Fellow friends, the Cayman Compass engaged us with some questions for their story which appears in their Monday, 07th June 2016 issue. In answering them, we requested an opportunity to openly share our concerns and thoughts without competing with the spindle of Oxitec. In reading the article they produced, it is clear that they chose to share otherwise. We respect that. However, we also note that in providing a competing voice with Oxitec, they continue to beat a deceptive drum and the coverage is seriously void of and does not represent anything of the substance we provided them. We are therefore choosing to share our responses to their questions in full. In doing so, we trust that you will better understand how critical it is that we "keep them honest" in our bid to get you the information you need to make an informed decision and add your name to the petition to stop this madness! Here are our responses in its entirety. Please share it with your friends and family: 1. What do you intend to do with the petition when you reach 1000 signatures, which it looks like you may get pretty soon given how many you have already gotten in such a short amount of time? 1000 signatures would be monumental for a cause here, especially in such a short period of time, but we believe that the Cayman Islands Government is in direct contravention of possibly four sections of our Constitution Order, and we are prepared to address this matter, taking it to Courts and to the European Court of Human Rights, if necessary, to ensure that our rights are maintained, regardless of whether or not we reach 1000 signatures.As we have already notified the government of this concern and intention and provided them with the directions to the resources available for them to ascertain the validity of the petition, we are hopeful and confident that the Government will save the country all the inconveniences and expenses of having to contend with a human rights trial and that they are considerate of our concerns and suspend the release and allow us the time to gather our own evidence, which will balance the decision-making scale. We have a fully determined local team, adamant to see this through. Support continues to grow, even anonymously, as proven by the recent full page ad in the Caymanian Compass, our first donation. We also have strong international advisors and organizations who have pledged their support and assistance, having more experience with Oxitec and biotechnology than we have individually, as a group and as a nation. The Government now has the petition with the wishes of the people, so the ball is in their court. 2. What sort of feedback have you already received from lawmakers relating to your group’s concerns about this project? On Thursday Cabinet acknowledged receipt of the petition and we hope to have it considered this upcoming sitting. We resonate Oxitec's statement that it targeted the Cayman Islands due to us not having any legislative framework in place, specifically to the regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms, making point that of the 191 countries in the world, Cayman Islands is a part of only 21 countries with no legal framework or updated or environmental protection or animal control laws to specifically regulate living genetically modified organisms. Compared to the other 20 countries including Haiti, the Russian Federation, Afghanistan, Iraq we firmly believe that the Cayman Islands are being used by Oxitec as a feather in their cap, and will continue their exploitation until they are halted by the people and Government of the Cayman Islands, with the assistance of any other international body or bodies who are against this type of implementation, their stance based on proven facts. But, therein lies a benefit: it has highlighted the Government's legal shortcomings and can serve as the agonist that causes the creation and implementation of necessary and impenetrable laws that are currently non-existent. This can only be realized by the lawmakers themselves becoming fully educated in GM's through reports and conferences with theorists and experts for and against, arriving at a non-prejudiced decision in accordance with our Bill of Rights. We, as a community, have not been given the respect nor the opportunity to thoroughly understand what the introduction and release of millions of genetically modified mosquitoes into the Cayman Islands will cause over time. All we are asking for is more time for the public to gather more information. Everyone in the Cayman Islands will become human subjects in the matter, whether you are a Caymanian, resident or tourist; whether you live in West Bay or East End or anywhere in between. We, the petitioners, believe that the Cayman Islands Government should proceed with an abundance of caution with anything that threatens our country and lifestyle and the first leg of this caution is the suspension petitioned for. We are confident that they will do what is right, that they will take advantage of the opportunity to rectify their negligence and disregard on all fronts. 