Category: RIT Saya

Koung Nyunt
by Hla Min & Kogyi Koung

Update : June 2026

Highlights

Dr. Koung Nyunt
- A67
- Secretary, RIT Photography Association
- Pen name : Kogyi Koung
- Doctorate from Japan. Found his love life “Moe Moe”.
- Due to immigration laws in Myanmar & Japan, the family decided to move to Auckland, New Zealand.
- Organizer for RIT events in New Zealand.
- Wrote articles for RIT Alumni International Newsletter
Articles
- Two Forgotten Songs from RIT. One is a favorite of Saya U Tha Tun (Head of Department).
  Another is about Ma Ma Q & her fans (sayas and alumni).
- Photo essay on Kyaik Hti Yo Development. Saya U Min Wun wrote a supplement article for the Project.
- Letter to Thagyar Min to second his favorable opinion on Naw Louisa Benson (Miss Burma & movie actress).
- About some paintings
- Quoted Reverend F Lutvig (Ashin Ananda, Laureate Poet) in his articles.
Contact
- He passed away, but Moe Moe kept contact with Daw Phyu Phyu Latt (Christine, A70) and other alumni in Australia.
(1) Forgotten Songs of RIT

by Kogyi Koung

First Song

It was one afternoon in the early May of 1963. Someone was singing a prewar semi-classic song from the second floor of RIT main building. In 1963, RIT buildings were relatively new and that semi-classic song caused a little bit of discomfort for the freshmen [equivalent to 3rd BE] located on the first floor. The song continued as,
(. hmain: njou. njou. sain: lou. je . njou pja ji hmaung che . to: dan: kalei: nanbei: ga swe . e:di jwa be: kwe…)

The meaning is: Dull and gloomy cloud override at the horizon; Indistinct brown and dim bluish vision of a wood jetting out from that end is my village … *Note: The title of the song is ‘Htamin: mjein mjein sa: me’ i.e., “ထမင်းမြိန်မြိန်စားမယ် Enjoying the meal with relish”. The duet song was first performed by prewar famous singers Ou’ O: Ba Thaung and Sein Party. Later many other singers have rendered their own versions of the song.

We saw an old man singing the song while he was painting watercolor on a huge art paper. He was painting the landscape described in the song. Amazingly the picture was full of life and the song was telling the story. Everybody stopped in front of his office on the second floor and looking with wonder and singing with him.

After a while we asked him, “Sayagyi, who are you and which department do you belong to?”
He replied, “I am U Tha Tun, Head of the Department of Architecture”. Oh, my God! How stupid that we, the freshmen of Architecture, don’t even know the head of our department. As time passed, we learned more about ‘The Great U Tha Tun’.

When we became senior students, U Tha Tun’s health deteriorated so much that Saya U Myo Myint Sein (Raymond, A58) stepped up as a ‘Kagemusha’ [Japanese for “shadow-warrior”]. UMMS, as acting head, took care of everything about the department. Young and energetic Saya UMMS found that it was not easy to steer the department as Captain of Architecture’s Flag Ship. There were lots of problems for a relatively young department in RIT.

One such problem occurred during our final year. Two of the most experienced Sayas of architecture left the department and went abroad [for enhancing their careers]. They were (a) Saya U Sein Maung (with elegant moustache) has long experience in Rangoon City Development Corporation. He taught each and every detail of the development of Rangoon. (b) Saya M.B. Raschid (son of U Raschid, minister of many affairs under Prime Minister U Nu). He taught with all his professional experience and perfect pronunciation of King’s Burmese with ‘zagaboun စကားပုံ’ proverbs. Sometimes he corrected our broken Burmese.

Saya UMMS, Head of the department, not only had lost his right and left hand men, but also there was a danger that the notorious Koung Nyunt and Kyaw Thein (both A67) might not finish their Architecture degrees.

After a long struggle, Saya UMMS stabilized the flagship of Architecture and its direction. A pioneer of the Architecture of RIT, Professor U Myo Myint Sein handed over the headship to Dr. Maung Kyaw in early 80’s. In the late 80’s Dr. Lwin Aung (A59) took over.

Second Song

For creative and original works, Architects cannot design during the office hours. It is also true [to a lesser degree] for the students of architecture. During the lectures and tutorial hours we [as students] have to follow what they have taught. After school hours [mostly after 4 or 5 pm], we start to create and test our design ideas. Note that for other students and staff of RIT, such periods are the pleasure and relaxation time.

There were only a few girls in Architecture, but the one in our studio is especially alluring beauty and glamorous face. She was so popular that she became known as the queen of the student-architects. We called her Ma Ma Q.

Most of the evenings many senior students and young eligible bachelors and/or sayas visit our studio. Some stay late into the evenings. At that time we sang a song named ‘Saga: ta’ kathou’ i.e., Language University, by Khin Yu May.

Because in the song, one part said ‘dage lar te. Ko Ko. kwe ja hmar ba lou lou’ i.e., really coming Ko Ko, out of sight he is sth in the air.

Ma Ma Q didn’t know the meaning, but the visiting Ko Kos were annoyed by our song. They politely requested us to stop singing. At that time the notorious KN and KT asked ‘hse’ kjei:’ i.e., extortion money about 2-3 kyats from the Ko Kos and went to U Chit tea shop. This continued for days and weeks.

When the Ko Kos are not visiting our studio, we sang the following song, instead of Ma Ma Q. i.e., Third Song. (Note. Extract from Shwe Kyi: nyo song by Daw Ngwe Myaing)
‘Diga nei. nya hpjin. lar ma te. so: joun ya hmar lar: akou Kja.ma ne. ne: te. Shwe kyi: nyo Shwe kyi: nyo Shwe kyi: nyo’
“To-night coming you said so, may I believe Ako.. Near the blessed golden crow, golden crow, golden crow…”

(2) Article (Sept/Nov 2000)

With all of those excellent works and flying colours for Saya Pu Zaw Pwe, your organizing committee is a living history of RIT. Our Sayas, Sayamas and Saya-Gyis have contributed their unlimited knowledge to affect and benefit our lives. Many of our Sayas and colleagues have sent their thanksgiving letters to your web site.

I feel guilty in staying quietly at a corner of the Southern Hemisphere. Actually I am busy, because of my article ‘Wanna Migrate to New Zealand, 3/15/00’ that you published on the ex-rit web site. After that article, I got many inquires/contacts by e-mail and direct phone calls, especially from SE Asia. In July there are 133 migrants and in September 28 migrants are now in Auckland, and expecting another over 50 in November 2000. All speak the common language “Burmese” with their own native accents. Now I know our Sayas and colleagues speak “King’s Burmese” in RIT.

I would like to honor my Sayas with a poem from our forefathers-cum-engineers how they had built a city.

Title: ‘SHWE PYI GYI’ (Golden Capital City)

Sweet sound of drums and silver bells
Coming from the Palace
Can be heard reverberating in the air
And I can see the palace roofs,
The graduated turrets and buildings
Encompassed by haze.
And, my dear girl, I can still faintly see
The silhouettes of a high pagoda
Reaching nearly to the clouds
And of super-imposed roofs (i.e., pyathat)
Oh my dear, don’t you hear
A melodious sound of small bells
Coming from the golden monastery?
Our golden capital city must be near.
(By U Ku: 1827-1895 Translated by Rev. Friedrich V. Lustig)

Dear Sayas and colleagues,

We see not only the Panoramic Photo of golden capital city of our ancient time, but can hear the sound-scape with audio-visual scene. Silhouettes effect of high pagoda in the haze has shown the air perspective of city skyline. We try to sketch the imaginary scene of ancient city in the architectural studios of RIT in the middle of 60’s. The discussion topic of ‘Ancient City Skyline’ is not only interested by the architectural students, but also from various students of other departments from RIT.

This is the starting point to form the ‘RIT Photographic Club’. According to my diary, first general meeting was chaired by Saya U Myo Myint Sein on Saturday, 1 May 1965 at the Department of Architecture. The general meeting selected Professor U Myo Myint Sein as President of RIT Photographic Club and the author as the secretary.

After forming the executive committee, the club took part in various activities and many outstanding photographers from the club took major prizes from Burma Photographic Society and Myawadi Magazine. e.g., Ko San Aung, M74 is the owner of the famous ‘Photo Lab USA’, (i.e., initials for U San Aung) in Yangon is originally from this club. Kjei: zu: tin: bar-de, many thanks for my Sayas and colleagues

Koung Nyunt (Auckland, New Zealand).

(3) Letter to Tha-gyar-min

by Kogyi Koung

Date: Thursday, 14 April 2011 (3:40pm. Thin-gyan Akya-ne.)
P.O. Box; Top of the never used RIT water tower
Ashe. Jo. Koun (East Gyogone): RIT Compound, Insein, Rangoon, Burma

Dear Your Majesty the Sovereign of Tawadein dha တာဝတိံသာ

As from the beginning of 1960’s our RIT is like the last paradise on earth, with all enjoyments, teachings, preaching, learning, playing sports and friendship never sails away. Kogyi Koung recollects the stories at the time of 60’s RIT and retold the fairy-tales to our Bushido-Burmans at gatherings in Auckland, NZ. However, the young generations of Maha Bandoola do not believe the stories, and they whispered by themselves that Kogyi Koung is now ‘Yin yin galay Yuu-nay-pyi-de’ ယဉ်ယဉ်ကလေး ရူးနေ ပြီတဲ့

Your Majesty the Tha-gyar-min-gyi please take this message to Tawadein dha and explain to my late Sayas and colleagues there, that my stories are not fabricated.

I have the evidences. For example, I have sent a message to RIT alumni update (February 6, 2010) as follows,

Dear U Hla Min,

It is sad news for our elder brothers at RIT, especially those who reside at E and F block during the beginning of 60’s.

A term called “Ma-pyo: mashi.ja ne he.” မပြောမရှိကြနဲ့ဟေ့ was coined at that time. When I visited my elder brother [U Than Soe, M63] at E block (when I was at Leik-khone I.Sc). I heard somebody shout “Ma-pyo: mashi.ja ne he.” Then I looked outside. Everybody lined up at corridor and they were looking at a far side on top of the entrance hall that is attached to a two story house.

I could not believe my eyes. She was a beauty queen, who had Miss Burma two times excising physical training on the porch. I noted down in my diary and the rallying cry “Ma-pyo: mashi.ja ne he.” She is Naw Louisa Benson Craig. Now she has left our brothers’ heart at age 69.

Yours etc. (“Ma-pyo: mashi.ja ne he.”)

When I retold that story here at Auckland, everybody laughed like ‘Wa:lone kwe:aung ye kya de”. I said it is not a joke. I have evidence.

Also, Kogyi Koung explained about the following, written by Maung Maung Hla, a Karen pastor in Rangoon who was close to Naw Louisa during her youth, remembered her aloud : “She had a little mole on her cheek and she had a kind heart. She was also a very good singer.”

This statement has no evidence.

However, Tha-gyar-min-gyi if you find Naw Louisa at Tawadein dha, please ask if what I wrote is true?

(4) Architecture Students and Staff

I have an old group photo taken about the end of 1963, and all the known information are printed. Inside the brackets are where about of the person [at the time of the post].

