International law competition bodes well for future
International law competition bodes well for future
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A team from Pelita Harapan University, representing the imaginary
Republic of Appolonia, took its turn on Saturday before the
International Moot Court, organized at the Santika Hotel in
Jakarta, accusing the Kingdom of Ragland of scuttling the Mairi
Maru, an Appolonian-flagged vessel that sank in Ragland's waters.
To challenge the motion, the University of Indonesia's team,
representing the kingdom, said the republic violated
international law by transporting nuclear substances without
notifying the kingdom.
"Your excellency, Appolonia violated international law by
transporting MOX (mixed oxide fuel) through Ragland's waters
without permission," said Leonardo Bernadd, the first speaker for
the UI team.
He said: "This act is prohibited under the London Convention
on the Prevention of Marine Pollution, 1972, and the Basel
Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous
Wastes and their Disposal, 1989."
Bernadd and his four teammates led UI to victory at the 4th
Indonesian National Rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International
Law Moot Court Competition, held from Friday to Sunday. The event
was organized by the Indonesian Society for International Law.
The UI team has won the national event four times in a row and
has represented Indonesia in the international round since 2000.
The international round is the next phase the champion, where
more than 90 countries compete in Washington, DC. Indonesia
placed 10th in the last international round.
In addition to awarding the UI team the championship, the
judges, prominent international law experts and practitioners,
granted the Best Memorial Pleading to Padjajaran University, the
Best Oralist to Tiza Mafira of the UI team and the Spirit of
Jessup for improved performance to Pelita Harapan University.
Adhika, the spokesperson for the organizer, said the
competition was aimed at building awareness among Indonesian
people of the importance of international law.
"We want this competition used as a forum for practicing
international law, which many Indonesian law students have never
experienced," Adhika, a law student at the University of
Indonesia, said.
Ten law schools, mainly from Java, sent teams to the
competition.
A law student from Padjajaran University in Bandung, West
Java, Iqbal Siri, said the competition was considered an
important event for law students, especially for those who were
focused on international law.
One of the judges, Robert Baiton, said the competition made
him optimistic Indonesia would produce top international law
experts in the future.
"The potential shown by the participants here is impressive.
There will be super-qualified international law experts coming
from this country," he said.
Baiton, a legal expert from Australia, also said Indonesians
in the future would be able to defend their country's interests
in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Indonesia lost the Sipadan and Ligitan islands to Malaysia in
2002 when the ICJ ruled that Malaysia was entitled to the
islands. The result of that case caused concern that the
country's international law experts might not have the capacity
to defend Indonesia in international courts.
"Last time, in the case of Sipadan and Ligitan, the Indonesian
government hired many foreigners to assist them in facing the
court. In the future, Indonesians will be able to do it by
themselves," Baiton said.(006)