Archive for January, 2014
Church launches marriage course open to all
(CNS): The Elmslie Memorial United Church launched a marriage counselling programme on Monday, which it says is open to all couples regardless of whether or not they attend the United or any other church. In its fourth year, the 'Marriage Enrichment Series: Let’s Stay Together' will run from February to April. Church officials said there will be eight Monday night sessions of straight talk about marriage, which will take place over a free dinner at Margarittaville, a neutral venue that, the church said, widens the appeal to include church and non-church people. Based on the Alpha Marriage Course produced by Holy Trinity Brompton in the UK, the course, nevertheless, is based on Christian principles of marriage.
“The programme is full of practical advice for all marriages and many couples who are not church goers have enjoyed and benefited from the course,” church officials saidin a release on Monday following the official launch of the programme. The church said the course is in response to concerns in the community over the health of marriages here. They said that it can help couples enrich theirrelationship, strengthen a very strong marriage or help one that is having challenges.
Topics covered by the course include Building Strong Foundations, The Art of Communication, Resolving Conflict, The Power of Forgiveness, The Impact of Family – Past and Present, Good Sex, and Love in Action.
Cayman has a relatively high divorce rate and the law surrounding marriage and divorce are currently under review to examine, among other issues, the introduction of no fault divorce.
Currently, regardless of the circumstances in marriages, no one in Cayman can achieve a divorce without blaming one of the parties for adultery, unreasonable behaviour or desertion. Couples must also wait two years, even when a marriage has clearly broken down, contrasting with other jurisdictions where couples are granted divorces after twelve months apart and no faults necessarily being cited.
Lengthy time separations are believed by experts to merely prolong divorce rather than prevent it and research indicates that no fault can prevent acrimony.
However, when the Law Reform Commission announced its plans to review the local matrimonial laws, the Cayman Ministers Association, which represents local churches, was quick to file its objections to plans to make divorce less complex and acrimonious by removing the blame requirement, as they said it would increase the divorce rate.
'Lets Stay Together' begins on 17 February from 7 to 9pm each Monday evening. The major sponsors include Margarittaville, Jeffery DaCosta and Radio Cayman and participants are required to pay a one off fee of $50 to cover materials. For registration and for further information please call 949-7923 or email elmslie@candw.ky
Man arrested in East End stabbing
(CNS) Updated: The police have arrested 32-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with a stabbing that took place at a house in the East End area in the early hours of Sunday 12 January. The suspect is being questioned regarding the knife attack in which a man received mutiple wounds to his back during an attack that took place in his own home at around 1am. The attacker had reportedly entered the house and fled the scene after the stabbing. The 47-year-old injured man was taken to George Town hospital, where his condition is said to be stable. The suspect was arrested sometime Sunday and remains in custody while enquiries continue.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Bodden Town Police Station at 947-2220 or Crime Stoppers at 800-8477 (TIPS)
CONCACAF adopts measures to tackle racism
(CNS): The executive committee of the region’s football governing body has passed a protocol for dealing with racist incidents during matches in CONCACAF tournaments which is effective immediately. The protocol outlines a three-stage method for dealing with any serious racist or discriminatory behaviour in all football stadiums within the federation including racist chants, insults, screams or banners. “Even though the history of CONCACAF shows a great track record when it comes to diversity on the field, the Confederation is committed to creating standards to continue promoting good practice across the region,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb.
Congratulating the 41 member football associations for safeguarding a culture of diversity within football, Webb, the boss of Cayman’s own footballing body and VP of FIFA, who spearheaded the campaign to root out racism in football, explained that there is now a clear system for handling any racist incident.
“The procedure outlines a clear and precise approach of zero tolerance for racist or discriminatory incidents that may arise during matches,” said Webb, the Chairman of the FIFA Anti-Racism and Discrimination Task Force. “By safeguarding the basic principle of respect amongst all individuals in our stadiums, we hope to make sure that nothing steers the focus away from the talent displayed by our players during each game.”
Under the protocol and as a first phase, when a referee becomes aware of serious racist and/or discriminatory behaviour committed in a stadium, he or she shall first stop the game and order a stadium announcement urging the behaviour to cease. As a second phase and if the behaviour continues, the referee shall suspend the game for 5-10 minutes and send the teams to the dressing room while another stadium announcement is made. Finally, and if the behaviour continues, the third phase shall consist, as a very last resort, in the referee declaring the match abandoned.
CONCACAF will provide training to Integrity Officers, Match Commissioners and Referees to assist in monitoring for incidents during high risk games. However, referees will ultimately be responsible for implementing the approved protocol during each game played throughout the Confederation’s tournaments. Regardless of whether a game is declared as suspended or abandoned, CONCACAF’s Disciplinary Committee will still establish whether disciplinary measures should be imposed to sanction the undesirable incidents.
Sessions on awareness of diversity and discrimination issues will be included in CONCACAF’s ongoing grassroots development courses and other training for coaches, referees and officials across the region, starting with the program in St. Lucia on 25 January 25th.
The Embrace Diversity campaign was created to provide a strong, recognized, effective and influential voice to promote inclusion and tolerance within the football community and society.
The full text of the Protocol for Racist Incidents during Matches is available here.
Cayman’s young sailors end 2013 on a high
(CISC): Cayman youth sailors have had a great year, proudly representing Cayman at a number of overseas regattas but the real climax to the year came in the very last week with 11 sailors travelling to Miami. The Orange Bowl is the largest youth regatta in the USA and one of the largest in the world with over 700 sailors coming from 25 countries, and more than 30 US states. The team, accompanied by Coach Raph and Coach Kristine, got up at the break of dawn on Boxing Day to travel to the 4 day regatta. The sheer size of the racing fleets was the biggest obstacle they had to overcome and they all showed just how far Cayman youth sailing has come by fighting it out with the very best.
In the Laser 4.7 class Pablo Bertran took second place overall with Florence Allan in seventh. Georgia Heaver-Wren and James Allen were competing in their first overseas regatta and gained invaluable experience from competing at this level. Georgia had one stand out race where she rounded the top and bottom mark in 2nd place. She later admitted that “it was the only time that I’ve ever been terrified and happy at the same time”.
Coach Raph Harvey was extremely proud of his sailors. “As a small country we are used to saying that we did well not to come last in large international events but to hear the Cayman Islands being called up to the prize giving podium at such a major event gives you a wonderful feeling. These guys have trained hard and moved up a level. They can be very proud of their achievements”. In the Laser radial class Jesse Jackson and Shane McDermott raced in a fleet of 127 boats against some very talented sailors and held their own to achieve mid fleet places.
The younger sailors were racing in the Optimist class and also achieved astonishing success. Allena Rankine was competing in her second Orangebowl in a championship fleet of 240 boats and what a difference a year made with her 84th place representing a 138 place improvement. Will Jackson was also in the fleet coming in 215th place. The green fleet which is for less experienced sailors had 60 boats and again Cayman sailors had people talking with Charles Allen in 8th place and Monique Hernandez in 10th, collecting trophies. Caylem Hill was 31st.
Back in Cayman, Coach Harvey reflected on the youth team. “As a coach I am very excited with the strides the sailors have all made at this regatta and I cannot wait to get back out on the water to start improving on the things we have learnt from sailing against such talented competitors. The next major event will see four of our sailors trying to qualify for this year’s Youth Olympic Games at the Byte C2 regatta which is to be held at the end of February in Jensen beach, Florida so we have to get out there and practice, practice, practice. It’s great to know that these kids will push themselves to do their very best”.
Murder trial in question at 11th hour
(CNS): Charges against a second man for the murder of Robert Mackford Bush have placed the trial of Brian Borden who was first charged with the alleged West Bay gang related killing in 2012 in jeopardy yet again. Borden is due to stand trial next Monday but charges laid against David Tomasa last month by the police have triggered mountains of last minute disclosure and raised numerous questions about the case. Nick Hoffman, Borden’s defence attorney told the court Friday that he had grave concerns about the trial given the release of so much material so close to the opening of his clients’ trial and the change in the crown’s case against him. However, having already faced two adjournments because of police enquiries the attorney said his client was still keen to press ahead as he has been on remand without trial for almost 18 months.
Police have charged Tamasa with murder though it is understood their claim is that Tomasa aided and abetted in the fatal shooting of Bush but under the law he can still be charged with the killing which carries a mandatory life sentence.
Bush (28 ) was gunned down while he sat in his car at the junction of Birch Tree Hill Road and Capts Joe and Osbert Road in West Bay on 13 September 2011. This triggered a series of gang related killings over a nine period in which five young men were shot and killed and a sixth seriously wounded. Borden was charged almost a year later with the murder and remained until last month the only person charged with the killing until last month when Tamasa was also charged.
