Independence fighters led by Egianus Kogoya, a regional commander in the Free Papua Movement, stormed a single-engine plane on a small runway in Paro and abducted Philip Mark Mehrtens on Feb. 7, 2023.
Videos and photos that the rebels sent to media outlets on Wednesday showed a disheveled and emaciated long-haired man sitting barefoot on a wooden log while flanked by two men brandishing rifles.
The TPNPB’s statement on Wednesday came several days after the armed wing said it had asked Kogoya to let the pilot go and suggested there had been a response to the appeal.
Spokesperson Sebby Sambom said Friday that the national command had asked Kogoya to release Mehrtens despite what it saw as a lack of effort by New Zealand and Indonesia to secure his freedom.
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Wednesday held a telephone conversation with her New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, to discuss efforts to free Mehrtens, said the ministry’s spokesperson Lalu Muhammad Iqbal.
Marsudi told Peters that Indonesia continues to make efforts to free the hostage “by prioritizing persuasive aspects and approaches,” Iqbal said.
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