| James Kon |
FOR his relentless work in promoting autism awareness, Malai Haji Abdullah bin Malai Haji Othman, President of Society for the Management of Autism Related issues in Training, Education and Resources (SMARTER) Brunei, was recently named as one of the 2018 Asean recipients of the Padma Shri Award by the Indian Government.
Padma Shri is one of India’s highest civilian honours, and the awardees are named annually on the eve of the Republic Day, which falls on January 26. This year, 85 awardees were announced, including 10 from the Asean region, to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the India-Asean partnership.
Malai Haji Abdullah told the Bulletin, “I feel humbled and honoured to be listed for the award by the Government of India, in recognition of my work for autism.
“This recognition is definitely a motivation for me to carry on my work in bringing SMARTER to higher standards; to be among the best in the world, with a ‘family first’ approach; and ensure the support of the magic PILL, which stands for ‘Parent Involvement Life Long’.”
Malai Haji Abdullah highlighted his plans for 2018, which include welcoming more international attachment students to SMARTER; providing employment and Competency Based Skill Training; and pushing towards financial stability and sustainability.
The other award recipients from the region are Dr Thant Myint-U of Myanmar (Public Affairs), Jose Ma Joey Concepcion III of Philippines (Trade and Industry), Tommy Koh of Singapore (Public Affairs), Somdet Phra Ariya Wongsa Khottayan of Thailand (Others), Nguyen Tien Thien of Vietnam (Others), Hun Many of Cambodia (Public Affairs), I NyomanNuarta of Indonesia (Art), Bounlap Keokangna of Laos (Art) and Datuk Ramli bin Ibrahim of Malaysia (Art).
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