JAKARTA (Reuters) -New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been freed greater than 19 months after being kidnapped by armed separatists in Indonesia’s Papua, authorities mentioned on Saturday.
Mehrtens was freed and picked up by a joint crew within the Nduga space and was present process well being check-ups and a psychological examination in Timika regency, the Indonesian police mentioned in an announcement.
Indonesia’s Metro TV confirmed him tearfully chatting with his household by telephone. Mehrtens then made a fast look at a press convention and seemed to be in good spirits.
Mehrtens didn’t seem to undergo any post-traumatic stress though he had misplaced a number of weight, and he ought to be capable to fly out of Papua quickly, mentioned Bambang Trisnohadi, a lieutenant common with the Indonesian army.
A faction of the West Papua Nationwide Liberation Military (TPNPB), led by Egianus Kogoya, kidnapped Mehrtens on Feb. 7, 2023, after he landed a small industrial aircraft within the distant, mountainous space of Nduga.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon mentioned on social media platform X he was grateful Mehrtens had been launched.
“My appreciation to all these in Indonesia and New Zealand who’ve supported this optimistic end result for Phillip and his household,” Luxon mentioned.
New Zealand International Minister Winston Peters mentioned in a press convention in Auckland that Mehrtens would go away Timika and go to Jakarta “very very quickly” to reunite together with his household.
“His household shall be completely over the moon, I imagine,” Peters mentioned.
A variety of New Zealand authorities businesses had been working with Indonesian authorities and others in the direction of securing Mehrtens’ launch, Peters mentioned earlier in an announcement.
“By the lengthy strategy of negotiation, with persistence to not do it repressively, our precedence has been the security of the pilot,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo mentioned in televised remarks.
The Indonesian police mentioned they’d maintain a press convention in a while Saturday.
In August, one other New Zealand pilot, Glen Malcolm Conning, was killed by separatist rebels in Papua after touchdown his helicopter in a distant space, authorities mentioned on the time.
