Rebels in Indonesia’s West Papua region have released a video of New Zealand pilot, Phillip Mehrtens, in which he tells his family he loves them and is being treated well by his captors.
Mehrtens, a former Jetstar pilot, was taken hostage by the West Papua National Liberation Army a year ago as a bargaining chip for its push for independence from Indonesia. The video was filmed on 22 December – prior to the army announcing last week Mehrtens would soon be freed, but not confirming when.
