ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 75 CENTS – FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 Perfect for Parties, Corporate events, Reunions and more! Call 769 8000. CUBANS MIGRANTS PROTEST TREATMENT KEN SILVA AND KAYLA YOUNG ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com, kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com A group of Cuban migrants who ar- rived here in September are protesting what they say are human rights violations by government. On Thursday morning around 11 a.m., a group of eight migrants were standing in the yard of the Immigration Detention Centre, holding signs with slogans such as “We are not immigrants, we are refugees” and “We want a fair process.” One of the Cubans told the Compass that the detainees are protesting how government is handling their asylum applications. He said that nine of them applied for asylum, and eight were rejected. They believe they have not had their legal rights properly explained to them, they haven’t received a fair asylum hearing, and they do not have access to channels of communication. Some have legal representation, but others do not, the Cuban told the Compass. One mi- grant was told by government that there are no legal aid funds available for that person, PORT BUSINESSES FEAR FOR FUTURE JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Businesses at the port are concerned for their future after being turned down in their efforts to secure a “first refusal” agreement for space in the proposed new cruise terminal. The board of the Port Authority rejected the request on the basis that it wants to keep its “options open” for the new port. Members of the Royal Watler Tenants As- sociation say they have struggled through lean times at the port and are seeking guarantees that they will be allowed to continue oper- ating if and when the new dock is built. In December 2015, the board granted “rights of first refusal“ to the tenants but re- versed that decision in May 2016 based on legal advice from Ritch & Conolly, according to board minutes. Kevin Doyle, chairman of the tenants as- sociation and director of the Green Parrot Bar and Grill at the cruise terminal, said the busi- nesses had been encouraged to try to have those rights reinstated after recent public comments from government that the facility would have no additional upland development. “When we heard government affirm that there would be no upland development and that retail redevelopment would not be in- creased in size, we were very, very relieved,” he PLANS FOR CAYMAN KAI SPARK DEBATE OVER BEACH ACCESS JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Plans for public toilets and a parking lot at a small public beach in Cayman Kai have been approved despite strong objec- tions from neighboring residents. Property owners in the res- idential community sought to claim the area, close to Star- fish Point, should never have been made a public beach in the first place. Though the land is pub- licly owned and zoned “land for public purposes,” neighboring landowners wrote to the Cen- tral Planning Authority to claim that “public” in this context is meant to mean the residents of the Cayman Kai subdivision. They also claimed the com- munity was governed by “restric- tive covenants” which would be breached if the restrooms and parking lot were approved. BOGGY SAND BEACH VENDOR DEFENDS CHAIR RENTALS MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com A tour operator who rents beach chairs to cruise tour- ists on a stretch of beach in West Bay says the beach land belongs to his family and that all the necessary business li- censes have been obtained, after a Facebook photo of the sun loungers and umbrellas led to criticism of the venture on social media. Ronaldo Garcia of The Tour Company Cayman Ltd. launched the beach chair rental business on Monday. However, some social media users reacted angrily to an image of the yellow umbrellas lining the beach. “They posted saying we set up illegally without a permit,” Mr. Garcia said. But, he added, the beach land on Mary Mollie Hydes Hundreds attend Honda air bag recall event KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Christopher Mason heard about Honda’s recall of at least 1.4 million cars for faulty pas- senger-side air bags around 11 a.m. on Thursday. Just an hour later, he took his Honda CR-V to Honda’s certified dealer, Car City, to have his air bag replaced. “I didn’t know about the faulty air bags until someone told me about an hour ago that I should take my vehicle in for inspection. So I said, ‘Fine, for safety reasons I’d love to have them rectify the problem, so I brought it in,’” he said. “Pre- vention is better than cure. If they say we need to do it, I be- lieve I have to respond.” Mr. Mason was one of some 300 Honda drivers who had re- sponded to the recall by taking their vehicles to Car City by noon on Thursday. Car City is holding a three-day event in the rear parking lot of the Fos- ter’s airport location, from 8 a.m. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » Honda technician Paul Martin works to replace the air bag inflator on a Honda Pilot. - PHOTOS: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Rows of Hondas are lined up Thursday afternoon to have their air bags replaced as part of Honda’s recent recall.2 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 CAYMAN COMPASS West Shore Center, Seven Mile Beach • 10am to 10pm Cayman Cookin’ Over a Wood Fire! Internati onal Award-Winning Caribbean Chicken! Dine-in! Take-out! Indulge on a feast for 2 to 4 or 6 or more! With an awesome selection of sides to choose from. 945-2290 Visiting Specialist will be available for consultation at Novo Clinic, Britcay House 236 Eastern Avenue from 21 January - 8 February, 2019 For appointments please call +1 (345) 746-6082 clinic@novocayman.com Gynecology, Urogynecology, Cosmeti c Gynecology New Proud of Them recipients announced MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Ministry of Education announced 12 new Proud of Them award winners at a re- ception and dinner Wednesday evening at the George Town Yacht Club. The semiannual awards, launched in 2013, recognize young people between the ages of 10 and 25 for achievements in academics, sports, career, culture, business and commu- nity service. “This is a night where you can reach back and pat your- selves on the shoulder,” said Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, addressing the small crowd. Each recipient was hon- ored individually for his or her achievements and received a certificate and a $500 award. Diego Smith Diego Smith, a chef at Blue Iguana Grill at the Holiday Inn, has been pursuing a cu- linary career since he gradu- ated from Capistrano Valley Christian School in San Juan Capistrano, California. He