Crime

New Zealand Pilot Held Hostage by Papua Rebels for Over a Year

Published

10 months ago

February 13, 2024

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A New Zealand pilot who was kidnapped by separatist rebels in Indonesia’s Papua region has appeared in two videos, sending a message to his family and asking for help from his government.

Philip Mehrtens, 38, was abducted by the West Papua Liberation Army (TPNPB) on February 7, 2023, after he landed a small Susi Air plane at Paro village in the remote highlands of Papua province. The rebel group set the aircraft on fire and took the pilot hostage as part of their struggle “to free Papua” from Indonesia.

Philip Mark Mehrtens — Philip was seen in a video released last week (Picture: Twitter)

Uncleared grabs Papua rebels hold guns to New Zealand pilot's head in chilling new video warning their hostage will be executed if their demands are not met in two months — The group has threatened to kill him multiple times (Picture: Twitter)

The TPNPB recently released two videos of Mr Mehrtens showing that he was still alive and well. The first video was taken on December 23, 2023, and the second was born last week.

In the first video, Mr Mehrtens spoke in English and Indonesian, addressing his wife and six-year-old son.

He said he was “OK” and “trying to stay positive” and hoped that they were “healthy and doing OK and getting support”. He also said he loved and missed them and hoped to talk to them soon.

He's being held somewhere near Paro in Indonesia (Picture: Metro) — He’s being held somewhere near Paro in Indonesia (Picture: Metro.

In the second video, Mr Mehrtens pleaded with the New Zealand government for help. He asked for “one or two ventolin inhalers” in case he got asthma and an “e-book reader like a Kindle” with as many English books as possible. He said that would be “very much appreciated”.

The TPNPB has threatened to execute Mr Mehrtens if their demands are not met. The rebel group wants Indonesia to recognise and free Papua from its colonial rule. Papua is a former Dutch colony in the western part of New Guinea that is ethnically and culturally different from much of Indonesia. Papua was annexed by Indonesia in 1969 after a UN-backed referendum that was widely criticised as a sham.

Since then, a low-level insurgency has been ongoing in the mineral-rich region, with frequent clashes between the rebels and the Indonesian security forces. The conflict has escalated in recent years, with dozens of casualties on both sides and thousands of civilians displaced.

In April 2023, the Indonesian military attempted to rescue Mr Mehrtens, but six soldiers were killed in a rebel ambush. The New Zealand government has offered assistance to Indonesia to secure the pilot’s release but has also urged a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the crisis.