Archive for May, 2014
Local sprinters going for gold in Bahamas
(CNS): Kemar Hyman, David Hamil, Rhymeich Adolphus, Troy Long and Tyrell Cuffy will be ehading to the Bahamas this coming weekend to compete in the Inaugural IAAF World Relays. The local sprinters will be lining up for the 4x100m and 4x200m relay races at the new games where some 800 athletes are expected to compete on 24-25 May in Nassau. The top eight teams in both the men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m will automatically qualify for the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing. Those teams will also be awarded prize money with the gold medallists taking home no less than USD $50,000. Another $50,000 bonus is also up for grabs for any team that breaks a world record.
The Cayman Islands Athletic Association (CIAA) said the Cayman five man te4am will be accompanied by National Coach, Kenrick Williams and Team Manager, Ato Stephens.
As well as the sprints the inaugural event also includes the 4x400m, 4x800m and 4x1500m. Preliminary entry figures indicate that 48 member federations will take part in Nassau. Initial entries of 762 athletes – 440 men and 322 women – have been received by the IAAF as 90 men’s teams and 64 women’s teams will be spread across the five events.
Rivers claims a productive year at ministry
(CNS): The education and employment minister claimed a successful and productive year when she held a meeting last week in her West Bay constituency. Despite continuing problems in the schools and unemployment levels among Caymanians, in particular the under 25's, Tara Rivers was patting herself on the back for a job well-done. The minister stated that she and her councillor, Winston Connolly, both of whom joined the Progressives' government after winning their seats on the Coalition for Cayman ticket in the general election, “have been extremely busy driving a policy agenda” to accomplish key objectives in the ministry. Rivers has released her own progress report, outlining what she said were those key accomplishments.
“This year has been a very productive one. We have made great strides in many key areas in a relatively short period of time. We still have a long way to go, but we have made tremendous progress already in this first year since taking office, and it is important for us to share this progress and the accomplishments with the country, so that the public knows exactly what we have been doing,” Rivers said as she thanked staff in the ministry, the various departments and the schools.
“I look forward to continuing to drive the policy agenda to improve our education system, to improve our labour and employment mechanisms and to promote gender equality in all aspects of life in our country,” she said.
According to the latest figures from the Economics and Statistics Office, the unemployment rate among locals fell marginally during 2013 from the high of 10.5 percent in 2012 to 9.4 percent. However, there are still major concerns about the levels of unemployment among local people and the barriers that many say they are facing.
With a reduction in the size of the civil service, a major policy objective of the government over the next financial year, Rivers may find herself dealing with another increase in local jobless numbers in her second year in office.
See progress report below.
800m sea-swim to provide warm up for 1m race
(CIASA): The 12th Annual Butterfield 800M Sea Swim takes place on Saturday, May 24th. The swim starts at 4pm, with registration from 3-3:45pm at Public Beach; and runs south, parallel to 7 Mile Beach starting at Public Beach and ending at Governor’s Beach. This is CIASA’s second sea swim this year and is the last chance for an official warm up swim before the 22nd Flowers 1 Mile which takes place on 14th June. “Open water swimming is a wonderful way to stay fit and enjoy the warm, clear waters of our Islands,” said Butterfield’s Marketing Officer Rebecca Ebanks.
“As part of our community focus, Butterfield encourages fitness activities supporting wellness and we are pleased to, once again, partner with the Cayman Islands Amateur Swimming Association to host this annual event. We invite swimmers of all levels to come out and take part in this delightfully active afternoon,” she added.
Registration fees are: CIASA members $15/Adults and $10/Children, Non-members $20/Adults and $15/Children. (All fees are in CI$).
“Butterfield’s commitment to Cayman Swimming over the years is greatly appreciated,” said CIASA President Michael Lockwood. “I know that a number of Butterfield staff members are avid swimmers and I look forward to seeing them all at the Start Line on Saturday.”
All swimmers are provided with swim caps, which must be worn for safety reasons and there are event T-Shirts and trophies for the top three male and female finishers in each age group; and Subway sandwiches and refreshments provided at the end of the race.
Bermuda premier resigns in face of political scandal
(CNS): The premier of Bermuda, Craig Cannonier, resigned from office Monday night following a political scandal over his alleged dealings with US businessman and top Democratic fundraiser, Nathan Landow. Cannonier’s resignation came after days of speculation over his future as the islands’ leader after Landow admitted that he and a group of real estate developers, builders and businessmen from Washington DC contributed some $300,000 to Cannonier’s party, the One Bermuda Alliance, during the 2012 election campaign via a group called the Bermuda Political Action Club. Although Landow has denied any quid pro quo in his dealings with Cannonier, the Bermuda premier said there was a failure to be transparent.
Cannonier (51) was sworn in as the country’s premier in December 2012. Having served as leader for just 17 months, this is the shortest term in Bermuda’s history, according to local and international media reports .
In a statement Cannonier said, “Nothing illegal was done, but I accept there was a failure over time to be completely transparent. This is a fundamental component of good governance and a core principle upon which the One Bermuda Alliance was founded."
Accepting responsibility, he added that he was “very disappointed with the ways things have turned out” but was quick to ensure his political colleagues were blameless. "In saying that, I want to make one thing completely clear: No Cabinet colleagues have done anything wrong in this or any other matter. As the leader, I accept responsibility."
Governor George Fergusson said he had accepted Cannonier’s resignation Monday and that Deputy Premier Michael H Dunkley would carry out the role of acting premier on an interim basis. Cannonier has not resigned his seat and well remain in the country's parliament.
Cayman’s football boss presses integrity agenda
(CNS): Jeff Webb is keeping up the pressure when it comes to integrity in the game of football. The CONCACAF President and FIFA Vice President, Jeffrey Webb recently opened a joint FIFA-INTERPOL Workshop, entitled ‘Train the Trainer for Football Players and Referees’. The course delivered by INTERPOL’s Integrity in Sport Programme Manager, Julie Norris had over 25 participants from a cross section of areas within CONCACAF, and a Major League Soccer Representative. Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to facilitate the recognition of match fixing propositions and specifically address issues of corruption.
“Having recently signed an MoU with INTERPOL, we remain committed to educate, identify, prevent and provide appropriate disciplinary sanctions to all professionals involved in any unethical and unlawful behaviour that would undermine the game,” said Webb. “This is the fourth workshop on sports integrity in our region since 2012, and we embrace the opportunity to share this knowledge with key stakeholders, to keep the sanctity of our game intact.”
Dr Noris added that she was pleased to help in the training to target match-fixers and help those in the game to recognize, resist and report approaches, to ultimately preventing match- fixing.
Charity steps up pressure for change at Turtle Farm
(CNS): The World Society for the Protection of Animals launched a new report last week with the support of UK members of parliament, who are backing the charity’s call for a change to the Cayman Turtle Farm. The report details ongoing animal welfare issues and urges the transformation of the facility from farming to conservation. Highlighting what it calls the stimulation of turtle meat sales to tourists, it also questions the Farm’s conservation credentials as well as the environmental problems it creates and points to the significant subsidies from the public purse. However, the CTF said the report misrepresented the facts and denied selling meat to tourists, blaming local restaurants for creating that market.
The report, entitled "The Cayman Turtle Farm: A Continued Case for Change", was backed by Joan Walley MP, Chair of the UK Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee, which has also raised concerns about the Farm in its own report, and Dr Matthew Offord MP, who hosted the report’s launch. The MPs spoke about their own concerns regarding the conditions at the Farm, which they both visited last year. The MPs are part of growing group that is pressuring the UK government to do something about what is considered a very controversial facility outside of Cayman.
Despite some advances made during its last visit, the charity detailed its ongoing concerns, pointing to the continuing husbandry and welfare problems, and emphasized the CTF’s stimulation of turtle meat consumption by visitors.
“While the true volume of Caymanian demand for turtle meat is unconfirmed, from 2010 to 2011, the Farm aimed to maintain production levels of turtle meat at 1,600lbs per week effectively anticipating a level of demand that has not been qualified. By also selling turtle meat to tourists, the Farm may spur a market for turtle meat that would not otherwise exist,” the WSPA stated.
