Gambia v. Myanmar : Oral hearing continues at ICJ

The oral hearing in the case between Gambia and Myanmar is ongoing at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, from January 12 to 29. On Friday, Myanmar presented its first oral arguments from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM local time.

Myanmar’s agent, Union Minister at the President Office (2) U Ko Ko Hlaing, delivered the opening statement. He rejected the allegations of genocide, emphasizing Myanmar’s commitment to international law and full compliance with the Court’s procedural rules.

He criticized Gambia’s evidence as biased, unverified, and based on partisan reports, stressing that the 2016–2017 operations in northern Rakhine were counter-terrorism measures against ARSA attacks, not aimed at any ethnic group.

The Myanmar Agent affirmed that the Muslim minority in Rakhine is recognized, with many holding citizenship or National Verification Cards. He also highlighted Myanmar’s commitment to repatriating displaced persons from Bangladesh, providing security, education, healthcare, and livelihood support, though natural disasters and regional instability have caused delays.

Myanmar disputes the impartiality of independent fact-finding missions and urged the Court to consider evidence directly and objectively, strictly under the terms of the Genocide Convention. He concluded by asking the Court to carefully examine all evidence and deliver an independent, fair judgment.