West Papua rebels release photos of captured New Zealand pilot

Phillip Mehrtens was taken hostage last week after landing his small commercial plane in the Papuan highlands. Independence fighters in Indonesia’s Papua province have released the first photos and videos of a man they say is the New Zealand pilot they took hostage last week. The West Papua Liberation Army captured Phillip Mehrtens after he landed his small commercial plane in the remote mountainous region of Nduga last week. In one video, the man was ordered by the rebels to say, “Indonesia must recognise Papua is independent.” “I took him hostage for Papua independence, not for food or drinks,” rebel leader Egianus Kogoya said in the video with the man standing next to him. A spokesperson for New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Al Jazeera: “We are aware of the photos and video circulating but won’t be commenting further at this stage.” A low-level armed rebellion has been simmering in the province since Indonesia took control of the resource-rich region after a controversial United Nations-backed referendum in 1969.