2024-09-01 06:21:13
Manila: A Vietnamese doctor who helped bring justice to victims of Agent Orange, a powerful chemical used by the US military during the Vietnam War, has been chosen to receive this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is considered Asia’s Nobel Prize. The winners announced on Saturday include a group of doctors fighting to ensure adequate healthcare for the poor in rural Thailand, an Indonesian environmentalist, a Japanese animator working on complex issues for children and a Bhutanese academic who promotes the country’s cultural heritage to overcome current crises. The first Magsaysay Award was given in 1958. The award is named after former Philippines President Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay, who died in a plane crash in 1957. The award is given to people who work in a “great spirit” of selfless service. Suzanna B Afan, president of the award-giving organisation, said, “This award is given to those who challenge the status quo by courageously confronting systemic injustice, bring about change in critical areas through revolutionary solutions that accelerate social development, and address burning global issues with unwavering determination.”
The agent was first identified in 1960
According to the award-giving body, Vietnamese doctor Nguyen Thi Noc Phuong has done extensive research on the devastating and long-term effects of Agent Orange. According to Phuong, she first became aware of the ill effects of Agent Orange in the late 1960s when she, as a trainee doctor, helped deliver babies suffering from severe birth defects due to exposure to the highly toxic chemical. The Magsaysay Foundation said, “Phuong’s work is a serious message to the world that war must be avoided at all costs, as its tragic consequences can be far-reaching. She proves that it is necessary to correct the injustices committed during war and to try to provide justice and relief to its helpless victims.”
This agent used to destroy crops
The US military used Agent Orange during the Vietnam War to destroy crops and Vietnamese forests grown for the Vietnamese Communists or Viet Cong fighting against South Vietnam and the US. The army sprayed about 11 million gallons of dioxin over large parts of South Vietnam. Dioxin is a chemical used in Agent Orange. It remains in the soil and in the sediments of lakes and rivers for several generations. Dioxin can enter the food supply through the fat of fish and other animals.
These names are also in the list of awards
The foundation said Indonesia’s Farwiza Farhan received the award for leading a group protecting the Leuser ecosystem, a 2.6 million hectare forest on Sumatra island in her country’s Aceh province that is home to some of the world’s most endangered species. Miyazaki Hayao, a popular Japanese animator, was cited by the award body as co-founder of Studio Ghibli in 1985. The studio is a major proponent of animated films for children. Three of Japan’s 10 highest-grossing films were produced by Ghibli.
The foundation said the Rural Doctors Movement, a group of Thai doctors, was given the award for “their decades-long struggle to ensure adequate and affordable health care for their people, especially the poor in rural areas.” Besides, Karma Phuntsho, a former Buddhist monk and Oxford-educated Bhutanese scholar, was chosen for his academic work in the field of Buddhism and Bhutan’s rich history and cultural heritage, which is being used to solve current and future problems in his country. The winners will be presented with the Magsaysay Award on November 16 at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila.