Press Release - English Version
The University of Hong Kong wins in The 8th Red Cross International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Moot Competition
(Hong Kong．6 March 2009) The final round competition and prize presentation ceremony of the 8th Red Cross International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Moot was successfully held today at the High Court building in Hong Kong. After the two-day mooting competition, The University of Hong Kong received the award of winning team. LAW Hoi-man, Jacqueline from The University of Hong Kong, wins the Best Mooter while both the Universiti Utara Malaysia and Victoria University of Wellington wins the Best Memorial among the 20 participating universities in the Asia-Pacific region. Details of the list of award recipients as follows:
| Award | University |
| Winning Team | The University of Hong Kong (Student representatives: CHENG Yeng, Addiped & LAW Hoi-man, Jacqueline) |
| Runner-up Team | Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia (Student representatives: Joshua Honguan TEH & Ida Daniella ZULKIFILI) |
| Best Mooter |
LAW Hoi-man, Jacqueline (The University of Hong Kong) |
| Best Memorial | Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia Victoria University of Wellington (Wellington, New Zealand) |
The Secretary for Justice, the Hon Mr. Wong Yan Lung, SC, JP, addressed his speech in the Prize Presentation Ceremony that, “International humanitarian law is founded on a deep respect for human value and dignity and a firm aversion against abuses, oppression and injustice during strife and conflicts,” said Mr. Wong. In addition, he also mentioned that the polarisation of international relations and the humanitarian consequences of the “global war on terror” presented huge challenges.
The Hon Sir T L Yang, GBM, JP, Former Chief Justice cum Chairman of the Hong Kong Red Cross, and the judge of the Competition, The Hon Mr Justice Patrick Chan, Permanent Judge, Court of Final Appeal, HKSAR, as well as law professionals in Hong Kong also attended the ceremony.
List of the 20 participating delegations (in alphabetical order)
• Ateneo de Manila University (Manila)
• BRAC University (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
• China Foreign Affairs University (Beijing)
• China University of Political Science and Law (Beijing)
• The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
• University of Chulalongkorn (Bangkok)
• City University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
• Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan)
• Universitas Indonesia (Jakarta)
• Kyoto University (Kyoto, Japan)
• Kyung Hee University (Seoul)
• Monash University (Clayton (Victoria), Australia)
• National University of Singapore (Singapore)
• Singapore Management University (Singapore)
• Soochow University (Taipei)
• The Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University (Chennai, India)
• Universiti Utara Malaysia (Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia)
• The University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
• Victoria University of Wellington (Wellington, New Zealand)
• Xiamen University (Xiamen)
About IHL Moot Competition
The IHL Moot Competition is co-organized by the Hong Kong Red Cross (HKRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in collaboration with the Faculty of Law of The University of Hong Kong, the School of Law of City University of Hong Kong and the Faculty of Law of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. It is the first and unique IHL moot competition in the Asia-Pacific region aims to raise awareness of international humanitarian issues among law students through examination and debate of wider social issues rather than black letter law. Each participating university was assigned at random to the role of the applicant or the respondent for a fictitious court case which was based on real-life facts. Participating law students debated whether certain acts violated the Law of War and whether the commander of the concerned armed forces should have criminal responsibility for the violating acts.
International Humanitarian Law
The HKRC is a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement that endeavours to prevent human suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles. The Geneva Conventions are the bedrock of IHL and the cornerstone of the Movement. IHL is the body of rules which, in wartime, protects people who are not or are no longer participating in the armed conflict. The four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and its three Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005 are the principal instruments of humanitarian law and are endorsed by nearly every nation in the world.
Group photo of the 20 participating delegations and the judges in front of the High Court Building.
Media enquiries:
Corporate Communications
Celia Lai 250-77-176