Indonesia paid no ransom to free NZ pilot Mehrtens: official

Jakarta, Sept 24 (ANTARA) - Indonesia did not pay any ransom to free Philip Mark Mehrtens, a Susi Air pilot from New Zealand abducted by a Papuan armed separatist group, Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Coordinating Minister Hadi Tjahjanto emphasized.

"This (release) is the result of the efforts made by religious figures, community figures, police officers, and soldiers," he remarked after a meeting with Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Monday.

Tjahjanto underscored that it took persistence to eventually free Pilot Mehrtens from the separatist group that held him hostage for 19 months.

"We had to undergo quite a long process (to free Mehrtens), as the safety of the pilot was the priority. Hence, this success is on all of us," he remarked.

The minister then said the incident that befell the foreign pilot would not hinder the development of the Papua region.

"The development of Papua will continue running for the sake of the welfare of locals. Soldiers and police officers will be dispatched in the event of minor disruptions in a region," he pointed out.

He also told reporters that similar approaches might be employed to deal with such unwanted cases in future.

Earlier, on Saturday (September 21), the 2024 Cartenz Peace Task Force, comprising Indonesian soldiers and police officers, picked up Mehrtens, who had been held hostage by the separatist group led by Egianus Kogoya since February 2023.

Head of the task force, Brigadier General Faizal Ramadhani, stated that his side prioritized a soft approach to rescue the pilot in Nduga District, Highland Papua Province.

After a medical check, the New Zealand national was transported to Jakarta from Timika aboard an aircraft belonging to the Indonesian Air Force on the same day.

In Jakarta in the evening, Minister Tjahjanto represented the Indonesian government in handing over Mehrtens to New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia, Kevin Burnett.