TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB-OPM), abandoned the plan to shoot dead New Zealand pilot Captain Philips Max Mehrtens who has been taken hostage since early February 2023. They are willing to release the Susi Air pilot.

Two months ago, the OPM released a video threatening to shoot Philips if the Indonesian government did not meet their demands for talks about Papua independence. Philips conveyed the threat directly on the camera.

OPM spokesperson, Sebby Sambom, claimed his side had sent a message to leader Egianus Kogoya regarding the pros and cons of killing Philips. “We say that the pilot is not an enemy, but a close friend of our neighboring country in the Pacific region, New Zealand,” Sambom told Tempo on Sunday, July 2, 2023.

Sambom claimed that the majority of New Zealand and Australia people support the independence of Papua. So in order to value the relationship, Sambom told Kogoya that there is no point in killing the pilot. Instead, releasing him would have political value and would be appreciated.

“So the commander (Kogoya) agrees and the diplomat announces it. So the commander-in-chief agrees to release the pilot but before releasing him, Jakarta must be willing to talk to us, and New Zealand as well,” Sambom said.

EKA YUDHA SAPUTRA | M ROSSENO AJI

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