Phillip Mark Mehrtens, a 38-year-old New Zealand pilot, has been released after being held hostage for over a year by separatist rebels in Indonesia’s Papua region.
Mehrtens, who was working for Indonesian aviation company Susi Air, was abducted on February 7, 2023, from a remote airport in Papua. His release on Saturday marks the end of a 19-month ordeal that highlighted the ongoing tensions in Indonesia’s easternmost province.
“Today I finally got out. I am so happy to be back home with my family soon,” an emotional Mehrtens told reporters at a news conference in Timika, a mining town in Papua. Television footage showed the pilot, visibly emaciated with long hair, sobbing while speaking to his family via video call.
The Free Papua Movement, led by regional commander Egianus Kogoya, had initially demanded Indonesia grant Papua independence in exchange for Mehrtens’ release. However, the group recently proposed terms for his freedom, including media involvement in the process.
Bayu Suseno, a spokesperson for the taskforce involved in negotiations, attributed the successful release to a “soft approach” involving communication with the separatists through local church and community leaders.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters confirmed that various government agencies had been working with Indonesian authorities to secure Mehrtens’ release. Peters emphasized the toll the ordeal had taken on the Mehrtens family, who have requested privacy.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo congratulated the military and police for prioritizing negotiation and safety in resolving the hostage situation. “This was through a very long negotiation process and our patience not to do it repressively,” Widodo stated.
The incident underscores the ongoing conflict in Papua, a region incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 under controversial circumstances. The area has since seen a low-level insurgency, with violence escalating in recent years.
Mehrtens’ release brings relief after a tense period that saw other violent incidents in the region, including the killing of another New Zealand pilot in August 2023.
