MEULABOH, Indonesia, Jan 10 (AFP) - Indonesia's military has made fresh accusations against separatist rebels in the tsunami-devastated province of Aceh, saying they had made attempts to interfere with humanitarian efforts.
Colonel Geerhan Lantara, army chief for west Aceh, said late Sunday that a state of emergency declared before the disaster that killed at least 100,000 Indonesians was still needed because the rebels were continuing to fight.
"I don't think they will stop their struggle," Lantara told reporters in the west coast town of Meulaboh which was almost totally destroyed when a mammoth earthquake sent waters crashing inland.
"The emergency has to remain. If not the rebels will be a threat to the masses," he said, adding that the military had continued to "engage" the rebels since the tsunami on December 26, despite claims of a ceasefire on either side.
Lantara said in one incident, the rebels had attempted to stop locals getting clean water in a town to the north of Meulaboh.
"I dispatched my men to calm the situation and ensure security," he said.
Officials say the military is providing armed escort to relief groups if they venture outside Meulaboh. However, the United Nations on Sunday said there was no threat to foreign aid workers in Aceh.
Lantara said he had lost 150 of his men in the disaster, but some 1,500 personnel, mainly engineering corps, had been deployed to West Aceh to rebuild bridges and roads washed away by the waves.
Rebels of the Free Aceh Movement have been fighting for independence since 1976. The government launched a massive military operation against them in May 2003, placing the province initially under martial law then civil emergency rule.
01/10/2005 03:40 GMT - AFP