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New Zealand pilot freed in Indonesia's West Papua

September 21, 2024

A pilot from New Zealand who was being held captive in the restive Indonesian region of West Papua has been freed. Phillip Mehrtens was kidnapped more than a year and a half ago.

https://p.dw.com/p/4kvCX
The undated photo provided by the West Papua National Liberation Army shows New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens (third from left) next to armed fighters
Mehrtens was kidnapped by insurgents in February last year but freed on SaturdayImage: TPNPB/dpa/picture alliance

Indonesian police on Saturday said ​insurgents in the region of West Papua​ had released New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens from captivity more than a year and a half after he was kidnapped.

Mehrtens had been working for Indonesian airline Susi Air when he was taken by rebels at Nduga airport on February 7 last year.

Mehrtens released in 'good health'

Mehrtens was handed to the Cartenz Peace Taskforce, a joint security force set up by the Indonesian government to deal with separatist groups in Papua, early on Saturday.

Taskforce spokesperson Bayu Suseno said Mehrtens was in "good health."

Indonesian rebels release New Zealand pilot after 19 months

He was given medical and psychological checks before he was flown to Papua's city of Timika.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters confirmed the news.

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

592-day ordeal over

Mehrtens had been providing vital air links and supplies to remote communities when he was abducted by rebels from the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) insurgent group.

His release followed intense diplomatic efforts by Wellington and Jakarta.

Rebels had demanded that Indonesia recognize Papuan independence in return for Mehrtens' freedom.

The independence fighters of the TPNPB set fire to the Susi Air plane and released five passengers at the time of Mehrtens' abduction, but held on to the pilot.

In his months-long ordeal, the New Zealander made sporadic video appearances, believed to have been under duress, to speak to his family and government.

In August, 50-year-old Glen Malcolm Conning was killed after he landed in Alama, a remote village in Central Papua province. The New Zealander had worked for Indonesian air cargo firm PT Intan Angkasa Air Service. 

rc/ab (AFP, AP)