Robert Go, Banda Aceh – Soldiers and policemen strut about in battle gear, machine guns slung from their shoulders and holstered pistols at their waists. They can be seen manning posts, drinking coffee at street stalls, or browsing through stacks of video compact discs in front of supermarkets.

But if many of the residents of Aceh share a deep resentment for them and Jakarta's rule, they also have misgivings about the presence of the rebels. Stories suggest that outside of safe areas, civilians are caught in the middle of a free-for-all between Indonesian forces and GAM rebels.

The rebels command popular support in several economically depressed areas of Aceh, but indications are emerging that people in other areas do not sympathetise with their cause.

The flag issue may illustrate the point: Reports are surfacing about villagers who are confused about which flag to fly in front of their homes. Indonesian soldiers tell them to show allegiance to Indonesia's red-over-white national flag. But residents say OTKs come and terrorise those who do that. Villagers also talk about GAM members who demand protection money, and threaten violence if people refuse to cooperate.

In the latest such case, rebel squads kidnapped 10 villagers on Tuesday last week and demanded one million rupiah (US$100) ransom from each victim's family. A Banda Aceh-based academic, who declined to be identified, argued: "They don't see any other way of surviving, so they use civilians as shields. If non-combatants get killed, GAM should share as much of the blame as soldiers who shoot them."