(CNN) Separatist militants in Indonesia’s troubled Papua region have released a series of images showing a New Zealand pilot who was taken hostage more than a week ago.
Photos released on Tuesday show the pilot, identified by local police as Philip Mehrtens, standing fully clothed and apparently unharmed amid a group of militants holding guns, bows and arrows and other weapons.
Mehrtens was captured after he landed a commercial Susi Air charter flight at Paro airport in the remote highlands of the Nduga regency last week, with the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) claiming responsibility and saying it burned his plane .
The group previously called for all incoming flights to Paro Airport to be halted and said the pilot would not be released until the Indonesian government recognized Papua’s independence.
The TPNPB posted Mehrtens’ photos on its Facebook page, along with a statement reiterating its position.
“TPNPB has admitted responsibility for the plane burning and kidnapping of a New Zealand Susi Air pilot and we are keeping our promise and are politically responsible,” the statement said.
Separatists from West Papua say they burned the plane after taking Mehrtens hostage.
New Zealand’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told CNN it was “aware of the photos and videos that have been circulating but will have no further comment at this time”.
Separatist militants in Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost region – a former Dutch colony – have been demanding independence since the region was brought under Indonesian control after a controversial 1969 vote supervised by the United Nations.
However, fighting in the impoverished but resource-rich region, where the Indonesian military has a strong presence, has escalated in recent years.
The Indonesian government designates the TPNPB as a terrorist organization.
Papua Police Chief Inspector Mathius Fakhiri previously told reporters that five passengers, including a baby, were on the same flight as Mehrtens, but it remains unclear what happened to them. They were not mentioned in the last statement.
CNN’s Heather Chen contributed to this report.