DENPASAR • The Indonesian authorities said yesterday that they have arrested six foreigners, including a Singaporean woman, for allegedly trying to smuggle drugs onto the holiday island of Bali.

A Swiss man, a Thai man, a Chilean man, two men from Hong Kong and the Singaporean - Ruth Tan En Yi - were shown to the press at the Customs office in Bali's airport yesterday. They were in shackles and orange jumpsuits, and escorted by machine-gun toting police - a common practice in Indonesia.

Mr Wachid Kurniawan, the Customs spokesman for the Bali and Nusatenggara regional office, said the suspects were arrested in separate cases starting last month upon arrival at the airport.

Mr Kurniawan said Tan was held on Nov 14, after immigration officers found a small plastic bag with 0.35g of cocaine inside her passport. The authorities said she would not face the death penalty as the amount is relatively small.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was aware of a Singaporean accused of drug offences in Bali, and the embassy in Jakarta was rendering consular assistance.

The Swiss man was arrested on Nov 4, with a total of 30.04g of marijuana in his luggage. Two days later, Customs officers nabbed the Thai man with 17.76g of marijuana concealed in his underwear.

The Chilean man was nabbed two weeks later with 77.26g of liquid methamphetamine in his black suitcase. Of the two Hong Kong men, one was arrested on Dec 4 with 3.2kg of crystal methamphetamine in his luggage, while the other was found last week with 4kg of crystal methamphetamine wrapped in pet food packaging in his luggage, Mr Kurniawan said.

Indonesia has extremely strict drug laws, and convicted smugglers are sometimes executed by firing squad. More than 150 people are on death row, mostly for drug crimes. About one-third of them are foreigners.

ASSOCIATED PRESS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE