JAKARTA: New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been released from captivity by rebels in Indonesia's restive region of Papua and was in good health despite the 19-month-long ordeal, Indonesian and New Zealand authorities said Saturday (Sep 21).
Mehrtens, 38, was working for Indonesian airline Susi Air when he was snatched by rebels from the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) insurgent group at Papua's Nduga airport on February 7 last year.
A joint task force of police and military forces collected Mehrtens in a village of Nduga district early Saturday before he was given medical and psychological checks and flown to the Papuan city of Timika, said the unit's head Faizal Ramadhani.
"Today I have been freed. I am very happy that shortly I will be able to go home and meet my family," Mehrtens told reporters in Timika, speaking in Indonesian.
"Thank you for everybody who helped me today, so I can get out safely in a healthy condition."
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Mehrtens was "safe and well" and had been able to speak with his family.
"This news must be an enormous relief for his friends and loved ones," Peters added.
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Gunmen kill New Zealand helicopter pilot in another attack in Indonesia's restive Papua region Mehrtens was providing vital air links and supplies to remote communities at the time of his abduction.
Faizal said in a press conference that the pilot would be flown to the capital Jakarta, without saying where he would go next.
The task force also released footage of an emotional Mehrtens taking a phone call from his family, with one unidentified loved one heard saying "hang in there".
VIDEO ADDRESSESHis release came after intense diplomatic efforts by Wellington and Jakarta.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Saturday that Jakarta had secured Mehrtens's safety through negotiation, not force.
"We prioritised the safety of the pilot who was held hostage. It took a long process and I appreciate the authorities," he told reporters.
Rebels had demanded Indonesia recognise Papuan independence in return for his freedom.
The TPNPB did not respond to a request for comment on his release.
The rebels had at one point threatened to kill Mehrtens if talks were not forthcoming. The group had said foreign nationals were targets because their governments had ties with Indonesia.
The Indonesian military had said armed separatists ambushed soldiers searching for Mehrtens in Aprilponeclub, killing at least one.
In this undated photo released by West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, Papuan separatist rebels pose for a photo with a man they said is New Zealander pilot Phillip Mark Mehrtens at an undisclosed location in Papua province, Indonesia. (Photo: AP/West Papua Liberation)