In Pics: Using him as leverage, Indonesian separatists refuse to release captured New Zealand pilot

Papua New Guinea: A New Zealand pilot who was kidnapped last week is in good health, according to photographs provided by separatists in Indonesia’s unrest-plagued Papua region, but they said he would not be released until the government recognised the region’s independence. The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) rebels kidnapped the pilot, Philip Mehrtens, of a Susi Air aircraft last week after it landed in the isolated Nduga district. Reuters was unable to independently authenticate the veracity of the pictures, but Mehrtens’ buddy, who asked to remain anonymous due to the delicate nature of the situation, said it was the pilot. Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the TPNPB, shared photographs and videos of a man wearing a jean jacket, surrounded by a group of about a dozen fighters, some armed with guns and bows.

These are the first pictures of NZ pilot Philip Mehrtens who was taken hostage in the Papuan highlands last week. Some of images show him held by fighters armed with guns and spears, others have him bumping fists with his captors. See inside the story: https://t.co/LhwPW9gPGj pic.twitter.com/sT0mPWutpH

— The Australian (@australian) February 14, 2023

“The Papuan military that has taken me captive to fight for Papuan independence, they ask for the Indonesian military to go home to Indonesia and if not, I will remain captive for my life,” Mehrtens said at one point in the video. One of the fighters is holding up the “Morning Star” flag, a symbol of Papuan independence. In a statement accompanying the images, Sambom said that the pilot was in good health and that he was collateral in a political dispute. Indonesia’s chief security minister Mahfud MD vowed in a video late on Monday to ensure Mehrtens’ release using “persuasive approaches, because the priority is his safety”, but said could not rule out using “other ways”, without elaborating. “Taking civilians as hostage, for any reason, is unacceptable,” he said. A spokesperson for New Zealand’s ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were aware of the photographs and video circulating but declined to comment further. Indonesia’s easternmost provinces have been wracked with a low-level battle for independence since the resource-rich region was controversially brought under Indonesian control in a vote overseen by the United Nations in 1969. The conflict has escalated significantly since 2018, with pro-independence fighters mounting deadlier and more frequent attacks.