UNISSA attends law conference

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

A GROUP of law undergraduates from Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) will be representing Brunei at Asia’s largest conference for law students.

The 2014 Asian Law Students’ Association (ALSA) Conference is scheduled to kick off in Singapore today. Five UNISSA double-degree law students will join more than 200 participants from 15 countries for a week of academic activities and cultural exchange programmes.

Sabrina Hj Mahmud, UNISSA law undergraduate and ALSA Brunei National Chapter president, views the conference as an opportunity to enhance her skills as a law student.

“It will also allow us to exchange ideas, gain international perspectives and, at the same time, strengthen the bond between the ALSA countries,” she said prior to departing from Brunei International Airport yesterday.

Participants at the conference will also learn about the legal customs, traditions and cultures of the diverse mix of participants from countries such as Indonesia and Thailand.

“Being the only and still rather new law school in Brunei, it is a great honour to be given the chance to expose ourselves in the international arena by participating in a conference such as this,” Sabrina said.

The representatives from Brunei, who are studying for a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Syariah Law degree, will be accompanied on the trip by UNISSA Law Programme head Ustazah Noraisah Hj Amai.

The 2014 ALSA Conference aims to promote greater understanding of the Syariah Penal Code Order, which will be implemented in the Sultanate this April. Ustazah Noraisah said the students were prepared to address questions from the participants regarding Islamic law.

“The international community has been curious, so we’re expecting to get a lot of questions from the other participants about the Syariah Penal Code Order,” she said.

The conference, which ends on Wednesday, will cover a variety of legal issues relevant to the region such as human rights, human trafficking, maritime piracy, the environment, and intellectual property and privacy law. The participants will also attend the governing council meetings, a moot competition, as well as table discussions.

Themed “Asian Integration”, this year’s conference intends to reflect the gradual convergence and harmonisation of legal systems in the region in spite of the diverse collection of jurisdictions and legal traditions.

The Brunei Times