The report also goes to the heart of claims made by the Cayman Turtle Farm that it is not just a butcher but that it has been central in conservation and research about turtles. It noted that of the 31,000 turtles released, 80% of which were tagged, only 13 have ever returned to Cayman beaches. Just 12 wild-caught and 31 captive-bred turtles produced viable eggs in 2012 from the many thousands of turtles held at the facility. It accuses the Farm of damaging the environment as a result of the untreated waste pumped directly into the sea, which is damaging the reefs and ocean water quality. The report also reminds readers of the more than CI$10 million per annum that the CTF sucks up in public subsidy.
Dr Neil D’Cruze, from WSPA, said the Farm is still failing to meet the welfare requirements of the 9,000 plus endangered turtles in its care.
“Some small changes have been made at the Farm, WSPA’s new report highlights that these simply do not go far enough. Add to this the potential negative impacts that the Farm has on wild sea turtle populations and marine biodiversity whilst also operating at a significant loss; it remains clear that the Cayman Turtle Farm must stop sea turtle farming,” he said, adding that the WSPA would continue to work with UK and Cayman Island politicians to demonstrate the need to transition the Farm into a turtle rehabilitation facility.
The Farm hit back and accused the charity of misrepresentation.
“What the WSPA is doing with this latest released report is merely a regurgitation of their previously stated claims, plus ongoing misrepresentation of facts to suit their aim to stop turtle farming by any means, ignoring long-standing local cultural traditions and displaying a reckless disregard for the truth.“
The Farm said the allegation that it is stimulating demand for turtle meat was the “most egregious fabrication” as the farm doesn’t sell turtle meat to tourists. “If local restaurants choose to serve turtle, which is a traditional cultural dish in the Cayman Islands, and tourists choose to patronise those restaurants – that is merely their choice in a free society,” it said.
The Farm also refutes allegations that it is overproducing and said it has over 500 individual customers and over 30 local restaurants. “The demand is real and immediate: almost all of the meat is sold fresh the very same day it is harvested,” the CTF said in a long release in response to the WSPA report. It said it was impossible to know how many Farm turtles had returned to Cayman but studies confirmed that turtles released from CTF migrated far and wide helping to increase the population of green sea turtles. It also said there had been a “huge upswing in the number of sea turtle nests in Cayman in recent years.
“There were approximately 20 Green sea turtle nests here in 2000, whereas in 2012 there were approximately 180: a nine-fold increase in the twelve year span,” as it took credit for that increase. Insisting that its existence prevents poaching, the Farm said the increase in sightings of sea turtles around Cayman was due to its own efforts.
Describing itself as Cayman’s number one land-based attraction, with over 200,000 visitors annually, it justified its gargantuan subsidy from the public, claiming it has a “positive macroeconomic impact” because it sustains hundreds of jobs in the local economy.
It also refutesclaims that the discharge is causing environmental harm, saying nearby reefs are fine and that the farm continues to operate under a proper Water Discharge Permit issued by the Water Authority.
“The WSPA is clearly interested only in telling a lopsided story to suit their agenda. WSPA representatives have given little credit to the strides that CTF has made in recent years in measures taken to ensure animal welfare, and they havechosen to ignore or refute the real conservation benefits of CTF,” a farm spokesperson stated. “The WSPA has not yet achieved its aim of stopping turtle farming in the Cayman Islands, so they are continuing their lobbying efforts and misleading sensationalism in order to strong-arm the UK Government, the Cayman Islands Government, the Cayman Turtle Farm, and the Caymanian people to get their way.”
The photo above was released to WSPA via an FOI request and shows how several hundred turtles were left to die when they were exposed to the sun in a waterless tank as a result of a pipe leak in 2012.
See statement from CTF below and full report from WSPA.
