Philip Mehrtens: Papua separatist rebels release images of New Zealand pilot hostage
Separatist fighters in Indonesia's Papua region have released video footage and pictures of a man they say is a New Zealand pilot whom they took hostage last week.
Phillip Mark Mehrtens, of Christchurch, a pilot for Indonesian aviation company Susi Air, was abducted by independence fighters from the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement.
He was reportedly kidnapped after landing his plane on a small runaway in Paro, in Papua's remote mountainous district of Nduga.
The plane, carrying five passengers, was scheduled to pick up 15 construction workers who had been building a health centre in Paro after a group of separatist rebels led by Egianus Kogoya threatened to kill them, said Nduga district chief Namia Gwijangge.
“Our plan to evacuate the workers angered the rebels, who responded by setting fire to the plane and seizing the pilot,” Gwijangge, who was one of the passengers, said. “We deeply regret this incident.”
The rebels released all five passengers because they are indigenous Papuans, rebel spokesperson Sebby Sambom said.
Footage appeared to show a group of gunmen, led by Kogoya, setting fire to the plane on the runway, while another video showed a man standing in a forest surrounded by a group of people armed with rifles, spears and bows and arrows.
“I took him hostage for Papua independence, not for food or drinks,” Kogoya said in the video with the man standing next to him.
“He will be safe with me as long as Indonesia does not use its arms, either from the air or on the ground.”
Conflicts between Indigenous Papuans and Indonesian security forces are common in the impoverished Papua region, located in the western part of New Guinea that is ethnically and culturally distinct from much of Indonesia.
Papua, previously a Dutch colony, was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a UN-sponsored ballot that was widely seen as a sham. Since then, a low-level insurgency has simmered in the mineral-rich region.
The coordinating minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs, Mohammad Mahfud, said the government is making every effort to persuade the rebels to release Mehrtens “because the priority is the safety of the hostage.” “Taking civilians hostage for any reason is unacceptable,” Mahfud said in a video statement late Tuesday. He said persuasion is the best method to ensure hostage safety, but “the government does not rule out other efforts.”
New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Wednesday in a statement: “We are aware of the photos and video circulating but won’t be commenting further at this stage.”
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