JakartaPost-Mar 23
More than a month after the abduction of a Susi Air pilot in Papua, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration is weighing its options to rescue the New Zealand national from a Papuan armed separatist group. President Jokowi has said that the safety of pilot Phillip Mehrtens would be the top priority in any operation to release him from his current captivity by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB). Jokowi said military officials were carefully weighing their options on how to secure the release of Mehrtens, more than a month after the New Zealander was abducted shortly after landing at an airstrip in Nduga, Papua Highlands province. “Last night, we had an internal meeting and the most important thing is that we will be very careful and the safety of the pilot will be the primary consideration,” Jokowi told a press briefing held on Tuesday after the launch of the Papua Youth Creative Hub in Jayapura, Papua. The President did not elaborate how security forces would attempt to secure the release of the 37-year-old pilot. He also said the government planned to provide more security for domestic flights connecting remote areas in the Papuan region. “Yes, we also discussed that issue during the meeting,” Jokowi told reporters. Earlier this month, Brig. Gen. Juinta Omboh Sembiring, the military commander in charge of the operation to free Mehrtens, said security forces were continuing to search for the pilot, adding that there would be “no negotiation with terrorists by the state”.
Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2023/03/23/new-zealand-pilots-safe-release-is-priority-jokowi.html.
