HlaMin

Category: RIT

Engineering Schools in Burma

  • YTU Library Modernization

    YTU Library Modernization

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    • Requirements for accreditation of YTU (Yangon Technological University) include an excellent library.
    • Donations poured in from alumni all over the world for the YTU Library Modernization Project.
    • The following lists some Donations from USA.

    BASES & Friends

    • BASES was founded by Saya U Tin Htut (M60), U Tin Htway (M59), U Tun Tin / David and supporters
    • Several RIT Sayas and Alumni served as President and EC of BASES.

    Saya Dr. Tin Win (M62) & Daw Khin Htar Yee (Lily, T72)

    Dr. Tin Win
    Khin Hta Yee (Lily)
    • Dr. Tin Win was youngest & among the Brightest of his Class
    • In 1958, won Gold Medal for Joint Highest Maths Marks in combined I.Sc
    • After graduation, worked briefly in industry before joining Mech Engg Dept.
    • Taught us “Strength of Materials” (sequel to Sayagyi U Ba Than’s course)
    • Received Doctorate from Melbourne University
    • Moved to USA.
    • Worked for several companies (including Brown & Root in Texas)
    • Past President & Advisor of BASES
    • Interviewed by Myanmar Gazette (Southern California)
    • Ran LA Marathon to raise fund for SPZP-2007
    • Organized the 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles
    • Lily was Founding Member & Secretary of BEA (Burmese/Bay-Area Engineering Association)
    • Saya & Lily were core organizers of 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles (along with Saya U Tin Htut, U Thura Thant Zin and U Khin Maung Lay)
    • They donated $2500 for the YTU Library Modernization Project

    Saya U Tin Htut (M60)

    U Tin Htut
    • Visiting lecturers from the Faculty of Social Science (later Institute of Economics) taught “Industrial Management”.
    • First Engineering Saya to teach “Industrial Management”
    • Past Captain & Gold of RUBC
    • Founded BASES with U Tin Htway (M59) and David Tun Tin (GBNF)
    • Donated twice — K100 Lakhs first & again K1000 — for YTU Library
    Donation

    David Tun Tin (GBNF)

    • Was States Scholar in the USA
    • Went back to Burma & worked for some time before migrating to the USA
    • Founded BASES with Saya U Tin Htut and U Tin Htway
    • Donated $1000 to YTU Library

    James Shwe (M76) & Annette Shwe (A75)

    James & Annette
    • Earlier donated towards the expenses of HVAC Design and Implementation.
    • Donated again $500 for YTU Library.
    • Helped several alumni by offering internship/job at their company.
    • Provided scholarship for eligible university students in Myanmar.
    Donation

    U Khin Maung Lay (Henry, T68)

    • Secretary of RIT Track & Field
    • Represented RIT in Track & Field, Soccer and Rowing.
    • Past President & Advisor, BASES
    • Master of Ceremonies for BASES & 2015 LA Reunion
    • Enjoys singing in Burmese, English & Chinese
    • Helped several alumni by offering internship/job at his company
    • Donated $1000 to YTU Library
    Donation

    U Tin Nwe (C68)

    • Past President of BASES
    • Donated $1000 to YTU Library
    Donation

    Daw Htay Htay Than (EC93) & U Saw Win Aung (C87)

    • Sarina forwarded my e-mail about SPZP-2000 to Steeve Kay, (EC70, her family friend). Steeve contacted his friend Benny Tan (M70) & offered to be the first Golden Sponsor of SPZP-2000.
    • Sarina and U Saw Win Aung donated $300 to YTU Library.

    U Min Lwin (M62)

    • Classmate of Saya Dr. Tin Win
    • Donated $1000 to YTU Library
    Donation

    U Kyaw Sein (Auto68)

    • Mechanical Engineering Department had two sub-departments: Automobile Engineering & Agricultural Engineering.
    • U Kyaw Sein donated $1000 to YTU Library.
    Donation

    Daw May Nwe Yee (Rosie)

    • Younger sister of Saya Dr. Tin Win (M62)
    • Faculty member of RIT Chemistry Department
    • Donated $100 to YTU Library
    Donation

    Daw Myo Myat Myint (Penny, M70)

    • Younger sister of Saya Dr. Tin Win and Sayama Rosie
    • Donated $100 to YTU Library
    Donation

    U Sonny Kyi (79 Intake)

    LA Gathering in 2015
    • EC member of BASES
    • Volunteer for 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles
    Donation

    U Myint Aung

    • Responded to Saya Dr. Tin Win’s request for helping YTU
    • Donated $150 to YTU Library
    Donation

    Other Donations

    Via NorCal RITAA

    U Thein Tun Aung (Dennis, EP76)

    • Donated $500 to YTU Library (via U Wynn Htain Oo).
    • Donated $500 to NorCal RITAA for the YTU Library Modernization Project.

    Via MASTAA

    Fred Thetgyi (M69)

    • Donated $200 to YTU Library
    Donations

    U Maung Maung (C60)

    • He donated $100 to YTU Library.

    Posts

    • Accreditation
    • BASES
    • NorCal RITAA
    • Signboard
    • RIT Alumni Association
    • Roll of Honor
    • Training Component
    • YTU Library Modernization
  • RIT Gatherings

    RIT Gatherings

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    SPZP-2000

    Types

    • Micro-gathering
    • Mini-gathering
    • Gathering by Class and/or Discipline
    • World Wide SPZPs (SPZP-2000, SPZP-2002, SPZP-2004, SPZP-2007, SPZP-2010, SPZP-2012, SPZP-2016).

    The following is a glimpse of some gatherings.

    Welcoming Sayas

    San Francisco Bay Area Alumni welcomed several sayas. They include

    • U Ba Toke (Myanmar)
    • U Num Kok (Oregon)
    • Dr. Aung Gyi (Napean, Canada)
    • U Aung Khin (Windsor, Canada)
    • U Khin Aung Kyi (then in Thailand)
    • U Soe Paing (then in Myanmar)
    • U Maung Maung Win (Australia)
    • Dr. Hla Myint (Mack, Australia)
    • U Hla Myint (Charlie, Australia)
    • U Kyaw Myint (then in Beijing)
    • Dr. San Hla Aung (then in New Orleans)
    • U Win Kyaw & U Nyunt Htay (after attending 2015 LA Reunion)
    CD

    2006

    • Attended the RIT Alumni Dinner in Sydney, Australia. Met Saya U Hla Myint (M65), Saya U Myo Win (M/Ag65), Daw Phyu Phyu Latt (Christine, A70), U Aye Win Hlaing (Abel, La La, EE7x), U Myo Lwin (Stanley Saw, M71), U Htun Aung Kyaw (EC73), U Kyaw Thu (Dennis Mackey, C73), George Peters (C73), U Thet Htun (Henry, M75), U Wint Khin Zaw (A79), U Htay Aung (EC80), U Sein Win (C80), and several alumni.
    Reunion CD

    2007

    • Due to time, resource, and delivery constraints, I do not always get the official CDs. I sometimes get (a) preview versions (b) copy of the “master gold” (c) alternate to the official. It’s better to have something rather than nothing.
    Preview CD
    Official CD

    2011

    • The Combined 1st BE Intake of 64 and 65 (aka Class of 70 & 71) had hosted Reunion & Acariya Pu Zaw Pwes for almost two decades.
    • The group usually published booklets at their main events.
    Magazine 1
    Magazine 2

    2012

    • Thanks to U Aye Myint (EP72), SPZP-2012 was a true Home Coming at the Gyogone Campus.
    • Pu Zaw Pwe was held at YTU.
    • Reunion Dinner was held at MICT Park.
    PZP
    Dinner
    Official CD

    2014

    • In November 1964, three batches of students were admitted to 1st BE, 2nd BE and 3rd BE classes.
    • RIT 69ers celebrated the pseudo Golden Jubilee (50th Anniversary of the Admission to RIT) in 2014. Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe was held at the YTU Assembly Hall. Reunion Dinner was held at Panda.
    CD 1
    CD 2

    2016

    • SPZP-2016 : Full day event at Gyogone Campus; Free Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Entertainment
    SPZP-2016
    • Aug 2016 : Birthday Soon Kyway at Dhammanda Vihara, Half Moon Bay; Received Alumni Appreciation Award
    Birthday Soon Kyway
    Award 1
    • Sept 2016 : NorCal RITAA Annual Dinner; Received Alumni Appreciation Award
    NorCal RITAA
    Award 2

    2019

    Golden Jubilee of 69er Graduation

    Posts

    • Alumni
    • Associations
    • Celebrations
    • Memories of 69er
    • SPZP
  • Gatherings

    Gatherings

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    RIT Alumni International

    • Founded by SF Bay Area Group led by Saya Allen Htay
    • First RIT Grand Reunion and Saya Pu Zaw Pwe (SPZP-2000) in October 2000.
    SPZP-2000
    • Welcome Sayas visiting Northern California
    At Seafood Restaurant
    • Tenth Anniversary of the Founding of RIT Alumni International
    USA 2
    USA 3
    • Celebrations (Birthday, Wedding Anniversary, Retirement, Appreciation …)
    USA 1

    Gathering hosted by Steeve Kay (EC70)

    • Steeve is a Multiple Golden Sponsor of Saya Pu Zaw Pwe (SPZP)
    • In 2011, he hosted a gathering in Southern California to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of his arrival in USA.
    • Benny Tan (M70), Ko Zaw Min Nawaday (EP70) and Ko Htin Aung (Richard, M70) are his former classmates.
    • Steeve thanked Henry Khoo (EC67) for picking him up at the SF International airport upon his arrival to the USA.
    • Dr. Chris Lee, Dr. Zaw Tun and Sam Chin (ChE62, who worked at Unilever) were active in the Burmese American Associations in Southern California.
    • Steeve requested me not to retire, but to re-tire (stay active with worthwhile projects).
    USA 4

    Saya Pu Zaw Pwe

    • SPZP-2002, SPZP-2007 and SPZP-2010 in Singapore
    SPZP-2007
    • SPZP-2002, SPZP-2012 and SPZP-2016 in Yangon
    SPZP-2012

    Other Gatherings

    • Discipline wide Gatherings (e.g All-Mechanical)
    All Mech Gathering
    • Celebrations (e.g Shwe YaDu in 2014)
    Shwe YaDu
    • Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles in 2015
    LA 2015
    • Class Gatherings
    Present from 69er Gathering
    69er Cap
    • Mini-gatherings
    • Micro-gatherings
  • Alumni

