New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been freed by rebels in Indonesia’s troubled eastern region of Papua 19 months after he was kidnapped.
They said they would only free him if Indonesia gave Papua its independence.
The New Zealand government said Mehrtens was doing well and had spoken to his family.
“We are pleased and relieved to confirm that Phillip Mehrtens is safe and well and has been able to talk with his family,” Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.
New Zealand media reported earlier this week that the rebels had proposed new terms for Mehrtens’s release.
After being abducted 19 months ago, rebels in Papua, a volatile region of Indonesia, have released New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens.
Head of a special unit established to handle the conflict in Papua, Faizal Ramadhani, stated in a statement on Saturday, “Today, we have picked up pilot Phillip, who is in good health, and we flew him from Nduga to Timika.”. Additional health examinations and a physiological assessment are being performed on Mehrtens, according to Indonesian police.
On February 7 of last year, Mehrtens touched down in the isolated, mountainous region of Nduga, where he was captured by fighters from the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB).
If Indonesia granted Papua its independence, they would only release him.
The government of New Zealand said that it had spoken with Mehrtens’ family and that he was doing well.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters stated, “We are happy and relieved to confirm that Phillip Mehrtens is safe and well and has been able to talk with his family.”.
“His friends and loved ones must be greatly relieved to hear this news. “.
Since the territory was annexed by Indonesia after a contentious referendum supported by the UN, the Indigenous people of Papua, who are predominantly Melanesian, have been fighting for their country’s independence.
The rebels have put forth new conditions for Mehrtens’ release, according to reports from New Zealand media earlier this week.
Later on Saturday, the Indonesian police announced that they would hold a press conference regarding Mehrtens’s release.