CORPORATE GREETINGS AND GREAT GIFT IDEAS FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON ChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmasChristmas CAYMAN BRAC Faith Hospital 215 Dennis Foster Road Phone (345) 948-2243 LITTLE CAYMAN Spot Bay Road Li�le Cayman Clinic Phone (345) 948-0072 DISTRICT HEALTH CENTRES INCLUDE: Bodden Town Health Centre East End Health Centre North Side Health Centre West Bay Health Centre GRAND CAYMAN Cayman Islands Hospital 95 Hospital Road, George Town Phone (345) 949-8600 SEVEN LOCATIONS info@hsa.ky • www.hsa.ky CaymanIslandsHSA HSA_Cayman wish you good health, love, peace and cheer, during this Blessed Holiday Season. The Board, Management and Sta HOLIDAY HOURS Accident & Emergency: OPEN 24 hours Cayman Islands Hospital Pharmacy: OPEN Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day from 8 AM to 6 PM General Practice Clinic, Acute Care Clinic and all District Health Centres: CLOSED Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day CAYMAN BRAC Faith Hospital 215 Dennis Foster Road Phone (345) 948-2243 LITTLE CAYMAN Spot Bay Road Li�le Cayman Clinic Phone (345) 948-0072DISTRICT HEALTH CENTRES INCLUDE: Bodden Town Health Centre East End Health Centre North Side Health Centre West Bay Health Centre GRAND CAYMAN Cayman Islands Hospital 95 Hospital Road, George Town Phone (345) 949-8600 SEVEN LOCATIONS info@hsa.ky • www.hsa.ky CaymanIslandsHSA HSA_Cayman wish you good health, love, peace and cheer, during this Blessed Holiday Season. The Board, Management and Sta HOLIDAY HOURS Accident & Emergency: OPEN 24 hours Cayman Islands Hospital Pharmacy: OPEN Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day from 8 AM to 6 PM General Practice Clinic, Acute Care Clinic and all District Health Centres: CLOSED Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY GUIDE High of 83 Low of 71 Seas: Rough with wave heights of 6 to 8 feet. A small craft warning is in effect. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 PUT US DOWN FOR ‘BEING BULLISH’ ON THE BRAC ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12, 2018 New court to fast-track domestic violence cases Police have five days to investigate serious incidents JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A specialist domestic violence court has been established to fast-track a growing number of abuse cases through the court system. Guidelines for the new court include ambitious timelines for police and prosecu- tors to investigate and bring charges. In the most serious incidents, involving physical injury or threats with a weapon, po- lice must submit a file to prosecutors within five days of the incident being reported. The Department of Public Prosecutions then has three days to make a decision on charges. The new system, outlined in a memo pub- lished last week, aims to ensure domestic vi- olence cases proceed from charge to trial within a matter of weeks. The goal is to pre- vent cases from falling apart because of vic- tims retracting statements. The court was established in response to a recommendation made by a U.K. criminal justice adviser in a review of the Summary Courts carried out in 2015. Claire Wetton, of the U.K. Crown Prosecu- tion Service, warned that too many cases were collapsing because victims withdrew their complaints as cases dragged on, in some in- stances for a year or longer. A memorandum of understanding, signed by police, prosecutors, the Department of Community Rehabilitation and the courts, published last week, sets out the responsibili- ties of each agency in handling domestic vio- lence cases. It sets out how police should investi- gate reports of domestic violence. It empha- sizes that officers should not focus solely on statements from the victim, and should seek to gather as much corroborating evidence as possible to enable the proceedings to continue even if the victim is reluctant or unwilling to give evidence. MIXED REACTIONS TO IMPACT OF ECONOMIC SUBSTANCE LEGISLATION MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com Legislative changes proposed by the gov- ernment in response to EU demands and other regulatory pressures will bring what appear to be significant changes for offshore compa- nies that are tax resident in Cayman. Under the new rules, companies must have physical offices, an adequate number of staff and management presence locally to be recog- nized as tax resident in Cayman. The new substance requirements osten- sibly add costs and introduce onerous re- porting requirements to companies operating in a limited set of industries and activities, such as banking, insurance and investment. However, Cayman Finance, the association representing financial services in Cayman, be- lieves clients will have no problems adapting to the new rules and will take the changes “in their stride.” Financial services representatives in Ber- muda, which is also forced to introduce sub- stance requirements for certain tax resi- dent business, appear equally laid-back about the potential threat to existing and fu- ture business. Andy Sloan, deputy chief executive of strategy at promotional agency Guernsey Fi- nance, said in October that substance rules were of the kind that “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” He said in the long term, the requirements could bolster the offshore industry by giving jurisdictions like Guernsey “a clean bill of health,” the Guernsey Press reported. Christian Luthi, chairman of offshore law firm Conyers Dill & Pearman, is equally Cruise ships skip Cayman amid high seas High seas and windy weather in George Town on Tuesday led to four cruise ships missing their scheduled stops, and sent the one ship that did arrive to Spotts Dock. Tuesday had been expected to be a busy day for George Town, with five ships carrying more than 14,000 passengers scheduled to arrive. However, just one ship, the Carnival Magic with 3,690 passengers, made the stop as Cayman experienced strong north to northeasterly winds of 15 to 20 knots and rough seas with swells along the west and northern coasts. The Norwegian Pearl, Crystal Symphony, Disney Fan- tasy and Carnival Freedom skipped Cayman. Rough seas are expected to continue this week, with wave heights of 6 to 8 feet forecast for Wednesday and waves of 4 to 6 feet on Thursday. The National Weather Service has issued a small craft warning through to Thursday. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Passengers disembark Tuesday at Spotts Dock from a tender boat that delivered them from the Carnival Magic cruise ship. - PHOTOS: ALVARO SEREY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » High waves crash against the ironshore in George Town Tuesday morning.2 LOCAL&REGIONAL WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12, 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. - WEDNESDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) ELLIOT THE LITTLEST REINDEER (PG) 12:40 I 3:05 I 5:25 I 7:45 ROBIN HOOD (PG13) 12:45 VIP I 4:20 I 7:00 VIP I 10:00 CREED II (PG13) 1:00 I 4:00 VIP I 7:20 I 9:40 VIP THE GRINCH (PG) 12:15 I 2:30 I 4:45 I 7:00 INSTANT FAMILY (PG13) 1:15 I 4:10 I 7:10 I 9:50 THE POSSESSION OF HANNAH GRACE (R) 9:15 I 10:15 RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET (PG) 1:35 I 4:10 3D I 6:45 3D I 9:30 Academy students spread Christmas joy JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Academy school is bringing the magic of Christmas to the Cayman com- munity as part of its Christian outreach ministry. On Tuesday, more than 70 students from Years 3, 4 and 5 made sure spirits were brightened at the CTMH Doc- tors Hospital as they sang songs “Soon and Very Soon,” “Lift Up the Trumpet, and “He Made the Way” in the hospi- tal’s garden. Cayman Academy is a Sev- enth-day Adventist school that believes in incorporating faith in learning. The school en- courages students to go be- yond just learning about math- ematics, English and other subjects, and engage in min- istry work, said Theodecia Sonlin-Sanderson, the school’s music teacher. She said the school did something different this year. Usually for the Christmas program, they all gather at a church where students per- form various songs. This year, they decided to take the program into the commu- nity because community out- reach has been their focus for the year. “Students sang, the Chamber sisters did a duet, a trio sang ‘He Made the Way.’ These songs are about hope and love, the life of Christ, his birth, his ministry and his soon coming … Cayman Academy wanted to be part of that and to just give the community that hope,” Ms. Sonlin-Sanderson said. Principal O’Neil Duncan said the children were re- ally excited about the per- formances. One of the main things the school wanted to do this year was to live out their mission, he said. “We wanted to live it out loud to let people known that Jesus is important in our lives and we felt it was an opportu- nity for us to go into the com- munity and let others know about the love of Jesus and what he has done for us,” the principal said. Jennifer Williams, the hospital’s concierge officer, said CTMH Doctors Hospital was happy to support the Cayman Academy in its en- deavors to give back to the community of the Cayman Islands. “We appreciate that they choose our hospital as one of their venues,” she said. All the students were given sunglasses by Ms. Wil- liams as a token of apprecia- tion from the hospital. On Monday, the students visited The Pines Retirement Home. Their next stop will be at Bayshore Mall Wednesday, and their final stop will be at the Cayman Islands Hospital on Thursday. Students from Cayman Academy gather outside CTMH Doctors Hospital on Tuesday morning. - PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY SENTENCE HANDED DOWN IN BURGLARY CASE Othneil Hezekiah Wil- liams was sentenced to three years on a burglary charge in Grand Court on Tuesday. Mr. Williams also ap- peared in Summary Court on charges of assaulting po- lice, damage to property and attempting to escape lawful custody. He will be back in court to be sentenced in Sum- mary Court on Jan. 23. Fishermen tow disabled sailboat to safety A fishing vessel, the Ziggy III, towed a sailboat in dis- tress to the safety of George Town harbor on Saturday, po- lice reported. According to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Ser- vice, shortly before 3 p.m. on Saturday, the 911 Communi- cations Centre alerted offi- cers to a report of a vessel in distress off the George Town waterfront. The sailboat had experi- enced engine trouble and was drifting out to sea with three people on board. The RCIPS police he- licopter deployed to as- sist, along with a Joint Ma- rine Unit vessel which had been on patrol in the North Sound. The helicopter crew located the vessel while the JMU vessel was en route, and contacted a nearby civilian fishing vessel to assist. The crew of the Ziggy III responded immediately and were able to safely tow the sailboat to the George Town harbor. “We are very grateful to the crew of the Ziggy III who did not hesitate to help,” said Neil Mohammed, deputy ex- ecutive officer of the Air Op- erations Unit. “When inci- dents happen at sea, it is often civilian vessels already nearby who can respond most quickly, and they rarely hesitate to do so. “This collaboration be- tween law enforcement and private citizens is an im- portant aspect of keeping Cayman and our waters safe.” MAN SENTENCED IN THEFT AND BURGLARY CASES SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Marty Dean Whittaker was sentenced to three years and eight months in Grand Court on Tuesday for a burglary charge. After receiving his sen- tence by Judge Roger Chapple in Grand Court, Mr. Whittaker appeared via video link before Mag- istrate Valdis Foldats in Summary Court, where he was sentenced for two other charges – theft and damage to property. The court heard that Mr. Whit- taker had pleaded guilty to both of those charges in September. Those charges stemmed from an incident in which he broke into a vehicle by damaging a back window and then took $7 from in- side the car. He was sentenced to six months concurrent to his Grand Court sentence on both the theft and damage to property charge. He was also ordered to pay $352 in compensation as part of his sentence. Mr. Whittaker will have to pay his fines within three months of being re- leased from prison. If he is unable to pay in the time specified, he will face another 35 days in jail, Magistrate Foldats said. The Ziggy III tows the sailboat to land on Saturday. - PHOTO: RCIPS U.S. DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM CUBA ON DISSIDENTS WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is demanding answers from Cuba about eight detainees it says are political pris- oners held by the commu- nist government. In an open letter to Cu- ba’s foreign minister re- leased on Tuesday, Secre- tary of State Mike Pompeo said Cuba had refused to respond to multiple U.S. queries about the eight, who he said were illustra- tive of more than 100 po- litical prisoners in Cuba. The list includes members of dissident groups and a journalist. Pompeo accused Cuba of reneging on promises to release them and other prisoners of conscience that date to the Obama ad- ministration and ignoring requests to even discuss them. He recalled that in October, Cuban delegates disrupted an event at the United Nations when U.S. representatives sought to raise the issue of political prisoners, an incident for which Pompeo has sought a U.N. investigation into al- leged property damage. “I am now asking you to provide a substantive explanation of the deten- tion of the political pris- oners on the attached list,” Pompeo wrote to Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, calling for a detailed de- scription of the charges they faced and evidence against them. GALVESTON, ROYAL CARIBBEAN PLAN 3RD CRUISE TERMINAL GALVESTON, Texas (AP) – The Port of Galveston and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. plan to develop an $85 million terminal – the third for the cruise-popular city on the Gulf of Mexico. Port Director Rodger Rees and Royal Caribbean CEO and President Mi- chael Bayley on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding. Royal Caribbean will pay for the new cruise terminal, at Pier 10, with the site ex- pected to open by the fall of 2021. A port statement says the initial lease is expected to be for 20 years, plus four 10-year options. Carnival Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line ships also serve Galveston, which has terminals at Pier 25 and Pier 27.