{"id":4667,"date":"2026-01-18T03:41:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T03:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/?p=4667"},"modified":"2026-01-19T03:51:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T03:51:00","slug":"if-icj-decisions-need-not-be-obeyed-why-attend-the-icj-at-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/2026\/01\/18\/if-icj-decisions-need-not-be-obeyed-why-attend-the-icj-at-all\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIf ICJ Decisions Need Not Be Obeyed, Why Attend the ICJ at All?\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u2014 A Legal, Moral, and Personal Reflection<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Private lawyer and advocate U Than Maung (Sittwe)<\/strong>\u2014a former Deputy Director of the Federal Attorney General\u2019s Office<\/strong>\u2014has recently been quoted making statements suggesting that Myanmar is not obliged to comply with the International Court of Justice (ICJ)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This claim raises a fundamental and troubling question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If ICJ rulings do not need to be obeyed, then why did Myanmar go to the ICJ in the first place?<\/strong>
Why respond to its summons?
Why submit pleadings, appear before judges, and engage legal counsel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a state truly believes it has no obligation to comply, the logical position would have been to decline participation altogether<\/strong>. One cannot simultaneously recognize the ICJ\u2019s authority by attending and then dismiss its authority when outcomes become inconvenient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not a matter of politics\u2014it is a matter of basic legal logic<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ICJ: The Highest Judicial Authority in International Law<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The ICJ is one of the highest judicial institutions in the world<\/strong>.
By definition, it represents the pinnacle of international legal authority<\/strong>.
When the ICJ is mentioned, it is inseparable from the idea of universality, legality, and international obligation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is precisely why it is deeply disturbing when such dismissive logic comes not from a layperson, but from a legal professional<\/strong>\u2014someone who should understand, respect, and defend the integrity of law more than ordinary citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a legal expert believes that ICJ rulings are not binding, then the proper forum to argue this is the ICJ itself<\/strong>, supported by legal reasoning, precedents, and international law\u2014not casual commentary within closed social or political circles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anything less resembles intellectual isolation<\/strong> rather than legal professionalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Law Is Not a Popularity Contest<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rejecting international law while benefiting from its processes creates a contradiction that the public cannot reasonably accept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not comparable to figures like Donald Trump<\/strong>, who openly disregard institutions but are not legal professionals. A lawyer is held to a higher standard\u2014intellectually, ethically, and historically<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When legal arguments appear selective or emotionally driven, people are right to ask whether such positions are rooted in law\u2014or in identity politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Personal Context: The Luyechun (LYC) Experience<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This debate is not abstract for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was once part of the Luyechun (Outstanding Students) Facebook Group<\/strong>, alongside respected figures such as Dr. A. H. Kamal<\/strong>, many Muslim Luyechuns, and a wide range of Myanmar elites\u2014
including medical doctors, dentists, professors, rectors, lawyers, senior civil servants, ministers, deputy ministers, director generals, and even six generals<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At one point, I was one of the 12 administrators<\/strong> of the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the LYC page had been dormant for nearly two years, our collective effort helped revive it into an active intellectual forum. As documented by senior members Dr Nay Oo<\/strong> and Dr Myo Kyi Tha<\/strong>, the group grew to 71 members with 10 admins<\/strong>, aiming to foster meaningful discussion among Myanmar\u2019s brightest minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this openness had limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I explained the historical roots of anti-Rohingya violence<\/strong>, supported by evidence and scholarship, I was personally attacked and expelled<\/strong> from the group.
Not for hate speech.
Not for misinformation.
But for addressing uncomfortable historical truths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I documented this episode here:
\u201cI Was Expelled from the LYC FB Group Because I Wrote About the Basic Cause of Anti-Rohingya Riots\u201d<\/em>
(DrKoKoGyi9.wordpress.com, 2020)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This experience exposed a painful reality:
intellectual elitism does not guarantee moral courage<\/strong>, and academic titles do not immunize individuals against racial or communal bias<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Generational Reflection<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Myanmar\u2019s new generation of Luyechuns<\/strong> has a historic opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They can either:<\/p>\n\n\n\n