Local activist uses judicial system to win again
(CNS): Sandra Catron has won yet another courtroom victory, despite not yet having obtained a place to complete her articles. The local activist won a civil case on Friday to recoup the costs of her veterinary and medical bills following one of several attacks that she and her pet Shih-Poo, Coco, suffered by a neighbouring dog. Although not yet a fully qualified lawyer, the local activist has won several criminal and civil cases in the courts, demonstrating that the rule of law is available to all. However, even though the magistrate found undeniable evidence of the attacks in this civil action, the director of public prosecutions (DPP) is refusing to pursue a criminal case against the owners, despite Catron’s complaint.
Catron was awarded the $107.25 vet bill and costs. The evidence in the case included a live witness who was present on the night of the attack, as well at CCTV footage, photographs, the vet’s report and a report from the Department of Agriculture.
The defendant, Jacqueline Thompson-Moore, had denied responsibility and accused Catron of releasing the alleged dangerous dog then walking her own dog, which was then attacked. However, CCTV footage demonstrated that Catron and her pet had been victims of an attack.
“I’m pleased with today’s decision,” Catron said. “The court upheld the rule of law and all pet owners should be aware of the liability they have as pet owners. If a ferocious dog is permitted to be on the loose and causes damage to a person or property, they will have to pay for damage. I waited until the third attack to proceed with civil action because it was clear that little was being done to preventthe attacks.
“I am hopeful that now that the DPP’s office will do the right thing with the criminal complaint and charge the defendants. The evidence is strong and this is a rather straightforward case. If they are not prepared to see that justice is done, I would be most obliged for the opportunity to commence the criminal prosecution myself,” she added.
Nevertheless, Catron recently said she felt that the DPP’s decision to reject the police file in this case was because she was the complainant. With several dangerous dogs cases going through the courts in instances with just on attack, Catron claimed there was a bias against her.
“I feel that because I have successfully challenged the judiciary on so many occasions I have become a target,” she had said. “There is no logical explanation for the DPP to decide not to prosecute this case.”
Although satisfied with the civil outcome in what she called an anticipated victory in the courts, Catron also raised concerns about the police officer who had dealt with this particular attack in December last year.
Catron said that during the proceedings the defendant told the court that the officer on the night in question told her that he had examined Coco and there were no injuries to the dog, so she had nothing to worry about. The dog had, however, sustained internal injuries. Catron has since contacted the police commissioner, as she said that at no point did the officer examine her dog and his statement to the owner of the alleged dangerous dog was not appropriate.
Anglin silent as case closes
(CNS): A West Bay man chose to remain silent last week in the face of the allegations that he was responsible for the murder of Swiss banker Fredrick Bise. As the crown closed its case against him, Chad Anglin declined to take the stand in his own defence and allowed his attorney, leading UK criminal barrister Jonathan Rees, QC, to speak for him. Simon Russell Flint, QC, another of London’s criminal legal experts, who put the case against Anglin on behalf of the director of public prosecutions, told the jury, as he summed up the evidence against Anglin Friday, that while some may find Bise’s homosexuality distasteful, he did not “deserve to be killed because of it". Rees said the crown had presented a case based on theory but not evidence.
Russell Flint described Bise’s murder as horrifically brutal and violent during an attack of such ferocity he sustained multiple face, head and neck fractures. The lawyer said that the evidence suggested Bise had been taken by surprise as there were no defence wounds and his semi-state of undress when his body was found suggested that he was “jumped” by his killers when he was at his most vulnerable, probably just after he had engaged in sex with one or both of his killers.
The crown claims Anglin is one of two men who killed Bise in a joint enterprise and the second man, also from West Bay, is due to be tried later this year.
In closing his case against Anglin, Russell Flint said he was the last person to be seen with Bise when the two men left Kelly’s bar on the night before Bise's body was found in Mount Pleasant in the back of his own burned out SUV. Anglin's DNA was found on cigarette butts found in and around Bise’s house and next to the Swiss banker’s torched vehicle. The attorney said Anglin had also confessed his crime in the form of a threat to a teenage runaway and he had lied to the police over and over about his connections to Bise as they disclosed their evidence agaisnt him. He had also destroyed all the clothes he was wearing that night in an effort to erase any forensic connection of the killing to him.
