Pilot hostage freed by Papua rebels 'very happy' to go home

A New Zealand pilot who has been freed more than 19 months after being taken hostage by separatists in Indonesia says he is “very happy” to be going home to his family.

Philip Mehrtens was kidnapped by West Papua National Liberation Army fighters in February 2023 and was released after lengthy negotiations into the care of Indonesian officials on Saturday.

He appeared before cameras looking thin and with a full beard but is said to be in good health.

The 38-year-old was kidnapped after he landed a small commercial plane in the remote, mountainous area of Nduga.

“Today I have been freed. I am very happy that shortly I will be able to go home and meet my family,” Mr Mehrtens, speaking in Indonesian, told reporters in Timika.

“Thank you for everybody who helped me today, so I can get out safely in a healthy condition.”

His release follows months of “critical” diplomatic efforts by authorities in Wellington and Jakarta.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon welcomed the release and New Zealand foreign minister Winston Peters added: “His family will be absolutely over the moon”.

Indonesian police spokesperson Bayu Suseno said Mr Mehrtens was released and then picked up in a village called Yuguru in the Maibarok district before being flown to the city of Timika.

Several days before the release, rebels told the BBC Indonesian service they would free Mr Mehrtens “safely and in accordance with international standards for the protection of human rights”.

“We the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), remain committed to upholding the values of peace, respect and dignity in this situation,” spokesman Sebby Sambom said.

The pilot, a father-of-one, is being flown to Jakarta to be reunited with his family.

He was kidnapped after his small passenger plane – which belongs to Indonesia’s Susi Air – landed in Nduga in February last year.

He was meant to return a few hours later after dropping off five passengers but shortly after landing, rebels targeted the single-engine plane and seized him.

The five other passengers, who were indigenous Papuans, were released.

The kidnapping was part of a long-running, often brutally violent conflict between the Indonesian government and West Papua’s indigenous people.

In April, at least one Indonesian soldier was killed after being ambushed by rebels while searching for the kidnapped New Zealander in the Papua region.

Last month another New Zealand pilot, 50-year-old Glen Malcolm Conning, was shot dead by a pro-independence group known as Free Papua Organisation (OPM) after landing in the region with two Indonesian health workers and two children, all of whom survived.

Authorities said the group responsible for Mr Conning’s death is the same that was holding Mr Mehrtens.

A spokesperson from the West Papua National Liberation Army previously told the BBC Indonesian service they wanted to hold Mr Mehrtens captive until countries “like New Zealand and Australia” took responsibility for their alleged role in violence in Papua.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Saturday that Jakarta had been able to secure Mr Mehrtens’ safety through ongoing negotiation, and not force.

Speaking to reporters he said: “We prioritised the safety of the pilot who was held hostage. It took a long process”.

The region is a former Dutch colony divided into two provinces, Papua and West Papua. It is separate from Papua New Guinea, which secured independence from Australia in 1975.

Papuan rebels seeking independence from Indonesia have previously issued threats and attacked aircraft they believe to be carrying personnel and supplies for Jakarta.

The resource-rich region has been caught in a battle for independence since it was brought under Indonesia’s control in a disputed UN-supervised vote in 1969.

Conflicts between indigenous Papuans and the Indonesian authorities have been common since, with pro-independence fighters mounting more frequent attacks since 2018.