    Alumni

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    Paying respect

    • Paying respect to Sayas is a tradition that is unique to Myanmar.
    • The tradition is alive and well.
    • There have been seven world wide SPZPs : SPZP-2000 (US);
      SPZP-2002, SPZP-2007, SPZP-2010 (Singapore);
      SPZP-2004, SPZP-2012, SPZP-2016 (Yangon)
    • I was fortunate to be a Core Organizer for SPZP-2000 and a Coordinator for the remaining SPZPs.
    SPZP-2000

    Alumni

    Many alumni are active in the following:

    • SDYF (Swel Daw Yeik Foundation)
    • RITAA (RIT-YIT-YTU Alumni Association)
    • NorCal RITAA (in the US)
    • MES
    • MEC
    • HMEE-2018

    History

    • “History of Myanmar Engineering Education” was published in 2012.
    • The project’s initiators included Saya U Soe Paing, Sayagyi U Ba Than and several sayas and alumni. (See Acknowledgement in the Book)
    • Saya U Aung Hla Tun and team compiled the book.
    • Ko Ohn Khine (M70) and I compiled the CD Supplement for the HMEE-2012 book
    • The draft for the first two sections were prepared by Saya U Soe Paing and team.
    • Ko Ohn Khine translated Section 1 and summarized Section 2. The translations have been revised by Saya U Soe Paing.
    • Saya U Aung Hla Tun gave the copyright to RITAA.
    • HMEE-2018 was headed by Saya U Aung Hla Tun. His demise affected the progress of the project.

    YTU Library Modernization Project

    A decent Library is a requirement of the accreditation of YTU by Asean (and beyond).

    Donations — large and small — came in. Thanks to U Wynn Htain Oo (M72), Ma Nan Khin Nwe (83 Intake) and team.

    The donors include

    • U Khin Maung Tun (T78)
    • Dr. Myo Khin (C70) and Daw Mya Nwe (C73)
    • Daw Myint Myint (C69)
    • Saya U Tin Htut (M60)
    • James Shwe (M76) and Annette Shwe (A75)
    • NorCal RITAA
    • Alumni from Singapore, Australia and New Zealand

    Archive

    • The Library could have a section to help remember our beloved alma mater, our sayas and alumni activities.
    • Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi endorsed Ko Benny Tan’s proposal to archive the mementos.
    • We requested alumni (esp. class representatives) to record gatherings / activities.

    Health Care Funds

    • Steeve and Helen Kay Health Care Fund for RIT Sayas and Sayamas
    • Eye examination and assistance Fund provided by U Khin Maung Tun
    • The balance of both funds had been handed over to Swel Daw Yeik Foundation.
    • Other funds include 69er HCF, EE69er HCF, and those administered by the classes and groups (e.g. Combined 1st BE Intake of 64 and 65)

    Resources

    • RIT related Facebook pages
    • RIT related Google groups
    • hlamin.com

    Saya Allen Htay (C58)

    • Leader of the San Francisco Bay Area Alumni Group
    • Co-founded “RIT Alumni International” which hosted SPZP-2000 and served as President.
    • His article “Brother, can you spare US $500?” is a classic.
    • Daw Mu Mu Khin hosted a lunch in memory of Saya on December 31, 2017.
    • In memory of Saya Allen, Daw Mu Mu Kin donated Saya’s books to the YTU library.
      Also sponsored scholarships for eligible YTU students.
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is allen-htay-1.jpg
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is allen-htay-2.jpg

    Golden Sponsors

    • U Thaung Sein (Steeve, EC70)
    • U Benny Tan (M70)
    • U Khin Maung Oo (Ivan Lee, M69)
    • U Tin Myint (David Ko, M67)
    • U Maung Maung Than (M79)

      The five Golden sponsors and other donors made sure U Nyo Win’s Act (requiring the organizers to chip in if SPZP-2000 will not have the minimum number of attendees) will not be needed.

    2019

    • Completed two decades as Chief Editor of RIT Alumni International Newsletter
    • Compiled posts for the Golden Jubilee of 69ers
      Attended both events on December 14, 2019

    2020

    • Broadcast educational videos

    2021 – Present

    • Writing and revising posts in hlamin.com
    • Request help to transform into digital and/or printed books for posterity
  • Memories of SPHS

    Memories of SPHS

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    U Soe Paing

    Saya U Soe Paing (SPHS56, EE, UCC) wrote :

    From the 7th standard to Matriculation I remember the following:

    Saya Ba Myaing (Physics), Saya Tun Shwe and Saya Sein (Burmese), Bro Hubert (Chemistry), Bro Felix, Bro Charles, and Bro Gerald (English).
    Mr Machado and Saya Dawson (Math), Mr Barker and Mr Illife (Physics).

    Editor’s Notes:

    The Paing siblings — Dr. Myo Paing (SPHS54), U Soe Paing (SPHS56), U Win Paing (Sayadaw U Wara, SPHS64) and U Kyaw Paing (SPHS67) — attended SPHS.

    U Aung Win (Owen) wrote :

    I read many articles about the old staff of SPHS but I never came across anyone mentioning Bro. Charles. During our KG days in SP, we had one Bro. Charles, if you all remember him. He was a very kind-hearted Bro. and he loved the school kids and treated us well. Whatever happened to him, I wonder, after we left SPHS.

