"New Zealand Pilot's Fate Hangs in the Balance as Anniversary of Kidnapping Approaches"
New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been held hostage by militant rebels in West Papua for a year, with his captors demanding New Zealand pressure Indonesia into allowing West Papua to secede. The TPNPB, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, is divided over his fate, with some urging his release while others, led by tribal warlord Eganius Koyega, are reluctant. New Zealand is unwilling to negotiate directly with Koyega, and Indonesian rescue efforts have been unsuccessful. The pilot's fate now rests with Koyega, as regional powers New Zealand and Australia maintain a non-intervention stance in Indonesia's affairs.