JAKARTA—Sam Ekwe kept his composure for the entire six hours that he was "detained" at the immigration office of the Soekarno Hatta International Airport here Wednesday.

The 6-foot-8 Nigerian who plays center for San Beda College was questioned for not carrying a visa upon arrival with the Harbour Centre team that will represent the Philippines in the 2008 Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba) Club championship starting Friday.

The other Harbour-RP team import Michael James Le Blanc was similarly detained as his visa is set to expire in June while Jakarta laws require a passport to be valid for at least six months.

The American was released after about 20 minutes after organizers guaranteed he would leave soon after the tournament.

"I did not do any crime so I was confident I would be allowed to go," said the 24-year-old Ekwe. "I was not nervous at all. Romina S. Austria