Jakarta – Six years after the Helsinki peace deal ended the long insurgency of the Aceh Freedom Movement (GAM), activists now say the government has avoided bringing to justice past human rights violations that occurred in the province during the civil war.

Otto Syamsudin Ishak from Imparsial, a human rights watchdog, said the government had yet to set up a human rights court and the Aceh Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR Aceh) as mandated by the 2006 Aceh Administration Law.

The delayed establishment of the human rights court, he said, meant that the victims of the violence had not seen justice. "The delayed human rights court is probably the government's biggest single piece of homework right now," he said.

Imparsial has estimated that there were 20,000 civilian victims of human rights violations in Aceh from the 1980s through to 2006. "If the court does not exist, how can we hope that the victims will receive fair and proper compensation" he said.

The Helsinki Agreement, signed on Aug. 15, 2005, by the President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration and the GAM representatives, brought to an end 29 years of warfare led by GAM. Among others, it mandated special autonomy for Aceh, the disarmament of GAM and human rights abuse settlements.

Imparsial recorded at least six major human rights abuse cases in Aceh, in each of which dozens of civilians died. "We cannot say the agreement has met its goals if we still have the unfinished human rights cases," he added.

The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) researcher Wahyudi Djafar said that the government focused more on political issues rather than human rights.

The agreement, signed after the devastating tsunami that struck Aceh in December of 2004, covered several agendas, including physical reconstruction.

"What we are seeing is that the government is too busy carrying out physical and political reconstruction, while neglecting other issues, including human rights," he said.

Otto said that six years on from the agreement, Acehnese enjoyed more stability. "Regional security has been developed. The Acehnese don't face an armed conflict threat anymore," he said. "However, they face another threat, which is inequality among its people."

Otto said a wide economic disparity in the province was the biggest threat facing the Acehnese because it created jealousy. "The sense of social jealousy has risen among, the Acehnese recently as a result of unequal welfare," he said. (lfr)