TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Papua armed rebel group reveals proposal to release New Zealand pilot
An armed rebel group in the easternmost region of Papua released a proposal on Tuesday to free New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens, who they kidnapped more than a year ago.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Indonesian soldiers take part in a ceremony on Dec. 12, 2023, before traveling to Papua for deployment in security operations, at Sultan Iskandar Muda Air Force base in Blang Bintang, Aceh. (AFP/Chaideer Mahyuddin)
A
n armed rebel group in the easternmost region of Papua released a proposal on Tuesday to free New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens, who they kidnapped more than a year ago.
Mehrtens was abducted by a faction of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) led by Egianus Kogoya in Nduga, Papua Highlands, on Feb. 7, 2023, and remains in captivity with the TPNPB, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM).
TPNPB OPM spokesperson Sebby Sambom publicly released a proposal to free Mehrtens for approval by both the Indonesian and New Zealand governments on Tuesday.
He told The Jakarta Post that Shieny Angelita, a special facilitator for the Indonesian government, will officially convey the proposal to the Indonesian government as soon as possible.
In its proposal, TPNPB requested that the delivery of Mehrtens be witnessed by the World Council of Churches, a United Nations representative, Mehrtens’ family, a figure from Nduga, two senior national and international journalists and two Indonesian human rights figures.
They also demanded that the Indonesian government not conduct military operations during the release.
“We will wait for a response from the Indonesian government,” Sebby told the Post on Tuesday.
Read also: Papua armed rebels ready to free New Zealand pilot held for over a year
The TPNPB conveyed its plan to release the proposal on Sunday. However, after the statement, Sebby said that Indonesia’s security forces began sending troops by air to Kenyam, Nduga, on Monday, claiming that the Indonesian government and military has ulterior motives in freeing the hostage.
Sebby said in a statement on Tuesday that attacks by Indonesia’s security forces continued until Tuesday, with at least 10 bombs in Alguru, Nduga.
The TPNPB had put forward the plan to free Mehrtens in August, but the joint police-military Operation Cartenz Peace task force spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Bayu Suseno cast doubt on that, describing it as “mere propaganda”.
Armed conflict between Indonesia’s security forces and the armed rebel group who demand that Indonesia recognize Papuan independence continues to occur despite mounting calls for security forces to apply a different approach to curb conflict in the resource-rich yet poorest regions.