at- tended the school on a bas- ketball scholarship and made first team all-league before graduating in 2014. He studied professional cookery at Middlesbrough College in England for two years before enrolling in George Brown College in To- ronto to study Italian cooking, which involved spending four months in Bologna, Italy. He hopes to open his own restau- rant some day. Mr. Smith is the second member of his family to re- ceive a Proud of Them award. His sister, Abigail Stoddart, was honored last year. Winners of the Proud of Them initiative are featured on billboards posted around the island. “It will be funny to see myself out there,” Mr. Smith said, “but also I’ll be proud to be recognized not only for working hard but doing some- thing I’m passionate about.” Dominic Owens Honored for academics, Dominic Owens, 17, is a stu- dent at St. Ignatius High School, with plans to further his education by studying accounting and finance in the U.K. He said he recently received three A grades on his A-level exams. “I think this is probably the most prestigious award that I’ve won,” Mr. Owens said. “Having my picture on the bill- board means I’ve achieved what other excelling Cayma- nians have and I find that to be an honor. Last year, Mr. Owens was Cayman’s representative at the Global Young Leaders Conference that was held in Washington D.C. Jade Barnard Nancy Barnard said her daughter, Jade, is an overall outstanding student at Cayman Prep, excelling in both math and English. She won the principal’s award for both Year 8 and, in December, for Year 9. She was a Rubis Top Student finalist in 2018. Jade and her brother, Luke, have their own recycling op- eration in West Bay, collecting recyclable materials from neighbors who were willing to pay so they did not have to deal with it. Jade also vol- unteers with such organiza- tions as the Humane Society and Cayman HospiceCare (now Jasmine). Unsure of a career path yet, Jade said, “I want to do some- thing that can help the world.” Nathan McCoy A first-year student at Baylor University, where he is in the honors program, Nathan McCoy, 18, is studying public health and pointing toward a career in medicine. A graduate of Cayman In- ternational School, Mr. McCoy said he excelled there as a stu- dent and also did a signifi- cant amount of community service work. “I did a lot of stuff with the National Honor Society,” he said, “a lot of beach cleanups, and tutoring at George Town Primary. “It’s a very big honor to be recognized by your country,” he said of Wednesday’s award. “I take a lot of pride in that.” Some of his Baylor class- mates have talked about coming to Cayman for spring break, he said. He laughed at the idea they might see his face on a billboard. “If they come down, I’ll be like, ‘Hey, there I am!’” Allison Flores-Hernandez Unlike many students her age, Allison Flores-Her- nandez, 14, enjoys getting up and speaking in front of a crowd. She’s won several awards in the past few years for her public speaking, in- cluding two first-place finishes in the Claudette Upton Speech Competition. “I started around Year 5 and I just continued,” Allison said of her speech and debate career. “I enjoy writing the speeches. I memorize them very easily so I have a lot of time to practice on my method of presentation.” A resident of Cayman Brac, Allison attends Layman Scott High School, where she has won top student and academic excellence awards. She hopes to eventually study cinematog- raphy at a U.K. university. She has not yet told her friends to look for her, hoping it will be a surprise. “I’ll wait and they’ll say, ‘Al- lison, you’re on a billboard!’” she said. “It’s very exciting.” Shannon Williams Newly graduated from Harrisburg University in Penn- sylvania, Shannon Williams, 21, is working as an internal software developer at Walkers law firm. Mr. Williams said he did well at Harrisburg and his Proud of Them award was for academics. But, he said, he was not a good student in high school. In the first of his two years at the University College of the Cayman Islands, he took a course in computer program- ming that changed his outlook. “I fell in love with it,” he said. “I found my passion there. I knew I had to do better in school, so I decided to take things more seriously.” Isabella Hall Another recipient in the academic area, Isabella Hall, 19, recently graduated from UCCI with an associate de- gree in computer science. She’s planning to attend a univer- sity overseas to earn a bach- elor’s degree and hopes to have her own marketing busi- ness one day. Her award, she said, “means my hard work and dedication has paid off in my academics.” Ms. Hall was deputy head student while attending John Gray High School, where she graduated in 2016. She spent a lot of time teaching and tu- toring other students during her high school years, she said, especially with those who were preparing for exit exams. Julisa Dilbert Wednesday night offered a break from the barking and whining that sometimes fills Julisa Dilbert’s days. She is the owner of Happy Paws Cayman, a dog sitting and dog walking service she has been running for the past five years. She has eight employees, has two more in training and recently expanded her services to the Sister Islands. She was recog- nized in the business category. Her hard work, she said, “feels like it’s paid off.” A graduate of John Gray High School in 2012, Ms. Dil- bert said she earned a bache- lor’s degree in business man- agement through Penn-Foster College, an online school. She cannot wait to see her picture on a billboard. “I already said I’m going to take a selfie with it and put it on social media for Happy Paws,” she said. Greyshell Bent At 18, Greyshell Bent is busy finishing an associate degree in business adminis- tration at UCCI. She plans to study fashion marketing in the U.K. While she seems to have a mind for business, she also has a heart for her community. She was recognized with a Proud of Them award for com- munity service. She first got involved in volunteer work at John Gray High School when her social studies teacher, Maxine El- demire, encouraged her to join the Key Club. She helped out on such projects as the Ki- wanis’ Santa landing and bike- a-thon and also served din- ners to the elderly. She served as lieutenant governor for the five island clubs and, eventu- ally, for the regional Key Club, based in Florida. “From high school up to now, I dedicated so much time, I was proud to receive it,” she said of Wednesday’s award. Tarec Francis In the last few years, Tarec Francis, 17, said he has vol- unteered many hours to work various 5K fundraising events. He’s also part of the Youth Flex radio show, co- hosting an hour on air every Wednesday where guests talk about issues important to the Cayman Islands. “I volunteer a lot and give back to the