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12, 2018 Sharp drop in nesting turtle numbers DoE positive about long-term trend for sea turtles JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Despite threats from poachers, plastic pollution, coastal development and now sargassum seaweed, re- searchers remain optimistic about the long-term sur- vival of the Cayman Islands nesting sea turtle population. While the 406 nests re- corded in the 2018 nesting season is significantly less than last year, the Depart- ment of Environment believes this is a temporary fluctua- tion. Research officer Janice Blumenthal said the longer- term trend, after two decades of monitoring turtle nesting, was extremely positive. As long as Cayman Is- lands residents help to manage a growing range of threats, she expects that to continue. “In 1998, with sea tur- tles nearing extinction in the Cayman Islands, we found a total of 15 turtle nests on Little Cayman and one nest in Cayman Brac. Surveys began on Grand Cayman in 1999, where we found just 23 turtle nests,” she said. Numbers have been growing steadily since then, peaking last year, when a re- cord 688 nests were recorded by researchers. Ms. Blumenthal is un- concerned by the significant drop in turtle nesting over the past year. “This decrease is in the context of an overall recovery of the local turtle nesting population and we have seen a strong upward trend. As our monitoring has been con- sistent, we are confident this is a true increase.” She said it was natural to see fluctuations in nesting numbers and the DoE antici- pates numbers will rebound in 2019 or 2020. For the last 20 years, the DoE and a small army of vol- unteers have walked the is- land’s beaches, keeping tabs on the number of turtle nests each season. Despite encour- aging increases in numbers, Ms. Blumenthal cautions that there is more work to be done. She said, “It is impor- tant to note that each turtle nests multiple times in a single nesting season, and the overall number of green and loggerhead turtles in our nesting populations is still very low.” She said the local nesting populations faced a wide va- riety of threats and would likely not survive without the efforts of DoE conservation officers who help guard nests from poachers. Periodic invasions of large mats of sargassum weed, which washed up on Cayman’s beaches in large quantities this summer, also provide a new threat to nesting turtles. “In addition to long- standing threats, we now add sargassum influxes to the mix. Sargassum deprives turtle nests of oxygen and can im- pede hatching. However, the biggest threat to nests during and after sargassum influxes is the use of heavy equipment on the beach to remove the seaweed, which can impact the nesting sites if equipment operators drive over them.” Anyone who needs to clear a beach of sargassum is asked to seek permission from the DoE, which provides authorization for the use of heavy equipment, taking into account the location of active nests. Another emerging threat to Cayman’s nesting turtles is plastic pollution, including discarded fishing line. Ms. Blumenthal said DoE officers had encountered nu- merous examples of turtles, and many other marine spe- cies, trapped or killed by discarded plastics on Cay- man’s beaches and in waters close to shore. The department is also continuing to encourage beachside property owners to use turtle friendly lighting. Hatchlings, which orient themselves toward the sea by following the light of the moon on the water, can be disoriented by the glare of lights from coastal proper- ties, and head inland. Ms. Blumenthal said man- aging these type of threats was crucial to the survival of nesting sea turtles in Cayman. “The turtle nesting re- covery seen in the Cayman Islands over the past 20 years could continue. However, that will occur only [if] we do our part in mitigating the risks faced by this national symbol while breeding on our shores,” she added. A group of Cayman International School students meet a Green Sea Turtle hatchling during one of DoE’s ‘turtle talks’ in November. DoE visiting scientist Joe Roche pulls a Green Sea Turtle hatchling from a nest in South Sound in November.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. 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” ZURICH – What do the Paris riots, Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, the dusky gopher frog and Peter Walli- son’s new book “Judicial For- titude” all have in common? They are all signs that the peasants have had it with the bureaucratic state and the smug elitists who have been ruling the globe. De- spite never-ending attempts to quash it, the basic human desire for liberty keeps re-emerging. Kings and assorted ty- rants have attempted to rule their fellow man from the be- ginning of time. Democracy was created as a way of al- lowing the people to express their grievances and obtain change without violence. Constitutional republics, such as the United States and Switzerland, were created as a way of restraining govern- ment’s ability to diminish the liberties of the people. The forces of control retali- ated by empowering bureau- cracies to ignore the will of the people. The European Union was created as a bureaucratic state with little democratic and judicial oversight. The EU bureaucracies did what bureaucracies always do, claim more power, and in- creasingly micromanage the people who they were sup- posed to serve. The enclosed table from selected countries shows why France is most prone to having violent riots. The French suffer from the highest tax burden of the OECD countries, yet have a lower per capita income than the Irish, Swiss, Amer- icans and even the British. Next door to France is land- locked and partially French- speaking Switzerland, which lacks the resources of France, yet somehow manages on av- erage to be more than 50 per- cent richer and much freer than France. The haughty elitists in Paris might ignore this comparative failure, but the average Frenchman gets it – and appears to no longer be willing to take the abuse from Paris. The French elite have been leaders in the environ- mental movement, lecturing the Trump administration and others about how won- derful they are for imposing $7-plus per-gallon gasoline tax on their citizens, even though such a gesture has no measurable effect on global warming. Meanwhile, the In- dians and Chinese continue to build coal-fired power plants at a furious pace. If you have been to Ge- neva and other Swiss cities in recent years, you may have noticed that they are much cleaner than Paris. One main reason is they are richer, and when you are rich, it is easier to clean up. Poor countries in Asia and Africa are often environmental hellholes be- cause they can neither afford pollution abatement equip- ment or systems nor do they keep the country clean. The British noticed that being part of the EU was making them relatively poorer with a great loss in national and individual freedom – so they revolted by voting to leave. The United States in times past was the richest and freest nation in the world. Those distinctions have been eroded over the last number of decades. Part of the rela- tive decline was due to other nations becoming more free – both economically and po- litically – but much of the de- cline has been self-inflicted. The relative decline of the United States was widely rec- ognized and was central to the Trump presidential cam- paign. The reason the United States has increasingly be- come a bureaucratic state is the failure of all three branches