HlaMin

Author: Hla Min (Lifelong Learner)

  • Pen Names & Nicknames

    Pen Names & Nicknames

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    Pen Names

    • Maung Ngwe Hlinne မောင်ငွေလှိုင်း — Saya U Thet Lwin (Registrar)
    U Thet Lwin
    • Tekaktho Moe War တက္ကသိုလ်မိုးဝါ — Saya U Moe Aung (EE63)
    U Moe Aung
    • Kogyi Kaung ကိုကြီးကောင်း — Saya Dr. Koung Nyunt (A67, GBNF)
    Dr. Koung Nyunt
    • Hlaing Phyo လှိုင်ဖြိုး / Lifelong Learner — U Hla Min (EC69)
    Hla Min
    • Yin Maung ရင်မောင် — Saya Dr. Taing Oke (ChE69)
    Taing Oke
    • Chi Hte Nu Nu Kyaw ခြည်ထည်နုနုကျော် — U Kyaw Htin (T69)
    • Mon Yu မွန် ယု — U Tin Htut (Harry, M69)
    • Maung Hmut မောင်မှတ် — U Khin Maung Aye (M69)
    • Maung Aw မောင်ဩ — Saya U Aung (C70)
    • Maubin Ma Shwe Than မအူပင်မရွှေသန်း — Daw Than Yi (EP70)
    • Ma Sandar မစန္ဒာ — Daw Cho Cho Tin (A71)
    • Zinyawgyi ဇင်ယော်ကြီး — U Zaw Win (Min71)
    • Okkpo Maung Yin Maung အုတ်ဖိုမောင်ရင်မောင် — Saya U Aung Myaing (ChE72)
    • Ba Thein (Atlanta) ဘသိန်း — Dr. Myint Thein (M73)
    • Maung Nyunt Htay (Ah Htet Min Hla) မောင်ညွန့်ဌေး အထက်မင်းလှ — Saya U Nyunt Htay (Met73)
    • Ko Toe Hmit Che ကိုတိုး မြစ်ခြေ— U Toe Aung (C73)
    • Maung Yit မောင်ရစ် — U Maung Maung Win (EC93)

    Nick Names

    U Seit To and Myauk Nyo ဦးစိတ်တို နဲ့ မျောက်ညို

    • Cartoon characters
    • According to Saya U Tin Myint (M80), the nicknames were given to two sayas by G-Hall Thu

    Myauk Phyu မျောက်ဖြူ

    • White monkey

    Ah Yan Kan အရမ်းကန်

    • Random kicking footballer

    Bo Daw ဘိုးတော်

    • Could be sarcastic

    Saya Maung ဆရာမောင်

    • Given by a girl to her teacher/boy friend

    Tar Tay Gyi တာတေကြီး

    • Reference to an actor for scary movies

    Dauk Soe ဒေါက်စိုး

    • Dr. Soe Myint Win (GNBF) was called Dauk Soe by some students

    Nyi Nyi & Pho Nyi ညီညီ နဲ့ ဖိုးညီ

    • Nyi Nyi may be used in a name
      e.g. Dr. Nyi Nyi
    • Nyi Nyi & Pho Nyi are used as nicknames, e.g. Than Htut (M67, RUBC Gold)

    Sonny ဆန်နီ

    • May be used in a name, e.g. Sonny Yone Sein
    • May also be used as a nickname, e.g. “Sonny” Aung Myint, “Sonny” Soe Naing

    Lake or Leit လိပ်

    U Win Maung (EE69er) represented RIT in Rowing, Swimming and Water Polo. He is a Back Stroke specialist. He swam the 2000 meters Cross-Lake with Back Stroke. He is known as “Lake” or “Leit” (Tortoise in reference to his Back Stroke swimming). U Htay Aung (M69, Burma Selected) and several others using Front Crawl finish quite ahead of Leit. Before graduation, he went to UK for license & training in air craft maintenance. He joined UBA/BAC. He is now an entrepreneur doing family business.

    Khwet ခွက်

    U Sein Myint (K K Wong, EP69) represented RIT in Rowing, Swimming & Water Polo. Someone transformed his name “Kwet” into “Khwet”. He is a major donor of the 69er Health Care Fund and the EE69er HCF. After retirement, he spends time in Singapore, Yangon and California.

    Htaw Kyin ထော်ကြင်

    U Htin Kyaw (Peter Wun, MEHS63) worked for the Institute of Economics and UCC before joining HIC and FERD. He was called “Htaw Kyin”. Some British could not pronounce his name. They called him “Ha Htin Coil”.

    Kyein ကြိမ်း

    U Kyaw Nyein (GBNF) taught Numerical Methods & Numerical Analysis at UCC. He played soccer and volley ball. He was fondly called “Kyein”.

    Bo Shoke ဗိုလ်ရှုပ်

    U Mya Thein (GBNF) taught at the Institute of Economics, UCC and ITMBU. He was originally called “Bogyoke” and later became known as “Bo Shoke”.

    Ah Thay Lay အသေးလေး

    U Thein Oo taught at the Institute of Economics and UCC. His friends called him “Ah Thay Lay”. He was good at volleyball, table tennis and cards.

    Ah Pho Gyi အဖိုးကြီး

    • Tin Maung Thant (son of UNSG U Thant) was called Ah Pho Gyee by his PPBRS classmates
    • U Han Sein (C69, GBNF)

    Shwee ရွှီး

    U Kyaw Zan Hein (C69, GBNF) was admitted to the 2nd BE in 1964 as Roll Number 14. There were no word processors in those days; only the use of cyclostyle (Gestener). So, when the person who was admitted as Roll Number 14 did not join RIT, the Admin Office typed in Shwee’s name instead. Some would call him Kyaw Zan Shwee.

    Ngu Yin Kong Kee

    ငုယင်ကောင်ကီး

    • Burmanized name of a Vietnamese General
    • Saya U Win Kyaing (GBNF) is uncle of Maurice Chee (M75). He is often called Ngu Yin Kong Kee. He was also known as Wah Kyaing, younger brother of Wah Kyu.

    Hna Khan Hmwe နှုတ်ခမ်းမွှေး

    • Some have notable mustache
    • One such person was Ko Khin Nyo, “Kyaung Tha Thadin Htauk (Student Reporter at RIT)”. According to Ko Zaw Min Nawaday (EP70), he met — several decades later — Ko Khin Nyi without mustache in New York, USA

    Pauk Si ပေါက်စီ

    U Hla Min (L T Gwan, SPHS64, EP70, GBNF) joined UCC as Chief Operator. He was called CO by his colleagues and “Pauk Si” by his close friends. His father loaned money to a Pauk Si vendor, who did not pay back the loan. At break time at SPHS, he would get Pauk Si from the vendor.

    Pauk Pauk ပေါက်ပေါက်

    Daw Aye Aye Than (ChE72) is the sister of Sayama Dr. Hla Hla Sein (Maths) and Ma Myint Myint Sein (Diana, M70). Her friends called her Pauk Pauk.

    Bu ဘူး

    U Myint Maung (EP69) is one of the young 69ers and one of the few Eligible Bachelors. He represented RIT EE Department in Volleyball along with Saw Edison, U Aye Thein & U Maung Maung. He was called “Bu” in reference to “Minbu” (his home town).

    Shastri ရှပ်စတြီ

    U Khin Maung Myint (C69, GBNF) was called Shastri (former Prime Minister of India).

    Ohn Thee အုန်းသီး

    U Ohn Thwin (PPFC, GBNF) attended classes at UCC & BARB. He was called “Ohn Thee” (Coconut) by his friends.

    May Pa Le မေပုလဲ

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ee-association-1.jpg
    Daw Yee Yee Aung
    • “မေပုလဲ” is a two-handed compliment given to selected female RIT students. e.g. Daw Yee Yee Aung (EP67, EC member of RIT EE Association)
    • It means Miss Pearl (a belle who is Pearly White).
    • It’s concoction “Mae Pa Le မဲပလေ” means “Wow. So dark [complexion]”.

