Indonesian man charged with people smuggling

Australian Federal Police have charged a 31-year-old Indonesian man with people smuggling.

The man, known as Pombili, is alleged to be the captain of a boat intercepted by Australia's Border Protection Command near Ashmore Islands on November 19.

Police say there were 12 people on board the vessel when it was intercepted, including a second crew member and 10 passengers.

The man was taken to Christmas Island before being transferred to Perth.

He has been charged with organising and bringing a group of non-citizens into Australia, an offence which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.

He is due to appear in court in Perth today.

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Sinking boat: Rescued passengers on way to Christmas Is

The Navy is taking 12 people rescued from a sinking boat off Western Australia's coast to Christmas Island.

The boat was spotted by a Coast Watch plane about 80 nautical miles south-east of Ashmore Reef yesterday and it is not yet known if the group is seeking refugee status.

The Navy's HMAS Ararat found the boat was sinking fast because of a hole in the hull and its engine was damaged beyond repair.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans says there is constant pressure on people smugglers in the region.

"Those pressures have not abated in the last five or six years as conflicts in places like Afghanistan and Sri Lanka have seen thousands of displaced people seeking refuge elsewhere around the world," he said.

"Prior to this boat, there have been two boat arrivals carrying 26 passengers in Australian waters this year. Last year we had five boats with 148 passengers and the year before we had six boats with 60 passengers."

But the Opposition's immigration spokesman, Sharman Stone, says more needs to be done.

"I'm afraid Minister Evans has got to speak up loud and clear," she said.

"Make it quite plain that even though the Navy is going on holidays for a couple of months at Christmas, it will be business as usual and people smuggling - as a highly dangerous and inhuman activity - is something this Government will not tolerate."

"We have to be very concerned that lives might be lost and I'm afraid Senator Evans has just got to do better in making it loud and clear that this Government is still serious about border protection and not having people smugglers back in control."

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Marco community leaders recognized at Christmas Island Style Gala

Islanders with the most community, Christmas spirit awarded by Chamber, newspaper

MARCO ISLAND — Award presenters maintained the suspense up to the very the last minute at Sunday’s Christmas Island Style Gala to celebrate Marco’s top community contributors. Now the secret is out and this year’s Naples Daily News Citizen of the Year is Cheryl Ferrara.

The Marco Island Area Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award went to Dick Shanahan and the 2008 Marco Eagle Volunteer of the Year is the often costumed, always generous Dale Rod.

“Oh my goodness, I’m flushed... I’m so humbled. I’m speechless,” said Ferrara as she accepted the Citizen of the Year award.

Many who know her well say it’s rare to see the former Marco Eagle publisher and editor at a loss for words.

Chris Doyle, President and Publisher of the Naples Daily News and Scripps Southwest Florida Group, presented Ferrara with the award but not without first leaving the audience to guess who she was with 10 clues or characteristics about the recipient.

Doyle said she is a great cook, has visited Italy twice and “her second true love is a cockatiel.”

Doyle brought on a couple chuckles from the crowd when he spoke jokingly of the likeness between himself and Ferrara.

“This year’s recipient was known to participate in protests while in college. I’ve seen a protester or two outside the newspaper,” he said with a smile.

Many in the audience weren’t on to Bob Sandy, general manager of the Marco Eagle and director of community and niche products, as he presented the Volunteer of the Year award until he said “You may know this man best from seeing him dance in his Lederhosen at our annual Oktoberfest fundraiser.”

Sandy described Rod as someone who contributes “behind the scenes” who is also a “great dancer.”

Rod’s acceptance of the Marco Eagle 2008 Volunteer of the Year Award might be described as simple and sweet.

“I grew up volunteering in Illinois... Thank you... I love you,” he said smiling broadly as he held the award over the podium.

Shanahan said he was “stunned” to be receive the Chamber’s Lifetime Achievement Award from Sandi Riedemann, executive director of the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce.

As part of his award, Shanahan was gifted an oil on canvass portrait of himself by Island artist Stephen Muldoon, who is originally from Cleveland, OH.

“When I first got here I was an artist looking for work. (Shanahan) showed me around and here I am now with a wonderful career... He’s the man of the year every year in my heart,” Muldoon said.

Shanahan approved of the portrait and the award.

“There are so many people on this island that have the right to stand where I am now... however, I do accept this award,” he said.

More about Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Dick Shanahan:

Shanahan was sales and marketing director for an auto parts manufacturer working throughout Florida in the 1950s. Originally from Chicago, Shanahan has also lived and worked in Atlanta, GA and Nashville, Tenn.

He visited Marco in the 1960s and ‘70s, lived here part time in the 80s and has lived on Island full time since 1987.

Shanahan was a Collier County Commissioner for one four-year term beginning 1988.

He has served as president for many Island-area, nonprofit boards, including the local American Cancer Society, Marco Island Rotary Club, Marco Island Prayer Breakfast and Greater Marco YMCA. He is chairman of the Eagle Open, a charitable golf event 35 years in the running, benefiting the Charter School and other Island organizations.

He currently serves as the president of the Marco Police Foundation and was president of the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors for three terms.

Shanahan is one of the Knights of Columbus at San Marco Catholic Church and has supported at least as many Island individuals in times of need as he has Island organizations.

He is a realtor, golfer and family man with his wife Kathy, five children, 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

More about Volunteer of the Year Dale Rod:

Dale Rod is a person who uses his creativity, imagination and handyman skills to place the extra touches for each event to make it more enjoyable and authentic especially with themed gatherings.

He is also a master of disguise, dressing up as characters to fit every occasion. From helping build a huge playground in Mackle Park to coaching and managing youth and adult sports, from fundraising activities for Tommie Barfield Elementary and the Marco Island Charter Middle School to organizing multiple events for the Wishing Well Foundation. Rod had himself locked up to raise funds for Muscular Dystrophy recently.

In his spare time, he is the vice president of special events for the Marco Island YMCA and chairman for the Taste of Marco and also for the annual Marco Island Oktoberfest.

Past recipients of the Volunteer of the Year include Paula Camposano-Robinson, Joel Gewirtz, Rita Broderick, Fay Biles, Dave Rice, Paula Tateo, Pat Berry, Phillip Penzo, Al Diaz, Cindy Anderson, Pat Stoye, Charlie Horn, Carolyn Katchmar, Helen Ann Federspiel and Judy Barney

More about Citizen of the Year Cheryl Ferrara:

Ferrara served as editor and publisher of the Marco Island Eagle from April 1995 through June 2006 after serving as publisher of The York County Coast Star in Kennebunk, Maine.

She served as president, vice-president and treasurer of the Marco Island Sunrise Rotary, served on the Scholarship Foundation, was the Gift of Life Coordinator, won Rotarian of the Year 1999 and served as the Area One District Governor in 2004 – 2005.

She was President of the Marco YMCA and currently is a board member serving on the capital campaign committee. She is on the board of directors for the Marco Island Fire Rescue Foundation. Other boards and committees have included the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce, Ability to Care Hospital Committee, Marco Island Film Festival, Marco Island Charter Middle School Building Committee, San Generro Festival, Blue Ribbon Panel on Teen Affairs, and Christmas Island Style. As a graduate of Leadership Collier this year’s recipient served on the original Leadership Marco development team.

Ferrara was responsible for raising thousands of dollars for the Marco Island Art League and the Marco YMCA by organizing and initiating the Dolphin Debut.

She is involved in outreach activities including organizing migrant worker Thanksgiving Dinner’s, led humanitarian trips to Haiti to deliver clothing and toys to orphans, spearheads medical missions to Peru, collected hygiene products for the Immokalee Friendship House, is a bell ringer for the Salvation Army, and sings, coordinates and leads the choir in Everglades City.

Several past award winners, which include Dottie Weiner, Bob Stakich, Tom Shea, Robert Mulhere, Joe Coriaci, Tom Owens, Dick Shanahan, Mel Ollman, George Schroll, Jim Curran, Herb Savage, Marion Blomier and Craig Woodward, joined Doyle in presenting the award to Ferrara.

