Magsaysay honour for Singapore lawyer, Bangladeshi aid giver, Myanmar activist

A Singaporean diplomat who led the adoption of the UN Ocean Treaty, a Myanmar activist who put his freedom on the line for democracy, and a former Bangladeshi teacher who brought compassion to the poor were named on Monday as the winners of this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Awards.

Singaporean lawyer and diplomat Tommy Koh, 88, was recognised for promoting international dialogue and the rule of law. He is best known for presiding over a U.N. conference of more than 150 countries, which adopted the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982.

“Of enormous significance to maritime countries, this ‘constitution for the oceans’ defined territorial waters and the economic rights of countries to their coastal waters and provides mechanisms for settling disputes,” the awards body said.

Bo Kyi, the 61-year-old winner from Myanmar, has spent seven years in prison for a life spent in resistance against widespread human rights violations by Myanmar’s military.

In March 2000, Bo Kyi and fellow former political prisoners organised the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which has “devoted itself to documenting political imprisonment, supporting detainees and their families and ensuring the continued visibility of the junta’s political prisoners in Myanmar,” the awards body said.

Runa Khan, 67, of Bangladesh, won the award for “her profound empathy for the poorest of the poor in her country”.

Coming from an affluent family, she first served as a teacher to poor children in 1979. In 2002, she established an organisation called “Friendship Bangladesh” that helped the most destitute “deal with climate change, educate their children, empower women, create livelihood opportunities and bring social justice to the excluded,” according to the awards body.