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The Editor Speaks: Strange? Paraquat. Code. Service

It would seem on the one sided version (the husband’s) I have seen and read, the decision by the Cayman Islands Immigration Department to expel Jamaican National Gary Evans, husband of the still missing Anna Ebanks Evans (she disappeared nearly a year ago) to be strange. He is still legally married to his wife and also has three children from the marriage. I also wonder if the RCIPS are happy to hear this? I am not sure this is even legal and I would imagine he has many grounds to appeal.

 

Then we come to the moral question, although the Immigration Department does have a questionable record there. A rubber stamp is more important than having to deal with the heartbreak of families being torn apart but that is the case with immigration departments in nearly every jurisdiction. However, these islands pride themselves on being very Christian……..

 

It is very disturbing that once more we hear of dogs being poisoned especially from Paraquat. It is used here as a weed killer, is highly toxic and extremely dangerous to everyone who applies it to the plants. There is no antidote and you can even get sick if the poison touches a cut on your skin. Even breathing it in may cause lung damage. In humans, if swallowed, death is rapid. The symptoms of Paraquet poisoning in a human is: burns in throat, coma, difficulty breathing, nosebleed, seizures, shock, shortness of breath, sore throat, stomach pain, and vomiting. I can only imagine what torture a poor dog must go through if subjected to this terrible poison. The people who deliberately try to poison animals are not fit to be even described as human beings.

In the United States, Paraquat is available primarily as a liquid in various strengths. It is classified as “restricted use,” which means that it can be used only by licensed applicators. In the European Union, Paraquat has been forbidden since 2007. Unfortunately there is no such ban here in the Cayman Islands, whilst we ban other products that are far less dangerous.

I was very pleased to learn that members of the Cayman Islands’ legal profession got tired of waiting for Government to pass the legal practitioner’s bill and decided to adopt the code of conduct themselves voluntarily. Law Society President Charles Jennings said that despite enjoying “the overwhelming support of the profession as a whole”, the bill had remained unpassed and both professional associations were unsure where it now stood.

“The bill seeks to address the practice of law, not, as some seem to think, immigration issues, and I believe it has aroused a great deal of controversy for reasons that are beyond its remit,” Jennings said in his own speech at the court opening ceremony. “Since, however, nobody so far has approached the Law Society to explain them to us, it is hard for us to know how we can meet them.” Hmm.. now where have I heard that before pertaining to other matters requiring legislation by Government?

I have complained a number of times about service or lack of same at restaurants on Grand Cayman. I have to applaud one experience I had recently at a restaurant here. In fact the service could not be bettered and the food was exceptional. The restaurant is located in West Bay and there are parrots, although thankfully this bird was not on the menu. The restaurant was full of diners yet everyone seemed to be served quickly and efficiently. The owner found time to visit every table and have a polite and friendly chat inquiring of strangers where they were from. He even gave everyone an after dinner aperitif from various bottles he carried around with him, including the ‘infamous’ grappa. The whole evening was a delightful experience.

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