Indonesia: Separatists murder New Zealand pilot in Papua

Separatists in Indonesia's restive Papua region ambushed a helicopter on Monday and murdered its New Zealand pilot. 

The pilot, 50-year-old Glen Malcolm Conning, was killed after he landed in Alama, a remote village in Central Papua province, according to Indonesian authorities. Conning worked for Indonesian air cargo firm PT Intan Angkasa Air Service. 

"The helicopter carrying four passengers was ambushed upon arrival by the armed criminal group, resulting in the death of the pilot, Mr Glen Malcolm Conning," Faizal Ramadhani, a member of the Indonesian National Police said. Faizal is in charge of the joint security peace force in Papua.  

Faizal said the rebels let four Indigenous passengers who were on the helicopter go.

Conning is believed to have been killed by the West Papua National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement. Another New Zealand pilot, Philip Mark Mehrtens, was taken captive by the Free Papua Movement in February 2023 and is still being held in the province of Highland Papua. 

Conning's body was retrieved on Tuesday in a search led by a joint task force of police and soldiers.

What is the background of the Papua conflict? 

The Free Papua Movement seeks the independence of Papua from Indonesia.

West Papua, which borders New Guinea, was formerly a Dutch colony which came under Indonesian control in 1969 after a UN-backed referendum. The referendum, known as the Act of Free Choice, was controversial as the people who took part in the vote were picked by the Indonesian military. 

Backers of West Papuan independence contend that the Indonesian government had engineered the Act of Free Choice referendum in its favor. The Indonesian government is accused of running a police state in the West Papua region and cracking down on pro-independence sentiments in the region.  

wd/rmt (AP, dpa)