Top of the photo:

Department of Architecture
Rangoon Institute of Technology
1963 ~ 64

Bottom of the photo:

Front row, L to R
- Jim Lim (3rd. Year) [?]
- Ma Khin Khin Kyu (Ann, 1st.Year) [San Francisco, California, US]
- U Myo Myint Sein B.Arch (Rgn) M. Arch (Mch) [Los Angeles, California, US]
- U Tha Tun B.Sc, F.R.I.B.A. (Fellowship of Royal Institute of British Architects), A.A. Dip (Lond.), A.M.T.P.I.(Associate Member of Town Planning Institute), F.I.B.A., Head of Department [Deceased on 13 September 1974]
- U Yone Mo B.Sc (Hon) Rgn, B.Sc (Engg)Lond, A.C.G.I, A.M.I. Mech.E, A.M.I.Loco.E, Principal [Deceased]
- Mr. S. Ozhegov, Cand. Of Arch, Master of Fine Arts, UZBEK, U.S.S.R [Moscow]
- Miss Rosalind Maung (Ma Pyi Aye, 2nd Year) [Rangoon]
- Htin Myaing (Ben, 2nd Year) [New York, US]
2nd. Row, L to R
- Tun Thein (1st Year) [Los Angeles, California, US]
- Tin Aung (2nd Year) [Melbourne, Australia]
- Yaco B.E. Mayet (3rd Year) [?]
- Than Tun (3rd Year) [Rangoon]
- Sonny Chin (2nd Year) [?]
- Hla Thein (1st Year) [New York, US]
- E. I. Jeewa (3rd Year) [?]
- Aung Pa Win (1st Year) [Chicago, Illinois, US]
Back Row, L to R
- Aung Kyaw Min (3rd Year) [Rangoon]
- M. (Ku?) hlgh (2nd Year) [?]
- Than Htike (3rd Year) [Warsaw, Poland]
- William Chen (2nd Year) [?]
- C. E. Munnee (1st Year) [?]
- Koung Nyunt (1st Year) [Auckland, New Zealand, GBNF]
- Kyaw Thein (1st Year) [Deceased 22 April 2001]
Absentees:
- Win Myint (1st Year) [Rangoon]
- Win Naing (1st Year) [?]
Note:

1st Year B. Arch, 10 students (8 passed and 2 failed)
2nd Year B. Arch, 5 students (3 passed and 2 failed)
3rd Year B. Arch, 6 students (3 passed and 3 failed)
Several Architecture students failed in of a subject from other departments. There was no moderation. If one gets 49% or less of the grade, the student has to repeat all subjects next year.

Editor’s Note

I cannot find the photo mentioned by Kogyi Koung.

The early sayas and sayamas of the Architecture Department include :
- U Thar Tun (GBNF)
- Pi-thu-kar Kyaw Min (GBNF)
- U Myo Myint Sein (USA)
- U Bilal Raschid (USA)
- Dr. Maung Kyaw (GBNF)
- Dr. Lwin Aung (Retired as Pro-Rector)
- Artist/Bagyee Aung Soe
- U Maung Maung
- U Sein Maung (Stanley Ba Pe)
- U Maung Maung Phone Myint
- Dr. Koung Nyunt (GBNF)
- U Hla Than (Retired as Rector)
- Daw Min Thet Mon (Pamela Myo Min, Retired Professor)
- Daw Swe Swe Aye
- U Maung Hlaing
- Sai Yee Leik (GBNF)
Posts
- Architecture
- By Saya U Myo Myint Sein
- By U Tin Htoon
- By U Thet Win
- U Bo Gyi
- U Kin Maung Yin
June 20, 2026
EE Sayagyis & senior sayas
by U Myo Kyi & Hla Min

Updated : June 2026

Source : Saya U Myo Kyi (EE59)

EE sayas
- U Kyaw Tun 1950 – 1971
  (started teaching at BOC College)
- U C Ping Lee 1950 – 1952
C Ping Lee
- U Sein Hlaing 1954 – 1986
- U Tin Swe 1954 – 1998
- Dr. Freddie Ba Hli (Part time) 1959
Dr. F Ba Hli
- U Htin Paw 1958 – 1959
- U Ba Nyunt 1958 – 1959
- Dr. A. E. Guile (Colombo Plan) 1959 – 1960
- U Myo Kyi 1959 – 2002
- Dr. Ba Lwin 1959 – 1994
- U L. Tin Htun 1959 – 1960
- Teoh Chin Koon 1959 – 1960
- U Sein Win 1960 – 1994
- Dr. San Tint 1961 – 2002
- Mr. Zagarosky (Russian) 1962 – 1963
- Dr. Ba Myint 1963 – 2000
- U Sein Maung 1963 – 1994
- U Khine Oo 1963 – 1996
- Dr. Win Tin 1963 – 1990
- U Moe Aung 1963 – 1990
- U Chin Way 1963 – 1968
- U Soe Min 1963 – 1965
- U Nyi Nyi 1963 – 1965
- U Thein Lwin 1964 – 1972
- U Soe Paing 1964 – 1971
- U Tin Maung Thein 1965 – 1990
- U Tin Shwe (Ashin Wi thu ta) 1966 – 1996
- Daw Mya Mya Than 1968 – 2003
- U Than Lwin 1970 – 1994
- U Kyaw Lwin 1970 – 1991
- U Kyaw Naing (Sin Gwan, GBNF)
- U Tin Win 1973 – 1980
- U Ko Ko Kyi 1973 –
  later worked in Malaysia and Canada
- U Thein Dan 1973 – 1997
- U Khin Soe 1973 – 1982
- Daw Khin Aye Win 1973 – 2009
- Daw Nyunt Nyunt Yee 1973 – 2000
- U Kyaw Aung (U Kyin Phyuu) 1973 –
- U Aung Than (U Ah Chun) 1973 – 2004
- Daw Khin Swe Oo 1974 – 2002
- U Clement Sadhana 1976 – 2010
- Daw Than Than Win 1976 – 2012
- Daw Khin Tint 1981 – 2008
- U Myint Oo 1982 – 1990
- Daw Khin Ma Ma Soe 1982 – 2008
EE 1

EE 2

EE 3

Ovada

U Sein Hlaing

U Sein Win, U Tin Swe

U Ba Lwin, Dr. San Tint

U Myo Kyi, Dr. Win Tin

U Kyaw Lwin, U Tin Maung Thein

More EE Sayas (Electronics and Power)
- U Win Khaing Moe
- U Maung Maung Latt
- Daw Lei Lei Yee
- Daw Khin Sandar Tun
- Daw Khin Lay Wai
- Daw Zin Mar Oo
- Daw Khaing Khaing Kyaw
- Daw Thazin Phyu
- Daw Myint Myint Lwin
- Daw Lei Lei Win
- Daw Thidar Than (1)
- Daw Mya Mya Aye
- Daw Myint Myint Than
- Daw Tin Tin Naing
- Daw Sint Sint Win
- Daw Thandar Naing
- Daw Khin Swe Lwin
- Daw Myint Myint Mon
- Daw Nilar Aung
- U Zaw Min Naing
- Daw Moe Nilar
- Daw Khin Moe Yee
- Daw Kaythi Khaing
- Daw Ah Tar Mon
- ီDaw Ni Ni Thein Htay Pe
- Daw Thidar Than (2)
- U Thein Htay
- U Tun Oo
- Daw Aye Aye Mar
- Daw Ni Ni Win
- Daw San Myint Yee
- U Aung Naing
- Daw Naing Naing Maw
- U Ananda
- Daw Lei Lei Sein
- Daw Min Min Myat
- Daw Thi Thi Soe
- Daw Mar Mar Lwin
- Daw Su Myat Htut
- Daw Win Lein Aye
- Daw Han Thu Lwin
- Daw Yin Yin Htwe
- Daw Naing Naing Win
- Daw Khin Kyu Kyu Win
- Daw Cho Cho Aung
- Daw Tin Tin Aye
- Daw Ni Mar Nwe Aung
- Daw Ei Ei Khin
- Daw Kyaaw Khin
- U Zaw Min Aung
- Daw Aye Thinn Naing
- Daw Nwe Ni Aye
- U Soe Naing
- Daw Phyu Phyu Moe
- Daw Marlar Kyaw
- Daw Aye Aye Thinn
June 17, 2026
Winner Inn
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2026
- Winner Inn is run by Saya U Ba Than’s family : son Ye Than, daughter-in-law Win Mar Oo, grandson Aung Myo Myint and granddaughter Ei Khine.
U Ba Than
- Before the family moved to a new residential home (a little bit further down Than Lwin Road), Saya would entertain his relatives (visiting from abroad), former colleagues and students at Winner Inn.
Gatherings
- An informal gathering took place at Winner Inn in January 2017.
  Attendees include Dr. Khin Tun (Peter, GBNF) & Daw Win Mar, U Hla Win, U Aung Moung (GBNF), my spouse and me
- U Aung Moung came to see Saya U Ba Than and Daw Win Mar.
  It’s a small world. Win Mar’s older brother was a childhood friend of U Aung Moung.
- Sadly, U Aung Moung passed away in 2018.
  He was active in HMEE, SDYF and several social and religious organizations.
  Several monks arranged their own transportation to attend U Aung Moung’s last journey at Yay Way.
Dr. Peter Khin Tun (GBNF)
- Peter would usually come back to Yangon before January 12 to celebrate his mother Dr. Kyi Kyi Nyunt’s birthday. His father U Tin U is the elder brother of Saya U Ba Than.
- Peter would host some celebrations (e.g. engagement party of his elder son Min Ko) at Winner Inn.
- Sad to report that Peter was an early victim of Covid and lax UK Hospital policies about PPE. He passed away on April 13, 2020 (which was Easter Monday & start of Thingyan). The sad news is covered in BBC and some UK newspapers.
- His spouse Win Mar recovered after two weeks of treatment at the hospital.
- On a bright note, Peter was given awards posthumously and the UK hospital systems adopted better procedures.
June 17, 2026
Electrical Engineering Sayas
by Hla Min & U Myo Kyi

Updated : June 2026

1965 – 66

EE Sayas

Seated : U Soe Paing, U Thein Lwin (GBNF), U Tin Swe (GBNF), U Sein Hlaing (Professor, GBNF), U Kyaw Tun (GBNF), U Sein Win (GBNF), U San Tint (GBNF)

Standing : U Soe Min (GBNF), U Chin Way (GBNF), U Win Tin, U Ba Myint, U Nyi Nyi (GBNF), U Moe Aung, U Sein Maung

Studying abroad : U Myo Kyi, U Ba Lwin, U Tin Maung Thein

Absentee: U Khine Oo

U Myo Kyi

U Ba Lwin

U Tin Mg Thein

Associated Article

I wrote “A short and sad clip : EE Sayas” for the commemorative issue of Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung for SPZP-2010. Saya U Moe Aung suggested the title of my article.

Sayagyis & senior sayas

Source : Saya U Myo Kyi (EE59)

U Moe Aung

SPZP

1. U Kyaw Tun 1950 – 1971 (started teaching at BOC College)

C Ping Lee

2. U C Ping Lee 1950 – 1952
3. U Sein Hlaing 1954 – 1986
4. U Tin Swe 1954 – 1998
5. Dr. Freddie Ba Hli (Part time) 1959
6. U Htin Paw 1958 – 1959
7. U Ba Nyunt 1958 – 1959
8. Dr. A. E. Guile (Colombo Plan) 1959 – 1960
9. U Myo Kyi 1959 – 2002
10. Dr. Ba Lwin 1959 – 1994
11. U L. Tin Htun 1959 – 1960
12. Teoh Chin Koon 1959 – 1960
13. U Sein Win 1960 – 1994
14. Dr. San Tint 1961 – 2002
15. Mr. Zagarosky (Russian) 1962 – 1963
16. Dr. Ba Myint 1963 – 2000
17. U Sein Maung 1963 – 1994
18. U Khine Oo 1963 – 1996
19. Dr. Win Tin 1963 – 1990
20. U Moe Aung 1963 – 1990
21. U Chin Way 1963 – 1968
22. U Soe Min 1963 – 1965
23. U Nyi Nyi 1963 – 1965
24. U Thein Lwin 1964 – 1972
25. U Soe Paing 1964 – 1971
26. U Tin Maung Thein 1965 – 1990
27. U Tin Shwe (Ashin Wi thu ta) 1966 – 1996
28. Daw Mya Mya Than 1968 – 2003
29. U Than Lwin 1970 – 1994
30. U Kyaw Lwin 1970 – 1991
31. U Tin Win 1972 – 1980
32. U Thein Dan 1973 – 1997
33. U Khin Soe 1973 – 1982
34. Daw Khin Aye Win 1973 – 2009
35. Daw Nyunt Nyunt Yee 1973 – 2000
36. U Kyaw Aung (U Kyin Phyuu) 1973 –
37. U Aung Than (U Ah Chun) 1973 – 2004
38. Daw Khin Swe Oo 1974 – 2002
39. U Clement Sadhana 1976 – 2010
40. Daw Than Than Win 1976 – 2012
41. Daw Khin Tint 1981 – 2008
42. U Myint Oo 1982 – 1990
43. Daw Khin Ma Ma Soe 1982 – 2008

U Sein Maung

U Ba Myint

U Khine Oo

U Soe Paing

Daw Mya Mya Than

U Thein Dan

U Tin Win

U Ko Ko Kyi

Daw Khin Aye Win

Editor’s Notes
- U Kyaw Naing (Sin Gwan, EC70) is GBNF.
- U Ko Ko Kyi (EC72) later worked in Malaysia and Canada.
More EE Sayas (Electronics and Power)
- U Win Khaing Moe
- U Maung Maung Latt
- Daw Lei Lei Yee
- Daw Khin Sandar Tun
- Daw Khin Lay Wai
- Daw Zin Mar Oo
- Daw Khaing Khaing Kyaw
- Daw Thazin Phyu
- Daw Myint Myint Lwin
- Daw Lei Lei Win
- Daw Thidar Than (1)
- Daw Mya Mya Aye
- Daw Myint Myint Than
- Daw Tin Tin Naing
- Daw Sint Sint Win
- Daw Thandar Naing
- Daw Khin Swe Lwin
- Daw Myint Myint Mon
- Daw Nilar Aung
- U Zaw Min Naing
- Daw Moe Nilar
- Daw Khin Moe Yee
- Daw Kaythi Khaing
- Daw Ah Tar Mon
- Daw Ni Ni Thein Htay Pe
- Daw Thidar Than (2)
- U Thein Htay
- U Tun Oo
- Daw Aye Aye Mar
- Daw Ni Ni Win
- Daw San Myint Yee
- U Aung Naing
- Daw Naing Naing Maw
- U Ananda
- Daw Lei Lei Sein
- Daw Min Min Myat
- Daw Thi Thi Soe
- Daw Mar Mar Lwin
- Daw Su Myat Htut
- Daw Win Lein Aye
- Daw Han Thu Lwin
- Daw Yin Yin Htwe
- Daw Naing Naing Win
- Daw Khin Kyu Kyu Win
- Daw Cho Cho Aung
- Daw Tin Tin Aye
- Daw Ni Mar Nwe Aung
- Daw Ei Ei Khin
- Daw Kyaaw Khin
- U Zaw Min Aung
- Daw Aye Thinn Naing
- Daw Nwe Ni Aye
- U Soe Naing
- Daw Phyu Phyu Moe
- Daw Marlar Kyaw
- Daw Aye Aye Thinn
EE Association (1965 – 66)

EE Association for 1965-66

Seated : Ma Pwint Than, Ma Yi Yi Aung, U Sein Win (Vice President), U Kyaw Tun (President), Ko Shwe Win (Secretary), Ma Mya Mya Than, Ma Mo Mo Yi

Middle row : Ko Thein Swe, Ko Soe Than, U Sein Maung (Auditor), U Soe Paing, U San Tint, U Moe Aung (Treasurer), U Thein Lwin, U Soe Min

Last row : Ko Nyunt Pe, Ko Ye Win, Mehm Ye Win, Ko Kyaw Swe Win, Ko Hla Min, Ko Myo Myint, Ko Hla Thaung, Ko Aung Khin, Ko Soe Win, Ko Tin Than

I served as a EC member.

Hlyat Sit Sar Saung (1965 – 66)

Seated : Ma Mo Mo Yi, Ma Than Yi (Associate Editor), U Moe Aung (Chief Editor), U Kyaw Tun (Patron), Ko Ye Win (Secretary), Ma Yi Yi Aung

Standing : Ko Sann Oo (Associate Editor), Ko Thein Tun, Ko Hla Min, Ko Myo Myint (Associate Editor), Ko Soe Tha, Ko Soe Win, Mehm Ye Win

I served as a member.