community,“ Mr. Francis said, adding he also does well in school. A student at UCCI, Mr. Francis is working on an associate degree in hospi- tality management and ap- plied science. He plans to be- come a chef once he’s done with school. Jillian Crooks The youngest of Wednes- day’s recipients, Jillian Crooks, 12, was recognized for her success in the swim- ming pool. She has competed in several off-island events. Her best outing so far was at the Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swim- ming Confederation Champi- onships in Aruba. She swam in 10 individual events, fin- ishing first in five races. She set a meet record in the 50-meter freestyle. Jillian, who is home- schooled, said her best sub- jects are math and science and she hopes to become an emergency room surgeon. Jorel Bellafonte A standout in track and field, Jorel Bellafonte, 23, made a name for himself while attending Calabar High School in Jamaica. He was scouted by a number of American universities, in- cluding USC, UCLA, Texas A&M and Florida State. He chose to go to Clemson. Mr. Bellafonte was part of Clemson’s fifth place 4 X 400 yard relay at last year’s NCAA Championships. He received a bachelor’s degree in eco- nomics last year as well. He said he’s hoping to work for Cayman’s Eco- nomics and Statistics Office as a statistician, although he would like to work his way to the top of the agency. “I feel obligated to serve my country,” he said. He’s been dedicated to Cayman for a long time, he said, refusing requests to represent anyone else. “Jamaica asked me to compete for them several times but I always chose to compete for Cayman,” he said. “Before I was anything else, I was a Caymanian. I’ve always represented my country.” He will be doing that now as a Proud of Them recipient. “It means everything,” he said. “In today’s world, you measure your success by the validation of others. I’ve al- ways tried to do well by my country and it’s good to know I’ve achieved that.” The 12 new Proud of Them recipients with officials and supporters at Wednesday evening’s ceremony at the George Town Yacht Club.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 Disclaimer : FIN Grand Cayman features and amenities are based on current development plans and concepts and are subject to change without notice. Some services and amenities are subject to service-based fees or homeowner fees. A PRIVATE WELLNESS RETREAT AWAITS FIN living is not just oceanfront views and picturesque sunsets, but private wellness and health concierge services, providing the greatest amenity of all, peace of mind. Two to four bedroom residences priced from USD $1.8M Reserve your private tour and discover the last word in luxury + 1 345 326 1400 fin@fingrandcayman.com Work out in your state-of-the-art fitness centre and savasana in your private yoga studio Swim laps in your elevated glass-bottom pool FIN.cayman fingrandcayman Retreat to your private Spa treatment room for a hot stone massage Medical Hospitality Program FIN owners as well as their immediate family, will receive an exclusive invitation to become members of the Cayman Islands' first medical concierge program, the Health City Cayman Islands Medical Hospitality Program. A tailored, patient-centred service focused on preventative care. FIN Wellness amenities to help keep you fit and healthy: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 find their own way” FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 CAYMAN COMPASS The two drivers of the Cayman Islands economy – financial services and tourism – are powerful, but they are also vulner- able to shifting winds, both metaphorically (attitudes toward “tax havens”) and meteorologically (devastating hurricanes). Over the past half-century, Cayman has not been the sole determiner of its own success, but instead has demonstrated remarkable adeptness at capitalizing on or adapting to forces originating from beyond our borders. To become true masters of our own financial destiny, Cayman would do well to supplement our “twin sails” model with several self-sustaining economic engines. What Cayman needs is a dozen billionaires. Well, to be more precise, what we need is about a dozen additional billionaires to make Cayman their residence, place of business and/or target of substantial investment. The goal is ambitious but certainly achievable. A dozen billionaires is not, really, that many: In its last count of the world’s wealthiest people, Forbes counted more than 2,200 billionaires on the planet. If we are to pursue “ultra-high net worth” recruitment, Cayman has a good start. By our informal count, we already share our islands with roughly a dozen members of the “triple comma club.” The most-well-known example is Ken Dart, whose group of companies is the single-largest private sector employer in the country, and whose developments, such as Camana Bay and the Kimpton Seafire, are glittering jewels on Cayman’s landscape. The newest billionaire participant in our economy, though he has been a regular and longtime visitor to Cayman, is Richard Branson, whose Virgin Group company BMR Energy recently purchased the multimillion-dollar Bodden Town solar plant. A different Virgin company is behind the upcoming KAABOO Cayman Islands music festival in February. We have in mind other “local” billionaires, the significance of whose overall contributions to Cayman’s economy (much of it “quiet” investment) would likely stun many of our readers. We won’t identify them, so as to help maintain the privacy they value and that our community provides. (However, we will tell you that as a flock, they tend to nest at The WaterColours.) Billionaires are people, and no two are exactly alike. They do, however, have some things in common. First of all, they have a tremendous amount of money. Consider that an entry-level billionaire is 1,000 times wealthier than a newly minted millionaire. Compared to a middle-of-the- road billionaire, Cayman’s law firm partners practically qualify for food stamps. Billionaires have very small personal footprints, with very high returns for the surrounding population. From a country’s standpoint, there is a huge bang in a billionaire’s bucks. The indi- vidual billionaire brings economic opportunities without factory smokestacks, traffic jams or disruptions to the housing market. Another thing billionaires have in common is they aren’t stupid. They are keenly aware they have options across the globe, and they can pick and choose where they want to spend their money (infinite) and time (limited). Billionaires exist in their own mesosphere, and they have unique sets of wants, needs and demands that they know they have the resources to meet. We are fortunate to live in a country where we can check off several items on any billionaire’s “must-have” list, including natural