Indonesian forest savior among Magsaysay winners

MANILA, Philippines–An Indonesian mountaineer who faced death threats while battling illegal loggers and a Bangladeshi lawyer who fought to keep old rusty ships from being dumped in her homeland are among this year’s winners of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards.

The awards announced Thursday are considered Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prizes. They are named after a popular Philippine president who died in a plane crash in 1957.

A Manila-based foundation in charge of the awards says the six winners this year battled great odds to improve the plight of the poor.

Indonesian Ambrosius Ruwindrijarto risked his life exposing illegal logging. Lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasan waged court battles to stop toxin-laden ships junked by wealthy nations from entering Bangladesh.

The other winners are from India, the Philippines, Taiwan and Cambodia.