Category: RIT

Engineering Schools in Burma

  • Belles

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Female Engineering Students

    • In the old Education System, there were only a handful of female Engineering students
    • The first batch of five female students graduated in 1961.
      Four were from Textile : Tin Tin Ohn (Amy Thwin), Julie Han (later Dr.), Yin Yin Kyi and Mi Mi Lay. Pauline Reynolds was the first female Chemical Engineering graduate.
    Julie Han
    Pauline Reynolds
    • In 1962, Khin Than Nwe (Margaret, Tex) was the lone female engineering graduate.
    Khin Than Nwe
    • Ma Ni Ni Thwin, Ma Khin Thein Yi, Ma Tin Myint, Ma Pyi Aye, Ma Khin Khin Kyu, Nancy Hla Aung, Maywaddy Tun Tun, Ma Yi Yi Aung, Ma Mya Mya Than, Ma Nyunt Nyunt Zaw, Ma Cho are grads from 1963 – 68.
    Nancy & Yi Yi Aung
    • The new Education System saw more female students.
    • There were about 45 female students in the 1st BE intake in 1964, and about 30 female students in the 2nd BE intake in 1964. G-Hall accepted most female students.
    • There were more in the 1st BE intake in 1965.
    Archi

    Ushers at RIT Graduation

    Annotation : Daw Mae Khin Nyunt (Rosie, ChE71)
    Editor for “Swel Daw Yeik Magazine”
    Organizer for Combined 1st BE Intake of 64 and 65

    • We all served as ushers at the Graduation Dinner in late 1966.
    • Graduation took place at RIT as well as the Dinner, at “aw bar lan” area.
    Ushers

    Right to Left

    • Sandi Hlaing — Ch 66 intake
    • Mai Khin Nyunt (Rosie Gyi) — Ch 65 intake
    • Nila Mya Aung — M 64 intake
    • Jessie Htwe — M 66 intake
    • Annie Ba Htaw — Tex65 intake
    • Aye Aye Than (Pauk Pauk) Ch 66 intake (UK)
    • Tin Tin Myint (Emma Myint) — Ch 64 intake (Singapore)
    • Than Than Yi (GBNF) Tex 65 intake (my best friend who passed away in Sept 2013, USA)
    • Phyu Phyu Latt (Christine Latt) — Ar – 64 intake (Australia)
    • Min Thet Mon (Pamela Myo Min) — Ar -64 intake

    Tazaungdaing Festival

    Photo provided by Daw Tin Aye (C73).
    Initially took Mechanical Engineering and helped with “Set Hmu Thadin Zin” (founded by U Win Thein).
    Played Volley for Civil Engineering
    Volunteered for SPZP-2012 and SPZP-2016

    Annotation : Daw Mae Khin Nyunt (Rosie, ChE71)

    Right to Left

    • Aye Aye Than (Pauk Pauk, Ch 66-72, UK)
    • Tin Tin Myint (Emma Myint, Ch 64-70, Singapore)
    • Hla Hla Aye (She was as a cover girl at one of the “Shay Tho Sar Saung”, and inside the Sar Saung had an article about RIT activities with photos. I kept that Sar Saung, but unfortunately (after so many years) now I only have a page left with a photo taken at the Chemistry lab, which included Ma Khin Myat Swe (spouse of Saya U Moe Aung), Henry Koe, my spouse Ko Khin Mg Miynt and myself).
    • Tin Aye (C )
    • Nelly Khin Myo Win (GBNF) (Ch 65-71, Mandalay)
    • Could be Margaret Yi (Ch 65)

    All are from G -Hall at one of the Tha Din Gyut or Da Saung Taing Pwe at Shwe Dagon Pagoda, organized by G -Hall.

