BANDA ACEH: Indonesian prosecutors have charged two Aceh rebel peace negotiators with terrorism and attempting to topple the government, an official said Tuesday.

The trials of Sofyan Ibrahim Tiba and Amni bin Ahmad Marzuki - whose cases were filed in court Monday - are expected to start next week, said Yusuf Hasan, the secretary of Banda Aceh District Court.

The two were among the top five negotiators of the separatist Free Aceh Movement who held peace talks with the government last year. Those discussions produced a Dec. 9 accord that had been meant to end the 27-year rebellion in the oil- and gas-rich region on the westernmost tip of Indonesia.

The accord collapsed this year and the government launched an all-out offensive and declared martial law in May.

Police arrested Tiba and Marzuki May 19, just hours after Jakarta announced its offensive.

"They are accused of undermining the government and violating the anti-terror law," Hasan said without elaborating. If convicted, they could face the death penalty.

Prosecutors are expected to charge the three other negotiators later this week.

The negotiators were first detained on their way to attend last-ditch peace talks in Tokyo between the government and the rebels, which failed to avert war.

At least 620 people, mostly men identified by the military as rebels, have been killed since the offensive started after the five-month cease-fire broke down.

In the northern Acehnese town of Lhokseumawe, two soldiers went on trial Tuesday for theft during a search for rebels at the start of the military campaign.

Sgt. Julius Sitorus and Pvt. M. Alamsri were accused of stealing 2 million rupiah (US$1=IDR8,430) and jewelry from a family May 19.

Indonesian soldiers, who have a long history of committing abuses, are rarely tried in court. Recently, however, several soldiers have been charged with raping Acehnese women and torturing villagers - an apparent attempt by the government to restore some credibility among the population as it seeks to root out the insurgents.

Both the rebels and military in Aceh have been accused of illegally enriching themselves through extortion and gangsterism. Some say peace has failed to take hold because combatants on both sides are benefiting from the conflict.

Edited by Lena Lee.