Indonesian police say Mehrtens was airlifted out of the mountainous Nduga and appears to be in good health.
New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been freed by rebels in Indonesia's restive eastern region of Papua, 19 months after he was kidnapped.
“Today we picked up the pilot Phillip, who is in good health, and airlifted him from Nduga to Timika,” Faizal Ramadhani, head of a special unit formed to manage the conflict in Papua, said in a statement on Saturday. Mehrtens is undergoing further health checks and a physiological examination, Indonesian police added.
Fighters from the West Papua National Liberation Army (WNPA) captured Mehrtens on February 7 last year after he landed his small commercial plane in the remote mountainous area of Nduga.
Papua's indigenous people have been fighting for independence from Indonesia since the territory was incorporated into the country following a controversial United Nations-backed referendum.
After capturing Mehrtens, the TPNPB said it would not release him until Papua gained independence.
New Zealand media reported earlier this week that the rebels had proposed new conditions for Mehrtens' release.
