Jakarta – Hundreds of Indonesian youth rallied outside the United Nations office in Jakarta on Monday demanding independence for the troubled Aceh province, witnesses said.

The noisy demonstration by 200 members of Student Solidarity for Aceh comes five days ahead of a visit to the separatist-plagued province by Indonesian President B.J. Habibie.

The protestors, who spilled onto the streets of Jakarta's main Thamrin business district, shouted that the province could no longer accept human rights and economic abuses from the central government.

"Referendum is the best choice for Aceh," read one poster. "Long live Hasan Tiro," another read. Tiro is the leader of the Free Aceh movement to establish a independent Islamic state, now living in exile in Sweden.

The Indonesian military has come under sharp criticism for human rights violations, including murders and rape, in Aceh during its recently ended 10 years of virtual military rule.

"Aceh has been colonized by its fellow countrymen for dozens of years," one protester said. "Aceh contributes 10 trillion rupiah (1.1 billion dollars) each year to the central government and yet the people remain poor," the student added.

Around 20 fully armed anti-riot troops watched the students from across the boulevard but made no move to break up the demonstration.