The Susi Air plane that Phillip Mehrtens was piloting being torched by the rebels Photo: Suppplied/TPNPB
Three New Zealand diplomats and two staff from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs arrived in the capital of Mimika Regency, Central Papua Province on Monday.
Jubi TV reports their arrival in the town of Timika was to monitor the progress of the search for New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens.
On Monday afternoon, they attended a meeting led by the commander of the Joint Command for Defense Region III.
The diplomats expressed their hope that Mehrtens could be found alive and well and be released immediately.
A written statement received by Jubi TV from the military regional command (Kodam) on Monday said the three New Zealand diplomats were deputy Head of the New Zealand Diplomatic Mission for Aseanm Brendan Andrew Stanbury, and Patrick John Fitzgibbon and Alexander Mcsporran from the New Zealand Embassy.
They were accompanied by Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff Dionisius Elvan Swasono and Nicolas Hendrik Theodorus.
Meanwhile, the separatist fighters have released video footage of Mehrtens in which he is surrounded by several West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) fighters and gives a prepared speech.
