Papua independence fighters release images of New Zealand pilot hostage Philip Mehrtens - 15-Feb-2023 nzcity.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nzcity.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Papua independence fighters release images of New Zealand pilot hostage Philip Mehrtens - 15-Feb-2023 nzcity.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nzcity.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A pilot from New Zealand was taken hostage by rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua region after setting fire to his plane which was carrying six passengers.
The militants of the West Papua Liberation Army, an offshoot of the Free Papua Organisation, hijacked the plane shortly after it landed at Paro Airport in the mountainous district of Nduga on Tuesday.
The pilot was identified by the local police as Philip Mark Mehrtens. While other passengers, including a young child, were released because they were indigenous Papuans, reports Independent.