    Reunions

    Daw Pwint Than

    Daw Pwint Than and Daw Cho Cho Tin
    • Selected High School Luyechun from Loikaw twice : Ngapali Camp in the Summer of 1964 and Inlay Camp in the Summer of 1965.
    • Graduated with Electrical Power in 1971.
    • Joined EPC.
    • Spouse : U Htun Aung (EP, Intake of 1964)

    Daw Cho Cho Tin

    Five Belles
    • Pen name : Ma Sandar
    • Award winning author / novelist
    • Sample hit : “G Hall Thu”
    • Graduated with Architecture in 1971.
    • Spouse : U San Maung (A, intake of 1964)

    Daw Than Yi

    • Maubin Ma Shwe Than

    Rosie Gyi

    • Editor, Swel Daw Yeik Magazine

    Rosie Tin Maung

    • Vocalist
    • Bilingual Author

    SPZP

    • Attendees
    Belles 1
  • October 2017

    by Hla Min

    Update : May 2026

    69ers

    The Class of 69 (mostly M69) paid respect to Sayagyi U Ba Than on October 1, 2017. U Aung Min organized the visit.

    Sayagyi’s birthday is October 2.

    U Ba Than

    The group attended the birthday celebration ceremony and received blessing from sayargyi. The group handed over garawa birthday gifts that they had collected before and on the monthly breakfast gathering held earlier that day.

    Sayagyi U Ba Than

    Sayagyi usually performs dana with the Garawa money he received for his birthday and for attending the SPZPs and mini-SPZPs.

    Sayagyi has supported various charitable associations for the needy, the sick, the blind, the deaf and dumb, old people and “Nar Ye” . They include

    • Little Sisters for the Poor
    • U Hla Tun Foundation
    • Jivitadana ဇီဝိတဒါန
    • Hnin Si Gone Bo Bwa Yeik Tha နှင်းဆီကုန်းဘိုးဘွားရိပ်သာ
    • Mary Chapman
    • Kyaw Thu Nar Ye (နာရေး အဖွဲ့)
    • Medical Clinics

    On his Birthday every year, Sayagyi offers “soon kwyay” ဆွမ်းကျွေး at Yaw Sayadaw’s monastery.

    The Soon kwyay held on October 2, 2017 was attended by sayas, alumni, relatives and friends.

    Updates

    • During the pandemic, physical gatherings were put on hold. Celebrations were done virtually, e.g via Zoom
    • U Tin Htoon compiled a Photo Album for Sayagyi’s 90th birthday in 2020.
    U Ba Than
    • Sayagyi passed away peacefully after his 94th birthday.

    Posts

    • B (Names)
    • Dana
    • Engineering Library
    • Garawa
    • HMEE
    • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mechanical 69ers

    by Hla Min

    Update : May 2026

    Major Gatherings of 69ers

    • 30th Anniversary in 1999
    • 40th Anniversary in 2009
    • Golden Jubilee of Admission to RIT in 2014
    • Golden Jubilee of Graduation in 2019

    40th Anniversary Gathering

    in 2009

    Group photos were taken at the gathering. Several sayas and alumni in the Mech Group photo are now GBNF.

    2009
    • Saya S. Kyaw Aye
    • Saya S. Arya
    • Saya U Soe Lwin
    • Saya U Han Tun
    • Yi Pinn (Maung Maung Kaung)
    • Soe Win
    • Myint Sein
    • Khin Maung Gyi
    • Thein Maung
    • Chit Pe
    • Aye Lwin
    • Myint Thein (Kabar)
    • Tin Tun

    Aung Min

    Aung Min
    • Chair, 69er Health Care Fund
      Maintains the 69er GBNF List
    • Organizer, 69er Gatherings
    • Organizer, Paying respect to Saya U Ba Than around Saya’s birthday (October 2nd).
    • Photo taken at a gathering with Fred Thetgyi (M69)

    Aung Myint

    Dicky, Danny, Aung Myint, Nay Win
    • Taught at RIT and Singapore Polytechnic
    • After retirement, resided mostly in New Zealand

    Aye Lwin (GBNF)

    Mehm Aye Chan, Sein Tun, Aye Lwin, Htay Aung, Tin Htut
    • Secretary, RIT Annual Magazine
    • Secretary, RIT Mechanical Engineering Association
    • Attended 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles

    Charlie Aung (Chit Aung)

    • MEHS Alumnus
    • Brother : Stanley Aung (EE63)
    • Not active

    Chit Pe (GBNF)

    • Succumbed to COVID

    Chit Po Po (GBNF)

    Chit Po Po
    • Rowed for RIT
    • Harpist

    Daniel (Tint Lwin)

