First images released of NZ pilot Philip Mehrtens taken hostage by Papuan rebels

The first pictures and footage of a New Zealand pilot taken hostage in the remote Papuan highlands last week have been released by his separatist insurgent captors.

Philip Mehrtens pictured with fighters from the West Papuan National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papuan Movement, which is calling for independence from Indonesia.

The first pictures and footage of a New Zealand pilot taken hostage in the remote Papuan highlands last week have been released by his separatist insurgent captors, showing the 37-year-old in a jungle setting surrounded by fighters and urging the Indonesian military to leave the restive province.

While several of the staged images and videos show Philip Mehrtens being physically held by Papuan fighters armed with guns and spears, others have him bumping fists with his captors and raising his fist in supposed solidarity with fighters holding the Papuan independence movement’s banned Morning Star flag.

“The Indonesian military must leave. If they don’t leave I will not be released,” Mr Mehrtens says in Indonesian in one of 25 photographs and videos sent to The Australian by the West Papuan National Liberation Army (TPNPB) which seized the pilot last Tuesday after he landed his Susi Air commercial passenger flight on a remote airstrip in Paro, Nduga Province.

Several of the photographs show fighters inside his captured passenger aircraft and then the plane on fire after they torched it.

“The Free Papua Movement has captured me. The Papuan military has taken me captive in the effort to fight for Papuan independence. They have asked for the Indonesian military to go home back to Indonesia and if not I will remain captive or my life is threatened,” Mr Mehrtens continues in English, looking stressed and tired as he towers over his captors.

In some of the images the father of one is dressed in shorts and a bucket hat, in others in long pants and cap, suggesting they were taken over several days as the fighters marched him from the Paro airstrip to their jungle hideout.

One Papuan fighter then repeats warnings issued last week by the group’s spokesman, Sebby Sambom, that Mr Mehrtens would not be freed until the Indonesian government – which annexed the resource-rich former Dutch colony in 1963 – withdraws the military and grants it independence.

Philip Mehrtens pictured with fighters from the West Papuan National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papuan Movement, which is calling for independence from Indonesia.

“We are taking the pilot and will only release him when Papua is free. If not the pilot will die with us in our territories with our commander, Egianus Kogoya.

“We will not release him unless we get freedom of Papua. Every country must open their eyes and acknowledge the freedom of Papua. The military and police of Indonesia must not pursue us, if they do we will shoot the pilot.” 

In a second video, Egianus himself insists Mr Mehrtens is safe and urges the military not to launch a rescue operation.

“I will … ensure his safety, so Indonesia should not use its arms from above or on the ground. If the pilot is with me, he’ll be safe,” he says.

The images disprove claims by some Indonesian military commanders that the NZ pilot escaped his captors and was wandering alone in the remote central Papuan highlands.

Earlier on Tuesday, Indonesia’s Security Minister Mahfud MD said in a statement that the government would “continue to work as best as it could to rescue the hostage using persuasive approaches because the priority is the hostage’s safety”.

“The government of Indonesia will continue to communicate with the government of New Zealand to monitor and accelerate the handling of the rescue of Philip Mark Mehrtens.”

But, he added, the taking of civilian hostages was “unacceptable” under any circumstances and because of that “the government will not rule out other measures”.

Philip Mehrtens pictured with fighters from the West Papuan National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papuan Movement, which is calling for independence from Indonesia.

“Papua is part of the unitary Republic of Indonesia, both constitutionally and in accordance to international law.”

Local and international human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have condemned the TPNPB’s actions and warned that hostage-taking constitutes a war crime.

But the group – the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement – has warned any foreigners entering 12 declared war zones within the newly created Papua Highlands and Central Papua provinces would be considered legitimate hostage targets.

Papuan independence fighters have fought a long-running insurgency in the region since the controversial 1969 referendum in which 1025 people selected by the Indonesian military voted unanimously in favour of Indonesian control.