ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY OCTOBER 22, 2018 SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA RED BAY Cayman Islands’ new governor ‘delighted’ with appointment Martyn Roper arrives next Monday JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Career diplomat Martyn Roper said he was delighted to be appointed as the next governor of the Cayman Islands and deter- mined to “listen and learn” from the people of the islands. Mr. Roper will arrive in Grand Cayman next Monday to replace Anwar Choudhury, who was removed from the role after an in- vestigation into complaints about his con- duct. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has declined to reveal the nature of the com- plaints about Mr. Choudhury or if they were substantiated. His replacement, Mr. Roper, was minister and deputy head of mission for the U.K. in Beijing, China, before his appointment. The posting, announced Friday, is initially on an interim basis for the next 6-9 months though the Cayman Compass understands Mr. Roper has put himself in the frame for the job in the longer term. “I am delighted to be appointed to the role by Her Majesty The Queen. It is a great priv- ilege and honour. I take great pride in being part of the Cayman Islands and having an opportunity to serve its people,” he told the Cayman Compass in an email Saturday. Mr. Roper, 53, from West Yorkshire, said his initial priority would be to get to know the people of the islands. JOHN GRAY GIVEN SATISFACTORY GRADE BY INSPECTORS MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com A new inspection report has raised the pro- file of John Gray High School from a failing school to one that is now deemed satisfactory. Principal Jon Clark said the report pub- lished Friday by the Office of Education Stan- dards shows that the school has made sub- stantial progress since its last inspection during the 2014-2015 school year, when it was rated unsatisfactory. “It’s a good step in our move to become a world-class school,” Mr. Clark said. “We’ve been a failing school for a long, long time. We’re not where we want to be, but we’re on the right track.” The report found good teaching in Key Stage 4, which comprises Years 10 and 11, and praised Mr. Clark’s leadership. Students are making satisfactory progress in English and science in all years, but not in mathematics. While Year 11 students scored well in minor subjects, student achievement in Eng- lish, science and mathematics remained weak for all grades. The report also found that in a minority of cases – between 15 percent and 49 percent – teachers in Years 7-9 had low expec- tations and were underperforming. “Students spent too much time copying or completing undemanding worksheets,” the report said. “There was little evidence of teachers preparing tasks to meet the varying needs of students, so work was too easy for the more able and too hard for weaker stu- dents or those with special educational needs.” Assessments by teachers overall were found to be lacking. “Teachers did not use their knowledge of students’ prior attainment to plan lessons to meet their needs,” the report said. Cayman Islands dancer Quiana Erb was among the local performers who took center stage at Prospect Playhouse, Saturday, for the 39th annual National Council of Voluntary Organisations’ radio-telethon. Thanks to substantial donations throughout the night, a total of just over $117,000 was raised for the charitable organization. Please turn to page 7 for more. – PHOTO: JAMES WHITTAKER Dancing Queen joins charity fundraiser Martyn Roper PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » CAYMAN ECONOMIC GROWTH BALANCED BY HIGHER PRICES JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Buoyed by growth in tourism and con- struction and an unprecedented number of new company registrations, the Cayman Is- lands Gross Domestic Product grew by 4 per- cent in the early part of 2018. The Cayman Islands First Quarter Eco- nomic Report, published Friday, records economic expansion across all sectors of the economy. Growth has come at a price, however, with the report also highlighting increases in the cost of living, including higher prices for food and electricity. Both trends are expected to continue for the foreseeable future, with the rising price of fuel and Cayman’s growing population driving increased household costs. The Economics and Statistics Office re- port highlights the contribution of new hotels and restaurants and an ongoing construction boom to create better than expected growth in economic activity in early 2018. It also highlights a reduction in govern- ment’s long-term debt as well as public sector budget surpluses as contributing to a strong economic position. Finance Minister Roy McTaggart said in a statement: “We are on a healthy path to maintaining the islands’ economic growth and consistently moving from strength to strength annually.” Rising international fuel prices were the biggest factor in driving up household ex- penses, including a 16.5 percent increase in electricity costs, as well as rising transport costs, particularly airfares. The report also points to the “inflationary pressure” on goods and services associated PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY OCTOBER 22, 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) THE HATE U GIVE (PG13) 12:35 I 3:35 I 6:40 I 9:45 VENOM (PG13) 12:45 VIP I 4:25 I 7:10 I 10:00 NIGHT SCHOOL (PG13) 2:15 I 4:50 I 7:25 I 10:00 GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN (PG) 4:45 I 7:00 FIRST MAN (PG13) 1:20 I 3:25 VIP I 6:30 VIP I 9:45 A STAR IS BORN (R) 12:45 I 3:50 I 7:00 I 9:40 VIP BLOCKBUSTER RE-RELEASE: AVENGERS INFINITY WAR (PG13) 1:30 I 9:15 MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com A group of about 50 people walked along Elgin Avenue, from the old govern- ment building to the center of George Town, Thursday night in support of victims of domestic abuse. The annual event, orga- nized by the Business and Professional Women’s Club, is in its 18th year. While it began as an effort to draw at- tention to domestic abuse of women and children, in re- cent years it has broadened its scope to include an anti- bullying element. After a short walk, during which marchers were silent in honor of those affected by violence, several speakers ad- dressed the small crowd. James Austin-Smith, an attorney who chairs the Cayman Islands Human Rights Commission, talked about the increase in reports of domestic violence in the country this year. “By July,” he said, “there had been the same number of reports as in the entirety of the previous year. There are eight times as many reports of domestic vio- lence today as there were in 2013,” he said. “I was appalled by the sheer number and the in- crease,” he said. But, he added, “There hasn’t been an eight-fold increase in do- mestic violence since 2013. There’s been an eight-fold increase in reports, and that gives me hope.” After his speech to the crowd, Mr. Austin-Smith said he thinks the increase in re- porting is due to a “cultural shift,” which has raised more awareness of the issue. People who might not have reported domestic vio- lence in the past are doing so now, he said, because “they’re going to be listened to and someone’s going to do something.” Events such as the march aid in the perception. “All of this creates a cul- ture where people feel able to say something,” he said. Speaking up is neces- sary in order to bring atten- tion to both domestic violence and bullying, said Brenda Dawkins of the Family Re- source Center. Ms. Dawkins talked about the center’s cam- paign against bullying called Stood Up. She told the crowd that children who engage in bullying behavior are twice as likely to engage in criminal behavior as their peers. “Bullying, or any form of abuse, affects us all,” she said. “There are times when you need to speak out and stand up.” Kimberly Connolly, an as- sistant manager at the Re- naissance Villas, talked about her own experience living with domestic abuse. Such behaviors, she said, often move from one generation to the next. She shared what she said was the most enlight- ening conversation she had with her husband. “One day I asked this in- dividual, ‘What causes you to behave this way?’” she said. “He said, ‘My mother sur- vived it, so can you.’ “The cycle needs to be broken,” she added. “Domestic violence and child abuse is everybody’s business.” Marchers walk in silence to honor victims of domestic violence Marchers supporting victims of domestic violence leave the former government building grounds, heading to central George Town on Thursday evening. - PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSS Entropy: Solar plant ‘not a successful investment’ Report notes benefits project brought to Cayman KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman’s first commer- cial-scale solar plant made a positive impact on the com- munity during its first year of operation, producing clean electricity, reducing green- house gas and creating jobs, according to a post-project review conducted by the Utility Regulation and Com- petition Office, OfReg. However, the company that conducted the project, En- tropy Cayman Solar Ltd., has advised OfReg that the plant was not a successful financial investment, the report states. OfReg stated in its report that the project – which in- cludes 21,690 solar panels on a 22-acre Bodden Town site – was built at a cost of US$9.7 million, with a budget overrun of US$2 million. Once it was fully com- missioned in June 2017, the solar plant generated 9.4 GW- hours of electricity in its first year, which is less than the 11.1 GWh it was expected to produce – enough electricity to power about 800 average Grand Cayman homes, ac- cording to the report. En- tropy, a subsidiary of the North Carolina-based En- tropy Investment Manage- ment, sold the power to the Caribbean Utilities Company for 17 cents per kilowatt hour. OfReg attributed the plant’s underproduction to several problems, including “unfavorable weather con- ditions, inverter faults and software fine tuning during the first few months of op- eration.” There was also an issue with dust accumulating on the panels – the site is near a quarry. The report also stated that the project was fully commis- sioned about six months be- hind schedule. “The time objectives were not met due to defaults by both parties – [Caribbean Utilities Company] under- estimated the construction and logistics costs of the in- terconnection facility which resulted in budget overruns and Entropy did not meet the commercial delivery date due to financing and equip- ment delivery delays,” OfReg stated. “The parties have sub- sequently agreed on a solu- tion for liquidated damages and costs offsets.” OfReg also noted difficulty it has had in monitoring the project due to the Electricity Regulatory Authority not fol- lowing up on ensuring that all the required documents were acquired and stored. “Consequently, there is no signed/executed copy of the Interconnection Agreement on file,” OfReg stated. “This has subsequently been re- quested from Entropy.” Moving forward, Entropy hired local company ReNew Solar Development Ltd. to maintain the facilities. En- tropy forecast annual oper- ating costs of US$470,000 per year for the first 12 months of the plant, the report states. Overall, “from a finan- cial viewpoint, Entropy has advised that it was not a successful investment,” OfReg stated. Nevertheless, OfReg stated that the territory re- ceived multiple benefits from the project. The clean electricity helps Cayman avoid more than 4.2 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year, and lowers costs for consumers. “Although the solar plant does not substantially de- crease fuel costs, it still contributes to the overall goal of ensuring that con- sumers pay the least cost for their energy needs,” OfReg stated. “The plant also contributes to the Na- tional Energy Policy’s goals of increasing the amount of electricity produced by renewable energy facilities.” Additionally, the develop- ment employed more than 40 people to build the plant, with four permanent local jobs being created to sup- port ongoing operations at the site. There were spillover ef- fects in the economy, as well, with more than $3 mil- lion of local goods and ser- vices being purchased during the construction phase, ac- cording to the report. “Importantly, the Entropy project promoted industry development by transferring skills and experience to the local labour markets, as well as helping to identify supply chains that benefit the local solar industry,” OfReg con- cluded. “These developments should help drive down the cost of the next generation of large-scale local solar PV projects.” Racking for nearly 22,000 solar panels is seen during construction of the Bodden Town solar farm. – PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 22, 2018 Now you can have a fully installed GPS satellite tracking device in your car, shipping container, truck, boat – or even complete vehicle fleet for less than $35 per month with no upfront cost. If your possessions ever get stolen, you can log in through your mobile device to locate it immediately. It can even be given to a family member to ensure you’re aware of their location. To find out more about this special offer contact the Security Centre on 949-0004 or email info@security.ky Just mention “Sat Trak” to get more information about this great deal. FULLY-FITTED GPS TRACKING UNITS FOR LESS THAN $35. Healthcare Conference draws crowd Annual event turned focus to empowering patients KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Local firm Ironshore Pharmaceuticals plans on making its newly developed Attention Deficit Hyperac- tivity Disorder treatment available here, company CEO David Lickrish an- nounced Thursday at Cay- man’s ninth annual Health- care Conference. Ironshore received U.S. Food and Drug Administra- tion approval for its drug, JORNAY PM – what’s likely the first FDA-approved drug developed by a Cayman com- pany – and hopes to bring it to market in 2019. JORNAY PM will be the first drug that allows for ADHD treatments to be administered at night, kicking in first thing the next morning. In addition to offering the drug here at a “socially responsible price point,” Mr. Lickrish also said his company plans to reinvest some of its profits from Cayman sales back into local charities. Mr. Lickrish’s announce- ment was one of many pre- sentations made over the three-day event, which had the theme “Managing Your Health: The Empow- ered Patient.” Deputy Governor Franz Manderson also talked about the tangible bene- fits Cayman’s Healthcare Conference has produced over the years. He said his Deputy Gov- ernor’s 5K Challenge was an idea Health Ministry Chief Officer Jennifer Ahearn came up with after the 2013 con- ference, which focused on wellness in the workplace. That 5K event has raised close to $300,000, which has been used for initiatves such as purchasing a new ambu- lance, funding Special Olym- pics athletes and building the YMCA ropes course, Mr. Manderson said. The deputy governor added that attending last year’s conference, which was food-themed, has helped him eat healthier. Listening to the 2017 presentation by the “Foodie Physician” Dr. Sonali Ruder led to him regularly use a new sweet-potato pan- cake recipe, he said. The keynote presentation Thursday night was made by Dr. Gary Sibbald and Dr. Mariam Botros, Canada- based experts who deal with diabetes and related med- ical conditions. Dr. Sibbald said that di- abetes is becoming in- creasingly prevalent among middle- and low-income countries, with 75 percent of the world’s diabetes oc- curring there. He also said that the number of people with diabetes in the world is projected to increase from 356 million in 2011 to 552 million by 2030. Dr. Sibbald and Dr. Botros also talked about challenges they face trying to save their patients’ feet from being am- putated due to their dia- betic conditions. Dr. Botros said a clin- ical study recently showed that diabetics susceptible to foot ulcers only wore their special supportive foot- wear about 28 percent of the time – this was mea- sured by placing secret pe- dometers inside of the sup- portive footwear. To boost this rate and pre- vent amputations, the doc- tors said that healthcare providers need to provide positive feedback and en- courage patients to ask ques- tions. Patients should also incentivize their own com- pliance by rewarding them- selves, they said. “Treat yourself kindly,” Dr. Botros said. Other presentations in- cluded one on mental ill- ness in children by Ironshore Chief Medical Officer Randy Sallee, a presentation on technology advances in the healthcare sector by Dr. Ar- chita Joshi-Bhatt of Health City Cayman Islands, and a variety of other talks that were aimed at helping em- power the patient. Health Minister Dwayne Seymour said 1,200 people registered for this year’s free event. The conference usually accepts same-day registra- tions, but capped this year’s total, he said. The keynote presentation Thursday night was one made by Dr. Gary Sibbald and Dr. Mariam Botros, Canada- based experts who deal with diabetes and related medical conditions. International healthcare providers joined the conference and offered insight on the latest industry developments.Cayman Health, a Pinnacle Media publication, was among the sponsors of the annual healthcare event.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. Perhaps the third time will be the proverbial charm. In recent months, Cayman has had two short-term governors – Governor Anwar Choudhury (who was summarily recalled to England under still-secret cir- cumstances) and Acting Governor Franz Manderson (the local favorite for the full-time appointment). Now Martyn Keith Roper will soon take up the Governor’s post full time. Speaking on behalf of all of us in the Cayman Islands, we congratulate Mr. Roper and welcome him and his wife Elisabeth to our shores. By all accounts, Mr. Roper is superbly qualified to excel in his new assignment. He has extensive diplo- matic experience, having served in postings as diverse as Algeria, Paris, Brazil and Kuwait (during the outbreak of the first Gulf War). He comes to us from his most recent position as Minister and Deputy Head of Mission in Beijing, China, where he oversaw a network of more than 800 people working in five diplomatic posts. The Halifax, West Yorkshire native has also worked with other British Overseas Territories and with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Develop- ment (OECD). (Out of diplomatic courtesy – and good manners – we’ll withhold our thoughts on the OECD for a more appropriate time and place.) We have no doubt that during the course of his glo- betrotting career, Mr. Roper has learned to pack light – as any seasoned traveler does. Unfortunately, when he arrives in Cayman, he will find that there is significant “baggage” waiting for him. He will assume the office in the aftermath of former Governor Choudhury’s brief tenure and myste- rious removal. The FCO’s terse announcement that Mr. Choudhury would not return to the island, but would be reassigned in London, left an unpleasant aftertaste in a community that had largely embraced Mr. Choud- hury and his family. Those feelings, we assume, will dissipate over time, but the process would be acceler- ated if the U.K. were to be more forthcoming on what actually took place. Another issue, if we may offer our new governor a brief political primer, is the U.K. Parliament’s decision last May to force overseas territories (but not Crown Dependencies) to publish registers of beneficial owner- ship of companies registered in their jurisdictions. Most islanders, especially those who travel in financial services circles, view that action as both unjust and provocative. We in Cayman would be wise to remind ourselves that U.K. representatives are here, first and foremost, to represent the interests of their home country. All high-level diplomats on foreign soil have to deal with that reality. The best of them do it with grace and aplomb, but no one in Cayman should be displeased or surprised when Mr. Roper puts the interests of England above those on the ground in Cayman. That is part of the “bargain” that goes along with territories being part of the U.K. family. The constitutional constraints on Mr. Roper cir- cumscribe his (and England’s) ability to influence and intrude into Cayman’s local affairs. Nevertheless, it would be a misreading to assume that our governors’ role here is largely social and ceremonial – entertaining at Government house, cutting a ribbon here or there, and issuing proclamations. The truth is the governor’s mandate is serious indeed. Mr. Roper, and his predecessors, have broad – even Draconian – powers to enforce and ensure such notions as “good governance,” national security (meaning particularly the police), and, ultimately, the performance of the civil service. These are consequential responsibilities and, at this moment in Cayman history, all are in need of serious review, if not outright remediation and repair. But, it is not the intent of this editorial to frighten Mr. Roper and his wife “Lissie” (as he calls her) away. Quite the contrary. We are confident they will find our “verdant isles” to be populated by a people who are genuinely friendly and universally welcoming. All are eagerly anticipating their arrival and looking forward to their stay among us. A heartfelt welcome to our new governor MONDAY OCTOBER 22, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Democrats have managed to steal the healthcare issue from the Republicans and with it, likely win control of the House. The Affordable Care Act promised to cover virtually all Americans, lower health- care costs and let folks keep their doctors and insurance policies – all proved false. By the end of the Obama presidency, 13 million addi- tional Americans obtained insurance but more than 20 million remained without cov- erage. As importantly, pre- miums rocketed – it now costs employers about $20,000 to purchase a family policy and that is after factoring in ever rising deductibles and co- pays for employees. As part of the 2018 tax re- form, the GOP managed to re- peal the individual mandate and the pace of premium in- creases for individual poli- cies sold on government ex- changes is now moderating. However, the mandate that large employers must provide insurance still stands. Americans now pay even more for hospital stays, doctor services and drugs, because the ACA permitted hospitals and drug compa- nies to monopolize markets. And doctors and other pro- viders increasingly find it necessary to work for hospi- tals instead of independently. Primary care physicians who have managed to main- tain private practices find themselves bargaining for fees with the uninsured working poor and barely covering over- head on what they accept. Mil- lions of Americans are still one illness away from bankruptcy – just like before the ACA. By requiring insurance policies purchased by em- ployers, and individuals through government ex- changes, to meet