A KIWI pilot held hostage by armed rebels in Indonesia has finally been rescued after 19 brutal months in captivity.
Phillip Mehrtens was kidnapped by gun-wielding fanatics who stormed his tiny plane after it landed in the remote region of Papua.
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The West Papua Liberation Army – the armed wing of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), snatched the pilot and set fire to his jet on February 7.
Rebel leader Egianus Kogoya kept him as a bargaining chip to push the Indonesian government to make Papua independent.
Officials refused and stood firm – insisting Papua would remain a “legitimate part” of the country.
Now Mehrtens, 38, is finally free to return home to Christchurch and reunite with his wife and young son after an international effort to secure his release.
Multiple government agencies in New Zealand worked with Indonesian officials to see him freed.
A joint military and police task force was sent to the village of Nudga early this morning to retrieve him.
Faizal Ramadhani, leader of a national task force working on the conflict in Papua, said today “We have picked up pilot Phillip, who is in good health, and we flew him from Nduga to Timika.”
He was taken to a police HQ in Timika to undergo a medical and psychological assessment.
Indonesian police released pictures of the gaunt pilot with a long beard following his rescue.
Footage on local media appeared to show him having an emotional call on FaceTime – possibly with loved ones back home.
The Foreign Ministry in New Zeleand confirmed his safe release and said: “We are pleased and relieved to confirm that Phillip Mehrtens is safe and well and has been able to talk with his family.
“This news must be an enormous relief for his friends and loved ones.”
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with staff in both Indonesia and Wellington, has led a sustained whole-of-government effort to secure Philip Mehrtens’ release, and has also been supporting his family.”
He had been working for an Indonesian aviation company last year when he was seized after landing a single-engine Susi plane on a remote airstrip in Nduga.
Chilling footage released by West Papuan rebels at the time showed Mehrtens flanked by gun-wielding militants in the mountainous region.
He said in the hostage video “It’s me,” nervously laughing, before directly addressing his wife Maria and six-year-old son Jacob.
“I’m OK, they are treating me well… I’m trying to stay positive and I hope that you and Jacob are healthy and doing OK and getting support,” he said.
“I love you both lots and miss you both lots and hope to be able to talk with you soon.”
Images showed Mehrtens arriving at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in Jakarta in Indonesia late on Saturday.
During a press conference on Saturday Foreign Minister Peters said: “His family will be absolutely over the moon, I believe.
Speaking of the 19-month ordeal he said officials had to “hold our nerve, not getting too carried away and not doing anything that might imperil our chances”.
“There’s always a concern of ours that we may not succeed,” he said.
On September 18 the rebel group holding him captive asked the New Zealand government, police and army to collect him.
They also asked for local and international journalists to be involved.
It is not clear whether any kind of agreement or negotiations were made with the group to secure his release.
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