Taipei, Nov. 19 (CNA) Dr. Cynthia Maung, a Burmese physician who has been providing medical services to Burmese refugees for almost 20 years, was selected as the recipient of the 2007 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award (ADHRA) , Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) announced Monday.
Maung was selected by the Final Review Board for her tenacious and long-term commitment to Burmese refugees suffering from the oppression and violence of the military junta in her homeland now known as Myanmar, and for her dedication to training and educating refugees in order to build a community based on respect for life and human rights, said TFD Chairman Wang Jyng-ping in the announcement ceremony.
The 48-year-old doctor, herself a refugee and member of the ethnic Karen minority, established the Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot, Thailand, near the Thai-Burmese border, in 1988. Since then, the clinic has been providing not only medical care, but also job training, social services, health education, child protection, and community-building activities.
"Dr. Maung is going beyond her mandate as a physician by turning a refugee population into a community based on shared values and respect for human rights, as well as by linking her cause to the international community, " said Wang, who is also Legislative Yuan speaker.
Maung is scheduled to visit Taiwan and receive the award and grant worth US$100,000 from President Chen Shui-bian in a Dec. 13 ceremony, said the foundation, which established the award in 2006.
The inaugural ADHRA was conferred upon the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
This year the organization opted to salute the dedication of Maung, who provides direct services to those who in need, said Michael Hsiao, a researcher at Academia Sinica who sat on the review committee.
"The award also directly represented the concerns the people of Taiwan have regarding oppression and the suffering of the Burmese under the junta regime, " said Hsiao, who described Maung as "another Mother Teresa."
The other nominees for the 2007 award were: Afghani human rights advocate Sima Samar, the People in Need Foundation of Czech Republic, Chinese dissident Wang Dan and the Belgium-based Human Rights Without Frontiers International.
A total of 34 individuals and organizations representing 22 countries and territories were nominated for the award.