Interim Nduga regent to negotiate with Papuan rebels for release of NZ pilot

A man, identified as Philip Mehrtens, the New Zealand pilot who is said to be held hostage by the West Papua Liberation Army, an affiliate of the Free Papua Movement , stands among the separatist fighters in Papua, in this undated picture released on Feb. 14, 2023. - Reuters

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): In an effort to release New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens, taken hostage by Papuan separatists, the interim Nduga regent Edison Gwijangge will hold negotiations with the rebels, according to the Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Adm Yudo Margono.

“We are entrusting the interim Nduga regent to conduct the negotiations,” Yudo said in a statement on Tuesday (July 4) after a meeting with Vice President Ma’ruf Amin to report on the latest situation regarding the pilot.

He went on to say that a plane was currently being prepared to reach the agreed negotiation venue between the government and the Papuan rebels, which has not been revealed.

“We are prioritising the safety of the [Susi Air] pilot and people living around that area. We will prevent any casualties, so we will conduct a peaceful negotiation,” Yudo said.

The statement came after President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo reiterated that the government would prefer a peaceful resolution to release the pilot taken hostage, while also acknowledging potential alternatives.

“We will keep trying to negotiate. Actually, there are a lot of [options] we can take, but I can't talk about it publicly,” Jokowi said just before setting off to Australia to meet with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

President Jokowi has also arrived in Jayapura in Papua on Thursday to inspect infrastructure development, after finishing his overseas visit to Australia and Papua New Guinea. It has been five months since Mehrtens, who works for the frontier airliner Susi Air, was abducted by the West Papua Liberation Army (TPNPB), an affiliate of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) following a flight to Nduga regency, Papuan Highlands province.

The Papuan rebels had used Mehrtens as a mouthpiece for their demands.

In May, in a video statement released by the rebel group, Mehrtens said the group wanted countries other than Indonesia to engage in dialogue on Papuan independence or they would shoot him.

However, on Tuesday OPM spokesperson Sebby Sambom told Tempo that the groups “welcomed the wise gesture of Jokowi that shows willingness to engage in dialogue with us,” and that he had advised TPNPB leader Egianus Kogoya to not execute the hostage.