City
Epaper

Indonesia military, police launch joint operation to rescue 'missing' Kiwi pilot in Papua

By ANI | Updated: February 9, 2023 23:35 IST

A rescue operation is on to evacuate Kiwi pilot Philip Mehrtens, who was allegedly taken hostage by separatist fighters ...

Open in App

A rescue operation is on to evacuate Kiwi pilot Philip Mehrtens, who was allegedly taken hostage by separatist fighters in Indonesia's Papua region, The Jakarta Post reported.

The joint search and rescue operation was carried out by National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) under the codename "Peaceful Carstensz" in an effort to locate the pilot.

Mehrtens was "secured" alongside five passengers after landing on an airstrip in the Papuan highlands.

As per the Jakarta Post, the whereabouts of Mehrtens, a pilot employed by the frontier airline carrier Susi Air, were still unclear due to conflicting information issued on Wednesday.

Earlier, on Tuesday, New Zealand Herald reported that Mehrtens was held hostage by a separatist group in Papua while flying a plane for Susi Air carrying five passengers, including a baby, yesterday from Mozes Kilangin Airport in Mimika, in Central Papua, to Paro Airport in Nduga.

The area is a highly militarised district with a long history of insurgency in the newly named Highland Papua province, a Papua police spokesman said.

According to New Zealand Herald, Mehrtens was described as a "quiet and serious" man fluent in Bahasa.

Mehrtens is married to a woman of Indonesian descent and had been living in her home country.

In a tweet, Susi Air founder Susi Pudjiastuti asked for support and prayed for the pilot's safety.

"Of late, the younger generation is more violent," Susi Air tweeted.

"In my opinion, they won't harm him, they are just trying to get their story out. My concern is about the Indonesian military. When they would go in full force that might cause Phil harm than the separatist group," it added.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) also said it provided consular support to the Mehrtens family and said it wouldn't comment further because of privacy reasons, according to New Zealand Herald.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he had been given preliminary details and said the New Zealand embassy in Indonesia was working to help free Mehrtens.

( With inputs from ANI )

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Tags: HighlandJakarta postPhilip mehrtensSusi pudjiastutiParoNational PoliceUpland
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalBhutan: ‘National Fab Student Challenge’ rolled out as build-up to upcoming Fab23 Bhutan event

InternationalIndonesia's Mt. Merapi erupts 16 times in 24 hours

NationalManhunt launched for miscreant who made hoax bomb call in Bengaluru

InternationalEarthquake of magnitude 4.7 jolts Indonesia

InternationalIndonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano erupts

International Realted Stories

InternationalIran condemns alleged Israeli drone attack on Gaza-bound aid ship

InternationalGovt terminates services of K Subramanian as India's Executive Director at IMF

InternationalAngola President Lourenco condemns Pahalgam terror attack

International"Muizzu's narrative collapsed under his own words, people of India and Maldives deserve apology": MDP chief Abdulla Shahid

InternationalIndia, Angola decide to expand energy partnership