The Indonesian authorities launched an armed operation to free New Zealand pilot Philip Mertens, who was taken hostage a month and a half ago by separatists fighting for the independence of West Papua, a province on the island of New Guinea. According to the Dutch radio RNZ, the operation began about a week ago and has already led to the death of several people on both sides.
Western part of the island of Papua, like the rest of the territory of modern Indonesia, has been a colony of the Netherlands since the 18th century.
In 1949, when the Netherlands recognized the independence of the rest of Indonesia, West Papua remained under the rule of the Dutch crown. Indonesia and the Netherlands went to war for control of the region.
In 1962, the Netherlands renounced their claims to West Papua and transferred it under the control of the UN, which, in turn, transferred it to Indonesia, on the condition that the country’s authorities hold a referendum in which the inhabitants of the island decide whether to remain in its composition or declare independence.
Instead of a referendum in 1969, Indonesia held a vote in which about a thousand representatives of local tribes took part. As announced, they unanimously supported the entry of West Papua into Indonesia.
Around the same time, independence supporters formed the Free Papua Movement and began an armed struggle against Indonesia. The conflict with varying degrees of intensity continues to this day, mostly disparate separatist groups operate in hard-to-reach parts of the island.
According to various estimates, from 100,000 to 500,000 people have become victims of the conflict over more than half a century.
Philip Mertens is a pilot for the New Zealand charter airline Susi Air. On February 7, he delivered five workers to the airport of the small town of Paru, located in a remote area in the interior of the island, to build a new hospital. The separatists burned the plane, and all the people on it were taken hostage. A few days later, the workers were released because they belong to the Papuan population, the rebels stressed. Mertens remained hostage.
Soon the separatists published photos and videos confirming that Mertens was alive. They demanded that the Indonesian authorities recognize the independence of West Papua, promising otherwise, kill the hostage. On some videos, Mertens himself expressed support for the actions of the separatists, reading a pre-prepared text from a piece of paper. Indonesian authorities have declared that West Papua is an integral part of the country.
Later, as claim authorities, the separatists refused part of the demands, declaring their readiness to exchange Mertens for weapons and ammunition – however, this was also denied to them.
The Telegraph
The Indonesian military denied responsibility for making Mertens’ kidnapping possible, saying they had warned Susi Air that it was not safe to fly to Paru (although the airline also operated regular flights there under contracts with the authorities). However, a large-scale operation was launched to rescue the pilot. Thousands of local residents were evacuated from the region in order to prevent the group that captured the pilot from receiving help from them. The military blocked the routes known to them to prevent other separatist groups from coming to the aid of the kidnappers.
New Zealand radio RNZ reported on March 28 that the main phase of the operation to free Mertens began on March 23. The military and police attacked the headquarters of the separatists, and armed clashes continued for several more days. So far, Philip Mertens has not been released. Whether he is alive and whether he is in the area where the military is fighting is unknown.
