Papua separatists release images of New Zealand pilot taken hostage

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Papua separatists release images of New Zealand pilot taken hostage

They set the plane alight, releasing the five passengers, but detaining the 37-year-old pilot

Newsroom February 16 06:15

Papua separatists have released video footage of a New Zealand pilot who was taken hostage a week ago.

Philip Mehrtens was seized by rebels who stormed the single-engine plane he was flying after it landed in the remote mountainous province of Nduga.

They set the plane alight, releasing the five passengers, but detaining the 37-year-old pilot.

The separatists, members of the West Papua National Liberation Army, which is fighting for independence from Indonesia, had promised to treat him humanely.

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Papua separatists release images of New Zealand pilot taken hostage

They set the plane alight, releasing the five passengers, but detaining the 37-year-old pilot

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