Separatist rebels release New Zealand pilot after 19 months in Indonesia’s Papua region

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The New Zealand pilot who’s been held hostage for more than a year in the restive Papua region has been freed by separatist rebels, Indonesian authorities said Saturday.

Phillip Mark Mehrtens, the pilot from Christchurch who was working 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, after separatist rebels let him walk free early Saturday, said the taskforce spokesperson Bayu Suseno.

“We managed to pick him up in good health,” Suseno said, adding that Mehrtens was flown to the mining town Timika for further health examination.

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 allows Papua to become a sovereign country.

Leaders of the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement known as TPNPB, said they would let Mehrtens go after a year being held by his captors. The rebels issued a proposal Tuesday for freeing Mehrtens that outlined terms including news media involvement in his release.

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

“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 written statement Saturday. “This news must be an enormous relief for his friends and loved ones.”

Peters said 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.

Many news outlets showed “cooperation and restraint” in reporting the story, he added.

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

New Zealand news outlets reported during Mehrtens’ captivity that he was one of a number of expatriate pilots employed by Susi Air and in recent years lived in Bali with his family.

Age 37 when he was kidnapped, Mehrtens was originally from the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, and trained as a pilot in his home country, according to the news outlets Stuff and the New Zealand Herald.

___

Graham-McLay reported from Wellington, New Zealand.

___

This story has been updated with the correct spelling of the pilot’s first name. It’s Phillip, not Philip.

Niniek Karmini And Charlotte Graham-mclay, The Associated Press