Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua province released photos and videos Tuesday of a man they said is the pilot from New Zealand 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, who stormed his single-engine plane shortly after it landed on a small runway in Paro in remote Nduga district.
Sambom sent videos and photos Tuesday to The Associated Press that showed a group of gunmen, led by Kogoya, setting fire to the plane on the runway. Sitting in the plane’s cockpit, Kogoya said he took the pilot hostage as part of their struggle “to free Papua” from Indonesia. Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Mohammad Mahfud said the government was making every effort to persuade the rebels to release Mehrtens “because the priority is the safety of the hostage.”
Papua police chief Mathius Fakhiri told reporters in Jayapura, the provincial capital, that authorities are seeking to obtain the pilot’s freedom by involving several community leaders, including tribal and church figures, to build communication and negotiate with the rebels.
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