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JAKARTA: Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD asserted that the government would use a persuasive approach to free Susi Air’s New Zealand pilot Captain Philip Mehrtens who is taken hostage by the armed group West Papua National Liberation Army-Free Papua Organisation (TPNPB-OPM) led by Egianus Kogoya in Paro, Nduga, Papua Pegunungan.

“The government will keep doing its best to save the hostage by adopting persuasive approaches because the priority is the hostage’s safety,” said Mahfud in a press conference broadcast via the ministry’s YouTube channel.

However, he underlined that the government did not close the possibility to take other ways of rescuing the pilot because taking a civilian hostage cannot be accepted for any reason.

“Thus, the persuasive approach is the key guideline for the safety of the hostage, but the government does not close ways to other efforts,” Mahfud added.

The Indonesian government also kept communicating with the New Zealand government to monitor and expedite efforts to release the pilot. Papua, Mahfud emphasised, is still part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, according to both the constitution and international laws.