    Daniel
    • MEHS Alumnus
    • Postgrad studies in Canada
    • Retired as Associate Professor from NTU
    • Attended SPZPs starting with SPZP-2000 in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA
    • Organizer & Entertainer, Singapore Gatherings : SPZP, Thingyan
    • Guitarist & Vocalist

    David (Myint Thein)

    David
    • Alumnus of St. Columban’s High School, Bhamo
    • RUBC member (Cox: Dicky / Win Naing)
    • MOGE

    Dicky Tan (Win Naing, GBNF)

    Dicky
    • Represented RIT in Rowing
    • Passed away in Singapore

    Frederick Thetgyi

    Fred, Ivan
    • Moved to Philadelphia, USA
    • Attended RIT-UCC Gatherings in New Jersey
    • Drove most of the trip to Canada and East Coast of USA (organized by Ivan)
    • President of MASTAA
    • Was lucky to have a Lung Transplant

    Hla Kyaing

    • Represented RIT in Swimming and Water Polo
    • Had a consulting / contracting firm in the SF Bay Area

    Htay Aung

    Htay Aung
    • Burma Selected in Water Polo (1969 SEAP Games)
    • Secretary, RIT Swimming and Water Polo; Gold medal for 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m & Crosslake
    • Spouse: Than Than (Asian Games Champion Sprinter)

    Ivan Lee (Khin Maung Oo)

    Fred, Ivan
    • Life time Platinum for Bridge
    • Major Donor, 69er Health Care Fund
    • Golden Sponsor, SPZP-2000 and SPZP-2007
    • Host, RIT-UCC Gatherings in New Jersey
    • Founder & Past CEO, MASTAA
    • Organized two trips to Canada to pay respect to Saya U Aung Khin and Saya Dr. Aung Gyi

    Kenny Wong

    • Alumnus of MEHS; 6th in Burma in Matric of 1963
    • Moved to California. Worked briefly in Malaysia as Engineer and Missionary

    Khin Maung Aye

    • Retired from Army
    • Pen name: Maung Hmutt

    Khin Maung Gyi (GBNF)

    • Succumbed to Covid

    Khin Maung Lay

    • Need info

    Khin Maung Tin

    • Taught at RIT & Maritime University

    Khin Than Myint Tin (Margaret)

    • Represented RIT in Track and Field
    • RIT Luyechun
    • Spouse : Kyi Win (Chan Nyein)

    Kyaw Nyunt (GBNF)

    Kyaw Nyunt
    • Member of RIT Tennis Team that won the Inter-Institute Trophy
    • Patron, ex-Irrigation Welfare

    Kyi Win (Chan Nyein)

    • Spouse : Khin Than Myint Tin

    Kyin Lwin (GBNF)

    • Need info

    Mehm Aye Chan (Ohn Maung)

    • Taught at RIT
    • Seafarer
    • Company/Agency for Seafarers
    • For his 80th birthday, hosted the 69er Breakfast Gathering and donated K10 Lakhs to 69er HCF

    Myat San

    • Need info

    Myint Aung (GBNF)

    • Nickname: Minthagyi

    Myint Sein (GBNF)

    Myint Sein
    • Member, RIT Badminton Team that won the Inter-Institute Trophy

    Myint Swe

    • Need info

    Myint Thein (Kabar, GBNF)

    Kabar
    • Organizer, 69er HCF

    Nay Win (GBNF)

    • Alumnus of PPBRS and MEHS
    • Taught at a Polytechnic in Singapore

    Saw Law La Htwe

    • Need info

    Sein Tun

    • Seafarer

    Sein Win

    • Need info

    Soe Win

    • Need info

    Than Hlaing

    • Need info

    Than Myaing

    • Musician (Violin)

    Thein Maung (GBNF)

    • Succumbed to Covid

    Tin Aung Win (Oscar)

    • Organizer, HIC Zoom Meeting
    • Moderator, RIT Updates
    • Photo taken at Graduation with his father

    Tin Htut (Harry)

    • Pen name : Mon Yu
    • Hobbies : Music, Tai Chi

    Tin Htut

    • Seafarer

    Tin Maung Aye

    • Accordion

    Tin Maung Lay (GBNF)

    • Moved to California
    • Worked for assignments in Middle East

    Tin Myint (John T Lee, GBNF)

    • Luyechun for 4th BE
    • RIT Table Tennis
    • Spouse : Lyo Kyin Sein (Mabel)
    Danny & Tin Myint

    Tin Shein

    • Represented RIT in Chinlon

    Tin Tun (GBNF)

    • Old Paulian (SPHS63)
    • Secretary, RIT Thaing Association
    • Taught to seafarers
    Than Win & Tin Tun

    Walter (Ngwe Soe)

    • UTC
    • Guitarist

    Win Htein (GBNF)

    • Helped run his family business (e.g trucking)

    Win Lwin

    • Secretary, RIT Hiking and Mountaineering Association
    • Represented RIT in the All Institutes Expedition to Sarameti
    Win Lwin

    Ye Kaung

    • Need info

    Yi Pinn (Maung Maung Kaung, GBNF)

    Yi Pinn
    • Entrepreneur in Dawei
    • Spouse succumbed to Covid
    • A year later, he succumbed to Covid

    GBNF

    69er GBNF

    Update

    • The GBNF list now has 141 members
    • Some M69ers are Octogenarians.
  • A69er

    by Hla Min

    Update : May 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.
  • COVID

    by Hla Min

    Update : May 2026

    2019

    • Disease caused by Corona Virus
    • Discovered in Wuhan, China in 2019
    • Took a long time before it was declared to be deadly and contagious by Health Authorities around the world.

    2020

    Restrictions

    • Quarantine
    • Curfew
    • Lock down
    • Stay at home
    • Circuit breaker
    • Mask wearing
    • Social distancing

    Impact

    • Work from home
    • Online classes
    • Massive unemployment
    • Zoom (for Dana & last journey)
    • Home delivery services
    • Cancellation or downsizing of events (Olympics, Sports, SPZP)
    • Say mee toe (some detrimental)
    • Fast track clinical trials for vaccination
    • Untimely demise of front line health care workers
    • Overrun of hospitals
    • Shortage of crematorium

    2021 – 2025

    Issues Remain

    • The Origin of Covid was debated, but did not produce answers
    • Multiple waves of Covid
    • Mutations & variants
    • Some had multiple doses of Covid vaccines, but still test positive

    Relatives

    • Four relatives succumbed to Covid.
    • My cousin nephew Dr. Peter Khin Tun (MRCP, former Associate Dean of Oxford University) was an early victim of Covid. I chronicled his last days.
    Dr. Peter Khin Tun
    • Two cousins (Dr. Myo Tint & Daw Aye May) and an aunt (Daw Than Than Yi) also passed away.
    Dr. Myo Tint

    69ers

    • 18 members of the RIT Class of 1969 succumbed to Covid. Saw most of them last at the Dinner for the Golden Jubilee of 69ers Graduation.
    • Some 69ers lost their family members — spouse and/or children
    GBNF

    Covid might not go away

    • Some say that we may have to take annual Covid vaccines
    • A few do not want to take booster doses for Covid.
  • BIT to YTU

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Burma Institute of Technology

    • BIT was opened at the Gyogone Campus in 1961.
    • The degree offered was B.Sc. (Engg).
    • Saya U Yone Moe was the Dean (since BIT was then Faculty of Engineering of Rangoon University).
    • U Sein Hla (MIT alumnus) was the Registrar.
    • Dr. Aung Soe (C61), Dr. San Tint (EE61) and U Maung Maung Win (M61) joined BIT as Assistant Lecturers.
    • Mao Toon Siong (M62), S Arya (M62), Dr. Tin Win (M62), U Aye (M62), U Tin Win (M62), U Hla Myint (M62), U Than Se (Richard, ChE62), U Aung Gyi (Simon, ChE62), Chow Seik Lim (EE62), and Daw Khin Than Nwe (T62) are some of the students who attended the Final Year classes at BIT.
    • U Aye (M62) and U Shwe Kyaw (M63, GBNF) represented RU and BIT in Volleyball.
    BIT Volleyball
    • Coup d’etat occurred on March 2, 1962. The final exam for the Class of 62 was delayed for an hour or so.

