By David Chazan in Dhaka

The human rights group Amnesty International has accused the Bangladeshi Government of failing to fulfil a peace agreement, which ended a guerrilla war in the remote south-east of the country.

The Chittagong Hill Tract peace accord was signed more than two years ago, ending decades of guerrilla war against tribal rebels in the thickly-forested hills.

But Amnesty says the government has still not done enough to prevent human rights violations by security forces.

And it says it has failed to settle disputes over land between former rebels and non-tribal settlers.

Continuing violence

More than 8,000 people died in the conflict in which the Shanti Bahini rebels fought against the Bangladeshi Government for autonomy for the Chittagong Hill Tracts, which border India and Burma.

Since the peace accord was signed in December 1997, Amnesty says there have been occasional reports of tribal people being killed and their homes burned - incidents which it says are reminiscent of past army practices.

Amnesty is urging the Bangladeshi Government to investigate accusations of killings of civilians and human-rights violations by security forces and militant tribal groups in the tracts.

Land disputes

The human rights group also says that what it calls a culture of violence continues between tribals and settlers who moved in during the insurgency.

The two communities, whose numbers are now roughly equal, are competing for land in one of the world's most densely-populated countries.

Amnesty says the government has failed to honour its commitment to resettle tribal refugees who returned after the peace agreement was signed.

They have also failed to return land taken from tribal people, and to withdraw many of the military camps from the hills.

'Temporary delay'

The Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, who won a United Nations peace prize for the accord, says the delays in putting it into practice are only temporary.

But it is opposed by opposition parties and by tribal militant groups, who say it favours the mainly Muslim settlers over the predominantly Buddhist and Christian tribals.

Tribal representatives say the government's continued failure to honour its commitments is increasing support for the militants.