Vaudine England, Lhokseumawe – The day after special services were held in mosques around Aceh to commemorate the dead from Monday's massacre, four Hercules aircraft brought more than 400 special police officers to Lhokseumawe in Aceh province.

A local leader of the independence movement, Ismail Sahputra, said he was not afraid of the new arrivals, even though he is accused by the military of being a provocateur who helped cause Monday's tragedy.

"Maybe there will be no election in Aceh", he said, "but these troops are here to push people to accept an election. Very simply, these troops are here to kill Acehnese."

For the Mobile Brigade convoy – armed with riot shields, sticks, guns and crates of ammunition – their first sight of Aceh was a sign just outside the airport welcoming them to "Aceh, country of referendum".

This is a reference to the popular Acehnese desire for a referendum on independence, instead of the national election set for June. In place of election symbols and party flags, north Aceh boasts signs and flags of the separatist Aceh Merdeka movement.

Most people outside the bureaucracy in north Aceh say they are not interested in the forthcoming election, a view the head of the National Election Commission Rudini must have heard on his quick trip to the province on Thursday when he said the election here could be delayed.

Military commander for the area, Colonel Johnny Wahab, insists the election must go ahead. "Aceh is part of Indonesia", he said, adding that he believed the separatists numbered just 50 active personnel and many sympathisers.

Mr Ismail surrounded by local villagers sporting the Aceh independence flag on caps and badges, puts the situation differently.

He claims the existence of a National Liberation Army numbering more than 10,000 active members. "We have guerillas in the towns – the Indonesians don't know the faces of our men," he said. "We can easily hide, and many others are in the mountains."

Despite this force, Mr Ismail says he was not responsible for provoking Monday's shooting and that he had told people in the area not to gather because it was dangerous.

The Aceh Merdeka's titular head, Hasan de Tiro, is based in Sweden, but that does not stop his name from resonating in Lhokseumawe.

At a small mosque at the bus terminal here on Thursday night, as religious songs were sung for the estimated 63 victims of Monday's massacre, one high school student said: "Yes, I want independence. All of us here want independence. Many Acehnese are waiting for Hasan de Tiro to come back."

A bus driver, passing coffee and coke to fellow mourners, said: "We want no election here, only referendum." And a driver who followed the newly arrived security forces to their base last night said to them with a bitter laugh: "Selamat Datang", or "welcome".