Far too late for the crown to join Tomasa to the same indictment Borden will be tried alone but his attorney noted that the change could have a very significant impact on the case against his client as he raised concerns about the quantity of material which now exists that he will need to examine before the case against his client begins next week. Asking the court for an order to ensure he has all of the information generated by this investigation, Hoffman criticised the crown for the way in which they had handled the release of the documents and the 11th hour charge.
No sign of $6.2M in Ritz deal
(CNS): The owners of the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman have settled their legal dispute with the former owner, Michael Ryan, the developer of the resort, but the hole in the public purse to the tune of $6.2 million remains as the missing duty is not part of the deal. Five Mile Capital Partners LLC, the company which acquired the five-star resort following the loan default by the former companies owned by Ryan, said the obligation still lies with the former owners. Finance Minister Marco Archer told CNS that it appears there is little recourse for the Cayman Island Government over the missing cash. The debt relates to the remaining balance of a more than $10 million duty waiver given to Ryan during the development of the hotel.
Following a closed door settlement between Ryan, the former owner of Cesar Hotelco (Cayman) Ltd, one of the companies he created which owned the hotel, the new owners made it clear they were not responsible for the balance of the outstanding duty.
“The obligation to pay the deferred duty to the Cayman Islands Government was solely the obligation of the former owner Cesar Hotelco (Cayman) Ltd,” Five Mile said in a statement to CNS Friday.
“It is not an obligation which created any lien on or otherwise encumbered the hotel or associated properties. The role of the receivers was to act as agents for the companies over which they were appointed and to collect monies owed from debtors to those companies. If any recoveries were made by the receivers they would be used to defray the costs of the receivers and the debt owed to the lender as secured creditor. They had no responsibility for collecting any monies owed to the Cayman Islands Government,” the company added.
Two lawsuits were filed in 2012 by RC Cayman, one of Five Mile's firms, against Ryan and the various companies related to the development and ownership of the resort. They were looking for US$234 million over the loan default and other funds from the companies they acquired as part of the default. The new owners had accused Ryan of taking money from those companies without explanation, which he had denied, claiming the transactions were all legitimate.
Speaking to the Caymanian Compass last week, Ryan said he was “very pleased” with the outcome of the secret deal between him and Five Mile but he still denied owing the duty.
This debt to CIG came about as a result of the former UDP administration’s decision to allow Ryan and the companies that owned the Ritz to freeze the payments being made to government in 2009. The former owner was paying back the cash up until March 2009 following the opening of the hotel in 2005. However, with the tourism slump and other problems, Ryan had requested time and tied the debt with other possible development proposals and stopped paying, when more than $6 million remained outstanding to the cash-strapped public purse.
In the end, other debts to the hotel’s financiers caught up with Ryan and as a result the hotel was acquired by the creditors before any new agreement had been made between him and the CIG over the debt.
Archer, who became finance minister in the PPM administration last year, has criticized the random and inconsistent waivers that had been given by the previous government on duty and other financial obligations. Having inherited this problem, he said that the Ritz deal does not appear to have changed anything for government, which will remain out of pocket. The minister said that there does not seem to have been any legal opinion sought by the previous government over the issue relating to any possible recourse it may have.
McKeeva Bush, who was premier when Five Mile Capital acquired the Ritz at auction, questioned at the time the value of that sale and how it was acquired by the creditors. He has also insisted that, as the new owners, they were and are responsible for the debt. Bush confirmed to CNS this week that his position on the issue had not changed and said that Five Mile Capital and their related companies "should pay".
Visitor turtle meat ban posed
(CNS): The World Society for the Protection of Animals, which is continuing its campaign to transform the Cayman Islands Turtle Farm into a conservation facility, is hoping to persuade government to ban the sale of turtle meat to visitors. Representatives from the international charity, which is based in the UK, arrived in Cayman on Sunday ahead of meetings with government officials, including the tourism minister, and with restaurant owners to galvanize support for the proposal. The WSPA visit comes against the backdrop of more concerns about releasing farmed turtles into the wild from the facility, which is still draining some $10 million per annum from the public purse.
The WSPA believes that the new government is willing to consider this proposal, which would not impact local consumption at this point but, the charity believes, such a ban would be a step in the right direction.