    Rocket ရော့ကက် ဒုံးပျံ

    U Ko Gyi was a Lecturing Tutor in Maths. He is known for reciting the first 100 digits of PI (a constant which is 3.14159265 …). He used Rocket as an example in his classes. For some reason, he named Tin Tin Myint (Emma, ChE70) as “Rocket”. Classmates who witnessed the naming might provide details.

    Emma is co-founder of Triple Gems Publication. She is also co-founder of Dana Sri Lanka (DSL). She is called Mae Daw Gyi မယ်တော်ကြီး by the young monks studying in Sri Lanka.

    La La လာ လား

    It is a form of “Kala” or “Kular” (Person of dark color).

    Some young dark skinned kids (e.g. Aye Win Hlaing (Abel, EE72)) are given the nickname “La La”.

    Ajala အာဂျလာ

    He was a Nigerian student who led demonstrations in front of the US Embassy in Rangoon (in our younger days).

    U Moe Hein (ChE69) represented RIT in swimming & water polo. He has a loud voice (which is very helpful in supporting RIT athletes in the Inter-Institute Tournaments). He is called Ajala by his close friends.

    Maung Kabar မောင်ကမ္ဘာ

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is kabar-1.jpg
    Obituary of Kabar Myint Thein
    • Maung Kabar was an adorable Cartoon character.
    • Those who have slightly round faces are called “Maung Kabar” or “Kabar”.
    • Saya U Myint Soe (SPHS64, C68, GBNF) was named “Maung Kabar”.
    • U Myint Thein (M69) is also known as “Maung Kabar”. It appeared in the Obituary.

    Bagyi Aung ဘကြီးအောင်

    • Fictional character from Min Thu Wun’s short story.
    • U Hla Aung (EP68) wrote : May I share our time nick names. May Pa Le is Yee Yee Aung (EP67). Her friend is Nancy Hla Aung. My nick name is Ba Gyi Aung.

    Three Sizes

    • In Mechanical Drawing, we learned about scales.
    • One student gave the nicknames “Half size, Full size and Double size” to three female students.
    • Sayama Daw Mya Mya Than (EP68, GBNF) was “Full size”. Daw Nyunt Nyunt Zaw (T68, GBNF) was “Double Size”. Daw Cho (?) was “ Half Size”.

    Sargalay & Lada စာကလေး နဲ့ လဒ

    • Sargalay is a sparrow. Lada is a vulture.
    • U Khin Maung Win (EP69, GBNF) was the training partner for Sai Kham Pan (EP69, Burma Selected in Badminton). Kham Pan would give him 10 – 12 points bonus to play a 15-point game.
    • At a reunion, Daw Saw Yu Tint addressed Khin Maung Win as Sargalay. He replied, “I am now a Lada”. He gained a lot of height from 2nd BE to Final Year.
    • The nickname allows 69ers to differentiate Khin Maung Wins — Sargalay, Roland Thein, Donald Ba Pe and ChE Kyet.
    • Most 69ers might remember the cartoon by Kyant Ba Hone Aung Myint (Pet69).
      “Ah Ba. Kar Ku La Thin Char (Calculus) is very fascinating.
      If we differentiate a Lada, we get a Sargalay. If we integrate a Sargalay, we get a Lada.”

    Kywei Gyi ကျွဲကြီး

    • Kywei Gyi is a big, strong Buffalo.
    • U Khin Maung Lay (Henry, T68) was Secretary of RIT Track & Field Association. He competed in 100m, 200m, 4 x 100m relay and Long Jump (emulating Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Olympics). He represented RIT in Track & Field, Soccer and Rowing. He is called “Kywei Gyi” for his physical prowess. His elder brother Ko Khin Maung Latt (M63) represented the Faculty of Engineering in Rowing.

    Mu Tu မူတူး

    U Khin Maung Lay (M70) represented RIT in soccer. He was emcee (Master of Ceremonies) at the Reunion & Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe of the Combined 1st BE Intake of 64 and 65. He was a member of the Myanmar Human Rights Commission. He is the son of U Khin Maung Latt (AFPFL Minister) and younger brother of Saya U Khin Maung Gyi (English, GBNF).

    Phone Gyi ဘုန်းကြီး

    Several alumni are called “Phone Gyi” (Monk) by their friends.

    • U Tin Tun (SPHS63, M69) was my classmate since Std. IV(D) at SPHS. His mother Daw Tin Tin would come and feed him at lunch break. He studied and taught Marine Engineering.
    Tin Htoon
    • U Tin Shein (M69) and I were classmates at the 2nd BE English class of Saya Des. He gave a talk on Chinlon. He represented RIT in Chinlon.
    • U Soe Myint (M72, GBNF) volunteered as a Kappiya at the Kaba Aye Sun Lun Gu Kyaung. He helped with the maintenance. He retired as Pro-Rector of ICST.
    Soe Myint (3rd from Right)

    Chauk Pay ခြောက်ပေ

    • Some tall students are called Chauk Pay (Six Footer).
    • U Htein Win (Richard, M70) represented RIT in Rowing, Swimming & Water Polo. He tended the goal at the Shallow End. He moved to Canada. He bought tickets for SPZP-2000, but could not attend due to a strike.

    Ja Bu & Shorty ဂျပု နဲ့ ရှော်တီ

    • Some short students are called Ja Bu (Midget) or Shorty.
    • U Myint Sein (M70, GBNF) represented RIT in Soccer.
    • There were two Bohmus named “Shorty” Tin Myint.

    Japan Gyi ဂျပန်ကြီး

    • Some who were born during the Japanese Occupation were given Japan Gyi as their nick name.
    • U Hla Tun (T69, GBNF) would end most sentences with an expletive. He married Dolly Gale (my primary school classmate).

    Cowboy ကောင်းဘွိုင်

    • U Tin Nwe (C69, GBNF) was a jovial person and was called Cowboy by his friends.
    • Three Paulians — Tin Nwe, Min Thaw (Gilbert) & Maung Maung Aye — were involved in a car accident after an OPA dinner gathering, but they were not hurt seriously. Sadly, they are now all GBNF.

    Duwa ဒူးဝါး

    • It is a title for a Kachin Leader.
    • U Zau Lai (EP69) spends time in Myitkyina & Yangon. He is an entrepreneur & a Kachin Leader. He often drove a long way from Myitkyina to attend the 69er gatherings.
    Zau Lai

    Bei Oo ဘဲဥ

    • It is a “Duck Egg”. It may also stand for “Zero”.
    • Daw Kyi Kyi Sein (T70) represented RIT in Badminton & Hiking. She is an organizer for the Combined 1st BE Intake of 64 and 65.
    Kyi Kyi Sein (Seated 3rd from Left)

    Kyet Taw ကြက်တော

    I know some people named Kyet Taw. They may have “Taw” in their names.

    • Harry Taw (MEHS57) was a friend of my older brother.
    • Dr. Nyan Taw (Dicky, SPHS63) was my neighbor for some time. We jogged, biked and rowed. He worked at RASU, Pearl & Fishery before moving overseas for assignments. He invited me to the wedding receptions of his younger son and daughter.
    • U Khin Maung Lwin is an organizer for the Class of 87 & 91. RIT was closed for three years. He organized the Golf Tournament for the alumni. He served as Secretary of the Swel Daw Yeik Foundation.

    Saya San ဆရာစံ

    • He is a revolutionary figure in the history of Burma.
    • U Maung San studied his Masters in the UK. He often shopped in the “Junior” section. He taught Geology at RIT & Assumption University.
    • I met U Aung Than (Saya San) at a meeting for the Combined 1st BE Intake of 64 and 65. He told me that he had to study for the last ever 7th Standard Government examination.

