The gumboot-wearing terrorist responsible for the kidnapping of an ex-Jetstar pilot in remote West Papua is a 23-year-old ‘psychopath’ whose violent separatist organization reportedly murdered, raped, and massacred 31 workers.
Phillip Mehrtens, 37, is being held captive by the West Papua National Liberation Army or TPNPB (known locally as the KKB) after flying into the disputed Indonesian province to rescue construction workers threatened with death.
He is the group’s most recent victim.
His nervous wife, Maria, and their kid are hoping for his freedom despite dire predictions that he will “die here like the rest of us” if Indonesian troops attempt to rescue him.
On Instagram, concerned pals have also posted, “Pray for Phillip” and “Oh God, have mercy.”
The KKB is led by Egianus Kogoya, dubbed a “psychopath” by some, who claimed responsibility for the notorious 2018 massacre of construction workers.
Kogoya and Mr. Mehrtens held hands during a disturbing “proof of life” film in which rebels armed with machine guns, spears, and bows and arrows demanded that the Indonesian military withdraw from the province.
The movement has waged a guerrilla battle for Indonesia’s withdrawal from the province formerly known as Irian Jaya, which it has governed since 1963, when it took over the Dutch-occupied colony that was profitable for spice and slave trading.
In 1969, Papua was brought into Indonesia via a UN-sponsored referendum that was widely viewed as a fraud. Since then, a low-level insurgency has simmered in the mineral-rich territory, which is separated into Papua and West Papua provinces.
The TPNPB issued images and a video showing Mr. Mehrtens raising his fist in apparent solidarity with them and stating in shaky Bahasa Indonesian, “The Indonesian military must leave.” If they remain, I will not be released.
The pilot stated in English, ‘The Free Papua Movement has captured me. In an effort to fight for Papuan independence, the Papuan military has held me captive.
“They have demanded that the Indonesian military return to Indonesia; if they do not, I will be held captive or my life is threatened.”
Mr. Mehrtens landed a single-engine Susi Air commercial passenger flight on a tiny airstrip at Paro, Nduga in the Papua Mountains on February 7; shortly thereafter, Kogoya’s KKB fighters boarded the aircraft.
According to the district chief of Nduga, Namia Gwijangge, the plane was due to pick up 15 employees whom Kogoya had threatened to kill.
Kogoya was shown on camera attacking the plane’s cockpit before fuel was poured into the aircraft and it was set ablaze.
Nduga is the same place where the KKB claimed responsibility for the 2018 killing of bridge-building employees who were kidnapped and executed on Free Papua Day.
The rebels then assaulted helicopters of the Indonesian Army attempting to transport survivors.
In the past five years, the KKB has conducted 47 shootings, eight assaults, three massacres, two acts of arson, as well as assaults, sexual assaults, threats, and murder, according to the Papua Regional Police.
On the Susi Airlines Instagram page, pilots and others expressed hope that a meeting with the TPNPB would be arranged and that he would be recovered soon.
A supporter said online, “Hopefully the brave Susi Air pilot will soon be found safe, and the government can be more courageous with KKB terrorists.”
However, one of the group’s fighters has issued repeated threats that Mr. Mehrtens’ freedom is contingent upon the Indonesian government withdrawing its soldiers and allowing the territory its independence.
“We are capturing the pilot and will not release him until Papua is liberated.” If not, the pilot will perish among us in our lands beside our leader, Egianus Kogoya, the fighter reportedly told The Australian.
We will not release him until Papua New Guinea is liberated. Every nation must open their eyes and recognize Papua’s independence.
“The Indonesian military and police cannot pursue us; if they do, we will shoot the pilot.”
How do you define the West Papua Liberation Army?
United Liberation Movement for West Papua’s military wing is the West Papua Liberation Army (ULMWP).
Since the early 1960s, separatist fighters from this clan have opposed Indonesian sovereignty in the easternmost part of Papua.
The gang, whose ranks include young soldiers, employs guerilla tactics to target and destroy industrial buildings as a protest against Indonesian-led development.
Since Indonesia seized control of the mineral-rich territory from the Dutch in 1962, Papuan fighters have never been well-armed, but they have fought Indonesia.
Papuans, who had declared independence the previous year, view Indonesians as invaders who consolidated authority in a sham referendum sponsored by the United Nations at the end of the 1960s.
Kogoya insists in a separate video that Mr. Mehrtens is safe and encourages the military not to start a rescue mission.
I will assure his safety, so Indonesia should not employ aerial or ground forces. If the pilot is with me, he will be protected,’ he stated. However, Kogoya has previously attacked politicians who claim to be fighting for the same cause, a free West Papua.
He has offered vehement rebukes, stating at one time, “we are fighting desperately in the forest for an independent Papua, but those of you who live abroad claim to be diplomats, but only to seek profit from us.”
His KKB organization has warned that any foreigners entering 12 declared war zones in the regions of Papua Highlands and Central Papua will be legal hostage targets.
A former colleague and fellow pilot informed New Zealand’s Stuff news organization that Mr. Mehrtens, 37, worked for Susi Air after completing flight school in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he was born and raised.
After meeting his wife Maria in Indonesia, the couple moved to New Zealand and began raising their kid in Auckland, where he worked for Jetstar.
The Mehrtens returned to Indonesia after he resumed job with Susi Air, a 2004-founded airline that has a fleet of 50 aircraft.
According to rebel spokesman Sebby Sambom, the rebels released all five of Mr. Mehrtens’ passengers since they were indigenous Papuans.
Many portions of the hilly region can only be reached by air, and Mr. Mehrtens, according to a former colleague, flies “dangerous pathways” with small runways on high hills.
The fellow pilot remarked, “It demonstrates how much of a family man he is by putting himself in danger to make money for his family.
No one has ever had anything negative to say about Phil; he truly is the kindest person alive.
Mohammad Mahfud, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political, Security, and Legal Affairs, stated that the government was using every effort to convince the rebels to release Mr. Mehrtens since the hostage’s safety was the top priority.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand stated in a statement, “We are aware of the photos and videos that are circulating but will not comment further at this time.”
Police head of Papua, Mathius Fakhiri, informed reporters in Jayapura, the provincial capital, that they are attempting to secure the pilot’s release by involving many community leaders, including tribal and religious authorities, in order to establish communication and negotiate with the rebels.
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