New Zealand pilot freed after 19 months in rebel captivity in Indonesia

Timika:

New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been freed from captivity by rebels in Indonesia’s Papua region and is in good health despite the 19-month ordeal, Indonesian and New Zealand authorities said on Saturday.

Phillip Mehrtens, 38, was working for Indonesian airline Susi Air when he was snatched by rebels from the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) insurgent group at Papua’s Nduga Airport on February 7 last year.

A joint police and military task force collected Mehrtens in a village in Nduga district on Saturday morning before he was given medical and psychological checks and flown to the Papuan city of Timika, the chief said Faizal Ramadhani unit.

“Today I was released. I am very happy that soon I will be able to go home and meet my family,” Mehrtens told reporters earlier in Timika, speaking in Indonesian.

“Thank you to everyone who helped me today so I could get out safely and soundly.”

Mehrtens arrived in the capital Jakarta from Timika on Saturday evening, where Hadi Tjahjanto, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, told reporters that Mehrtens had been handed over to the New Zealand ambassador.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters previously said Mehrtens was “safe and well” and had been able to speak to his family.

“This news must come as a huge relief to his friends and loved ones,” Peters added.

Mehrtens was providing air links and vital supplies to remote communities at the time of his abduction.

The task force released footage of an emotional Mehrtens receiving a phone call from his family and an unidentified loved one was heard saying “hang in there”.

Video addresses

His release came after intense diplomatic efforts by Wellington and Jakarta.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Saturday that Jakarta secured Mehrtens’ freedom through negotiation, not force.

“We prioritized the safety of the pilot who was held hostage. It took a long process and I appreciate the authorities,” he told reporters.

The rebels demanded that Indonesia recognize the independence of Papua in exchange for its freedom.

A TPNPB spokesman, Sebby Sambom, said another faction of the rebel group had agreed to a deal with the Indonesian government, accusing them of accepting a payment without providing evidence.

The rebels had at one point threatened to kill Mehrtens if the talks did not take place. The group said foreign nationals were targeted because their governments had ties to Indonesia.

In February 2023, TPNPB rebels set fire to a Susi Air plane and freed five passengers, but held on to Mehrtens.

During his captivity in rural Papua, the New Zealander made sporadic video appearances, possibly under duress, to address his family and government.

Rebels said he was healthy throughout, but his appearance changed drastically over time, with the pilot becoming emaciated, long-haired and bearded in proof-of-life videos.

Mehrtens appeared in good physical condition in images released by Indonesian authorities on Saturday.

“gentle man”

Mehrtens, a father of one, grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand.

While in captivity, he was described by friends as a “kind and gentle man” who helped Papuans by flying to remote areas that are not accessible by road and where many would not fly, according to New Zealand media outlets.

Indonesia maintains a strong military presence in resource-rich but underdeveloped Papua to quell the long-running separatist insurgency.

Rebel attacks in the region have increased in recent years and flying is the only way to get there in the remote mountainous areas.

Another New Zealand pilot, Glen Malcolm Conning, 50, was shot dead last month after landing in the region with two Indonesian health workers and two children, all of whom survived.

The former Dutch colony declared independence in 1961, but neighboring Indonesia took control two years later, promising a referendum. In 1969, a thousand Papuans voted for integration into Indonesia in a UN-backed vote.

Independence activists in Papua regularly criticize the vote and call for new polls, but Jakarta says its sovereignty over Papua is backed by the United Nations.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)