Kachinland News editor receives ‘Citizen of Burma Award’

LAHPAI NAW MING (RIGHT), WINNER OF 2012 CITIZEN OF BURMA AWARD

Lahpai Naw Ming, editor and chief of the Kachinland News website has won this year's “Citizen of Burma Award”, an honor given by exiled Burma activists living in the US.  Last week's announcement of Naw Ming's achievement is bitter sweet as it comes less than 6 months after he was left paralyzed from the neck down while reporting from the front line of the Kachin conflict.

On January 4 Naw Ming was hit by fire from the Burma army and seriously injured while filming near Loije in Kachin state. He is the first reporter known to be injured in the line of duty covering the Kachin conflict since it began in June 2011. Naw Ming remains hospitalized due to injuries and it is unlikely he will ever fully recover.

Naw Ming was originally one of five finalists shortlisted for the award. He won the prize after receiving about 51% of the vote in an online poll. Voters from 49 countries including Burma participated in his selection.

In 2002 Naw Ming founded the Kachin language media group called Sinpraw Bum Media in Mai Ja Yang, the second largest town controlled by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO). As part of his work with Sinpraw Bum, Naw Ming provided training to Kachin citizen journalists across Burma.

Last year Naw Ming and his colleagues founded the Kachinland News website, following the outbreak of hostilities between the KIO and government forces.

Leonard Shinra Chan, head of the All Kachin Students and Youth Union (AKSYU) based in Thailand told the Kachin News Group he was very pleased that Naw Ming's had been honored by his peers in Burma's opposition movement. “I’m very proud of Naw Ming’s service for our Kachin people and our country” he said.

Naw Ming was born and raised in Mantong village in northern Shan state's Namtu township. He received a Bachelor of Theology (B.Th) from the Myanmar Institute of Theology (MIT) and a Bachelor of Art from the Distance University of Mandalay.

Prior to becoming involved in media work, Naw Ming served as a young preacher at his local village church. He worked as lecturer at Kutkai Theological College for one year.

Naw Ming, was frequently arrested and interrogated by Burmese authorities in his home village while attempting to defend those who were illegally abducted and used as forced porters by the Burma army.

The Citizen of Burma Award was founded in 2009 by Burma exiles living in the US. The selection of the award is based on three factors, sacrifice, achievement and service for ones fellow citizens. Each year's winner receives a US$10,000 prize from the award committee.

The first ever recipient of the award was the founder of the Free Funeral Service Society, actor Kyaw Thu who received the award in 2010. Last year the award was given to Daw Shu who assisted monks jailed during the 2007 Saffron Revolution.