of government, but particularly the courts, to up- hold the U.S. Constitution. In his new book, “Judicial Fortitude,” Peter Wallison, former general counsel for the U.S. Treasury, has detailed how the courts acquiesced to Congress, giving more and more discretion and power to administrative agencies – often in clear violation of the Constitution. Congress was sup- posed to make law and oversee the implementa- tion of the laws and regu- lations they passed. As gov- ernment grew, Congress found it more and more onerous to make all of the decisions that the Consti- tution requires of them, so they delegated many of their powers to unelected bureaucrats, until the bu- reaucracy grew to what in effect became a new – and often out of control – branch of government. Mr. Wallison argues that not all is lost if judges stop out-of-control administra- tive agencies as the Constitu- tion requires. The good news is that some judges seem to be getting the message and that majority members of the Senate understand that they should only appoint judges that are likely to uphold the Constitution. Last month, in a unani- mous vote, the U.S. Supreme Court told the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that it could not take away a land own- er’s property rights to pro- tect the “dusky gopher frog” – that did not and in fact could not live on the prop- erty. The American Republic may have been saved by an invisible frog. Richard W. Rahn is chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth and Improbable Success Productions. © 2018, The Washington Times, LLC. The government is exploring the potential of con- structing a cruise dock on Cayman Brac to boost tourism and, by extension, the economy on that island. It might very well be a port we could support. Attracting large yachts and small cruise ships to the Brac could form the genesis of a sustainable tourism sector on the larger of the Sister Islands, where currently there is an unsustainable imbalance between the public sector (far too much) and the private sector (far too little). The argument for a Brac cruise port is not “If you build it, they will come.” In reality, much of the “it” (meaning, “infrastructure”) is already in place. The Brac’s roads, water, power, airport, education and telecommu- nications systems are more than sufficient to accom- modate the current population of about 2,000 people, several times over. Even the island’s Faith Hospital has been recently renovated and upgraded. All that’s missing for the Brac to bloom and boom is … well … people. The Brac is not entirely off the cruise sector’s radar. About four times a year, the island hosts some 170 pas- sengers from the MS Star Flyer, a four-masted tall ship. Next year, 450-passenger cruise ship Seabourn Sojorn will include the Brac among its ports of call. For travelers seeking a Caribbean destination that is “authentic” and a bit “off the beaten path,” the Brac cannot be beat for small day excursions, such as diving, snorkeling, exploring the Bluff, bird-watching or, of course, relaxing on pristine beaches next to turquoise waters. (The publisher of this newspaper visited the Brac last week, snapping pictures like a tourist. One frame of the beach at the Brac Reef hotel was so stunning, it now adorns his computer as his new “screen saver!”) Despite our initial enthusiasm, Tourism Minister and Brac MLA Moses Kirkconnell, himself a businessman, knows that practical questions still must be asked and suitably answered if the project is to proceed. Among them: Would cruise ship lines with appropriately sized ships include the Brac on their itineraries? How much would the port cost to build and operate, and would the funding come exclusively from government or, perhaps, via a public-private sector partnership? Certainly, a persuasive business case would have to be presented. In recent decades, while Grand Cayman has expe- rienced great growth, the Brac has languished in an economic shadow. Today, at least two-thirds of all pay- checks issued on the Brac effectively bear the govern- ment’s signature. The Brac possesses the same fundamental advan- tages that Grand Cayman does in terms of attracting tourism – white sands, blue seas, low crime and first- world physical infrastructure. Additionally, the Brac enjoys the identical legislative advantages that have enabled the growth of Grand Cayman’s financial services sector. There is, however, one caveat that must be acknowl- edged – and accepted – at the outset: With growth comes change. Many Brackers, understandably, treasure their small, tight-knit community, local traditions and laid-back lifestyle. At the same time, visitors and new residents will bring their physical presence and leave their imprint on this idyllic island. If the current residents of the Brac have no desire to see a “New Brac” and do not wish to part ways (not totally, but in part) with the “Old Brac,” then it would be a mistake not only to build a cruise port there, but also to promote new investment and development. We believe, with intelligent planning and consultation, sustainable growth is both possible – and desirable – on the Brac. Put us down for ‘being bullish’ on the Brac WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Bureaucracy run rampant RICHARD W. RAHN5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12, 2018 With eye on gas prices, OfReg launching fuels sector study KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Utility Regulation and Competition Office, known as OfReg, is seeking an economic consultant to analyze the territory’s fuels sector and draft an assess- ment, which the regulator will use to determine what rules to make for the market. The assessment is being launched against the back- drop of some in the territory saying that gasoline prices are higher than they should be. While gas prices have fallen in Cayman by about 9 cents per gallon since July, they have fallen by nearly 50 cents in the U.S. over that same period. But before OfReg can think about potentially regulating gas prices – or whether it will encourage market competition to de- termine prices – it must an- alyze the fuels sector to consider multiple factors that affect the local sector. Those factors include con- sumer and price behaviors, including the impact of the various stages of the supply chain on end prices of fuel, as well as how much market power the fuel companies have in Cayman. This will help regula- tors identify any poten- tial anti-competitive be- havior that may be impeding competition in the var- ious fuel markets here, ac- cording to OfReg. “Without completing market assessment [first], we run the risk of employing measures that aren’t sus- tainable for the sector, and can in effect cause an exit or threaten the very oper- ation of the current oper- ators,” OfReg Acting CEO Duke Munroe explained at a Legislative Assembly Fi- nance Committee meeting last month. In its advertisement for bidders, OfReg explained that the consultant will re- view and define the market structures that exist within the fuels sector, and there- after identify, evaluate and recommend poten- tial regulatory models that may be applicable to the Cayman Islands. The review will be con- ducted in several stages. First, the economic con- sultant will clearly define the various fuel markets within Cayman. For example, one market is the fuel used by the aviation sector, an- other market is for vehicles, and some fuel is imported solely for the use of the Ca- ribbean Utilities Company. After defining the ele- ments of the fuels sector, the economic consultant will conduct its market as- sessment. While regulators have already deemed the territory’s major propane and motor fuel suppliers as being dominant and having significant market power, OfReg stated that it is neces- sary to reassess their dom- inance due to the recent entry of new companies into those areas. Once those two stages of the review are conducted, the economic consultant will help draft a consultation re- port for OfReg to take to all the players in the fuels sector. Once those players provide their feedback, OfReg will make determinations on how it will regulate the sector. OfReg’s advertisement for bidders states that the reg- ulator is aiming to sign an agreement with a consultant by Feb. 21, and have the pre- liminary market review com- pleted by around June. At last month’s Finance Committee meeting, Mr. Munroe explained that the process described above has been delayed because OfReg’s fuels regulation of- fice has been underfunded. Government injected $1.15 million this year to help fund OfReg’s fuels of- fice, and some of that funding will go toward paying for the market review. OfReg explained in its ad- vertisement for bidders that it needs an economic consul- tant to conduct the market review because its staff lacks the required exper- tise to conduct the assess- ment itself. “While some level of ex- pertise exists within the Of- fice, a greater depth of expe- rience in the application of appropriate regulatory tools and techniques to under- take this assessment is re- quired,” OfReg’s request for proposals document states. “As such, in order for the Of- fice to competently and suc- cessfully carry out the var- ious studies and evaluation necessary, it seeks to hire a consultant.” OfReg has spent more than $2 million on consul- tancy and professional fees, due in large part to the lack of necessary skills within its office. The regulator’s 2017 an- nual report notes that the office is “endowed with a small group of enthusiastic, willing and dedicated staff” but that “the organization currently lacks, in house, the range of requisite skills to perform its regulatory work.” Therefore, OfReg “must rely on consultant help,” states the report, which also shows that OfReg spent $2,228,992 on salaries and benefits for a “total full-time equivalent staff” of 22 people in 2017 – about $100,000 per employee. “Without completing market assessment [first], we run the risk of employing measures that aren’t sustainable for the sector, and can in effect cause an exit or threaten the very operation of the current operators.” DUKE MUNROE, acting CEO, OfReg OfReg Acting CEO Duke Munroe6 LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS FILENAME2018-11-3326 Logic Cayman-50% Promo Campaign-NewspaperAds-6.8x11.9.indd INTERNAL REVISION 1 TRAP AT FINAL OUTPUT CLIENT Logic TRIM 6.8222" x 11.8975" CLIENT REVISION 0 CREATION DATE 04/05/18 BLEED -.--" x -.--" OPERATOR LG REVISION DATE November 8, 2018 12:18 PM FOLD -.--" x -.--" T: 604.417.7865 OUTPUT DATE 11/08/18 LIVE -.--" x -.--" E: horsman@123w.ca SAFE -.--" x -.--" APPROVALSSEENAPPROVED RESOLUTION 300dpi CREATIVE/DESIGNER TK FONTS -- COPYWRITER DH NOTES CREATIVE DIRECTOR -- ACCOUNT CT IT'S EVERYONE'S JOB TO PROOF. DO YOUR PART! HAVE YOU PROOFED AGAINST THE COPYDECK? HAS SPELLING AND SPACING BEEN CHECKED? ARE BRAND STANDARDS BEING FOLLOWED? - RIGHT LOGO - RIGHT COLOURS - RIGHT FONTS IS THE TAG INFORMATION CORRECT? IS IT THE CORRECT VERSION? DOES THE FILE HAVE THE CORRECT BLEEDS? ARE THE IMAGES THE RIGHT RESOLUTION? HAVE CREATIVE AND ACCOUNTS SIGNED OFF ON IT? REALLY? YES REALLY. CMYK “Who knew Santa worked for Logic?” KEVIN, NEW LOGIC ULTIMATE BUNDLE CUSTOMER. 50% off the Ultimate Bundle, just in time for the holidays. $99/mo for the first three months, and you could win weekly prizes, too. SIGN UP FOR THE ULTIMATE BUNDLE $ 99PER MONTH for the first three months* *Terms & conditions apply 15 Mbps FIBRE INTERNET 142 TV CHANNELS HOME PHONE BASIC ACCESS ++ After breakdown, Cuban vessel drifts from Brac to Little Cayman KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Twenty-six Cuban mi- grants are being held on Cayman Brac after their boat broke down and landed in Little Cayman last week. According to govern- ment, the vessel originally landed on Cayman Brac on Dec. 2, but the migrants in- sisted that they could make it to their destination, and so immigration officials al- lowed them to continue their journey. However, the boat had dirty fuel contaminating its engine, and broke down when it tried to continue its journey. The boat drifted to Little Cayman on Dec. 3. The group follows a vessel carrying 27 Cubans that landed on Cayman Brac on Nov. 10. In that group, nine of the migrants stayed in Cayman while the rest con- tinued their journey. The nine migrants that stayed have since been sent back to Cuba, according to government. In September, another group of 11 Cubans, con- sisting of nine males and two females, arrived at the Brac and were transported to the Immigration Detention Centre in Grand Cayman. There, they joined Cubans who were previously re- leased under government su- pervision but who have since been returned to detention. One migrant indicated that they returned due to an issue with rental housing. Government acknowledged that some migrants had been returned to the center but has not confirmed the details or circumstances of their renewed detention. All Cuban asylum ap- plicants had been released from the center in August, following concerns about indefinite detention pe- riods, in some cases sur- passing two years. At the time, the detention center was being eyed as an overflow facility for Cay- man’s crowded prisons, but the Human Rights Commis- sion flagged concerns about the facility in July. Commission Chairman James Austin-Smith urged Her Majesty’s Prisons Ser- vice to respond, stating: “Due to the extensive nature of the unsanitary conditions, the government must take steps to rectify this situation.” Government has not pro- vided an update on the con- dition of the center since migrants were returned to the facility. This boat drifted to Little Cayman last week with 26 Cubans on board. - PHOTO: SUBMITTED THOUSANDS OF HONDA CARS REQUIRE AIR BAG REPLACEMENT MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com At least 4,000 Honda and Acura vehicles on Grand Cayman need to have their air bags replaced following a worldwide recall of defec- tive air bags. Diane Hedge, service man- ager for Car City, said she and officials from Honda America are hoping to put a big dent in that number with a three-day event – from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 10-12 – in the rear parking lot of the Foster’s airport location. Ms. Hedge said Honda is sending 30 specialist tech- nicians to the island to ser- vice the vehicles that need the work. Because this is part of a wider recall of Takata-manufactured air bags, there is no cost for the replacement. The air bags in ques- tion can cause pieces of their housing to break off during deployment, becoming dangerous projectiles that can injure drivers and/or passengers. Ms. Hedge said no ap- pointment is necessary for the event. The actual replace- ment time, she said, is esti- mated at 45 minutes, but may take less than that. Vehicle owners can take advantage of free food and giveaways while they wait. The recall affects 2001-2016 Honda and Acura vehicles. Ms. Hedge said up to 3,200 cars will be serviced during the three days. “We would like to repair as much as possible,” she said. “I would hope when we com- plete Grand Cayman, we can do something on the Brac.” Numbers are not available yet, she said, but she expects 80 to 100 cars on the Brac are affected. Car owners can determine if their vehicle is affected by the recall by visiting www.hondacayman.com/ autos/recalls and entering their vehicle identification number. The boat had dirty fuel contaminating its engine, and broke down when it tried to continue its journey. The boat drifted to Little Cayman on Dec. 3.7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12, 2018 +1.345.640.3600 leasing@dartrealestate.com dartrealestate.com Contact an agent today: NOW LEASING Prime Office Space 2,989 Sq Ft. Unit S401: Flagship Building – Fourth Floor George Town Move-in ready | Wrap-around balconies with sea views Class-A Office Space | Suites with Balconies Designed to be LEED Gold ® | Space can be demised 14,000 Sq Ft. Unit 200: One Nexus Way – Second Floor Camana Bay Outdoor Seating | Harbour Views 2,253 Sq Ft. 47 Forum Lane – Ground Floor Camana Bay 7,318 Sq Ft. Regatta Office Park – Leeward 1 West Bay Road, Seven Mile Beach Move-in ready | Multi-floor availability Eric Bush to leave Cayman’s London office Have a Heart receives Cayman Islands Triathlon donation MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Eric Bush, the Cayman Is- lands government represen- tative in London, plans to leave the foreign post and re- turn home this summer. “I signed up for three years,” Mr. Bush said by phone from the London office. He took the post on July 1, 2016, not long after a minor scandal with some employees in the London office and just as the U.K. was plunging into crisis. “One week prior to coming over, the U.K. decided to leave the European Union,” he said. “Everything was in flux.” Much of the prepara- tion on which he’d spent months suddenly went out the window as the political landscape changed and new people came to power. Terror attacks in the city and a sur- prise election also made it difficult to find a solid footing, he said. In an interview in June 2017, Mr. Bush told the Cayman Compass, “Since being here, nothing has gone to plan.” Despite such challenges, he feels he has been able to make progress during his time in London. “I think we’ve put Cayman back on the map in terms of being recognized as a leading overseas territory,” he said. “This [job] is about an on- going engagement, and I hope I’ll have created a firm foundation for whoever takes this role to build on.” His replacement has not yet been announced. Mr. Bush said he is hoping negotiations on alterations to Cayman’s constitution can be completed before he leaves the U.K. Whatever changes might be made, he said, he hopes they will “strengthen the ties between the Cayman Islands and the U.K.” Mr. Bush’s wife, Laetitia, an attorney, has been working in the Walkers London of- fice. The couple has four chil- dren, one of whom was born during their time in England. When he returns in the summer, Mr. Bush said, he expects to return to work in the government, although he does not know exactly what his job might be. “My hopes are to come back within the civil service and take up a role where I can use my newfound strengths to help the Cayman people,” he said. Have a Heart Cayman Is- lands received $2,500 in do- nations from the Cayman Is- lands Triathlon and event sponsor Cayman First Insur- ance, in support of the char- ity’s mission to provide car- diac care to children. Have a Heart was chosen as this year’s charity partner of the triathlon, with part of the race’s proceeds going to- ward the organization. A total 169 competitors participated in last month’s race at Seven Mile Beach. Race Director Paul Sch- reiner said the event partic- ipants were proud to assist children with heart defects. “We hope that these funds will be able to benefit a child who will grow up healthy and happy. Our athletes train their hearts to be able to take on a triathlon and hope- fully these children’s hearts will grow strong enough to do whatever they wish as they continue life,” Mr. Sch- reiner said. Jennifer McCarthy of Have a Heart expressed grati- tude for the support. “Every dollar that is do- nated to Have a Heart goes directly to the delivery of surgeries the children need to survive. We celebrate our blessings at Christmas, and there is no better way to do that, than by sharing them. We hope others will be in- spired by Cayman First and the Cayman Islands Tri- athlon society, and help us to save more children’s lives,” she said. “I think we’ve put Cayman back on the map in terms of being recognized as a leading overseas territory.” ERIC BUSH, Cayman Islands representative in London “Every dollar that is donated to Have a Heart goes directly to the delivery of surgeries the children need to survive.” JENNIFER MCCARTHY, Have a Heart Triathletes race to the finish line at last month’s Cayman Islands Triathlon. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS may you have a Blessed and Joyous Holiday Season as we pause to remember Jesus Birth. We wish you all a We’re OPEN Christmas Day for Dine-in and Catering Orders. Yes, we will cook your Christmas Dinner (pick up only) SPECIAL NEW YEAR’S EVE DINNER from 5 pm to 10 pm! Phone 916-5736 restaurant@championhouse.ky For information and menus visit our website at: www.championhouse.ky WE also CATER! Small groups of up to 50 persons for Lunch and Dinner in our Dining Room Small and large groups for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner at your location ~ You create the menu, we’ll cook and serve! We are open to serve you daily Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (close Saturdays) Lunch and Dinner Bu et will feature some traditional Christmas items from Dec. 9 to Jan. 1, 2019 HOLIDAY HOURS Dec. 24, 25, 26 and 31 OPEN 8am - 5pm It also includes a com- mitment from prosecu- tors that they will “not make assumptions that calling the victim as a witness is the only way to prove a case.” The MOU requires po- lice to make a speedy re- ferral for victims in do- mestic abuse cases to support agencies. The police’s Family Support Unit commits to agree on “safety plans” for victims, and bring in the Department of Com- munity Rehabilitation or other agencies where appropriate. Inspector Kevin Ash- worth, manager of the RCIPS Family Support Unit, said the aim of the new system, which started last week, is to make sure domestic vi- olence cases progress “efficiently and expe- ditiously” through the criminal justice system. “It is about fast- tracking these cases, es- pecially high-risk cases, so they are dealt with quickly and efficiently. It is also about making sure the advocacy and support services are brought in to the pic- ture early, to ensure the victim gets access to the right intervention and support services as early as possible,” he said. Suzanne Bothwell, chief officer in the de- partment of Judicial Administration, said the MOU sought to ensure a “seamless inter-agency approach” in high-risk and serious domestic vi- olence cases “from com- plaint to completion” before the court. “The MOU also al- lows for persons who have alleged that they are victims of high-risk domestic violence to re- ceive early support from the Department of Chil- dren and Family Ser- vices, where they will have access to counsel- ling and other interven- tions to support their safety and general well- being,” Ms. Bothwell added. “This category of persons are viewed as highly vulnerable and at risk of serious violence, therefore the MOU is meant to reduce risk and ensure that these cases are treated with the seri- ousness and priority that they deserve.” As well as recom- mending specialist training for officers, law- yers and magistrates handling domestic vio- lence cases, the memo es- tablishes guidelines for court proceedings, in- cluding separate witness waiting areas and in- creased security to keep victims safe. It also sets out respon- sibilities for the courts after sentencing, in- cluding monitoring of- fenders and ordering progress reports in cases where rehabilitation pro- grams have been ordered. In summary, the memo sets out five main aims: to improve court efficiency and victim safety; to promote in- formed and consis- tent judicial decision- making; protect the rights of all concerned; and increase confidence in the criminal judi- cial system. No one from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions responded to requests for comment on the new system. confident Bermuda can adapt to the new rules. “Many Ber- muda entities already meet the requirements,” Mr. Luthi told the Bermuda Gazette in December. “Indeed, for certain of our key industries, such as insurance and banking, the EU has expressly recognized the substantive nature of those industries in Bermuda.” Mr. Luthi said industry stakeholders and Bermu- da’s government had ensured compliance with EU and global requirements while protecting Bermuda’s inter- ests and competitiveness. Much like Cayman Fi- nance and the Cayman Is- lands government, the Conyers Dill & Pearman chairman emphasized the global nature of the rules, which are expected to soon become an OECD standard. Cayman Finance charac- terized the changes as the adoption of a new global standard that will be applied in more than 120 member countries of the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Inclusive Framework, including the United States. “It is worth noting that all of Cayman’s main competitor jurisdictions are in a similar position as BEPS Inclusive Framework members,” the as- sociation said. In an effort to create a “unified jurisdictional mes- sage,” Cayman Finance en- couraged its members to use its general statement on the new rules and hold back on issuing client advisories until government releases guid- ance with the exact details on the substance requirements. ‘Sacrificing’ intellectual property business Statements by financial services representatives in the British Virgin Islands show why this message may not necessarily be uni- fied, as not all offshore com- panies are going to be im- pacted equally. At a BVI Finance event in November, Harneys partner Peter Tarn described the substance requirements as “the most existential threat that the industry has faced since probably 1999,” the BVI Beacon reported. Compared to transpar- ency initiatives and other regulatory hurdles put up during the past 20 years, “this is frankly the most diffi- cult to deal with,” he said. In its negotiations with the EU, the BVI and other overseas territories and Crown dependencies facing substance requirements had decided to “sacrifice” intellec- tual property-holding compa- nies, Mr. Tarn said, because the EU was “obsessed” with them and they did not repre- sent a critical part of the in- dustry in the Virgin Islands or in other jurisdictions, the BVI Beacon reported. However, in return, im- portant parts of the offshore business were kept out- side of the relevant criteria for substance requirements. In addition, the substance tests apply only to tax resi- dent businesses, and many businesses were simply not within the scope of the legis- lative changes. The Cayman Islands Min- istry of Financial Services is- sued a notice arguing simi- larly that “not all exempted companies are covered in the proposed legislation.” Only those companies con- ducting business in one of the specified categories will have to determine an ade- quate level of substance, the ministry said. The assumption is that not as many companies in the areas and activities cov- ered by the substance legisla- tions are effectively tax resi- dent in the jurisdictions as is commonly believed. A client advisory by off- shore law firm Walkers adds that the profit shifting that the new rules are trying to prevent does not exist in Cayman. “We do not consider that structures seeking to exploit BEPS are at all prevalent in Cayman, where tax neutrality and the absence of a net- work of double-taxation trea- ties would render such struc- tures largely meaningless, but Cayman is committed as a jurisdiction to assisting the international community in the preservation of standards of fiscal propriety wherever possible,” Walkers said. Packing up? Meanwhile, offshore ju- risdictions that are part of larger economies are trying to benefit from the applica- tion of the new standards. Bloomberg claimed in No- vember that many U.S. mul- tinationals were “packing up,” or choosing to open subsidiaries “in low tax, rather than no-tax, coun- tries that are seen as more legitimate than the formerly popular island destinations of the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas.” According to the report, the companies “are fleeing” from EU-imposed regula- tions that require them to justify the business purpose for their offshore operations. The article may have simply been a marketing ef- fort by the Asian law firms quoted in the piece. However, it is far from clear whether Cayman-reg- istered companies who must demonstrate economic sub- stance would decide to do so locally. If the same substance rules applied in more than 120 jurisdictions, the avail- ability of qualified labor, the cost of doing business and many other factors would have to be consid- ered, in addition to the ef- fective tax rate. New court to fast-track domestic violence cases CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Mixed reactions to impact of economic substance legislation Gunman opens fire in Brazil cathedral, kills at least 4 RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – A man opened fire in a cathedral in southern Brazil after Mass on Tuesday, killing four and leaving four others injured before turning a gun on him- self, authorities said. The shooting occurred right after Mass at the Met- ropolitan Cathedral in Campinas, a city about 60 miles north of Sao Paulo, according to Wilson Cas- sante, a spokesman for the archdiocese. He told The Associated Press that the officiating priest had left before the shooting began. A spokesman for Sao Paulo state firefighters told the AP that four injured had been taken to local hospitals. Their conditions were not im- mediately known. Cassante said church of- ficials did not recognize the shooter or have any ideas about his motive. “It’s so sad,” said Cas- sante. “It’s hard to imagine the pain this has caused.” Hamilton Caviola Filho, a police investigator, told news portal G1 that authorities had reviewed surveillance footage from inside the cathedral. The shooter “came into the church, sat on a chair, with time to think, and then got up and starting shooting,” said Caviola Filho. The investigator also said that before shooting himself in the head, the suspect took a bullet in the ribs from re- sponding police. In total, the suspect fired at least 20 shots, said Caviola Filho. Images on Globo News showed paramedics taking bodies and injured from the church. Firefighter Alexandre Mon- teiro told G1 that the four in- jured were in stable condition. The motive was is not clear. Authorities have yet to release the name or age of the suspect. While Brazil leads the world in total annual homi- cides, mass shootings are rel- atively rare. Firefighters walk out of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Campinas, Brazil, where a gunman opened fire Tuesday, killing at least four people. – PHOTO: AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12, 2018 Time’s Person of the Year: 4 journalists and a newspaper Time magazine has announced its 2018 Person of the Year is “The Guardians,” four individuals and one group – all journalists – who this year helped expose “the ma- nipulation and the abuse of truth” around the world. They are the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post con- tributing columnist who was killed inside Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul in October; the staff of the Capital Gazette newspaper in Maryland; journalist Maria Ressa, the chief executive of the Rappler news website, who has been made a legal target for the outlet’s coverage of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte; and journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who have been jailed in Myanmar for nearly a year for their work exposing the mass killing of Rohingya Muslims. “As we looked at the choices, it became clear that the manipulation and the abuse of truth is really the common thread in so many of this year’s major stories, from Russia to Riyadh to Silicon Valley,” Time maga- zine editor Edward Felsenthal said on the “Today” show Tuesday morning. Of Khashoggi’s selection, Felsen- thal said it was the first time the magazine had ever chosen someone no longer alive as Person of the Year. But it was not so much the brutal de- tails about his death as the work he had done most of his life – holding Saudi Arabia’s government account- able – that solidified his legacy. Fred Ryan, the publisher of The Washington Post, said he applauded Time for using its much-anticipated annual award to highlight jour- nalists’ work. “Time Magazine’s choice to honor journalists who have lost their lives or the freedom to do their jobs is a powerful reminder of the critical role journalists play and the increasing dangers they face,” Ryan said in a statement. Time also honored the staff of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, where five staff members were shot to death in June after a gunman opened fire in their newsroom. Despite the tragedy, the Capital’s surviving staff persisted in their work in the hours, days and weeks afterward. On the “Today” show Tuesday, Felsenthal emphasized that the two Reuters reporters who were being honored, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, had been imprisoned in Myanmar for almost exactly a year. The two had been covering the mass killing of 10 Rohingya Mus- lims in the country last September, and in their reporting had found Myanmar troops were complicit in the executions – part of a wave of killings, rapes and arson inter- nationally condemned as ethnic cleansing of minority Muslims in the majority Buddhist country. For her work in the Philippines, Felsenthal praised honoree Maria Ressa as an “extraordinary indi- vidual” who has relentlessly exposed the thousands of extrajudicial kill- ings taking place as part of Duterte’s war on drugs in the Philippines. © 2018, The Washington Post This combination photo provided by Time Magazine shows their four covers for the ‘Person of the Year,’ announced Tuesday. - PHOTO: AP “As we looked at the choices, it became clear that the manipulation and the abuse of truth is really the common thread in so many of this year’s major stories, from Russia to Riyadh to Silicon Valley.” EDWARD FELSENTHAL, Time magazine editor Trump says military to build border wall if Democrats refuse WASHINGTON (AP) – Presi- dent Donald Trump sought Tuesday to pressure Demo- cratic congressional leaders into supporting his demand for billions of dollars to build his promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, threat- ening to have the military build it “if Democrats do not give us the votes to secure our Country.” Trump tweeted the threat hours before Senate Demo- cratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi were to meet with Trump at the White House in an effort to avert a possible partial government shutdown on Dec. 21, when funding for some agencies is scheduled to expire. In a series of tweets Tuesday, Trump said immi- gration and border patrol agents and thousands of ac- tive-duty service members he sent to the border have done a “FANTASTIC” job. But he said “A Great Wall would be, however, a far easier & less expensive solution.” Trump said he looked forward to meeting with Schumer and Pelosi, but claimed they do not want border security for “strictly political reasons.” “If the Democrats do not give us the votes to secure our Country, the Military will build the remaining sections of the Wall. They know how important it is!” Trump said. Schumer and Pelosi said Monday that Republicans have the power to keep the government open since they control Congress and the White House. “Our country cannot af- ford a Trump Shutdown,” they said in a statement, adding that Trump “knows full well that his wall proposal does not have the votes to pass the House and Senate and should not be an obstacle to a bipar- tisan agreement.” Republican congressional leaders have repeatedly said it’s up to Trump to cut a deal with Democrats, an acknowl- edgment of their inability to produce spending bills with Republican votes alone. That gives Democrats some momentum heading into the closed-door talks, which also could veer into Trump’s request for emer- gency funding for deadly wildfires in California and a Republican-sponsored bill to extend expiring tax breaks and delay some healthcare taxes. Before lawmakers adjourn for the year they also may consider a bipartisan crim- inal justice reform bill, a bill to protect special counsel Robert Mueller and a plan to overhaul the system for handling sexual harassment complaints on Capitol Hill. By far, the biggest unre- solved issue is the border wall. Trump wants the next funding package to in- clude at least $5 billion for it, an idea Democrats have flatly rejected. Pelosi and Schumer have urged Trump to support a bill that includes a half-dozen government funding bills largely agreed upon by law- makers, along with a separate measure that funds the De- partment of Homeland Secu- rity at current levels through Sept. 30. The homeland bill includes about $1.3 billion for fencing and other security measures at the border. If Trump rejects that, Democrats will likely urge a continuing resolution that funds all the remaining ap- propriations bills at cur- rent levels through Sept. 30, an aide said. The aide was not authorized to discuss strategy by name and re- quested anonymity.Next >