A New Zealand pilot has been taken hostage by separatist fighters in Indonesia’s Papua region.
Mr Mehrtans, 37, was taken when his plane, with five passengers on board, landed in the remote mountainous province of Nduga.
Their captors, the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), have told JEE News that they are “safe”.
But they say they will not release him until West Papua’s independence is recognized.
TPNPB spokesperson Sibi Sambom told JEE News that the five passengers who were on board, including a child, were released because they were local Papuans.
Indonesian authorities say they are deploying a search and rescue team. But the police noted that it was logistically difficult as the remote area could only be reached by air.
Meanwhile, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hopkins said the country’s embassy in Jakarta was “working on the case”. The Foreign Ministry had earlier said it was “well aware” of the situation.
The small passenger plane, which belongs to Indonesia’s Susi Air, took off from Mozes Kalingan Airport in central Papua on Tuesday morning, and was meant to return a few hours later after dropping off passengers in Nduga.
A TPNPB spokesman told JEE News that Mr Mehrtens had been transferred to the group’s stronghold in a remote area, and would be used as “leverage” in political negotiations.
“The pilot is safe. It’s our responsibility … we take him as our hostage in a remote area,” Mr Samborn said.
But he added that the group would continue to hold Mr Mehrtens until “countries like New Zealand and Australia” accepted responsibility for their role in the ongoing historical conflict and violence in Papua.
Papuan rebels seeking independence from Indonesia have previously threatened and even attacked planes they believe are carrying personnel and supplies to Jakarta.
The resource-rich region has been mired in a war of independence since Indonesia took control in a 1969 UN-supervised vote.
Conflicts between local Papuans and Indonesian authorities have been common since then, with pro-independence fighters carrying out more attacks since 2018.
The region is a former Dutch colony divided into two provinces, Papua and West Papua. It is separate from Papua New Guinea, which was granted independence by Australia in 1975.
