RU was founded in December 1920 with Rangoon College and Judson College as Constituent Colleges.
Golden Jubilee in 1970
RIT Ah Nu Pyinnya Shins took part in the Entertainment Program with “Swel Daw Yeik Ah Nyeint စွယ်တော်ရိပ်အငြိမ့်”, “Htee Yein ထီးယိမ်း” and “Ta Bin Daing Ah Ka တပင်တိုင်အက”. Saya U Moe Aung and Saya U Saw Tun headed the Swel Daw Yeik Troupe.
RIT performers at RU GJ
Saya Dr. Aung Gyi and U Thet Lwin were Chair and Secretary of a Committee. They later reunited as Rector and Registrar of RIT.
I was a volunteer member of “Zay Saing Nay Yar Cha Htar Yay” committee.
Diamond Jubilee in 1995
MERB (Myanmar Education Research Bureau) produced a documentary about RU Sports (Soccer, Track & Field, Weightlifting).
U Tin Nyo was the Producer.
Saya U Nyein (RU Soccer Coach) was the Commentator.
Hemar Nay Win shared memories of her father Collegian Nay Win.
Mra Brithers
U Tun Mra was Captain of RU Track & Field Association. He, his brothers Kyaw Mra & Soe Mra, and Tun Naung competed in the First and Second SEAP Games. They won medals.
2nd SEAP Games
U Myo Nyunt represented Burma in Weightlifting.
RU Centennial in 2020
U Aung Mon, Dr. Nyi Thet Lwin and friends created a Facebook group for the Centennial. I was a Moderator and Contributor.
Saya U Moe Aung and former members of RU Ka Laung Shin Ah Phwe published two Kabyar books.
RU Centennial MagazineCentennial MagazineRU Centennial Book Promotion
“Mya Kyun Nyo Nyo” was sung at the opening ceremony.
Composer Maung Ngwe Hlinne (U Thet Lwin)
Due to the pandemic, there were mostly Virtual Presentations.
Rangoon Institute of Technology
Shwe YaDu in 2014
Renovation of Gyogone Campus
Planting of 50 Swel Daw Bin
Shwe YaDu Lann Kabyar by Tekkatho Moe War Translation by Hla Min
Swel Daw Yeik Magazine Cover by Bagyee Myat Myo Myint
RIT69ers
30th Anniversary in 1999
I reported the event and other news in my e-mails (which became known as RIT Alumni Newsletter).
40th Anniversary in 2009
See Post for Group Photos
EE69ersM69ers at 40th Anniversary (2009)
Shwe YaDu (of Admission) in 2014
2014 Shwe YaDu
50th Anniversary (GJ) in 2019
GJ of 69er Graduation 1GJ of 69er Graduation 2
Ma Tin Tin (EC69, USA) had a Homecoming. She donated to the event and 69er HCF.
Ko Aung Min (M69) & team published a magazine
Rangoon University Boat Club
RUBC was founded in 1923 by Law Professor Sir Arthur Eggar, who pledged a third of his salary for the operating costs.
RU Estate built the Club House with the funds provided by U Nyo.
40th Anniversary in 1963
The Annual Regatta was canceled citing Security concerns.
The Anniversary Dinner was held at a hotel in Kandawgyi.
The Souvenir Magazine was compiled by Sithu U Tin, U Po Zon and U Tin Htoon (A60).
The Souvenir Magazine Committee comprised of U Tin Htoon (A60, Chair), U Myo Myint (EC67, Vice Chair), U Htaik San (Henry, M81, Secretary) and members.
I was a Contributing Editor. I wrote three articles and Prelude for each section.
Centennial in 2023
U Tin U, the Oldest and Most Senior Past Captain, presided at the Opening Ceremony.
Universities’ Computer Center
Golden Jubileein 2021
After several years of preparation (starting from the mid-1960s), the UCC project was approved in 1971.
Sayas U Soe Paing, U Myo Min and U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF) helped Sayagyi Dr. Chit Swe (GBNF) found Universities’ Computer Center.
Other Anniversaries
Centennial of First RU Students’ Strike (in 2020)
Centennial of Engineering Education in Burma (in 2024)
In April and May of 1999, I received a series of e-mails from Saya U Soe Paing, my mentor at RIT & UCC, and Sayagadaw Alice (Saw Yu Tint, T69) about the mini-reunions in Yangon and Singapore.
