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TNI ready for operation to free New Zealand pilot, if talks fail
The government was currently taking soft approaches to try to break the deadlock, said the Cendrawasih Military Command commander Maj. Gen. Muhammad Saleh Mustafa, with local politicians and religious figures involved in trying to secure the release of Philip Mehrtens.
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In this undated photo sent by a Papuan separatist group, a man identified as New Zealand national Phillip Merthens stands in a forest surrounded by a group of people armed with rifles, spears and bows and arrows. (Courtesy of TPNPB/-)
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military commander in Papua on Thursday said a "law enforcement operation" was being prepared to free a New Zealand pilot held hostage by separatists, but only as a last resort if negotiations failed.
The government was currently taking soft approaches to try to break the deadlock, said the Cendrawasih Military Command commander Maj. Gen. Muhammad Saleh Mustafa, with local politicians and religious figures involved in trying to secure the release of Philip Mehrtens.
Mehrtens, a Susi Air pilot, was abducted by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) last week after landing in the remote region of Nduga.
"The Indonesian Police and Military do have a standard operating procedure in enforcing the law. To prevent this problem being prolonged we must set a deadline," Saleh told a news conference.
A spokesperson for the TPNPB shared photographs and videos of Mehrtens on Wednesday surrounded by about a dozen fighters, some armed with guns and bows. Mehrtens is heard saying his captors asked for the Indonesian military's withdrawal from Papua, otherwise he would be held for life.
The rebels are demanding for Indonesia to recognise Papuan independence in return for the pilot's release and a meeting with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo facilitated by the international community.
Since the attack, a joint team of Indonesian military and police was dispatched to search for the pilot, national police chief Listyo Sigit told reporters Tuesday.
