Seawrite Awardee Returns Home From Thailand
Bandar Seri Begawan – Poet Hj Moksin bin Hj Abdul Kadir or K Manis, SEAWrite Award 2007 winner from Brunei Darussalam, arrived home yesterday afternoon from Bangkok where he was presented a plaque by HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana of Thailand in recognition of his literary achievement.
Dewan Bahasa clan Pustaka (DBP) Director Dr Mataim bin Bakar, DBP Deputy Director Dayang Aminah bte Hj Momin, DBP staff and relatives received K Manis at the airport.
K Manis said he is honoured for being considered for the award after five decades of involvement in literature.
He said literary writers are event recorders and social initiators who visualised national and global issues through the literary mind.
“These tasks are significant in the context of realising harmonious and civilised world,” he said.
He said he was overwhelmed by the reception in Bangkok where organisers accorded the winners with the highest respect in recognition for their contribution to literature in the region.
“For one week we were treated like VIPs where we fulfilled various assignments including a dialogue session with the writers association in Thailand, hosted gatherings with major sponsors and visited places of interest.
“It is an experience that I would never forget which I will use to spur me into producing quality poems in the future,” he said.
K Manis, who will turn 70 on Oct 20, was the 22nd winner of SEAWrite Award from Brunei Darussalam. He was accompanied by Suip Hj Wahab, a language officer from DBP.
Other awardees were Suphany Oum of Cambodia, Suparto Brata from Indonesia, Houmphanh Rattanavong of Laos, Prof Rahman Shaari of Malaysia, Michael Coroza of The Philippines, Rex Shelley of Singapore, Montri Sriyong of Thailand and Tran Van Tuan of Vietnam. — Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin