1) New video shows NZ pilot Phillip Mehrtens alive and well nearly three months after being kidnapped by West Papua separatists
The West Papua Liberation Army – the military wing of the Free Papua Organisation – released a new video today showing that pilot Phillip Mehrtens was still alive and well.
Key points:
- The West Papua Liberation Army has released a new video showing pilot Phillip Mehrtens alive and well
- Mr Mehrtens was abducted nearly three months ago
- In the new video he appeals to the Indonesian government to stop dropping bombs in the area
Mr Mehrtens, a Susi Air pilot, was abducted by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) in February after landing in the remote region of Nduga.
The rebel group has vowed to not release the pilot until Indonesia grants independence to its Papua provinces, which make up the western half of New Guinea island.
The separatists have waged a low-level fight for independence since the resource-rich region, once governed by the Netherlands, was brought under Indonesian control following a controversial United-Nations-backed referendum in 1969.
The TPNPB has shared photographs and videos on several occasions previously.
In the new video, Mr Mehrtens speaks in both English and Indonesian, and appeals to the Indonesian government to stop dropping bombs in the area.
"As you can see, I'm still alive," he says in the video.
"I'm healthy. I've been eating well, drinking. I live with the people here. We travel together as required. We sit together. We rest together.
"Indonesia has been dropping bombs in the area over the last week, and please there's no need. It's dangerous for me and everybody here.
"Thank you for your support."
Indonesia's military earlier this month sent soldiers in to try to rescue Mr Mehrtens, but several were shot dead in a rebel ambush.
Indonesian authorities have said they will continue to prioritise a peaceful approach to securing Mr Mehrtens's release.
The kidnapping of the pilot is the second that independence fighters have committed since 1996, when the rebels abducted 26 members of a World Wildlife Fund research mission in Mapenduma.
Two Indonesians in that group were killed by their abductors, but the remaining hostages were eventually freed within five months.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade declined to comment on the latest video.
The Indonesian government has also been approached for comment.
ABC/wires
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The West Papua Liberation Army (TPNPB-OPM) spokesman Sebby Sambom sent another video message from New Zealand pilot Captain Philips Max Mehrtens on Wednesday, April 26.
In the 1-minute and 38-second video, Mehrtens said the video was made on Monday afternoon, April 24, 2023, or three months since he was kidnapped in Paro.
Speaking in the Indonesian language and then in English, he said he is in good health. He also said Indonesia dropped bombs in the area last week and asked Indonesia to stop the military operation.
“Indonesia’s been dropping bombs in the area over the last week. Please, there is no need, it is dangerous for me and everybody here,” Mehrtens said.
Meanwhile, in a separate written message, Sambom said Mehrtens was in good condition and claimed that the latter was worried about the bombings carried out by the Indonesian military in Nduga.
"This endangered him and everyone in the Nddugama area, Papua,” said Sambom.
Sambom added that the video was specifically for the New Zealand Government and the pilot’s family in New Zealand. But because Indonesia carried out the bombing, he announced this video message to the media.
“We emphasize that the release of the pilot must go through negotiations, instead of military operations,” said the OPM spokesman.
Indonesian Military spokesman Rear Admiral Julius Widjojono previously said the Free Papua Organization (OPM) alias the separatist group was getting cornered and panicked after the April 15 attack.
According to Julius, they were no longer able to carry out counterattacks when the joint team evacuated 36 soldiers of the Raider Infantry Battalion 321/Galuh Taruna who were ambushed in Mugi-Mam Nduga, on Saturday, April 15, 2023. He believed that there were many fatalities on the OPM side, but they were reluctant to disclose it.
EKA YUDHA SAPUTRA
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