Councillor freed after second day in Indonesian detention

9.00 am

New Zealand human rights activist Maire Leadbeater has returned to her hotel after being detained for a second day by Indonesian police.

Ms Leadbeater - an Auckland City councillor - and 30 other foreign nationals, including a four-year-old Australian girl, spent Saturday under armed guard as they were questioned by police for allegedly violating immigration laws.

Police allowed them to return to their Jakarta hotels last night after making them sign statements to say they had not been harmed.

"What we are examining basically is whether they have violated the (immigration) law. They were allowed to enter as tourists, and nothing else," Jakarta police spokesman Anton Bahrul Alam said, adding they were released after their embassies guaranteed all would return tomorrow.

They face a maximum penalty of five years in jail or a 25 million rupiah ($5,300) fine if convicted of immigration violations.

The foreign nationals were first detained on Friday at the Asia Pacific Labour Solidarity Conference in Depok, south of Jakarta.

They were taken to the military intelligence section of the police station where they were held for seven hours.

Police confiscated their passports before allowing them to return to their hotels.

Indonesian police said after returning to their hotels briefly on Saturday morning, the visitors had returned to the station for further questioning.

Speaking from her hotel after being released for the first time, Ms Leadbeater said that the way she had been treated was disturbing.

Although she had not been harmed, she said it was hard to remain calm when about 300 armed police disrupted the conference.

"We had no choice but to get into the [police] cars and vans. I was driven in an open police truck to the police station, sirens blazing," she said.

The 31 foreign delegates were held with no food and little water.

But Ms Leadbeater said the main concern was the wellbeing of the local organisers of the conference.

"As international participants we know we have certain protections, we have embassies we can call ... the Indonesian delegates don't."

Ms Leadbeater had heard rumours that some Indonesian delegates were attacked by a militia group.

Police did not comment on the allegations, although several Indonesian activists detained have been released.

Conference organisers accused police of using brutal tactics more in keeping with the authoritarian rule of disgraced former President Suharto.

They said police had claimed the event was aimed at disrupting an impeachment hearing of embattled President Abdurrahman Wahid scheduled for August.

Alam said the event was halted because of the presence of the foreigners, who he earlier said had entered Indonesia as tourists.

Foreigners attending seminars in Indonesia usually need to obtain visas beforehand, but many foreign nationals, including Australians, can visit as tourists without visas.

Ms Leadbetter said she had stated she would be attending the conference - being held to raise the profile of young Indonesian activists - when she entered Indonesia.

She said the whole experience was dissapointing.

"I had hoped Indonesia, moving towards democracy and to more understanding of human rights would have been tolerant of a conference that was not threatening anybody and enabling ordinary people to get together to discuss issues of mutual concern."

- HERALD ONLINE STAFF and AGENCIES