Jakarta [Indonesia], September 21 (ANI): New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens has been released by separatist rebels in Indonesia’s restive Papua region, 19 months after his kidnapping. Mehrtens had been held captive since February 2023. The New Zealand government said that Phillip Mehrtens, taken hostage in Papua, Indonesia, is now safe. Mehrtens was taken hostage while working as a pilot at a remote airstrip in Paro, Papua on February 7, 2023. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters in a statement expressed his relief at the release of Mehrtens and said, “We are pleased and relieved to con…