New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been freed after more than 18 months in captivity in Indonesia’s restive Papua region, CNN reports.
Mehrtens was kidnapped on February 7, 2023, by an armed faction of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) after he landed a small commercial plane in the remote, mountainous area of Nduga. His captors, led by Egianus Kogeya, hoped to use Mehrtens as leverage to pressure New Zealand into advocating for Papuan secession from Indonesia – a demand deemed unrealistic.
Speaking at a press conference in Timika, Mehrtens expressed his relief at his release.
“Today finally I have been freed. I am very happy that shortly I will be able to go home and meet my family.”
He thanked those who helped secure his release and said he was “very happy” to be going home.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters confirmed the news.
“We are pleased and relieved to confirm that Phillip Mehrtens is safe and well and has been able to talk with his family. This news must be an enormous relief for his friends and loved ones.”
Peters stressed the sustained efforts of his ministry, with staff in both Indonesia and Wellington, to secure Mehrtens’ release.
The TPNPB, designated a terrorist organization by the Indonesian government, has a history of using hostage-taking to advance its cause. Papua, a resource-rich former Dutch colony, was formally incorporated into Indonesia following a controversial 1969 referendum. Advocates for Papuan independence argue the referendum was neither free nor fair.
During his captivity, Mehrtens appeared in grainy proof-of-life videos, showing a decline in his physical condition. He was often seen surrounded by armed fighters wielding guns, bows, and arrows.
