Noordin (not his real name), 45, an Acehnese who has been living in Malaysia for the past 12 years, was forced to flee his village of Lhockbungongta in 1987 when he was sought by the Indonesian military.

Suspected of supporting the secession struggle in the troubled Indonesian province on the northern tip of Sumatra, Nordin had no option but join the separatist movement, and to take to the camouflage of the surrounding jungles and mountains.

Was he a GAM member?

"I was not an active GAM member, but I was a sympathiser of their struggle. Definitely now, after what has happened, my struggle too is for the freedom of Aceh soil," said Noordin.

GAM is the acronym for the armed separatist group Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (or Free Aceh Movement) which is involved in a brutal conflict with the Indonesian military.

International human rights body Amnesty International estimates that between 1989 and 1992, about 2,000 people were killed by both sides.

Last month, Jakarta launched one of its biggest offensive in Aceh since the rebellious province was declared by the Suharto government as a 'Daerah Operasi Militer' (DOM, or Military Operational Area) 13 years ago, turning the area into a 'free-fire' zone.