Vaudine England and agencies in Jakarta – An Indonesian military transport plane was destroyed after being hit by rebel ground fire yesterday as it approached an airport in separatist-racked Aceh province.

The Lockheed Hercules C-130 managed to land at Lhokseumawe airport, but burst into flames on the runway, military spokesman Major Zainal Mataquin said. There were no casualties. Antara news agency said all 93 crewmen and passengers managed to escape from the stricken plane before fire engulfed the fuselage.

One witness said the plane overshot the runway and caught fire after crashing into a shallow ravine. He said people were seen jumping from the plane before it caught fire and at least two soldiers were rushed to the Lhokseumawe military hospital.

The air force had earlier rejected rebel claims that they shot down the plane, saying it hit a low fence at the end of the runway when landing. But Free Aceh Movement field commander Amri bin Abdul Wahab said insurgents had targeted the plane because the Government was flying reinforcements into the troubled region. "We did it and we will do it again if the Indonesian military insists on sending more troops to Aceh," he said. The commander also said an exchange of fire had erupted between his fighters and troops guarding the airport. There were no casualties on his side, he said.

Among the passengers on board the Hercules were members of the dreaded Kopassus special forces who had completed a tour of duty in Aceh and were returning to Jakarta. The airport was closed to civilian flights after an attack on February 6 last year launched by rebels on an aircraft carrying industrial workers.

The incident comes amid continuing fighting between troops and rebels in an area that was promised peaceful dialogue in August when President Megawati Sukarnoputri signed into law a special autonomy package for Aceh. Ms Megawati led a peace mission to the province last month that failed to end the bitter fighting.

Instead of seeing justice for the history of rights abuses, the death toll from the conflict has continued to rise. Indonesian police and military said yesterday six people, including three government soldiers, had been killed in separate incidents in the province since Tuesday.

Instead of the increased revenues and political respect promised in the special autonomy law, the central Government is failing to extend even basic services to the violence-plagued population, critics in Aceh say. "Actually, it's got worse," said an Acehnese who works for a non-government organisation (NGO) and has moved to Jakarta for his safety. "People are moving freely on the main roads as the military is not harassing them on the streets. But the military is harassing villagers. Kidnappings and army sweepings are going on in many villages.

"The Government hasn't and cannot do anything because the military seems to control everything in Aceh now. We only hear the speeches and promises, but no action or reality. People don't trust Jakarta any more."

With troops regularly arriving in the area, generals this week said they wanted to revive a special military command for Aceh, claiming popular support for an increased military presence.