JAKARTA: 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.

It could not independently verify the authenticity of the images, but a friend of Mehrtens, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, confirmed it was the pilot.

Sebby Sambom, a spokesman for the TPNPB, shared photographs and videos of a man wearing a jean jacket, surrounded by a group of about a dozen fighters, some armed with guns and bows.

“The Papuan military that has taken me captive to fight for Papuan independence, they ask for the Indonesian military to go home to Indonesia and if not, I will remain captive for my life,” Mehrtens said at one point in the video. 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.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2023