Events in the 60s

by Hla Min

Updated : July 2025

1960

Education

• Last 7th Std Government exam : We took it in March

Elections

• Caretaker Government finally held Elections.
• Pyidaung Su Party (former “Clean AFPFL“) led by U Nu won by a land slide. The victory would be short lived.

1961

Education

• Last HSF & Matric (Combined) exam
• First batch of Female Engg Graduates : Tin Tin Ohn (Amy), Julie Han, Yin Yin Kyi, Mi Mi Lay (all Textile) & Pauline Reynolds (ChE)
• Faculty of Engineering moved to Gyogone Campus. Also called Burma Institute of Technology (BIT)

SEAP Games

• Burma hosted the Second SEAP (South East Asia Peninsular) Games in December.
• Burma dominated most events and placed first.
• About 20 RU students represented Burma.

1962

Education

• First “Matric Only” exam
• First “HSF Only” exam : We (from Rangoon Division) had to take the exam in March & again in August

Coup d’etat

• On March 2, a 17-member Revolutionary Council staged a Coup d’etat. President Mahn Win Maung, Prime Minister U Nu & Cabinet Ministers, Sao Shwe Thaik & Sawbwas, and several high-level Government employees were detained.
• Sama Duwa Sinwa Naung (President-elect) did not become President.

• Per Kyemon U Thaung, seven Revolutionary Council members were not aware of the major decisions.
• Brigadier General T. Clift (Air Force) resigned. He was succeeded by Col Thaung Dan (who became Brigadier General). Several senior Air Force personnel were appointed Ambassadors or Military Attache to pave way for younger officers.
• Commodore Than Pe (Navy) passed away. He was Minister for Health & Education.
  Commander Thaung Tin (who became Commodore) succeeded CTP as Chief of Navy. Col Hla Han became Minister for Health &Education.
• Col Chit Myaing was the last original Revolutionary Council member to pass away. He served as Ambassador to Yugoslavia and UK before moving to USA.
• Tin Maung Thant (son of U Thant) passed away during his visit to Burma. The funeral cortège was larger that of Commodore Than Pe.
• The usage of “Tar Wun Khan” was later changed back to “Minister”.

Dark Days in July

• 7th July : 17 official victims
• 8th July : Demolition of RUSU Building

1963

Education

• Matric exam : We took it in May
• SPHS has five students in Top Five, seven in Top Ten, and ten in Top Twenty

• Last batch for General Honors program

1964

Education

• New Education System

• Most Faculties became autonomous Institutes with Rectors.
• RASU & MASU offered Major

Admission to RIT

• In Nov 1964, three batches of students were admitted to RIT
• Matriculated were admitted to 1st BE based on Intelligence Level Aggregate (ILA)
• Those who passed I.Sc(A) were admitted 2nd BE based on marks.
• Those who passed I.Sc(B) were admitted to 3rd BE based on marks.

Luyechun

• Shwe Wa Gyaing Camp in Ngapali
• Students from 7th to 10th Std were selected as Luyechun

1965

Education

• On April 1, private schools were nationalized.
• SPHS became No. 6 Botathaung State High School. Non-native De La Salle brothers left Burma. e.g Bro Austin to Malaysia, Bro Felix to Germany, Bro Charles to UK

Luyechun

• Khaung Daing Camp in Inlay
• Program extended to Universities & Institutes
• RIT : Sein Shwe, Hla Min, Zaw Min, Khin Than Myint Tin
• IM(1) : Kyaw Sein Koe, Anita Aye Pe, Khin Maung U, Cherry Hlaing

Decline of Economy

• After detaining prominent members of Pyidaung Su (formerly Clean AFPFL) and new AFPFL (formerly Stable AFPFL), the Revolutionary Council & government sought help from left-wing Gurus (e.g. U Chit Hlaing who threw in Buddhist terms into “Burmese Way to Socialism” & U Ba Nyein who proposed indiscriminate Nationalization.
• Burma Socialist Program Party (BSPP) was formed with core cadres. It later opened up membership for Ah Yan Party Win (Associate member). Party membership became a requirement for important positions.
• Free Economy was replaced by rations (e.g. half a can of Condensed Milk per family) using the “Si Sar Oke”. It created a Black Market and the rising cost of living.
• The Demonetization crippled the Industry and even had ripple effect on University students. Hostel students, whose money had been demonetized, had to be given free rides to return home.
• Per Dr. Nyan Taw (SPHS63) :
  Both my father U Hla Taw (retired Chief of UMP/ DIG) and my mother Daw Marie Hla Taw together with Col Chit Yaing, Chief Justice U Myint Thein, DIG U Tin Maung Maung and DIG U Khin Maung Maung were taken away by MI (Military Intelligence) in 1964. My parents were released in 1967.

Changes in Education

Bachelor Degrees

• Education
• Law

NRC rule

• Enforced for Professional Courses
• Bernard Khaw (First in Burma in the Matric of 1965) had to study Chemistry. He moved to USA and studied Chemical Engineering.
• Chu Pu Thein (who scored highest marks in Physics in the first ever HSF Only exam in 1962) moved to Italy
• Many had to study in RASU. Chemistry students had very high marks and/or ILA.
• A medical student was expelled after he was “found out to be not 3 NRC.”
• A few students who had been admitted to RASU because of 3 NRC were allowed to study medicine. They lost a year, but not their dreams.

Names

• There was discrimination against students having foreign names.
• Two families. They were cousins. Those who retained non-Burmese names were admitted to RASU. Those with Burmese names were allowed to study professional degrees.

Security Concerns

• Shortage of rice (never heard before in the “Rice Bowl of Asia”) was transformed into “Tayoke Bamar Ah Yay Ah Khin”. Grapevine says that a lorry strategically placed “Beggars” around Rangoon.

1969

Men on the Moon

• Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969.
• My poem “Men on the Moon” was forwarded by Mr. Hall (USIS) to NASA.
• The poem was also published in the Guardian daily newspaper.

69ers

• Most of us graduated with BE. A few with BArch.

SEAP Games

• Burma hosted the Fifth SEAP Games in December 1969. There were riots in the Thamaing College Campus which held some events (e.g. Boxing).
  

News & Censorship

• Nation newspaper was the first to be closed (by orders of the higher authorities). U Law Yone was detained. He later moved to Thailand and published the “Nation”. He eventually moved to the USA.
• Finally, there were only four Burmese and two English newspapers. They published the news vetted and/or translated by News Agency Burma.
• The two new newspapers were Loketha Pyithu Nay Zin and Working Peoples’ Daily (WPD).
• The then Number One chose Shwe Oo Daung and U Khin Maung Latt as Chief Editors of “Loketha Pyithu Nay Zin” and Working People’s Daily (WPD) and promised them full authority. Some time later, U Khin Maung Latt was asked, “Do you want to be an Ambassador?” Daw Khin Myo Chit stepped in and said, “Ko Latt will go back teaching at his school”.

Selection of Sayas and State Scholars

• In the days of our teachers, the Dean & Professors had the say to select and appoint assistant lecturers, and to select bright students to apply for State Scholarship to study at the prestigious universities in the USA and UK.
• Later, the Public Service Commission (PSC) was established to vet candidates for most positions.
• Some engineers and architects had to join government departments as “Work Charge” while waiting to get permanent positions approved by PSC.