New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been freed after spending over 18 months in captivity in Indonesia‘s Papua region, as confirmed by Indonesian authorities. The pilot from Christchurch, who was working for Indonesian aviation company Susi Air, was handed over early Saturday to the Cartenz Peace Taskforce, a joint security force set up by the Indonesian government to deal with separatist groups in Papua.Mehrtens was abducted on February 7, 2023, by separatist rebels led by Egianus Kogoya while landing on a small runway in Paro.
After 592 days in captivity, the rebels agreed to release Mehrtens, who was reportedly in good health when he was picked up. He has since been flown to the mining town of Timika for further health examinations. Kogoya initially indicated that Mehrtens would not be released unless the Indonesian government allowed Papua to become a sovereign state, but the rebels eventually decided to let him go, proposing terms that included media involvement in the release process.

The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) confirmed Mehrtens’ safety and ability to communicate with his family. Foreign Minister Winston Peters expressed relief at the news, stating that various New Zealand government agencies had been working closely with Indonesian authorities for the past 19 and a half months to secure his release. “This news must be an enormous relief for his friends and loved ones,” Peters told NZ Herald.
Phillip Mehrtens, who was 37 when he was kidnapped, originally trained as a pilot in New Zealand and had lived in Bali with his family in recent years. Mehrtens is a husband and father from Christchurch. He was kidnapped while operating a small Pilatus plane in a region known for its ongoing tensions and historical insurgency.