A separatist rebel group has published footage of a New Zealand pilot they have taken hostage. Phillip Mehrtens works for an Indonesian airline and had just landed at the small airport in the Nduga district of Papua. He was taken after rebels broke into his single-engine plane.
The indigenous people in the Indonesian province have a tribal culture that is alien to the rest of Indonesia. The country became Indonesian in 1962 against the will of many Papuans. Since then, there have been armed groups striving for independence
The separatist rebels took Christchurch pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens hostage last week, write New Zealand newspapers. The occupants of the plane had just landed in the remote area when they were ambushed and threatened with death. Because the rebels demand that their province become independent, they kidnapped Mehrtens. The AP news agency has been sent images of the hostage. He would be in good health.
The district chief says he regrets the incident and the authorities have made his safety a top priority. The minister has initiated negotiations with tribal leaders, but also emphasizes that he will not comply with the demands. “Papua will always be a legitimate part of the Republic of Indonesia,” said Jakarta.
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