The Myanmar government said on Nov. 20 that State Counsellor Suu Kyi, in her capacity of as the foreign minister, will lead the Myanmar legal team to defend the nation against a case at the ICJ.

Public hearings, which will be held at the request of Gambia at the ICJ, are scheduled for Dec. 10-12.

Gambia, on behalf of the organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), filed a complaint with the ICJ against Myanmar over alleged violation of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in western Rakhine state.

"It is heartening to see that people from all walks of life, those in the union as well as those living abroad at present, are expressing their support for the state counselor and her leadership in the endeavors to contest the case at the ICJ," the Myanmar government said in a statement, warning that the issue before the ICJ is of high national interest.

The statement also recalled that Myanmar was the 42nd member state to sign the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide on Dec. 30, 1949 and became a state party to the Genocide Convention on March 14, 1956.

"Today, Myanmar is as resolute as we were when we ratified the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide," the statement said.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which Myanmar declared as an extremist terrorist group, launched repeated attacks on police outposts in Rakhine state on Aug. 25, 2017, displacing a vast number of residents to areas bordering Bangladesh.