inflexible criteria – and by forcing in- surers to accept all applicants without charging older Amer- icans and those with pre-ex- isting conditions appropri- ately higher rates – many insurers across the country left local markets. They simply could not adequately spread the risk of getting stuck with too many older or sick folks in their pools of subscribers. This encouraged insurers to merge – larger compa- nies can more easily manage the risks of higher cost sub- scribers – and bargain effec- tively with hospitals, doctors and drug companies. How- ever, the hospitals one upped them by merging to form what are effectively regional monopolies. And have per- suaded doctors to work di- rectly for them as employees. Groups like New York- Presbyterian and Johns Hop- kins Medicine in Maryland now enjoy significant market power, and have jacked up fees for everything from MRIs to outpatient visits. As importantly, they have forced even large insurers like Cigna into restrictive contracts that prohibit them from cre- ating less expensive policies that require patients to use other more reasonable hospi- tals. And they deter large em- ployers like Walmart from finding similar solutions. Sim- ilarly, drug prices can keep raising prices, because Medi- care insures so many Ameri- cans and is generally restricted by law from bargaining effec- tively on drug prices. Americans now spend about 20 percent of GDP on healthcare and that is at least 50 percent more than in other industrialized coun- tries. Whether through man- datory private insurance as in Germany or single state- run providers as in the U.K. everything is a lot less expen- sive – a knee replacement, a visit to an allergist, devices and medicines – because other industrialized country governments regulate prices. The 2017 Republican plan that passed the House but could not muster a majority in the Senate would have re- arranged subsidies a bit. It would have given the states more latitude in adminis- tering Medicaid, which is now the principle mechanism for helping the working poor, and eased requirements on insurers to cover pre-existing conditions by creating risk pools at the state level. Democrats have dem- agogued the latter – they fashion themselves protec- tors of those with pre-existing conditions when the GOP has no intention of abandoning those folks. More importantly, though, the Republican bill would have done little to gen- uinely reform healthcare mar- kets – break up hospital and drug monopolies through tough antitrust enforcement and regulate prices. Since the 2016 election, public sentiment has flipped form 44 percent and 47 per- cent viewing the ACA favor- ably vs. unfavorably to 50 percent and 40 percent. Democrats are running campaign ads lauding the ACA twice as frequently as Repub- licans run ads attacking it. These are the largest share of the Democrats ad budgets overall. In 2010, the opposite was true when the GOP won the house by attacking the ACA. The Democrats may not offer a credible plan for fixing the high prices Americans pay. It does not matter, be- cause the GOP did not deliver. All Democrats really need is to show up, wave the healthcare flag and win. Peter Morici is an economist and business professor at the University of Maryland, and a national columnist. © 2018, The Washington Times, LLC. How Democrats stole healthcare PETER MORICI PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way”5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 22, 2018 www.silverthatch.org.ky Please join us for ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING on November 15th 2018 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom from 6pm onwards North Side playfield shows district teamwork Project could be completed this week CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com North Siders came to- gether on Saturday, just as their representative predicted they would, and completed the first phase of giving their primary school students a proper playfield. District MLA Ezzard Miller had tried to get gov- ernment to redo the facility and eliminate the uneven surface, which was often un- usable after rain because of drainage problems. After a district resident do- nated three container beds of artificial turf, Mr. Miller and school PTA president Carol Saunds decided that if the government budget could not accommodate the work any time soon, they would turn to the parents and district sup- porters to get the job done. And they did. On Saturday, seven men put in a full day’s work with no pay except for a “thank you.” But their efforts had been preceded by the volunteer services of many others. Mr. Miller pointed to “project consultant” Donovan Ebanks, retired deputy gov- ernor and a former chief en- gineer with the Public Works Department, who made pre- liminary recommendations and then stayed involved to monitor the work. As a result, a site survey was done and then Apec Con- sulting Engineers drew up a blueprint to show what amounts of fill would be needed in which areas. Betty Wood of KP’s Heavy Equipment donated 150 yards of fill. Truckers volun- teered to haul the material, delivering it to the playfield earlier in the week. The PTA then paid the National Roads Authority for the rental of four pieces of heavy equipment. Men in the district who work for the NRA donated their time and expertise. Allan McLean drove the small Bobcat loader. Osmond Wright operated the loader. Chris Rivers used the grader blade to first scrape away grass and loose soil, then to even out the fill Mr. Wright’s machine deposited. The final step was compacting the fill and smoothing the surface: this was accomplished by Bal Watler aboard the roller. There were spots the ma- chines were too big to get to, especially along the side abutting the school building. Johnny Miller, Kyle Terry and his father Ashbert Terry were ready with shovels, rakes and even a sledge hammer to deal with fine details. Work started shortly after 7 a.m. with preparations that included removal of game equipment, bleachers and light posts. The men took a brief break at noon for lunch provided by a district caterer. Then they were back to work, occasionally comparing notes under an almond tree, which site designers had been careful not to remove. Mr. Miller had said that he wanted the work done during the week the children were on a mid-term break. Perhaps if school had been in session, the students would have been too fascinated by the activity outside to con- centrate on studies indoors. Mr. Miller expected that the next step of the process, marking the boundaries of the football field and perim- eter track, would be com- pleted early this week. Then the artificial turf will be in- stalled across an area 75-feet wide and 150-feet long for playing football, he explained. The PTA has been talking to a company about the laying of asphalt for an oval 500-foot walking/running track around the perimeter of the football field. There will also be a straight, 80-meter track where the younger chil- dren can practice for their shorter-distance races. Osmond Wright drops a load of fill, and grader operator Chris Rivers is ready for it. Kyle Terry loads a wood frame from the long jump pit so that loader driver Allan McLean can remove it from the area. – PHOTOS: CAROL WINKER Ezzard Miller displays the rolls of artificial turf that will cover the football field.6 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY OCTOBER 22, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com It’s never too early to think about the perils of the internet. That was the message brought by KPMG to the stu- dents at Triple C School on Friday, when Iain D. Kenny and Marlon Joseph presented a lecture on cybersecurity in the internet age. Mr. Kenny, a former detec- tive with the Technological Crimes Unit of the Edmonton Police Service, told the stu- dents they need to be careful with the way they present themselves to the world. “Everyone is affected by cybercrime now, whether they’re youth or adult. Ev- eryone has smartphones, email addresses and they’re using websites,” said Mr. Kenny, KPMG’s director of ad- visory services. “Almost every person has an online pres- ence. And as a result of that, everyone is at risk. Of course, it’s better to be educated be- fore you become a victim, to avoid becoming a victim.” Mr. Kenny and Mr. Jo- seph were speaking to an as- sembly of around 250 stu- dents between Year 6 and Year 12, and they peppered their address with references to popular websites and applications. The students were taught not to clink on links within emails unless they are sent from a reliable source, and they were told not to open at- tachments unless they knew who sent them. Mr. Kenny and Mr. Jo- seph explained the concept of phishing scams to the chil- dren, and they asked them if they have ever received that kind of email. Many of the children raised their hand. “Have any of you actually received a million dollars?” Mr. Kenny asked. Mr. Joseph, a manager at KPMG, spoke to the children about social media and em- phasized the healthy ways that those sites can be used. But he also cautioned that there’s a downside to posting on the internet, namely that there may be people who are trying to use your informa- tion against you. “Whatever we post on the internet is always there,” he said. “Ten or 15 years down the line, you might forget what you posted a few weeks or a few years ago. But it’s still there.” The students were also cautioned against using the same password for all of their accounts, because if one account gets compromised, that gives cybercriminals an easy entrance to the rest. Mr. Kenny and Mr. Jo- seph cautioned the students against accepting friend re- quests from people they do not know, and they were told to think twice before they post anything online. Before the assembly, Mr. Kenny was asked if there was a chance the students would be too young to grasp the lesson. “Absolutely not,” he said. “We can see now that kids that are three years old know how to use iPads and play games on them. I honestly think that many of the kids in the room will be more knowledgeable about tech- nology than their parents. They have their peer groups and they have access to de- vices at school now pretty readily. In a school environ- ment, there are controls over what people can look at.… But as soon as they leave the confines of the school, there’s no restrictions.” KPMG has been putting on these assemblies all over the world during October, which has been internation- ally recognized as Cybersecu- rity Awareness Month. KPMG intends to visit a school in Cayman Brac soon, and Mr. Kenny said it’s important to spread the word near and far. “Parents just don’t have the knowledge or the expe- rience to be able to educate their kids sometimes,” he said about the subject of cy- bersecurity. “And in 40 min- utes, we’re not going to make them cyber experts. But we want to make them aware of some of the risks that are out there.” National Trust backs updated environmental study on port JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The National Trust for the Cayman Islands has called for government to follow the recommendations of the National Conservation Council on whether or not to proceed with the cruise berthing project. The council is expected to make a recommendation to Cabinet on whether to ap- prove the Coastal Works Li- cense for the project after the Environmental Im- pact Assessment is up- dated next year. In a position statement, Friday, the trust endorsed the decision to update the EIA, initially carried out in 2015, saying that should be a “pre- requisite before any work is approved.” “Failing to secure an up- dated independent EIA would inevitably raise questions of conflict and accuracy,” the trust said in its statement. “This could in turn re- sult in long-term damage to our precious marine envi- ronment given the extensive dredging and other subma- rine works which are forecast to be required in connection with the project. “The National Trust would request that Cabinet then follow recommendations made by the National Con- servation Council (NCC), as it is the NCC’s responsibility to act as an independent watchdog to safeguard our environment.” The National Conserva- tion Law requires Cabinet to consult with the conser- vation council on such mat- ters, but it is not required to follow its advice. The trust said in its state- ment that it understood gov- ernment’s desire to build cruise tourism and ap- preciated the information given about the project at a meeting in September, but questioned the economic value of the project. It added: “The National Trust is of the opinion that several critical questions re- main unanswered, and it is also felt there is a lack of re- search and data to support the assumptions made in the Outline Business Case. As a result, it is difficult to make an informed decision on the impact the proposed Cruise Berthing Facility would po- tentially have on Grand Cay- man’s environment and its economy.” “Failing to secure an updated independent EIA would inevitably raise questions of conflict and accuracy.” NATIONAL TRUST FOR THE CAYMAN ISLANDS KPMG delivers lecture on cybersecurity to students DEH: Bodden Town fire extinguished after several weeks A quarry fire in Bodden Town that had been smol- dering in the Pease Bay area for more than three weeks was extinguished Thursday, according to the Department of Environ- mental Health. DEH indicated that re- cent rains helped extin- guish the fire, “leaving only a deep seated smoulder under the very large piles and very little smoke.” The quarry owner re- portedly began work Wednesday to meet the terms of a Fire Service permit to store bulk com- bustible materials and a DEH abatement notice. DEH indicated the work had been delayed as the quarry owner repaired his excavator. The permit and the no- tice both required work be completed by Oct. 22. Fire Service officers had con- ducted daily checks on the site since it was reported to them in September. “Served in early October, the Fire Service permit re- quired the owner to dis- mantle the substantial piles of rubbish that pre- vented officers from safely and immediately extin- guishing the fire,” DEH said in a press release. “Meanwhile the abate- ment notice, filed in late September following a complaint from a member of the public, called for the owner to stop the smoke and have the site cleared of debris and fenced off.” The fire had blan- keted several homes with plumes of smoke in late September in the neighbor- hoods around Pease Bay, including government af- fordable homes on Sitwell Road, near Belford Drive. The owner intends to sieve the contents of the former fire and use the ash on his farm, while trans- porting the rest to the land- fill. Any waste brought to the landfill cannot be alight. Cayman Fire Chief David Hails and Fire Officer Roy Charlton tour the burning vegetation in Bodden Town in September. – PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY Petri Basson, left, Iain Kenny and Marlon Joseph of KPMG have teamed up to bring a cybersecurity awareness lectures to local schools. Marlon Joseph, a manager at KPMG, speaks to an attentive group of students at Triple C School. – PHOTOS: SPENCER FORDIN7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 22, 2018 Community digs deep for NCVO JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Some of Cayman’s top performers took to the stage