A rebel group in Indonesia's West Papua region has said it has issued an order to its armed faction to release New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens, a year after he was taken hostage.
The charter plane pilot flew onto a remote airstrip in the Papua highlands on February 7, 2023, and was ambushed by a group of armed men. The pilot from Christchurch was working for Indonesian aviation company Susi Air.
The separatist fighters who took Mehrtens hostage have been demanding independence for the region in exchange for his freedom.
In a statement released yesterday, Terianus Satto of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), one of several groups fighting for independence from Indonesia, said, "TPNPB will return the pilot [Mr Mehrtens] to his family through the jurisdiction of the Secretary General of the United Nations".
ABC reported TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom issued an order for Merhtens' release to its armed faction led by Egianus Kogoya.
However given the highly factionalised nature of Papua's rebel groups, it was unclear if Kogoya would agree to the order from the central command of TPNPB.
The exact timing of his potential release also remains unclear.
Videos and photos that the rebels sent to media outlets yesterday showed a dishevelled and emaciated long-haired man sitting barefoot on a wooden log, flanked by two men brandishing rifles, AP reports.
In one video, the guarded man is wearing a black sweater and shorts. Speaking to the camera, he says the date is December 22.
A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement: "New Zealand continues to work with all parties on securing Mr Mehrtens' safe release. The Minister of Foreign Affairs has no further comment at this time."
The last confirmed images of Mehrtens were seen just before Christmas 2023.
The armed wing of the Free Papua Movement has circulated photos and videos of the Kiwi pilot for 12 months. In May 2023, it threatened to kill Mehrtens if its demands were not met.
Peters has previously called for the pilot's immediate release, stating that Mehrtens' "continued detention served no one".
The New Zealand Government had been working with various agencies in Papua to secure his release.
ABC reported military clashes with rebels searching for him resulted in deaths on both sides over the past 12 months.
Police have also been working with church groups in Papua to locate the pilot. However a spokesperson said they had not been informed about such a release and was skeptical, the ABC reported.
Little was known about where Mehrtens had been kept, or his condition. His kidnapping renewed attention on the long-running, deadly conflict in resource-rich Papua, which was controversially brought under Indonesian rule by a United Nations vote in 1969.
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi yesterday held a telephone conversation with her New Zealand counterpart Peters, to discuss efforts to free Mehrtens, the ministry's spokesperson Lalu Muhammad Iqbal told AP.
Marsudi told Peters that Indonesia continues to make efforts to free the hostage "by prioritising persuasive aspects and approaches", Iqbal said.
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