    Hall Tutors & Warden

    • U San Tun (M59) was a Gold Medalist in his class and joined the Faculty. He studied for his Masters at MIT. Upon his return, he taught at BIT and also served as a Hall Tutor.
    • U Kyaw Tun (EE, saya of our sayas) was the Hall Warden.
    • U Myo Kyi (EE59), U Tun Shwe (EE60), U Maung Maung Win (M61), Dr. San Tint (EE61) and Saya U Shwe Yi (T61) were Hall Tutors.

    Social and Reading Club

    BIT S&R Club
    • BIT had “Social and Reading Club” (သဟာယနဲ့စာဖတ်အသင်း Tha ha ya and Sar Phut Ah Thinn).
    • Most halls in Rangoon University have Social and Reading Clubs. For example, Shwe Ku May Hnin described S&RC and the notable members (who became known in the Literary Circle in Burma and beyond) in her book, “Nga Doh Khit Tone Ga Tekkatho”.
      She gave me an autographed copy during her visit to the US.

    Rangoon Institute of Technology

    • BIT was renamed as Rangoon Institute of Technology (RIT).
    • The name change took place in 1964 with the introduction of the New Education System.
    • RIT became an autonomous Institute. U Yone Moe became the Rector.
    • The degree was renamed as B.E.

    First Intakes at RIT in 1964

    • ​In November 1964, there were three Intakes.
    • 450+ students were admitted to the 1st BE based on the ILA system.
    • 320+ students were admitted to the 2nd BE based on the marks from the I.Sc.(A) exam.
    • About 200 students were admitted to the 3rd BE based on the marks from the I.Sc.(B) examination. They were joined by a few students who took sabbatical in the last First Year of Engineering (in the old system).

    Engineering Departments

    In 1964, there were eight engineering departments.

    • Architecture (Acting Head : U Tha Tun)
    • Chemical (Head : U Khin Aung Kyi)
    • Civil (Acting Head : U Min Wun)
    • Electrical (Head : U Sein Hlaing)
    • Mechanical (Acting Head : U Ba Than)
    • Metallurgy (Head : U Thit)
    • Mining (Head : U Soon Sein)
    • Textile (Head : U Maung Maung Than)

    Supporting Departments

    Several departments were placed in-house.

    • English (Head : Daw Yin Yin Mya)
    • Burmese (Head : U Tein Kyi)
    • Maths (Head : U Sein Shan)
    • Physics (Head : Daw Nyein)
    • Chemistry (Head : U Kyaw Tun)

    There were several Visiting Lecturers (e.g. for Sociology, Industrial Management, Electrical Inspection) and Part-time Lecturers.

    What’s in a name?

    • We are not sure if “BIT Rangoon” was considered as an alternative to RIT.
    • Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has several campuses. The five oldest IIT campuses and their establishment dates are:
      (a) IIT Kharagpur IITKGP 1951
      (b) IIT Bombay IITB 1958
      (c) IIT Kanpur IITK 1959
      (d) IIT Madras IITM 1959
      (e) IIT Delhi IITD 1963 [founded in 1961]
    • Many IIT graduates continue their studies at the prestigious universities in the USA.
    • Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) presumably was designed as a school for South East Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO).
    • Some states (e.g Massachusetts, Illinois, California) in USA are known for their Institutes of Technology.
    • Dr. Freddie Ba Hli received his Sc.D. in EE from MIT. He was an informal adviser to Dr. Aung Gyi and U Min Wun, who were among the first three engineering undergraduates to be chosen under the “Twining Program” initiated by U Ba Hli, first native Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Rangoon University.

    Further Name Changes

    RIT was renamed as YIT (Yangon Institute of Technology) and later as YTU (Yangon Technological University).

    Placeholder

    In 1999, I started the “RIT Alumni International Newsletter” partly because my alma mater was called RIT during our days, but I have mentioned repeatedly that “RIT” is simply a placeholder for all the engineering schools in Burma/Myanmar that precede RIT and succeed RIT.

    Highlights and Lowlights

    Adhamma Era

    Our alma mater had its ups and downs. The classes were forced to close citing “disturbances”. There were no convocations for the years 1988 to 1991. It was branded as “Tha Bone Kyaung သူပုန်ကျောင်း” during the “Adhamma Era”. The classes were relocated to far away places, and “Swel Daw Bins” were decimated. The A to G Halls were transformed into make-shift quarters. Wall clocks stopped. Bushes sprang up. A video of that time brought tears and anger, and the notion that “we might not live to see our alma mater in its former glory for decades to come”.

    Pwint Linn Era

    With the dawn of the some-what “Pwint Linn Era”, our alma mater rose from the ashes. Per request from H.E. U Aye Myint (EP 72), the alumni — young and old, near and far — provided physical, monetary, and spiritual support to help the alma mater in every way possible.

    Home Coming

    The first true “Home Coming” took place in December 2012. There were tears of joy.

    3000 copies of the Swel Daw Yeik Magazine were sold out in a couple of days.

    Limited reprints of the 23 RIT Annual Magazines were also sold out.

    Autographed copies of “Selected RIT Cartoons” were also sold out.

    Some copies of “History of University Engineering Education in Burma/Myanmar” were donated to RU Central Library and YTU Library.

    RUESU

    Six Annual Magazines published by RUESU (Rangoon University Engineering Student Union). Saya U Moe Aung learned and refined his publication skills as an editor/publisher of the magazine.

    Ban by BSPP

    The student unions and all professional organizations were banned following the coup d’eat in March 1962. Censorship increased with subsequent regimes.

    Alumni Association

    We now have an official alumni association. It sponsored the Seventh RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP in 2016.

    Shwe YaDu

    Shwe YaDu Celebrations were held in 2014. Fifty Swel Daw Bins were planted and maintained. The sayas and alumni donated for the Shwe YaDu Lann, Shwe YaDu benches and much more.

    SPZP

    The world wide SPZP scheduled for December 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic.

    Library

    YTU Library Modernization Project was launched to satisfy a requirement for the accreditation of YTU. There were hiccups in the design and implementation, but thanks to the generous supporters — young and old, far and near — the first phase of the project was completed recently. Students will be provided access to the new YTU Library.

    Acknowledgement

    Thanks to the Ko Htu’s and Ko Hta’s ကိုယ်ထူ ကိုယ်ထ our alma mater မိခင်ကျောင်းတော်ကြီး is on track to achieving its former glory.

    Kudos to the sayas and alums for keeping the RIT (Swel Daw Yeik စွယ်တော်ရိပ်) Spirit alive and well.

  • Intake of 1964

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    1st BE Intake in 1964

    Most members graduated in 1970. Some left RIT before graduation. A few took Sabbatical & graduated later.

    U Ohn Khine (M70) reports the Gone But Not Forgotten (GBNF) list periodically.

    An entry contains

    • Name (Alias or nickname)
    • Roll Number in 1st BE
    • Major/Discipline
    • Date of demise (if known)

    Status

    As of June 20, 2025, there were 143 entries in the GBNF list.

