According to the State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, the end of hostility between Myanmar's military and the Arakan Army (AA) is one of the key elements in solving long-standing conflicts in Rakhine State.
As part of her closing statement, she claimed that both the civilian and military judicial system must be left intact as per the constitution, at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the provisional measure hearing initiated by The Gambia at The Hague, Netherlands on December 12.
"Ending the ongoing internal armed conflict between the Arakan Army and Myanmar’s Defence Services is of the utmost importance for our country. But it is equally important to avoid any reignition of the 2016-2017 internal armed conflict in northern Rakhine," said Aung San Suu Kyi.
She further mentions that it was now just a little over two years since armed conflicts ignited by ARSA ravaged Rakhine State from the following fallout, citing that international criminal tribunals tend to take a minimum of four years to perform full investigations.
The State Counsellor also highlighted that "The Constitution of Myanmar cannot and should not be ignored, if we are serious about establishing constitutional democracy and rule-of-law in Myanmar," further vouching that there will be more court marshals regarding the conduct of military forces in Rakhine State conflicts.
She continued to say that "I pray the decision you make, with the wisdom and vision of justice, will help us to create unity out of our diversity, to develop the potential of our people, and to meet the challenges of a nation in quest of sustainable peace and development. Steps that generate suspicion, sow doubts, or create resentment between communities who have just begun to build a fragile foundation of trust could undermine reconciliation."
Over the three-days long court hearing from December 10 to 12, the applicant Nation of The Gambia and defendant nation of Myanmar had submitted to the court supporting documents to their claims and legal rebuttals to a 15-jury court.
The decision for Myanmar to take up the legal challenge posed by The Gambia was 'surprising' to many observers, both internal and external while those that were inclined towards The Gambia's case calling the move a step towards the right direction while sparking mass rallies of support were triggered for the other camp.
The trial itself gathered a vast amount of interest online, with tens of thousands of viewers tuning into live broadcasts by media agencies as well as cooking up a storm of Facebook posts.
Amongst the posts, there were some heated arguments in concern with the role of international media in this case, particularly that of Reuters as two of its journalists had broke the Putlizer-winning news concerning Inn Dinn Village case. In fact, lawyers from The Gambia had used photos of Inn Dinn as incriminating evidence to ICJ.
Gambia's lawyers not only condemned the case but spotlighted the subsequent arrest of Reuter journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo as well as the arrest of military personnel and quick pardon of said personnel.
For now, both countries await the decision from the ICJ - with experts estimating that it may take anywhere from two weeks to one month minimum.
The full transcripts of Aung San Suu Kyi herself and Myanmar's lawyers can be found in the following links:
December 12
State Counsellor's closing statement for the Myanmar vs Gambia ICJ trial
https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/state-counsellors-closing-statement-for-t...
Final verbatim transcription of William Schabas for last day of Myanmar vs Gambia ICJ trial
https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/final-verbatim-transcription-of-william-s...
Final verbatim transcription of Christopher Staker for last day of Myanmar vs Gambia ICJ trial
https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/final-verbatim-transcription-of-christoph...
December 11
Pheobe Okowa's Full Transcript in Myanmar's defense at ICJ genocide trial
https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/pheobe-okowas-full-transcript-in-myanmars...
Christopher Staker's full transcript in Myanmar defense against genocide lawsuit
https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/christopher-stakers-full-transcript-in-my...
Professor William Schabas's Full Transcript in Myanmar's defense in genocide trial
https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/professor-william-schabass-full-transcrip...
Myanmar defends against Gambia in day two of genocide bout
https://elevenmyanmar.com/news/myanmar-defends-against-gambia-in-day-two...