The crown put forward the possibility that the motive was a hate crime. They said Anglin had expressed his dislike of homosexuality to witnesses and to the police, not least because he had said he had been molested in the past by the man the crown says was also his co-killer in Bise’s murder while the two were staying at Caribbean Haven.
Russell Flint told the jury that on the evidence they could be sure that Anglin had killed Bise.
However, it was because of a lack of evidence that his legal adversary, Jonathan Rees, QC, argued the jury must acquit.
He said that the crown had presented a considerable amount of theory regarding Anglin’s possible guilt but not enough evidence.
“The picture here is far from clear,” he said. Rees told the jury that the crown could not say who killed Bise, when he was killed, why he was killed, where he was killed or what he was killed with, as he warned the twelve men and women that theory was no substitute for evidence.
“The court is no place for speculation,” he said.
Rees pointed to the risky behaviour displayed by Rees and noted by several witnesses. Pointing to what he called his “sexual appetite”, the lawyer said this led him into “situations that left him vulnerable”.
He said that under close scrutiny the crown’s case fell to the grownd as there was no evidence that Anglin had killed Bise.
“This was an unspeakable crime but it would only compound the tragedy if the wrong person was convicted,” he said, as he told the jury that Anglin was in their hands. He said the prosecution’s case had fallen short and their verdict must be not guilty.
Rees said there had not been enough evidence to charge Anglin when the police first investigated the crime in 2008 and there was still not enough evidence now.
The ten women and two men serving on the jury are scheduled to be directed in law by the presiding judge, Justice Alex Henderson, on Tuesday morning at 10am before being sent to deliberate on their verdict.
Wreck off coast of Haiti may be Columbus’s flag ship
(CNS): As Cayman celebrates Discovery Day, some five centuries after Christopher Columbus allegedly spotted the islands archaeologists believe they may have identified the explorer’s flagship, the Santa Maria. Wrecked in the Caribbean, investigators think the vessel’s long-lost remains are lying at the bottom of the sea off the north coast of Haiti. The experts say that the geographical, underwater topography and archaeological evidence strongly suggests that this wreck is Columbus’ famous flagship, following a recent reconnaissance expedition to the site.The wreck is one that archaeologists have known about for some time but it was other discoveries that have led them to believe that it could very well be the remains of the Santa Maria.
Other archaeologists have suggested the probable location of Columbus’ fort relatively nearby. Armed with information about the fort, one of the USA’s topunderwater archaeological investigators, Barry Clifford was able to use data in Christopher Columbus’ diary to work out where the wreck should be.
Clifford, known for discovering a pirate ship off Cape Cod in 1984, said another factor is the location of the wreckage, in about 15 feet of water near where the crew of the Santa Maria is thought to have built a coastal settlement for crew members of the ship who were left behind after the sinking.
"The circumstantial evidence is overwhelming," Clifford said. He said that he and his son, Brandon, first explored the site and took photos in 2003. They decided to publicize their findings after a follow-up dive and examination of the photos led them to conclude they may have found the Santa Maria.
Clifford, whose exploration of the site is being backed by the History Channel, says he has asked the Haitian government to preserve the area around the wreck. "The next step is a careful, thorough and timely excavation," he said. The Haitian government, he added, had been very helpful and experts were continuing the work to carry out a detailed archaeological excavation of the wreck. So far the team has carried out purely non-invasive survey work at the site – measuring and photographing it.
Salim Succar, a special adviser to Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, said the government will do "all that is needed" to protect the site "while deciding on the best options to feature this discovery."
If the ship is the Santa Maria, it would be the oldest known European shipwreck in the so-called New World and a find of major archaeological significance. But scientists say it's far too early to make any such declaration especially since there is likely to be very little left of the vessel. The ship sank slowly in 1492 and the crew had time to strip it and remove valuable items that would help document the identity of the vessel.
Much, if not all, of the ship's timbers would have broken down or been cosumed by a species of wood-consuming mollusc found in the tropical waters — if it hadn't been carted away by crew members who were left behind and never heard from again.