    Gaing Gyi ဂိုင်ကြီး

    • The Burmese sometimes pronounce “Kyaw” as “Gyaw”; “Kyee” as “Gyee” and “Khine” as “Gaing”.
    • U Ohn Khine (M70) was named Ohn Gaing at St. Peter’s High School in Mandalay. He was called “Gaing Gyi” by some friends. He is the founder and moderator of the Google Group for the intake of 64 and 65. He volunteered for SPZP-2012, Shwe YaDu, SPZP-2016, SDYF, HMEE-2012 and HMEE-2016. He translated Section 1 and summarized Section 2 of the HMEE-2012 book. He and I compiled the CD supplement for the HMEE-2012 book.
    Ohn Khine

    Byte and R ဗိုက် နဲ့ အာ

    • Byte may mean stomach or belly. R may mean “talkative”.
    • U Tin Hlaing (M63) was called “Byte Tin Hlaing” and “R Tin Hlaing” by his friends to differentiate from the senior Saya U Tin Hlaing (M59, GBNF). He was later known as Dr. Tin Hlaing.
    • U Kyaw Zin (EP69) was called “R Zin” by some of his friends.
    • U Myint Soe (UCC) worked as Maintenance Technician in the Systems Division. He was called “Byte”.

    Shwe Gaung Byaung ရွှေဂေါင်းပြောင်

    It is the name of a cartoon character. It literally means “Golden, Bald Head”. Toe Nyunt (Ted Mya Maung) starred in a movie of that name.

    U Wynn Htain Oo (M72) is a super fund raiser is fondly known as “Shwe Gaung Byaung”. He is also known as

    • WHO (not World Health Organization)
    • Hmaw Sayagyi မှော်ဆြာကြီး
    • Mg Mar Ga မောင်မာဃ
    • Bo Pu Cho ဗိုလ်ပုချို
    Mg Mar Ga

    Sa Yay စာရေး

    • Sa Yay may mean a Clerk.
    • Sa Yay Gyi စာရေးကြီး is a Senior Clerk.
    • Sa Yay Lay စာရေးလေး is a Junior Clerk.
    • U Khin Maung Zaw (EC76) was called “Sa Yay Lay” by his teacher Perrera (V Standard in St. Paul’s High School).
    • In primary school, my spouse was told by her teacher that her hand writing looked like that of a “Sa Yay”. It motivated her to become a medical doctor.

    Hanuman ဟာနုမန်

    • It is an Indian Diety.
    • U Han Tun Maung (GBNF) was a star athlete at SPHS. He excelled in Track & Field, and Soccer. He was called “Hanuman”. He was President of Old Paulians Association, Kokkine Swimming Club, Equestrian & Archery Associations. His family owned a Stable with “Sein Hlyan” as a Champion horse. The family opened Sein Hlyan Cafe. The Intake of 65 meets monthly as the Cafe.

    Mote Seit မုတ်ဆိတ်

    • It may mean “Beard”.
    • U Myo Hein (69er) is called Mote Seit by his friends.
    • Reverend Frederich Ludwig (Buddhist Archbishop of Latvia &!Lithuania) was called “Moke Seit Phone Gyi”. He later shaved his beard and ordained as a Theravada monk with the title Ashin Ananda. He is a Laureate Poet.

    Papu ပါပူး

    • Collegian Nay Win was called Papu by soccer team mates.

    Po Htaung & Po Maung ဖိုးထောင် နဲ့ ဖိုးမောင်

    • Sons of U Khin Maung San (Tommy San, PBRS, GBNF)
    • U Nyunt Win (classmate of Tommy’s wife Lily at Darjeeling) liked the nicknames and used them in a movie.

    Gyi ကြီး

    • Japan Gyi ဂျပန်ကြီး — Hla Tun (T69)
    • Kyaw Gyi ကျော်ကြီး — Kyi Win (EP69)
    • Maw Gyi မော်ကြီး — U Myat Htoo (C68)

    Not so nice

    • Phaung Gyi Sin ဖေါင်ကြီးဆင်း
    • Ba Lar Gyi ဗလာကြီး
    • Chota ချိုတား၊ ချွတ်တား
    • Mutta မွတ်တား
    • Fatty ဖက်တီး
    • Chee Pay

    EE69ers

    • U Thein Swe (EP69) described nicknames of the EE69ers in his post.
    • Example : So Si စိုစိ

    RIT English Sayas & Sayamas

    • Saya Des described some nicknames in his article.
    • Examples : Byaing Ma ဗျိုင်းမ Ya Khine Gyi ရခိုင်ကြီး
  • Trips

    Trips

    by Hla Min

    Update : September 2026

    Late October 2019

    • Visited former classmates, colleagues & students in Singapore
    Singapore

    Hosts

    • Ko Zaw Tun (UCC) & Ma Kyu were our main hosts
    • Ko Ngwe Soe (Silver, UCC) & Ma Nu hosted us at their second home in Jahore.
      Silver took us to Melecca.
      Earlier he took us to Sentosa which was about to bring down the Lion Statue. He also wanted to jolt my memory of the “Myo Putt Ya Htar မြို့ပတ်ရထား”.

    Gatherings

    Mini gatherings

    • 69ers
    • M73 group with their Saya U Tu Myint
    • ex-UCC & ex-ICST

    Micro gatherings

    • Boe & Ma Phyu
    • Ma Pale & Ko Ye
    • Ko Zaw Tun & Ma Kyu offered Soon at their house (in addition to the regular ones at the Singapore Chan Myay Monastery).

    Early November

    • Continued our trip
    • KK picked me up at the Mingalardon air port and placed me at a hotel.
    • KK hosted two gatherings : mostly professional speakers and coaches.
    ILF
    • Flew to Mandalay to attend the 5th Irrawaddy Literary Festival. I was a Panelist at two sessions : one on Education and another on Poetry.
    Panelist
    • During a break, Ko Thein Htut (UCC) took me on a quick trip around Sagaing & Mandalay.
    • Did not meet Ko Kyaw Kyaw Soe. He had to take a trip to see his ailing son.
    • Received an autographed copy from Ko Htein Win (Dat Pon).
      He had to wait a long time before he could publish his photos and related articles about two Dark Moments in Burma : U Thant Ah Yay Ah Khin and 8-8-88.

    Mid November to End of December

    • There were several gatherings back in Yangon in November and December, 2019.

    RIT Gatherings

    • RIT 69er Monthly Breakfast Gathering
    • Golden Jubilee of 69ers (Main event at Gyogone Campus, Reunion Dinner organized by Ko Aung Min at his old office compound)
    GJ of Graduation
    • Lunch hosted by Ko Tin Win (Min)
    • Guest of the Class of 72 (M72 Annual Gathering and PZP, additional : Indian Lunch, Chinese Dinner)
    • Guest at All Mechanical Gathering /Dinner
    All Mech Gatherinng
    • Dinner by Ko Nyunt Htay
    Ko Nyunt Htay

    UCC / ICST Gatherings

    • Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe of UCSY/ICST
    ICST PZP
    • Several ex-UCC gatherings
      (MICT, Sweetie’s apartment, Soon Kyway by Ko Soe Win & KZ, …)
    Sweetie

    SPHS Gatherings

    • Wedding of Eddie Shein’s daughter
    • Soon for Uzin Saya Beatson
    With Sayadaw Beatson

    RUBC

    • RUBC Annual Regatta
    RUBC
    • Attendees include :
      U Tin U (Most Senior Past Captain), U Maung Maung Than Tun (Oldest Past Captain, GBNF), Dr. Myo Tint (Past Captain, GBNF), U Sein Htoon (Past Captain), U Myo Myint (Gold), U Tun Mra, U Tin Myint (GBNF), Dr. Thein Hlyne …

    MARB

    Veda
    • Visited the new Building
    • Thai Tarot Master donated Air Conditioners

    Sun Lun

    • Some meditation sessions
    • Received two books from Mi Mi Win (Junior Win) about her grand parents U Khin Maung Latt and Daw Khin Myo Chit

    Miscellaneous

    • Birthday Lunch by Ko Myint Toe & Ma Nwe
    • 49th Anniversary of Saya Dr. Soe Win and Sayama Daw May Saw Lwin
    • Thar Yay (Zeyar’s house warming …)
    • Nar Yay (Ma Cherry’s demise…)
    • Other gatherings :
      Ma Hazel,
      my friends,
      my spouse’s friends…
    • Thanks for the rides :
      Ko Ohn Khine,
      Ko Win Maung (Lake),
      Ko Tin Aung Win (Oscar),
      Ko Tin Win,
      Ko Ye Myint,
      Ko Aung Myin Bo,
      younger son of Y Patail
      …

    Updates

    • There were restrictions (for Travel & Gatherings) during the pandemic.
    • Eighteen 69ers & several family members succumbed to Covid
    • Some ex-UCC — U Mg Mg Lay, U Mg Mg Gyi, U Aung Myint — are GBNF.

