AAPP Co-Founder Ko Bo Kyi Receives Ramon Magsaysay Award, Dubbed "Nobel Prize of Asia"

AYEYARWADDY TIMES August 31 Ko Aung Myo Kyaw, an official from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), confirmed to the Ayeyarwaddy Times that Ko Bo Kyi, a co-founder and joint secretary of the AAPP, which has been in existence for 26 years, has received the 68th Ramon Magsaysay Award presented by the Philippines. The Magsaysay Award for 2026 was jointly received by Ko Bo Kyi of AAPP, along with Tommy Koh from Singapore and Runa Khan from Bangladesh. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is referred to as the "Nobel Prize of Asia" and is an honorary award presented annually to individuals and organizations in Asia for their exemplary integrity, courageous performance, and capability in contributing to the development of people in Asia. Ko Bo Kyi was a student leader who participated in the 1988 democracy uprising and is also a former political prisoner. He is actively working to ensure that political prisoners, including all prisoners, receive their human rights and civil rights. The AAPP systematically collects and publishes data on human rights violations, including arrests, detentions, and deaths following the coup, in addition to protecting and supporting political prisoners in Myanmar and documenting their cases. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) was founded on March 23, 2000, in Mae Sot, Thailand, by former political prisoners from Myanmar. In the past, Dr. Cynthia Maung of the Mae Tao Clinic received the award in 2002, and Ko Soe Win, founder of the Myanmar Now news agency, received it in 2019. The award is presented by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation of the Philippines. Photo – Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation