ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – THURSDAY JANUARY 24, 2019 High of 84 Low of 72 Moderate to rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 TRASH COLLECTION: A DIRTY JOB THAT MUST BE DONE WORLD | PAGE 8 VENEZUELA’S GUAIDO DECLARES HIMSELF PRESIDENT AMID PROTESTS Regulated in the Cayman Islands as a licensed insurer by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. Incorporated in Guernsey under Company Registration No. 27151. Registered Head Office address: Generali Worldwide Insurance Company Limited, Generali House, Hirzel Street, St Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands GY1 4PA. Head Office: Regulated in Guernsey as a licensed Insurer by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission under the Insurance Business (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2002 (as amended). Generali Worldwide Insurance Company Limited is part of the Generali Group, listed in the Italian Insurance Group Register under number 026. Your health is our core business. For a partnership that you can trust contact donovon.kellyman@ihs.ky. Stray dogs terrorize neighborhoods Pets killed, people attacked JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Animal control officers are trying to trap a pack of stray dogs that has been terror- izing a Grand Cayman neighborhood. Dozens of attacks have been reported in residential areas close to the landfill site, including Snug Harbour and the Bri- tannia Estates. Several residents have reported that their pets were killed or they themselves were at- tacked by the dogs. The Department of Agriculture has trapped at least eight dogs in the past few weeks as it attempts to get to grips with the problem. But several strays are still roaming the area, contributing to a climate of fear among residents. Minister Joey Hew, whose own family cat was killed, called a meeting on the issue at the Arts and Recreation Center in Camana Bay Tuesday night. Adrian Estwick, director of the Department of Agriculture, and several senior police officers were also in attendance. Mr. Hew told the Cayman Compass there had been an unprecedented number of at- tacks. He said several cats and small dogs had been killed, joggers had been chased and, in some cases, people had been injured. He said one of the packs had been cap- tured but a pack of three dogs blamed for a number of the attacks, many of which were recorded on home security cameras, was still loose. “There is still a lot of fear,” he said. “I won’t let my son walk his dog or go ride his bike on the dyke roads like he usu- ally does while this one pack is still at large.” The trapped animals will be euthanized by the Department of Agriculture. Mr. Hew CABINET APPROVES COMPLETION OF BODDEN TOWN CHURCH KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cabinet has given approval for govern- ment to complete the Church of God Bodden Town, the large concrete structure on Sham- rock Road that is intended to serve as a multi- purpose hall and hurricane shelter. Government issued a request-for-quota- tions document on Monday, seeking quali- fied bidders to serve as the project’s lead ar- chitectural design consultant. The consultant will provide all necessary professional archi- tectural, mechanical, engineering, plumbing and fire-suppression design services for the project. The work is projected to take about a year to complete, and will be financed by the Min- istry of Commerce, Planning, and Infrastruc- ture. The submission deadline for potential consultants is Feb. 11. Government invested more than $1 million of public funds from 2009-2013, partly so that the church hall could also serve as a hurri- cane shelter. The funding was a part of the now-de- funct Nation Building Fund, a community in- frastructure program under the government of then-Premier McKeeva Bush that distrib- uted some $13.2 million to various causes, in- cluding more than $5.2 million to 26 churches. Of the churches that received funds for construction, some returned all or some of the money, and most – such as the Church of God Bodden Town – have been unable to finish the projects they started with government’s assis- tance and assurances. In July 2015, then-Auditor General Alastair Swarbrick issued a scathing report on multiple Grouper Moon project rises again The Department of Environment is keeping a close watch on the endangered Nassau grouper. The DoE and Reef Environmental Edu- cation Foundation have resumed their an- nual “Grouper Moon” research project that will carry over into February. The Grouper Moon Project involves monitoring of the annual Nassau grouper spawning, during which large numbers of the fish aggregate at specific sites during a full moon. The initiative takes on an added urgency with the International Union for Conserva- tion of Nature’s recent change in classifica- tion for the Nassau grouper. The fish, pre- viously classified as endangered, is now listed as critically endangered, which is the strongest warning the IUCN can issue. The IUCN believes that the Nassau grouper population has declined globally by more than 80 percent since 1980, and the Grouper Moon project has been going on for more than 30 years. Despite the grouper’s precarious global position, the DoE and REEF have seen a noticeable resurgence in the grouper pop- ulation around the Sister Islands over the last decade. In fact, one spawning site off the coast of Little Cayman that was monitored by scientists saw more than 6,500 grouper return in January and Feb- ruary of last year, according to the DoE. A decade ago, the same site recorded fewer than 2,000 grouper. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » Nassau groupers gather last year at a site off the coast of Little Cayman for their annual spawning aggregation. - IMAGE: SCREENGRAB FROM VIDEO BY BERKLEY WHITE, SUPPLIED BY DOE MAN JAILED FOR CHANGING DATE IN PASSPORT A man who changed a date in his passport was sentenced on Tuesday to four months’ imprisonment. Keniel Anthony Simms admitted al- tering an immigration stamp on his passport to show that he had permis- sion to remain in the Cayman Islands until July 31, 2018, when in fact, he only had legal permission to remain until July 31, 2017. For more on this story, see page 5.2 LOCAL®IONAL THURSDAY JANUARY 24, 2019 • 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. - THURSDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) GLASS (PG13) 12:30 VIP I 4:20 I 6:30 VIP I 9:55 MARY POPPINS RETURNS (PG) 12:40 I 3:35 I 6:30 I 9:25 AQUAMAN (PG13) 1:10 I 3:25 VIP I 6:50 I 9:30 VIP GREEN BOOK (PG13) 1:00 I 3:55 I 6:50 I 9:45 THE UPSIDE (PG13) 1:15 I 4:05 I 7:05 I 9:55 BUMBLEBEE (PG13) 1:45 I 4:15 I 7:15 I 10:00 Police searching for missing man The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service is re- questing public assis- tance to find a 72-year-old George Town man who has been missing since late December. The RCIPS is seeking information about Eral Keith Whitely, who was last seen sometime on or near Christmas Day in the vi- cinity of Brushy Avenue in George Town. Mr. Whitely has been described as having a slim build and dark complexion. He is about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and bald, but he typi- cally wears baseball caps and glasses, with a white T- shirt and blue jeans. The police are concerned for Mr. Whitely’s welfare and are conducting urgent enquiries to find him. Anyone with information about his whereabouts may contact the George Town Police Station at 949-4222. Anonymous tips can be provided directly to the RCIPS via Confidential Tip Line at 949-7777. ELN denies prior knowledge of Colombia attack HAVANA (AP) – The head ne- gotiator for Colombia’s rebel National Liberation Army is denying advance knowledge of a bombing attack on a po- lice academy that killed 21 people last week and is de- manding that the Colombian government allow negotiators to return safely from Cuba. Pablo Beltran, chief of the group’s peace delegation, said his team was unaware the rebel army was planning the attack. He called on Colombia to follow the protocol agreed to by government and ELN negotiators that allows the rebel leaders to return from Cuba in the event peace talks fall apart. The document signed by the lead negotia- tors from each side gives the ELN members 15 days to re- turn to their jungle camps with specific guarantees to ensure their safety. “We weren’t involved,” Beltran said in a Monday in- terview with Telesur, a net- work run by Cuba, Vene- zuela and other leftist Latin governments. “We are going to insist, until the final day, that the government provides guarantees for our return.” Rebel leaders have been on the island for peace talks with the Colombian govern- ment to end over five de- cades of conflict but those efforts are now stalled after authorities blamed the ELN for the car bombing at a po- lice academy in Bogota on Thursday. ELN members in Colombia have stated they were responsible for Colom- bia’s worst terror attack in recent years. Colombia President Ivan Duque reiterated his call Tuesday for the Cuban gov- ernment to arrest and extra- dite the ELN negotiators on the island. The Cuban gov- ernment has stated that it in- tends to follow the previously agreed upon protocol for a break in the dialog. Guar- antor country Norway said Tuesday that it also intends to honor the agreement. “Norway should fulfill its promises,” the nation’s min- istry for foreign affairs wrote in a letter to Colombian offi- cials obtained by The Asso- ciated Press. Colombian officials are arguing that the protocol no longer holds weight because it was signed by a previous administration and that Cuba is required under inter- national accords to cooperate in ensuring those responsible for a terror attack are held responsible. “We hope that the inter- national community supports us, and we are calling on the Cuban government to help us obtain justice in Colombia,” Duque said. A man embraces a police officer outside the General Francisco de Paula Santander Police Academy, a day after a car bomb exploded at the site, in Bogota, Colombia, Friday. - PHOTO: AP The RCIPS issued this photograph of Eral Keith Whitely, who has been missing since late December. Governor launches Instagram account Governor Martyn Roper has launched a new Ins- tagram account, saying he wishes to use it to give people in the Cayman Islands, the U.K. and elsewhere an insight into his role. The governor also issues regular updates and observa- tions via his Facebook page and Twitter account. Mr. Roper said in a press release, “I am a keen user of social media. I think it’s an important part of my role to be accessible to all and I think platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are great tools to achieve this. Adding Instagram, which comes with a different audi- ence, means I can reach even more people.” He said he aims, via his social media pages, to give the audience an understanding of the variety of work both the governor and his office un- dertake on a weekly basis. He said comments, feed- back and suggestions on his posts are welcome. According to the press release, the governor posts most of the content himself and will respond to com- ments when possible. Last week, he launched a series of video blogs which will be available on all his social media platforms. “The video blogs aim to show the cultural and historical links between the U.K. and the Cayman Islands,” the re- lease stated. EX-PRISON OFFICIAL DETAILS SECOND CAREER AS EL CHAPO FIXER NEW YORK (AP) – After es- caping a Mexican prison in 2001, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman recruited a former security chief from the same lockup as a fixer for his Sinaloa cartel, a jury was told Tuesday at a U.S. trial. The former official, Da- maso Lopez Nunez, de- scribed how he first met Guzman when the kingpin asked for contraband in exchange for cash bribes at the prison in the state of Jalisco, Lopez testified, adding that the drug lord also gave him a house. Lopez quit his job be- fore Guzman famously es- caped in 2001 by hiding in a laundry bin, he said. The testimony from Lopez came with the gov- ernment winding down a case that began in mid-No- vember and has featured a parade of cooperators who described Guzman’s ex- ploits as the boss of the Sinaloa cartel. His lawyers say he’s being made a scapegoat by unsavory cooperators trying to get breaks in their own drug cases. Governor Martyn Roper’s new Instagram account features images of his activities in his line of duty. AIRPORT SIGN GAFFE WIDELY SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com In her recently released report on the unfinished Owen Roberts International Airport project, Auditor Gen- eral Sue Winspear stated that there were 60 design errors and omissions made in the redevelopment’s plans. On Tuesday, another error was identified in a photo widely circulated on Facebook and other platforms: a sign in the airport’s Customs section that directs people to a line if they have “Nothing to Delcare.” Cayman Islands Airports Authority Marketing Man- ager Rhonda Verhoeven said on Wednesday that the sign has since been corrected. The airport redevelopment has cost $64.37 million as of August, which includes more than $10 million in cost over- runs. The Office of the Auditor General attributed some of the cost overruns to design er- rors that had to be corrected after the project began. Officials say they are “op- timistic” that the develop- ment will be finished by the end of March.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JANUARY 24, 2019 Please be advised there will be no newspaper on Monday, January 28th, National Heroes Day (public holiday) For more information call 949.5111 or email sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com HEROES 2019 DAY NATIONAL CELEBRATE THE STAFF OF PINNACLE MEDIA WISHES EVERYONE A SAFE HOLIDAY EDITION DEADLINE Monday, January 28th NO PUBLICATION (CLOSED) Tuesday, January 29th Wednesday, January 23rd Wednesday, January 30th Thursday, January 24th Thursday, January 31st Friday, January 25th Friday, February 1st Tuesday, January 29th Students head to Florida for robotics competition A group of 18 students from Cayman Prep and High School is traveling to Florida Thursday for a robotics competition. The FIRST Lego League West Florida Qualifier Tour- nament takes place this weekend at St. Petersburg College’s Clearwater campus. FIRST is an acronym of “For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology. At the tournament, stu- dents ranging in ages from 9 to 14 will demonstrate how they have tackled both the- oretical and practical chal- lenges related to working in outer space. Two Cayman teams will be taking part. The Cyber Rays are made up of Na- than Alston, Liam Benson, Adithya Kiran Binoy, Mat- thew Bodden, Alexander Dailey, Cormac Finnegan, Brandon Simmonds and Joshua Williams. The Techno Turtles team is Kathryn Corkish, Louis Day, Alex Gaze, Nathaniel Grieff, Nicholas Hydes, Janani Kumar, Kath- erine Kumar, Lily McGrath, Thomas Penner, Frederick Robson and Jonny Robson. Coaches Michael Harrington, Mark Leary and Allison Smith will accompany the teams. The students will give a presentation on how they ad- dressed the theoretical ques- tions of maintaining muscle strength while in a zero- gravity environment. Their Lego robots will then be required to perform tasks that might be required during space travel. They are also scored on how they address the core values outlined in the FIRST program, such as teamwork, friendship and cooperation. DATE SET FOR COCAINE IMPORTATION TRIAL Man accused of importing 1.93 kilos CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man accused of im- porting cocaine into the Cayman Islands without lawful excuse has had his trial set for May 13. Michael Junior Palmer, 30, appeared in Grand Court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to im- porting 1.93 kilos of the controlled drug on Nov. 9, 2018. That amount is the equivalent of about four and a quarter pounds. Justice Philip St. John-Stevens set the trial date after confer- ring with defense at- torney Rupert Wheeler and Crown counsel Scott Wainwright. There was no indi- cation whether the trial would be by jury or by judge alone. Arts festival offers something ‘eXtra’ The 2019 eXtra Cayman Arts Festival will provide a mix of local and off-island talent for a series of events from Feb. 5-9. The perfor- mances range from classical to cabaret. This year, for the first time, will be hosting a fringe event that will feature students from the Cayman Arts Festival’s after-school program combined with those from the Jubilate after-school program. That free event will be held at 5:30 p.m., on Friday, Feb. 8, at the Cayman Islands Baptist Church. The festival kicks off Feb. 5, with a performance by the Island Brass Quintet, a local group featuring Charity Epp on tuba, Vito Biliti on trom- bone, Reid McNeal on the French horn and trumpeters Francis Donoghue and Keith Millar. The group will play pieces from the Baroque and Renaissance eras as well as more modern offerings in- cluding Bizet, Gilbert and Sul- livan, Gershwin, the Fosse Brothers and more. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the Westin hotel ball- room. Tickets are US$35 for adults, which includes a glass of wine, and US$15 for stu- dents under 18. On Feb. 7, at Camana Bay Cinema, flutist Nick Cartledge will perform. Mr. Cartledge studied the flute at the Royal College of Music in London with Susan Milan, winning a dozen awards in his time there. In 1996, he graduated with first class honors, having made his Wigmore Hall debut. The same year he became the first flutist to win the Royal Over-Seas League music com- petition. He will be accompa- nied by Glen Inanga on the piano and flutist Liz Malkin. Tickets for the 6 p.m. con- cert are US$40 for adults, US$15 for students. The festival will finish with a group of New York cabaret performers bringing their act to the Marriott hotel ballroom at 6:30 p.m., Sat- urday, Feb. 9. KT Sullivan re- turns to Cayman with her friends Natalie Douglas, Jon Weber, Marissa Mulder and Danny Bacher to perform an evening of music entitled “That’s Entertainment!” The festival will also fea- ture master classes in the flute and in voice. Those in- terested in attending can call 922-5550 or email enquiries@ caymanartsfestival.com. Tickets to performances are available at www.caymanartsfestival.com. Cayman Prep and High School students, from left, Kathryn Corkish, Joshua Williams, Thomas Penner and Matthew Bodden, are taking party in a robotics competition in Florida this weekend. THEFTS REPORTED FROM WB CONSTRUCTION SITES Police are investi- gating reports of thieves breaking into containers and stealing tools from two construction sites on Yacht Drive in West Bay. The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service re- ceived the reports of thefts on Tuesday. The RCIPS urged owners of construction equipment to maintain a log of the serial num- bers for all of their tools and equipment, with photographs. “Maintaining such in- formation can greatly as- sist police with their inves- tigation and help identify rightful owners of stolen property,” the RCIPS stated. Police also asked anyone who may have seen suspicious activity along Yacht Drive on Monday evening or early Tuesday morning to contact the West Bay Police Station at 949-3999. A concert by the Island Brass Quintet is one of several offerings during February’s eXtra Cayman Arts Festival.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. No offense to readers who toil away in C-suites or corner offices, but there are many types of jobs where occasional, extended or even habitual absenteeism might never be noticed. Garbage collection is not among those professions. When solid waste staffers miss a day or two – or 835, which was the number of sick days taken by Cayman’s roadside crews last year – the results can be found in the odoriferous realm of refuse left to marinate and bake in the sun on corners and curbsides. Between November 2017 and November 2018, the 47 full-time workers in the Department of Envi- ronmental Health’s roadside collection section took an average of 18 sick days apiece. (For reference, the usual statutory allotment is 10 paid sick days a year.) More than one-third of those workers – 16 of them – took more than 20 sick days during that time. That equates to more than a month of leave, in addition to vacations, holidays, etc. A DEH spokesperson described the use of sick days as “quite excessive.” We might describe them as “apparently coordinated.” Cayman’s solid waste workers are not unionized, but the use (and abuse) of sick leave comes straight from the pages of a union playbook. The thing about garbage collectors is they tend to be tough, and they do not mind getting their hands dirty. Those character - istics, in the context of labor negotiations, can prove extremely effective. Consider that, in 1968, it only took nine days for striking garbage collectors to bring New York City to its knees. When unions go on strike, employ “sick outs” or coordinate “slowdowns,” they usually have points of contention, for example, working conditions, hours, equipment, job security, salaries or issues with individ- uals in management. We wish that we could say what Cayman’s garbage collectors want, or at minimum determine if their use of sick days constitutes a protest, general lethargy or abuse of overtime pay. But we cannot. (One of the only bad things about the absence of public unions in Cayman is that there is not a single person to whom we could request clarification or comment, in situa- tions such as this.) Last September, government’s internal auditors completed a report identifying that DEH had exceeded its 2016/17 budget for overtime expenses by nearly $2 million, and highlighting the potential for a “formal fraud investigation.” In late 2017, then-DEH Director Roydell Carter was placed on leave. In July 2018, the government announced that Richard Simms and Mark Bothwell would serve as interim Acting Director and Acting Assistant Director for the department’s solid waste division. Two months later, ministerial Chief Officer Jennifer Ahearn announced that Mr. Carter had “opted to retire from the civil service.” While auditors were examining evidence of mis - management behind the scenes, officials were issuing public statements attempting to attribute the inconsis- tencies in garbage collection to various causes ranging from staff absenteeism to vehicle downtime. In summary, the communications coming from official channels, in relation to ongoing problems with garbage collection, have been inadequate, in conflict with information that later came to the public’s atten- tion, and on balance, untrustworthy. All we really know for certain is what our eyes (and noses) tell us: Grand Cayman’s garbage has not been getting picked up on schedule for more than a year, and nobody in government seems to be able or willing to tell the public why. So what we have at this point, unfortunately, are questions, including: • Has a “formal fraud investigation” commenced into the issues identified in the auditors’ report? • What were the conditions of former-Director Carter’s resignation? • Mr. Simms and Mr. Bothwell were to focus their efforts on fleet maintenance, staff hours and schedule maintenance. What are the results? • Have garbage collection crews been advocating for the redress of specific grievances? If so, what are those grievances? • Environmental Health Minister Dwayne Seymour and Chief Officer Ahearn, is there anything you would care to share with the public on this noxious, most likely toxic, intractable dilemma? Trash collection: A dirty job that must be done THURSDAY JANUARY 24, 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS Education: A public good STACY R. MCAFEE In celebration of the role of education for peace and development, the United Na- tions General Assembly pro- claimed Jan. 24 as the first International Day of Edu- cation. It asserts that “edu- cation is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility.” With the understanding that an educated populace is a country’s most important resource and that developing human potential is argu- ably the most significant re- sponsibility of every society, UNESCO is calling on “gov- ernments and all partners to make universal quality edu- cation a leading priority.” The World Bank says that education is the “single most important key to develop- ment and to poverty allevi- ation.” Their 2008 Develop- ment Report reaffirms that education is central to devel- opment both from the indi- vidual and broader societal perspectives. For the indi- vidual, education improves health and nutrition, in- creases productivity, employ- ability and earnings and re- duces inequality on income, among other things. Over a lifetime, individ- uals who have attained ter- tiary education earn about US$1 million more than a person without a college de- gree. The difference between the median earnings of ter- tiary graduates compared to high school graduates has in- creased significantly over the past 30 years. Education is a public good and society benefits when broad access to quality edu- cation is attained. People who graduate from tertiary educa- tion are more involved in vol- untary organizations and give more to charity – all of which is good for the economy and society. In the United States, the incarceration rate of adults with some college ed- ucation is about one quarter of that for those with only a high school degree. In an article published by the Cornell Policy Review, Alex Arthur and Kimberley Vallejo give an insightful summary of the societal im- pacts of investments made on education and how na- tional and international pol- icymakers have increasingly relied on education as an en- gine for social and economic progress and development. “Studies which have fol- lowed the economic per- formance of OECD coun- tries over a span of almost three decades have found that investments in educa- tion that increase the av- erage years of study of the population by just one year have seen an overall increase in GDP of about 6 percent (UNESCO-UIS/OECD 2003, 22). Increased funding for education is seen to corre- late with economic develop- ment in part because citizens are more prepared to partic- ipate in the formal economy if they have received more schooling.” “Developing higher lit- eracy rates and more com- plex math and science skills are seen to directly improve society’s labor preparedness. The impact of increases in education spending (either to improve quality of schooling, access to schooling, or both) are thought to be exponen- tial according to human cap- ital theory.” “Education also boosts democratisation and func- tions as an engine for general social cohesion and a means to fight poverty. Better edu- cated citizens are more likely to participate in the demo- cratic process and have a tendency to support demo- cratic regimes over other po- litical systems (Ganimian and Solano Rocha, 2011).” Realizing the impact of education and an educated citizenry to the development of their societies, some coun- tries have developed a pro- file of the individuals their education system seeks to “produce.” CARICOM stated that the ideal Caribbean edu- cated citizen should possess the following characteris- tics: be imbued with a re- spect for human life; be emo- tionally secure with a high level of self-confidence and self-esteem; view ethnic, re- ligious and other diversity as a source of potential strength and richness; be aware of the importance of living in harmony with the environ- ment; have a strong appreci- ation of family and kinship values, community cohe- sion and moral issues; have an informed respect for cul- tural heritage, demonstrate multiple literacies, indepen- dent and critical thinking and demonstrate a positive work ethic. This is similar to the profile of the educated Cay- manian developed by the Ministry of Education. It de- fines an educated Cayma- nian as one who will “Be enthusiastic and motivated about learning and will continue to extend his/her knowledge and skills after leaving school. This person will be literate, numerate and adept at using infor- mation and communication technology. She will be a good communicator, creative and appreciative of the arts and have a positive outlook and a high self-esteem. He will be well-rounded, good at finding solutions to prob- lems, flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances and demands and have a strong work ethic and willingness to become an honest, reliable and respon- sible member of the work- force. The educated Cay- manian will be respectful of God, him/herself, others, people from different back- grounds, the environment and property. “In addition, the edu- cated Caymanian will: be proud of and knowledge- able about the Caymanian culture, while respectful of other cultures and be- liefs; be a good team player, civic-minded and willing to serve and have an aware- ness of global issues af- fecting aspects of life in the 21st century.” These are all laudable goals that will only be ac- complished by increasing public and private invest- ments in education and rec- ognizing that education is the fundamental building block for achieving the broad strategic outcomes of our nation. Dr. Stacy R. McAfee is president and CEO of the University College of the Cayman Islands. Stacy R. McAfee PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way”5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JANUARY 24, 2019 50 YEARS AGO Dairy project under way, research vessel in Cayman waters In the Jan. 23, 1969 edi- tion of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, the fol- lowing story, titled “Dairy project under way,” ap- peared on the front page. It read: “To produce enough fresh milk daily to supply some of the need of Grand Cayman is the aim of a new enterprise already under way in Pease Bay. “Mr. Mark Fisher from the U.K., who is at present setting up the company, told the Caymanian that 60 of the 200 acres being leased have already been cleared. “Grass suitable for grazing will be planted and it is estimated that this will be ready by July. At this time, 50 milch cows are due to arrive from Jamaica. It is anticipated that the herd will eventually be increased to 100, which should pro- duce a minimum of ap- proximately 300 gallons of milk daily. “A modern herringbone milking unit and also a re- frigerated tank and a pas- teurizer are to be installed. After pasteurization, the milk will be cartoned and sold locally. If all goes well, it will appear on the market some time in August.” Also appearing on the front page of the Cayma- nian Weekly was a story about a visit to the is- lands by a U.S. research vessel. It read: “Seen at the dock and offshore between and Jan. 14-17 was the research vessel ‘Tursiops’ owned by the Oceanography Depart- ment of the Florida State University. “The nine members of the crew were students who were under the instructor, Professor James I. Jones. “The vessel left Turkey Point, Florida, and first called at Cozumel, Mexico, where they spent three days. After stopping just one day at the Misterioso Bank, they came to the Cayman Islands. “Here the students went diving in deep and shallow water taking samples of the bottom for study and on their way back, they also took some samples of the water.” Jail for changing date in passport Defendant with previous conviction wanted to provide for his children, attorney says CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man who changed a date in his passport was sen- tenced on Tuesday to four months’ imprisonment. Keniel Anthony Simms, 35, admitted that he had altered his passport to show that he had permission to remain in the Cayman Islands until July 31, 2018. In fact, he had legal permission to remain until July 31, 2017. Crown counsel Emma Hutchinson told Magis- trate Valdis Foldats that Mr. Simms said he committed the offense because immigration authorities kept refusing him a work permit, but he needed to stay here for his children and girlfriend. The defendant had been asked to attend the Immi- gration Department head- quarters in July 2018 after the records system showed he had been overstaying since July 2017. A Jamaican national, he had been in Cayman since 2004. Defense attorney Dennis Brady said his client had acted “out of desperation” be- cause he wanted to be part of his children’s lives, be avail- able to them and provide for them. “This is a case of efforts made but rejected,” he submitted. Although he did not have substantive proof of his as- sumption, Mr. Brady sug- gested that the welfare of the children might not have been considered when the work permit applications were dealt with. The magistrate said he was not defending the Immi- gration Appeals Tribunal, but there was nothing to say that the fact of Mr. Simms being a family man had been ignored. He wondered how many ap- plications had been made by someone who had served a prison term of 15 months for burglary and had previously been in court for assault and an immigration offense. Records showed that Mr. Simms was sentenced in Oc- tober 2016 to 15 months’ imprisonment for burglary, theft and attempted theft. In 2009, he was arrested for working without a permit and subsequently ordered to do community service for the offense. He later completed the men’s non-violence pro- gram after being charged with assault. “Surely, the department balances family life with other aspects for consider- ation,” the magistrate said. Mr. Brady told the court that his client had been in a relationship with a Cayma- nian woman since 2010 and they had two children to- gether; they had married in July 2018. Mr. Simms also had an older child from a previous relationship. “The thrust of my sub- mission is on behalf of these children,” Mr. Brady told the court, citing section 17 of the Cayman Islands Constitution, which deals with the protec- tion of children. This section states that the legislature shall enact laws to provide every child with such facilities as would aid their growth and development and to ensure that every child has the right “to family care or pa- rental care, or to appropriate alternative care when removed from the family environment.” The magistrate said Mr. Brady had done everything he could on behalf of the de- fendant, but the need to deter such offending overwhelmed other aspects of the case. He said he had to send the mes- sage that altering a passport was a serious matter. The appropriate starting point would be six months, he noted; with one-third dis- count for the guilty plea, the sentence was four months. The magistrate said he would leave Mr. Simms’s im- migration status to the Immi- gration Department. RCIPS welcomes guest speaker from Jamaica The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service wel- comed a special guest on Friday. Coleridge Minto, the as- sistant superintendent of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, came to Cayman to serve as the keynote speaker for the Planning for Youth Success Conference. The conference, which was held at University College of the Cayman Is- lands, is part of Support Our Youth Month. Mr. Minto, who also serves as the Director for Security and Safety in Schools, gave a presentation to the assem- bled students and teachers. He spoke about challenges faced by Jamaican students and the way police have ad- dressed those challenges in partnership with the schools and students. Mr. Minto also encour- aged the children to live up to their potential. Later, he visited police headquar- ters, meeting with the Com- missioner of Police and dis- cussing issues that affect both Cayman and Jamaica such as local training op- portunities and best prac- tices regarding commu- nity policing. “It was a pleasure to meet with RCIPS officers and use this opportunity to help strengthen the relationship between our organizations,” said Mr. Minto as part of an official press release. “Like- wise, I was very excited to be able to speak directly to the young people at the youth conference, as I believe that reaching them early is the key to ensuring their success.” “[Assistant Superinten- dent] Minto’s talk was en- lightening for us, as we look at sharing best practices around community policing and police outreach to youth,” added Inspector Courtney Myles, the head of the RCIPS Community Policing Depart- ment. “Our community police officers serve as liaisons to the schools, so for us it was a good opportunity for CPD of- ficers to hear how problems are being addressed and partnerships created in our neighboring jurisdiction.” Coleridge Minto, center left, dropped in to Cayman to speak at a conference and liaise with his Cayman counterparts. Defendant Keniel Anthony Simms admitted altering his passport to show that he had permission to remain in Cayman until July 31, 2018. The Immigration Department had only granted him permission to remain until July 31, 2017. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. THURSDAY JANUARY 24, 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS THURSDAY, JAN. 24 CHRISTMAS TREES RECYCLING: The deadline has been extended through today for the natural Christmas tree recycling program. Residents should remove all wires and ornaments from Christmas trees before placing them in collection bins at Ed Bush Stadium, West Bay; George Town Cricket Field; George Town landfill public drop-off area; Spotts Dock, Savannah; Entrance of Frank Sound Road. Free mulch will now be made available to the public at the George Town Cricket Field on Saturday, Jan. 26, at approximately 8 a.m. ‘EDUCATING RITA’: Starting today and running until Saturday, Feb. 2, the Prospect Playhouse presents Willy Russell’s award-winning comedy “Educating Rita.” Jan. 24, 25, 26, 31 and Feb. 1 and 2. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Happy hour at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for students. Email boxoffice@cds.ky or visit www.cds.ky. FRIDAY, JAN. 25 BURNS SUPPER: A Burns Supper fundraiser for Jasmine, formerly known as Cayman HospiceCare, will be held at Grand Old House from 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $150 per person and include a cocktail reception, four- course dinner including haggis, wine and whisky. Dress is black tie – kilts and tartan are welcome. To reserve tickets, email info@jasmine.ky. SATURDAY, JAN. 26 POSTPONED: The annual Taste of Cayman food and drink festival has been postponed until April 6. BUSINESSMEN’S FELLOWSHIP: The Grand Cayman chapter of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International holds its monthly breakfast at 7:30 a.m., at Aroma (formerly Lola’s) restaurant in Camana Bay. There will be open sharing. TEA PARTY: Cayman Brac District Council of the National Trust presents an Octopus Tea Party from 6–11 p.m. at the Brac Trust House off Northside Road at the end of White Bay Road. Tickets $25 include entry, food, tea, entertainment and auction. For more information, contact 547-0892. CHRISTMAS TREE MULCH: The Department of Environmental Health invites residents to collect mulch from recycled Christmas trees from the George Town Cricket Field from 8 a.m. today. Mulch will be provided on a first- come, first-served basis. Residents are invited to come out early and to bring their shovels and bags for the removal of the mulch. SUNDAY, JAN. 27 STRIDE AGAINST CANCER: The annual Nationwide Stride Against Cancer 2019 will be held this morning at Seven Mile Public Beach. $25 early bird registration closes on Jan. 12. $30 standard rate from Jan. 13. No registration on the day. Race packets (T-shirts) can be collected from the Cancer Society office starting the week of Monday, Jan. 21. Sizes are limited, so collect early. The Half Marathon, 13.1 miles, begins at 6 a.m. The Quarter Marathon, 6.5 miles, starts at 7 a.m. Gather for the big group start picture at 6:45 a.m. HATITUDE: The National Trust’s annual fundraiser, Hatitude, a fun family brunch, will take place at Grand Old House under the theme “Birds of the Caribbean.” 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $135 for adult members, $165 for adult non-members (includes 2019 membership of the National Trust), and $45 children (4 to 12 years old). MONDAY, JAN. 28 HEROES DAY: National holiday. This year’s ceremony will honor the vestrymen and justices of the peace who were instrumental in creating the Coat of Arms for the Cayman Islands. The public should be seated by 8:30 a.m. with the awards ceremony beginning at 9 a.m. The ceremony will be followed by a Coat of Arms exhibit in George Town Library. There will be local food and live entertainment at the family friendly event. BRAC RACE/RELAY: The Lions Club of Cayman Brac annual Corporate Cup Race/ Relay will be held at Stake Bay Loop. TUESDAY, JAN. 29 SCHOOLS CLOSED: Cayman Brac and Little Cayman schools closed for professional development. SPEAK FRENCH: A social gathering for native French speakers and those who want to converse in French will be held at The Kitchen, next to Fidel Murphy’s in Queens Court on West Bay Road, tonight at 7:30 p.m. $35 includes buffet meal and a drink. For more information, email frenchtuitionky@yahoo.com. THURSDAY, JAN. 31 THATCH PLAITING: Community thatch plaiting class, 7-9 p.m. at the Heritage House, Cayman Brac. Cost $5. GENERAL INTEREST PUBLIC INPUT: The public has until Jan. 28 to share feedback about the National Planning Framework, which sets out long-term goals for land use and physical development as part of the Development Plan for Grand Cayman. More information: www.plancayman.ky. SPECIAL OLYMPICS: Be a volunteer for athlete training at Truman Bodden Sports Complex. Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m. for track, bocce and football, and Thursdays, 5:30 p.m. for basketball. Swimming on Wednesdays at the Lions Pool 10-11 a.m. or on Saturdays at the Cayman International School pool, 9:30 a.m. Email soci@candw.ky or call 916-2600. COMMUNITY CHESS: Tuesdays 5-8 p.m., West Indies Wine Company. Join the Cayman Chess Club for a complimentary chess class and open challenges weekly. Anyone can learn to play and enjoy chess, even beginners. ART OPEN CANVAS: At KARoo Restaurant in Camana Bay, Wednesdays 7-11 p.m. Artists of all levels are welcome to come and enjoy painting and socializing with other artists. Includes use of easels, lights, space, beverage ticket. No fee. For more information, contact info@visualartcayman.com or jar.was@gmail.com. VISUAL ARTS SOCIETY: Adult Open Studio available to those who want to work independently in an inspiring atmosphere. Wednesdays for adults, 9 a.m. till noon. Thursdays Adults and Youth, 10 a.m. till noon. Watler House Art Studio, Pedro St. James. Fee is $5/$15 or Ceramics. $15 pp/$25 pp non-members. Includes use of studio, glazes and ceramic tools. Clay available $30 per bag/fee for kiln usage. To register, call 546-9422 or email info@visualartcayman.com. SEAFARERS HALL: The Cayman Islands Seafarers Association wishes to inform the community that the hall is now available for rent every day of the week, including Saturdays, as the church is no longer contracted with the association at 11 Victory Avenue, Prospect. THRIFT SHOP: One Dog at a Time’s New To U shop is now located at JJT Warehouses, Row 2, Unit 2 on Industrial Way. Open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Variety of items available, including men’s, women’s, children’s and baby clothes, shoes, household, electrical items, CDs, DVDs, books, home furnishings, toys, games, furniture, baby cribs, car seats, dog beds and more. BETHESDA COUNSELLING CENTRE: Caters to all who seek help. Open Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 68 Mary Street. Appointments available Saturdays and late evenings. Owned and operated by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Call 946-6575. HUMANE SOCIETY BOOK LOFT: North Sound Road. Open Monday 12:30-4 p.m.; Tuesday-Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Volunteers needed for front desk a few hours per week. For more information, email humanesocietybookloft@ candw.ky or call 946-8053. Donations of books, games, CDs, stationery, DVDs, cards etc. in good condition needed. CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: Meets daily to help with drinking problems. Call 926-9044 or visit www. caymanaa.org. NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS: Is available for substance abuse help. Call the info line at 929–NANA (6262). AL-ANON GROUP MEETING: Are you troubled by someone’s drinking? Al-Anon Family Groups can help. Call 928-8843 or email caymanalanon@gmail.com for meeting times. OVERCOMERS OUTREACH: A Christ-centered 12-step recovery group addresses addictions and those affected by them. Meetings at Cayman Islands Baptist Church, Pedro Castle Road, Tuesdays, 7:15 p.m. For details, contact Vanessa Gilman at 946-2422, or visit www.overcomersoutreach.org. DEMENTIA/ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP: This group meets on the last Wednesday of each month at ADACI’s office, 4th floor, Cardinall Plaza, 30 Cardinall Ave., George Town. Call 924-4170 or email info@adacayman.com. GRAND CAYMAN TOASTMASTERS: Club meets each Thursday 6-7:15 p.m. on 3rd Floor, George Town Public Library. Visitors and guests welcome. Contact George R. Ebanks at 322-9369 or Grand Cayman Toastmasters club on Facebook. Email info@ toastmastersclub2686.org. THE LIONS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets every first and third Thursday 7:30 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre. Email lionsclubgcm@hotmail.com. THE LIONS CLUB OF TROPICAL GARDENS: Meet every first and third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Elizabethan Square (corner unit). Members of the public are invited to attend. ROTARY CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN SUNRISE: Service club meetings 7 a.m. every Wednesday at George Town Yacht Club, 612 North Sound Road. Visit www.rotarysunrise.ky or info@rotarysunrise.ky. KIWANIS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets first and third Wednesdays of the month, 12:30 p.m., at The Wharf Restaurant. Projects include promoting well- being of children in the community and schools. Email president@kiwanis.ky or view www.kiwanis.ky. OPTIMIST CLUB: Meets first and third Tuesdays at the Hibiscus Conference Room, Cayman Islands Hospital at 6:30 p.m. Learn more at www.optimistcayman.com. PARENT AND TODDLER PLAY GROUP: For children from 2 weeks to 4 years. Meets Mondays 9:30- 11:30 a.m. in the South Sound Community Centre. Children must be accompanied by parent or helper. Toys, activities, light refreshments provided. $6 per session per family. Email sspg@foxwood.ky. HEARTS THROUGH HANDS: Meets Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. to noon at The Family Life Centre, Room 10, Academy Way. Women make crafts for charity and missions. Call 946–3067 or 947–1863. BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S CLUB: Meets third Wednesday of every month, Governors Square Boardroom at 5:30 p.m. Visit www.facebook.com/ BPWGrandCayman. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. This year’s Stride Against Cancer run will be held on Sunday, Jan. 27. Beginning at Seven Mile Public Beach, the Half Marathon starts at 6 a.m., and the Quarter Marathon sets off at 7 a.m.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JANUARY 24, 2019 Another spawning site off Cayman Brac counted nearly 1,000 grouper last year. Earlier counts at the same exact site came in at roughly half that number. “It’s not nearly enough to take the species off the IUCN critically endangered list or to relax local protections for the species. We have yet to see a similar resurgence in Grand Cayman,” said DoE Research Officer Bradley Johnson. “It is encouraging data and it highlights the im- portance of adhering to, and enforcing, Nassau grouper fishing restrictions set under the National Conser- vation Law.” The Cayman Islands pro- hibits fishing for Nassau grouper between Dec. 1 and April 30. Anyone who takes, purchases, receives, offers for sale, exchanges or do- nates Nassau grouper during that span of time commits an offense under the Na- tional Conservation law. It is also illegal to possess or permit another person to take Nassau grouper from Cayman waters during the closed season. “We still hear occa- sional reports of Nassau grouper being caught during the closed season and the public must understand that fishing restrictions on the species have changed over the years,” said Minster for Environment Dwayne Sey- mour as part of an official press release. “The recent ‘critically en- dangered’ designation for Nassau grouper shows we did the right thing protecting them locally. It also makes it even more important for both Caymanian fishermen and visitors to respect the law and release any Nassau grouper they catch during the closed season,” he added. Fishermen who acciden- tally catch Nassau grouper during the closed season are advised to release them alive even if the fish is hurt during the process. Fishermen are advised to use circle hooks as opposed to J-hooks to facili- tate the removal of the hook from the fish’s mouth. Anyone who witnesses or becomes aware of Nassau grouper poaching during the closed season is encouraged to call 911 and may also con- tact DoE enforcement officers directly on Grand Cayman (916-4271), on Cayman Brac (call 911) or on Little Cayman (925-0185). For more information about the handling or releasing of Nassau groupers and the Grouper Moon project, visit the DoE website at www.doe.ky or contact DoE Public Education and Outreach Officer Brent Fuller at 244-5984/922-5514 or brent.fuller@gov.ky. acknowledged the strategy had prompted some backlash among animal rights groups. But he said the animals were extremely aggressive and rehabilitating or re- homing them was not con- sidered a viable option in the circumstances. He said the attacks had caused significant dis- tress to families living in the area. Reasons for the surge in attacks is unclear. There has been speculation in the community that the impact of the iguana cull may have removed a food source for feral dogs. Mr. Hew said it was dif- ficult to determine what impact, if any, the cull had. He said there were still plenty of feral chickens in the area. He believes such en- counters may become more commonplace as Cayman’s building boom continues, reducing the buffers between residen- tial neighborhoods and public land. He said the longer-term solution was better edu- cation on responsible pet ownership, including spay and neuter programs, to avoid contributing to Cay- man’s stray and feral dog populations. He added that there were a number of ad- ditional attacks associ- ated with dogs that were being allowed to roam un- leashed in open spaces, in- cluding the old Britannia golf course. He said it is illegal to keep dogs off leash in public places in Cayman, and owners who continued to do so would be liable to be prosecuted. aspects of the program, in- cluding poor accounting practices and a lack of re- cord-keeping for 15 of the church projects reviewed. “Without any account- ability back to Govern- ment, the risk that funds provided to churches were used for purposes other than the intended purpose was high,” according to the report. After government an- nounced last year that the project will resume, a joint statement issued by the Premier’s Office, Hazard Management and the Plan- ning Department portrayed the church hall project as a hurricane shelter project. “In an ongoing effort to increase the total ca- pacity of emergency shel- ters across the Cayman Is- lands, work continues to be done to the Church of God in Bodden Town. Up- dates such as a new roof and windows are cur- rently being installed at the church in order for the building to function safely as an approved Govern- ment hurricane shelter,” ac- cording to the statement. Government has not stated how much it will cost to finish the devel- opment, but in 2016 that figure was estimated to be $5 million. The pro- posed assembly hall at Bodden Town Primary School is also being de- veloped and is expected to provide shelter space for 322 people. “Together, both locations would create space for an additional 872, which would bring the total ca- pacity of emergency shel- ters in the district to ap- proximately 1,127 persons,” according to the govern- ment statement. Cost estimates were also not provided for the primary school assembly hall project, and govern- ment has not issued any tender documents for that development. Nassau grouper, previously classified as endangered, is now listed as critically endangered, which is the strongest warning the International Union for Conservation of Nature can issue. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Grouper Moon project rises again CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Cabinet approves completion of Bodden Town church Stray dogs terrorize neighborhoods CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The Bodden Town Church of God is in mid-construction. - PHOTO: ALVARO SEREY In Davos, battle lines are drawn over trade and cooperation DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) – World leaders in favor of international cooperation and free trade struck back Wednesday against the wave of populist nationalism that has featured more promi- nently than usual at the gathering of elites in Davos, Switzerland. As a dizzying array of heads of state – from Po- land to Columbia to Rwanda – addressed the political and business tycoons, the ques- tion of global cooperation emerged as a dividing line. The leaders of Japan and Germany – countries that have flourished on trade since their devastation under nationalist leaders in World War II – focused on the need for cooperation. It was a not-so-subtle dig at earlier speeches by the populist president of Brazil and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said gov- ernments should focus more on national self-interest over international rules. “I believe that it’s worth bringing together like- minded people around the world, because anything else will lead us into despair,” said German Chancellor An- gela Merkel. She said efforts to combat global problems – from an economic slowdown to ten- sions over trade, Brexit and migration – “will only function if we are able to compromise.” She cited as a positive ex- ample a free trade deal be- tween the European Union and Japan that will take ef- fect Feb. 1. Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, put a similarly strong focus on working together, noting another trade deal, among Pacific Rim countries. He warned, however that there are risks. “U.S.-China trade fric- tion is one of those risks and Japan traditionally has said tit-for-tat trade-restrictive measures are of no benefit,” he said in his first appear- ance in Davos in five years. The U.S. and China, the world’s two biggest econo- mies, are locked in a major trade dispute and have put tariffs on hundreds of bil- lions of dollars-worth of traded goods. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump says China is not being transparent on government subsidies it gives Chinese companies and is swiping intellectual property from Western firms. While Abe and Merkel squarely warned against taking punitive measures like Trump has – without going through international institu- tions like the World Trade Or- ganization to settle disputes – both Japan and European countries have also com- plained about China. Abe said the WTO needs to be overhauled. “Major changes are taking place and the WTO is behind the curve – it’s not keeping up with pace,” Abe said in a brief question-and-answer session. “We need to reform it.” Efforts were under way to defuse the U.S.-China dis- pute, with a high-level Chi- nese delegation expected to visit Washington on Jan. 30. The level of tensions re- mained intense, however. China’s vice president used his own speech in Davos to take shots at Trump and his administration. “Shifting blame for one’s own problems onto others will not resolve the prob- lems,” said Wang Qishan. He sought to cast China as a proponent of open mar- kets, though in reality it keeps tight control of its ac- cess to foreign investors and companies. “What we need to do is make the pie bigger while looking for ways to share it in a more equitable way,” he said. “The last thing we should do is to stop making the pie and just engage in a futile debate on how to divide it.” Trump had intended to visit Davos with a big del- egation to meet with the Chinese over the trade is- sues. They canceled the trip, however, due to the gov- ernment shutdown. Other major leaders have also had to nix their trip, including those of Britain and France to deal with Brexit and pop- ular protests. The uncertainty over Brexit also featured heavily in talks in Davos as a major risk to global commerce and cooperation. British lawmakers last week voted down Prime Min- ister Theresa May’s deal with the European Union. Since then, speculation has risen that Britain could crash out of the bloc without a deal or that end up extending its date of departure from the current March 29. Merkel said she is working for a “well-ordered” Brexit and is looking for a “good” fu- ture partnership with Britain not just on trade but issues like security and defense. Merkel said she is working for a “well-ordered” Brexit and is looking for a “good” future partnership with Britain not just on trade but issues like security and defence. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addresses the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland. – PHOTO: APThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 THURSDAY JANUARY 24, 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS Aid group warns of Central African Republic ‘catastrophe’ The Norwegian Refugee Council’s secretary general says repeated cycles of violence in one of the world’s poorest nations has ‘pushed people’s resistance to breaking point.’ He said Wednesday that a majority of Central African Republic’s 2.9 million people ‘urgently need humanitarian support.’ Rónán Nadaraja 22nd April 1973 - 24th January 1998 Remembering with love our darling younger brother, Rónán Not a day passes that we don’t think of you and wish you were here. We miss you so very much. Your loving sisters and brother, Ingrid, Fiona and Seán The Family of the Late Arine Loretta Eden affectionately known as “Lerita” regrets to announce her passing on Thursday, 17 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, 27 January, 2019 at Church of God, (Full Gospel Hall) Savannah. Viewing will be held from 2:00 p.m. prior to the service. Interment will follow in Tall Tree Cemetery. Venezuela’s Guaido declares himself president amid protests CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has declared himself interim president in a defiant speech before masses of anti-government demonstrators who took to the streets Wednesday to demand President Nicolas Maduro’s resignation. He immediately drew rec- ognition from the Trump ad- ministration, which said it would use the “full weight” of U.S. economic and dip- lomatic power to push for the restoration of Venezue- la’s democracy. Raising his right hand in unison with tens of thou- sands of supporters, the head of the opposition-con- trolled congress took a sym- bolic oath before God to as- sume executive powers he says are his right under Ven- ezuela’s constitution and take over the presidency until new elections can be called. Guaido said he was taking the politically risky step just two weeks after Maduro took his own oath to a second, six- year term confident that it was the only way to rescue Vene- zuela from “dictatorship” and restore constitutional order “We know that this will have consequences,” Guaido, 35, told the cheering crowd standing before a lectern em- blazoned with Venezuela’s national coat of arms. “To be able to achieve this task and to re-establish the constitution we need the agreement of all Venezue- lans,” he shouted. The declaration came as tens of thousands of anti- government demonstra- tors poured into the streets Wednesday accusing em- battled Maduro of usurping power and demand he step down as the country reels from a crushing economic crisis forcing millions to flee or go hungry. Large crowds of pro- testers gathered in Caracas waving flags and chanting “Get out Maduro!” in what was the largest demonstra- tion since a wave of un- rest that left more than 120 dead in 2017. Pro-government demon- strators dressed in red in support of Maduro were also marching in the capital, at times crossing paths with opposition protesters and shouting “sell outs” and “trai- tors.” National guardsmen launched tear gas at anti- government protesters in the middle-class neighborhood of El Paraiso but for the most part the marches continued without conflict. “Join us!” the protesters cried out to a line of officers wearing helmets and car- rying shields. “You are also living this crisis!” The protest is considered a crucial test for the reinvigo- rated opposition as it seeks to send a forceful message that Maduro no longer has the people’s backing and appeals to the military and the poor to shift loyalties that until re- cently looked solidly behind the president. The protests were called to coincide with a historic date for Venezuelans – the anniversary of the 1958 coup that overthrew military dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez. “The democratic forces are here advancing,” opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said as she marched. “Not so that Maduro changes but so that he leaves.” President Donald J. Trump in a statement called on other Western hemisphere govern- ments to join him in recog- nizing Guaido. “The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime and demanded freedom and the rule of law,” Trump said. The demonstration comes after a whirlwind week that saw an uprising by a tiny military unit put down by government forces, fires set during protests in poor neighborhoods and the brief detention by security forces of Guaido, the newly in- stalled head of the opposi- tion-controlled congress. Over the last two nights, Venezuelans angry over their country’s spiraling hyperin- flation, and food and med- ical shortages have gathered in the streets banging pots and pans and setting up bar- ricades in protest. In the city of San Felix, residents set fire to a statue of Maduro’s mentor and predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez. Thailand sets date of first general election since 2014 coup BANGKOK (AP) – Thailand’s Election Commission on Wednesday announced that the nation’s first general elec- tion since the military seized power in a 2014 coup will be held on March 24. The long-awaited an- nouncement came just hours after Thailand’s royal palace issued a decree authorizing the polls. The decree pub- lished Wednesday in the Royal Gazette put into effect elec- tion laws that were drafted by the military government, which has kept tight control over political activities and made efforts to quash dissent during its time in power. The ruling junta has re- peatedly pushed back sev- eral promised election dead- lines – at least once every year since their May 2014 coup overthrew the demo- cratically elected government. This is the first time a poll date has been made official and is the most concrete step the country has taken toward a return to some form of ci- vilian governance. A statement issued Wednesday by the office of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the junta leader who staged the coup, said a new government “will be in place by the middle of this year.” The most recent promised election date of Feb. 24 had to be abandoned because the decree giving the go-ahead was not issued as expected earlier this month, leaving not enough time to prepare for the polls. The government had announced earlier this month that coronation cer- emonies for King Maha Vaji- ralongkorn would take place in early May, which had also fueled speculation that the poll date could be delayed. Election Commission chief Ithiporn Boonpakong said the March 24 date was “flexible enough and should be bene- ficial to everyone concerned.” Anti-junta protesters have staged sporadic demonstra- tions on Bangkok’s streets in recent months, demanding there be no further delays. They had voiced suspicion that the military government was postponing the polls to take further measures to strengthen its allied polit- ical parties. The military has already overseen the drafting of a new constitution that will limit the power of future elected gov- ernments, shifting oversight to unelected bodies. Any new government will also be re- quired to follow a 20-year “na- tional strategy” drawn up by the military government. Prayuth has hinted broadly that he may seek to be named the country’s leader after the polls. Several parties seen as serving as proxies for the military have been estab- lished, and Prayuth could run with one or he could become a so-called “outsider prime minister” under new rules that don’t require the premier to be a member of parliament. Juan Guaido, president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, delivers a speech during a public legislative session in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 11. The head of Venezuela’s opposition-run congress declared himself president of Venezuela on Wednesday. - PHOTO: AP9 WORLD®IONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • THURSDAY JANUARY 24, 2019 Businesses sound alarm as UK says prepare for no-deal Brexit Brexit awakens old fears in Northern Ireland LONDON (AP) – Northern Ireland’s wounds are deep: Bloody Sunday, Enniskillen, Belfast’s sectarian