Indonesian peace activist wins Magsaysay award

An Indonesian Muslim who preaches religious tolerance and a crusading governor from the Philippines are among the winners of this year's Ramon Magsaysay Awards, the committee said yesterday. A Thai man who makes prosthetic limbs from recycled plastic bottles was also honored at the awards, widely regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel prize. Ahmad Shafii Maarif, retired leader of one of Indonesia's biggest Muslim organizations the Muhammadiyah, was named winner for promoting peace and international understanding The Magsaysay foundation said the 73-year-old had spent his life preaching religious tolerance and had stressed terrorism was "not the authentic face of Islam." The award for government service went to community activist Grace Padaca, 45, whose election as governor of a northern Philippine province broke the stranglehold of a local clan, and who has instituted much-needed reforms. The award for public service went to the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development Mutually Reinforcing Institutions, a Philippine institution that provides microfinance, skills training and insurance to landless rural women. Therdchai Divacate, 68, of Thailand won the public service prize for making affordable, yet practical prosthetic limbs available to the poor. His work included making prosthetics out of recycled plastic and setting up mobile workshops to make customized artificial legs in rural areas. The award for journalism, literature and communication arts went to Akio Ishii, who publishes books chronicling the discrimination suffered by minorities in Japan like the "burakumin," the Ainu, Koreans and Filipino workers. Sri Lankan Ananda Galappatti, 33, a Cambridge-trained psychologist, received the leadership award for training "psycho-social helpers," to aid people traumatized by the civil conflict and those affected by the 2004 tsunami.

The awards, established in 1957, are named after the popular Philippine president who died in a plane crash that year. Each winner receives a cash prize of about US$50,000. The awards ceremonies will be held in Manila on August 31.