Wednesday, February 15, 2023 – Chilling photographs have emerged of a New Zealand pilot who has been taken hostage by a heavily armed rebel group in the remote Papua region of Indonesia.
Phillip Mehrtens, a pilot for Indonesian aviation company Susu Air, was kidnapped last week by the rebels, after they attacked his single-engine plane shortly after it landed on a small runway in Paro in the remote Nduga district on February 7.
The separatist rebels from the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), seized Mehrtens before setting fire to his plane on the runway.
Images have now emerged showing Mehrtens standing in a forest surrounded by a group of rebels armed with rifles, spears, and bows, and arrows.
Rebel leader Egianus Kogoya insisted that the pilot, from Christchurch, will not be released until the Papua region is made independent from Indonesia. But the Indonesian government has stood firm and said Papua will ‘forever remain a legitimate part’ of Indonesia, raising fears that Mehrtens may not be released.
It was reported that Mehrtens had landed his plane, with five passengers on board, on a small runway in Paro and was scheduled to pick up 15 construction workers who had been building a health centre in the district after the separatist rebels threatened to kill them.
‘Our plan to evacuate the workers angered the rebels, who responded by setting fire to the plane and seizing the pilot,’ said Nduga district chief Namia Gwijangge, who was one of the passengers. ‘We deeply regret this incident.’
The rebels released all five passengers because they are indigenous Papuans, rebel spokesperson Sebby Sambom said earlier.
Sambom shared videos and photos on Tuesday that showed a group of gunmen, led by Kogoya, setting fire to the plane on the runway.
In a viral video, the man was ordered by the rebels to say, ‘Indonesia must recognize Papua is independent.’
‘I took him hostage for Papua independence, not for food or drinks,’ Kogoya said in the video with Mehrtens standing next to him. ‘He will be safe with me as long as Indonesia does not use its arms, either from the air or on the ground.’
Indonesia’s 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.’
‘Taking civilians hostage for any reason is unacceptable,’ Mahfud said in a video statement late Tuesday. He said persuasion is the best method to ensure hostage safety, but ‘the government does not rule out other efforts.’
He emphasised the government’s view that Papua is part of Indonesia. ‘Papua will forever remain a legitimate part of the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia,’ Mahfud said.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Wednesday in a statement: ‘We are aware of the photos and video circulating but won’t be commenting further at this stage.’
Papua police chief Mathius Fakhiri told reporters in Jayapura, the provincial capital, that they 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.
Meanwhile, the president United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Benny Wenda issued a statement on February 9 that laid out his demands.
‘The ULMWP Executive reiterates and reassures the New Zealand government and the world that we are [using] a peaceful, diplomatic approach,’ President Wenda wrote.
‘Our roadmap is very clear: we are pursuing the unified West Papuan goal of national liberation peacefully, through diplomatic political mechanisms.’
To release Mr. Mehrtens, the rebels are demanding the removal of Indonesian troops from West Papua, a UN investigation into alleged human rights violations, a referendum of independence, and a cancellation of ‘Special Autonomy’.
‘The kidnap of a foreign pilot naturally brings West Papua to the attention of international media,’ Wenda continued.
‘The international community must help to end the violence in West Papua by forcing Indonesia to come to the table and discuss a referendum, the only path to a peaceful resolution.
‘We will peacefully continue our long fight for freedom, until the world finally hears our cry.
However, a spokesperson for the Liberation Army has also issued a warning to other countries and areas, including Australia.
‘[The West Papuan Liberation Army] considers New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, America, Europe, all are responsible,’ a statement from the Liberation Army’s secretary, Sebby Sambom, reads.
‘The US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand has supported the Indonesian government, trained The Indonesian National Police, supplied weapons to kill us West Papuans from 1963 to today. They must be held accountable.’
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