned company. Last year, soybeans were $12.4 billion of Ameri- ca’s $19.6 billion in agricul- tural exports to China, which might impose a 25 percent tariff on soybeans. The Wall Street Journal reports that University of Illinois and Ohio State University researchers estimate that over four years this “would result in an av- erage 87 percent decline in income for a midsize Illi- nois grain farm.” The caroms of trade ag- gressions and retaliations call to mind an experi- ence Gulliver had when his travels took him to the grand academy of Lagado. There he met a man who had worked “eight years upon a project for extracting sunbeams out of cucumbers, which were to be put in phials hermetically sealed, and let out to warm the air in raw inclement sum- mers.” To those who say that this is as plausible as trying to produce prosperity with protectionism – correctly lik- ened to pursuing wealth by blockading one’s own ports – today’s trade war- riors respond: Have patience. Given sufficient time, protec- tionism will pay. But as the comedian Steven Wright says, ev- erywhere is walking dis- tance if you have the time. Speaking of time: In the 1830s, a Baptist preacher predicted Jesus would return to Earth some- time between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844. When the world persisted, its end was re-predicted by the preacher’s followers for Oct. 22, 1844. Between March and October, the number of believers in- creased substantially. Despite their great disappointment on Oct. 23, many followers held to their beliefs and went on to found the Seventh-day Adven- tist Church. The lesson from this story, as from the pro- tectionists’ sunbeams-from- cucumbers economics, is fa- miliar: The persuasive power of evidence is overrated. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2018, Washington Post Writers Group GEORGE F. WILL The caroms of trade aggressions and retaliations call to mind an experience Gulliver had when his travels took him to the grand academy of Lagado. 5 LOCAL&REGIONAL gets on the ballot, though that has not stopped him and supporters from cam- paigning. Brazil’s Clean Slate law prohibits a convict whose appeal has been up- held from running for office. Earlier this month, it briefly looked like da Silva might be freed when a lower court judge repeatedly ordered his release – only to be overruled each time. “An election without Lula would be fraudulent,” said 56-year-old doorman Adelson Pereira. Da Silva’s supporters, including big names in the Brazilian art scene, re- main determined to get his name on the ballot. Nostalgic for the social programs and booming economy of his presi- dency, they stage protests, sign petitions or orga- nize concerts. “In Brazil, there is a tra- dition of many famous art- ists supporting left-leaning causes,” said Ricardo Cravo Albin, one of Brazil’s most important musicologists. The researcher believes Chico Buarque plays a cru- cial role in getting the sup- port da Silva receives in the artistic community. “Chico Buarque’s leader- ship is undeniable. He’s one of the most respected art- ists in the country,” Cravo Albin explained. “So if he urges other mu- sicians to show their sup- port for Lula, they’re more likely to join in.” CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 30, 2018 NOTICE THE DORMANT ACCOUNTS (FORMS) (AMENDMENT) REGULATION LAW, 2010 (Section 6) Name of financial institution/Number of financial institution: Venezolano de Credito, S.A., Banco Universal (Cayman Branch) / License No. 97027 Address of financial institution: C/O VBT Bank & Trust, Ltd. – P.O. Box 454 - The Harbour Centre, 2nd Floor, 42 North Church Street. George Town. Grand Cayman KY1-1106. Cayman Islands. Change of name, if any, of the financial institution: None The public is hereby given notice that Venezolano de Credito, S.A., Banco Universal (Cayman Branch) hold the following dormant account: Account NumberThe date account was opened 01040001548010024170September 27, 2000 The public is also hereby given notice of the following: Unless one or more of the following transactions are effected on a dormant account listed above on or before 31st December next following, the monies in the dormant account will be transferred to the general revenue of the Islands without further notice: • Increase or decrease the amount held in the financial institution¹; • Present the passbook or other record for the crediting of interest or dividends in respect of the items enumerated in section 4(6)(a) and (b) of the Dormant Account Law, 2010; • Correspond in writing with the financial institution concerning the monies; • In the case of a trust, make a claim under the trust; or • Otherwise indicate an interest in the monies as evidenced by a memorandum concerning the monies written by the financial institution. Subject to the Dormant Accounts Law, 2010, on the transfer of the monies in the dormant account to the general revenue of the Islands, the dormant account holder will no longer have any right against the financial institution to repayment of the monies transferred, but the dormant account holder will have against the Government such right to repayment of the monies transferred that the dormant account holder would have had against the financial institution. Any interested person should contact the financial institution mentioned above to establish if that person is a dormant account holder. Dated this 19th day of July 2018. Margott Lares Managing Director Authorised Officer ________________________________ ¹ Interest paid by a financial institution on monies held in the financial institution