beauty, enviable weather, public safety, ease of access to major cities, and, importantly, the freedom for an individual to be as anonymous as he or she wishes to be. What is absolutely essential to attract billionaires is to offer security, both for their persons and their property. They must also be made welcome, which means providing them with special privileges or accommodations. For example, Cayman’s current facilities for private aviation are totally inadequate for the “private jet set” who want to live here but operate globally. Headhunting billionaires is not a job for the premier or any government official. It would be more effective to entrust people with connections to the wealthy elite to invite bil- lionaires to Cayman and to put forward our country’s best case. (Actually, the best recruiters are other billionaires, but we doubt Ken Dart is scouring the Compass’s classified ads, looking for a new job.) The goal of attracting a billionaire is not simply to attract the individual (however scintillating their personality may be), but to attract their businesses, their friends, and the positive effects they bring with them. Help wanted: Only billionaires need apply Education ministry pays tribute to Joanna Clark, Penny McDowall Tribute to Joanna Clark, who passed away Dec. 24 Joanna Faith Clark ac- cepted her call to education in the Cayman Islands when she responded in 1964 to a two-year secondment from the Ministry of Education in Jamaica. On arrival, she was welcomed by the late Clifton Hunter and Vernon Jackson. This began a 50-year rela- tionship with the Cayman Islands, which became her second home. Her first appointment was at the George Town Primary School where she worked for three years in the Infant De- partment under the leader- ship of Mrs. Aileen McField. In 1967, Ms. Clark was pro- moted to the post of principal of Savannah Primary where she served for 16 years. In 1983, she was again promoted to the post of Language Arts Curriculum Officer for pri- mary and middle schools, and was assigned to the Depart- ment of Education Services. “The contribution that Ms. Joanna Clark made to educa- tion in the Cayman Islands is immeasurable, her impact on the lives of thousands of stu- dents indelible. As an edu- cator, a colleague, a citizen, a friend, she set a standard to which we all should aspire. We are all better for having known her and worked with her. She will be sorely missed,” said Minister for Education Juliana O’Connor-Connolly. Ms. Clark engrained in all her students the highest ethical and moral princi- ples which would take them through life. A vast number of the island’s notable profes- sionals have benefitted from the experience and expertise of this esteemed educator. As a testament to her inspi- ration, distinguished service and commitment to educa- tion, two of her past students initiated scholarships and awards in her memory – the Joanna Clark Awards Foun- dation, introduced in 2007, and the Award for the Top Student in Language Arts at Savannah Primary. During her tenure at the Department of Educa- tion Services, Ms. Clark re- shaped the future of Language Arts teaching at all primary schools. She introduced a new Language Arts Curriculum that was supported by the Simon and Schuster Reading scheme. Joanna Clark’s outstanding contributions to education in the Cayman Islands included the introduction of Reading Week and the Annual Book Fair, the Annual Standardised Reading test and the intro- duction of Adult Education classes at the Department of Education Services. She was a lifelong learner who kept abreast of any de- velopments in Language Arts and attended a myriad of In- ternational Reading Associ- ation conferences to ensure that Cayman was always aware of any changes in this discipline. On her return, she held many professional de- velopment sessions to upskill teachers and give them new tools. Ms. Clark also initiated the Cayman Islands Reading Association, which was an affiliate of the International Reading Association. This consummate profes- sional worked diligently and dutifully for the Department of Education for 30 sterling years under four Chief Educa- tion officers before retiring in 1994. She continued to share her passion for shaping young minds while she served as Ed- ucation Programme Coordi- nator at the Young Parents Pro- gramme for another 14 years. Ms. Clark has left a legacy for students, parents and teachers in the Cayman Is- lands to emulate. Her work will live on forever as we salute her for her untiring, committed, and outstanding service of 44 years in educa- tion in the Cayman Islands. May her soul rest in peace. Tribute to Penny McDowall, who passed away Dec. 31 Mrs. Penny McDowall was an active member of the teaching staff at Lighthouse School for over 20 years, where she was employed from 1993 to 2013 as a Spe- cial Education Teacher. She was a vibrant teacher whose passion was seeing her students achieve success, whether big or small. She had a special energy that she brought to her teaching and any activities in which she was involved. During her time at the school, she was instru- mental in starting the swim- ming program, facilitating students’ participation in the National Children’s Festival of the Arts, providing the musical accompaniment for weekly devotions and spear- heading many Christmas concerts where her musical talents came to life. Minister for Education Ju- liana O’Connor-Connolly said, “Penny embodied the quali- ties of a successful special needs educator – patience, acceptance, organization, in- tuition, creativity, and a fun personality. These attributes are what drew her students to her and endeared her to everyone who had the oppor- tunity to meet her or work alongside her. “Her passionate advo- cacy for the special needs community has inspired so many and encouraged the in- creased inclusion of special needs individuals in all seg- ments of society. Her passing has indeed left a void, but her contributions will always be remembered by those whose lives she touched, and also by the accomplishments of her students and athletes.” Mrs. McDowall was al- ways willing to go above and beyond to ensure that her stu- dents were able to participate in as many inclusive activities as possible, even if it entailed her working outside of reg- ular school hours, which she never hesitated to do. She was an active member of the Special Olympics Cayman Islands organiza- tion, and was committed to seeing that her athletes had the opportunity to participate in local, regional and interna- tional competitions. Mrs. McDowall was more than a teacher to her stu- dents; she was a mother figure, nurse, advocate and coach. Some of her Lighthouse School students described her as “helpful, wonderful, kind, nice, good and happy.” There truly is no better legacy to leave than