Attack on helicopter

New Zealand pilot killed by Papua rebels

The pilot's body is flown out of the troubled region by the Indonesian air force.(Bild: AFP/Sevianto Pakiding)

Separatist rebels have killed a pilot from New Zealand in the Indonesian province of Papua. The 50-year-old was ambushed on Monday immediately after landing in the district of Alama.

He had been working for a local cargo airline. The "armed criminal group" set fire to the pilot's body and the helicopter, the authorities said. Four local passengers were unharmed. 

An army spokesman with a portrait of the slain pilot Glen Malcolm Conning(Bild: AP/Indonesian Police)

Second pilot in the hands of indigenous insurgents in a year and a half
The incident adds to concerns about another pilot from New Zealand who has been held in the jungles of Papua for almost a year and a half. Rebels from the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) set fire to a small airliner in the Nduga district in February 2023 and abducted the pilot from the local airline Susi Air.

Since then, they have released videos and photos of their hostage several times. The abducted Philip Mehrtens can be seen surrounded by indigenous people, some of whom are heavily armed.

Decades of conflict in a region rich in natural resources
Talks about Mehrtens' release have stalled. The rebels are demanding independence for Papua from Indonesia and mediation by the United Nations in the negotiations.

The Indonesian-ruled region of Papua in the western half of the island of New Guinea has been the scene of separatist uprisings since the 1960s. The province was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 in a vote supported by the United Nations. Violent clashes have been taking place in the resource-rich region for years. The east of the island to the north of Australia is the independent country of Papua New Guinea.