New Zealand pilot freed after 19 months in Papua rebel captivity

A New Zealand pilot held hostage for 19 months by separatist rebels in Indonesia’s Papua region was freed on Saturday, Indonesian authorities said, bringing an end to a standoff that had drawn international attention.

Phillip Mehrtens was abducted by the West Papua National Liberation Army, or TPNPB, in February last year. He was released following protracted negotiations facilitated by religious and tribal leaders in Nduga, a remote regency in Papua, said Bayu Suseno, spokesman for a joint military-police task force dealing with the separatist insurgency.

“He was in good health when we retrieved him, and we immediately flew him to Timika,” Bayu said in a statement, referring to a major town in Central Papua province. He did not specify the exact conditions of his release.

Mehrtens was receiving the necessary evaluations to ensure he is both physically and mentally stable, Bayu added.

Mehrtens, 38, had been working as a pilot for Indonesian airline Susi Air when his plane was seized shortly after landing in the region.

The rebels, who are the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, have long fought for independence from Indonesian rule.

When Mehrtens was taken captive, the TPNPB demanded Papua’s independence in exchange for his release.

Video footage of Mehrtens surrounded by heavily armed rebels had circulated online over the past year.

TPNPB spokesman Sebby Sambom had said in a video statement posted on YouTube Tuesday that the group would unconditionally release Mehrtens “on humanitarian grounds”.

Sambom reiterated, however, that the group’s demand for Papuan independence remains unchanged.

“Our struggle for an independent West Papua is non-negotiable,” he said.

When asked about Mehrtens’ release on Saturday, Sambom declined to comment, saying he had not been briefed on it.

Meanwhile, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters welcomed the release.

“We are pleased and relieved to confirm that Philip Mehrtens is safe and well and has been able to talk with his family,” he said in a statement. “This news must be an enormous relief for his friends and loved ones.”

The New Zealand government had worked closely with Indonesian authorities and other parties to secure Mehrtens’ freedom, Peters said.

The separatist conflict in Papua, simmering since the 1960s, has left thousands dead and many more displaced.

Though Indonesia has sought to integrate Papua through infrastructure development and increased autonomy, many Papuans remain deeply resentful of Jakarta’s control, which they view as exploitative, especially in the context of the region’s vast natural resources.

New York-based Human Rights Watch released a report on Thursday detailing what it called entrenched racism and systemic discrimination against the indigenous ethnic Melanesian people in Papua.

The report said the Indonesian government had responded to Papuans’ calls for independence with arbitrary arrests, torture, forced displacement and extrajudicial killings.

International human rights organizations have repeatedly called on Indonesia to allow independent investigations into the human rights situation in Papua, but the government has restricted access to the region.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.