Banda Aceh – The deputy chairman of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) Aceh chapter was killed after separatist rebels sprayed his car with bullets, military officials said.

Mr Said Rafiq Maulana, 38, was driving past a checkpoint in East Aceh on Friday when armed members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) asked him to stop. When he refused, the rebels opened fire, Aceh military spokesman Major Zaenal Muttaqin said. He died on the way to hospital. The rebels denied responsibility for the killing.

His death comes days after a GAM territorial commander, identified as Abu Arafah alias Ibrahim, was shot dead at a village in West Aceh.

Arafah, 33, was killed during a raid by about 200 paramilitary officers on the house of one of his wives in the Setiabakti sub-district last Wednesday, Aceh police spokesman Taufik Sutiyono said. He said officers found one handgun with bullets, a satellite mobile telephone and GAM documents.

In a separate development, the PDI-P dismissed Mr Tarmidi Suhardjo as chief of its regional Jakarta chapter for violating party discipline.

A letter signed by PDI-P chief, Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri, and Secretary-General Sutjipto Suhardjo said Mr Tarmidi had violated the party's policy to support incumbent Sutiyoso's bid for second term as Jakarta Governor.