Dr Neil D’Cruze, Head of Wildlife Research & Policy at WSPA, said he was visiting to follow up on previous conversations about this possibility during the charity's last visit to the Cayman islands and to see for himself how restaurateurs and the local hotels feel about serving the dish to tourists.
“WSPA is here to talk with the government about the sale of sea turtle meat to tourists visiting the Cayman Islands. In addition to our animal welfare concerns, WSPA is concerned about the impact that this is having on wild sea turtle conservation efforts,” he told CNS. “Evidence suggests that tourists do not come to the Cayman Islands to eat sea turtle meat. By encouraging tourists to do so, the CTF is stimulating international demand that would not otherwise exist for an endangered wild animal.”
Although turtle meat is available predominately in restaurants serving the domestic market, several restaurants do still serve a limited amount of turtle dishes to tourists.
“We are hoping to advance on our prior positive conversations with the Caymanian Government by discussing the feasibility of ending the sale of sea turtle meat to visiting tourists,” D’Cruze said.
The WSPA and the Cayman Turtle Farm have been engaged in a war of words for over a year following a damning report by the charity. After its publication, the CTF commissioned its own review, which led to a number of changes. However, the farm still appears to be dealing with husbandry issues.
Despite having boosted production last year, with some 9,000 turtles housed there, the CTF cancelled the annual release programme planned during Pirates Week last year. Although the release is an important part in what the farm claims are its conservation credentials, fears that have been long held by many experts that farmed turtles may have a negative impact on those in the wild appear to have influenced the farm management’s decision to cancel the release.
Cayman women won’t advance after second loss
(CNS): The Cayman Islands hopes of a semi-final place in the world cup qualifier competition were dashed Sunday evening when the national U20s women’s squad suffered their second defeat of the contest. Trinidad & Tobago earned the second place in semis for the first time after defeating Cayman 4-0 at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex. The defeat followed a loss on Friday night for the Cayman ladies when they when down to Group winners Mexico 6-0. Despite Cayman having the home advantage Trinidad managed to get the first goal past Cayman in the second minute.
An own goal added to the score line after 20 minutes in a match where Cayman struggled to get out of their own area. The SocaPrincesses, who found the back of the net just before the break and again shortly after half time to win 4-0 will advance along with from Group B while all eyes will be on this evening’s matches in group A to see who will advance with the USA. Third-place Jamaica (1 point, -3 GD) takes on second-place Costa Rica (3 points, -2 GD), followed by an encounter between the table-topping US. (6 points, +9 GD) and fourth-place Guatemala (1 point, -4 GD).
Jamaica needs a win to have any hope of reaching the CWU20 knockout rounds for only a second time and first since 2006. Costa Rica bounced back from an opening 6-0 loss to the U.S. with a 5-1 win over Guatemala on Saturday. They can qualify with a win or possibly a draw.
The U.S. clinched their semifinal place after Saturday’s 3-0 win over Jamaica and has won a tournament-record 12 consecutive CWU12 matches, conceding only one goal over that stretch. A draw against Guatemala would give it the group title. The Guatemalan team needs Costa Rica to lose in order to maintain a possibility of advancing.
Man stabbed in head outside West Bay bar
(CNS): A 30-year-old man is currently recovering in hospital from a serious head wound following a fight outside a West Bay bar in the early hours of Saturday morning. An RCIPS spokesperson stated that the man was stabbed in the head with a knife during an altercation with another man than took place in the parking lot outside Kelly’s Bar in West Bay around 2:30am on Saturday 11 January. The police said that while the man’s injuries are serious they are not life threatening. No arrests have been made at this point and officers are asking anyone with information regarding the incident to contact the West Bay CIDat 949 -3999 or Crime Stoppers at 800-8477 (TIPS)
Visitor charged over use and possession of fake cash
(CNS): The police have charged a Colombian national who was a visitor to the Cayman Islands with two counts relating to forged cash. An RCIPS spokesperson said Friday that the 30-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday, 31 December by detectives of the Financial Crime Unit on Suspicion of Possession of Forged Bank Notes. He was later interviewed and a file was prepared for the director of public prosecutions. The man was then charged on Friday, 10 January, eleven days after his arrest. Police did not say if they had approached the courts in order to detainthe suspect for that long before filing charges against him.
He has, however, now been was formally charged with Possession of Forged Bank Notes and Uttering Forged Bank Notes and appeared in Summary Court Friday afternoon, when he was remanded in custody. The man who has not been named, is scheduled to re-appear in court on Monday, 13 January.