shall not be regarded as a transaction which increases the amount held in the financial institution pursuant to section 4(5) of the Dormant Accounts Law, 2010. ‘Free Lula’ concert held in Rio de Janeiro RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Some of Brazil’s most popular musicians called for jailed former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to be freed in a concert Saturday in Rio de Janeiro attended by tens of thousands of people. Da Silva, a leftist ex- president universally known as Lula, was convicted of corruption and money laun- dering, but his supporters say the sentence was politi- cally motivated. Saturday’s festival in front of Rio’s iconic Lapa Arch featured household names in Brazil like Chico Buarque and other Latin American musicians. Da Silva’s image could be seen everywhere: On shirts, bandanas and masks, while his animated image danced on screens next to the stage. In between sets, supporters broke out into chants of “Free Lula!” as organizers urged them to scream loud enough for da Silva to hear them from the southern city of Curitiba. The former president was jailed there after his corruption conviction was upheld on appeal. He is one of many top politi- cians and business leaders to get brought down in the so-called “Car Wash” inves- tigation. Launched in 2014, investigators uncovered a colossal corruption scheme in which construction com- panies used inflated state contracts to kick back mil- lions of dollars to politi- cians and other officials. Da Silva’s 12-year sen- tence divided people in Latin America’s largest nation, with his critics celebrating a victory against endemic corruption while supporters argue it amounts to a witch hunt against left-leaning parties and politicians. Despite it all, da Silva re- mains one of Brazil’s most popular politicians. He is currently leading polls for October’s presidential race. “Lula is the voice of the people,” said Tayna Sena, a 22-year-old law-student who attended the concert. “The elites are scared be- cause even when he’s in jail, he can get more support than any other politician.” It’s unlikely that he The former president was jailed after his corruption conviction was upheld on appeal. Cruise ship passenger remanded for trial Man pleads guilty to assault, not guilty to ganja and resisting charges CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A U.S. national who ar- rived in Cayman via cruise ship last Wednesday was remanded in custody on Friday after a disturbance aboard the ship led to three charges against him. Aries Raphael Woodfin, 37, pleaded guilty to unlaw- fully assaulting a named fe- male and causing her actual bodily harm. He pleaded not guilty to possessing a quan- tity of ganja allegedly found in his cabin and not guilty to resisting a police officer acting in the execution of his duties. The amount of ganja was not specified nor was the nature of the resistance. Mr. Woodfin, of a Chicago address, appeared before Magistrate Valdis Foldats. Defense attorney Jonathon Hughes said that an incident aboard the cruise ship led to a Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice Service officer boarding the ship and arresting Mr. Woodfin. The attorney said Mr. Woodfin was taken into custody, suffered a stroke and was taken to the hospital. He had since been discharged but still had a leg injury. The defendant, dressed in athletic shorts and jersey, wore a knee brace on his left leg and walked with a pronounced limp. The magistrate asked Crown counsel Darlene Oko how she was going to deal with witnesses no longer in the jurisdiction. Ms. Oko re- plied that the officer was on island and he could give evidence regarding both charges to be tried. The magistrate said he would set the trial as a priority, with the ear- liest available date being Wednesday, Aug. 8. Mr. Hughes advised that he was not making any ap- plication for bail because Mr. Woodfin’s financial circum- stances did not allow him to avail himself of private accommodations. No details of the inci- dent leading to Mr. Wood- fin’s arrest were revealed in court. The assault charges do specify that this of- fense occurred on July 25 in George Town. A press release from po- lice indicated that officers had responded to a report of a disturbance on board the vessel after a man and woman “had been involved in an altercation in interna- tional waters.” The release stated further that the woman was trans- ported to Cayman Islands Hospital for treatment and later released. The Cayman Compass asked the police press officer whether the woman had left on the cruise ship, but was told that the location of vic- tims cannot be disclosed. There were no civilians in court when Mr. Woodfin was being dealt with. Mr. Hughes advised that he was not making any application for bail because Mr. Woodfin’s financial circumstances did not allow him to avail himself of private accommodations. A supporter wears a mask depicting former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio da Silva during the Free Lula festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday. - PHOTO: AP Car crashes into Da Fish Shack again A driver plowed into the side of Da Fish Shack restaurant on North Church Street on Saturday night, and a spokesman for the restaurant said it caused “reasonably extensive” damage. The crash occurred after 11 p.m. There were no patrons inside the restaurant at the time and nobody was injured. Another car crashed into the restaurant in April 2016, and last month, a car crashed into a building across the street from the restaurant. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 6 MONDAY JULY 30, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Cayman to much fanfare on March 26 as the British Overseas Territory’s first Muslim governor and first non- British born governor, made an early impact in his term. During an interview with the Cayman Compass the week before he was tem- porarily withdrawn, he spoke of his desire to assist Cayman in its dispute with the U.K. over the Mother Country’s intention to force a public register of company ownership onto its territory. Mr. Choudhury also spoke openly of his plans to change the Cayman civil service, making it more responsive and less bogged down in bu- reaucratic paperwork. By June 12, Mr. Choud- hury had been “temporarily withdrawn” by the U.K. for- eign office, which cited an investigation into unspeci- fied complaints proceeding against the governor. At- tempts to reach Mr. Choud- hury made by the Com- pass since then have not been successful. Mr. Miller also sent a letter dated July 27 to Lord Tariq Ahmad, the British Overseas Territories Min- ister, which noted his con- cerns about the rever- berations caused by Mr. Choudhury’s sudden and unexplained removal. “While in the past gov- ernors were summoned to the UK for consultation and advice, we have never had a governor to be ‘with- drawn’ pending an ‘investi- gation,’” Mr. Miller wrote to Lord Ahmad. “Such nebulous and loaded language has spawned widespread specu- lation and suspicion in the community about the treat- ment of Mr. Choudhury. “Those community con- cerns have been heightened by Mr. Choudhury’s popu- larity across all strata of the population, who had experienced the new gov- ernor as a breath of fresh air offering hope for much needed change.” Head of Governor’s Office Mr. Miller’s memo to Mr. Manderson also questioned the leadership role appar- ently assigned to Mr. Forbes in this investigation, who Mr. Miller referred to as a “ju- nior officer” within the gov- ernor’s staff. It was strange, in Mr. Mill- er’s view, for Mr. Forbes to be co-signing a letter to the ed- itor to news outlets, given ap- parently equal footing with Mr. Manderson, the territory’s highest-ranking civil servant. “It it is entirely inappro- priate for a junior officer to be commenting on the roles and continued service of the acting governor, who is the ultimate head of all officers in the civil service, including all staff in the governor’s of- fice,” Mr. Miller wrote. “It was my understanding that the governor was head of the governor’s office.” The issue is one that has troubled previous guber- natorial administrations in Cayman, although per- haps not so publicly as in the present circumstances surrounding Mr. Choud- hury. The governor is ap- pointed by Her Majesty, the Queen of England and is paid by the Cayman Islands government coffers. The head of the Gover- nor’s Office, often referred to as the governor’s chief of staff, is an employee of the U.K. foreign office and is paid by Her Majes- ty’s government. Aside from any issues about who is in charge at government house, Mr. Miller also alleged that the July 26 letter to the editor sent to the local media offered a “misleading palliative” to the public, which remains highly concerned over how this in- vestigation is proceeding. “The public interest is not served by issuing empty statements,” he wrote. Opposition questions ‘fairness’ of Gov. Choudhury investigation CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Memorandum from Opposition Leader Ezzard MillerBusinesses host petition calling for governor’s return To His Excellency the Acting Governor: This is regarding your letter to editors of July 26, 2018, a copy of which the Governor’s Office emailed to me on the same date. I write to communicate to you a number of concerns raised by your letter and how it was communicated: 1. First, I am disappointed that the letter to the editors seemed to have been copied to the Premier, members of the Cabinet, and Legislators, without the courtesy of prior consultation. 2. On the letter itself, I am unclear as to the author of this letter, as the comments regarding you and your ser- vice are stated in the third person, including referring to you in the disrespectful tone as “Franz Manderson.” I note that it was signed jointly by you and the Chief of Staff of the Governor’s Office. I would have understood your copying the Chief of Staff, but it is entirely inap- propriate for a junior officer to be commenting on the roles and continued service of the Acting Governor, who is the ultimate head of all of- ficers in the civil service, in- cluding all staff in the Gov- ernor’s Office. In passing, I ask for clari- fication on the title of the post held by the co-signer. The letter indicated he was “Head of the Governor’s Office”. It was my understanding that the Governor was head of the Governor’s Office. 3. Second, I note that in the opening paragraph the letter proposes “to provide an update” on the “investiga- tion”. However, the letter pro- ceeded to say the opposite — that no update could be given now or in the foreseeable fu- ture. Aside from the letter’s attempt to offer a misleading palliative to the public, it has raised grave concern among Caymanians about the pro- tractive nature of the “inves- tigation”, and the public in- terest is not served by issuing empty statements. 