killings of Catholics and Protestants by paramilitaries on both sides and British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary shoot- ings and crackdowns. Time has not completely healed the hatred, distrust and fear of those caught up in the decades-long conflict that killed more than 3,700 people and largely ended with the 1998 peace accord. Now, Brexit’s intense focus on the future of the border between Northern Ireland and the Re- public of Ireland has prompted worries of new violence. Fears that the dark days of “The Troubles” could be back have been fanned by a re- cent explosion and hijackings in Northern Ireland’s second largest city, Londonderry – also known as Derry. The New IRA (Irish Re- publican Army) is suspected in the violence. Also not helping: Northern Ireland’s power-sharing gov- ernment has been suspended for two years because of a dispute between the main Protestant and Catholic polit- ical parties. Here’s a look back at the conflict that engulfed Northern Ireland and spilled into Britain’s mainland, the peace that followed and the possibility that the tinderbox might ignite again. The troubles Northern Ireland’s six counties are part of the United Kingdom. Most of its Catholics, historically dis- criminated against, sought unity with the Republic of Ireland to the south. They became known as nation- alists, or republicans. Most Protestants insisted on re- maining in the union, and became known as unionists, or loyalists. The British Army, initially deployed to protect Cath- olic communities from Prot- estant attacks in the 1960s, was quickly perceived as an occupation force by the re- publican communities it was supposed to protect. The 1971 mass arrests and intern- ment of people suspected of having IRA connections ce- mented this view. The IRA launched a bombing campaign at home and in mainland Britain, targeting civilians in pubs and shops as well as mili- tary targets. The Ulster Vol- unteer Force and Ulster De- fence Association, Protestant paramilitaries, were also re- sponsible for a series of as- sassinations and atrocities. Paramilitaries on both sides also engaged in extortion and racketeering against their own communities. The victims Of all the events, Bloody Sunday is the one that still resonates today: British sol- diers killed 14 unarmed Catholic protesters in Lon- donderry in 1972. The IRA, in turn, was widely condemned for the Enniskillen Remem- brance Sunday bombing that killed 11 people in 1987. And there were some high- profile victims of the conflict: Bobby Sands, the iconic IRA hunger-striker died in prison in 1981; Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, Admiral of the Fleet Louis Mountbatten, was as- sassinated by the IRA in 1979; Margaret Thatcher nar- rowly escaped the same fate when the IRA bombed the hotel being used by her Con- servative Party in Brighton in 1984, killing five people. The Good Friday agreement Until 1994, the British gov- ernment banned the voices of several republican leaders, including Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, from being broadcast on television and radio – actors would be used instead. It was a bizarre practice that had underlined the ingrained suspicion and distance to any peace accord as the violence continued re- lentlessly into the last decade of the 20th century. In December 1993, British Prime Minister John Major and his Irish counterpart, Al- bert Reynolds, announced the Downing Street Decla- ration, which outlined their approach to restoring peace based on consensus of all involved. This led to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, which set in place a his- toric power-sharing as- sembly that took over some of the decision-making powers from London. The agreement also reduced the British military’s operations in Northern Ireland. Seeing once intractable enemies from the republican Sinn Fein, the IRA-linked party, and pro-British union- ists at the same table with then British Prime Minister Tony Blair captured a new era of hope, uneasy as it was. Brexit and what the future may hold The prospect of restoring a hard border between Ire- land and Northern Ireland once Britain leaves the EU has raised fears of a return to the old reality where British army checkpoints, shootings, bombings and gun-smug- gling were the norm. Now, people and goods flow freely from one to side to the other, greatly adding to stability, trade and economic growth. Some in Britain’s Conserva- tive Party have bristled at Dublin’s sway in the Euro- pean Union and ability to veto any deal that allows a hard border to re-emerge. Theresa May’s office has dismissed reports that the prime minister was thinking of revisiting the terms of the Good Friday agreement. However, May has said that she wants more talks on the “backstop,” which proposes to keep the U.K. in a customs union with the EU to avoid checks on the Irish border. It is meant as a temporary mea- sure that would last until a permanent solution is found. But pro-Brexit U.K. lawmakers fear Britain could become trapped in it, indefinitely bound by EU trade rules. There are groups who will look to capitalize on the on- going uncertainty. But those who would seek to derail Northern Ireland’s hard-fought road to stability, normality and some prosperity are un- likely to ever gain the type of grassroots support they did when the conflict raged. LONDON (AP) – Businesses in Britain and the European Union need to prepare for the possibility the U.K. will leave the bloc in March without an exit deal, a senior British government minister said Wednesday, as a growing number of firms braced for disruption by stockpiling goods or shifting opera- tions overseas. Last week British law- makers threw out Prime Min- ister Theresa May’s EU di- vorce deal, and attempts to find a replacement are grid- locked. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said “no deal is a possibility.” “We know that the law in the United Kingdom says that on the 29th of March the Eu- ropean treaties will cease to apply to a U.K., so the only way we can stop that hap- pening is to come to an agreement,” Fox told the BBC from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Most U.K. business groups fear a “no-deal” Brexit will cause economic chaos by rip- ping up the trade rulebook and imposing tariffs, customs checks and other barriers be- tween the U.K. and the EU, its biggest trading partner. The Bank of England has said that in a worst-case scenario, a cliff-edge Brexit could trigger a deep reces- sion, with Britain’s economy shrinking 8 percent within months as unemployment and inflation soar. Carolyn Fairbairn of the Confederation of British In- dustry said British politi- cians must rule out a no- deal Brexit, calling it “the only way to halt irreversible damage and restore business confidence.” Warnings from industry have grown louder as Brexit day approaches. Airbus chief executive Tom Enders said earlier this month that uncertainty around the terms of Britain’s exit was “unbearable.” Speaking at a business re- ception, he urged lawmakers to “stop filibustering around this issue, allow for an or- derly, agreed Brexit and find an agreement with Brussels.” So far, he has not been heeded. Parliament is due to vote on May’s proposal on Tuesday – and on rival plans, including attempts to delay Britain’s exit and to rule out “no-deal.” May insisted Wednesday that the only way to en- sure Britain did not leave the EU without an agree- ment was for Parliament to pass her deal. “There will always be a point of decision … no deal, a deal or no Brexit,” she said in the House of Commons. With Brexit just two months away, companies are acting to cushion themselves against disruption. Ferry operator P&O said it would re-register its U.K. fleet under the flag of Cyprus so it could continue to use EU tax arrangements after Brexit. Electronics firm Sony announced this week that it will move its European headquarters from London to Amsterdam to avoid po- tential customs complica- tions after Britain leaves the EU – one of several compa- nies shifting its legal base to an EU member state. Sony said it did not plan to move jobs from Britain. While many firms worry about the impact of Brexit, some senior business fig- ures support it, including James Dyson, founder and chairman of appliance manu- facturer Dyson. The vacuum- maker was accused of hy- pocrisy by Brexit opponents after announcing Tuesday that it is moving its head of- fice from southwest England to Singapore. The firm said it was making the move because of the growing importance of the Asian market, rather than because of Britain’s im- pending EU exit. But Solicitor General Robert Buckland, who rep- resents an area near Dyson’s British HQ, said “I’m disap- pointed to say the least that at this time a company led by a person who advocated Brexit has decided to relocate outside of this country.” The prospect of restoring a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland once Britain leaves the EU has raised fears of a return to the old reality where British army checkpoints, shootings, bombings and gun-smuggling were the norm. Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street for the House of Commons for her weekly Prime Minister’s Questions in London, Wednesday. - PHOTO: AP Forensic investigators work at the scene of a car bomb blast on Bishop Street in Londonderry on Sunday. - PHOTO: PA WIRENext >