Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Indonesia yesterday deported a United States citizen, accused of spying in Irian Jaya, as the US accused the Defence Minister of whipping up anti-American feelings.

On Sunday, Mr Mohammad Mahfud accused Mr Aaron Maness, 46, of committing espionage in the restless province, now known as West Papua, which has recently been rocked by separatist violence.

However, police investigations into the US tourist had not proven anything more than the fact that he was an illegal overstayer. The US Embassy in Jakarta dismissed the accusation in a statement yesterday.

The accusation was likely to fuel tension between the two countries after previous apparently anti-American comments made by the minister and other politicians.

The embassy also denied Mr Mahfud's charge that US Ambassador to Jakarta Robert Gelbard had intervened in the deportation process of Mr Maness, whom it said was a mere tourist.

It regretted Mr Mahfud's statement "and other recent false charges against the US and its ambassador to Indonesia". "Together these charges suggest a dangerous pattern of disinformation that is creating a climate of anti-Americanism in Indonesia and undermining the warm and close relationship that Indonesia and the US have enjoyed for many years," the embassy said. Mr Mahfud has said on a few occasions that Mr Gelbard was interfering in Indonesia's domestic affairs.

The Indonesian authorities detained Mr Maness after he photographed victims of fierce fighting between separatists and security forces in the remote town of Wamena on October 6, when at least 30 people were killed.

Police spokesman Brig-General Saleh Saaf said he was detained because he had violated his 30-day tourist visa by "doing investigative work during his stay". "At Hotel Nayak, where he was then staying, he was showing the Wamena riot photos to foreign tourists and other hotel visitors," said the police spokesman, adding that the American had sent out the photographs and film using e-mail.

Mr Salman, an immigration officer at the airport, told The Straits Times that the American left the country on a flight at 6.30pm. He was not accompanied by embassy officials.

In an apparent attempt to ease the tension, Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab downplayed the incident, saying that even if Mr Maness was involved in espionage activities "it does not reflect the policy of the US government".

Mr Mahfud, who was appointed in August to replace respected scholar Juwono Sudarsono, has made several controversial statements that have irritated the international community.

On Sunday, he told reporters that Indonesia needed to consider the establishment of a defence pact as a counterweight to the US presence in the region. "If Indonesia, India, China and Japan unite to set up a joint defence pact, the US would be limp," he was quoted as saying.

His statement was countered by other ministers, who said that he was probably referring to "multilateral or bilateral cooperation or technical assistance", but not a security pact. "Everybody knows that, after the Cold War, it's no longer relevant to form a military pact," Coordinating Minister for Politics, Social Affairs and Security Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said.

[On October 25, Associated Press reported that Shihab has admitted that Maness was not a spy saying: "He [Gelbard] told me that the American, who was suspected as a spy, is actually a tourist. It is normal for a tourist to take pictures and to travel around" - James Balowski.]