Jakarta – A former separatist peace negotiator in Indonesia's Aceh province may face public caning after he was caught with a French humanitarian worker alone inside a car, in violation of partial Islamic law in force there, police said Tuesday.

Banda Aceh city police chief Zulkarnaen said the ex-negotiator of the now disbanded Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the woman were caught in a parked car around midnight on Monday night by residents in Lambhuk village.

The man was only identified only by his initials AAM, 34, while the woman, was identified as PC, 24.

Under partial Islamic law in force in Aceh, unrelated members of the opposite sex are not allowed to be alone with each other in a room or elsewhere.

Residents handed the pair over to police around 1:00 am, Zulkarnaen told AFP, adding that they were to be released later on Tuesday.

He said the man could face up to nine stroke of the cane and a fine of up to 10 million rupiah (1,081 dollars) if convicted by a sharia Islamic court. The woman, who is not a Muslim, will not be tried.

The initials and age of the man matched those of Amni bin Ahmad Marzuki.

He and four other negotiators were jailed for between 11 and 15 years following the collapse of initial peace talks in 2003. They were released shortly after a pact was signed last August between the government and GAM to end the 29-year separatist revolt.

Sofyan Dawood, a former GAM commander, confirmed to AFP that Marzuki had been arrested Monday night but declined further details.

GAM disbanded after dropping its demand for independence in return for wide-ranging autonomy and the right to form a local political party.