    • Tommy Shwe 2 : RIT Selection for Badminton; Moved to Taiwan & USA; Kidnapped & murdered by his Handyman
    Tommy Shwe
    • Cho Aye 3 Mech 7/8/18 : RIT Hiking & Mountaineering; Organizer for the Group
    Cho Aye (Standing rightmost)
    • Peter Pe 4 Mech : RIT Swimming & Water Polo; Fell off from a horse
    • Thaung Sein (Steeve Kay) 8 Elec : Entrepreneur; Multiple Golden Sponsor for SPZP; Philanthropist; Steeve & Helen Kay Health Care Fund for RIT Sayas; CABA; Kay Family Foundation
    Thaung Sein (Steeve Kay) at 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles
    • Victor Jones 41 Civil
    • Ne Win 45 Tex
    • Tin Ohn 49 Mech
    • Naing Win 54 Mech : Spouse Polly Ba San was Burma Selected in Swimming
    • Mya Daung 58 Mech/Agri
    • Lay Myint 60 Civil
    • Khin Maung Pun 66 Petro ?/10/16 : Named after his birthplace Papun
    • Myo Thaw 68 5/15
    • Aung Kyan 71 Mech/Auto
    • Thet Win 75 Mech
    • Hla Min (Pauk Si) 82 Elec : Chief Operator at UCC; Passed away in his 30s
    • Mg Mg Myint (Japu Sein) 93 Mech : RIT Selection for Soccer
    • Soe Tint (Nevil Kyi Mg) 94 Civil
    • Mg Mg Than 97 Mech 8/7/18
    • Le Le Win (Lilian Tha Mya) 100 Mech
    • Nan Lwin 102 Elec
    • Myat Khine (Tha Aye) 104 Mech
    • Han Kyu Pe 110 Arch : Paulian
    • Than Tun (Ivan Win) 114 Mech/Agri
    • Aung Win 120 Chem
    • Aye Thin 122 Chem
    • Chit Khin 124 Arch 23/6/15
    • Than Sein 130 Mech
    • Aung Kyi 135 Mech
    • Khin Mg Saan 139 Civil
    • Ko Ko Tin (Winston Hla Mg) 141 Mech
    • Saw Pae Pae 143 Met
    • Win Maw (George Hock) 146
    • Ma Yin Shwe Tun 150 Tex
    • Myat Myat Moe 154 Arch
    • Ma Htay Htay Win (Marlene Mg Mg) 158 Chem
    • Than Myint 168 23/1/13
    • Myint Thein 172 Mech
    • Phone Thwin 177 Min
    • Than Nyunt Win 181 Civil
    • Khin Mg Kyu 183 Mech
    • Win Thein 185 Elec
    • Ma Khin Mya Oo 188 Met
    • Kyaw Naing (Sin Gwan) 191 Elec : RIT EE Saya
    • Mg Mg Yu 194 Mech/Agri
    • Tin Aye 195 Mech/Agri
    • Htike Nyan 198 Elec 26/10/15
    • Aung Khin 203 Mech
    • Kyi May Nwae 206 Met
    • Tin Win 209 Chem
    • Myat Swe (Myint Swe) 215 Elec 22/3/15
    • Kyaw Win Mhan 234 Arch
    • Ma Yaw Ze 243 Chem
    • Hla Shwe 247 Mech Lar Gyi
    • Min Thant (Maurice Bo Ni) 254 Elec
    • Tin Win (Arthur) 256 Mech
    • Aung Htay 277 Civil
    • Michael Shein Myint 280 Chem
    • Mar Mar 292 Civil
    • Thein Htun 304 Mech 29/8/18
    • Mg Mg Oo 312 PP
    • Myo Tint (Stanley Hla) 313 PP
    • Mg Mg Swe 314 Mech ?/1/18
    • Min Swe 318 Mech
    • Ye Myint Aung 323 Mech
    • Toe Nyunt 326 Elec
    • Tin Ko 330 Met
    • Aung Law Ha 342 Mn 30/1/16
    • Ma Tin Tin 348 Mech/Agri
    • Kyaw Swe Thet 354 Mech 2017
    • Kan Myint 371 Mech
    • Aye Than 385 Elec 25/4/16
    • Khin Soe 388
    • Khin Than Win 389 Tex 3/9/18 : Silver Pearl Diary co-owner
    • Maung Maung 398 Tex 31/8/14
    • John Krasu 402 Mar 2016
    • Shein Kee Gae 407 Elec
    • Ohn Kywe 408 Elec
    • Kan Win 409 Mech
    • Win Aung 413
    • Onward Taw 419
    • Sein Sein 418 Tex 19/2/15
    • Tin Oo 428 Arch
    • Nay Daung 435 Civil
    • Oo Myint 445 Min
    • Khin Mg Shwe (Kenneth) 446
    • Thein Han 463 Elec 18/5/12
    • Hla Kyaing 467 Min
    • Tin Win 475
    • Zaw Nyein 482 Tex 10/2/14
    • Myo Nyunt Saw 485 Elec
    • Mya Thaung 487 Mining Ye Baw Pae Hlaw
    • Sai Maung Lin 73 Mech
    • Maung Myint 332 Tex
    • Htay Lwin 367
    • Stanley Lim 51
    • Aye Win Kyaw 169 Civil : RIT Civil Saya
    • Zin Maung Oo 328 Civil
    • Khin Nyo 352
  • Steeve Kay

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Highlights

    • Thaung Sein
    • Attended Hwa Kyone. Sponsored publication of Hwa Kyone Centennial Magazine
    • Attended GTI briefly
    • Took Language Courses
    • Matriculated with Distinctions in Maths, Physics & Chemistry.
    • Admitted to 1st BE in Nov 1964 with Roll No. 8
    • Graduated with Electrical Communications in 1970
    • Moved to USA
    • Successful careers as IC Designer, CEO of QTC, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist
    • Never forgot his Roots, Alma Mater, Mentors & Motherland. He sang “Shwe Mi” at 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles.

