THE HAGUE —  The Agence France Press reported Aung San Suu Kyi is set to speak out in Myanmar’s defense at the UN’s top court on Wednesday, a day after the former democracy icon was urged to “stop the genocide” against Rohingya Muslims.

Once hailed internationally for her defiance of Myanmar’s junta, the Nobel peace laureate will this time be on the side of the southeast Asian nation’s military when she takes the stand at the International Court of Justice.

The small African state of Gambia has taken Myanmar to court over a bloody 2017 military crackdown in which thousands of people were killed and around 740,000 Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi is expected to tell ICJ judges that Myanmar was conducting legitimate operations against Rohingya militants, that it has carried out its own investigations into the bloodshed and that the court has no jurisdiction in the case.

Huge crowds are expected to turn out in Yangon to watch Suu Kyi speak via livestream amid a groundswell of support in Myanmar, where the woman dubbed “The Lady” is still widely loved the AFP reported. (IAMIGO/CNS)