    Owen Khoo (Aung Win, M71, SPHS 1953 – 1957)

    Editor’s notes :

    • Three siblings — U Than Win (Alan Khoo, SPHS54), U Kyi Win (Eddie Khoo, SPHS57) and U Aung Win (Owen Khoo) — attended SPHS. Owen also attended Darjeeling.
    • I joined SPHS in Std. IV. I do not know the sayas and sayamas who taught KG and Stds I – III. Boarders can add the names of the Brothers and sayas that I have missed.
    • Brother Benedict (who taught a younger class) was a good soccer player.
    • Brother Gerald was the SPHS Band Master. He often rode a horse.
    • There was a Brother in charge of the SPHS Book Shop, and several Brothers in charge of the Boarders.
    • Some Brothers went on “rotation duty” to St. Peter’s (Mandalay), St. Albert’s (Maymyo), St. Patrick’s (Moulmein), …

    Brother Clementian

    He retired as Brother Director, but kept on teaching Mathematics until he passed away. The funeral cortege spanned from SPHS to Tamwe Christian Cemetery. Some cars had not left SPHS when the service began at the Cemetery.

    Brother Austin

    In addition to having a class library, Brother Austin (our Class teacher for Std. X A, “the carrot”) would take us to the SPHS library (with books donated by Ford Foundation, Asia Foundation …). Everyone has to borrow a book and write a critique. In addition to teaching English, he also taught the “Morals and Manners” class. Anyone who can recite the selected poems is free to “skip the remainder of the class”. The top reciters were rewarded: an 8 mm movie of a soccer match from UK, or a ticket to “1960 Rome Olympics” (special show at Thamada Cinema). He abhors plagiarism and unprofessional work. “Don’t waste my time and your time”. After nationalization, he moved to Malaysia to continue teaching at a De La Salle School.

    Brother Xavier

    Brother Xavier (our Class Teacher for Std IX A, and English teacher for Std VIII and IX, “the stick”) would penalize students for making grammatical mistakes. For the dictation test, he would start with 100 marks and then subtract 10 marks for each mistake. A classmate ended with -230 (minus 230) marks shown “in red” in his report card. According to Ko Zaw Min, Brother Xavier would not continue his “brash style” at St. Albert’s. After nationalization, he moved to UK and supposedly “left the order”.

    Brother Felix

    Brother Felix moved back to Germany. He had e-mail communications with some Old Paulians (notably Richard G. Boudville, Australia, son of Sayama V. Boudville).

    Two Sibling Brothers

    • After nationalization, the native Brothers remained in Burma.
    • Brother Joseph decided to become Father Joseph.
    • His younger brother remained Brother Anthony and was one of the “senior sayas” at SPHS Saya Pu Zaw Pwes along with Saya U San Thein and Saya Beatson.

    Authors

    • Saya George Chapman published notes for English.
    • Saya U Htay Myint (Patheda) published notes for History.

    Distinguished Paulians

    Sayagyi U Ba Khin stood first in his Matriculation class. He is known as an outstanding Vissapana teacher. His dhamma lineage starts with Ledi Sayadaw and Saya Thet. His dhamma students include Saya S. N. Goenka.

    ICS U Tin Tut, Dr. Ba Han, Dr, Ba Maw, and U Chan Tun are Old Paulians.

    According to Dr. Win Aung (M62), his father Saya C. Ping Lee (EE, GBNF) was a Paulian and a student of Saya U Than Aung (father of Saya Alphonso [Mg Nge, Mg Aung] and Charlie [Ko Cho]). When U Than Aung became Minister of Education in the AFPFL Government, he recruited his former student Saya C. Ping Lee to head the Technical & Vocational Department.

    Saya Pu Zaw Pwes

    After nationalization, SPHS became No. (6) SHS Botathaung.

    There are two SPZPs: one for the “Paulians” and another for SHS(6).

    Some (e.g. Eddie Ba Oo / Tin Aung Moe) who were in the lower classes when SPHS was nationalized would attend both gatherings.

  • U Kyaw Tun

    U Kyaw Tun

    by Hla Min

    Update : June 2026

    Highlights

    EE Sayas
    • Early saya of Electrical Engineers
    • Worked briefly at Namtu mines before joining Electrical Engineeering Department at Rangoon University
    Reunion
    • Saya of our sayas. His students include Saya U Sein Hlaing and Saya U Tin Swe
    • Requested C Ping Lee (father of Dr. Win Aung M62) to join EE department. HE U Than Aung asked Saya C Ping Lee (his former student at SPHS) to head Technical & Vocational Training Directorate and to improve curriculum (e.g GTI).
    • President of RIT Electrical Engineering Association
    RIT EE Association
    • Patron of Hlyat Sit Sar Saung Committee
    Hlyat Sit Sar Saung
    • Taught “Principles of Electrical Engineering” to non-engineering students. Sayas who later taught the course include Sayas U Myo Kyi & U Moe Aung.
    • Told a class that suitors of his lovely daughters must be doctors (medical or Ph.D).
      Anecdote was recounted by “Doctor” Tin Aung Win (spouse of Dorothy Kyaw Tun) for SPZP-2000. Saya’s elder daughter Elizabeth (Dr. Daw Tin Nu) has a Doctorate in English.
    • After retirement, Saya visited Australia
    • Passed away peacefully in Yangon
    • Spouse passed away during our RIT days. We attended her memorial service at Saya’s home.

