PNG Rebels Kill New Zealand Helicopter Pilot

Rebel Papua New Guinea Defense Force soldiers, with faces obscured, display an array of weapons taken from the armoury at Murray Barracks in Port Moresby, March 23, 2001. (TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP via Getty Images)

Several gunmen thought to be with the West Papua Liberation Army (TPNPB)—the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement—have stormed a helicopter carrying health workers and two children as it landed in Alama, a remote village in Mimika district of Central Papua province on Monday. The area can only be accessed by helicopter.

They killed the pilot—New Zealander Glen Malcolm Conning, 50—but released the Indigenous Papuan passengers before setting fire to the plane with the body inside.

The TPNPB claimed it had not received a report of the incident and could not comment on the killing of the pilot. However, Faizal Ramadhani, a National Police officer who heads the joint security peace force in Papua, confirmed the attack had happened.

“His body was taken to the helicopter and burned along with the aircraft,” said Bayu Suseno, head of public relations for the Cartenz Task Force, local media reported.

Suseno added that the passengers, all local Alama residents, are safe.

Another NZ Pilot Kidnapped

New Zealand Pilot Phillip Mehrtens captured by pro-independence rebels in West Papua appeared in a hostage video in 2023. (New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)

The incident follows the kidnapping of another New Zealand pilot, Phillip Mehrtens, on Feb. 7 last year after he landed a small plane in the remote, mountainous area of Nduga.

Police said that he is being held by the same group that carried out Monday’s attack.

Egianus Kogoya, a regional commander in the Free Papua Movement, has said they won’t release Mehrtens unless Indonesia frees Papua as a sovereign country.

A spokesperson for the TPNPB said on Aug. 3 that it had agreed to free Mehrtens “for the sake of humanity.” However, there have been no signs of this occurring, and the spokesperson said the process could take two months. He gave no reason for the timeframe.

The NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) says it is aware of reports of Conning’s death, but has made no substantive comment.

It has also been negotiating for the release of Mehrtens since his capture.

In an earlier statement, MFAT said it was aware of “reports and speculation online” about the fate of the surviving pilot, but it had no further comment.

“Phillip Mehrtens’ safety and wellbeing remains our top priority. We continue to do everything we can to secure a peaceful resolution and Phillip’s safe release, including working closely with the Indonesian authorities and deploying New Zealand consular staff,” it said.

“We are also supporting Phillip’s family, both here in New Zealand and in Indonesia.”