Asean Award Under Its Belt, Burma Business Group Vows to Continue Work
By Kyaw Hsu Mon 2 December 2015
RANGOON — The Rangoon-based Parami Roundtable Series Group was one of 10 winners last month of the Asean People’s Award for “outstanding contributions toward the creation of a united, prosperous and caring Asean community.”
The award honors individuals and organizations that have been a positive force for change in areas such as poverty eradication, rural development, charitable works, education and entrepreneurship. Since 2013, the Parami Roundtable Series Group has provided workshops that offer volunteer services to Burma’s business community and raise awareness about the Asean Economic Community (AEC). The group is sponsored by the Parami Energy Group of Companies.
Burma’s government invited applicants for the award through calls in local newspapers, and a total of three individuals and five organizations submitted bids. For the first time in Asean history, the honor was awarded to an individual, group or company from each Asean country.
“This award is a first-time honor in the region. We’re proud to have received it, and we will continue our work next year, too,” said Tin Cho, a senior consultant of the Parami Roundtable Series Group.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Pyi Wa Tun, CEO and chairman of the Parami Energy Group of Companies, echoed this enthusiasm, emphasizing the group’s motivation to keep going with their awareness workshops in Burma.
“With the Asean Economic Community set to begin next year, people need to know what the challenges will be and what to prepare for. That’s why we do these workshops,” Pyi Wa Tun said. “We want to expand our AEC awareness activities and our vision of being globally connected in the next government era.”
Other recipients at the award ceremony, held in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 21, included the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia, the Thasano Rice and Seed Multiplication Center (Laos), Ray Paolo J. Santiago (Philippines), Dr. Saisuree Chutikul (Thailand), Prita Kemal Gani (Indonesia), Singapore Polytechnic, the late, former Malaysian Home Minister Tun Muhammad Ghazali Shafie, Persatuan Basmi Dadah (Brunei) and Nguyen Manh Cam (Vietnam).
The award consisted of a trophy and a cash grant of US$10,000 intended to encourage recipients in their efforts to build a better Asean community.