3. The petition is requesting “at least a 6-month suspension, or delay this proposed release until such time that the final determination of the findings of the USA's FDA's Environmental Assessment report has been fully vetted and given the "green-light.” What needs to happen for the Environmental Assessment report to be fully vetted? I.E. What does fully vetted mean to you, and why do you think the assessment is not yet fully vetted? The FDA has just collected comments made by Floridians and must now respond to the comments made by the public by the end of this year, 2016, and decide whether or not they need to now conduct an Environmental Impact Statement instead of just an Environmental Assessment. Of course, we must also take into consideration differences between Key Haven and the Cayman Islands, such as differences in species that will be exposed to these Genetically Modified Mosquitoes with synthetic DNA based on sequences from Herpes and E.coli, and differences in the environment, etc. However, the human being will remain the same species and requires the highest degree of protection. The FDA has so far only made a preliminary judgment of a Draft Environmental Assessment. They have not completed the process yet. The FDA needs time for this and we should wait until they complete this process and then use that information as part of an assessment for the Cayman Islands, as it is directly relevant to Oxitec’s plan to release millions of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Cayman. The uncertainty of this project dictates that permission to release millions of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in the Cayman Islands should be rescinded until more third party peer review research and feedback is provided to the people and Government of the Cayman Islands.4. The petition states that “Oxitec has not been fully transparent?” How so? Oxi has not presented the whole truth on this matter; for example a recent report that the Zika virus epicentre in Brazil is the release site for the GMM's they released there. Among other concerns, Oxitec had given us the impression that Fla., USA was onboard Oxitec's program. We have been updated by NonGMO Florida that they have stayed the implementation of Oxi's program for the past 4 years. Oxitec is unable to prove that they have reduced the AA population at its release sites.Oxitec has a performance record or modus operandi of presenting just the barest of facts that are pleasing to the listener, until prodded. This is evident when notes on the WB meeting are compared to Fla. meetings.5. The petition states concern about the “contradictory information regarding the effects and capabilities of those mutant mosquitoes?” Can you describe that contradictory information for me? Oxitec were impressing on us that a number considerably smaller amount of mosquitoes would be released than the 22 million mosquitoes actually calculated and agreed on at the West Bay Town Hall meeting. Assuredly, Oxitec knew how many mosquitoes were scheduled for release. It's their program, their project, their investment on the line; they were precisely aware of the release figures, yet they tried and choose to minimize the amount until prodded, as were their performance in Florida. They said that they were releasing only males, however, when pressed they admitted there would be females released as well. This was there presentation in Fla. as well. If they are releasing the males to mate with the female AA, why do they need to release female GMM's as well? There has been no answer to this concern. Why have they selected Cayman Islands and in particularly West Bay and on closer inspection the particular area in West Bay? We await these answers and intend to recruit our own research team to prove any information they provide. While we await the FOI results on our Oxitec meeting, we can definitely provide examples from other local meetings in Florida regarding both Oxitec’s lack of transparency and their contradictory information: At a town hall meeting in Key West, at about 42:00 of this video, Oxitec claimed, "we can do this male only release so we can release the insect is safe if you like, and not release both male and female together" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WQkM-yc7QIHowever, it isn't until Oxitec is called out for spreading misinformation by an audience member at about 1:10:00 of this video that they finally admit about 1 in 1500 will be female.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WQkM-yc7QI “These mosquitoes can also definitely transfer mosquito borne diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya, etc.” About 37:00 Oxitec claims, "we'll send out the males and like most males they are biologically programmed to look for females. They'll mate. The female will lay eggs and they won't survive up to adults." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WQkM-yc7QIHowever, it isn't until Oxitec is put to task again by an audience member for spreading misinformation that at about 1:13:00 Oxitec admits, "indeed 3-4% of the offspring that inherit one copy of this gene survive to adult". And that contradicts and is still different then what they say on their website where 3-5% survive and in their own study where they admit 18% or more survive in the presence of pet food! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WQkM-yc7QI Oxitec also makes claims that by releasing these mosquitoes they will fight mosquito-borne diseases, like Zika, saying things like, "Oxitec's Haydn Parry is quoted as saying, "I'm sure there will be some that don't agree. But we have a very significant public health threat before us. Time is not on our side if you look at how Zika has been spreading. The sooner we can get going and show what we can do, the sooner we can make a difference in the fight against this virus."(75) Even though they have never reduced Zika anywhere EVER! 6. Also, the petition states concerns about the “sheer number of mosquitoes intended for release.” What is your understanding of the numbers of mosquitoes that will be released compared to the current Aedes aegypti population in Cayman? One of the most disturbing questions that both Oxitec AND the MRCU refused to directly answer at their Oxitec West Bay Public Meeting last month. A possible reason they might not have wanted to make those amounts known to the public was because there is an admitted huge economic windfall expected if Oxitec can be left alone to release these Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in the Cayman Islands. Take a look at the numbers and what other scientists have discovered during their peer review of Oxitec’s East End operations in Cayman back in 2009: "Results from the Cayman Islands suggest this technology is very ineffective at reducing wild mosquito population numbers, requiring 2.8 million GM adult male mosquitoes to be released per week to suppress a wild population of only 20,000 mosquitoes (10,000 males)." http://www.genewatch.org/uploads/f03c6d66a9b354535738483c1c3d49e4/Oxitec_GWbrief_Mar15.pdf Furthermore, at Oxitec’s West Bay Public Meeting last month, the lead scientist, Dr. Derric Nimmo gave a Power Point presentation, in which he explained that there would be up to three releases each week (perhaps scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, his words) releasing up to 200,000 genetically modified mosquitoes each release over a period of up to 9 months. So, based on Oxitec’s presentation of their intentions, it is our understanding that up to 21,600,000 Genetically Modified Mosquitoes will be released. That is what they presented to the public and, to answer your question, this is our understanding of the potential amount of genetically modified mosquitoes that will be released in West Bay. 9 months x 4 weeks = 36 weeks 36 x up to 3 releases per week = 108 releases on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 108 releases x up to 200,000 GMM’s released each release = 21,600,000 GMM’s expected to be released in West Bay by Oxitec. NOT TODAY, BOBO! 7. After the meeting in West Bay, what are the primary concerns and questions you still have or new questions or concerns you might have about the release of genetically modified mosquitoes?" With the information provided from these sources and the admittance of Oxitec itself, it is clear that we ARE an experimental source for them, based on their comments regarding the lack of protective laws, the unwillingness of the remaining countries in the world with protective laws to allow their initial or continued experimentation, the undeniable fact of the trail of Oxitec’s presence followed by an explosion of illnesses and the fact that Zika itself is not being presented properly in the media nor the medical world, but appears to being used as a scare tactic so that they can earn more release sites. Zika has other ways of transmittal other than through mosquitoes and has now been declared an STD. As an STD, this changes its classification and highlights Oxitec’s failure to truthfully provide all information and knowledge surrounding Zika, the disease, including its causes, further questions Oxitec’s real and true intent and purpose with releasing these Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in West Bay. While intended to provide a catapult regarding their proposed release, this STD categorisation actually creates a new awareness of sexual activities and, in fact, intensifies Public Health’s requirement to advise the public of safe sex practices. Should this avenue not be embraced, we are further endangered, through ignorance, to prevention of its transmission. But it appears to me that in furtherance to their potentially billion dollar income project on the backs of West Bayers, Oxitec continues to maximise the Aegis Agypti mosquito as the source of transfer, while minimising or hiding other possible transfer sources. This just seems to me to be another one of their tactics to ensure that the Zika disease becomes rampant so that their product can be sold, for whatever outcome they so truly desire, significant monetary gain and otherwise. We believe that MRCU and all other departments/entities need to educate people on natural eradication methods that are available and this knowledge is also available on our Facebook Page, such as all natural repellants such as coconut oil, certain plants, land clearing and other methods that keep the environment and people safe and free not only from the mosquitoes and any transmittable diseases in the future, but also from pesticides and their side effects on all. Oxitec still has a question that they are evading: if the Aegis Agypti mosquito has been around for centuries and Zika ever since the 1940’s, why has the explosion in Zika taken so long, since it is claimed that both originated in Africa? Thanks for your report. Caymanians United To Suspend GM Mosquitoes Project