Obviously feeling badly about that little misunderstanding that happened last week when those Papuan separatists set a plane on fire and took its Kiwi pilot hostage deep in some godforsaken jungle, Namia Gwijangge, chief of the east Indonesian district of Nduga, who was actually there on the plane when it happened, said he was sorry about the whole thing, the AP reports.
The little mix-up occurred last week when Kiwi pilot Phil Mehrtens flew Gwijangge and four other officials to the small town of Paro to pick up a group of construction workers who had been threatened by the separatists. Immediately upon landing the rebels set the plane on fire and dragged Mehrtens away, but leaving Gwijangge and the others alone due to their Papuan ethnicity.
“Our plan to evacuate the workers angered the rebels, who responded by setting fire to the plane and seizing the pilot,” said Gwijangge. “We deeply regret this incident.” The rebels on Tuesday sent out videos of Mehrtens, claiming they would keep him safe as long as he agreed that Papua be granted independence. “Indonesia must recognize Papua is independent,” Mehrtens said in one of the videos published on Tuesday, apparently with enough enthusiasm to stay alive.