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Papua rebels call for UN mediation in New Zealand hostage video
Pilot Phillip Mehrtens, who works for the small, domestic Susi Air service, was abducted by the armed wing of Free Papua Movement (OPM) on Feb. 7 after landing at an airstrip in the Nduga district.
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New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens read a statement prepared by a group of separatists in Papua on March 10, 2023. (The Jakarta Post/Twitter)
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New Zealand pilot who was taken hostage last month by rebels in Papua has appeared in videos put out by separatists calling for the United Nations to mediate in the conflict in the resource-rich region.
Pilot Phillip Mehrtens, who works for the small, domestic Susi Air service, was abducted by the armed wing of Free Papua Movement (OPM) on Feb. 7 after landing at an airstrip in the Nduga district.
"OPM requests the United Nations to mediate between Papua and Indonesia to work towards Papuan independence," Mehrtens said in one video, echoing comments in a earlier video statement, in which he said he would only be released if Papua became independent.
Reuters could not independently verify where and when the videos were taken. Sebby Sambom, a spokesperson for the rebels, said they were shot on March 6.
Papua has seen a low-level separatist insurgency since the region that was once governed by the Netherlands was brought under Indonesian control following a U.N.-supervised vote in 1969 that separatists say was flawed.
Chief security minister and other officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the videos.
Since the rebels seized the pilot, officials have sought to use dialogue to secure his release, saying a "law enforcement operation" would be a last resort.