    Updates

    • Several EE sayas are GBNF.
    • For SPZP-2010, I wrote “A Sad & Short Clip : EE Sayas”.
    • Met Dorothy at the SPZPs.
    • Elizabeth was my classmate in Primary School.
  • Contributing Editor

    Contributing Editor

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    RIT Alumni Newsletter

    • In April 1999, I started sharing news of selected Alumni and Gatherings via e-mail.
    • It was called RIT Alumni (Abroad) Newsletter.
    • Several readers suggested a more inclusive name : RIT Alumni International Newsletter.

    Special Issue for

    SPZP-2000

    Page 1 of Special Issue
    • In October 2000, the First RIT Alumni Reunion & Saya Pu Zaw Pwe (SPZP-2000) was held in the San Francisco Bay Area.
    • We published a Special Issue of RIT Alumni Newsletter for SPZP-2000.

    Editors

    • I was the Chief Editor. Saya U Thein Aung (Met72) and Henry Lim (U Aung Myint) were Editors.
    • I wrote “SAYA PU ZAW PWE” poem and the Editorial.

    Authors authors

    • Saya Dr. Freddie Ba Hli (GBNF)
    • Saya U Aung Khin
    • Saya Allen Htay (C58, GBNF)
    • Saya Dr. Nyo Win (M65)
    • Saya U Myo Win (M/Ag65, GBNF)
    • Saya Dr. Koung Nyunt (A67, GBNF)
    • U Hla Min (EC69)
    • Benny Tan (M70)
    • Saya U Thein Aung (Met72)
    • Dr. Myint Thein (M73)
    • Maurice Chee (M75)
    • U Khin Maung Zaw (EC76)

    Contents

    Page 2 of Special Issue
    Page 3 of Special Issue
    Page 4 of Special Issue

    Page 5 of Special Issue
    Page 6 of Special Issue
    Page 7 of Special Issue
    Page 8 of Special Issue
    Page 9 of Special Issue
    Page 10 of Special Issue
    Page 11 of Special Issue
    Page 12 of Special Issue
    Page 13 of Special Issue
    Page 14 of Special Issue
    Page 15 of Special Issue
    Page 16 of Special Issue

    Archives

    U Khin Maung Zaw archived the early newsletters in ex-rit org website.

    U Wunna Ko Ko archived the later newsletters in RitAlumniInfo website.

    Both websites are no longer active.

    Contributing Editor

    I volunteered as a Contributing Editor for the following newsletters

    • RIT English Association Newsletter
    • BAPS (Burmese American Professional Society) Newsletter
    • Dhammananda Newsletter published by TBSA (Theravada Buddhist Society of America)
  • Association of Engineers in Burma after World War

    Association of Engineers in Burma after World War

    by Hla Min, U Tin U & U Ba Than

    Update : June 2026

    History of Myanmar Engineering Education

    • There were interviews for the HMEE-2012 project.
    • The account about the Association of Engineers in Burma after World War was told by Saya U Tin U and recorded by Saya U Ba Than.
    • The Association was re-instituted about 1955-56.
    • President : Sayagyi U Ba Hli (Dean of Engineering, University of Rangoon)
    • Honorary Secretary : Saya U Soon Sein (Professor, Mining)
    • Honorary Treasurer : Saya U Tin U (Part time Lecturer, Civil)

    U Tin U

    U Tin U
    • Matriculated from St. John’s Dio in 1946.
    • Attended Rangoon University before going for studies in the USA.
    • Captain & Gold of Rangoon University Boat Club in 1948.
      Represented RUBC in the Independence Day Regatta at Kandawgyi in 1948 along with Dr. Pe Nyun, Dr. Pe Thein and Khin Maung Wint (Bobby).
    • Received BCSE from the University of Oregon and MCSE from Yale University.
    • Upon his return to Burma, he worked in the industry and taught part-time at the Civil Engineering department.
    • Past Captain of Rangoon Golf Club
    • Oldest & Most Senior Past Captain of RUBC
    • Retired as Advisor of PWD Group.

    U Ba Than

    U Ba Than
    • 1947 : Matriculated from St. John’s Dio and won Collegiate Scholarship.
    • 1949 : Gold Medal for scoring highest marks in the Intermediate of Science exam
    • RUBC Full Green
    • Studied Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College, London University
    • Joined Faculty of Engineering as Assistant Lecturer
    • As a requirement for promotion, he did his Masters at Imperial College
    • Retired as Professor of Mechanical Engineering
    • Early supporter of HMEE-2012 project. Donated his photo albums. Requested U Thaw Kaung to allow U Soe Paing & team to access the archives of Rangoon University Central Library.
    • Before the pandemic, he invited former colleagues and students to his Birthday Soon Kyaw at Yaw Sayadaw’s Monastery.
    • He donated back all of the Garawa Money to various social and religious associations.
    • He is now GBNF.

    Updates

    • HMEE book was published in December 2012. Copies of the book were donated to Universities’ Central Library and YTU Library.
    • U Tin U lost his spouse Dr. Daw Khin Kyi Nyunt in November 2019, his elder son Dr. Peter Khin Tun in April 2020 and his son-in-law U Tin Tun in May 2030. He will celebrate his 96th birthday on August 3, 2025.
    • U Ba Than passed away after his 94th birthday in 2024.