    Posts

    • 69ers
    • Gatherings
    • Literary Talks & Festivals
    • Pu Zaw Pwes
    • UCC Alumni
    • Visits
  • Alumni & Associations

    Alumni & Associations

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    RIT Alumni helped establish the following Associations in California :

    BEA

    Burmese / Bay Area Engineers Association

    • Saya U Htin Paw (EE58, GBNF) was a founding member of BEA & served as the First President. He was President of TBSA. He wrote articles for RIT Alumni Newsletter & SPZP-2000.
    U Htin Paw
    • Saya U San Tun (Sain Fone Wong, M59) succeeded U Htin Paw as President. He invited us to his birthday party & his son’s wedding reception. He had a Stroke. He is now GBNF. In Saya’s memory, Ma Sylvia donated K40 Lakhs to the Health Care Fund for RIT Sayas.
    U San Tun
    • Saya K C Chiu (Dr. Tin Aung, ChE63) succeeded U San Tun as President. He proposed the idea of forming BEA with sayas and alumni in the SF Bay Area. Lily (T73) agreed to be Secretary.
    K C Chiu (Right)
    Lily (Seated, Center)
    • BEA merged with BASTS into BAPS.

    BAPS

    Burmese American Professional Society

    • Saya U Nyo Win (Dr. K H Chen, M65) served as the first President of BAPS. He also served as Editor of BAPS Newsletter.
    U Nyo Win (2nd)
    • Benny Tan (Tan Yu/Eu Beng, M70) succeeded U Nyo Win as President
    Benny
    • Maurice Chee (U Hla Myint Thein, M75) succeeded Benny Tan as President
    Maurice (Seated Right)
    • The Three became founding members of RIT Alumni International and Core Organizers for SPZP-2000.

    BASES

    Burmese American Society for Engineers and Scientists

    • Saya U Tin Htut (M60), U Tin Htway (M59) and U “David” Tun Tin (GBNF) founded BASES. They adapted the BAPS bye-laws and added the needs for those in Southern California.
    U Tin Htut
    • Several sayas and alumni served President, VP, Secretary, Advisor & EC member. They include U Tin Htway (M59), Saya Dr. Chris Lee (L Tin Htun, EE59), Saya U Tin Htut (M60), Saya Dr. Tin Win (M62), U Tun Aung (Jefferey, EC68, GBNF), U Aung Khin (EP68), U Tin Nwe (Milton, C68), U Khin Maung Lay (Henry, T68), U Thura Thant Zin (M76) & U Win Naing (Michael, M81)
    Thura

    RIT Alumni International

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is bay-area-0.jpg
    SF Bay Area Alumni Group
    • Founded by the SF Bay Area Alumni Group led by Saya Allen Htay (GBNF).
    SF Bay Area Alumni
    • To host SPZP-2000
    • To support RIT Alumni Newsletter (founded by U Hla Min, EC69), and the first RIT website (designed & implemented by U Khin Maung Zaw, EC76).
    U Hla Min
    • Saya Allen served as President.
    • Maurice served as Treasurer. He and Benny chaired the Working Committee for SPZP-2000. They wore multiple hats for SPZP-2000.
    • Founding members included Saya Allen (C58), Saya K (ChE63), Saya Nyo (M65), Saya George (ChE66), Saya Myat Htoo (C68), Hla Min (EC69), Benny (M70), Saya Thein Aung (Met72), Maurice (M75), KMZ (EC76) and Gordon (M83).
    SPZP-2000 Organizers
    • Several more sayas and alumni (including BAPS and BASES members) volunteered for SPZP-2000.

    Norcal RITAA

    • Founded to continue the Vision & Mission of RIT Alumni International.
    NorCal RITAA
    • Saya U Maung Maung (George, ChE66) served as the first President. Successors : Gordon Kaung (M83), U Aung Myint Oo (EC84) and U Tin Maung Win (C76)
    Saya U Maung Maung
    • Stan Liou (M67) served as first Chair of BOD (Board of Directors). Successor : Saya U Myat Htoo (C68, GBNF)
    YTU Library
    • Activities: Financial support for children of alumni in Norcal & for eligible YTU students; Support for YTU Library Modernization; Annual Dinner and/or Picnic; Coordinated with BASES for 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles

    Posts

    • Alumni Worldwide
    • Associations
    • Gatherings
    • RITAA
    • SPZP
  • Mechanical Engineering

    Mechanical Engineering

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    ဆရာ (တချို့)

    Late 1980s

    • Sayagyi U Ba Than & Staff
    • U Maung Maung Than (Rector)
    • U Kyin Soe later became Professor & Rector
    • Some sayas were on Deputation (e.g studying in Australia)
    • Two sayamas
    • Some are now GBNF
    Mech Sayas in late 1980s

    U Aung Khin ဦးအောင်ခင် — Mech Engg ပါမောက္ခ ငြိမ်း

    • First native Professor
    • Moved to Canada
    • အကြံပေး၊ Advisor, RIT Alumni International
    U Aung Khin

    U Ba Than ဦးဘသန်း (GBNF) — Mech Engg ပါမောက္ခ ငြိမ်း

    • Second native Professor
    • အကြံပေး၊ Advisor, Engineering Library
    • အကြံပေး၊ Early supporter & host of HMEE project
    • Saya passed after his 94th birthday
    U Ba Than

    U San Tun ဦးစံထွန်း — Auto Engg ဌာနမှူး ငြိမ်း

    • President, BEA
    • Saya is GBNF
    U San Tun

    U Tin Hlaing ဦးတင်လှိုင် (ကွယ်လွန်) — Agri Engg ဌာနမှူး ငြိမ်း

    • President, All Universities’ Hockey
    • Passed away due to lack of access to the rare Dialysis machines at BMH and an inability to get PP and visa in time to have treatment abroad
    U Tin Hlaing

    U Tin Htut ဦးတင်ထွဋ် — ကထိက ငြိမ်း

    • Captain & Gold, RUBC
    • Founder & Past President, BASES
    • Donor, YTU Library project
    • Celebrated his 89th birthday
    U Tin Htut

    U Tun Shwe ဦးထွန်းရွှေ

    • Patron, SDYF
    • Patron, Alumni Association
    U Tun Shwe

    U Tin Maung Nyunt ဦးတင်မောင်ညွန့် — Agri ဆရာ ငြိမ်း

    • President, RIIT သိုင်း
    • Donor, YTU Library project
    • Celebrated his 90th birthday
    U Tin Maung Nyunt

    U Maung Maung Win ဦးမောင်မောင်ဝင်း — ကထိကငြိမ်း

    • RIT Automobile Club
    • Wrote articles for RIT Alumni Newsletter
    • Moved to Australia
    U Maung Maung Win

