P

olice in Yogyakarta on Wednesday arrested poet and activist Saut Situmorang following a spat with fellow writer Fatin Hamama.

Fatin reported Saut to the police for libel following the latter'€™s comment on popular social media platform Facebook that referred to Fatin as a scoundrel.

Saut was arrested at his home in Mantrijeron, Yogyakarta.

Saut said he was taken to the police station as a witness in the case.

'€œI am ready to face questioning. But why should I be taken to Jakarta?'€ he said, responding to the police'€™s move to bring him to the capital for further interrogation.

Saut'€™s spat with Fatin began with the publication of a book on the 33-most influential literary figures in the country, which included Denny JA of the polling institute Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI). Denny has never been known as a writer and his inclusion on the list sparked controversy in the country'€™s literary scene.

Saut accused Fatin, a little-known figure in the country'€™s literary scene, of being a broker who came up with the idea to publish the book.