4. Third, I similarly note the comment regarding the FCO’s “robust policies” to protect the confidenti- ality of staff, “including Mr. Choudhury”. This raises a number of concerns: i) The logical deduction from these references to staff under FCO policy suggests that the complaints have come from the Governor’s Of- fice, given that the FCO does not have disciplinary jurisdic- tion over local staff. That in itself raises as a matter of principle the con- cern about the exercise of power of junior staff over a governor of the Cayman Is- lands. In addition, I have heard nothing about an op- portunity for both the Gov- ernor and those making the allegations to be questioned together. This would have ob- viously provided for greater assurance of a truthful and fair conclusion to the investigation. ii) Given that the logical deduction is that FCO staff here were the originators of the complaint, it is safe to as- sume that the “Chief of Staff”, the co-signer of the letter, would naturally be a party to the complaints, if only in terms of facilitating them. I am nevertheless asking for confirmation of whether the Chief of Staff is also the chief complainer, as it cannot pos- sibly be appropriate for a complainant to be party to communication on an investi- gation that was triggered by him or her. This would be a clear suggestion of bias and would seriously undermine the public’s confidence that the investigation will lead to a trustworthy outcome. iii) I also observe that no- where in this process or in this letter is there any no- tion that similar confiden- tiality is being accorded to the governor, in line with the stated FCO’s “robust” disci- plinary policies. Instead, we have heard for six weeks that the Governor is being “inves- tigated”, opening him to all sorts of public speculation and aspersions. A failure to accord confidentiality to anyone at the workplace, much less someone in the sensitive position of governor, is a serious concern. 5. Fourth, the letter speaks volumes in what it did not say – you raise the matter of the death of the Governor’s mother as the reason for the delay, but nowhere do you ex- press condolences. In addi- tion, nowhere do you express continued confidence in the absent Governor, at least until the completion of the investi- gation. The conspicuous ab- sence of these normal cour- tesies reflects on the prestige and eminence of the Gov- ernor’s Office. 6. Fifth, I am mystified as to why six weeks after the FCO’s original forecast of four to six weeks, the FCO should now not find it “possible… to provide a clear assess- ment of the time it will take to complete” the investigation. At this point the FCO should be in a better position to as- sess the time needed to com- plete the process. 7. Sixth, elevating to a status on a par with the governor the person whom we now deduce from your letter to be at least a facili- tator if not the chief com- plainer paints a bleak picture about the fair outcome of the investigation. If indeed the “Head of the Governor’s Office” is also the chief complainer, the signing of the letter would amount to a one-upmanship over the complainee that would all but concede that the complainer was justified. This would fly in the face of your letter’s assertion that the FCO was committed to an “investiga- tion…that is fair to all”. 8. In the larger picture, this whole spectacle, as un- derscored in your letter, cre- ates further alienation in UK/ Cayman relations and trust. I take this opportunity to also raise my concern about the widely circulating rumour that former Governor Helen Kilpatrick is being considered as interim governor. I would appreciate confirmation as to whether there is any truth to this rumour. If this is the case, I would be grateful to be informed of the policy that would provide for a return of a departing governor as interim gov- ernor, especially in such rapid succession. It is my under- standing that the practice has been that a minimum of three years should expire before a former Governor could return to the country of last posting. Respectfully yours, D. Ezzard Miller cc Hon. Premier, Editors local media, Lord Ahmad To Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, FCO Minister for the Commonwealth and UN: I am compelled to inform you that public sentiment in the Cayman Islands re- garding the “temporary with- drawal” of the Governor of the Cayman Islands, His Ex- cellency Anwar Choudhury, is gaining the type of mo- mentum that threatens good UK/Cayman relations. While in the past gover- nors were summoned to the UK for consultation and ad- vice, we have never had a governor to be “withdrawn” pending an “investigation”. Such nebulous and loaded language has spawned wide- spread speculation and suspicion in the commu- nity about the treatment of Mr. Choudhury. Those community con- cerns have been heightened by Mr. Choudhury’s popu- larity across all strata of the population, who had experi- enced the new Governor as a breath of fresh air offering hope for much needed change. His positive interactions across the community at large was such that he had begun to improve the declining rela- tionship between the Gover- nor’s Office and Caymanians. His withdrawal at this time now places at great risk the progress he had made in BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Several Cayman Is- lands businesses are being used as signing locations for an anonymous peti- tion circulating the is- lands seeking the return of Governor Anwar Choud- hury to his post. The petition, started last week, asked Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon to bring Mr. Choudhury back to Cayman following the governor’s sudden depar- ture on or about June 12 amid unspecified allega- tions apparently made by members of his own staff. The signing locations include Sunset House, the Renaissance Salon