Most of the nearly 150 people freed by separatist rebels in Aceh province this week were not hostages but people rounded up from around the release site, Indonesia's military says.

"There are strong indications that about 120 of the people were not hostages but simply civilians from locations around the release site who had been ordered to gather by the GAM," said Aceh military spokesman Major Ahmad Husen.

He was referring to at least 138 people freed by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). The movement had said its "prisoners" were suspected spies for the military or those who had sought its protection.

The Indonesian Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross said the rebels handed over 138 people to them.

Husen said some of those freed carried bags containing ironed clothes. "It is very unusual for people who have been kept hostage for months by the guerrillas to have nicely ironed clothes," Husen said. Medical checks also showed their health was not compatible with people who had been held hostage for months, he said.

Husen also said some of those freed claimed they came from villages surrounding Lhok Juk, the site of the release, and had been told by rebels to avail of medical checkups provided by the Red Cross.

Sayed Zakaria, 52, a released prisoner who was allowed by the military to talk to reporters in the East Aceh district capital of Langsa late Tuesday, said: "Most are civilians who were asked by the GAM to go with ICRC and PMI vehicles to Langsa to get free medical checkups." Zakaria said he had been detained by the rebels for the past three years on suspicion of spying for the military.

GAM has been fighting since 1976 for the independence of resource-rich Aceh province at the northern tip of Sumatra island.

After a year of martial law, Jakarta Wednesday downgraded the status to civil emergency, which gives civilian authorities the power to censor the press and declare a curfew. The military operation against GAM will continue, the government said.