Separatist rebels release New Zealand pilot after 19 months in Indonesia's Papua region

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The New Zealand pilot who’s been held hostage for more than a year in the restive Papua region has been freed by separatist rebels, Indonesian authorities said Saturday.

Philip Mark Mehrtens, the pilot from Christchurch who was working for Indonesian aviation company Susi Air, was handed over early Saturday to the Cartenz Peace Taskforce, the joint security force set up by the Indonesian government to deal with separatist groups in Papua, after separatist rebels let him walk free early Saturday, said the taskforce spokesperson Bayu Suseno.