Recipients of Magsaysay award announced

MANILA: The Philippines’ Supreme Court chief justice, a nun in Pakistan, a doctor from Myanmar, a Nepalese journalist, a South Korean Buddhist monk and an Indian activist were named on Monday as the winners of this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Awards, the Asian equivalent of the Nobel prize.

Supreme Court justice Hilario Davide won the prize for government service for his decisions and actions in promotion of democracy in the Philippines, the awards committee said. Ruth Pfau, a Catholic nun born in Germany, was given the award for public service for improving the treatment of lepers at the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Center in Pakistan and for fighting the stigma attached to the disease.

Cynthia Maung, born to an ethnic Karen family in Myanmar, was named a recipient for community leadership for founding a clinic in Mae Sot, Thailand, which treats thousands of refugees on the Myanmar-Thai border. Bharat Koirala, founder of the Nepal Press Institute, won the award for journalism and literature. Buddhist monk Sukho Choi, also known as Venerable Pomnyun Snim, won the award for peace and international understanding for his efforts to rally assistance for the afflicted people of North Korea, regardless of the political division. Sandeep Pandey of India won the award for emergent leadership for helping found Asha (Hope), a group which supports education and livelihood projects for poor children in India. The winners will receive a medallion and $50,000 each. —AFP

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