BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, June 25 Kyod...

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, June 25 Kyodo

A U journalist who has been traveling with separatists in the province of Aceh to protect the Indonesian military offensive against the rebels was arrested and declared a suspect Wednesday for an immigration violation, a police spokesman said.

beneath Indonesian law, William Nessen, who make go rounded himself in to the military Tuesday, could be held for up to 20 days, which could be extended

''William Nessen has been officially declared a suspect since 5 pm today for violating the country's 1992 Immigration Law,'' Aceh police spokesman Sayed Husaini told reporters in the Aceh provincial capital Banda Aceh.

''His mistake is that he has misused his visa,'' Husaini said, adding Nessen had reported his nearness in Indonesia with nonjournalistic visa. It was not immediately clear what kind of visa he had.

''His journalistic activities have been known solitary based on his confession while he was unable to present to view his identity as a journalist,'' he said.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wahid Supriyadi, however, said earlier that Nessen has had a permit from the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry to work in Indonesia as a correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper since last September, unless he has not applied for a pres card at the Foreign Ministry.

According to Husaini, Nessen could not exhibit his passport.

''He said the passport went missing during an armed clash between Indonesian soldiers and GAM (Free Aceh Movement) in North Aceh,'' the police officer said.

Nessen also did not report his demeanor in Aceh to the military crisis authorities after the government began imposing martial law in the northernmost province May 19 and began a military offensive to crush the rebels.

A presidential fiat issued earlier this month required all foreign journalists covering Aceh to obtain permits from the Foreign Ministry and report their nearness to the military emergency authorities.

The enjoin also authorized the ministry to issue permits to ''selected'' foreign journalists.

Before turning himself in to the military, who suspect him of spying for GAM, the military had repeatedly asked Nessen to leave the rebel base.

He had said he would give up to the military on condition he would not be interrogated, detained or missile for being with the rebels.

Husaini said in the nearest two days, the police will ''expand their interrogation'' forward Nessen's relationship with GAM. Video footage rest by the military reportedly exhibits Nessen traveling with GAM commander Muzzakir Manaf.

The restraint began its military offensive against GAM in succession May 19, shortly after the failure of peace talks between GAM and sway negotiators in Tokyo.

As of Wednesday, at least 225 rebels, 25 soldiers, 15 civilians and five policemen have been killed, according to military data.

GAM has been waging a guerrilla war since 1976 seeking independence from Indonesia, which it accuses of stealing the province's natural resources.

The Indonesian restraint has in recent years implemented special autonomy for the resource-rich province, where more than 12000 the bulk of mankind have been killed in the long-standing violence.

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