Aceh police accused of abuse

The Indonesian military is battling separatist rebels in Aceh

A Scottish academic says she has disturbing evidence about human rights abuses by the Indonesian military in the province of Aceh.

University lecturer Lesley McCulloch is in regular touch with a policeman in Aceh who has been sending her news about torture at the police station in the province's capital, Banda Aceh.

The Indonesian military continues to crack down on separatist rebels in the province, effectively sealing Aceh off to outsiders and making such allegations difficult to verify.

But Ms McCulloch, herself imprisoned in Aceh in 2002, says her contact has witnessed a number of serious rights violations in recent days.

I have never heard of such a thing. This is ridiculous Indonesian military spokesman

"He told me that people are being beaten, and deprived of sleep, food and water," Ms McCulloch told the BBC's East Asia Today programme.

Her contact had witnessed detainees being burnt with cigarettes and lighters, and tied to the bars of their cells before being severely beaten, she said.

"In the last week, he has also told me of a few cases of people being removed dead from the police station," she added.

Poor rights record

But a spokesman for the Indonesian military, Lieutenant Colonel Yani Basuyki, was quick to deny Ms McCulloch's allegations.

"I have never heard of such a thing. This is ridiculous," he told East Asia Today. "We are not jungle soldiers."

At least 600 people, many of them civilians, are now thought to have died since the military offensive began in May.

The crackdown, against rebels from the Free Aceh Movement (Gam), erupted after a fragile five-month peace agreement collapsed.

The military has a poor human rights record in the province, but has frequently denied accusations of rights abuses.

Since the offensive began, several soldiers have been charged with abuses against civilians, in what the government cites as evidence of efforts to curb excess brutality.

Gam rebels have been fighting for an independent state in Aceh since 1976. At least 12,000 people have died in the campaign so far.