I was involved in talks to free a kidnapped Kiwi pilot in West Papua. With negotiations stalled, what happens now?
- Written by Damien Kingsbury, Emeritus Professor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University
New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has now been held hostage in West Papua for four months. Stalled attempts to negotiate his release, and an unsuccessful Indonesian military rescue attempt, suggest a confused picture behind the scenes.
Members of the West Papua National Independence Army (TPNPB) kidnapped Mehrtens on February 7, demanding...
