Police free 32 foreigners detained in Sawangan raid
JAKARTA (JP): Police released 32 foreign participants of an international conference who were detained after a raid on Friday, but required them to report to the city police on Monday, spokesman Sr. Comr. Anton Bachrul Alam said on Saturday.
Anton said the foreigners were released at about 5 p.m. on Saturday and police then escorted them to their hotels. The foreigners, 10 of whom are women, will be taken to the immigration office on Monday as they have misused their tourist visas.
Anton acknowledged that the police had confiscated their passports and other documents.
"According to the law, the police must release them 24 hours after their arrest if no evidence is found, so they have been released" said Anton.
Australian Embassy spokesman Kirk Coningham confirmed the release of 20 Australians, including a four-year-old girl. He added that he believed the other 12 people had also been freed by the police.
"The girl and her mother are well," Coningham said.
Coningham said his embassy was working hard to settle the problem quickly. The embassy had also contacted the families of the Australians.
"They were released this afternoon. We are expecting a speedy solution," Coningham remarked.
Police raided Sawangan Golf Inn in West Java on Friday afternoon and arrested 40 participants of the Asia Pacific Labor Solidarity Conference on Neoliberalism at the lodge. The conference was organized by the Indonesian Center for Reform and Social Emancipation (Increase).
The participants of the conference included Indonesians and 32 foreign nationals. Apart from the 20 Australians, the other foreigners included two Belgians, an American, a Canadian, a Japanese, a German, a Dutch, a Thai, a Pakistani and a French national.
The eight locals detained, including Budiman Sudjatmiko, who is chairman of the Democratic People's Party (PRD), were released on Friday night.
Anton said only the Immigration Office had the authority to determine the status of the foreigners, who had allegedly misused their tourist visas by attending the conference.
Citing Immigration Law No. 9, enacted in 1992, Anton said the foreigners could be deported and blacklisted, in which case they would be barred from entering Indonesia for a certain period of time.
"Or they could be taken to court where they will face a five- year jail term if found guilty," Anton explained.
Anton conceded that the police raid targeted Budiman, who is also a National Coalition of Anti New Order (Lindas) activist. Lindas is the Indonesian word for crush.
Citing intelligence reports, Anton hinted that Budiman was planning to disrupt the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) special session in August. President Abdurrahman Wahid could be impeached in the session.
"We have been following Budiman for a long time. We have information that he plans to disrupt the special session by creating chaos in Jakarta," Anton hinted.
Police have repeatedly threatened to arrest Budiman.
Former president Soeharto had imprisoned Budiman for his antigovernment activities, and the latter had been called a communist.
Soeharto's successor, B.J. Habibie, freed Budiman. His party PRD was even allowed to contest in the 1999 general election but failed to win any seats.
Meanwhile, Lindas, which is against Soeharto's New Order regime, condemned the arrest and accused the police of using the oppressive tactics of the New Order regime to stop antigovernment activities.
It also lambasted Angkatan Muda Ka'bah, the anticommunist group, affiliated to the Islam-based United Development Party, for their brutal attacks on the conference participants earlier on Friday.
"Their actions have tarnished the symbols of Islam which they used as their cover. Such brutal actions can only be carried out by the remnants of the New Order," said Haikal, Lindas spokesman. (ylt/prb)