A talk with Faculty of Law students, Thammasat University who won first place in the International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition 2023

Monday 20 November 2023

     Students from the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University won the first prize in the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) mock trial competition organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross in Thailand (ICRC) and the Faculty of Law, Chulalongkorn University. The members of the Thammasat University competition team include Injin Khai, first year student of the Business Law major (International Program), Kanpitcha Rachasiha, second year student of Business Law major (International Program), and Thanakit Saeju, third year student of Business Law major (International Program)

     The awards received are First Place Award, Best Memorial for Defendant Award and Best Mooter Award.

Understanding what is 'Mock Trial Competition'

     The mock trial competition is an activity that simulates court cases. Thanakit said that we have an opportunity to take on the role of an attorney for the plaintiff or defendant in that case. This activity is very beneficial to legal education as students will have the opportunity to develop listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, as well as research skills on legal topics related to simulated cases. The International Humanitarian Law Moot Court Competition 2023 deals with international humanitarian law. The case must be presented and prepared in English. It promotes and develops students' language skills also.

Sharing experiences from the mock trial competition

     In this competition, Kanpitcha Rachasiha and Injin Khai participated in the competition as advocates and Thanakit Saeju participated in the competition as a researcher and petition drafter.

     “Every team member has a responsibility to share their opinions and adapt the law to the facts to create a defense in the memorial brief. Researchers and petition drafters will help find more information including checking the content and overall orderliness of the summary statement. In addition, the advocate has a duty to present the defenses in the draft summary statement to the court orally,” Kanpitcha said.

     Injin added that researching legal arguments can be quite challenging. This is because this year the issue is the law on armed conflict and naval warfare in which the team comprehensively prepared for the competition both conducting research and finding research information within a limited time. It is considered a key to the victory this time.

The feeling of winning the championship

     “I feel so overwhelmed and grateful that I can't put it into words. Every team member was extremely dedicated to this competition, even though every step of preparation was made under time pressure. However, receiving this award shows the success of our dedication and determination. And most importantly, it is a driving force for us to move forward fully in the mock trial competition in the future,” Kanpitcha said.