JAKARTA, Indonesia — Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s volatile Papua province posted images and footage of a man they claim is the New Zealand pilot they abducted last week on Tuesday.
Susi Air pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens of Christchurch was abducted by independence fighters from the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed side of the Free Papua Movement, who attacked his single-engine plane shortly after it landed on a little runway in Paro in the remote Nduga area.
According to the Nduga district chairman Namia Gwijangge, the jet carrying five passengers was due to pick up 15 construction workers who had been building a health clinic in Paro after separatist militants commanded by Egianus Kogoya 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,” one of the passengers, Gwijangge, explained. “We deeply regret this incident.”
Accessing many portions of the hilly region is only feasible through flight.
Earlier, rebel spokeswoman Sebby Sambom stated that the five passengers were released since they are indigenous Papuans.
Sambom supplied photographs and videos to The Associated Press on Tuesday depicting a gang of gunmen headed by Kogoya setting fire to the airplane on the runway. Kogoya stated he took the pilot prisoner as part of their battle “to liberate Papua from Indonesia” while he sat in the cockpit of the aircraft.
A second video depicted a man named Mehrtens standing in a forest surrounded by a number of individuals armed with guns, spears, and bows and arrows. In a third video, the separatists instructed the man to state, “Indonesia must acknowledge Papua’s independence.”
Kogoya says in the video with the man standing next to him, “I took him hostage for Papua independence, not for food or drinks.” “He will be safe with me so long as Indonesia does not employ its armed forces on the ground or in the air.”
Mohammad Mahfud, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Security, and Legal Affairs, stated that the government was doing every effort to convince the rebels to free Mehrtens “because the safety of the hostage is paramount.”
“Taking civilians hostage for any reason is unacceptable,” Mahfud said Tuesday night in a video statement. According to him, persuasion is the most effective way to assure the safety of hostages, but “the government does not rule out other efforts.”
He highlighted the government’s position that Papua is an integral part of Indonesia.
Mahfud stated that Papua will remain a valid part of the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia indefinitely.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand issued a statement on Wednesday stating, “We are aware of the photos and video that are circulating but will not comment further at this time.”
Mathius Fakhiri, the police chief of Papua, told reporters in Jayapura, the provincial capital, that they are attempting to secure the pilot’s release by enlisting the assistance of several community leaders, including tribal and religious figures, in order to establish communication and negotiate with the rebels.
In the impoverished Papua area, a former Dutch colony in the western part of New Guinea that is ethnically and culturally distinct from the rest of Indonesia, conflicts between Indigenous Papuans and Indonesian security forces are frequent. Papua was absorbed into Indonesia in 1969 via a fake vote sponsored by the United Nations. Since then, there has been a simmering rebellion in the mineral-rich region.
The 15 construction workers who were rescued by security authorities on February 8 came from several Indonesian islands to construct the Paro health center. After rebels threatened to kill them, they sought safety at a village priest’s home for several days.
Separatists view civilian employees as foreigners who occasionally spy for the Indonesian government.
During the past year, dozens of rebels, security officers, and civilians have been slain in the region.
»Papua separatist militants claim captured New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens is safe«