The blood-curdling story that took place on one of the Indonesian islands was told to its British readers by the Daily Mail newspaper. Aboriginal rebels armed with bows and spears took hostage the pilot of an airplane from New Zealand, and the plane itself was burned. Tourists should immediately be reassured – this is not happening in Bali and not on other famous islands of Indonesia, but in a remote region of Papua, where “it is difficult to fly by plane”, and there are practically no tourist visits.
According to the publication, Phillip Mertens, a pilot for the Indonesian aviation company Susu Air, was abducted by separatist rebels who attacked his single-engine plane shortly after landing on a small airstrip. At the same time, the pilot himself tried to take out 15 builders of the medical center, who were threatened to be killed by separatist rebels. The plane with the pilot and five passengers managed to land, after which the foreign pilot was taken hostage, and the passengers, mostly local citizens, were released.
“Our worker evacuation plan angered the rebels, who responded by setting the plane on fire and grabbing the pilot,” said Nduga district chief Namiya Gwijange, who was one of the passengers. He also expressed his “deep regrets” about the incident.
At the moment, according to media reports, the separatists who captured the pilot have published footage in which the pilot is standing in the forest, surrounded by people armed with spears, bows, and arrows, as well as relatively modern small arms. Rebel leader Aegianus Kogoya says the pilot will not be released until the Papua region becomes independent from Indonesia. The country’s authorities, however, say that Papua “will forever remain a legal part” of Indonesia. In the video, the pilot was also told to say: “The Papuan military, who took me, prisoner, to fight for Papuan independence, is asking the Indonesian military to return home to Indonesia, and if not, then I will remain in captivity for life.” Indonesia’s coordinating minister for political, security and jurisprudence, Mohammad Mahfud, said the government was making every effort to convince the rebels to release Mr. Mertens “because the safety of the hostage is a priority.” At the local level, negotiations are also underway with community leaders, representatives of tribes, and churches for possible contacts with the rebels.
OUR REFERENCE: Papua was included in Indonesia in 1969 after a vote held under the auspices of the UN. Since then, tribal clashes have continued in this mineral-rich region, divided into two provinces, Papua and West Papua. Last year, the conflict escalated in the area, including clashes. 15 builders, who were supposed to be taken out by the plane, almost turned out to be his victim.