Last Thursday, The International Court of Justice (ICJ) declined the Myanmar Junta’s request to grant a 10 month extension until February 2024 to file its case paperwork, “Counter-Memorial.”
Today, the ICJ issued a statement saying the Junta made the following request through a letter on 14th March 2023.
It is noted by the Court the Junta gave many excuses to extend their deadline including “change in Government in February 2021;” “voluminous nature” of The Gambia’s Memorial; the time needed for the translation of documents in Burmese and English; limited resources “to conduct the case;” “restrictions” related to Covid-19, and lastly the Junta needs time to “take statements from witnesses who were presently living in camps in Bangladesh or would soon be repatriated to Myanmar.”
The World Court set 24th April, 2023, as the deadline for the Junta to file a “Counter-Memorial”— an official response to The Gambia’s evidence of genocide against the Rohingya people.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Foreign Minister MD Shahriar Alam emphasized the importance of the “Provisional Measures” by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the 22nd Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (CFAMM), held in London.
He said in the following meeting, “The world must not forget that it was Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s extraordinary courage, compassion and humanitarian decision to open up border and heart to more than 750,000 Rohingyas in 2017 that saved the world from witnessing a human catastrophe.”
Canada, The Gambia and The United Kingdom also agreed to stand along with Rohingya refugees and called on the Commonwealth nations to continue their support.
On November, 2019, the West African country, The Gambia submitted a 46-page application to the International Court of Justice alleging Myanmar has carried out mass murder, rape and destruction of communities in Rakhine state.
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