Saya U Sein Win (GBNF)
- Younger brother of Dr. Tin U (Medical Superintendent, Rangoon Children’s Hospital) and Dr. Saw Lwin.
- Top student at the University of Michigan.
- His friends called him “Khone Swa Khone Swa” referring to his brisk walking style.
- Lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering.
- When EE Department was reorganized, he served as Professor of EP.
- Saya is an absent minded Professor. He married late. One day, he drove Sayagadaw to Bogyoke Market. He taught (or discussed with) his students for quite some time and almost forgot to pick up Sayagadaw. There are variations on this anecdote regarding the place (e.g. Hledan Zay).
- He served as Technical Advisor for UCC. He worked closely with U Win Htein (Purdue University, EE at PWD, GBNF) for the design & maintenance of the Electrical Systems (including Motor Alternator, Diesel Generator, Air conditioning) at UCC.
- Line Judge at the RUBC (Rangoon University Boat Club) Regattas.
- President, RIT Swimming Association; He stays fit by swimming regularly (even when he was visiting Singapore on a business trip).
- He has a vast knowledge. Saya Dr. San Hla Aung (C58) remembers Saya U Sein Win discussing about Civil Engineering and other subjects.
Updates
- Several senior sayas — U Kyaw Tun, C Ping Lee, U Sein Hlaing, U Tin Swe, U Sein Win, U Thein Lwin, Dr. San Tint, U Soe Min, U Chin Way, U Nyi Nyi, U Tin Shwe, Daw Mya Mya Than, U Kyaw Naing, U Kyaw Lwin, Daw Nyunt Nyunt Yee, U Khin Soe — are GBNF.
- Some — U Moe Aung, U Tin Win, U Thein Dan — have medical problems.
June 15, 2026
Paing Family
by Hla Min

Update : June 2026

U Paing & Siblings

ဦးပိုင် ညီအကိုမောင်နှမများ

U Paing & Siblings
- Daw Ma Ma Tin ဒေါ်မမတင်
- U Saing ဦးဆိုင်
- U Hlaing ဦးလှိုင်
- U Paing ဦးပိုင်
- Daw Ma Ma Lay ဒေါ်မမလေး
- U Chan Maung Kun ဦးချမ်းမောင်ကွမ်း
- Bogyi Hla Maung ဗိုလ်ကြီးလှမောင်
- U Sein Yoe ဦးစိန်ရိုး
- U Yan Way ဦးရန်ဝေး
Family

Father : ICS U Paing

Mother : Daw Oo Yin (daughter of Sir Po Tha & Lady Tha)

Sons : Myo Paing, Soe Paing, Win Paing, Kyaw Paing

Dr. Myo Paing (SPHS54)
- Medical doctor & researcher (at BMRI)
- Early assignment was Malaria Campaign
- Champion golfer.
U Soe Paing (SPHS56)

U Soe Paing
- In the Matric exam of 1956, he stood 13th in Burma and won a Collegiate Scholarship.
- In 1958, he received two Gold medals : one for Highest Total Marks for I.Sc (Combined) & another for Joint Highest Marks in Maths for I.Sc (Combined).
- While attending Engineering classes at RU, he received State Scholarship to study Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in the USA.
- Received BS and MS in EE (Electrical Engineering) from Stanford University.
- Upon his return, he joined the EE Department at RIT as Assistant Lecturer. He helped Sayagyi Dr. Chit Swe with the UCC project.
- Transferred to UCC as Manager of Systems Division.
- After reorganization, he also managed the Operations Division.
- Received M.Sc. in Computer Science from University of Southampton, UK.
- Taught CS courses at UCC. He co-authored Programming Texts, Lecture Guides and Manuals with U Aung Zaw and me.
- Worked for UN projects in several countries.
- Wrote “Computer Ah Sa UCC Ga” and his experiences as a States Scholar and UN Advisor. They can be read from SCRIB-D
- After retirement, Saya spent time playing golf & practicing vipassana meditation.
- During his UCC days, he served as a Golf Correspondent. I helped him type about the competition at RGC (Rangoon Golf Club) and BGC (Burma Golf Club) and submit to the English newspapers.
- Visited RUCL. Compiled material for HMEE Project & prepared a Draft. Translated Section 1 of the HMEE book and summarized Section 2.
- Gave an interview to MASTAA
U Win Paing (SPHS64)

U Wara 1

U Wara 2

U Wara 3
- Won Golf Championships with his younger brother U Kyaw Paing.
- After finishing the finals for ChE (Chemical Engineering) exam in 1970, he became a monk.
- Served as Taik Oke for about four decades before becoming Chief Resident Monk of Kaba Aye Sunlun Gu Kyaung Sayadaw.
- Known as Sayadaw U Wara.
- He is now GBNF.
U Kyaw Paing (SPHS67)
- Represented Burma in the Putra Cup.
- Lawyer and entrepreneur.
U Khin Maung Zaw (EC76) wrote :

For number of years, I was the carrier-cum-postman to bring Saya U Soe Paing’s typed golf news to the WPD, Working Peoples’ Daily at Theingbyu Street! Just one of the chores I had in those days.

I remember jokingly asked Sayadaw U Wara how he felt seeing the (18th??) hole over the fence from the Sunlun Kyaung’s “Thein”. The new golf course was built for VIPs inside Kabaaye, and that particular hole was seen from the “Thein” less than 40-50 yards, of course over the fence.

Updates
- Nyi Lynn Seck created a family tree for Sir Po Tha
Posts
- Medical Research
- Priests & Sayadaws
- SPHS
- UCC Founders
June 15, 2026
U Tin U
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2026
- Scholar Athlete
- Survived a Kidnapping (with intent to kill him)
- Had good memory and strong hands until his final days
Tin U
- Passed away in Yangon on August 19, 2025
- He was 96 years young.
Obituary

Obituary

Final Journey
- Attended by Family members, relatives and friends
Invitation for Yet Le Soon Kyway

Aye Aye Khin (Daughter)

Thin Thiri Tun (Granddaughter)

Academic & Experience
- BSCE (Oregon State University)
- MSCE (Yale University)
- Former Part-time Lecturer, Civil
- Former Director, Clark & Grieg
- Former Advisor, InterKiln
- Former Advisor, PWD Architect Group 2
- Oldest & Most Senior Past Captain, Rangoon University Boat Club
- Past Captain, Rangoon Golf Club
- Former Treasurer, Burma Society of Civil Engineers
Family

