Phillip Mehrtens' hostage-takers claim bribe was paid to secure release

The Foreign Minister has called claims a West Papuan politician paid a bribe ahead of the release of kidnapped New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens "a disgrace".

Mehrtens was seized by rebels from the West Papua National Liberation Army in February 2023 after he landed a small commercial plane in a remote area of Indonesia's Papua region and was held for 19 months.

West Papua National Liberation Army spokesperson Sebby Sambom has now claimed the leader of the group that took Mehrtens hostage, Egianus Kogoya, was bribed with money by a local politician.

However, Foreign Minister Winston Peters told Morning Report the suggestion a bribe was paid was "a disgrace".

He said New Zealand does not involve itself in bribes and ransoms.

"All the work that's done by these people of all sorts, including officials, working as hard as they can and as cautiously as they can - not to make a mistake or be offensive and for things to fail - has now been trammelled by the allegation of a bribe," he told Ingrid Hipkiss.

The release was the result of a huge diplomatic effort, Peters said.

"Now it's tainted with an argument that somehow there was a bribe involved, but not from the point of view of New Zealand.

"After 594 days of the capture of him we've got him free and I have to say it's an enormous relief. His family will be absolutely over the moon I believe. And also we want to thank the media for unusually not saying a thing on the critical months and months of work."

Mehrtens was in good health and had since been reunited with his immediate family in Jakarta.

West Papua Action Aotearoa spokesperson Catherine Delahunty told Morning Report Sambom had made it clear that the bribe had nothing to do with the New Zealand government.

"The leadership of that military group had not mandated that, but that was what actually happened between the people on the ground, between a local politician paying a bribe to General Kogoya who's from the group that was holding Philip."

"It's pretty much an internal political situation that's nothing to do with our government's negotiation."

Sambom said they did not regret taking Mehrtens hostage.

"The hostage-taking is reasonable, because we are still fighting for an independent Papua," he said.

Sambom said Mehrtens was treated well by the Liberation Army.

"In this case we know the international humanitarian law on war, so we order the pilot to be guarded properly."

The group had used Philip Mehrtens to promote their fight for independence, and had released intermittent videos of him wearing free West Papua T-shirts, often surrounded by rebels holding military assault rifles, while he was being held captive.

At the time he made this plea: "Indonesia's been dropping bombs in the area over the last week - there's no need and it's dangerous for me an everybody here".

Sambom said he was not worried about an Indonesian military assault now Mehrtens had been freed.

"The West Papua Liberation Army has never been afraid of the Indonesian military and police, and is ready to fight against Indonesia's illegal occupation of West Papua," he said.

The leader of the group that took Mehrtens hostage, Egianus Kogoya, was bribed with money by a local politician in Nduga province who then gave Mehrtens to Indonesian authorities, Sambom said. He said it was not in line with the captors' proposed release terms.

The family of Mehrtens had issued a statement thanking everyone involved with his release, including the New Zealand and Indonesian governments as well as the captors.

"We are also grateful to General Kogoya and his army for keeping Phil as safe and healthy and for allowing Phil to get several messages out to let us know that he was alive and okay. Those messages filled our souls and gave us hope and that we would eventually see Phil again."

Indonesia Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono said Mehrtens was handed over peacefully, unlike a previous rescue attempt by Indonesia's military.

"Not a single bullet was fired, no one was killed, which is different from what happened in March 2023 when Indonesian military allegedly killed some West Papua militants and in return West Papua militants killed more than a dozen killed Indonesian soldiers," he said.

He added Mehrtens' captors have described looking after him with great care, like an egg.

"If you are being treated like an egg, you cannot be cracked at all of course. You have to be fed well, you have to be drinking well, sleeping well, but of course this is hostage taking, and he's not free to walk on his own."

While Mehrtens ordeal has made global headlines, Harsono said West Papuans continue to suffer.

However, Pacific leaders plan to meet with Indonesia over human rights abuses in West Papua within the next year.