Myanmar’s junta will answer charges of genocide against Rohingya Muslims at the UN's top court on Monday without deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on its legal panel.
Ms Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, presented her country’s arguments at the International Court of Justice when the case was first heard in December 2019, but was ousted as civilian leader in a military coup last February.
She is now under house arrest by the same generals she defended in The Hague.
In its “preliminary objections” on Monday, Myanmar is expected to argue that the court has no jurisdiction over the case and seek to have it dismissed.
Myanmar media said the junta's new team will be led by International Co-operation Minister Ko Ko Hlaing and Thida Oo, the attorney general, who will attend virtually.
Both have been sanctioned by the US over the coup.
There are questions over whether Myanmar's military rulers should even be allowed to represent the South-east Asian nation.
The case brought by Gambia, a Muslim African nation, accuses predominantly Buddhist Myanmar of breaching the 1948 UN genocide convention in the violent military purge of the Rohingya in 2017.
About 850,000 Rohingya are languishing in camps in neighbouring Bangladesh while another 600,000 remain in Myanmar's south-western Rakhine state.
Gambia's case is backed by the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, as well as Canada and the Netherlands. It is expected to present its counterargument on Wednesday.
The ICJ was set up after the Second World War to rule on disputes between UN member states. Its judgments are binding but it has no real means to enforce them.
The coup that ousted Ms Suu Kyi and her civilian government has complicated the Rohingya case at the ICJ.
Before the hearing, the shadow National Unity Government dominated by members of Ms Suu Kyi's ousted party said it, not the junta, was “the proper representative of Myanmar at the ICJ in the case".
It also rejects Myanmar's preliminary objections and says the hearings for these should be cancelled and the court in the Netherlands should quickly get down to the hearing of the substantive case.
The NUG holds no territory, has not been recognised by any foreign government, and has been declared a terrorist organisation by the junta.
Ms Suu Kyi herself now faces trial in Myanmar on a string of charges that could lead to a jail sentence of more than 150 years.
More than 1,500 civilians have died in the military's repression of mass protests against the coup, a local monitoring group has said.
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
SPECS
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