JAKARTA: New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been released from captivity by rebels in Indonesia's restive region of Papua and was in good health despite the 19-month-long ordeal, Indonesian and New Zealand authorities said Saturday (Sep 21).
This screengrab from handout video footage taken and released on Sep 21, 2024 by the Cartenz Peace Task Force shows New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens , who was snatched by rebels in Indonesia 's restive region of Papua in February last year, following his release at a press conference in Timika.
A joint task force of police and military picked up Mehrtens in a village of Nduga district early Saturday, Faizal said. "We are pleased and relieved to confirm that Phillip Mehrtens is safe and well and has been able to talk with his family," Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.Mehrtens was providing vital air links and supplies to remote communities at the time of his abduction by rebels from the West Papua National Liberation Army insurgent group.The Indonesian task force would hold a press conference later on Saturday, Faizal said.
In this undated photo released by West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, Papuan separatist rebels pose for a photo with a man they said is New Zealander pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens at an undisclosed location in Papua province, Indonesia. Another New Zealander pilot, 50-year-old Glen Malcolm Conning, was shot dead last month after landing in the region with two Indonesian health workers and two children, all of whom survived.
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