Papua Rebels Release New Zealand Pilot After 19 Months

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

JAKARTA (Worthy News) – Phillip Mark Mehrtens, the New Zealand pilot who’s been held hostage for more than a year in the troubled Papua region, has been freed by separatist rebels, Indonesian authorities confirmed Saturday.

Mehrtens, from New Zealand’s Christchurch, who flew for Indonesian aviation company Susi Air, was handed over early Saturday to the Cartenz Peace Taskforce, the joint security force set up by the Indonesian government to deal with separatist groups in Papua.

The task force spokesperson Bayu Suseno said separatist rebels let him walk free early Saturday.

Independence fighters led by Egianus Kogoya, a regional commander in the Free Papua Movement, stormed a single-engine plane on a small runway in Paro and abducted Mehrtens on Feb. 7, 2023.

Kogoya initially said the rebels would not release the pilot unless Indonesia’s government allowed Papua to become a sovereign country.

However, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters confirmed Mehrtens’ release after 592 days in captivity.

TALKING WITH FAMILY

“We are pleased and relieved to confirm that Phillip Mehrtens is safe and well and has been able to talk with his family,” Peters said in a statement Saturday. “This news must be an enormous relief for his friends and loved ones.”

Peters added that a wide range of New Zealand government agencies had been working with Indonesian authorities and others to secure the release for the past 19 1/2 months.

Officials were also supporting Mehrtens’ family, Peters said.

He added that many news outlets showed “cooperation and restraint” when reporting the story.

“The case has taken a toll on the Mehrtens family, who have asked for privacy,” Peters stressed. “We ask media outlets to respect their wishes, and therefore, we have no further comment at this stage.”

Aged 37 when he was kidnapped, Mehrtens was one of several expatriate pilots employed by Susi Air and, in recent years, lived in Bali with his family.

ANOTHER PILOT KILLED

His release came shortly after the rebels in Indonesia’s easternmost region of Papua last month killed a helicopter pilot from New Zealand, police said, adding that four passengers onboard the aircraft were safe.

Glen Malcolm Conning, a pilot for Indonesian aviation company PT Intan Angkasa Air Service, was shot to death, said Faizal Ramadhani, a national police member and head of the joint security peace force in Papua at the time.

The gunmen were allegedly with the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, Ramadhani added.

Conning was shot after landing in Alama, a remote village in central Papua province. Ramadhani said the gunmen released the Indigenous Papuan passengers and set fire to the aircraft.

His death added to pressure on negotiators to discuss Mehrten’s release.

Mehrtens was picked up by authorities in Nduga regency, and Indonesian police said he was undergoing health checkups and a physiological examination in Timika regency.

Peters said, “This news must be an enormous relief for his friends and loved ones.”

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