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☆ Phillip Mehrtens: Militants squabble over fate of New Zealand pilot on anniversary of his kidnapping
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Angus Watson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Militant rebels in Indonesia’s restive West Papua are urging their most feared comrade to release a New Zealand pilot held hostage for a year. Mehrtens’ captors initially threatened to kill him unless New Zealand agreed to pressure Indonesia into allowing West Papua to secede from Indonesia, a seemingly impossible demand. West Papua separatist fighters release images of their hostage soon after his capture in February 2023. West Papua National Liberation ArmyFailed rescue effortsGrainy proof of life videos sent by the rebels between February and November 2023 show Mehrtens growing thinner and more unkempt. “The Indonesian response is dictated by the Indonesian military and their view is that they will hunt down this group, kill the leaders and release Mehrtens,” Kingsbury said.

Persons: Eganius Koyega, Phillip Mehrtens, Mehrtens ’, Mehrtens, Koyega, ” Koyega, ” TPNPB, Terryanus Satto, aren’t, hasn’t, Damien Kingsbury, ”, Winston Peters, Christmas Phillip, ” Peters, ” Kingsbury, “, Cammi Webb, Gannon, ’ ”, Webb, ” Webb, TPNB, Andreas Harsono, Prabowo Subianto, “ Prabowo, ” Harsono Organizations: CNN — Militant, New, Koyega, West Papuan National Liberation Army, Free Papua Movement, West Papua National Liberation Army, Indonesian Army, New Zealand, New Zealand Foreign Affairs, New Zealand Government, CNN, Australia’s University of Wollongong, Indonesian, Human Rights Watch, Rights, West Locations: Indonesia’s restive West Papua, Zealand, Nduga, New Zealand, Indonesia, West Papua, Indonesian, Papuan, West, New, Australia, Jakarta, “, ” West Papua, Papua

☆ New Zealand Calls for Kiwi Pilot to Be Freed a Year After Papua Kidnapping
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA (Reuters) - New Zealand has called for the immediate release of Kiwi pilot Phillip Mehrtens, a year after he was taken hostage by rebels in Indonesia's Papua region, its foreign minister said on Monday. His continued detention serves the interests of no one," New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement. The New Zealand foreign minister said a range of government agencies continued to work extensively with their Indonesian counterparts to secure Mehrtens' release. The separatist group has released video of Mehrtens several times, asking the United Nations to mediate talks towards Papua's independence. In one of the videos, he was seen holding the banned Morning Star flag and surrounded by Papuan fighters.

Persons: Phillip Mehrtens, Egianus Kogoya, Mehrtens, Phillip, Winston Peters, Sebby Sambom, Ananda Teresia, Kate Lamb, Jamie Freed Organizations: Kiwi, West Papua National Liberation Army, New Zealand Foreign, United Nations, New Zealand, United, Star Locations: JAKARTA, New Zealand, Indonesia's Papua, Nduga, Papua, Papua New Guinea, United Nations

The "Dana Desa" village fund introduced by President Joko Widodo in 2015 and valued at $4.7 billion this year has long been criticised as prone to corruption. "So it's reasonable if the use of the village fund is somewhat loose and anyone can do what they want with it." ILLEGAL ARMSIt is unclear how much of the $337 million in village funds allocated for the Papua region in 2023 is being diverted into arms. "I have never seen a project funded by the village fund, not at all," said Bernadus Kobogau, a tourism official in Intan Jaya. In Papua's highlands, village funds are treated like a "revolutionary tax", he said, commandeered either via intimidation and coercion, or given willingly by supporters of independence.

Persons: Dana, Joko Widodo, Phillip Mehrtens, Ignatius Benny Ady Prabowo, Dana Desa, Faizal Ramadhani, Sebby Sambom, Bernadus Kobogau, Deka Anwar, Anwar, Latifah Anum Siregar, makan tuan, Stefanno Sulaiman, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, Indonesia Corruption Watch, West Papua National Liberation Army, Free Papua Movement, Institute for, Democracy Alliance for Papua, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesian, Papua, New Zealand, Jakarta, Indonesia, Nduga, Intan Jaya, Nabire

☆ New Zealand pilot captured by Papuan fighters says he is ‘alive and well’ in new hostage video
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Philip Mehrtens, the New Zealand pilot held hostage by separatist fighters in Indonesia’s restive Papua region, has appeared in a video saying he is “alive and well,” as concerns grow for his safety as fighting with Indonesian security forces intensifies. In the one and a half minute video, Mehrtens, dressed in a black T-shirt and shorts and sitting between two unarmed Papuan men, speaks calmly to the camera first in Indonesian and then English. “We emphasize that the pilot’s release must go through negotiations – not through military operations,” the group’s spokesperson Sebby Sambom said. In a statement following the attacks, the rebels said they shot dead 13 Indonesian military and police officials and were in possession of 12 bodies, without providing proof. CNN has reached out to Indonesian army officials for further comment about the latest hostage video and updates on the search mission for Mehrtens.

☆ Rebels in Indonesia's Papua say they killed 9 army soldiers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, April 16 (Reuters) - Separatist rebels in Indonesia's Papua region killed nine army personnel after Jakarta did not respond to a request for negotiations, a rebel spokesperson said on Sunday. A military spokesperson in Papua, Herman Taryaman, confirmed the Saturday attack but could not confirm the number of soldiers killed as communications were cut due to bad weather. The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) abducted a New Zealand pilot in February. Herman denied the allegation of a March attack on civilians, saying the security forces were protecting civilians who were chased away by the rebels. A low-level battle for independence from Indonesia continued for decades in the remote and resource-rich Papua region, with the conflict between armed rebels and security forces intensifying significantly in recent years, analysts say.

☆ Indonesia vows restraint as troops surround separatists holding NZ pilot
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB)/Handout via REUTERSJAKARTA, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Security forces in Indonesia's restive Papua region have surrounded separatists holding captive a New Zealand pilot, but will exercise restraint while negotiations for his release continue, a top security official said on Tuesday. The rebels say they will not release Mehrtens, 37, unless Indonesia's government recognises the region's independence and withdraws its troops. Chief security minister, Mahfud MD said security forces had found the location of the group holding the pilot but would refrain from actions that might endanger his life. He did not elaborate on the location or what steps Indonesia might take to free the pilot. Security forces have previously said a "law enforcement operation" had been planned, but only as a last resort if negotiations failed.

☆ Factbox: Separatist insurgency in Indonesia's Papua region
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JAKARTA, Feb 23 (Reuters) - The kidnapping of 37-year-old New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens by separatist rebels in Indonesia's easternmost region of Papua has thrown a spotlight on the decades-long, low-level insurgency in the remote, resource-rich area. Here are some facts about the region and its conflict:THE GEOGRAPHY* The western half of New Guinea island is Indonesia's easternmost region, commonly referred to as Papua. * The population of the Papua region is about 4.3 million. * In 2017, armed separatists occupied several villages, threatening to disrupt operations at the nearby Grasberg copper mine. * In April 2021, rebels killed a regional intelligence chief in an ambush in the highlands.

☆ Deadlier and more media savvy, separatist rebels evolve in Indonesia's Papua
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Kate Lamb | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Egianus Kogoya, young West Papuan rebel commander, sits on a captured plane piloted by New Zealand national Philip Mehrtens in Indonesia's Papua region in this undated picture released on February 14, 2023. Separatist rebels kidnapped New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens, 37, after he landed his small plane in the remote Papuan highlands on Feb 7. An estimated 500 fighters identify as members of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM). Cahyo Pamungkas, a researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency, said the separatists are using social media to get their message out. "Social media is a tool of resistance to deliver the stories from Papua because national media is mainly dominated by perspectives from Jakarta," he said.

☆ Rebels in Indonesia's Papua say images show abducted NZ pilot in good health
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Separatists in Indonesia's restive Papua region have released images that they say show a New Zealand pilot taken hostage last week is in good health, but pledged he would not be freed until authorities acknowledge the independence of the area. The pilot, Philip Mehrtens, who flew a plane operated by airline Susi Air, was abducted by fighters from the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) last week after landing in the remote region of Nduga. One of the fighters is holding up the "Morning Star" flag, a symbol of Papuan independence. In a statement accompanying the images, Sambom said that the pilot was in good health and that he was collateral in a political dispute. Reporting by Kate Lamb and Stanley Widianto Editing by Ed Davies and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

JAKARTA, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Separatist fighters in Indonesia's Papua region have taken a New Zealand pilot hostage after setting a small commercial plane alight when it landed in a remote highland area on Tuesday, a pro-independence group said in a statement. A police spokesperson in Papua province, Ignatius Benny Adi Prabowo, said authorities were investigating the incident, with police and military personnel sent to the area to locate the pilot and five passengers. The plane operated by Susi Air landed safely early on Tuesday morning, before being attacked by rebel fighters, authorities said. The TPNPB made no mention of the passengers, but said this was the second time the group had taken a hostage. Susi Air founder and former fisheries minister Susi Pudjiastuti said on Twitter she was praying for the safety of the pilot and passengers.

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