As Patricia Nunan reports from Jakarta, the renewed violence comes as thousands of people are traveling to the provincial capital for a massive independence rally. Witnesses say soldiers in the south of the province opened fire without provocation - on a convoy of vehicles with independence supporters headed to the rally in the provincial capital Banda Aceh. In another incident, security forces reportedly blew up two bridges in northern Aceh to prevent people from arriving in the capital. A local police spokesman confirmed the deaths - but disputes eyewitness accounts.
Officials say security forces only returned fire in response to attacks by separatist rebels.
Demonstrators plan to call on the United Nations to organize an independence referendum in Aceh - much like the ballot held in East Timor last year. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend. Separatist guerrillas have been fighting for the province's independence since the 1970s. But the independence movement gained momentum when the Indonesian government allowed the East Timorese to breakaway after they voted for independence. The Indonesian government has consistently maintained that the referendum in East Timor would not serve as a precedent for other restive provinces.