CS bill ‘blew’ budget figures
(CNS): The hefty personnel costs for the civil service have again been blamed for the delay in government’s plans to deliver an annual budget. The premier said Friday that the LA date was pushed back because of the battle it had to bring the numbers down to fit the limits set by the UK on the CS tab. Speaking at a press conference about the latest phase of the public sector cost cutting exercise, Alden McLaughlin said although the budget submitted to the FCO now meets the parameters, the challenge had been getting it to that point because the limit for government personnel is fixed at $241 million. Faced with a need to fill 174 vacant posts and 17 new jobs, “It just blew the budget by $8.6 milion,” he said.
“We had to get that back in line, not just to get the numbers right … but we have to have some degree of flexibility over the course of the year to fill positions and hire new people, so it means we had to push the numbers down even more. That’s been the great challenge of this budget,” the premier explained.
“On all other fronts … all the numbers came in really, really good. Revenue is up above what we had proposed and expenditure is what we planned and paid down debt …,” he added as he indicated that government’s net debt ratio, cash reserves and other requirements were on track.
The premier said the troubling aspects remained the cost of the civil service and as a result, just over a week away from the anticipated Budget meeting, he said government was still waiting for the OK from London.
Having contracted Ernst and Young to work with the civil service to focus on the possible merger, amalgamation and privatization of public services to enable government to become more efficient, more effective and streamlined without creating major job losses was a major challenge. But, he said, his government was committed to seeing it through.
McLaughlin said there had been an “explosion over the course of the past decade” that had “created immense pressures on expenditure”, which all government had, and would continue to, grapple with.
He said the growth in public sector personnel costs was largely down to the Public Management And Finance Law and the Public Service Management Law, which had required a proliferation in numbers of personnel as each government entity was obligated to take on its own human resource and financial accounting functions from what was once a more centralized system.
That was, he said, “when the numbers exploded through roof” when the laws took effect, during the time the previous PPM government was at the helm, he had conceded.
McLaughlin warned that the attempts to manage costs to date were now unsustainable. The austerity measures, working with huge numbers of vacant posts and other challenges were impacting the delivery of services, such as police, immigration, prison, fire and many more. He explained that the personnel requirements meant government couldn’t give public sector workers the 3.2% cost of living allowance back.
“We think they should get more…but it is because the personnel costs are just too high and we have reached the ceiling,” he said. “It’s not just salaries but the health care …and long term pension commitment,” he added.
McLaughlin pointed out that if the numbers were allowed to continue to grow, the ability of government to pay decent salaries, give raises and provide the generous benefits would be compromised for all government employees. Regardless of who was elected to government, the premier said, the challenge will remain until it is properly addressed.
“What’s going to happen is that benefits will be eroded and decent salaries compromised,” he added, for everyone on the government payroll.
McLaughlin said he was determined to put it right and find the right way to contain costs, preserve benefits and reasonable pay and to stabilize the situation for civil servants who have been faced with uncertainty over the last five years or more over pay, benefits and jobs. He said government was going to create a sustainable civil service that was the right size and able to provide the right services.
Franz Manderson, the deputy governor, explained why phase five of the rationalization process, in which government had enlisted the professional help of EY, was different to many that have gone before.
He said this would examine not just how government could perform the services better but who as well how services can be delivered through mergers and amalgamation, partnering with private sector or privatization. It would also, Manderson said, conclude with “recommendations and a road map for implementation.”
The other factor that the deputy governor noted of specific importance was the political support from the elected arm of government.
“It is Important to know that this exercise is different,” he said adding that he believed it would be a “tremendous success”, not just because of the joined-up approach, with both his office and that of the premier’s committed to the process, but that the elected arm of government would be directing the policy decisions.
“If government wants to privatize or amalgamate it will be my job to make it happened. Once the elected government makes the decisions we will carry them out and make sure staff are treated fairly and equitably,” Manderson added.
Although government has not yet stated what areas are the most likely to be targeted, civil servants and the broader public won’t have to long to wait as the EY’s $155,000 plus expenses review is expected to be completed before the end of June and from that government will begin the process of implementation.
McLaughlin made it clear that there are no preconceived ideas and anything, with the exception of the judiciary, was possible in any public sector entity.