JAKARTA — Indonesia's military on Saturday (April 13) denied using air strikes in a remote, restive part of the country, after a video of a New Zealand pilot kidnapped by Papuan rebels featured him saying military actions had made his position unsafe.
A man who is identified as Philip Mehrtens, the New Zealand pilot who is said to be held hostage by a pro-independence group, sits among the separatist fighters in Indonesia's Papua region, March 6, 2023.April 13, 2024 5:16 AM
An armed faction of the West Papua National Liberation Army , led by Egianus Kogoya, kidnapped the pilot, Phillip Mehrtens, on Feb 7, 2023 after he landed a small commercial plane in the remote, mountainous area of Nduga. "Before I was in the safe area, but have been taken again by the Papua military, and it's not so safe for me anymore," he said.
The rebel group also said it will only release the New Zealand pilot through a negotiation facilitated by the United Nations.
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