President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo himself has pledged that the government would continue to seek the release of the Kiwi pilot through peaceful means, although we are not too sure if the government's approach has been effective so far.

Now, after five months and with no prospect of Mehrtens being released soon, we call on the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) to immediately free the hostage for humanitarian reasons. 

The kidnapping of Mehrtens has not only brought grief to his family but has inflicted suffering on the Papuan people because the crisis has resulted in the disruption of flight services in the region, which serve as a lifeline for Papuans, especially those living in remote areas in the Papua highlands.

We also support the government's determination to use peaceful approaches, including through negotiations with the assistance of religious and community leaders, in ending the hostage crisis. But at the end of the day, the government's ultimate approach should not just be buying time, it should set a deadline for resolution of the crisis with minimal casualties.

In the grand scheme of things, the government should also make more concerted efforts to address the roots of grievances and frustration in Papua. We are aware of the complex mix of the economic and political interests of the local elites in Papua and the unscrupulous motives from elites and politicians at the central government level.

The grievances have deep roots and we can see that clearly from the family background of those involved in the current hostage-taking plot.

Egianus Kogoya, the dreadlocked rebel behind the kidnapping of Mehrtens is the son of tribal leader Silas Kogoya of Nduga regency, Papua Highlands. In 1996, the elder Kogoya led a plot to abduct foreign and domestic researchers who conducted research in Mapenduma.

These hostages were only released following a security operation led by then-commander of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) Brig. Gen. Prabowo Subianto.

And now, with President Jokowi's trip to Papua New Guinea, we can also express our hope that he is looking to find an amicable solution to the hostage crisis in the highlands of Papua.

It is also reassuring to know that the TNI has also pledged that it would resort to peaceful means to solve the crisis. TNI chief Adm. Yudo Margono said the military would prioritize negotiations with the rebels by involving religious and local leaders.

Considering the demands from the TPNPB and how these rebels launched their operation, we should applaud the government's pledge for peace.

The TPNPB, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), kidnapped the pilot when his small plane, with seven passengers on board, landed in Nduga, Papua Highlands, on Feb. 7. These rebels burned down the aircraft soon after it landed.

Initially, the rebels demanded Indonesia recognize the independence of the whole Papua territory and the immediate withdrawal of all TNI troops in the region. 

For Jakarta, the demands made no sense at all. It is impossible to start negotiations to grant independence to Papua, which is internationally recognized as the sovereign territory of Indonesia.

With no response given by Jakarta, the rebels reduced their demand by calling for the government to start negotiations on the process to grant independence to the resource-rich territory.

As expected, Jakarta did not respond to the fresh demand as it was convinced that it would not be the last pressure from the hostage takers.

The central government has a history of underestimating these armed rebels and at times the cost of such an approach is high.

In November 2018, rebels killed 16 construction workers in Nduga's Mbua district and in March 2021 they kidnapped another pilot of Susi Air in Puncak regency. The pilot was later released.

We believe unless the central government address the root causes of problems in Papua, murders and kidnapping will continue to be a fact of life, and while we call for the release of Mehrtens, we also called on Jakarta to listen more to the Papuan people's aspiration.