(AFP) New Zealand pilot Philip Mertens has been released from rebel captivity in Indonesia's Papua region and is in good health despite his 19-month ordeal, Indonesian and New Zealand authorities said on Saturday.
Mertens, 38, worked for Indonesian airline Susi Air when he was abducted by West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) rebels at Nduga Airport in Papua on February 7 last year.
A joint police and army force picked up Mertens in a village in Nduga regency early Saturday and then flew him to the Papuan city of Timika after he underwent medical and psychological examinations, said Faisal Ramadani, the force's head.
The commander told a press conference that Mertens' plane was scheduled to fly to the capital, Jakarta, but gave no details about the pilot's subsequent destination.
“Today I have been released and I am very happy because I will soon be able to go home and see my family,” Mertens told reporters in Timika in Indonesian.
“Thank you to everyone who helped me get out of here safe and sound today.”
New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Mertens was “safe and well” and had been able to speak to his family.
“This news will come as a great relief to his friends and loved ones,” Peters added.
At the time of his abduction, Mertens was providing vital air routes and supplies to remote communities.
The task force released footage of a seemingly emotional Mertens receiving phone calls from her family, with an unidentified family member heard saying: “Hang in there.”
His release came after intense diplomatic efforts by Wellington and Jakarta.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Saturday that his government had secured Mertens' release through negotiations, not force.
“The safety of the pilot who was taken hostage was our top priority. It was a long process but we thank the authorities,” he told reporters.
The rebels were demanding that Indonesia recognise Papua's independence in exchange for his release.
TPNPB spokesman Seby Sambom said another rebel faction had agreed to the deal with the Indonesian government and accused the government of taking the money without providing evidence.
Rebels had at one point threatened to kill Mertens if talks were not concluded, saying foreigners were being targeted because their government has ties to Indonesia.
The Indonesian military said armed separatists ambushed soldiers searching for Mertens in April, killing at least one.
In February 2023, TPNPB rebels set fire to a Susi Airlines plane, freeing five passengers but detaining Mertens.
During his captivity in rural Papua, the New Zealander occasionally appeared on video, likely under duress, to speak to his family and the government.
The rebels say the pilot started out healthy, but his appearance changed dramatically over time, and in a survival video in which he pleaded for asthma medication he appeared gaunt, with long hair and a beard.
In handout photographs released by Indonesian authorities on Saturday, Mertens appeared to be in good health.
Mertens, a father of one, grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand.
During his captivity, friends described him as a “kind, gentle man” who helped Papuans by flying them to remote areas inaccessible by road and unwelcome to many who would not fly, according to New Zealand media.
Indonesia maintains a large military presence in resource-rich but underdeveloped Papua to quell a long-running separatist insurgency.
Insurgent attacks in the region have increased in recent years, leaving the only way to reach the remote mountainous areas by plane.
Another New Zealand pilot, Glenn Malcolm Koning, 50, was shot dead last month after landing in the area with two Indonesian medical workers and two children, all of whom survived.
Papua's ethnic Melanesian population has few cultural ties to the rest of Indonesia, and the military has long been accused of serious human rights abuses in the region.
A former Dutch colony, Papua declared independence in 1961, but neighboring Indonesia took control two years later, promising a referendum. In 1969, 1,000 Papuans voted to integrate into Indonesia in a UN-backed vote.
Papuan independence activists have regularly criticised the vote and called for a new one, but the Indonesian government insists its sovereignty over Papua is backed by the United Nations.
