Also on the list is an Indian journalist who highlighted vital social issues, a South Korean advocate for the disabled, a Nepalese pioneer in wireless technology and a Filipino known for fighting corruption.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award, set up for a charismatic Philippine president who died in a plane crash in 1957, is sometimes considered Asia's equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

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The foundation honoured Chen Guangchen, 36, who despite being blind since infancy became a "barefoot lawyer" providing legal aid for the poor and disadvantaged.

His role in publicizing a ruthless population control program in Shandong, involving coerced abortions and involuntary sterilization, led to his conviction for disturbing public order. He is now serving a four-year prison term, the foundation noted.

Chung To, 40, is the Hong Kong-born founder of the Chi Heng Foundation, which works to curb the spread of HIV-AIDS and erase the stigma of those infected with the virus.

Tang Xiyang, 77, one of the leaders of the environmental movement in China, was the third of the the Chinese awardees. He founded an environmental magazine and organized "green camps" that introduced students to the need to protect wildlife in their country.

The sole Filipino selected this year was Jovito Salonga, 87, a former senator known for fighting against corruption and abuse. He was briefly jailed by dictator Ferdinand Marcos under martial law in 1972.

Journalist Palagummi Sainath, 50, was named for his reporting on vital social issues in India focusing on the plight of the rural poor, a sector ignored by much of India's press.

Mahabir Pun, 52, born in the Himalayan foothills of western Nepal, won a scholarship to the University of Nebraska but returned home after 20 years to help set up a village high school.

He played a crucial role in setting up a wireless network to link local schools and villages, changing the lives of residents in these once-isolated areas.

Another recipient, Kim Sun Tae, 66, was blinded by a mortar shell during the Korean War but overcame poverty and disability to found the Siloam Eye Hospital, for treating blindness and training the blind.

Winners will be honored in Manila on August 31, when they or their representatives will receive a medallion, a certificate and a cash prize. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE