JAKARTA (Reuters) - New Zealand has called for the immediate release of Kiwi pilot Phillip Mehrtens, a year after he was taken hostage by rebels in Indonesia's Papua region, its foreign minister said on Monday.
An armed faction of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), led by Egianus Kogoya, kidnapped Mehrtens on Feb. 7, 2023 after he landed a small commercial plane in the remote, mountainous area of Nduga. The group threatened to shoot Mehrtens if talks about Papuan independence were denied.
"We strongly urge those holding Phillip to release him immediately and without harm. His continued detention serves the interests of no one," New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
A low-level but increasingly deadly battle for independence has been waged in the resource-rich western half of the island of Papua since it was controversially brought under Indonesian control in a vote overseen by the United Nations in 1969. The island's eastern half is an independent country, Papua New Guinea.
The Indonesian conflict has escalated significantly since 2018, with pro-independence fighters mounting deadlier and more frequent attacks, largely because they have managed to procure more sophisticated weapons.
The New Zealand foreign minister said a range of government agencies continued to work extensively with their Indonesian counterparts to secure Mehrtens' release.
The Indonesian government has previously said it had prioritised negotiations with religious and community leaders to free the pilot, noting the dangers of a conducting a military operation in the rugged highland area.
TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom joined the call to release Mehrtens, saying that no country in history had gained independence by taking a hostage, but the highly factionalised rebel group is yet to heed that advice.
The separatist group has released video of Mehrtens several times, asking the United Nations to mediate talks towards Papua's independence. In one of the videos, he was seen holding the banned Morning Star flag and surrounded by Papuan fighters.
(Reporting by Ananda Teresia and Kate Lamb; Editing by Jamie Freed)