    Posts

    • Associations
    • HMEE
    • Interviews
    • Sayas

  • Win Thein

    by Hla Min

    Update : June 2026

    Highlights

    U Win Thein
    • 1967 Mechanical Engineering ဘွဲ့ရ
    • စစ်တောင်းစက္ကူစက် Sittaung Paper Mill
    • PPIC
    • ရသာချို (ကိုယ်ပိုင်ကုမ္ပဏီ) Ya Tha Cho (Private company)!
    • ဒု ဥက္ကဌ ၊ VP, RIT Mechanical Engineering Association
    • Founder စက်မှုသတင်းစဉ် Set Hmu Thadin Zin
    • Co-founder Mechanical Engineering Magazine မဂ္ဂဇင်း
    • Organizer, Ah Nu Pyinnya Ah Thinn အနုပညာအသင်း
    U Win Thein 1

    Memories

    • During our RIT days, he was a super energetic organizer and a prime mover. As a member of the Gold Flake Cigarette Family, he inherited business acumen and organization skills.
    • Co-founded “Set Hmu Thadizin Zin စက်မှုသတင်းစဉ်”. Typing and drawing on stencil paper were not easy, but he spent time crafting the stencils into the revered weekly Thadinzin.
    • Vice President, RIT Mechanical Engg Association. Co-founded Magazine for the Association.
    • Suggested to name the main gate as “U Lu Paw Gate ဦးလူပေါ ဂိတ်” after the famous cartoon character from “Burma Star”.
    • Organized mini-festivals for freshers and junior students.
    • Graduated in 1967 with Mechanical Engineering
    • Worked for Sittaung Paper Mill and PCIC.
    • Founded “Ya Tha Cho”.
    • Did not live long enough to see SPZPs, SDYF, RITAA, HMEE & Shwe YaDu.

    Remembering U Win Thein

    The following remembered his contributions well.

    • U Tin Maung Aye (M69) : Member of RIT Ah Nu Pyinnya Troupe, Member of RIT Annual Magazine & Co-worker at PCIC. He gave us two photos of U Win Thein (one at RIT, one at PCIC)
    • U Aung Min (M69) : Chair of 69er Health Care Fund & Organizer for the Class of 69
    • U Thein Swe (EP69, GBNF) :
      3rd BE Luyechun & Organizer of EE69er Gatherings
    • U Maung Maung Kyi (Dip Ing, Wales, GBNF) : Co-worker at Sittaung Paper Mill & PCIC
    • Sayama Daw Tin Tin Myint (Emma, ChE70, Singapore) : Co-founder of Dana Sri Lanka,
      Minthamee, Organizer of Singapore Pon Chan Chan Group
    • U Wynn Htain Oo (M72) : Super Fund raiser for RIT-related activities including SPZPs, YTU Library Modernization Project; Patron of RITAA
    • U Win Thein Zaw (Wai Lu) wrote : နာမည်ချင်းတူ၍သိခြင်း။ ကျောင်းသားချင်း Tuition ပေးခြင်း။ စစ်တောင်းစက္ကူစက်အုပ်စုဖြစ်ခြင်း။ မန္တလေးကုန်စည်ဒိုင်သို့ဆရာဦးလင်းနှင့်ရောက်လာခြင်း။ နေမကောင်းစဉ်ရန်ကုန်အိမ်တွင်တွေ့လိုက်ရခြင်းများကိုသတိရလျက်ပါကိုဝင်းသိန်းရေ

    Updates

    • Mechanical Newsletters for 1968-69 to 1973-74 were scanned and archived in a CD by U Kyaw Thein and Daw Than Than Mu (1974 batch)
    CD of Newsletters

    Posts

    • Magazines
    • Mechanical Engineering
    • Newsletters
    • RIT Ah Nu Pyinnya Ah Thinn
    • Set Hmu Thadin Zin
  • 69ers

    69ers

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    69er towel

    Highlights

    Guinea Pigs of Education System

    • Last 7th Std Government exam in 1960
    • First HSF Only exam in 1962; Those from Rangoon had to take exams in March & August
    • Matric Only exam in 1963; My older brother entered Yankin College in 1957 after passing 9th Std (HSF & Matric) exam.
    • Attended last ever I.Sc(A)
    • Admitted to 2nd BE in Nov 1964
    • Graduated with BE (a few with BArch) in 1969

    Long After Graduation

    • First major Reunion in 1999
    • Anniversary Reunions in 2009, 2014 and 2019
    • Except for pause during pandemic, Monthly Breakfast Gathering (usually at Taw Win Hnin Si)

    Jara, Byadi & Marana

    • Over 40% are GBNF
    • Remaining 69ers try to be active physically, mentally & spiritually.
    • Two are Sayadaws: Ashin Ukkamsa & Ashin Pannagavesaka
    • Many hosted and/or attended Monthly Breakfast Gatherings.
    • One gathering had a record of nine hosts.
    • Gifts — 69er towel, 69er mug, 69er cap, 69er hat, 69er pen, medicine — are given at selected gatherings; Albert & company gave out towels; Millie was represented by her cousin; Kyaw Zin was represented by his elder daughter; Fred gave some gifts via 69ers that visited USA (e.g Kyaw Nyunt)
    69er mug
    69er cap
    69er cap
    • Some donated and/ or joined virtually (via Zoom or Messenger).

    Will go on Sharing & Charing

    until the Last 69er

    • The following gives an account of 69ers & their gatherings.
    • Need input, feedback & suggestions to have a comprehensive album.

    Donors & Volunteers

    • Aung Min (M) is Chair of 69er Health Care Fund. He & his team organized 69er events. They have updated Contact List several times.
    Aung Min (Right)
    • Myint Myint, Ivan & Sein Myint are major donors. Others (e.g Mehm Aye Chan) make recurring and lump sum donations.
    Myint Myint
    Ivan (Right)
    Sein Myint (2nd from Right)
    • There are many unsung heros. Despite having limitations due to an injury at work, Ko Shwe drove long distance to collect donations.
    Ko Shwe (3rd from Left)
    • Others visited 69ers in hospitals & homes (e.g to aid health care or offer Kutho donation).

    1964 – 65

    • About 320 were admitted to 2nd BE in Nov 1964
    • Most graduated in 1969.
    • Luyechun program started in 1964 for high school & middle school. The program was expanded in 1965 for Universities & Institutes.
    2nd BE (1964 – 65)
    LYC (Summer of 65)

    See also

    • From BIT to YTU
    • Luyechun
    • Memories of a 69er
    • RIT Days

    1966 – 69

    Tennis

    • Inter-Institute Trophy winners
    • Kyaw Nyunt (M, GBNF)
    • Than Htay (EE)
    • …
    RIT Tennis
    Kyaw Nyunt (2nd from Left)

    Badminton

    • Inter-Institute Trophy winners
    • Sai Kham Pan (EP) : Burma Selected
    • Bishnu (EP, GBNF)
    • Myint Sein (M, GBNF)
    • …
    RIT Badminton 1
    RIT Badminton 2
    Sai Kham Pan

    Track & Field

    • Aung Gyi Shwe (EP, GBNF) : Secretary
    • Margaret (Khin Than Myint Tin)
    • Myo Nyunt (C) : Joint Secretary — for Henry Khin Maung Lay (T68)
    • …
    Aung Gyi Shwe (Standing Left)
    Myo Nyunt

    Swimming & Water Polo

    • Htay Aung (M) : Burma Selected; Fifth SEAP Games
    • Hla Kyaing (M)
    • Han Sein (C, GBNF)
    • Jimmy Kyin (T, GBNF)
    • Sein Myint (EP)
    • Swan Kong (?)
    • Win Maung (Lake)
    • Moe Hein (ChE)
    • …
    Htay Aung
    RIT Crosslake Swimmers

    Rowing

    • Chit Po Po (M, GBNF)
    • Hla Min (EC) : Treasurer & Vice Captain of RUBC
    • Sein Myint (EP)
    • Win Maung (Lake)
    • Win Naing (Dicky, M, GBNF) : recruited David, Fred, Ohn Mg & Sein Tun
    • …
    Chit Po Po
    Win Naing (Dicky)
    Sein Myint, Hla Min, Tin Myint

    Table Tennis

    • Tin Myint (John, M, GBNF) : also Luyechun for 4th BE
    • …
    Tin Myint

    Basketball

    • Han Sein (C, GBNF)
    • Soe Win (EP, GBNF) : RIT Captain
    • Tommy (EP, GBNF)
    • Lyo Kyin Sein
    • …

    Body Building & Weightlifting

    • Aung Gyi Shwe (EP, GBNF) : also T&F, Soccer
    • Jimmy Kyin (T, GBNF) : also Swimming & Water Polo
    • Khin Win (EP, GBNF)
    • …

    Chinlon

    • Tin Shein (M)
    • Htin Aung (C)
    • …

    Thaing

    • Tin Tun (M, GBNF) : Secretary
    • Tun Aung Gyaw (EC) : Jt. Secretary
    • …

    Hiking & Mountaineering

    • Win Lwin (M)
    • …

    Engg Associations

    • Hla Myint Thein (C) — Secretary
    • Myo Khin (C) — Secretary
    • Mehm Ye Win (EC) — Secretary
    • Hla Min (EC) — Secretary & Hlyat Sit Sar Saung
    • Aye Lwin (M) — Secretary & RIT Annual Magazine
    • …
    Myo Khin (3rd), Hla Myint Thein (Right)

    Ah Nu Pyinnya Ah Thin

    • Taing Oke (ChE) — Zat Saya
    • Kyaw Htin (T) — Lu Shwin Daw
    • Than Myaing (M) — Violin
    • Tin Maung Aye (M) — Accordion
    • …
    Taing Oke
    Floor : Robert, Han Sein, Aye Lwin; Seated : Alice, David, Uzin, Tin Mg Aye, Albert, Aung Min; Standing : Lake, Oscar, Harry, Khin Ng Gyi, Allan, Mehm Aye Chan, Walter. Win Lwin, Ngwe Tun, Myo Nyunt, Aung Gyi Shwe

    Writers

    • Aung Myint (Pet) : Kyant Ba Hone (Cartoon); Tech & Edu Notes
    • Taing Oke : Yin Maung; National Literary Award
    • Tin Htut (Harry, M) : Mon Yu
    • Win Thein Zaw : Wai Lu
    • …
    Kyant
    Wai Lu

    69ers at Inya

    • Nay Win, Yee Pin, Khin Mg Gyi & Chit Po Po are GBNF
    69ers at Inya

    See also

    • Activities
    • Celebrations
    • Publications
    • RIT & Burma Selected
    • Sports

    EE69

    • See post with annotations by Thein Swe (GBNF, Luyechun for 3rd BE) & me
    EE69
    Ko Shwe (L), Thein Swe (R)

    Graduates

    • Mostly Mech
    • Aung Thu Yein (E), Kyaw Than (Met?), Nay Win (M), Khin Maung Gyi (M) & Toby (A) are some of the GBNF
    • Most worked for government and industry. Some joined the Faculty. A few worked for private & family business. Some went overseas.
    Grads
    A69

    See also

    • 69er — Memories
    • Then & Now
    • How Time Flies

    1970 – 1998

    • There were no formal Reunions.
    • Most were busy with their work and family.
    • In the mid 1990s, Danny discussed with some friends about a 69er Reunion.

