“New Zealand pilot abducted by separatist rebels in Indonesia’s Papua region”

Separatist rebels in the restive Papua region of Indonesia have released a new video showing the New Zealand pilot kidnapped by the group in February. The video features Philip Mark Mehrtens, a pilot for Indonesian aviation company Susi Air, who was abducted by the West Papua Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement. In the video, Mehrtens is seen sitting on a wooden log, flanked by two members of the group, and he expresses concern for his safety in light of recent Indonesian military attacks. The pilot kidnapping highlights the deteriorating security situation in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region. The area was incorporated into Indonesia in a controversial 1969 U.N.-sponsored ballot, and a low-level insurgency has simmered in the region since then. Attacks by separatist groups have spiked in recent years, prompting further Indonesian military deployments, while indigenous Papuans fear such moves threaten their identity and traditional way of life. Amnesty International Indonesia’s data shows that at least 179 civilians, 35 Indonesian troops, nine police, and 23 independence fighters were killed in clashes between rebels and security forces between 2018 and 2022.