and Spa on Walkers Road, Funky Tang’s on Shedden Road, Simply Computers at the West Shore Center on West Bay Road and a fruit vendor, Rayburn Ebanks, at his stand on Smith Road. Several businesses con- tacted by the Cayman Com- pass Friday indicated anyone wishing to sign the petition could simply inquire and receive the documents to sign, which are being kept in folders by employees. Sunset House owner Adrien Briggs said it was important to give people a voice on matters of public interest, regardless of whether the businesses or employees believed per- sonally that it was the right thing to bring Mr. Choudhury back. The petition can be found online at www. bringbackgovernorchoud- hury.weebly.com. The anonymous orga- nizers, using an email ad- dress, told the Cayman Compass that they planned on releasing the number of signatures received toward the end of next week. The petition states: “We, the undersigned elec- tors of the Cayman Islands request, that if no crim- inal actions are found to have been committed by Mr. Anwar Choudhury that would warrant action as serious as his removal from office, but only consists of personal complaints by disgruntled individ- uals in whatever capacity, or displeased persons due to change in the order of things, that Mr. Anwar Choudhury be returned and reinstated as Governor of the Cayman Islands as soon as possible.” The petition contains a lengthy letter addressed to Lord Ahmad, the cur- rent minister for the British Overseas Territories, which further states the rea- sons the petitioners are seeking to have Mr. Choud- hury returned. “There has been an in- creased public trust and belief that, finally, there was a governor who would listen and was not afraid to right the many wrongs in governance and ad- ministration, of compla- cency, ignoring complaints, lack of following practice and procedure, favoritism and overall malpractice to name a few,” the letter to Lord Ahmad reads. “The present situation is causing speculation, nu- merous rumors and uncer- tainty in the business com- munity and doubts from investors and population at large; and … the feeling among the general public is that the one public figure who, by his actions, has shown he takes positive in- terest on the public’s be- half for true good gover- nance has suddenly been taken away.” PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) – Si- multaneous marches of sup- porters and opponents of President Daniel Ortega’s gov- ernment passed through the streets of Nicaragua’s capital Saturday without incident. The larger of the two marches was in support of the Roman Catholic Church and its bishops who are trying to mediate a con- flict that has carried on for more than three months and left at least 448 dead, according to a human rights organization. Marchers chanted on Sat- urday that the bishops had their support and urged Ortega to step down. In an anniversary speech for the victory of the Nica- raguan Revolution July 19, Ortega accused the Cath- olic Church of working with “coup plotters” for his ouster and even of allowing weapons to be stockpiled in their churches. Just days later his tone changed and he said he hoped the bishops would continue mediating a dialogue to end the conflict. Still, Ortega has refused to consider stepping down before elections sched- uled for 2021. Seventy-year-old Nubia Torres said dialog is worth a try, but said if Ortega was reasonable he would have al- ready left office. “Dialogue is believed to be a way out, but not for people like Daniel Ortega,” she said, adding that a military in- tervention similar to the re- moval of Manuel Noriega in Panama could be necessary. Most in the opposition fear that taking up arms against the government would be both futile and play into Ortega’s hands. Not far away, Ortega sup- porters carrying the red and black flag of the Sand- inista Front marched behind trucks blaring songs praising the president. Roger Moncada, a 30-year-old accountant, echoed Ortega in calling the opposition “terrorists” and the three months of unrest a failed coup attempt. He accused human rights organizations of only blaming the government for the deaths. “The justice has to be even,” he said. The Nicaraguan Pro- Human Rights Association said this week that 399 of dead had been identified and other evidence had been gathered to document the other cases. The vast majority of the dead have been dem- onstrators, it said. Police and paramilitary groups apparently working in coordination with author- ities have been blamed for most of the violence. Moncada says that now that the police have cleared the protesters’ roadblocks and are arresting their leaders, “the only way out is dialogue.” CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 30, 2018 marketing strategies, vision and spirit of collaboration to drive performance, the Cayman Islands tourism industry has maintained impressive, oftentimes, double-digit increases for a sustained period.” He suggested the tradi- tional summer slow season, which often prompts ho- tels and other businesses to shut their doors for a short period, may not have the same impact this time. “This [increase in ar- rivals] is helping to keep hospitality ser- vice workers employed throughout the summer and is also adding a sig- nificant boost to our Is- lands’ economy,” he added. Cayman’s core market continues to be the U.S., with significant growth re- ported in the Midwest and Southwest regions. The pe- riod also saw an increase in the number of visitors coming from Canada. The Department of Tourism highlighted its mar- keting and promotional