Indonesia's chief security minister has flown to troubled Aceh province to decide whether to bring in tougher measures to fight a long-running separatist conflict.

We will decide whether dialogue can be continued, stopped or postponed

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, top security minister

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has warned that the government may declare a state of emergency.

More than 10,000 people have died in the 26-year-old conflict, with fresh violence an almost daily occurrence.

The two sides have held a series of peace talks, most recently in May, but no progress has been made.

Various ceasefires have been agreed but never held.

Mr Yudhoyono is scheduled to stay in the province, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, until Saturday, said an aide. Other ministers and the armed forces and police chiefs will join him later in the week, according to Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh.

"In short, we will assess the situation in Aceh...," Antara news agency quoted Mr Yudhoyono as saying late on Monday in Jakarta.

"We will decide if the province's security status should be upgraded to civil emergency or military emergency status.

"We will decide whether dialogue can be continued, stopped or postponed."

'Terrorist' label

Mr Yudhoyono has already asked parliament to support a possible declaration of civil emergency in Aceh, which is one step down from martial law and allows security forces to search houses and detain suspects

Civilians have complained of human rights abuses

Declaring martial law would place the army commander in Aceh in charge of the resource-rich province.

At peace talks in Switzerland in February, Indonesia granted Aceh a greater share in its oil and gas revenues and agreed to an autonomy package for the province.

The Aceh separatists have informally agreed the autonomy package could be a starting point, but continue to demand a totally independent state. President Megawati Sukarnoputri, a staunch nationalist, has said that will never happen.

Political analysts have noted that last week Mr Yudhoyono referred to the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) as "terrorists". They said it marked a hardening of the government's attitude and that it might now see military might as the only solution.

Rights groups have accused troops and police, as well as the rebels, of widespread rights violations in Aceh.

The government is set to make its decision on Aceh at the end of the month.