U Tin U, Aye Aye Khin, Daw Cherry, Ye Myint, Peter

Spouse

Dr. Cherry 1
- Dr. Khin Kyi Nyunt (Cherry) — passed away in November 2019
- She did Nutrition Research at BMRI.
Children

Peter & his mom Dr. Cherry

Family & Relatives

Aye Aye. Dr. Cherry, Dr. Peter, U Tin U

Family & Relatives 2

Daw San San Aye, U Tin U, Dr. Ye Myint& Dr. Aye Sandar
- Dr. Khin Tun (Peter, MRCP, Former Associate Dean of Oxford University, passed away in April 2020) & Daw Winmar;
- Daw Aye Aye Khin (B.Com, CPA) & U Tin Tun (passed away in May 2020)
- Dr. Ye Myint (Fellowship training in Intensive Care and Anesthesia, Took care of his father’s health in the final days) & Daw San San Aye
YM 1

YM 2

YM 3

Grandchildren
- Min Ko & Prudence
- Ye Aung
- Dr. Aye Sandar
- Thin Thiri Tun
- Dr. Khin Sandy Tun
Great Grandchildren
- Su Wai Tun
- Hnin Wai Tun
Peter, Winmar, Ye Aung, Min Ko

Siblings

U Tin U, Ruby, Father U Chan Sein, Betty

Ba Than, Myo Tint, Myo Min, Thaung Lwin, Tin Htoon, Tin U

U Tin Htoon, U Tin U, U Ba Than, U Thaung Lwin, Dr. Myo Tint

Six Siblings
- U Ba Than (Scholarship Winner in 1947, Gold Medalist for I.Sc in 1949, Alumnus of Imperial College, Retd. Prof. of Mech. Engg) — GBNF
- Dr. Daw Win Hlaing (Ruby)
- Daw Myint Thwe (Betty, B.Com, Spouse of Dr. F Ba Hli) — GBNF
- Dr. Myo Tint (3rd in Burma in 1952, RUBC Captain) — GBNF
- U Tin Htoon (A60, RUBC Captain, ARAE Champion, SEAP Silver Medalist in Yachting)
- U Myo Min (1st in I.Com & B.Com, Chartered Acct, UCC Co-founder)
- U Thaung Lwin (Scholarship Winner in 1960, First in EC66, RUBC Captain)
- Daw Cho Cho Hlaing (CRO, German Diploma)
Highlights
- Matriculated from St. John’s Dio in 1946
- Represented RUBC at the 1948 Independence Day Regatta at Kandawgyi with Pe Nyun, Pe Thein and Khin Maung Wint
1948 Independence Day Regatta

Rowing
- Four brothers — Tin U, Myo Tint, Tin Htoon & Thaung Lwin — are RUBC Captain & Gold
- Two other brothers — Ba Than and Myo Min — are RUBC Green
Tin U & Thaung Lwin

RUBC Captains
- Photo shows Five RUBC Captains. Sein Htoon (Cox) is a cousin; he is 1960 ARAE Champion
Most Senior Past Captain
- Captain of Rangoon University Boat Club (1948 – 49)
RUBC
- As the Most Senior and Oldest Past Captain of RUBC, U Tin U was invited to open the RUBC Centennial Celebration in 2023
RUBC Centennial

Bridge
- Played with friends (e.g Richard Po Ohn)
- Played with Uncle and two cousins
Golf
- Past Captain, RGC
- Played with senior (e.g U Yaw Hlaing) & junior (e.g U Soe Paing) partners until his early 80s
Memories
- Relaxing in the garden
Tin U
- Visit
With Than Htut

Interviews
- For RGC (Rangoon Golf Club)
- For HMEE (History of Myanmar Engineering Education)
- For his grandson Min Ko
Kidnap Survivor
- See account by his son Dr. Khin Tun (Peter)
Yahan Khan

Yahan Khan

Garawa
- SPZP-2012
SPZP-2012
- PWD Architect 2 Group
PWD 1

PWD 2

PWD 3

Birthday Presents
- Photo Album for 90th birthday by Tin Htoon & Htaik San
- Photo Cards for several birthdays by Tin Htoon & family
Birthday Card from U Tin Htoon & family

U Ba Than

With 90th Birthday Present (Photo Album)

Young U Ba Than

At Saya Pu Zaw Pwe with Sayagyi U Ba Toke

Double Dana : Donated Garawa money to selected Charities

Partial List of Donations

In Singapore for medical check up

With former students, who came to pay respect

At Winner Inn

Young & Old

U Tin U & U Ba Than
June 15, 2026
U Ba Toke & U Ba Than
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2026

Garawa
- U Ba Than usually visits and pay homage to his saya U Ba Toke at least once every year.
- Both are our Sayagyis.
January 2017
- Pansy (Thynn Thynn, ChE 74) asked her daughter & son-in-law to pick up Saya U Ba Than (86 years), Saya U Tin Htut (79 years) and me to see her father Sayagyi U Ba Toke (96 years).
- Sayagyi has some problems with mobility & vision, but his mind remains crisp & clear.
- He was born on Dec 26, 1920. Rangoon University opened on Dec 1, 1929. They are “Phwa Bet Taws”.
- Sayagyi deferred celebrating his birthday so that three of his grandchildren abroad could come back & join the celebration.
- Sayagyi is pre-deceased by his beloved spouse, daughter (Kitty) and son (Soe Win).
- He has six remaining children : Betty, Ye Myint, Nellie, Pansy, Tammy & Debbie
- Pansy has offered transportation (within Rangoon) to Sayas who want to visit her father
Book

Book
- A detailed account of Sayagyi has been covered by Saya Dr. Khin Maung Swe (“Maung Thin Char”).
- I received an autographed copy during a previous visit. The book may need a reprint.
Memories

