“We managed to pick him up in good health,” Suseno said, adding that Mehrtens was flown to the mining town Timika for further health examination.
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 Mehrtens on Feb. 7, 2023. The rebels issued a proposal for freeing Mehrtens that outlined terms including news media involvement.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters confirmed Mehrtens’ release after 592 days in captivity. Peters expressed relief and mentioned the efforts of New Zealand government agencies in securing the release.
Many news outlets showed “cooperation and restraint” in reporting the story, respecting the wishes of the Mehrtens family for privacy.
During his captivity, Mehrtens, originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, was one of the expatriate pilots employed by Susi Air and lived in Bali with his family.
Age 37 when he was kidnapped, Mehrtens trained as a pilot in New Zealand, according to news outlets.
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