Banda Aceh – Thieves could have their hands amputated in Indonesia's Aceh province under a proposed Islamic law that may alarm rights activists and Western governments.

The draft law was published Tuesday in an advertisement in Aceh's Serambi newspaper that was paid for by the agency responsible for implementing Islamic Shariah law in the tsunami-ravaged province, which only recently emerged from decades of civil war.

The advertisement called on readers to comment on the proposed law so it could be revised before being handed over to local legislators for debate.

One article in the draft law says thieves found guilty of stealing goods worth more than the market price of 94 grams (3 ounces) of gold should have a hand amputated, a punishment stipulated in the Koran, Islam's holy book, and carried out in some Islamic countries.

The Indonesian government agreed to allow Shariah law in Aceh four years ago as part of negotiations to end the 29-year war between separatist rebels and the military. The province is slowly introducing elements of the legal code.

Last year, special Islamic courts began enforcing some of the laws, which include punishing gamblers with caning, forcing women to cover their heads in public and banning the consumption of alcohol.

Opinion polls show those regulations are popular with the province's 4.2 million people, though it remains to be seen whether moves to broaden the law to include punishment for thieves would be supported.

The laws would likely be opposed by Western governments and rights activists keen to see Indonesia remain a beacon of moderation in the Islamic world.

The sprawling nation has more Muslims than any other, but apart from Aceh enforces secular laws and has significant minorities of other faiths.