U Soe Paing & Alice
Newsletter
I created an e-mail newsletter and passed on the news to several ex-faculty and alumni. They, in turn, forwarded the newsletter to their sayas, friends, and colleagues. The mailing list soon numbered 200+.
My Dreams
In my e-mails, I recounted my dreams: • to have the sayas, alumni and associates connected • to have mini-reunions, reunions, and eventually a Grand Union
Reach Out
KMZ
Thanks to Ko Khin Maung Zaw (KMZ, EC76), our web master, we were able to reach out to faculty, alumni & associates in 30+ countries. They number 800+. The Guest Book entries express surprise, delight, nostalgia, pride, camaraderie, etc. One of my dreams has been fulfilled.
Photo Gallery
Several mini-reunions and reunions have taken place. Some are documented in the “Photo Gallery” section. • ’69 Grads • ’64 Intakes • Alumni in Australia • Alumni in New Zealand • Alumni in UK • Alumni in Singapore • Alumni in Canada • Dinners in honor of Sayas U Num Kock, Dr. Aung Gyi, U Aung Khin, etc.
Grand Reunion
The idea was accepted from the start, but the question of logistics was a crucial factor.
Have we reached a critical mass?
How easily can we reach out to faculty, alumni and associates from all over the world about such an event?
How can we raise enough money to sponsor the event?
The idea was discussed in detail during Saya U Aung Khin’s visit to the Bay Area. October 28-29 weekend was tentatively chosen to have a “Reunion and Homage”.
Later, during the discussion between the Northern California alumni and Southern California alumni, the term “Saya Pu Zaw Pwe ဆရာပူဇော်ပွဲ” meaning “honoring all sayas” was chosen over “Saya Ga Daw Pwe ဆရာကန်တော့ပွဲ” which has religious connotations. “Saya Ga Daw Pwe” remains an optional event.
In the subsequent meetings, the Steering Committee, Working (aka Executive) Committee, and subcommittees were formed.
Finally, several members showed commitment by purchasing tickets. The money was used as non-refundable deposit for reserving “Embassy Suites Hotel” rooms for the main event.
Several alumni and associates have also donated money and presents to the “Saya Pu Zaw Pwe” fund. Amounts, big or small, are welcome.
We sincerely hope that the forthcoming “Reunion and Saya Pu Zaw Pwe” will be a resounding success.
Rangoon University ရန်ကုန်တက္ကသိုလ် celebrated the Golden Jubilee ရွှေရတု in 1970.
RIT Ah Nu Pyinnya Shins အနုပညာရှင်များ debuted the “Swel Daw Yeik Troupe” with “Swel Daw Yeik Ah Nyeint စွယ်တော်ရိပ်အငြိမ့်” , “Htee Yein ထီးယိမ်း” & “Ta Bin Daing Ah Ka တပင်တိုင်အက”.
Htee Yein
The terms “Swel Daw”, “Swel Daw Bin” and “Swel Daw Yeik” became the official synonyms for RIT and its predecessors.
I had a minor role as Volunteer for the “Zay Nay Yar Cha Htar Yay Committee စျေးနေရာချထားရေးကော်မတီ”.
Dr. Aung Gyi (then, Professor of Civil Engineering) was Chair and U Thet Lwin (then at Eco) was Secretary of one of the main Committees. They reunited later as Rector and Registrar of RIT.
Dr. Aung Gyi & Arch Students
1999
30th Anniversary of 69ers
The celebration took place in Yangon.
It led to the founding of the “RIT Alumni International Newsletter” by me, ex-rit web site by KMZ, and SPZP-2000 in the USA by SF Bay Area RIT Alumni.
NewsletterSPZP-2000 Organizers
2009
40th Anniversary of 69ers
C69EE69M69T69 & ChE69
Group photos from the event have been posted in the RIT 69ers, RIT Update pages, and hlamin.com
2014
Shwe YaDu
Golden Jubilee of the Education System introduced in November 1964.
Shwe YaDu
Pseudo Golden Jubilee of 69ers
It was the Golden Jubilee for Admission to the first ever 2nd BE at RIT in November 1964.
2019
True Golden Jubilee of 69ers
69er GJ
Dec 19 Morning : Reunion & PZP at Gyogone Campus
Dec 19 Evening : Dinner & entertainment at Ko Aung Min’s old office in PWD kCompound.
Close to ninety of our former classmates are GBNF.
Several seniors are 75+ years young but are physically and mentally strong as ever.
2020
U Ba Toke
U Ba Toke
Sayagyi was a Phwa Bet Taw of “RU” and “First RU Student Strike” (honored as “Ah Myotha Aung Pwe Nay”) in December 1920.
Rangoon University was established on December 1, 1920 with Rangoon College and Judson College as the Constituent Colleges,
13 Kyaung Tha Gyis led the first RU Students Strike on December 5, 1920. The Strike contributed to the reform of the RU Act of 1920.
Saya was born on Dec 26, 1920. He passed away on Dec 2, 2020.
RU Centennial
RU kicked off the Pre-Centennial celebrations in Dec 2019.
There were commemorative publications and exhibitions leading to the Centennial celebrations in Dec 2020.
Due to pandemic, several events had limited attendance; they were broadcast on TV for the public.
HMEE-2018
Saya U Aung Hla Tun headed the HMEE-2012 team which published the History book for SPZP-2012. Due to resource constraints, several topics and articles were deferred.
Saya is also head of the HMEE-2018 team, which is preparing to revise the HMEE-2012 book and compile books on Engineering & Industry in Myanmar.
Due to the pandemic and Saya’s demise, the project is in limbo.
First RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in San Francisco, USA
Kyauk Si Bagyee
Commemorative web pages (thanks to KMZ)
T shirtMug 1Mug 2
Commemorative Issues of the Newsletter by U Hla Min and team
64 Countdown to the Reunion posts
36 Post-Reunion posts
2002
Second RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in Singapore
Commemorative Issue of “Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung” by Saya U Moe Aung and team
Reprinted my “SAYA PUZAW PWE” poem as Back Cover
2004
Third RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in Yangon
Mild earthquake did not rattle the attendees
2007
Fourth RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in Singapore
Commemorative Issue of “Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung” by Saya U Moe Aung and team
Contributed a poem
2009
40th Anniversary of 69er Graduation
2010
Fifth RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in Singapore
Commemorative Issue of “Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung” by Saya U Moe Aung and team
Contributed an article : Sad and short clip — EE sayas
2012
Sixth RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in Yangon
True “Home Coming” in the Gyogone Campus
Special publication : History of University Engineering Education in Burma/Myanmar by Saya U Aung Hla Tun and team ( U Ohn Khine and I prepared the supplemental CD for the book
Special publication: Selected RIT Cartoons
Commemorative Issue of “Swel Daw Yeik Magazine” by U Saw Lin and team
Reprints: Limited number of RIT Annual Magazines
2013
Swel Daw Yeik Foundation
Contributions for various projects
Health care for the sayas and sayamas
“Saya Geha” as long term project
2014
Shwe YaDu
Shwe YaDu
50th Anniversary of the opening of RIT in 1964
Golden Jubilee of Admission to RIT for 69ers
Planted 50 Swel Daw Bins
Commemorative Issue of “Swel Daw Yeik Magazine” by Saya U Moe Aung and team Contributed an article : “Recollections of a 69er”
Paved Shwe YaDu lane and set up Swel Daw Yeik benches
Translated Saya U Moe Aung’s Shwe YaDu poem
Shwe YaDu Lann
2015
RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Mini-gatherings in Northern California
Gathering at iNapa Winery
2016
RIT/YIT/YTU Alumni Association
Seventh RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in Yangon
10000+ attendees (expected)
Free food and fun (all day and all night long)
Received two “RIT Alumni Appreciation Awards”
Award 1Award 2
2019
Pre RU Centennial events
Moderator for RU Centennial Web Page