    1999

    • 30th Anniversary of Graduation; See Danny’s post about the event
    • I started “RIT Alumni Newsletter”; See my posts
    Newsletter

    2000

    • First RIT Alumni Reunion and Saya Pu Zaw Pwe (SPZP-2000) in the SF Bay Area : Oct 29 – 30, 2000 ; See posts about SPZP-2000
    • I was an Organizer & Chief Editor of the special issue of “RIT Alumni Newsletter”
    • (First) Alumni Appreciation Award received at SPZP-2000; Also given to KMZ (webmaster) & Maurice (core organizer)
    • Tint Lwin (Danny, M), Tin Myint (John, M), Lyo Kyin Sein (Mabel, T), Mg Toung (Tom, EC) & Myo Khin (C) attended SPZP-2000. Danny came from Singapore. John & Mabel live in Union City, California. Tom came from Connecticut. Myo Khin & Winsome (C73) came from Japan.
    SPZP-2000 Organizers
    SPZP-2000 attendees

    2009

    • 40th Anniversary of Graduation; See post for the event
    • Group photos : Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, Textile, Chemical
    Electrical
    Mech
    Civil
    Textile & Chemical

    2014

    • 50th Anniversary of RIT; See post about the event
    • Pseudo Golden Jubilee for 69ers
    GJ of Admission

    2015

    • Myint Myint (C) hosted a Welcome Lunch Gathering at Western Park for Nyunt Nyunt Wai (Millie, T)
    Welcome Millie in 2015
    • Six 69ers at Ivan’s house. Ivan hosted annual RIT-UCC gathering for over a decade. Eventually, MASTAA was established with Ivan as CEO.

    2016

    • (Second) Alumni Appreciation Award at the Birthday Soon Kyway Gathering in August; Organized by Maurice Chee (M75); Most attendees from California
    Award 1
    • (Third) Appreciation Award at NorCal RITAA Annual Dinner in September
    Award 2
    • SPZP-2016
    • Gathering — Welcome Sein Myint & me; Farewell to Tint Lwin
    Gathering

    2017

    • Monthly Gatherings
    • Ad hoc Gatherings
    • Annual Gathering
    BFG 1

    2018

    • Monthly Gatherings
    • Ad hoc Gatherings
    • Annual Gatheting
    BFG 2017
    BFG 2018

    2019

    Golden Jubilee of Graduation

    • Home coming for Tin Tin (Ann)
    GJ

    2020 – 2021

    • SPZP-2000 canceled due to Pandemic
    • Several 69ers & family members succumbed to Covid
    • Gatherings put on hold

    2022

    December

    Tin Shwe

    2023

    August

    September 2023

    အလှူရှင်

    • ဦးငွေထွန်း၊
    • ဦးတင်ရှိန်၊
    • ဦးသန်းဝင်း၊
    • ဦးချမ်းငြိမ်း၊
    • ဒေါ်ခင်သန်းမြင့်တင်၊
    • ဦးစောမြင့်နိုင်၊
    • ဦးဖေဟန်ထွန်း
    • U Zaw Win (Thailand)
    • Albert Kyaw Min

    Dear RIT 69++friends

    ဖိတ်ကြားအပ်ပါတယ်

    September breakfast gathering သို့ မပျက်မကွက် ကြွရောက်ကြပါခင်ဗျား။

    တော်ဝင်နှင်းဆီ / ၂၄/၉/၂၀၂၃ (တနင်္ဂနွေ) ၊ ၇:၀၀ မှ ၈:၃၀ နာရီ မှာဆုံကြမယ်။

    ကိုငွေထွန်း၊ကိုသန်းဝင်း၊ကိုတင်ရှိန်၊ကိုစောမြင့်နိုင်၊ကိုဖေဟန်ထွန်း၊ကိုချမ်းငြိမ်း၊မာဂရက်၊Albertနှင့် ကိုဇော်ဝင်း(ထိုင်း) ပေါင်း ၉ ဦးတို့က အာဟာရ ဒါန ပြုကြပါမယ်။နီး/ဝေး/ပြည်ပ သူငယ်ချင်းများရဲ့ စေတနာပါ။ကြွလာချီးမြှင့်ဖို့ ထပ်မံတိုက်တွန်းပါရစေ။

    စားပြီးရင် ၉၃ နှစ်ပြည့် ဆရာ ဦးဘသန်းအား သွားရောက် ဂါရဝ ပြုပါမယ်။ဆရာနေကောင်းပါတယ် အပြော နဲ့ သတိ အားနည်းလာပြီ။အလှူငွေများကို နောက်ဆုံးအချိန်ထိ လက်ခံပေးသွားပါ့မယ်။လိုက်ပါလိုသူ အကန့်အသတ်မရှိပါ။

    2025

    June

    KMT
    KMT 2
    Roland, Oscar, Albert
    Four Young-at-heart
    Myo Nyunt

    Request

    • Please share your memories
    • Please add captions
    • Please provide corrections
    • မ ပြီး သေး သော ပန်း ချီ ကား