Up to 421 separatist rebels have been killed by the government troops since Indonesia's westernmost province Aceh was put under a state of civil emergency on May 19, Jakarta Post reported Thursday.

The daily quoted Sr. Comr. Sayed Hoesainy of Aceh's civil emergency administration as saying that over the period, some 20 soldiers and police officers have lost their lives, mostly in the military operations.

Hoesainy also accused rebels of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) of killing some 50 civilians over the past three months.

Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri declared a martial law in Aceh on May 19, 2003, which paved the way for a military operation to crush the separatist movement there. After one year of implementation, the government decided to downgrade the martiallaw to a state of civil emergency.

The GAM, which reportedly had some 5,000 followers before the imposition of martial law in May last year, has been fighting for an independent state in the oil-and-gas- rich province since 1976.Over 2,200 rebels have been killed since May last year.

Source: Xinhua