Week after New Zealand pilot’s abduction in Indonesia, photos, videos released by rebels
New Zealand pilot abducted by Indonesia rebels
Days after a New Zealand pilot was abducted by rebels from Indonesia, photos and videos have been released by the separatist group from the restive Papua province that show him alive. The fighters from the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement — the West Papua Liberation Army — reportedly abducted Phillip Mark Mehrtens, the pilot from Christchurch, last week. Mehrtens,who works for Indonesian aviation company Susi Air,was set to pick up 15 construction workers facing death threats apparently over building a health centre in the remote Nduga district.
The pilot was held hostage with five passengers, who were later released because they were locals. The abduction was reported last Tuesday (February 7). In a statement cited by the news agency Reuters, the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) said the pilot would not be released until the government acknowledged the independence of West Papua. "Our plan to evacuate the workers angered the rebels, who responded by setting fire to the plane and seizing the pilot," district chief Namia Gwijangge, one of five people on board when the plane landed, was quoted as saying in a report.
Watch:Rebels demand independence for West Papua
While this is said to be the first such incident of abduction by the separatists since 1998, tensions between the rebels and the government have been on a rise since 2018. Last week, Susi Pudjiastuti, founder of Susi Air, urged for the safety of passengers and the pilot on Twitter.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How fast can the Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet really fly?
)
Did China ask its people 'not to respond to aliens'? Origin of bizarre claim on social media
)
MS Dhoni-CSK Fallout? Report claims failed stake sale talks triggered rift
)
Scientists reveal the SAFEST COUNTRY when catastrophe strikes the planet
)
Serial killer on the loose in South Korea's Jeju Island? Fourth body found in three days as more than a dozen people go missing
)
2/3rd of glacier detached, collapsed: ISRO satellite images reveal what triggered Nepal floods
)
Trump once again claims without him there would be ‘no Israel right now’
)
Foreign espionage attacks against German companies surge to 37%, Bitkom report reveals
)
Blake Lively wins partial legal fee from Justin Baldoni after $8M request
)
Why is Pakistan deploying Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones near India border?
)
'OH MY GOD! We've found other agents!': Investigators discover not one or two, almost 700 OpenAI AI agents went rogue, hacked Hugging Face
)
Lunar eclipse 2026: India timings, places to see and more. August Blood moon factsheet
)
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on global outreach tour
)
Both pilots killed as training aircraft crashes in Lucknow – What we know
)
16-year-old charged with preparing terror attack on kindergarten in Norway
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How the S-400 protects itself from enemy attacks
)
Nepal floods: Over 165 dead, 400 missing; US, India, China, World Bank mobilise aid
)
India's multi-layered watch: The new surveillance war
)
5 doomsday planes spotted in US skies hours after CIA director's secret trip to Russia
)
9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to finally face trial in 2028, nearly 27 years after horrific attacks
)
Islamabad hospital fire: What we know about one of the biggest facility that housed Imran Khan
)
Workers run for life while filming Nepal flash flood: Scary new visuals emerge from Rasuwa
)
Russian military planes enter South Korean air defence zone amid rising tensions with North Korea: What's happening
)
Ron Weasley Is Back! Rupert Grint set to return to Harry Potter universe on Broadway
)
400-year-old 'vampire' grave in Poland reveals non-existent genetic lineage
)
Dolly Parton, global icon and queen of country music, dies at 80
)
Nepal flash floods: Kailash Mansarovar yatra affected, close to 400 pilgrims out of contact
)
'If he is dead, they're putting on a pretty good show': Trump casts fresh doubt over Mojtaba Khamenei's fate
)
Man arrested near US Capitol with guillotine in pickup truck: What happened?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI cockpit is painted bright turquoise green
In the clip, rebel leader Egianus Kogoya said that the pilot "will be safe as long as the administration does not use weapons from air or ground". The pilot can be seen surrounded by the separatists in a forested area in the visuals.
The local police are said to be making attempts to build a channel of communication with the rebels.
(With agency inputs)
WATCH WION LIVE HERE
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.