    Special Name

    • An administrator entered the name as Steeve (instead of Steve). He appreciated the name for being special.

    Education

    • MS from Stanford University
    • MBA from Pepperdine University

    Work & Experience

    S 1
    S 2
    S 3
    S 4
    • Electronics Engineer : Designer of Power IC Chip
    • Co-founder & CEO, QTC Management : His sister Dr. Lay Kay had patents for processing disability claims & requested Steeve to found QTC.
    • After private investors showed interest in his company, he retired but continued to lead a multiple-purpose career
    • Visiting places of the world’s leading religions
    • Incubating projects of young professionals
    • Supporting education (e.g. as trustee of UC Irvine & selected Colleges)
    • Maintaining diverse business portfolio
    • Helping those in need (via Kay Family Foundation & CABA)
    • Continue paying back the metta & cetana of his mentors
      as Golden Sponsor of RIT Reunion & Saya Pu Zaw Pwes,
      Helen and Steeve Kay Health Care Fund for the RIT Sayas and Sayamas.

    From the SPZP-2000 Archives

    RIT Poet Laureate Ko Hla Min:

    I must admit that I was suffering from a Monday morning “hangover”, having been intoxicated with emotional overdose over the reunion weekend [in October 2000].

    Judging from the post-reunion emails I read, I am not alone. What a reunion!

    By all measures, it was a success and did satisfy the alumni’s tremendous pent-up desire to reconnect with each other after many decades of separation. The dedication of the members of the organizing committee is second to none.

    With the assistance of his lovely wife, Benny Tan devoted practically full-time to this project for several months. I had a first-hand experience to see how meticulous he was when he was designing the RIT T-shirt. It came out a winner!

    I do appreciate the sensitivity the organizing committee displayed in making this event non-religious and non-political. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult for me to attend. The only regret is that I failed to locate the whereabouts of my buddy Ko Aung Min of Taunggyi (ME 70). I heard he went to Singapore, but so far my search has ended in “no find”.

    Now that the grand reunion is over, everybody is slowly recovering from the “hangover”. The big question is who would go to Singapore in 2002, and how do we go about doing it?

    With best regards,
    Steeve Kay (Ko Thaung Sein)

    Steeve (Center) at Benny’s house
    SPZP-2012
    Steeve (Center) in Yangon
    • SPZPs (starting with SPZP-2000 in US)
    • 40th Anniversary of “Arrival in US”
    Celebrating 40th Anniversary of Arrival in USA
    • Celebrating the Success of QTC
    • Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe(s) for the Combined 1st BE Intake of 64
    • 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles
    2015
    • Special PZP and Reunion in Yangon (after doctors advised against Long Trips)
    Special Reunion & PZP
  • Htay Lwin Nyo

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Young HLN

    LYC

    Sad News

    News

    My Tribute

    Tribute to Dr. HTAY LWIN NYO (EP74, ex-ucc)

    Part-time Professor, EE, SJSU

    (1951 July – 2000 April)

    H e was a genius, a researcher, a friend

    T eaching was his passion to the very end

    A jack of all trades, a doctorate of one

    Y ou name it, he knows it! there’s a lot he has done

    L ong ago he gave away a patent for a dollar

    W ith a heart so big and true, real worthy of a scholar

    I nvest, movie script, cook, paint, car repair, …

    N ever showed off wealth and prizes; he’s a gem so rare

    N ews of his death — alone at home — rocked throughout the land

    Y oung, old were shocked, but they all flocked to give a helping hand

    O n this day in May of Y2K we pray from the bottom of our heart

    “Htay Lwin Nyo, we’re proud to say

    that though you’ve passed away

    you’ve done a huge part

    to unite kindred spirits

    your legacy is here to stay.”

  • 69ers

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Highlights

    Guinea Pigs of Edu 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 towel
    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