Jakarta – A human rights worker was Friday found shot dead and eight alleged rebels were reported killed in Indonesia's troubled province of Aceh on the eve of a visit by President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Police and troops were deployed on every corner of the capital Banda Aceh and residents deserted the streets towards dusk in fear of violence, witnesses said.

A human rights advocate from the US-funded East Aceh Coalition for Human Rights, Yusuf Usman, was found dead in East Aceh, coalition director Yusuf Puteh told AFP. Usman had been kidnapped from his home by unidentified gunmen on Thursday night and later shot in the head and body. Usman's work had involved providing advocacy to victims of human rights abuses in East Aceh.

The US embassy expressed shock and deep sadness at another high-profile murder Thursday, that of Dayan Dawood, chancellor of the state Syiah Kuala University near Banda Aceh. Dawood was shot dead by unidentified attackers three days after he offered to help mediate in the 25-year conflict between security forces and separatist rebels.

"We urge the Indonesian government to pursue and bring to justice the perpetrators of this senseless crime," the embassy statement said Friday.

Dawood, 55, was the second top academic gunned down in the province in the past year. The chancellor of the state-run Institute of Islamic Studies, Safwan Idris, was killed in front of his home late last year.

"We condemn this senseless murder, and call on President Megawati to do everything in her power to ensure the perpetrators are found and brought to justice," said Sidney Jones, Asia director of Human Rights Watch.

The pressure group said both the military and separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) forces had carried out political assassinations in Aceh. Both sides accused each other over Dawood's murder.

In South Aceh Thursday five suspected GAM rebels were killed by troops raiding a suspected rebel base in the village of Rundeng, local military chief Lieutenant Colonel Agus Purmana told AFP. Provincial military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Firdaus said three rebels were also killed in a gunfight Thursday with troops in the North Aceh village of Sawang.

Local GAM spokesman Teungku Jamaica confirmed the deaths of the three rebels, and said that 20 Indonesian soldiers had also been killed in the crossfire. Firdaus denied any soldiers had died.

The rebels have released one of three crew members belonging to state television station TVRI, the state Antara news agency said meanwhile. The other two would only be released if station executives meet rebels to hear their complaints of biased reporting, Antara quoted GAM spokesman Ishak Daud as saying.