ini- tiatives, a partnership with Airbnb and recognition for the destination in publications like USA Today and Caribbean Journal, among the reasons for the islands’ success. Rosa Harris, director of tourism, said: “It is ex- tremely encouraging to see growth in visitation for the first half of the year at a speed we have not seen since 2004.” Another month, another record as tourism growth continues CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 mending relations. As Leader of the Opposition, I share the concern of the Caymanian people about the way the so-called investigation is being handled, especially with respect to the poor management of communication. To offer some insights into developments here, I attach a July 26 letter to the editors of local media co-signed by Acting Gov- ernor Franz Manderson and the Head of the Gover- nor’s Office. That was largely prompted by a petition launched this week to rein- state Mr. Choudhury and the large outcry occurring via online blogs. You will also find attached my memorandum of today’s date to the Acting Governor expressing my concerns. As I am sure you will ap- preciate, the Choudhury in- vestigation is a matter that needs to be concluded with great alacrity. I hope that you will find it possible to exercise some influence in bringing this matter to a quick and satisfactory conclusion. Yours Sincerely, D. Ezzard Miller cc Hon. Premier Memorandum from Opposition Leader Ezzard Miller CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 Ballet to cure the Mexico City traffic blues MEXICO CITY (AP) – Reme- dios Rosas was walking down a Mexico City street Saturday when she saw seven tutu-clad dancers tiptoe to the sidewalk, their chins held high, and join pe- destrians waiting to cross the road. When the light changed, music started and the dancers leaped into the street, twirling and twisting in front of surprised drivers. The 58-second show – the duration of a Mexico City traffic light – is part of a theater company’s attempt to brighten the days of mo- torists at snarled intersec- tions in this sprawling meg- alopolis notorious for its clogged roadways. Rosas ran home and brought back her two grand- children to enjoy the street performances, which fea- tured music ranging from ballet classics like Swan Lake and the Nutcracker to Michael Jackson’s Rock With Me. The sound system was a boombox plugged into an iPod. “It’s great for families that we have the opportunity to see them here on the street,” the grandmother said. Fighting the noise of car horns and rattling engines in the northwest Mexico City neighborhood, the group danced to the tune of seven different songs, each comple- mented with its own routine and bright costume. The idea of the perfor- mances was inspired by pho- tographer Oscar Rodriguez, who captured portraits of the dancers in the streets. Now, the performances are part of an initiative called “the theatricality of public space.” The theater company is called Ardentia. Since the performances began two weeks ago, the dancers have drawn the at- tention of a stable of pho- tographers, videographers, and even a drone operator, all looking to capture a story that continues to grow. “We never thought this was going have to this kind of impact,” said one of the dancers, Manuela Ospina Castro. “Not only are people accepting it, but they need it. They need these kinds of activities to get closer to art.” Perched atop his bicycle, Juan Pablo said he pulled to the side of the road when he came upon the perfor- mance and stayed to watch the entire event. But children are the most delighted. Daniela Jacque- line Luna, one of the grand- children brought by Rosas, said her favorite part of the performance was when dancers “move their feet.” One day, she said, she wants to become a balle- rina herself now. Ballet dancers perform at a traffic light in Mexico City. - PHOTO: AP Competing marches peaceful in Nicaraguan capitalMONDAY JULY 30, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 Gunmen in New Orleans fire on crowd Two armed individuals walked up to a crowd gathered Saturday outside a mall in New Orleans and opened fire, killing three people and wounding seven more, the police chief said. Thousands flee California wildfire REDDING, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of dazed evacuees struggled to keep their emotions in check while trying to take care of themselves and their pets as a deadly wildfire in Northern California raged into its fourth day. Anna Noland, 49, was evacuated twice in three days before learning through video footage that the house she last saw under dark and windy skies had burned. She expected to spend Saturday night at a shelter at Simpson Col- lege in Redding while she searches for another place to live. “I think I’m still in shock,” No- land said. “It’s just unbelievable knowing you don’t have a house to go back to.” Noland is among the 38,000 people evacuated after the Carr Fire roared into the outskirts of Redding in Shasta County, leaving five people dead, including two firefighters, a woman and her two great-grand- children, ages 4 and 5. “My babies are dead,” Sherry Bledsoe said through tears after she and family members met with Shasta County sheriff’s deputies. A vehicle problem ignited the fire Monday, but it wasn’t until Thursday that the fire ex- ploded and raced into communi- ties west of Redding before en- tering city limits. On Saturday, it pushed south- west of Redding, the largest city in the region, toward the tiny com- munities of Ono, Igo and Gas Point, where scorching heat, winds and bone-dry conditions complicated firefighting efforts. The fire, which grew slightly Sat- urday to 131 square miles, is the largest fire burning in California. Nearly 5,000 structures were threatened and the fire was just 5 percent contained. The latest tally of 536 destroyed structures was up from 500 ear- lier in the day, and sure to rise. A count by The Associated Press found at least 300 of those struc- tures were homes. Bonnie and Jerry Kieffaber grabbed most of their medications when they left their home in Red- ding on Thursday, but they forgot his insulin. Days later, police won’t let them back inside because it’s still too dangerous. Bonnie Kieffaber, 69, says being away from home is expensive. “All of our food was there, and now we’re draining our checking account trying to keep gas in the car and buy food too,” she said while grabbing a hot meal at a Red Cross shelter. “It’s exhausting,” she said. “The heat and the stress of it all, and praying for everybody and all of our friends.” The firefighters killed in the blaze included Don Ray Smith, 81, of Pollock Pines, a bulldozer oper- ator who was helping clear vegeta- tion in the path of the wildfire. Red- ding fire Inspector Jeremy Stoke was also killed, but details of his death were not released. Sherry Bledsoe’s two children, James Roberts, 5, and Emily Roberts, 4, were stranded with their great grandmother Melody Bledsoe, 70, when walls of flames swept through the family’s rural property Thursday on the outskirts of Redding. The three were among more than a dozen people reported missing after the furious wind-driven blaze took residents by surprise and lev- eled several neighborhoods. Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko said he expects to find several of those people alive and just out of touch with loved ones. Officers have gone to homes of several people reported missing and found cars gone — a strong indication they fled. About 100 miles southwest of Redding, two blazes prompted mandatory evacuations in Men- docino County. The two fires, burning 30 miles (50 kilome- ters) apart, started Friday and were threatening more than 350 buildings. Authorities also issued evacua- tion orders in Napa County, famous for its wine, when several structures caught fire, the Napa Valley Reg- ister reported. The blaze had black- ened 150 acres and was at 10 per- cent containment. Throughout the state, Cal Fire of- ficials said more than 10,000 fire- fighters were on the line, making progress on 14 large wildfires. Big fires also continued to burn outside Yosemite National Park and in the San Jacinto Mountains east of Los Angeles near Palm Springs. Those fires had burned nearly 100 square miles. Yosemite Valley remained closed to visitors and won’t reopen until Friday. In Shasta County, Matt Smith, a Forest Service pilot with 13 years’ experience as a smokejumper, says he used hoses to save his house in the well-kept neighborhood of Lake Redding Estates. Burned and twisted bicycle frames, refrigerators, and piles of rubble were still smoking Saturday around his property. Smith said he arrived home Thursday as evacuees were racing out. “Save it for your family, save it for your family,” he says he re- minded himself during two adren- alin-filled hours. As a former firefighter, he said he always kept an escape route in mind — possibly his neighbor’s pool. On Saturday, he had a blistering burn on his hand from grabbing his propane tank and wrestling it away from the house and into the front yard. His nose and ear also had burns. “The good news is that our house is here. The bad news is that our neighborhood is devas- tated,” he said. A firefighter waters down a back burn on Cloverdale Road, near the town of Igo, California. Scorching heat, winds and dry conditions complicated firefighting efforts. - PHOTO: AP Tears, grief at memorial service for Greek wildfire victims MATI, Greece (AP) — Hun- dreds of mourners attended a memorial service in a sea- side Greek village Sunday for the dozens of people who perished when a fast-moving wildfire swept through a coastal area east of Athens. The senior local Greek Orthodox Church official, Bishop Kyrillos, presided over the service at Dormition of the Virgin Mary Church in Mati, a popular resort spot that was the place hardest- hit by the blaze that killed at least 86 people. The fire that sped flames through the village without warning July 23 was the deadliest wildfire in Europe since 1900, according to the International Disaster Data- base run by the Centre for the Research on the Epidemi- ology of Disasters in Brussels. Kyrillos said the community is mourning the loss of family, neigh- bors and friends. “There’s fewer of us now than usually. It is the victims of the recent fire that are missing — friends, relatives and acquaintances, next-door people that we saw every day in town and on the beach,” the bishop said during the memorial service. The vast majority of vic- tims died in the fire it- self, though a number drowned in the sea while fleeing the flames. Dozens of volunteer divers, some of them retired Navy Seals, kept searching the sea off Mati on Sunday looking for the bodies of more possible victims. Greek officials have not made public how many people re- mained missing since the fire. Local resident Angeliki Galiatsatou said she nar- rowly managed to escape the fire that killed others in their cars and homes. “I came to pray for the people who were lost and I pray that God blesses us all,” she said. Greek authorities have said they have reason to be- lieve the fire resulted from arson and turned so deadly because winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) buffeted the pine-forested seaside resorts at the time. The Greek government also has come under criti- cism for how buildings and roads were laid out in the area and an alleged lack of adequate preparation for fire season. More than 2,000 homes were damaged in the fire and roughly a quarter will have to be demolished, Greek officials said Friday. The Holy Synod made up of all Greek bishops said in a letter read out loud at Sunday’s memorial ser- vice that everyone bears re- sponsibility for protecting the environment from hap- hazard development. “What words of comfort can you offer the person who has lost their father, their mother, the grandparents in whose arms their grandchil- dren were found?” Kyrillos said. “What words of solace can you offer a mother who has lost her baby and left a few flowers on the beach?” People wade into the waters of the ‘Silver Coast’ beach in Mati, Greece, to escape wildfires. Dozens were either killed by flames or drowned as they tried to flee the fire into the nearby sea. - PHOTO: ELIA KALLIA VIA AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY JULY 30, 2018 Trump threatens to shut down federal government over border-wall funding BRIDGEWATER, N.J. – Presi- dent Donald Trump threat- ened Sunday to shut down the federal government this fall if Congress does not pass sweeping changes to immi- gration laws, including ap- propriating more public money to build his long- promised border wall. “I would be willing to ‘shut down’ government if the Democrats do not give us the votes for Border Secu- rity, which includes the Wall!” Trump tweeted. “Must get rid of Lottery, Catch & Release etc. and finally go to system of Immigration based on MERIT! We need great people coming into our Country!” Trump’s shutdown warning – which he has made before – escalates the stakes ahead of a Sept. 30 govern- ment funding deadline, a po- litical showdown before the November midterm elections that Republican congres- sional leaders had hoped to avoid. A funding fight also could prove a distraction from Republican efforts in the Senate to confirm Trump Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh by Oct. 1. Trump’s declaration on Twitter surprised some law- makers who have been eager to avoid a bruising funding fight and highlighted his in- tense desire to make progress on signature agenda items that have stalled. Trump met Wednesday with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and discussed the up- coming spending fight. The president signaled in the White House meeting that he was on board with McConnell and Ryan’s strategy to fund the government smoothly through “minibuses,” or smaller packages of spending bills that had been moving through the House and Senate, according to a person familiar with the meeting. But in recent days, Trump has also spoken with sev- eral outside political allies who have urged him to strike a tougher line on the border wall as a means of pressuring Democrats and rallying his core voters in November, ac- cording to two people briefed on those discussions. It is unclear, though, whether simply threatening to shut down the govern- ment could push Democrats to agree to fund construc- tion of the wall, particularly because Trump has backed down at the last minute re- peatedly before. Both last year and this year, Trump said he would shut down the government if Democrats did not agree to fund construction of the wall. Both times, Dem- ocrats refused, and both times, Trump agreed to sign spending bills that did not include funds for a new wall along the southern border. Spending bills have ap- propriated funds to replace existing walls or barriers, something Trump has tried to promote to his supporters as signs of progress. The last spending bill funded $1.6 bil- lion for border barriers, but that money does not apply to new construction. There was a brief govern- ment shutdown in January after Senate Democrats re- fused to back a spending package because of Trump’s move to potentially force the deportation of immigrants who had been brought to the United States illegally as children. But Democratic sol- idarity over the matter did not last long. They backed down quickly. While congressional GOP leaders have worked over the past week to signal solidarity with Trump on immigration, they also struck notes of cau- tion about the timing of any significant legislative progress. McConnell said Friday that talks over funding the wall would “probably” have to wait until after the mid- terms. “Probably, and that’s something we do have a dis- agreement on,” he said in an interview with a Ken- tucky radio station, referring to the timing of action on Capitol Hill. Ryan said Thursday that he believed Trump is “willing to be patient to make sure that we get what we need so we can that done.” The House speaker added that the pro- posed border wall would eventually be built, calling it “not a question of if, it’s a question of when.” Congress reached an agreement in March to fund government opera- tions through the end of Sep- tember, and it must pass new legislation by then or the gov- ernment will partially shut down Oct. 1, just five weeks before the midterm elections. The White House’s de- mands for border funding have ranged widely, from around $2 billion to $25 billion, since Trump’s inauguration. © 2018, The Washington Post President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive on Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport, in Morristown, New Jersey, Friday, en route to Trump National Golf Club. - PHOTO: APNext >