Indonesia's military has refuted claims of conducting air strikes in a remote area of the Papua region, where a New Zealand pilot is being held captive by a pro-independence group. A video showing the kidnapped pilot, Philip Mehrtens, stated that military actions had jeopardized his safety.
The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), led by Egianus Kogoya, abducted Phillip Mehrtens on February 7, 2023, after his small commercial plane landed in the mountainous Nduga area.
Nugraha Gumilar, the spokesperson for Indonesia's military, dismissed the rebel group's allegations, stating that they frequently spread false information. The rebels had claimed that the military was dropping bombs on civilian areas. Gumilar emphasized that the Indonesian military is actively working to rescue the New Zealand pilot.
In a recently released video by TPNPB, Mehrtens, surrounded by armed Papua rebels and dressed in a dark brown t-shirt and boots, expressed concerns about his safety following the alleged air strikes. He stated, "I was in a safe area before, but I have been taken again by the Papua military, and now it's not so safe for me anymore."
Kogoya of TPNPB issued a statement demanding that Indonesia's military cease the helicopter bombings, referring to them as a disproportionate action. The rebel group also insisted that the release of the New Zealand pilot would only occur through negotiations facilitated by the United Nations.
In response to these developments, a spokesperson from New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade assured that the government is actively pursuing a peaceful resolution and the safe release of Mehrtens. They are working closely with Indonesian authorities to achieve this outcome.
The western half of the island of Papua has been the site of a low-level but increasingly deadly battle for independence since it was controversially brought under Indonesian control through a United Nations-supervised vote in 1969.
印尼否認在被綁架紐西蘭飛行員所在的巴布亞地區進行空襲
印尼軍方否認在該國偏遠且動盪不安的地區進行空襲，此地區正是一名紐西蘭飛行員被巴布亞獨立組織綁架的地方。一段視頻顯示，被綁架的飛行員菲利普·梅爾滕斯表示，軍事行動使他的處境變得不安全。
由埃吉安努斯·科格亞領導的巴布亞西部民族解放軍（TPNPB）綁架了菲利普·梅爾滕斯。梅爾滕斯於2023年2月7日在巴布亞的偏遠山區降落一架小型商業飛機後被綁架。
印尼軍方發言人努格拉哈·古米拉爾否認了反叛組織的指控，稱其經常散佈虛假信息。反叛組織聲稱印尼軍方向平民區域投下炸彈。古米拉爾強調，印尼軍方正在努力拯救這名紐西蘭飛行員。
在TPNPB最近公布的一段視頻中，梅爾滕斯被武裝巴布亞叛軍包圍，身穿深棕色T恤和靴子，他表示對自己的安全感到擔憂，稱：“我之前在一個安全區域，但現在又被巴布亞軍方帶走，對我來說不再安全。”
TPNPB的科格亞在一份聲明中要求印尼軍方停止使用直升機投下炸彈，稱這是一種“極不平衡”的行動。該反叛組織還表示，只會通過聯合國促成的談判釋放這名紐西蘭飛行員。
對於這一進展，紐西蘭外交事務與貿易部的一名發言人表示，政府將竭盡全力實現和平解決並確保梅爾滕斯的安全釋放，包括與印尼當局密切合作。
自從1969年由聯合國監督的投票爭議性地將巴布亞西部納入印尼控制以來，該島的資源豐富的西部地區一直爭取獨立的低級但日益致命的戰鬥。
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