Urgent US military intervention needed in Grand Cayman
The following is a full text copy of
a letter sent by Mr Timothy Adam
Chief Executive, Cable & Wireless
(Cayman Islands) Ltd
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Grand Cayman urgently needs military intervention to restore and to preserve
law and order. This needs to happen TODAY.
No doubt US authorities are already aware of the widespread looting that has
occurred. I have heard sporadic attempts at looting continue to occur. I got
caught in traffic right beside a site where police had shot several times at a
looter and had detained him, and there was a near riot - a very volatile
situation to which police responded promptly with heavy assault weapon teams.
Last night there was a prison riot at HMP Northward in which a number of
prisoners escaped. A prison guard was injured (I have heard it was not fatal)
and a fire was started in the prison. ALL the island's law enforcement agencies
had to be diverted to deal with this. The situation has been calmed down but it
is still volatile, the police have had to go back there in force subsequent to
the initial incident being calmed, and there now remains a serious weakness in
the security force because a lot of the police and Special Constables are now
diverted to handle the situation. Worse yet, there is a convicted rapist and a
convicted murderer on the loose. Police have now been diverted from their
already seriously stretched law and order duties to search for these dangerous
criminals under difficult circumstances. The island's power supply has not been
turned back on yet and even when it is, most of the electricity poles on the
island have been broken, even huge concrete poles snapped, and there are NO
streetlights ANYWHERE on the island. Police are operating in total darkness.
Police communication with outside law enforcement agencies have been very
restricted due to the storm.
Our towers appear to have all withstood the storm and at least seven of them
have anti-collision lights operating, which is great news because that means
they still have electrical power. One of our top priorities is restoring the
national transmission system links so that we can get those RBSs operational
again. The Cable & Wireless core systems are now fully functional, including
both GSM and TDMA core systems, local host exchange, ISC, internet,
international submarine cable Maya 1, etc.
National transmission links have sustained damage and are out due to flooding
and other physical damage inflicted by Hurricane Ivan. Restoration of national
transmission links is one of our top priorities, and our teams are working day
and night on this. Once we get transmission to our cell sites we are hopeful
most of them will become operational again.
On-island communication is spotty. Police use cellular communication in
addition to the Government radio system, but presently only a few areas have
cellular coverage. There is a good Government radio communication network but in
several areas the police are having to operate without any communication at all
with headquarters or other units for backup.
Central Police Headquarters in George Town has been destroyed by Hurricane
Ivan. The police have moved their headquarters to the first floor of One
Technology Square, the island's telecommunication bunker owned and operated by
Cable & Wireless (Cayman Islands) Ltd. of which I am Chief Executive.
This site is presently also housing the 911 Emergency Communications Centre,
which we moved here as a temporary measure a couple of days in advance of the
storm at the request of government due to their concerns about the survivability
of their normal centre located in Central Police Station. Suffice it to say that
proved to be a very wise decision!
I should emphasise (to the US Military) that in the present situation all the
islands' internal and external telecommunications are entirely dependent on the
continued operation of this site.
In summary:
If we lose this site, we have lost the country. This site needs to be defended
with military assistance as a matter of urgent priority. The US Military also
need to know that in this site and in an adjacent building (AT&T Wireless
offices in Trinity Square on Eastern Avenue) there are in total at least 25
United States citizens who in my considered opinion need their country's
protection NOW, hence I believe under US laws use of the military is justified
or authorised. For the most part these are people who are very necessary to help
in the telecommunications restoration work. PLEASE BE CLEAR: WE ARE NOT
SUGGESTING THAT THE US SHOULD EVACUATE THEM; on the contrary most of these
people need to remain here because THEY ARE VITAL TO THE REBUILDING PROCESS THAT
IS GOING ON SO THAT THE COUNTRY CAN RECOVER FROM THE HURRICANE AS QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE! There are a few of this number who are spouses and children of Cable &
Wireless staff, families, and/or others who have taken refuge in One Technology
Square, several of whom we are planning to evacuate through existing channels
and military assistance is not needed for that.
I should also mention the thousands of United States of America citizens who
are located elsewhere in the island, who for the most part are also necessary
for the restoration effort. A bit of US Military help is required not just for
One Technology Square, but to assist law enforcement across the island, and will
no doubt contribute to the safety and security of those US citizens.
This will work best if the US Military works closely with the Royal Cayman
Islands Police [RCIP]. It does not need an over-reaction, a heavy-handed
approach, or imposition of martial law, but rather assistance and relief for the
exhausted police team and the capability to execute no-nonsense law enforcement
across the island, but the US Military must make it clear to British (and if
necessary local) officials that either the RCIP will let them help or the US
Military will do what is necessary without RCIP cooperation. If the US do not
act in a measured way and if they come in with too heavy a hand, we risk losing
the island's reputation for stability, and that will destroy our economy.
Let me emphasise that what is needed is for the US Military to provide the
necessary relief to the limited and over-extended local authorities, and the
local authorities need to accept that help. While the local law enforcement
authorities seem to be "holding strain" and are maintaining peace and stability,
this is not sustainable without some relief from the outside whether it is
British or US but I am concerned that at this point the British are too far
away.
Cayman Airways ran "first-come, first-served" evacuation shuttle flights to
Miami yesterday from the time the runway opened up until nightfall prevented
airport operations. The airport has NO navigational aids, NO PAPI, and only
partially functional runway lights. They are hoping to have PAPI operational
again by the end of the week. Air Traffic Control is operational, and inbound
aircraft can use RNAV for approaches and landings. Kingston ATC is coordinating
the air traffic. Grand Cayman ATC has had very limited outside communication due
to storm damage to telecommunication faculties, but I have received word that
that has been restored overnight.
The British appear to be "playing politics". The police force is a dedicated
team of professionals who are determined to do their job - and do it on their
own if they get no help - but they are very limited in number, they have been
part of this tremendous group of people across this island who have brought us
through the worst storm ever in these islands' known history without ONE SINGLE
reported death so far, but the police are very limited in number and they are
exhausted yet reports are that the British have refused to send in Royal Marines
or Military Police to help. HMS Richmond and Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tanker Wave
Ruler are here, the navy has sent ashore several of their crew from the ships,
but they are unarmed and not prepared to engage in law enforcement. We
understand the civilian Governor Bruce Dinwiddy has asked the British for
military assistance in maintaining law and order, but so far it has not been
forthcoming and so far as I have heard, there is not even a promise that it will
come. There may be some reluctance at the higher echelons of the Government and
Law Enforcement as to the need for outside assistance, but at the senior
operational leadership level my sense of the situation is that the police are
desperate for outside help.
Please know that I don't want to criticise anybody who is here in Grand
Cayman. We have been through a living nightmare, we have done this together, we
are determined, willing, competent and know what it takes to work together to
put this country back together FAST, we are not at present in a total breakdown
of law and order, but we are very much on the edge right at the moment and we do
need some help NOW.
If I do not see a positive response by US Military to help us get our
country's law and order stable which will also protect US citizens and US
interests, I will assume this message has either not reached the right people or
that they do not believe or understand it. We will then have to rely entirely on
US and international public pressure to have the US give us some assistance
immediately and for the local officials to accept it. Therefore I have already
provided a copy of this to a local publisher, and to his webmaster who is
located overseas. This person is a personal friend of mine, a "fellow
believer", who is one of the over 460 people who took shelter in this one
building during the onslaught of Hurricane Ivan. He has sworn an oath to embargo
this until noon today, however if I do not advise him to the contrary (and/or if
we lose contact with his webmaster) this will appear on a website that is
receiving hundreds of thousands of hits a day from people wanting to know what's
happening in Cayman right now. Yesterday it received 509,000 hits.
Miami is one hour by jet away from here, Guantanamo Bay about 30 minutes,
British forces are too far away to be of use now even if the British make the
decision to intervene.
BUT MY AIM IS THAT THIS IS NEVER TO BE MADE PUBLIC - it would cause a lot of
unnecessary panic, it will get blown way out of proportion and so will the
response. it's not that the situation is out of control right now: with some
help the RCIP can keep it under control, but we have to have a bit of military
help to give us a margin of safety as a temporary measure, and hence my
precaution to use publication as a "last resort" to see that we get some help. I
just pray that it works.
Trust me and listen loud!
Timothy Adam
Chief Executive, Cable & Wireless (Cayman Islands) Ltd
Back...
| 
