More questioning, no passport for councillor held in Indonesia

By ANGELA GREGORY

New Zealand human rights activist Maire Leadbeater was to be questioned by immigration officials in Jakarta today, three days after being detained for allegedly illegally entering Indonesia.

The Auckland City councillor was one of 32 foreigners, including 20 Australians and an American, arrested on Friday after officers broke up a seminar they were attending on Asian workers' rights.

Police kept the group, which included a 4-year-old Australian girl, under armed guard while they were questioned.

They were later allowed to return to their Jakarta hotels after being made to sign statements that they were not harmed.

The police alleged the foreign detainees had broken immigration laws by attending the Asia-Pacific Labour Solidarity Conference while in Indonesia on tourist visas.

Ms Leadbeater had been due to fly back to Auckland at 3 pm Jakarta time (8 pm NZ time) today.

Her partner, Graeme Easte, said yesterday that Ms Leadbeater was concerned that she would be delayed by the 10 am meeting with immigration officials in Jakarta and miss her flight.

She was annoyed as she had a busy meetings schedule back in New Zealand over the next few days, he said.

Ms Leadbeater had put in "convention" when she filled in her short-stay entry form.

"Our authorities need to take her side and give them [Indonesian police] some stick, as she's not done anything wrong."

She did not fear for her safety and was meanwhile free to go wherever she liked in Jakarta, although her passport remained with Indonesian authorities, he said.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman, Emma Riley, said New Zealand embassy staff were putting in long hours to assist Ms Leadbeater.

They were present during the police questioning and were able to advise her on her rights.

Emma Riley said the officials would again be present when Ms Leadbeater was questioned today.

Justice Minister Phil Goff said last night that he was in touch with the Jakarta embassy, which was doing as much as it could.

Any further comment might be "unhelpful" to negotiations over Ms Leadbeater's position.

Speaking to the Herald from Jakarta on Saturday, Ms Leadbeater said it had been hard to remain calm when about 300 armed police disrupted the conference.



Delegates told her that police believed the organisers did not have the correct permission to hold the conference. Half an hour later the story changed and police said the international delegates had not completed immigration procedures correctly.

"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 main worry is always for the local organisers. As international participants we know we have certain protections, we have embassies we can call ... the Indonesian delegates don't.

"It's really disappointing. 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."

The 32 arrested face up to five years in prison or a $US2500 ($6056) fine if Jakarta police decide to charge them with violating immigration laws.

The foreigners also included a Thai, a Canadian, a Briton, a Frenchman, two Belgians, one German, a Dutch, a Pakistani and a Japanese.

The eight Indonesians detained on Friday included Budiman Sudjatmiko, the head of the People's Democratic Party and a former high-profile political prisoner.

Feature: Indonesia

CIA World Factbook: Indonesia (with map)

Dept. of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia

Antara news agency

Indonesian Observer

The Jakarta Post

UN Transitional Administration in E Timor

East Timor Action Network