New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been freed after more than 18 months of captivity in West Papua, Indonesia.
Indonesian police announced the release in a statement on Saturday, Reuters reported.
Mehrtens was ambushed by a group of armed men as he landed on a remote airstrip in the mountainous area of Nduga on February 7 last year.
The Christchurch pilot was taken hostage by a group of separatist fighters, known as the West Papua Liberation Army, who have been demanding independence for the region.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said he was “pleased and relieved” to confirm the release.
“This news must be an enormous relief for his friends and loved ones.”
He said for the last 19 and a half months a wide range of Government agencies has been working with Indonesian authorities and others towards securing Mehrtens’ release.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with staff in both Indonesia and Wellington, has led a sustained whole-of-Government effort to secure Phillip Mehrtens’ release, and has also been supporting his family.”
Peters said Mehrtens will travel to the Indonesian capital of Jakarta to reunite with his family.