    Dr. Tin Win Dr တင်ဝင်း — ကထိကငြိမ်း

    • Past President, BASES
    • Organizer, 2015 Alumni Reunion in LA
    Dr. Tin Win

    Mao Toon Siong

    • Champion, Table Tennis
    • National Coach, Table Tennis
    Mao Toon Siong

    U Kyi ဦးကြည်

    • Perfect score in 4 subjects in Final Year
    • Head, Aeronautical Engg
    U Kyi

    S Arya (GBNF)

    • Had cute accent
    • See post by Dr. Myint Thein (Ba Thein, Atlanta)
    S Arya

    U Phone Myint ဦးဖုန်းမြင့်

    • Workshop Superintendent
    • After retirement, visited daughters in Jamaica, Malaysia & USA
    U Phone Myint

    Dr. Tin Hlaing

    • Moved to Singapore
    • Organizer, SPZP-2002
    Dr. Tin Hlaing

    U Soe Lwin ဦးစိုးလွင် (ကွယ်လွန်)

    • Saya is GBNF
    U Soe Lwin

    U Win ဦးဝင်း

    • Saya has a medical problem
    U Win

    S ကျော်အေး (ကွယ်လွန်)

    • Saya is GBNF
    S Kyaw Aye

    U Lay Aung ဦးလေးအောင် (ကွယ်လွန်)

    • Saya passed away in 2026 at the age of 87
    U Lay Aung

    U Kyaw Myint ဦးကျော်မြင့်

    • Worked for UN in Beijing
    • After retirement, moved to USA
    U Kyaw Myint

    U Kyaw Sein ဦးကျော်စိန် (ကွယ်လွန်)

    • Archived Pon Tu’s of Sayas (by Bagyee Myat Myo Myint)
    • Passed away in Singapore

    Dr. Kyaw Sein Dr ကျော်စိန်

    • RIT Weightlifting and Body Building
    • Retired Professor from YIT & Malaysian University

    U Myo Win ဦးမျိုးဝင်း (ကွယ်လွန်)

    • Rowing
    • RIT Automobile Club
    • Taught at Wagga Wagga University, Australia
    • Passed away in Australia
    U Myo Win

    U Hla Myint ဦးလှမြင့်

    • Swimming & Water Polo
    • Co-Chair, RIT Alumni Gathering in Sydney, Australia in 2006
    U Hla Myint

    Dr. Nyo Win

    • Organizer, SPZP-2000
    • Founding Member, RIT Alumni International
    • Founding Member, NorCal RITAA
    • Worked for Tech Companies in USA & Taiwan
    U Nyo Win (2nd)

    U Lin ဦးလင်း

    • Rowing
    • RIT Buddhist Association
    • SPZPs in Yangon
    • Has a medical problem
    U Lin

    GBNF

    • U Ba Than
    • Dr. Chan Nyein
    • U Han Tun
    • U Khin Maung
    • U Kyaw Sein
    • U Lay Aung
    • U Myo Win
    • S Arya
    • S Kyaw Aye
    • U San Tun
    • U Soe Lwin
    • U Thein Tun Aung
    • U Tin Hlaing
    • U Tin Maung Oo
    • …

    Updates

    • Several are GBNF.
    • U Aung Khin is in Canada. He stays fit by playing Tennis & Golf.
    • U Tin Htut, Dr. Tin Win, Mao Toon Siong, U Tin Maung Nyunt, U Kyaw Myint & Dr. Nyo Win are in USA.
    • U Maung Maung Win & U Hla Myint are in Australia.
    • Some — U Win, Dr. Kyaw Sein & U Lin — have medical problems
  • Purchasing Power

    Purchasing Power

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    Burmese Currency

    • The Banking authorities in Burma (e.g. Union Bank) issued Currency notes backed by Gold Reserves.
    • The bills were signed by authorities (e.g. Sithu U Kaung, U San Lin).
    • One US dollar traded at 5 – 6 kyats, and one Sterling pound around 12 – 13 kyats.

    Old Receipt from 1979

    Receipt
    • The Old Receipt (for 146 Kyats and 50 Pyas) is a testament of the purchasing power in the 70s.
    • It was for a farewell dinner for Saya U Myo Win (M/Ag65) by 25 members of the RIT Automobile Club.

    Decline in the value of the Kyat

    Three rounds of Demonetization, mismanagement, … saw a huge decline in the value of the Kyat.

    Snap shots of the exchange rate :

    • 1 Kyat = 4 (or more) Bahts (Early days)
    • 1 Kyat = 1 Baht (Baht Taik Kyat Taik Khit)
    • 4 (or more Kyats) = 1 Baht
  • RIT — A69er

    RIT — A69er

    by Hla Min

    Update : September 2026

    Graduation

    Grad 1
    Grad 2

    Aung Khin

    Aung Khin
    • Worked in Botswana
    • After retirement, he and Tin Tin Hla (A70) moved to Seattle, Washington, USA to be near their daughters and grand children.
    • Attended 69er Golden Jubilee of Graduation on December 14, 2019 in Yangon.

    Kyaw Kyaw

    • Member of elite group who married before graduation.

    Myo Tun (Bobby)

    • Johnian
    • Studied in UK twice. During his high school days, he received BOC Scholarship to study in the UK, but the program discontinued around 1962.
    • Finished GCE. Had to take some subjects in Matric to attend Rangoon University.
    • Won essay contests as Errol Than Tun.
    • Assisted P Aung Khin (Guardian) with Supplement & Scrabble Tournament
    • Joined PWD
    • Received State Scholarship to pursue Masters in the UK.
    • After retirement, he became Ashin Pannagavesaka. He served as an editor of Pa Auk Sayadaw’s books and a dhamma librarian at the Mawlamyine Pa Auk Taw Ya. He later taught at selected monasteries. He went on dhamma dhuta missions (e.g. to Vietnam).
    Tobias Kittim Ku & Uzin Bobby Myo Tun

    Saw Tobias Kittim Ku (Tobi, GBNF)

    • Albertian
    • Sang “Kawthoolei” at RIT games
    • Attended 69er monthly breakfast gatherings.
    • Passed away due to Covid. His daughter also succumbed to Covid.

    Thet Htun

    • Moved to Taiwan.

    Thwin Thwin Aye Hmi (Olive)

    • Played chinlon with her A69 classmates
    • Spouse : U Han Zaw
    • Met them last at Lunch gathering at Crystal Jade in 2012

    Tin Maung Hla (GBNF)

    • Expert in Abhidhamma studies.
    • Although his health was failing, he attended the monthly Breakfast Gathering to bid farewell to his former classmates.
    • Per his request, his family hosted the BFG after his demise.
  • Burma — 1960s

    Burma — 1960s

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    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.
    U Nu

    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.
    2nd SEAP Games

    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.
    Sama Duwa
    • 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
    SPHS63
    • 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

    Poem
    • 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.
    EE69ers

    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).
    Placard bearers for 5th SEAP Games

    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.
  • GBNF — 2021

    GBNF — 2021

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    Some passed away due to old age and natural causes. Sad to learn that many succumbed to the pandemic. See related posts for details (life and achievement …)

    Class of 59

    U Bo Gyi
    • Uzin U Bo Gyi (A59)
      Designer of Daw Khin Kyi Mausoleum

    Class of 68

    • Sayama Daw Mya Mya Than (EP68)
    • U Zaw Win (Cyril, EP68)
    • U Saw Win (EP68)
    Daw Mya Mya Than

    Class of 69

    Thein Maung
    • The GBNF list is maintained by U Aung Min (M69) and his team
    • So sad and alarming
    • U Soe Myint Thein (E) : #113
    • U Tin Shwe (C69) : #112 & spouse
    • Nan Su Su (T69) : #111 & spouse
    • Saya U Kyaw Tint (Min69) : #110
    • U Thein Maung (M69) : #109
    • Saw Tobias Kittim Ku (A69) : #108
    • U Aung Gyi Shwe (EP) : #107
    • U Chit Pe (M69) : #106
    • U Khin Maung Gyi (M69) : #105
    • U Soe Win (M69) : #104
    • U Thein Swe (EP69) : #103
    • U Tun (Met 69) : #102
    • U Aung Myint (C) : #101
    • U Tin Aye (A Rauf, EP69) : #100
    • U Yi Pin (Mg Mg Kaung, M69) : #99
    • U Tin Sun (C69) : #98