Panelist for 5th Irawaddy Literary Festival
ILF
Golden Jubilee for 69ers Graduation
GJ for 69ers
2020
Due to pandemic, SPZP-2020 was canceled
Low key celebration of RU Centennial
Broadcast 220+ educational videos
2021 – 2023
Lost some sayas, classmates and schoolmates
Updating / Organizing posts
Mostly Online gatherings
2024
Centennial of Engineering Education in Burma / Myanmar
Kyaw Myint (T) : President of MARB, Indigenous Medicine
Thein Aung (Met) : Mr. RIT, Co-emcee of SPZP-2000
Munich Olympics
Gymnastics : Olga Kolbert (USSR) got Perfect Tens
Swimming : Mark Sptiz (USA) won Seven Gold Medals with Seven World Records — 100 m (Freestyle), 100 m (Butterfly), 200 m (Freestyle), 200 m (Butterfly), 4 x 100 m Freestyle Relay, 4 x 200 m Freestyle Relay, 4 x 100m Medley Relay
Soccer : Burma won a match in the first round, but lost to the power houses
Dark Moment : 11 Israeli athletes were taken hostage and killed by “Black September”
UCC
Several posts were filled after approval from PSC
UCC Courses in Computer Systems & Applications
State scholars for Academic Studies in UK
UCC Engineers sent to ICL ETC, Letchworth, UK
UCC was helped by unpaid and minimum-wage Volunteers
UCC was founded by Sayas Dr. Chit Swe, U Soe Paing, U Myo Min and U Ko Ko Lay.
They are also known as Saya Chit (ချစ်), Saya Paing (ပိုင်), Saya Myo (မျိုး) and Saya Lay (လေး).
Among the founders, Saya Lay has the longest tenure at UCC, DCS and ICST, but he was the earliest to pass away.
Dr. Chit Swe(GBNF)
Dr. Chit Swe
Pioneer of Computer Systems, Applications & Education in Burma
Founder & Director of UCC
Former Rector, RASU
Taught & Supervised Maths in Rangoon, Mandalay, Bangkok & Sydney
Visiting Professor, Macquarie University, Australia
I have written several posts about Saya. See Posts
U Soe Paing
U Soe Paing
One day, the people on the UCC ferry shouted, “Saya Paing”. To their amazement, ICS U Paing (Saya’s father) came out. U Paing’s spouse Daw Oo Yin is the daughter of Sir Po Tha.
He is the second son of U Paing. He and his siblings Dr. Myo Paing, U Win Paing (Sayadaw U Wara, ChE70) and U Kyaw Paing (Putra Cup Player) are excellent golfers and Champions at RGC (Rangoon Golf Club) and BGC (Burma Golf Club).
Hevmatriculated from SPHS (St. Paul’s High School) in 1956 along with Saya U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF), U Win Htein (PWD, GBNF). Bohmu Percy (Navy), U Richard Than Se (ChE), and U Ba Min (Astronomy & Maths).
He stood 13th in Matriculation and was awarded Collegiate Scholarship.
In 1958, he received two Gold Medals. One was for highest Total Marks in I.Sc exams. Another was for joint highest marks in Maths in I.Sc exams.
He rowed and coxed at RUBC. He won prizes including the Inter-Hall Fours.
He was selected as a States Scholar to attend Stanford University along with U Ko Ko Lay and Bohmu Percy. He received his BS and MS in EE (Electrical Engineering). He did programming for his studies and also worked part-time as computer operator.
Upon his return to Burma, he joined the EE Department as Assistant Lecturer. His sponsor was UBARI (Union of Burma Applied Research Institute).
At a research congress held in the Main Campus, he presented a paper covering Digital Logic and Circuits. Dr. Chit Swe was impressed. Through U Nyi Nyi (EE saya, who moved to the UK), Saya Paing gained contact with Dr. Chit Swe. The rest is history.
He promised Saya Chit to recruit his top students to join the UCC Project, but the long delay of the Project to get funded made the task difficult.
He did another Masters (this time in Computer Science) at Southampton University in UK.
For a detailed story of Saya’s life and work at RIT, UCC and overseas as a UN Advisor, read his articles in English and Burmese. They are available in SCRIB_D.
Sayagadaw & Classmate
Saya U Soe Paing in CaliforniaSaya U Soe Paing in New Jersey (2018)Saya U Soe Paing in 2009
Sayagadaw Daw Saw Yu Tint (Alice, T69) was my classmate at RIT.
She and Saya have hosted several UCC mini-gatherings at their house.At one of the gatherings in 2007, Ko Po (U Htin Kyaw, Peter Wun) not only attended the gathering, but gave me a ride back home. He also briefly mentioned about his four-month detention.
After retirement
After retiring from the UN, Saya visited UK and USA to spend time with his children & grandchildren.
During his trips to New Jersey, there would be several UCC-RIT gatherings.
Saya meditates and plays golf (for specific days of the week). He paused both activities when he had a minor ailment (hurting his back and leg).
Per advice of Sayagadaw’s medical friends, Saya had a surgery in Singapore.
Saya has resumed playing golf. He now uses a golf cart ant the Seniors’ Tee.
U Myo Min
U Myo Min
He matriculated from SPHS in 1958. He is a class mate of Dr. Soe Win (Retired Rector, YUFL)
He is the younger brother of Saya U Tin U (C), Saya U Ba Than (M), Dr. Daw Win Hlaing, Daw Myint Thwe, Dr. Myo Tint, U Tin Htoon (A60). He is the elder brother of U Thaung Lwin (EC66) and Daw Cho Cho Hlaing.
He is my cousin. His father is my maternal uncle, who passed away in his fifties. His mother is my paternal aunt, who lived to be 94.
He won medals for standing first in I.Com (Intermediate of Commerce) and B.Com (Bachelor of Commerce). He majored in Accounting.
He completed CA (Chartered Accountant) in the UK and worked as Computer Systems Analyst for IBM UK for 4+ years.
One day, he had a call from his mother. She asked Saya if he wanted to come back to Burma to help Dr. Chit Swe the UCC Project.
Saya was studying and working in UK when his father passed away.
He returned to Burma and joined UCC as Applications Division Manager.
Later, he gracefully allowed U Ko Ko Lay to manage the Scientific Applications Division. He was contented to be the Business Application Manager.
He taught not only at UCC but also at the Institute of Economics and other Departments.
He studied and passed the Abhidhamma “Thingyo” course.
He did his Masters in Systems Engineering at the University of Lancaster in UK.
Life After UCC
He moved to Singapore and US. He retired after working for Seagate Technology and Connor.
He is an avid reader and an accomplished conversationalist.
His spouse is Daw Kin Kin Chit Maung (RIT English, UNESCO, sister of Saya U Tin Htut (M60). They attend several meditation retreats every year (in San Jose, California and at Hse Mile Gone monastery).
Dr. Soe Win wrote :
In addition to being a classmate at matriculation (St Paul’s), Ko Myo Min and his roommate Ko Mya Maung (another Paulian) welcomed me in London and took me to the flat in the same house, which they had kindly rented for me (and Ko Tin Maung Thein, another Paulian and electrical engineer). Ko Mya Maung later became his brother-in-law. Ko Myo Min is a super-likeable person who has now immersed himself in Vipassana practice.
KMZ wrote :
One episode stood out every time I thought about Saya Myo and Ma Ma Kin.
Some point in my life at UCC, I became a Passport expert, a complex process those days. I learned of all the processes including where to go for what, how much ‘tea money’ to pay to who at what point etc. This knowledge was acquired following many friends went through those processes.
Ma Ma Kin was working at UNICEF, and one day Saya Myo summoned me to help with the passport for her as she needed it to go to BKK. Some of you might remember the forms, “ကိုယ် ရေး ရာဇဝင်” to be filled out 7 copies. Saya Myo and Ma Ma Kin came from very large family, so was both sides of their parents. Saya Myo has 9 siblings. Ma Ma Kin has 8 siblings. I do not exactly recall who filled in these forms, it could have been me, 6 sets of all names, work, addresses in 7 copies.
U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF)
Saya U Ko Ko Lay
He matriculated from SPHS in 1956 along with U Soe Paing, U Win Htein, Bohmu Percy Maung Maung, U Ba Min and U Than Se (Richard).
He is the elder brother of U Than Htut (M67, RUBC Gold), Maw and Zaw (RUBC Gold, GBNF).
He studied BSCE and MSCE at Stanford University in the US.
Upon his return to Burma, he joined PWD as Assistant Engineer.
He was recruited by his friend U Soe Paing to help with the UCC Project in general and the design and implementation of UCC Building in particular.
He transferred to UCC as Operations Division Manager and later served as Scientific Applications Division Manager.
At UCC, he is fondly called as Saya Lay.
He studied Systems Engineering at the University of Lancaster in the UK.
He was Professor at the Department of Computer Science.
He was Professor of Information Systems at the Institute of Computer Science and Technology (ICST).
Uploading a picture of Saya U Kyaw Myint from RIT Textile Department now living in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada – a suburb of the City of Vancouver.
I did a day trip from Kirkland, a suburb of Seattle, Washington, US to go see him and his wife Daw Shirley Saw Thant Yee on Thursday September 12th 2024.
We had a light lunch with his middle daughter at nearby Restaurent. Ma Shirley was sleeping so decided to let her sleep. We ended up having a good chat for couple of hours reminiscing life, our friends, families among many subjects. We used to do that quite often since they migrated to Canada. We haven’t met for over a year, other than occasional phone calls, so we were having a good time this time.
We forget to take some pictures, then realising we haven’t, took this picture while coming down the stairs. It was taken by his youngest daughter.
Coup D’etat on March 2, 1962 ended Democracy in Burma.
There were two dark days in July 1962. July 7th saw the violent techniques for handling protests. July 8th saw the demolition of the revered Rangoon University Student Union.
All parties (except BSPP) and organizations were banned.
Alumni Associations
For several decades, there was no alumni associations at the Universities and Institutes in Myanmar.
The “Pwint Linn” era saw the first True Home Coming and SPZP in December 2012.
Shwe YaDu celebrations were held jubilantly in 2014.
Preparation
A critical mass to form RITAA (RIT-YIT-YTU Alumni Association) was reached in March 2016.
The Interim Committee headed by U Tin Latt (M85, President) was formed in time to host the SPZP-2016. The Saya Pu Zaw Pwe and the Reunion Dinner were held at the Gyogone Campus. The all-day event provided free food for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The Committee prepared the Bye Laws and RITAA was registered on June 29, 2017.
AGM
The invitation for the Annual General Meeting to elect the Executive Committee members for the 2018 – 2020 term was posted in the Kyemon newspaper on August 4, 2018.
Invitation
The AGM was held successfully on September 29, 2018.
The new EC members span three or so decades.
RITAA AGM
U Wynn Htain Oo (M72, Patron) was exuberant after fulfilling his promise to hand over the torch to the young and not so young.
WHO
The oldies will continue to support key projects and share their experience.
Membership
Please try to help your alma mater in any way you can be
Member Life membership : K60000 Annual membership : K12000
Executive Committee member
Patron
Donor
Volunteer
RITAA Report (Gist)
The Alumni Association is a requirement to get YTU accredited.
First step to establish RITAA started in March 2016 with the help of YTU Management and the Organizers of Shwe YaDu Celebration
Drafting and approval of Bye Law
Implementation Committee
Interaction with MEC
Visit by evaluators from Asian Pacific Engineering Association
Role in SPZP-2006 Planning and Implementation
Registration
Criteria for the accreditation of Post graduate courses
2018 Graduates to be assessed by Asia Pacific Engineering Association
Fund raising for YTU Library Modernization
Travel grant for staff to undergo Library Training in Singapore
Trying to fulfill requirements for Accreditation
Financial aid for eligible YTU students
Teacher’s Corner for recreation
Finding donors to support RIT athletic associations
Finding donors to support Maker Space of YTU Student Union
He served as the Executive Committee member of the RIT Electrical Engineering Association.
He graduated from RIT in 1968 with B.E (EP). He joined EPC (Electric Power Corporation) and retired as DyCE (Deputy Chief Engineer).
He played soccer for RIT, All Universities & Institutes, Electric Power Corporation (EPC) and Burma.
He passed away at the age of 72.
He is a cousin of Daw Thuzar (actress & spouse of Jeffery Tun Aung).
U Khin Maung Zaw (KMZ, EP76) wrote :
I believe he left EPC as DyCE. Upon retirement he was active in football [soccer], became Technical Director/Team Leader with the Football federation. For all his efforts, he was awarded “Excellent Performance in Social Field (Third Class)” in January 2008.
