MERDEKA AWARD: Ungku Aziz in the list.

Royal Prof Ungku Abdul Aziz Ungku Abdul Hamid to receive Merdeka Award on Monday

KUALA LUMPUR: This year's Merdeka Award recipients will receive their awards from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Monday.

They are Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz Ungku Abdul Hamid in the Education and Community category; the Malaysian Nature Society in the Environment category; the 15-member Nipah Encephalitis investigation team of Universiti Malaya and Professor Datuk Dr Khalid Kadir in the Health, Science and Technology category, and Datuk Leslie Davidson in the Outstanding Contribution to the People of Malaysia category.

Each recipient gets RM500,000 cash, a trophy and a certificate.

The Merdeka Award was established last year in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of independence by Petronas, ExxonMobil and Shell to recognise the contributions of individuals and organisations to the nation and people.

Professor Ungku Aziz was selected for his contributions in the eradication of poverty, development of the rural economy and the field of education.
MNS was chosen for its conservation of the Belum-Temenggor forest reserve in Perak.

The Nipah Encephalitis investigation team and Dr Khalid are being recognised for their research on diabetes and the relationship between hormones and stress.

Davidson, a Briton, was chosen for his contributions to the development of large-scale oil palm plantations in the country. ... nst