Kevin McQuillan and agencies – Indonesian authorities in Aceh have rejected requests from about 10 overseas journalists to cover the war.

The Marshall law Administrator, Major General Endang Suwarya, says he does not need "foreign observers" in the province.

Indonesia's military strongly denied foreign press reports in the first week of its campaign that civilians had become victims during its hunt for separatist rebels.

But three soldiers went on trial today, accused of beating up civilians. The three are accused of injuring a woman and two men at Lawang in Bireuen district on May 27.

Military prosecutor Captain Siregar told the court in Lhokseumawe that the soldiers became angry after villagers claimed they did not know anything about members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Beatings

The village head was beaten up and was severely injured in the eye, a woman was beaten up thoroughly and another man lost consciousness, the prosecutor said. Three other soldiers, including a second lieutenant, are awaiting trial over the same incident while another soldier is to be tried for alleged extortion.

The military, which has a record of gross rights abuses in the past in Aceh, has cited the rapid court-martial as evidence of its willingness to curb excesses this time. It has denied reports from some villagers that troops shot dead civilians in a separate operation on May 21 and described those killed as GAM members.

Aceh has been under martial law since May 19 when the government launched its biggest military operation for a quarter-century against GAM.

Civilians targetted

Police say however, they are now hunting civilian activists suspected of supporting separatist rebels. "We will use the [criminal code] article on subversion, which carries up to the death sentence, against them," said Sayed Husaini, a police spokesman.

He says many are student activists from the Ar-Raniry State Institute for Religious Sciences in Banda Aceh or members of several non-governmental organisations. Among the NGOs he cited were the Information Center on a Referendum for Aceh, which campaigns for an independence referendum, and Society's Solidarity for the People.

Observers restricted

Last week the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said it was concerned "by mounting evidence of a systematic effort by Indonesian security forces in Aceh to restrict reporting on the fighting there."

The organization also cited several cases in which unknown gunmen had opened fire on convoys of foreign and local journalists. The military has invited Indonesian journalists to travel with its troops as they attempt to crush the Free Aceh Movement.

The Jakarta government has also said foreign non-governmental organisations cannot work in Aceh without a permit.