Jakarta (Agencies) – The body of a New Zealand helicopter pilot shot dead by rebels in Papua has been retrieved, the joint task force of police and soldiers leading the search said Tuesday.
Glen Malcolm Conning, 50, a pilot for PT Intan Angkasa Air Service, was killed Monday after landing in Papua with two Indonesian health workers and two children, all of whom survived.
The Cartenz Peace Taskforce, assembled to deal with Papua separatists, retrieved his body from the remote area of Alama and transported it to Timika city, it said in a statement.
"The body of the pilot has been evacuated from the Alama district to Timika and arrived at 12:50 pm local time. The body is currently at the Mimika General Hospital for an autopsy," Cartenz spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Bayu Suseno said.
Mimika police head Adj. Sr. Comr. I Komang Budiartha told reporters on Monday that three helicopters had been dispatched for the search effort.
A New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told AFP earlier Tuesday that it was aware of reports of the pilot's death and said its embassy in Jakarta was seeking further information from authorities.
The killing comes less than two years after another pilot from New Zealand, Phillip Mehrtens, was abducted by rebels from the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB). He remains in captivity.
TPNPB spokesman Sebby Sambom did not respond to an AFP request for comment on Tuesday.
The insurgent group has previously demanded that Indonesia recognise Papuan independence in return for Mehrten's release.
The New Zealand government has repeatedly called for the immediate release of captured pilot Mehrtens, who was kidnapped on Feb. 7 last year after he landed a small commercial plane in the remote, mountainous area of Nduga.
The rebels have previously released videos of Mehrtens seeking international mediation in talks between the rebels and Indonesian authorities, one with him surrounded by Papuan fighters.
TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom said on Saturday the group had agreed to free Mehrtens, but authorities on Monday cast doubt on that, describing it as "mere propaganda". Sebby did not immediately respond to a request for comment on that.
Papua, a former Dutch colony, declared independence in 1961, but neighbouring Indonesia took control two years later, promising a referendum. In 1969, a thousand Papuans voted to integrate into Indonesia in a United Nations-backed vote.
Papuan independence activists regularly criticise the vote and call for fresh polls, but Jakarta says its sovereignty over Papua is supported by the UN.