LINES OF THOUGHT ACROSS SOUTHEAST ASIA
Andrew Haffner
December 12, 2019
As Myanmar's de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi takes the unprecedented step of defending her nation on charges of genocide in front of the International Court of Justice, Rohingya Muslims watch on with fear and trepidation using mobiles phones from refugee camps in Bangladesh
WHY WE WROTE THIS: Because questions remain over how and when the perpetrators of mass violence in Myanmar will ever be held to justice
Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi attending the start of a
three-day hearing on the Rohingya genocide case before the ICJ at the
Peace Palace in The Hague. Photo: Frank Van Beek/UN Photo/ICJ/AFP
As the sun sets over Jamtoli refugee camp in southern Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, several men are still out on a hilltop in search of phone signal. Some were squatting, others standing, but all were looking down at screens in their hands watching a court case unfolding 7,500km away. They might not be legal experts, but each already had an intimate knowledge of the case.