Saturday to help raise money for the National Council of Voluntary Organisations. A host of entertainers strummed, sang and danced as the pledges rolled in at the 39th annual radio/tele- thon fundraiser. By the end of the night, just over $117,000 had been raised to help fund the NC- VO’s various programs, in- cluding the Nadine Andreas Residential Foster Home. The total was short of the $140,000 target and the orga- nization is hoping the pledges will continue to come in over the next few days and weeks. “Just because the night of the telethon is over, that doesn’t mean we stop,” said Angela Sealey, who is in her first year as CEO of the organization. “Any donations are still welcome. We really do need to hit that $140,000 target to implement some of the new programs we have planned.” The charity campaign at- tracted hundreds of donors from individuals pledging $10 or $20 to corporations who handed over large checks of $5,000 and $10,000. “This society is still a giving one and we do ap- preciate everyone who gave not just their money but their time and their efforts,” Ms. Sealey said. The night was broadcast by both Radio Cayman and Cayman 27 and hosted by a variety of news anchors from both channels, while sponsor Flow had staff man- ning the phones as people called in to donate. Some of the presenters even got involved in the en- tertainment. Cayman 27’s Seaford Russell Jr. joined dancer Quiana Erb on stage to show off some dance moves. There was also en- tertainment from local per- formers including Little Magic, Dario Rivers, Be- niel Miller, and Kate and Melody Allenger. NCVO Coordinator Mona Meade said the event would be impossible without such strong community support. She said the Cayman Drama Society, theater man- ager Paul de Freitas, Ki- wanis member Ruud van der Pluijm and Eden Hurlston, of OneWorld Productions, were among the many volun- teers who helped make the night a success. As well as the foster home, money donated will go to the NCVO’s var- ious programs including Miss Nadine’s Pre-School, the Jack and Jill Nursery, the Caring Cousins lunch support program and the NCVO scholarship. Ms. Sealey said the orga- nization also hoped to raise funds for the children in its foster home to take part in extracurricular activities. She said there was one boy in the home who was part of a football program and an- other had been selected to travel to Dubai as part of a Cayman swimming team, and funds were needed to make it possible. Donations can still be made by contacting the NCVO at 949-2124 or through www.caymangiftcertificates.com. Seaford Russell Jr. announces the pledges during the NCVO telethon.Dario Rivers played a selection of popular hits. - PHOTOS: JAMES WHITTAKER Eden Hurlston coordinated the entertainment and performed with various acts throughout the night.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 MONDAY OCTOBER 22, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS with the recent increase in population. Mr. McTaggart said gov- ernment had moved to ad- dress the impact of in- creasing costs with a cost of living pay raise for civil servants and a review of salaries for teachers. He added: “The uplift for civil servant pensioners as well as to retired Cay- manians needing assis- tance will also help. And of course on Nov. 1 the per- sonal import duty allow- ance when shopping over- seas will be increased to $500 from $350.” Overall, he said the economic picture for the Cayman Islands was good, with the estimated 4 per- cent growth eclipsing the 2.9 percent recorded for the same period a year ago. In the first three months of 2018, the ESO report states, tourist arrivals grew 20.6 percent, new com- pany registrations went up 41.7 percent, and part- nership recordings rose by 28.7 percent. Stock exchange list- ings rose by 30.9 percent, registering the highest level since 2009. Core Government re- corded a surplus of $190.7 million during the first two quarters of 2018. Government also con- tinued to reduce overall public sector debt, which was down to $432.8 million at the end of June 2018, ac- cording to the ESO. Mr. McTaggart said: “Our surplus thus far is significant, our debts con- tinue to fall. We have proved, and are con- tinuing to prove, that we listen and we act to ensure that our robust economy continues to thrive at present and will endure into the future.” Nevertheless, Mr. Clark said he and the faculty at the school were encouraged by the report. “The staff have all been coming to me saying what do we need to be ‘good?’” he said, referring to the next higher level of assessment by inspectors. He said he believes the school can reach that level in the next two years, in time for the next planned inspec- tion. A key to that will be im- proving performance in the lower grades. “There’s definitely more to do at Key Stage 3,” he said. “We’ve got to raise expectations.” Mr. Clark said students and teachers at that level may feel that graduation and assessment tests are so far off that there is less motiva- tion to learn. “We’re going to reintro- duce a Key Stage 3 graduation where we really want to cele- brate the students,” he said. A new inspection frame- work approved earlier this year calls for Cayman schools to be achieving in- ternational standards, rather than just levels obtained by other Caribbean islands. Mr. Clark said that means students have to perform even better than in the past. That can be especially dif- ficult for students in ear- lier grades, he said, as they often arrive at John Gray as underperformers. Part of the solution, he said, is properly assessing students when they start Year 7 and making sure their teachers are up to the task. The school was also faulted for a poor working environment, noting the in- adequacy of the physical plant and condition of class- rooms. Construction of a new high school, which was in- terrupted for several years, is due to resume in the coming months. Surveys of parents, staff and students, conducted as part of the inspection, were generally positive. Of 142 parents and 636 students that responded, 77 percent of both groups said they agreed that the school was providing a good educa- tion. Eighty-eight percent of 78 staff members agreed. Students were almost evenly split when asked whether behavior was gener- ally good among their peers. A slight majority, 45 percent, agreed that students behaved well, but 42 percent dis- agreed and 12 percent were uncertain. Fourteen percent of staff and 28 percent of parents disagreed that be- havior was good. Mr. Clark said he be- lieves those responses show the school still has to over- come a reputation based on some incidents from a couple of years ago. From the beginning of the school year to Oct. 8, he said, the number of students referred for behavioral problems has dropped nearly 50 percent compared to the same period last year. The number of stu- dents excluded from school dropped 25 percent. The principal also gave credit to the community. “I think we’re showing what can happen when people rally around the school,” he said. “I think we’re going to produce some fan- tastic students.” “First I want to listen and learn. I want to be the Governor the people of the Cayman Islands want me to be,” he said. “I will work in a spirit of collaboration and part- nership with the Premier, elected politicians and all sectors of society.” After a 30-year career, including senior roles at the U.K. outposts in Brazil, Algeria and China, Mr. Roper said he had exten- sive experience working on wide-ranging issues in di- verse parts of the world. His CV includes work on Overseas Territory is- sues in London, a stint at the Organisation for Eco- nomic Co-operation and Development and a spell as the U.K. ambassador in Algeria. In his most re- cent role in China, he ran a network of 800 people across five cities, with a major focus on trade and investment. The move from the world’s most popu- lous country to one of the smallest represents a change of scenery for Mr. Roper, but he said he was looking forward to the challenge. “I have heard so many positive things. You are a unique community with a high level of self-govern- ment and you have a great deal to be proud of. My wife Lissie and I are greatly looking forward to arriving and getting to know as many people as possible across all parts of the com- munity,” he said. Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin posted on Twitter Friday about the appointment, saying simply, “I look forward to meeting and welcoming Mr. Martyn Roper to our beau- tiful islands.” Opposition leader Ez- zard Miller welcomed the speedy resolution to filling the vacancy left by Mr. Choudhury but questioned why a longer term appoint- ment was not made. He said Mr. Roper had an impressive CV. “I look forward to meeting him and taking on the challenges for Cayman in the future,” he added. Mr. Roper, is described in an FCO press release as a “highly experienced ca- reer diplomat with a suc- cessful track record in se- nior corporate leadership roles across the world.” He was made an Of- ficer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Em- pire (OBE) in 2013 on his return to the U.K. from his posting in Algeria. He is married to Elis- abeth, has two children, aged 26 and 22, and enjoys cycling, reading and tennis, according to a brief biog- raphy released by the FCO. Cayman Islands’ new governor ‘delighted’ with appointment CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Cayman economic growth balanced by higher prices John Gray given satisfactory grade by inspectors CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Prosecutor in Venezuela rejects calls for death probe CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Venezuela’s chief prosecutor said he is investigating po- lice officers who failed to keep safe an opposition pol- itician who plunged from the 10th floor of a high-se- curity building, even as he rejected calls for an inde- pendent probe into the sus- picious death. The death last week of Fernando Alban touched a nerve with many Venezue- lans who doubt the govern- ment’s account that the Ca- racas-area councilman took his own life just three days after his surprise arrest at an airport. Alban was returning from a trip to the U.N. Gen- eral Assembly in New York to galvanize opinion against President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government. In an interview, Chief Pros- ecutor Tarek William Saab downplayed the criticism and suggested that opposition leaders who insist that Alban was thrown from the building or tortured to death could face prosecution themselves. “Those who say it was a murder haven’t presented any evidence,” he said. “They first have to give names of those who carried out the murder. But nobody has dared to do that because they know making something up would be committing slander.” He said the autopsy per- formed on Alban was docu- mented with photographs and the results were shared with Alban’s family and law- yers for them to audit. So far, they have not presented any objections, he said. Saab rejected calls by op- position leaders for an inde- pendent probe carried out by international experts to settle conflicting reports over how he died. He said such calls, which have been backed by the United States and other foreign governments, are an attempt to “interfere” in Ven- ezuela’s justice system. “We aren’t going to del- egate to any foreign govern- ment the ownership of our criminal justice system,” Saab said. “That’s abusive and disrespectful.” Still, he recognized that no prisoner should be able to commit suicide while in state custody and said those responsible for failing to pro- tect him would be probed for negligence. “His keepers were inter- viewed because they are part of the investigation,” he said. For many Venezuelans, including some former gov- ernment supporters, Al- ban’s death has echoes of the dirty war tactics used by state agents in the 1960s and 1970s, when prominent left- ists – including the father of Vice President Delcy Rodri- guez – were found dead in jail cells with little explanation. Saab, 56, took over as Ven- ezuela’s chief prosecutor 15 months ago when his pre- decessor Luisa Ortega was ousted by the pro-government constitutional assembly that has taken powers from the op- position-controlled congress. Since then, he’s arrested dozens of senior officials, in- cluding two former heads of state-run oil giant PDVSA, on allegations of corruption – something the now-exiled Ortega was loath to do in the decade she was in charge. But he’s also faced criti- cism for wielding his power arbitrarily and failing to re- lease dozens of activists jailed on what the opposition con- siders trumped-up charges. In August, Saab was with Maduro on stage at a mili- tary ceremony when explo- sives-laden drones were det- onated nearby. Saab said that prosecutors have so far identified 51 sus- pects who were allegedly part of the conspiracy hatched in the U.S. and Colombia to as- sassinate the president. He said the evidence points to the involvement of prominent opposition politi- cians including former Na- tional Assembly President Julio Borges. Borges, now living in exile in Colombia, has called the accusations a baseless attempt to crush dissent amid an unprece- dented economic crisis. “It’s a huge contradiction to say the autopsy can be au- dited but then threaten those who believe he was mur- dered,” said Borges, who was with Alban at the U.N. Gen- eral Assembly before his ar- rest at Caracas’ airport. Saab’s refusal to allow an international probe of Alban’s death stands in contrast to his invitation to the FBI to aid in the investigation of the drone attack on Maduro. While serving as Venezu- ela’s top human rights offi- cial last year, Saab was sanc- tioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for his role pro- moting the pro-government constitutional assembly, which the Trump adminis- tration has condemned as a naked power grab. Like other top officials, he considers the sanctions to be a badge of honor. His office in downtown Caracas is deco- rated with fading snapshots of himself in the company of his revolutionary heroes: Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Al- gerian independence leader Ahmed Ben Bella. He also fashions him- self something of a hippy. He likes to rock out to Neil Young classics, has tattoos spread across his body, has published several books of poetry in Spanish and Arabic, and sometimes walks around his office in sandals. John Gray High School showed improvement in a recent report, but work remains to be done.