'Gandhi of Cambodia' passes away

BOSTON: Maha Ghosananda, a Buddhist monk and Nobel peace prize nominee known as the 'Gandhi of Cambodia', has died in Massachusetts, a hospital spokeswoman said on Wednesday. He was believed to be about 80 years old.   

Ghosananda died on Monday at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, about 100 miles west of Boston, said hospital spokeswoman Christina Trinchero. She declined to provide details on his age or cause of death.   

Ghosananda played a major role in the revival of Buddhism in Cambodia in the wake of the brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. More than one million Cambodians died under the Khmer Rouge, which tried to establish a Marxist utopia.   

In the 1990s, Ghosananda led a movement for national reconciliation in Cambodia after fighting flared up again between Khmer Rouge rebels and the national government.   

He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his efforts.