The Naples Daily News 2008 Citizen of the year spends her summers in Shapliegh, Maine with her husband of 38 years, Tony and their cockatiel Sunshine. They have a son, Nate, daughter Elizabeth and granddaughter Kyla.

Ferrara is currently working on her first historical novel.

She is always behind the scenes creating newsletters for organizations and writing music for church groups, Doyle said.

Ferrara is no stranger to awards and honors including one of Scripps’ top awards, the prestigious William Burleigh Award for Community Service, from the E.W. Scripps Foundation while publisher of the Marco Eagle.

Other awards and recognitions at the 17th Annual Gala included awards from Christmas Island Style Chairman Steve Stefanides, who recognized the owners of Chef's Express, the husband and wife team Rick Feinman and Ann Feinman, for feeding 80 Island family members in-need of food or company for Thanksgiving as well as serving on-duty firemen and police men.

Chamber retiree Mary Ann Cofer received special recognition from Stefanides and from the Chamber. Stefanides said Cofer has served Christmas Island Style, an organization which hosts numerous charities and events between Thanksgiving and New Years, whole-heartedly for 14 years.

Riedemann presented Cofer with flowers and gifts upon formally announcing Cofer’s retirement from the Chamber.

Cofer held back the tears saying she would miss her colleagues.

“Feel free to call me sometime,” she told the crowd at the Island Country Club.

Check Wednesday’s print edition of the Marco Eagle for updates on Sunday’s Christmas Island Style Gala.

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World’s Most Christmassy Places: Top 10 festively themed destinations

Travel doesn’t get much more festive than this. Skyscanner scans the globe to bring you the top ten most Christmassy places on planet earth.

an island Christmas

Christmas Island (Australia) – there are actually several islands in various oceans named Christmas, but probably the best known is the Australian territory located in the Indian Ocean. Over half the island is national park, but according to the CIA World Fact Book, it will soon become a site for launching space missions. Is Santa going intergalactic? Find cheap flights to Christmas Island.

Turkey – though famed for its sunny beaches and warm seas, many might be surprised to hear the country also receives heavy snowfalls, boasts mountains over 4000m high and has around 10 ski resorts where you can guarantee yourself a white Christmas. Find cheap flights to Turkey.

Brussels (Belgium) – forever linked with a famous Christmas side dish that causes mixed feelings at the table, the small green vegetable really is named after the Belgium capital where it’s said to have been a popular crop for more than 400 years. Find cheap flights to Brussels.

Santa Cruz (California, USA) – meaning “holy cross”, Santa Cruz is a quintessential American beach town. The place where Hawaiian royalty first introduced surfing to the mainland, the city is still known for its alternative lifestyle and liberal political persuasion. Find cheap flights to San Jose

Rudolf Island (Russia), the northern most island of the Franz Josef Archipelago, this small, barren island that sits within the article circle, is almost completely glaciated. Despite the name, Rudolf and his reindeer buddies don’t hang out here these days – it’s just too chilly. You'll need to join a polar expedition to get to this one.

Krakow (Poland) – this city goes off with a bang in December with a cracking Christmas market held in the main square. Quaff mulled wine and browse stalls selling Baltic amber jewellery and woollen slippers from the Polish highlands. Find cheap flights to Krakow

Tinsel Town (Los Angeles, USA) – Hollywood’s nom de plume, the Tinsel part refers to the glittering, flashy, but superficial nature of Hollywood and the film industry. Tinsel the popular Christmas decoration was invented in Germany in 1610 and originally made of shredded silver. Find cheap flights to Hollywood

Carol City (Florida, USA) – guaranteed for a balmy Christmas, temperatures here rarely dip below 20C. It seems that many of the city’s inhabitants do indeed sing for their supper; according to Wikipedia – Carol City’s most notable residents are all rappers, though Trapp Mendoza and JT Money are rarely heard waxing lyrical about baby Jesus and Rudolph the red nose reindeer. Find cheap flights to Miami

Holly (Michigan, USA) – this quiet village apparently featured in the 1993 Clint Eastwood movie – “In the Line of Fire”. It was also home to Dr Church Jr, the man who developed the Mount Rose snow sampler, a tool used to measure snow depth and water content. Find cheap flights to Detroit

Bethlehem (West Bank) – yes, this is a real place. Bethlehem is commonly accepted as the birth city of Jesus of Nazareth, probably the most famous person in history and the whole reason that we celebrate Christmas Day at all. Find cheap flights to Tel Aviv

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Evans says Christmas Island centre will be used if needed

The new asylum-seeker detention centre on Christmas Island will be activated if required, the Federal Government says.

The offshore processing centre, commissioned by the previous Howard government to handle illegal boat arrivals, has yet to be used.

The most recent arrivals are being held in an old centre on the island.

"(Former prime minister) John Howard was obviously expecting the need to use it and if we need to use it we will," Immigration Minister Chris Evans said in an interview.

Six vessels have reached Australian waters so far this year, carrying a fraction of the 5500 boat people who arrived at the peak in 2001.

The coalition argues a relaxation of its strong stance on mandatory detention is to blame for a spate of arrivals, saying the removal of temporary protection visas was a significant softening of policy.

But Senator Evans says it has more to do with people fleeing rising violence in Afghanistan.

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Australia Sees Rise in Illegal Migrants

A boatload of suspected asylum seekers intercepted off Australia's northern coast is being taken to an island center for processing. After a spate of people smuggling incidents, the government has outlined plans to intensify surveillance of its northern waters. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

This is the sixth boatload of suspected illegal migrants to enter Australian waters in the past two months.

A navy warship spotted the latest unauthorized arrival near the Western Australian town of Broome. On board were three crewmen and 44 passengers.

Their nationalities have not yet been made public.

The vessel is being escorted to Christmas Island, a remote Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, for immigration processing.

Because of the recent rise in captured smuggling vessels, the Canberra government will deploy an extra patrol boat and aircraft to increase surveillance off the northern coast. Many boat people have arrived in the north, sailing from nearby Indonesia.

What is responsible for rise in boat people?

Refugee advocate Phil Glendenning thinks that a surge in violence in Afghanistan may well be responsible for the recent increase.

"People are fleeing from the war, they are fleeing from persecution," he explained. "It's been predicted by the United Nations' Commissioner for Refugees that there would be this increase because of the conflicts that are taking place internationally, in particular in Afghanistan and that is what we are seeing and we should not be surprised by it."

Officials say there has been a "slight increase" in the number of boat people heading to Australia in recent weeks.

Government reacts to people smuggling criticism

However, government ministers reject opposition claims that people smuggling has risen because of a softening of immigration rules. Earlier this year the government abandoned the controversial practice of automatically detaining all asylum seekers who entered the country illegally.

The government says people traffickers are taking advantage of good seasonal conditions and the extra border patrols will protect Australia's vast and largely unguarded borders.

Arrest made

Australian police have charged a 31-year-old Indonesian man with people smuggling. The man, identified as Pombili, is alleged to have been in charge of a boat apprehended near the isolated Ashmore Islands last month.

He has been charged with bringing a group of non-citizens into Australia. It is an offense that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

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Mystery of HMAS Sydney sailor continues

Tests have failed to reveal the identity of the unknown sailor from HMAS Sydney, one of 645 crew who perished when the Australian warship went down during World War II.

DNA tests on samples taken from a number of relatives of Sydney's crew failed to find a match, defence said.

"DNA testing ... has excluded 15 crew members short-listed following a thorough and methodical forensic and historical investigation in an attempt to identify the remains," defence said in a statement.

HMAS Sydney was lost with all hands after a battle with the German raider Kormoran off the West Australian coast on November 19, 1941.

The body of the unknown sailor drifted to Christmas Island aboard a life raft and was interred on the island. The remains were relocated and exhumed in 2006.

The remains were reburied with full military honours at Geraldton Cemetery last month as the only sailor from the doomed ship to find a grave ashore.

Defence said the case had not been closed.

Relatives of HMAS Sydney crew wishing to be considered for DNA testing have been urged to write to the Christmas Island Investigation Team.

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