Former Bernama journalist Leu Siew Ying, 49, was awarded the 2006 Natali Prize, the European Union's annual journalism award for human rights reporting.

Her winning article, "From village protest to national flashpoint", tells the ordeal of how villagers in Taishi, Guangzhou (China) tried to remove their elected headman for suspected corruption in a lawful way last year.

Leu said she had reported the story as it unfolded in front of her and at one point she even found herself being roughed up for pursuing the story.

Describing the win as 'extremely gratifying', Leu said she dedicated her victory to the villagers of Taishi and other reporters in China who were unable to write the story she had.

Representing the Asia-Pacific, Leu beat 14 other finalist out of 1,529 nominees from 165 countries.

Free press to defend democracy

She is presently a Guangzhou-based correspondent of Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post . The Batu Pahat-born lass is a graduate of Universiti Sains Malaysia. She joined Bernama in 1984 as a business reporter.

Louis Michel, the European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, who presented Leu the award on Thursday, said 'principled and skilled' journalists were vital to defend democracy and human rights.

"Without democracy, without freedom of press, development cannot be sustainable," said Micel, according to Bernama.

The Natali Prize commemorates Lorenzo Natali, a former European Commissioner for Development and a fervent defender of human rights.