that. She will be greatly missed. Ministry of Education and the Department of Education ServicesThe islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 CAYMAN COMPASS said. “So, on the basis that the ownership of the pro- posed development would also be remaining in the hands of the government, the tenants felt confident that there was no longer any rationale or justifica- tion for government not to reinstate the tenants’ ‘rights of first refusal’ or not to re-establish and renew the tenants’ long–term lease agreements.” He said these were Cay- manian businesses that, in many cases, had been op- erating on the Royal Watler site for a decade or more. Mr. Doyle added that many had struggled to stay afloat and several busi- nesses had folded over the years due to reasons be- yond their control, in- cluding periods of low ar- rival numbers. Cruise arrivals, which hit around 1.9 million last year, dipped below 1.5 mil- lion in 2013. Mr. Doyle said it was un- reasonable of the board not to guarantee the tenants space in the new terminal, which government has claimed is likely to attract 2.3 million visitors annually. He said, “All the ten- ants have asked for is to be granted some security of tenure, which all commer- cial tenants need in order that they can plan for the future of their businesses. It’s a very simple request and very easily granted.” The majority of the ten- ants are currently on one- year leases amid uncer- tainty over when the port project will begin and what is going to happen to them. Minutes for the board’s November 2018 meeting indicate the latest re- quest from the tenants was refused. Asked for more infor- mation, Joey Woods, the acting director of the port, stated, “The board wanted to keep its options open in the best interest of the Port Authority.” Robert Hamaty of Tor- tuga Rum Company, the founder of the tenants as- sociation, of which he re- mains a member, said the authority had gone back on an agreement to the tenants. “We were informed it was already approved,” he said, “then, they came back and said the attorneys had said they couldn’t do it.” He said the situation was problematic for busi- nesses on the dock. “We have no security of tenure. The worst landlord to have is the Cayman Is- lands government,” he said. Mr. Hamaty highlighted similar issues at the air- port, where he said he had faced a battle to get ten- ants rights to operate in the new facility. The airport businesses were eventually granted ad- ditional points in the open tender process for the up- graded terminal and were able to get space to con- tinue operations. Port businesses fear for future according to the Cuban. Their main concern is being expatriated back to Cuba, the migrant told the Compass. One of the protesters is a female who has previously been expatriated. She said that when she returned the first time, she was spied on by people from the Cuban government because she is a member of a political group that opposes the Communist regime there. The public protest at the Immigration Detention Centre is the second one held there in the last six months. In July, nine Cubans launched a hunger strike in response to their prolonged detention at the immigration center. Five men in the center had been detained for more than two years. Six others had been de- tained for more than one year. Later in 2018, the Cubans were released from the de- tention center under govern- ment supervision while their asylum applications were considered. However, some of them were returned to the center because of issues with finding housing for them. According to the Cuban who spoke with the Compass on Thursday, the migrants were told by prison guards that their deportations would be hastened if they conducted a hunger strike this time. Government did not issue a statement in response to the protest before this arti- cle’s press deadline. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Cubans migrants protest treatment by Cayman government Road, by Boggy Sand Road, is a lot that belongs to his uncle Jimmy Powell, as well as Tony Powell, the owner of Heritage Kitchen restaurant, located only a few steps away. “We had to present that to the Department of Commerce and Investment and the Trade and Business Licensing Board for them to grant us a license. And everything was granted,” he said, adding that the type of business he set up had been described “to the T” in the application. The two rows of beach chairs are located above the high-water mark, he said. “When I applied for the business license, to be on the safe side, I provided an aerial view by Lands and Survey of that exact lot,” Mr. Garcia said. He confirmed that Depart- ment of Commerce and In- vestment enforcement offi- cers had visited the location in response to local media coverage and had received every piece of evidence they needed to see. “I explained the whole sit- uation and they are in the process of straightening ev- erything out,” Mr. Garcia said. The Tour Company has been operating for 14 years and offers 16 tours is- landwide from the Turtle Farm to Pedro’s Castle and Rum Point. On Thursday, the com- pany’s latest business ap- peared to be doing well with about two dozen occupied sun loungers. “We are trying to keep it limited to 45 to 50 people at a time,” said Mr. Garcia, “so we don’t overwhelm and overcrowd the people.” The tourist venture is not the only business catering to tourists in the area. Just 100 yards down the beach, next to Alfresco restaurant, a sim- ilar number of beach chairs is offered for rental under a sign that reads: “Please re- spect our private beach.” Last month, a tour com- pany offering snorkel trips to Smith Cove in George Town was moved off that beach amid public outcry about commercial activity en- croaching on the popular site. However, in that case, the tour operator, Anchor Tours, had set up sun loungers and provided snacks and snorkel gear on public, rather than private, land. While beach vendors can generally apply to the Public Lands Commission for per- mission to offer their services on public property, commer- cial activity is expressly pro- hibited at Smith Cove. Currently, the Public Lands Commission only con- siders permissions for beach vendors to operate on public land, within certain param- eters on Seven Mile Beach. If granted, this would be in- cluded in the business li- censing application. If a business has been li- censed to operate on private beach land and obtained written permission from the land owner, the only enforce- ment issue is whether the ac- tivity extends to government land or blocks access rights to the beach in any way. The situation is similar for hotel operators who offer beach chairs to hotel guests on their premises, but cannot block anyone from using the beach in front of their property. Mr. Garcia said because his is a new business, he un- derstands that people are wondering if his tourist ven- ture has been set up cor- rectly. But, he said, every- body has access to and can use the beach. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 A new beach chair rental business that launched on Monday was criticized on social media, but has all the required licenses and operates on private land, the owners say. - PHOTO: MICHAEL KLEIN Boggy Sand beach vendor defends chair rentals CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Tenants at the Royal Watler cruise terminal will not be guaranteed first refusal rights for space in the proposed new port. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY A group of Cuban migrants who arrived here in September are protesting what they deem to be human rights violations by the Cayman government. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 SECURE YOUR PROPERTY WITH THE BEST DEALS IN SURVEILLANCE CAMERA SYSTEMS AVAILABLE ANYWHERE ON ISLAND . The Security Centre has three exceptional CCTV deals that just can’t be matched. 3 The Gold Standard: a complete digital, four camera IP system – precision viewing at just $1799 The Security Centre guarantees that we will beat any price on a comparable system. Call the Security Centre for your demo today at 949-0004 or visit us online at security.ky 2 The Eagle Eye Special: a high-definition system perfect for the home and small businesses - $1549 All systems offer mobile device access - so you can check on your property remotely. bring an existing security camera system into high-definition – using existing cabling - at just $999 1 The Phoenix HD Upgrade: Consolidated Water sells Belize operations KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman-based Con- solidated Water has reached a deal to sell its Belize branch, CW-Belize, to Belize Water Services Ltd. for US$7 million, with the closing of the transaction expected to take place by Wednesday. The US$7 million sale price will be adjusted by the amount of all unpaid invoices payable by Belize Water Services Ltd. to CW- Belize for water sold through Dec. 31, by the amount of cash held by CW-Belize as of the closing of the trans- action, and by the amount of CW-Belize’s consumables inventory at Dec. 31, ac- cording to the agreement. Further, before the closing of the transaction, CW-Belize will forgive ap- proximately US$1.8 million of intercompany debt owed to CW-Belize by Consoli- dated Water and its other subsidiaries. Along with those condi- tions, the agreement also includes a memorandum of understanding that Be- lize Water Services will help Consolidated Water repa- triate its cash from Belize. A major reason for the sale has been Consolidated Wa- ter’s difficulties in repatri- ating profits from there, ac- cording to filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Consolidated Water – which is headquartered in Cayman and also operates in Belize, the British Virgin Islands, the Bahamas and Indonesia – has explained in public filings that re- patriating profits requires the approval of the Central Bank of Belize, and is de- pendent on the amount of U.S. dollars available to Be- lize banks to execute such transfers. Rising interest rates in the U.S. have con- tributed to U.S. dollar short- ages in emerging markets throughout the world. “Weakness in the Belize economy and other factors have reduced the amount of United States dollars that Belize banks have avail- able for transfer, which lim- ited in the past the amount of funds the Company was able to receive from CW-Be- lize,” Consolidated Water ex- plained in a filing this week. “The Company’s repatria- tions of funds from CW-Be- lize amounted to $458,000 and $400,000 for the years ended Dec. 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, which is significantly less than the net income and net cash flows CW-Belize generated for those years.” With Belize Water Ser- vices’ assistance, Consoli- dated Water stated that is has been able to repatriate about US$2.75 million in cash from there to its bank accounts in Cayman during the third quarter of 2018, and an additional US$1 mil- lion from Sept. 30 to the be- ginning of 2019. “The Company antici- pates repatriating approxi- mately an additional $1.05 million from Belize between the date of this report and the closing of the Transac- tion,” the company added. Consolidated Water plans to use the proceeds to fund organic growth projects in its other ex- isting markets, as well as new projects and po- tential acquisitions in new and developing mar- kets, according to its CEO, Rick McTaggart. The Belize govern- ment helped facilitate the transaction, according to media there. An Oct. 1 re- port from Channel 5 Belize states that the country’s government has approved a sovereign guaranty for a proposed loan from the Ca- ribbean Development Bank of $17 million Belize dollars (US$8.5 million) to, among other things, acquire all the shares of Consolidated Wa- ter’s Belize operations. Consolidated Water has sold its Belize company. CHIEF JUSTICE TO ADDRESS LEGAL FRATERNITY AT COURT OPENING Chief Justice Anthony Smellie will make his annual address to the legal frater- nity at the official opening of court Wednesday morning. The event involves a police guard of honor and other cer- emonial pageantry to mark the start of the court year. The chief justice provides an annual report of judicial services, typically including a review of the cases handled by the judiciary over the pro- ceeding year. There will also be formal replies by leading members of the judicial profession. The event takes place from 9:45 a.m. commencing on the courthouse steps, with the speeches taking place inside the court building. The governor, premier, attorney general, ministers, top government officials, heads of law or- ganizations, legal profes- sionals and courts staff will be in attendance. The initial part of the event often attracts crowds of tourists to the court building in George Town.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 CAYMAN COMPASS The family of the Late Eugene “Ditto” Thompson Jr. regrets to announce his passing on Monday, 7 January, 2019. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A funeral service will be held 3:00 p.m. Saturday, 12 January, 2019 at Elmslie United Memorial Church. Viewing will be from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Friday 11 January, 2019 at Bodden Funeral Service. Interment will follow in Dixie Cemetery The family of the Late Penny McDowall regrets to announce her passing on Monday, 31 December, 2018. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A celebration of Penny’s life will be held 4:30 p.m. Saturday, 26 January 2019 at Pedro St. James. In lieu of flowers Penny would ask for donations to be made to the Cayman Islands Special Olympics (SOCI) Accounts #’s: CI$-01105336 US$-02209194 Attendees should wear bright island casual attire. The family of the Late Darrington Ebanks regrets to announce his passing on Tuesday, 25 December, 2018. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A funeral service will be held 1:00 p.m. Saturday, 12 January, 2019 at West Bay Church of Christ. Interment will follow in Boatswain Bay Cemetery. The family of the Late Basilio Vanburen Christian Sr. regrets to announce his passing on Friday, 28 December, 2018. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A funeral service will be held 2:30 p.m. Sunday, 13 January, 2019 at The Seaman’s Centre, Cayman Brac. Viewing will be from 1:00 p.m. prior to the service. Interment will follow in Spot Bay Cemetery The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Thomas Downer regret to announce his passing on Thursday, 27 December, 2018. Mr. Downer will be repatriated to the United States of America. The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Greg Azeltine regret to announce his passing on Thursday, 3 January, 2019. Mr. Azeltine will be repatriated to the United States of America. Brett Basdeo, a lawyer from Walkers, representing one of the objectors at Wednesday’s meeting, said there was no evidence that the facility was needed by the local community. In fact, he said the “commu- nity” of local residents were against it. He added that the beach appeared to be being used for commercial activity and residents feared that this would be exacerbated if toi- lets and parking facilities were put in place. Another objector, in a letter to the authority, said the area was unsuitable for a public beach and residents were baffled as to how and when this had happened. Loud music, the sound of car engines and lit- tering from the site caused a nuisance for the property owners, they claimed. “Providing facilities on the site will only encourage further traffic to the site and exacerbate this antisocial activity by increasing the numbers of persons visiting the site and using it in an indiscriminate manner,” the letter stated. North Side legislator Ez- zard Miller also appeared before the CPA to give his support for the application, put forward by the Ministry of Tourism. He said he was disap- pointed and “deeply trou- bled” that “wealthy guests whom the Cayman Islands has afforded the opportu- nity and the privilege of living and developing prop- erty in North Side have taken a stance that propels the construction of a much- needed public facility into a them-against-us situation.” He said the plan had originated with his North Side district council and filled an indisputable public need in the com- munity based on years of consultation. He said the objectors were not bringing any com- plaints about the planning application itself, but ap- peared to be against the concept of a public beach at this location. He said this was government policy and was not something for the CPA to determine. He added, “if these owners were objecting to non policy matters, such as the architectural features of the facility, this would be- come the purview of the CPA and I would be happy to en- tertain their suggestions for improvements.” Mr. Miller said the beach had been made public land as part of an agreement with another landowner when a road that led to the beach was closed. He said the North Side community had always enjoyed a good relationship with residents at Cayman Kai that had ensured access for North Siders to maintain their “tra- ditional fishing, picnicking, and sea bathing” activities. But he castigated a “new crop of owners” who he said were seeking to restrict that access. CPA chair A.L. Thompson said it was not up to the CPA to enforce the restric- tive covenants of a private development, saying that was a civil matter. But he told the objectors the authority would con- sider the application on its merits and it would not nec- essarily be approved just be- cause it was being brought by the government. Fol- lowing their deliberations it was announced the project had been approved. Plans for Cayman Kai spark debate over public beach access CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 to 5 p.m. through Saturday. However, Car City service manager Diane Hedge said that when the dealership’s staff showed up to work on Thursday around 6:30 a.m., they found Honda drivers who had been waiting there from 5:30 a.m. that morning. Since then, “we’ve been slammed continuously non- stop,” Ms. Hedge told the Com- pass on Thursday afternoon. She added that the dealer- ship expects to be most busy on Saturday, when people have time off work to bring their ve- hicles in. 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. Around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, there were 14 Hondas being serviced, with another eight waiting their turn. Paul Martin, a Honda tech- nician from Philadelphia, de- scribed what he was doing as he worked on a Honda Pilot. “I’m replacing a passenger- side air bag inflator on this Honda Pilot,” he said. “Basically, we’re taking out the old inflator. We’ll strip it down and have a new inflator to put in, put a safety sticker on it to show that it’s been replaced, put a new wiring harness, new brackets, new bolts, and put it back in the car,” he said. “It takes as little as 10-20 minutes.” Another technician, Kevin Newby from Montana, ex- plained that the problem with the air bag inflators is that their manufacturer did not put enough moisture-absorbing desiccant in them. “When the manufacturer made these, there’s a chem- ical compound that’s explosive and a desiccant that’s a mois- ture-absorbent – and there’s not enough of that in there,” he said. “So the powder becomes a solid and when it gets voltage to ig- nite, it becomes a bomb.” Mr. Newby said that means that projectiles from the air bag could shoot-out anywhere – a very hazardous situation for passengers or drivers. Near the work station, Mr. Mason and other drivers waited patiently for their air bags to be replaced. Mr. Mason said he had waited about 25 minutes so far. Other than the hot waiting tent, he said the process was going pleasantly and that the Car City staff had been courteous. 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. An application to put up public bathrooms and parking spaces at the public beach by Starfish Point was approved this week. – PHOTOS: TANEOS RAMSAY Hundreds attend Honda air bag recall event CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 A technician removes an old inflator from the air bag mechanism of a car at Car City’s Honda recall event Thursday. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY9 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS FRIDAY JANUARY 11, 2019 Churchill’s Funeral Home Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Ms. Carolyn Violet Carter AKA “Thruppence”, who passed away on Sunday, January 06, 2019. A Thanksgiving Service will be held at North Side Civic Center, Grand Cayman on Sunday, January 13, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. Viewing will be from 2:00 -3:00 p.m. Interment at: North Side Cemetery In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Frank Sound Church of God. Churchill’s Funeral Home Itiswithgreatsadnesstoannouncethepassingof WilliamBecker,wholosthisbravebattleforlife inFortLauderdaleonSunday30thDecember2018. Hewillbesadlymissedbyhislovingwife Christine,sonsLorn&Larry,stepdaughterMandy &grandchildren. Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.com The family of the Late Ercy Christian regrets to announce her passing on Thursday, 3 January, 2019. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A funeral service will be held 3:00 p.m. Sunday, 13 January, 2019 at Red Bay Church of God (Holiness). Viewing will be from 2:00 p.m. prior to the service Interment will follow in Prospect Cemetery. The family of the Late Patricia E. Tibbetts regrets to announce her passing on Monday, 7 January, 2019. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A Funeral Mass will be held 3:00 p.m. Saturday, 19 January, 2019 at St. Ignatius Catholic Church. Attendees are encouraged to wear bright attire. The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Gary Milarsky regret to announce his passing on Wednesday, 9 January, 2019. Mr. Milarsky will be repatriated to the United States of America. Social media scammer pretends to be governor Governor Martyn Roper alerted the public on Thursday that a scammer has set up a fake LinkedIn social media account pur- porting to be his. Mr. Roper wrote on Twitter that someone was using the fake account to solicit funds on the gover- nor’s behalf. “This is clearly a scam so please don’t be fooled,” the governor wrote in his tweet. The Governor’s Office later issued a statement about the fraudulent account, saying a number of people had been contacted from the bogus ac- count requesting contribu- tions to support a charity. The statement read, in part: “The account entitled ‘Governor at Cayman Is- lands’ is wholly fabricated. If anyone receives this type of communication from an account by that name they should ignore it, especially any correspondence which suggests donating money to a fund. The Governor would never use social media for such a purpose.” The governor noted that he has had a LinkedIn ac- count for several years, which carries his official title, “Martyn Roper, OBE, Governor of the Cayman Is- lands,” which has more than 500 followers. According to the Gov- ernor’s Office, the matter has been reported to both LinkedIn and the Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice Service. The RCIPS is reminding the public to exercise cau- tion when using any social media platform, including LinkedIn. Individuals should also be wary of requests from public figures which seem suspicious, especially if these include solicitations for financial details or other personal information, the po- lice warned. Governor Roper is the latest of several Cayman Is- lands officials to have a so- cial media account hacked or duplicated. In the past, Facebook pages purporting to belong to Premier Alden McLaughlin have been created by in- dividuals trying to solicit funds. In April last year, Mr. McLaughlin told the Cayman Compass, “There’s been hun- dreds of similar instances – Facebook, Instagram and others – over the past few years.” Last year saw a spate of scammers falsely using the names of local officials, in- cluding Premier McLaughlin and Attorney General Sam Bulgin among others, in bogus fundraising efforts. Anyone who suspects they have received messages from bogus accounts should contact the RCIPS Financial Crime Unit by emailing rcips.fcu@gov.ky. CAYMAN FINANCE CALLS DUTCH BLACKLISTING OF CAYMAN ISLANDS ‘UNUSUAL’ The organization that represents Cayman’s finan- cial services industry has rejected the inclusion of the Cayman Islands on a Dutch tax blacklist, stating that Cayman does not pose a risk of aggressive tax avoidance. Cayman Finance said it finds it “unusual” that the government of the Neth- erlands released a tax list solely on the basis that the corporate tax rates of the blacklisted jurisdictions are considered too low. The Dutch ministry of fi- nance said the list intends to prevent companies from avoiding tax by moving mo- bile assets to low-tax ju- risdictions. It will be used from 2021 to apply a with- holding tax of 20.5 percent on interest and royalty pay- ments from the Nether- lands to entities in listed jurisdictions. The list will also be used in a number of other tax scenarios and transactions. Cayman’s financial ser- vices association said the action does not take into account Cayman’s demon- strated adherence to in- ternational standards for transparency or participa- tion with the OECD’s BEPS Inclusive Framework, and it ignores Cayman’s engage- ment with the EU’s Code of Conduct Group over the last two years to address their concerns that Cayman com- panies do not have enough economic substance. Cayman Finance CEO Jude Scott said while gov- ernment is taking the lead in response to the initiative, “Cayman Finance stands ready to support the gov- ernment” in protecting and promoting the industry. “As such, we wholeheart- edly reject this attempt to tarnish the reputation of the Cayman Islands and our financial services in- dustry,” he said. The organization said in a press release it was im- portant to note that the Cayman Islands does not have double taxation trea- ties and therefore did not pose the risk of aggressive tax avoidance. In addition, the Cayman Islands has had a tax infor- mation exchange agreement (TIEA) with the Netherlands in place since 2009. This agreement facilitates the ex- change of tax information to enable better tax collec- tion by the Netherlands and support any investigations into alleged tax evasion. Cayman Finance said it encourages authorities in the Netherlands “to consider all the facts before taking such a position about a globally beneficial and well- regulated jurisdiction like the Cayman Islands.” Cars collide on Eastern Avenue Shortly before 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, police officers responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision which had occurred on Eastern Avenue in the vicinity of Saturn Close. A Kia Sportage and a Nissan Cube collided, and the occupants of the vehicles were transported by ambulance to the Cayman Islands Hospital and subsequently released. No arrests have been made, according to police. – PHOTO: KEN SILVA Governor Martyn Roper’s LinkedIn account has been duplicated by a scammer asking for funds.Next >