Yappofloyd
30-06-05, 10:13 PM
Dr Cynthia's clinics in Tak and near Mae Sot is well known to many as providing free medical care.
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE: 43 women from region nominated
Published on June 30, 2005
Outstanding Burmese, Thais among 1,000 nominees to be submitted to selection panel
Four displaced women from Burma are among 43 women from the Mekong region nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize. Organisers of the 1,000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005 Project yesterday announced the names of the 1,000 women who will be nominated for this year’s peace prize.
The mass nomination is aimed at drawing the international community’s attention to the role of women, who work for peace, said Supawadee Petrat, project coordinator for the Mekong region. Cynthia Maung and Charm Tong, two Burmese women on the list of Mekong region nominees, jointly called for an end to the Burmese military’s repression that has forced millions of people to flee their home and take refuge on Thai soil.
“I dream of going back home but until then, we need to [have] hope,” said Cynthia, an exiled Karen doctor who founded the Mae Tao border clinic for Burmese refugees.
“My only wish is that peace and freedom prevail in our homeland, in particular among women,” said Charm Tong, of the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN). She said the Burmese military still uses forced labour and rape against ethnic groups in Burma, which ensures a steady flow of refugees to Thailand. Two other displaced women from Burma selected for the list were Naw Zipporrah Sein, coordinator of the Karen Women’s Organisation, and Paw Lu Lu, who runs a “safe house” for Burmese refugees in Kanchanaburi’s Sangkhla Buri district.
The respected female Thai monk, Dhammananda, was also selected. She has peacefully struggled for the rights of women to be ordained as female monks. She was ordained as a female monk in Sri Lanka two years ago.
Other Thai women selected for nomination include environmentalists Dawan Chantarahassadee, of the Klong Dan Local Conservation Group, Bhinand Chotirosseranee, of the Kanchanaburi Conservation Club; Thicha Na Nakorn, of the Network of Women and Constitution; Naulnoi Timkoon, founder of Baan Khru Noi Child Care Centre for poor children; Wilaiwan Saetia, from the Confederation of Labour; and Somboon Srikamdokkhae, from the Council of Work and Environment Related Patients’ Network of Thailand.
“The work of these women is a [message] that makes the world know that peace cannot prevail at once, but rather it will happen as a result of collective efforts,” Supawadee said. The project’s headquarters is in Bern, Switzerland.
Subhatra Bhumiprabhas The Nation
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE: 43 women from region nominated
Published on June 30, 2005
Outstanding Burmese, Thais among 1,000 nominees to be submitted to selection panel
Four displaced women from Burma are among 43 women from the Mekong region nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize. Organisers of the 1,000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005 Project yesterday announced the names of the 1,000 women who will be nominated for this year’s peace prize.
The mass nomination is aimed at drawing the international community’s attention to the role of women, who work for peace, said Supawadee Petrat, project coordinator for the Mekong region. Cynthia Maung and Charm Tong, two Burmese women on the list of Mekong region nominees, jointly called for an end to the Burmese military’s repression that has forced millions of people to flee their home and take refuge on Thai soil.
“I dream of going back home but until then, we need to [have] hope,” said Cynthia, an exiled Karen doctor who founded the Mae Tao border clinic for Burmese refugees.
“My only wish is that peace and freedom prevail in our homeland, in particular among women,” said Charm Tong, of the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN). She said the Burmese military still uses forced labour and rape against ethnic groups in Burma, which ensures a steady flow of refugees to Thailand. Two other displaced women from Burma selected for the list were Naw Zipporrah Sein, coordinator of the Karen Women’s Organisation, and Paw Lu Lu, who runs a “safe house” for Burmese refugees in Kanchanaburi’s Sangkhla Buri district.
The respected female Thai monk, Dhammananda, was also selected. She has peacefully struggled for the rights of women to be ordained as female monks. She was ordained as a female monk in Sri Lanka two years ago.
Other Thai women selected for nomination include environmentalists Dawan Chantarahassadee, of the Klong Dan Local Conservation Group, Bhinand Chotirosseranee, of the Kanchanaburi Conservation Club; Thicha Na Nakorn, of the Network of Women and Constitution; Naulnoi Timkoon, founder of Baan Khru Noi Child Care Centre for poor children; Wilaiwan Saetia, from the Confederation of Labour; and Somboon Srikamdokkhae, from the Council of Work and Environment Related Patients’ Network of Thailand.
“The work of these women is a [message] that makes the world know that peace cannot prevail at once, but rather it will happen as a result of collective efforts,” Supawadee said. The project’s headquarters is in Bern, Switzerland.
Subhatra Bhumiprabhas The Nation