    Class of 70

    U Wara
    • Sayadaw U Wara (U Win Paing, ChE70) : #111
    • U Win Kyi (Kyar Zan, C, 64 Intake) : #110
    • U Hla Min (C, 64 Intake, SuperOne) : #109
    • U Khin Maung Maung (C70) : #108
    • Ko Soe (M70, Sittang Mill) : #107
    • U Aung Myint (Eric, C70)
    • U Min Maung (Mg Mg, MAuto70)
    • Maung Par (Pet70)

    Class of 71

    • U Kyaw Maung (Min71)
    • U Ye Gaung (Pet71)
    • U Hla Min (C71, Intake of 64)
    • Willie Ko Shwe (SPHS65)

    Class of 72

    • U Ngwe Htun (C72)
    • U Hla Maung (C72)
    • U Myo Myint Pe (ChE72)
    • U Khin Maung Myint (John Tint, M72)
    • Freda Tin Swe Aye (ChE72)
    • Tommy Win (66 Intake)
    • U Pe Aye (66 Intake)
    • U Than Tun Zan (66 Intake, EP76)
    • U Soe Myint (Shwe Thwar, M72)

    Class of 73

    • U Ko Ko Gyi (C73)
    • U Aung San (C73)
    • U Soe Win (C73)
    • U Win Kyi (C73)

    Class of 74

    • U Tin Aung (C74)
    • U Soe Than (C74)
    • U Kyaw Thaung (C74)
    • U Myo Thant (C74)
    • U Maung Maung Myint (C74)
    • U Aung Htut (C74)
    • Md Zubai (M74)
    • Daw Ni Ni Than (M74)
    • U Nay Win (Tommy, Met74)
    • U Win Myint (Myeik, ChE74)
    • U Kyaw Kyaw (M/EP74)

    Class of 75 – 79

    • U Myat Swe (Benedict Sia, M75)
    • U Aung Kyaw Myint (C77)
    • U Khine Tin (C77)
    • Daw May Kyi (EP78)
    • U Myat Lay (C78)
    • U Win Maung (C79)
    • U Win Myint Htay (C79)
    • U Robin Thet Naing (C79)
    • U Nyunt Aung (Mn7x)
    • Daw Kyi Kyi Win (T)
    • U Than Sin Myint (Met)

    Class of 80 – 89

    • U Soe Naing Aung (C80)
    • Daw San Myint (C80)
    • Daw Khin Khin Oo (C80)
    • U Thar Hlaing (C80)
    • U Myo Thant (C80)
    • U Khin Sein (M80)
    • U Ba Thein (C82)
    • U Tint Lwin (C82)
    • U Min Lwin Pe (C83)
    • U Nay Win (C83)
    • U Kyi Win (C83)
    • U Hla Myo Aung (C83)
    • U Ko Ko Su (EP83)
    • U Myo Win (C84)
    • U Tin Maung Myint (C84)
    • U Tin Win (C84)
    • U Min Min Soe (C85)
    • U Tin Oo (C85)
    • U Tun Thein (C85)
    • U Toe Aung (C85)
    • U Soe Lwin (C85)
    • U Tint Wai (C85)
    • U Win Nyunt (M86)
    • U Aung Min (C86)
    • U Win Sein (C86)
    • U Latt Myint Naing (C86)
    • U Kyaw Lin Oo (C87)
    • Daw San San Myint (C87)

    Class of 9O – 99

    • U Tin Oo (C91)
    • Dr. Tin Tin Win (C92)
    • U Than Htay (C92)
    • U Aung Min (C92)
    • U Nyan Tun (C94)
    • U Tin Maung Myint (C95 Jan)
    • U Tun Zaw (C96)
    • U Zaw Tun (C96)
    • U Htay Aung Tint (C98)
    • U Myo Win / Myo Myo (C98)
    • U Than Win Tun (Bldg Dip 99)
    • U Khin Aung Lin (83 Intake)

    Class of 2000 – 2009

    • U Tint Lwin Oo (C03 Apr)
    • U Ko Ko Aung (C03 Apr)
    • U Kyaw Naing Thu (C04)

    Spouses of Alumni

    • Spouse of U Aye Thein (EP69)
    • Spouse of U Hla Shwe (T69)
    • Spouse of U Thein Swe (EP69)
    • Spouse of U Yi Pin (M69)
    • Spouse of Sa Maung Maung (EP69)
    • Spouse of Daw Aung (ChE79)
    • Spouse of U Kyaw Sint (T70)
    • Spouse of U Win Aung (M70)
    • Spouse of Nan Su Su (T69)
    • Spouse of U Tin Shwe (C69)

    Sayas and Sayamas (From RIT and Other Universities)

    • U Kyaw Tint (Mining)
    • U Soe Lwin (Mech)
    • Daw Khin Saw Tint (Eng)
    • Dr. Kyaw Win (Pro Rector)
    • Daw Mya Mya Than (EP)
    • U Khin Maung Maung (Civil)
    • Dr. Mi Sandar Mon (Mech)
    • U Nyunt Yin (Physics)
    • Dr. Win Thein (Civil)
    • U Ngwe Tun (Civil)
    • U Ko Ko Lay (Maths)
    • Dr. Khin Maung Win (Maths)
    • Daw Kyin Kyin (Maths)
    • U Kyin Ko (Maths)
    • Dr. Zin Aung (Physics)
    • U Kyaw Tun (ChE & Chem)
    • Dr. Tin Win (David, Chem)
    • U Tin Aung Han (Geology)
    • Robert Thein Tun (YU English)
    • U Win Maung (DGHE)
    • Dr. Robert Tun Maung (Rector)
    • Dr. Mie Mie Thet Thwin (Rector, UCSY)
    • Daw Khin Ann Mon (ICST)
    • Dr. Maung Maung Sein (Surgeon)

    Relatives & friends

    • Dr. Myo Tint (Cousin)
    • Daw Aye May (Cousin)
    • Daw Maibelle Maw
    • Daw Thiri Nyunt We (UCC)
    • U Aung Win (Alex)
    • Dr. Soe Min Thein (Soe Aung)
    • U Khin (father of U Soe Myint, UCC, UN)
    • Daw Khin Pyone Kyi (Mother of Daw Kyi Kyi Aye)
    • Daw Tin May (Mother of Daw Mi Mi Aung)
    • Mother of Daw Phyu Phyu Kyaw (UCC)
    • Brother of U Kyi Shane (M83)
    • Brother and SIL of Don Min U Yu Swan
    • Sister and BIL of U Moe Myint (M76) Sister of Daw Moh Moh Han (A77)
    • Mother, Aunt and Brother of U Hlaing Myint (UCC)
    • Son of Daw Khin Saw Tint (Eng)
    • Daughter of Tobias Kittim Ku (A69)
    • Sister of Daw Khin Toe Myint (Zoo)
    • Father of Daw Nwe Ni Tun (ICST)
    • Father of Daw Thin Thu Naing (ICST)
    • Father of Daw Win Pa Pa Ko (ICST)
    • Brother of L Shark Moon (C67)
    • Sister of U Soe Lwin (EC66)
    • Khamee Khamets of U Soe Lwin (EC66)
    • Brother of U Aung Win (Owen, M71)
    • Son of U Khin Zaw (Chem)
    • Son of U Win Maung (Point)
    • Father of U Tin Oo (M87)
    • Uncle, aunt and two cousins of Daw Tin Tin Cho
    • Brother, cousin and Khameee Khamets of U Win Thein (SLRD)
    • Brother-in-law of U Wint Khin Zaw (A)
    • Brother of U Tin Nwe (C68)
    • Brother of Dr. U Win (Geography)

    Miscellaneous

    • Dr. Khin Nyo Thet
    • Daw Khin Yi (Spouse of Dr. Than Tun)
    • Dr. Shwe Tun & Daw Mi Mi
    • Dr. Sein Maung (Banking)
    • Dr. Naga Thein Hlaing (Surgeon)
    • Dr. Myint Oo (Community Health)
    • U San Ma Tu (Comedian)
    • Tekkatho Aye Mg (Reggie Ba Oo, Musician)
    • Aung Cheint (Kabyar)
    • Maung Moe Thu (Author)
    • Several Ah Nu Pyinnya Shin
    U Soe Lwin
    Daw Kyi Kyi Win
    Dr. Khin Nyo Thet
  • UCC — History

    UCC — History

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    Dr. Chit Swe
    U Soe Paing
    U Myo Min
    U Ko Ko Lay
    U Aung Zaw, U Soe Win, U Tun Aung Gyaw, U Hla Min, U Kyaw Thein visiting Stonehenge

    Introduction

    In the early days, there were no computers in Burma. IBM (International Business Machines) based in the USA and ICL (International Computers Limited) based in the UK had presence in Burma. Both companies were not ready to introduce computers to Burma. They were content with leasing unit-record equipment (calculators, tabulators, …) using punched cards. The managers and their staff were highly paid compared to the Government employees.

    In the early sixties, Burma Railways wanted to upgrade to an ICL computer, but the Coup d’etat in 1962 and subsequent restriction of foreign currency exchange & budget planning rules effectively derailed the project.

    Dr. Chit Swe

    In the mid sixties, Dr. Chit Swe, Head of the Maths Department at the Institute of Economics, proposed the need of a computer for teaching and research to a Dr. Nyi Nyi, Secretary / Deputy Minister of Education. Dr. Nyi Nyi suggested the scope to be extended for a computer to serve the staff and selected students of the Universities and Institutes. Thus, the UCC Project was conceived. It was approved in 1970 with UNDP as the Funding Agency and UNESCO as the Execution Agency.

    Dr. Chit Swe later became Professor at Mathematics at RASU (Rangoon Arts and Science University). He offered space at the Mathematics Department for the early volunteers of the UCC Project. He then obtained permission to use Mandalay Hall for use by the UCC Project before the UCC Building could be completed in Thamaing College Campus.

    UCC Founders

    Dr. Chit Swe, U Soe Paing, U Myo Min and U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF) co-founded UCC.

    Dr. Chit Swe served as the Founder/Director of UCC. He initiated the academic and training programs. He stressed the importance of technology transfer, leapfrogging technology, knowledge sharing (internally and externally), and challenging the staff and students to try their best.

    He requested U Soe Paing (RIT Electrical Engineering) to help design and implement the UCC project. He inquired the mother of Saya U Myo Min (Chartered Accountant working as Systems Analyst at IBM UK) if U Myo Min would be interested to come back to Burma and help with the UCC project. U Soe Paing recruited his friend Saya U Ko Ko Lay (PWD, GBNF) to help with the UCC project in general and with the UCC Building Design and Implementation in particular.

    On April 1, 1971, U Soe Paing transferred to UCC as Manager of Systems Division; U Myo Min joined UCC as Manager of Applications Divison; and U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF) transferred to UCC as Manager of Operations Division,

    I was a member of Generation Zero along with my mentors and U Tun Aung Gyaw (EC69), who was the earliest and longest volunteer of the UCC Project.

    Dr. Chit Swe retired as Rector of RASU. He moved to Bangkok and Sydney. He passed away in 2019.

    U Soe Paing left UCC in the eighties to pursue a career as Technical Adviser and Consultant for the UN projects in several countries.

    U Myo Min migrated to USA. He taught briefly at the Nanyang Technical Institute in Singapore. He retired after serving as a Principal for Seagate Technology and Conner.

    Dr. Tin Maung (GBNF) succeeded Dr. Chit Swe as Director of UCC. During his tenure, the Department of Computer Science (DCS) was established at RASU. U Ko Ko Lay served as Professor and Head of the Department.

    Subsequently, the Institute of Computer Science and Technology (ICST) was established with Dr. Tin Maung as Rector. U Ko Ko Lay served as Professor and Head of Information Technology. U Tun Aung Gyaw served as Associate Professor and Head of Hardware Technology. U Hla Min served as Associate Professor and Head of Software Technology. Some sayas from UCC and RASU taught Computational Mathematics.

    Courses at UCC

    Dr. Chit Swe was Founder/Director of UCC and Professor of Mathematics Department at RASU. He arranged UCC to conduct degree and post-graduate diploma courses under the aegis of the Department of Mathematics, RASU. UCC also conducted training courses for computer users. Dr. Chit Swe was succeeded as Director of UCC by Saya U Tin Maung.

    Several distinguished Professors from US, UK and Europe lectured at UCC.

    The postgraduate degree and diploma courses given under the aegis of Department of Mathematics include M.Sc. (CS) and DAC (Diploma in Automatic Computing).

    UCC Course

    The Courses for computer users include

    • COC (Computer Orientation Course)
    • CPC (Computer Programming Course)
    • Elective for Honors and Post-graduate in other disciplines
    • Intensive training (e.g. for the Population Census Data ProcessinSpecial training (e.g. for those selected as State Scholars)
    • Planning (e.g. for departments intending to purchase computers)

    Teaching & Training

    U Aung Zaw

    Saya U Soe Paing, Saya U Aung Zaw (GBNF) and U Hla Min wrote

    • Introduction to Computers
    • Introduction to Computer Programming
    • Lecture Guides
    • Manuals Books

    UCC Gatherings

    Over the years, I attended several mini-gatherings and gatherings hosted by UCC sayas and alumni.

    Yangon

    Saya U Soe Paing regular hosts gatherings (usually dinner meeting) at his house. Sayagadaw Daw Saw Yu Tint (Alice, T69) was my class mate. She also attended CPC course. U Thein Oo, Daw Than Than Tint, Daw Tin May Lwin and several others help organize the gatherings. U Thein Oo, U Htin Kyaw, U Aung Aung and several others provided us transportation to or from Saya Paing’s house.

    UCC gathering at U Soe Paing’s house

    UCC 40th Anniversary Gathering

    The “40th Anniversary of UCC” was the Reunion of Staff, Teachers (Past and Present) and Students. Saya Dr. Tin Maung (GBNF) was represented by his spouse and daughter.

    There was fun and laughter, music and dances, and good old memories.

    Daw Ngwe Tin, Aye Aye Myint and sisters, Maung Myint, who maintained the UCC building rooms were among the attendees.

    Among those present at the gathering, U Soe Myint, U Aung Myint, Daw Nge Ma Ma Than, Daw Khin Lay Myint and several others are GBNF.

    UCSY Gathering

    In January 14, 2018, I attended the 5th UCSY Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe as “Generation Zero” representative and the “Most Senior” (not by age). Several attendees started their studies and/or careers at UCC.

    Sao Yan Naing, son of Dr. Saw Naing (Wesley, SPHS59), gave me a ride to the Pu Zaw Pwe. He is a nephew of Dr Myo Khin (C70) and a cousin of Soe Lin Maung (UCC).

    Sydney in 2006

    During my visit to Sydney, Australia in 2006, I met several UCC alumni. Saya U Aung Zaw (GBNF) and Ma Kyawt organized a Reunion and mini-PZP for Saya Dr. F Ba Hli (GBNF) and Saya Dr. Chit Swe. They were helped by U Sein Myint Maung, Daw Khin Aye Mu, U Htay Aung (Victor) and Daw Tin Tin Hlaing to name a few. I met Daw Thanda Htwe and “UCC Pha Yaung Daing”.

