It is estimated that more than 150,000 people have fled clashes between separatist rebels and the Indonesian security forces.

The BBC's Jonathan Head: "There's now a yawning gulf between the Indonesian authorities and the people in much of Aceh"

More people are leaving their homes every day. Most are living in temporary shelters next to mosques in the larger towns.

Aid workers say they do not have enough resources to cope.

The BBC's Jonathan Head, who is in the provincial capital Bande Aceh, says that despite the squalid conditions, the camps are well-organised.

Many refugees clearly support the armed guerrillas fighting for an independent state.

Free Aceh movement flags are everywhere, and the word "referendum" is painted in huge letters along the main coast road.

The refugees are becoming increasingly hostile towards the Indonesian Government, accusing troops of horrific human rights violations.

One old woman, who said her village had been burnt down by the soldiers, warned the army that if it wanted a war, "we Acehnese are ready to fight one".

A local military commander described his policy as kill or be killed. Troop trucks drive around the province at high speed to avoid ambushes.

Journalist killed

More than 200 people have died over the past three months in Aceh - 40 of them members of the security forces.

In the latest incident, a local journalist was found dead after being abducted by unidentified men.

Jakarta's Kompas newspaper reported that 34-year-old Supriadi, a journalist on the Medan Pos newspaper based in neighboring North Sumatra province, had been reporting on allegations of corruption in the region.

The report quoted Supriadi's wife as saying that her husband had been stabbed and shot in the chest. She said he had been abducted from their house late on Tuesday by two unidentified men riding motorcycles.

Warning

The chief of police of the North Aceh District told the BBC an investigation was underway, but that there was still no indication of who had carried out the killing.

The chief editor of the Medan Pos, Ibrahim Sinik, said in a separate interview with the BBC that Supriadi had not attacked particular individuals or groups in his reporting.