NSTP-PwC Humanitarian Award Nomination

Five volunteers nominated for NSTP-PwC award The Malay Mail, Tuesday, JUNE 15,2004 Not being able to understand the local language did not deter the team from Yayasan salam Malaysia and the Malaysian Volunteer Fire & Rescue Association from doing their  best tp help earthquake victims during relief operations in Bam, Iran. The five-members team led by Capt K Balasupramaniam had more than thier fair share of problems in communication, and the interpreter who wrongly translated some of the sentences did not help. But the group made the country proud by carrying out the arduous task of rescue and and humanitatian work during the tragedy last December. Their efforts have made them one of the candidates for the New Straits Times Press-PricewaterhouseCoopers (NSTP-Pwc) Young Humanitarian Award. They were the first Malaysian group to be registered with the United Nations for on-site relief operations and they recovered three bodies using as some of their rescue equipment was lost during their flight to Teheran. Other members of the team were technical officer officer Kodi Muniyandi, Medic Lim Sim Wei, rescue technician Noor Amali Mahat and high-angle operation specialist Ramakrishnan Ramasamy. The Young Humanitarian Award is open to Malaysian individuals and groups who are below the age of 40. Only humanitarian acts between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 2003 qualify. The public and NGOs may nominate anyone eligible for the award. Media organisations can nominate individuals or groups they had covered. The award consists of a trophy as well as a cash award of RM10,000 for the winner, and another RM10,000 for a charity of the winner's choice. Nomination forms are availabe at www.nstp.com.my, wwww.pwc.com.my or www.tv3.com.my