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY OCTOBER 22, 2018 Migrants storm Spanish border enclave fence Some 300 migrants attacked a fence separating Spain’s North African enclave of Melilla from Morocco on Sunday, an effort that left one migrant dead and saw 200 others enter Spanish territory, authorities said. The official said six Civil Guards received injuries in the assault. Migrant caravan swells to 5,000, resumes advance toward US Taiwan train derails, killing 22 and injuring 171 DONGSHAN TOWNSHIP, Taiwan (AP) – At least 22 people were killed and 171 others injured on Sunday when one of Tai- wan’s newer, faster trains derailed on a curve along a popular weekend route, officials said. Late Sunday night, hours after the Puyuma express derailed, one of the train’s eight cars was seen tipped over at about a 75-degree angle, with the entire right side destroyed. Firefighters with lights on their hard hats, fearing people may be trapped beneath the car, were looking underneath as a crane prepared to upend it. The train was carrying more than 366 passengers from a suburb of Taipei in the north to Taitung, a city on Taiwan’s southeast coast, when it went off the tracks at 4:50 p.m., the Taiwan central government said in a statement. The National Fire Agency cited the Cabinet spokes- man’s office as saying 22 people were killed and 171 injured in the disaster. Some passengers were crushed to death, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Chen Chung-chi said. “Their train car turned over. They were crushed, so they died right away,” Chen said. Soldiers removed bodies to identify them, he added, but nightfall complicated the rescue work. Photos from the scene just south of the city of Luodong showed the train’s cars in a zig-zag formation near the tracks. Five of the cars are turned over on their sides. Most of the deaths were in the first car, which flipped over, a government spokesman said. It was unclear how many people may still be trapped in the train, said the spokesman, who spoke on customary condition of anonymity. Some 120 sol- diers joined firefighters in their rescue work. On a live feed provided by Taiwan’s United Daily News, rescuers were seen carefully carrying what appeared to be a body wrapped in white plastic away from the site. Local television reports said passengers were trying to escape through train win- dows and that bystanders had gathered to help them before rescuers arrived. The Puyuma was launched in 2013 to handle the very difficult topography of Tai- wan’s east coast and is dis- tinct from the high-speed rail that runs on the west coast. The Puyuma trains travel up to 93 miles per hour, faster than any other in Taiwan ex- cept for the high-speed rail. The train that derailed had its most recent inspec- tion and major maintenance work in 2017, Taiwan Rail- ways Administration Director Lu Chie-shen said at a tele- vised news conference. Authorities are in- vestigating the cause of the derailment. CIUDAD HIDALGO, Mexico (AP) – Despite Mexican efforts to stop them at the border, a growing throng of Central American migrants resumed their advance toward the U.S. border early Sunday in southern Mexico. Their numbers swelled to about 5,000 overnight and at first light they set out walking toward the Mex- ican town of Tapachula, 10 abreast in a line stretching approximately a mile. It was not immediately clear where the additional travelers had materialized from since about 2,000 gath- ered on the Mexican side Sat- urday night. They seemed likely to be people who had been waiting on the bridge over the Suchiate River or in the Guatemalan town of Tecun Uman and who decided to cross during the night. At dawn there were still an estimated 1,500 migrants on the Guatemalan side hoping to enter legally. They marched on through Mexico like a rag tag army of the poor, shouting trium- phantly slogans like “Si se pudo!” or “Yes, we could!” As they passed through Mexican villages on the out- skirts of Ciudad Hidalgo, they drew applause, cheers and donations of food and clothing from Mexicans. Maria Teresa Orellana, a resident of the neighbor- hood of Lorenzo handed out free sandals to the mi- grants as they passed. “It’s solidarity,” she said. “They’re our brothers.” Olivin Castellanos, 58, a truck driver and mason from Villanueva, Honduras, said he took a raft across the river after Mexico blocked the bridge. “No one will stop us, only God,” he said. “We knocked down the door and we continue walking.” He wants to reach the U.S. to work. “I can do this,” he said, pointing to the asphalt under his feet. “I’ve made highways.” The migrants, who said they gave up trying to enter Mexico legally because the asylum application process was too slow, gathered Sat- urday at a park in the border city of Ciudad Hidalgo. They voted by a show of hands to continue north en masse, then marched to the bridge crossing the Suchiate River and urged those still on it to come join them. The decision to re-form the migrant caravan capped a day in which Mexican au- thorities again refused mass entry to migrants on the bridge, instead accepting small groups for asylum pro- cessing and giving out 45-day visitor permits to some. Au- thorities handed out num- bers for people to be pro- cessed in a strategy seen before at U.S. border posts when dealing with large numbers of migrants. But many became impa- tient and circumventing the border gate, crossing the river on rafts, by swimming or by wading in full view of the hundreds of Mexican police manning the blockade on the bridge. Some paid locals the equivalent of $1.25 to ferry them across the muddy wa- ters. They were not detained on reaching the Mexican bank. Sairy Bueso, a 24-year old Honduran mother of two, was another migrant who abandoned the bridge and crossed into Mexico via the river. She clutched her 2-year- old daughter Dayani, who had recently had a heart op- eration, as she got off a raft. “The girl suffered greatly because of all the people crowded” on the bridge, Bueso said. “There are risks that we must take for the good of our children.” In addition to those who crossed the river, immigra- tion agents processed mi- grants in small groups and then bused them to an open- air, metal-roof fairground in Tapachula, where the Red Cross set up small blue tents on the concrete floor. Mexico’s Interior Depart- ment said it had received 640 refugee requests by Hondu- rans at the border crossing. It released photos of migrants getting off buses at a shelter and receiving food and med- ical attention. At least half a dozen mi- grants fainted in the crush. Some tore open a fence on the Guatemala side of the bridge and threw two young children, perhaps age 6 or 7, and their mother into the muddy waters about 40 feet below. They were rafted to safety in on the Mexican bank. Mexican workers handed food and bottled water to the migrants on the bridge. Through the bars, a doctor gave medical attention to a woman who feared her young son was running a fever. Sustenance also came from Guatemalan locals – for Carlos Martinez, a 24-year- old from Santa Barbara, Hon- duras, the plate of chicken with rice was the first bite to eat he’d had all day. “It is a blessing that they have given us food,” Martinez said. “It gives me courage to keep waiting, as long as I can.” Migrants cited wide- spread poverty and gang vio- lence in Honduras, one of the world’s deadliest nations by homicide rate, as their rea- sons for joining the caravan. Juan Carlos Mercado, 20, from Santa Barbara, Hon- duras, says corruption and a lack of jobs in Honduras has stymied him. “We just want to move ahead with our lives,” he said Sunday. He said he’d do any kind of work. The caravan elicited a se- ries of angry tweets and warnings from Trump early in the week, but Mexico’s initial handling of the mi- grants at its southern border seemed to have satisfied him more recently. “So as of this moment, I thank Mexico,” Trump said Friday at an event in Scott- sdale, Arizona. “I hope they continue. But as of this mo- ment, I thank Mexico. If that doesn’t work out, we’re calling up the military – not the Guard.” “They’re not coming into this country,” Trump added. Their numbers swelled to about 5,000 overnight and at first light they set out walking toward the Mexican town of Tapachula, 10 abreast in a line stretching approximately a mile. A group of Central American migrants wade across the Suchiate River Saturday, on the border between Guatemala and Mexico. – PHOTO: AP Train carriages are scattered at the site of a train derailment Sunday in Lian, northern Taiwan. – PHOTO: APNext >