Guerrilla fighters in Papua's central highlands, who want to
free Papua from Indonesia, kidnapped New Zealand pilot Captain
Phillip Mehrtens after he landed a commercial plane in the
mountainous area of Nduga.
In a new video released on Friday, a visibly emaciated Mehrtens
holds the banned Morning Star flag, a symbol of West Papuan
independence, and is surrounded by Papuan fighters brandishing
what one analyst said were assault rifles manufactured in
Indonesia.
Mehrtens is seen talking to the camera, saying the separatists
want countries other than Indonesia to engage in dialogue on
Papuan independence.
"If it does not happen within two months then they say they will
shoot me," Mehrtens says in the video, which was shared by
Papuan rebel spokesperson Sebby Sambom, and verified by Deka
Anwar, an analyst at the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy
Analysis of Conflict (IPAC).
The Indonesian foreign ministry and military, and the New
Zealand embassy in Jakarta did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.
Indonesian authorities have previously said they are
prioritising peaceful negotiations to secure the release of the
Susi Air pilot, but have struggled to access the isolated and
rugged highland terrain.
A low-level but increasingly deadly battle for independence has
been waged in resource-rich Papua ever since it was
controversially brought under Indonesian control in a vote
overseen by the United Nations in 1969.
The conflict has escalated significantly since 2018, with
pro-independence fighters mounting deadlier and more frequent
attacks, largely because they have managed to procure more
sophisticated weapons.
Rumianus Wandikbo of the West Papua National Liberation Army -
the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement - called on countries
like New Zealand, Australia and Western nations to kickstart
talks with Indonesia and the separatists.
"We do not ask for money...We really demand our rights for
sovereignty," he said in a separate video.
(Additional reporting by Ananda Teresia; Editing by Kanupriya
Kapoor)
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