    U Sein Tin hosted a dinner and also created a short music video.

    USA

    Dr. Raiful Ahad (Fremont, California), U Khin Zaw (Cupertino, California), U Aung Myint Oo (EC84) & Daw Thida Khin (Fremont, California), U Sein Myint (EC76) & Daw Sao Mon Sint (New Jersey), and U Toung (EC69, Connecticut) hosted UCC gatherings (especially to welcome and alumni visiting US).

    U Khin Maung Oo (Ivan Lee, M69) hosts an annual joint gathering for UCC and RIT sayas and alumni at his home in New Jersey.

    Singapore

    U Tin Aung Win (C80), U Zaw Tun and Daw Pale Shein organized buffet gathering. U Aung Aung & Daw Kyin Mya are regulars at the gatherings. U Shein Soe Myint (EC83) is GBNF.

    Some (e.g. U Win Latt, Daw Myint Myint Thein) have relocated.

    Sojourn in Singapore

    Activities

    Table Tennis (Ping Pong)

    U Thein Oo and U Saung Tin (CSO) are excellent players.

    Volleyball

    U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF), U Kyaw Nyein (GBNF) and U Thein Oo are excellent players.
    Rafiul Ahad (who was third in Burma in Hurdles) hurt his knee in a volleyball match.
    Daw Nwe Nwe Win (Judy) is often the sixth member of an all-male team.

    Soccer / Football

    UCC team played ad hoc match against other teams (in and around Hlaing Campus).

    UCC Dobat

    U Win Hlaing played the Dobat. Others (e.g. Maung Myint, U Hla Pe) would play Wah Let Khote (bamboo clapper) and Ya Gwin.

    Donlaba / Yahan Khan

    UCC used to celebrate Thingyan and Su Paung Donlaba.

    Dr. Chit Swe, Win Maung, Hla Min, Tun Aung Gyaw, Soe Myint, Khin Maung Aye, Daw Khin Khin Latt

    UCC had a Su Paung Donlaba for several years at Kaba Aye Sun Lun Gu Kyaung and other monasteries. The Donlaba monks would be offered Soon at the UCC Thingyan. There would also be Water Throwing and occasionally “Ye Pet Khan” to selected mandats.

    Ad Hoc Trips

    U Aung Zaw (GBNF) led some trips (e.g. to Maw Tin Zun).

    Four Decade Old Photo taken at the Convocation Hall

    • Ko Win Hlaing
    • Ko Henry Maung Maung (Census, GBNF)
    • Ma Kyu Kyu Lwin (GBNF)
    • Ma Khin Si Thoung (USA)
    • Ma Khin Khin Win (Five Star Line – USA)
    • Ma Phyu Phyu Win (Singapore)
    • Ma Win May Thaung (GBNF)
    • Ma Tin Tin Yi (Port Authority)
    • Ma Hla Hla Win (GBNF)
    • Ko Aung Myint (GBNF)
    • Ko Soe Myint (Sunlun, M72, GBNF)

    GBNF (Gone But Not Forgotten)

    • Dr. Chit Swe
      Founder/Director of UCC
    • U Ko Ko Lay
      Longest tenured Co-founder of UCC; Professor at DCS and ICST
    • Dr. Tin Maung
      Director of UCC; Rector of ICST
    • Dr. Kyaw Thein
      Rector of ICST
    • U Hla Min (SPHS64, EP70)
      Chief Operator
    • U Maung Maung Gyi (SPHS64, Phy68)
      Chief Operator
    • U Maung Maung Lay (St. Albert’s, Ah Ba)
      Operator
    • U Aung Myint (SPHS64, Phy68)
      Maintenance Engineer, Systems Division
    • U Soe Myint (M72, DAC)
      Pro-Rector, ICST
    • U Shein Soe Myint (EC83, MSc(CS))
      Passed away while doing his doctorate in Singapore
    • U Mya Thein
      Business Applications Manager; Visiting lecturer at ITBMU (International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University)
    • U Soe Thein
      Business Applications Programmer
    • U Kyaw Nyein
      Scientific Applications Programmer; Numerical Methods & Analysis; UNV
    • U Win Naing (Maths73, MSc (CS))
      Science Scholar; Scientific Applications Programmer
    • U Myint Aung
      Superintendent, Admin Department
    • Daw Khin Lay Myint
      Secretary; Branch Clerk, Admin Department
    • U Aung Aung Thein
      He served in various capacities at UCC (Engineering, Teaching)
    • Daw Kyu Kyu Lwin
      Job controller, Operations Division; transferred to SSB (Social Security Board) Computer Section.
    • Daw Win May Thaung
      Offline operator, Operations Division
    • Daw Khin Mya Swe (M.Sc. (CS))
      Programmer; Passed away in Lesotho
    • Daw Khin Toe Nyein (M.Sc. (CS))
      Programmer
    • Daw Thida Aung (M.Sc. (CS))
      Programmer
    • Daw Khin San Hlaing (Cynthia)
      Librarian; attended M.Sc. (CS); worked at or attended AIT; migrated to Australia
    • Daw Nge Ma Ma Than (DAC)
      Taught at UCC, DCS and ICST; Prisoner of Conscience
    • U Khin Maung Aye (M73, M,Sc. (CS))
      Worked for Railways Computer Section
    Htay Lwin Nyo
    • Dr. Htay Lwin Nyo (EP74, M.Sc.(CS))
      Doctorate from Syracuse University; Passed away at SJSU
    • Sai Aung Thurein (EC74, M.Sc.(CS)))
      Worked in Singapore and Australia.

    Updates

    ICST was succeeded by UCSY (University of Computer Studies, Yangon) and COE (Center of Excellence).

    Several articles were published in the Souvenir Magazine for the 30th Anniversary of ICST.

    Saya U Soe Paing’s articles (e.g. “Computer Ah Sa UCC Ga” can be read in SCRIB-D.

    U Hla Min’s “Memories of UCC” can be read in hlamin.com

  • Engineering Library

    Engineering Library

    by Hla Min

    Update : September 2026

    Faculty of Engineering အင်ဂျင်နီယာမဟာဌာန

    Dr. Maung Maung Kha (Interim Dean of Engineering) asked Saya U Ba Than to help with the Engineering Library (e.g ordering of journals and books).

    U Ba Than

    RIT Library ရန်ကုန်စက်မှုတက္ကသိုလ်စာကြည့်တိုက်

    Daw Myint Myint Khin

    Daw Myint Myint Khin was Assistant Librarian at the Faculty of Social Science Library. She became Librarian at the Rangoon Institute of Technology.

    The Library was located on the Ground Floor.

    Several years later, the Library was relocated to a two-storey building near A Block.

    Sadly, it was not maintained well.

    YTU Library

    The YTU Library Upgrading / Modernization Project was initiated as a Requirement for Accreditation of YTU.

    Alumni worldwide donated for the project.

    Daw Myint Myint ဒေါ်မြင့်မြင့်

    • Donated K150 Lakhs
    Daw Myint Myint (C69)

    Dr. Myo Khin & Daw Mya Nwe ဒေါက်တာမျိုးခင် နှင့် ဒေါ်မြနွယ်

    • Donated K100 Lakhs
    Saya Dr. Myo Khin (C) & Daw Mya Nwe

    Training Component စာကြည့်တိုက်မှူးများသင်တန်းတက်ရောက်ရန်

    • Saya George (U Mg Mg) provided $500 as seed money
    • Saya U Myat Thwin, Saya U Tin Maung Nyunt and others donated
    • Total : $3000+
    Saya U Maung Maung (George, ChE)
    Saya U Tin Maung Nyunt (M)

    Other Donations

    • BASES — Members & Friends
    • NorCal RITAA
    • Many individuals
    • Several groups
    • See posts by Wynn Htain Oo & Nan Khin Nwe