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

JAKARTA - New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been released from captivity by rebels in Indonesia’s restive region of Papua, and was in good health despite his 19-month-long ordeal, the Indonesian and New Zealand authorities said on Sept 21.

Mr Mehrtens, 38, was working for Indonesian airline Susi Air when he

was snatched by rebels

at Nduga airport in Papua on Feb 7, 2023.

A joint task force of the police and military collected Mr Mehrtens in a village in the Nduga district early on Sept 21, before he was given medical and psychological checks and flown to the Papuan city of Timika, said the unit’s head Faizal Ramadhani.

“Today I have been freed. I am very happy that shortly I will be able to go home and meet my family,” Mr Mehrtens told reporters in Timika, speaking in Bahasa Indonesia. “Thank you to everybody who helped me today, so I can get out safely in a healthy condition.”

The New Zealand government said Mr Mehrtens was doing well and had spoken to his family, which had been assisted by Wellington.

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

Mr Mehrtens was providing vital air links and supplies to remote communities at the time of his abduction by rebels from the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) insurgent group.

Mr Faizal said in a press conference that the pilot would be flown to the capital, Jakarta, without saying where he would go next.

The task force also released footage of an emotional Mr Mehrtens taking a phone call from his family, with one unidentified loved one heard saying “hang in there”.

Video addresses

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

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Sept 21 that Jakarta had secured Mr Mehrtens’ safety through negotiation, not force.

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

Rebels had demanded Indonesia recognise Papuan independence in return for his freedom.

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

The rebels had at one point threatened to kill Mr Mehrtens if talks were not forthcoming. The group said foreign nationals were targets because their governments had ties with Indonesia.

The Indonesian military said armed separatists had ambushed soldiers searching for him in April, killing at least one.

In February 2023, TPNPB rebels set fire to the Susi Air plane and released five other passengers, but held on to Mr Mehrtens. During his months-long ordeal in the Papuan countryside, the New Zealander made sporadic appearances on video, likely under duress, to address his family and his government.

The rebels said he was in good health throughout his captivity, but his appearance changed drastically over time. He became gaunt, long-haired and with an unkempt beard in proof-of-life videos, where he asked for medication to aid his asthma.

Mr Mehrtens appeared to be in good physical condition in handout images published by the Indonesian authorities after his release.

‘Gentle man’

He is a father of one who grew up in the New Zealand city of Christchurch. During his captivity, he was described by friends as a “kind and gentle man” who was helping Papuans by flying into remote areas not accessible by road that many would not fly to, according to local media in New Zealand.

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

Rebel attacks in the region have risen in recent years, and flying is the only available option to reach remote mountainous areas there.

Another New Zealander pilot, 50-year-old Glen Malcolm Conning, was shot dead in August after landing in the region with two Indonesian health workers and two children, all of whom survived.

Papua’s Melanesian population shares few cultural connections with the rest of Indonesia, and the military has long been accused of gross human rights abuses there.

The former Dutch colony declared independence in 1961, but neighbouring Indonesia took control two years later, promising a referendum.

In 1969, a thousand Papuans voted to integrate into Indonesia in a UN-backed vote.

Papuan independence activists regularly criticise the vote and call for fresh polls, but Jakarta says its sovereignty over Papua is supported by the UN. AFP