New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens read a statement prepared by a group of separatists in Papua on March 10, 2023. - The Jakarta Post/Twitter
JAKARTA (Reuters): A New Zealand pilot who was taken hostage last month by rebels in Indonesia's Papua region has appeared in videos put out by separatists calling for the United Nations to mediate in the conflict in the resource-rich region.
Pilot Phillip Mehrtens, who works for the small, domestic Susi Air service, was abducted by the armed wing of Free Papua Movement (OPM) on Feb 7 after landing at an airstrip in the Nduga district.
