Police arrest rights activist

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 03/17/2007 4:07 PM

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Police have arrested a human rights activist, who was the subject of a two-month police hunt, for his alleged involvement in a series of scams.

A joint police team from North Central Timor and South Central Timor apprehended Paskalis Yustinus Bataona, head of the East Nusa Tenggara Inquiry Commission for Human Rights Violations, at his hideout in the Nifuboko hamlet in Central South Timor on Thursday.

North Central Timor Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Mulyadi Kaharni confirmed Friday that police named Paskalis, who is believed to have swindled a number of people, as a suspect.

""A few months ago, the suspect recruited hundreds of people and took them to Denpasar, Bali, to attend a human rights training program. Each of them were required to pay a sum of money. But it turned out they were cheated and abandoned in Bali,"" said Mulyadi.

Police found Paskalis after tracing his cell phone signal. If found guilty, he could face a maximum prison sentence of four years. -- JP

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