SPZP-2000
- Ko Maung Maung Than (M79, Texas) donated a roundtrip ticket to invite a Saya from Myanmar to attend SPZP-2000.
- Debbie (Saya’s youngest daughter) relayed Saya’s wish to attend SPZP-2000.
- Ko Zaw Min Nawaday (EP70) offered accommodation for Saya, Ko Ye Myint & spouse.
- Several sayas and alumni donated towards Saya’s expenses for the trip. Some offered to show Saya around the SF Bay Area.
SPZP-2000

SF Bay Area

SPZP-2007
- Saya was asked about Longevity.
- Saya recounted his experience in USSR. The host said, “Do not worry about the noise upstairs. It’s my 100+ years young uncle quarreling with his fourth wife. They will make peace soon”.
SPZP-2012 & 2016
- Saya needed assistance to attend the SPZPs.
- Even some younger Sayas needed wheelchair.
RU Centennial
- Due to pandemic, most events were broadcast or held online.
- Saya passed away on Dec 2, 2020 — the day after the RU Centennial.
GBNF
- Sayagyi U Ba Toke passed away a few days short of his Centennial birthday
U Ba Toke
- U Ba Than passed away after his 94th birthday
U Ba Than
- Dr. Khin Maung Swe passed away in his 80s
Dr. Khin Maung Swe
June 15, 2026
Aging

by Hla Min

Updated : June 2026

Senior

I felt uncomfortable to be addressed as “Ah Ba”, “Pho Pho” and to be offered assistance (e.g. wheelchair).

I now feel OK to use wheelchair at air ports and to have people assist me when I climb up & down hill slopes. I had a couple of bike rides on dirt roads.

I enjoy senior discounts for trains, buses & restaurants.

I hope that my mental faculties will remain sharp and strong.

Jara (old age) caught even the sport stars like Sayagyi U Ba Toke.

Sayagyi U Ba Toke

Phwa Bet Taw

Saya is a Phwa Bet Taw of Rangoon University and the first Rangoon University Students’ Strike in December 1920.

SPZP-2000

In 2000, Theingi (Saya’s youngest daughter) conveyed us Saya’s wishes to attend SPZP-2000. U Maung Maung Than (M79, Texas) had donated a round trip ticket. Several sayas & alumni donated expenses. Details can be found in “Count down to the Reunion” articles.

SPZP-2000

Birthdays

Saya 2

He celebrates his birthdays with his children, grandchildren & great-grandchildren.

Saya‘s birthday

Longevity

Saya gave a speech in SPZP-2007 about “Longevity”. He visited a house in USSR where the 80+ year old host explained about the noise up stairs. “Don’t worry. It’s my 100+ year old uncle quarelling with his fourth wife. They will make amends.”

Garawa

During my visits to Yangon, I paid respect to Saya.

U Ohn Khine (M70) gave me a ride in 2012. Saya gave us autographed book. We enjoyed Sayagyi’s accounts. He was a football star, a leader of the Burma Olympic Delegation, and an excellent teacher. Up to his early 80s, he could walk to the Shwe Dagon pagoda with his friends. In his 90s, Sayagyi lost some mobility, eye sight and hearing, but he was determined to attend SPZPs.

Book

In 2016, Saya’s son U Ye Myint and daughter Daw Thynn Thynn (Pansy) made arrangements to give us rides to and back from Saya’s house.

U Ba Toke

In 2018, I called Ma Theingi and asked about Sayagyi. She mentioned that Sayagyi is healthy but because he had lost most teeth, she has to listen carefully to grasp his message.

Saya passed away on December 2, 2020. It was the day after RI U Centennial. It was a few days short of his Centennial Birthday on December 26.

U Ba Toke 2

U Ba Toke 3

U Ba Toke 5

June 15, 2026
Nyunt Htay
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2026

Highlights

Nyunt Htay 1

High School Luyechun
- Luyechun (လူရည်ချွန်) for 9th & 10th standards. Present at the first Luyechun Camp was Thinchar Chun (သင်္ချာချွန်) Kyaw Myint (later T72 grad, MARB President)
Metallurgical Engineering

Nyunt Htay 2
- Graduated from RIT in 1973 with Metallurgical Engineering
- Taught Metallurgical Engineering
- Retired as Associate Professor
- Wrote articles about the Department, Sayas & Students
Passion
- Poetry, writing & editing
- Pen name : Maung Nyunt Htay (Ah Htet Min Hla) မောင်ညွန့်ဌေး (အထက်မင်းလှ)
Nyunt Htay 3
- Editor, RIT Annual Magazine
- Chief Editor, Myanmar Mudita Sar Saung
Myanmar Mudita
- Contributor, Poetic Art Series
- Co-author, Collection of Swel Daw Yeik Poems
Book of Poems

Family members
- Two daughters
- Several “Myee” cats.
Health
- Had a brush with Covid-19 and received support from the alumni and/or SDYF.
- Recovered fully
- Some sayas, sayamas and 9 Metallurgy alumni (including Maung Tun, 69er) succumbed to Covid.
Memories

Book Presents
- Gave me the Myanmar Mudita Sar Saung
- Gave me an autographed copy of “Swel Daw Kabyar Collection” by him and four RIT Poets : Saya U Moe Aung, Saya U Aung Myaing, U Win Myint (M72) and U Toee Maung.
2015 RIT Alumni in Los Angeles
- Attended the gathering with Metallurgy Saya U Win Kyaw (Met71),
- Other Metallurgy attendees include Saya U Thein Aung (Met72), Sayama Dr. Naing Naing Aung (Met91) & Ko Thiri Nyunt (musician).
Gathering at iNapa Winery

At iNapa Winery
- Metallurgy sayas and Ko Thiri Nyunt attended the Lunch, Dinner & Entertainment at iNapa winery hosted by Gordon Kaung (M83) and Lillian (EC83).
- The attendees paid respect to Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi. On behalf of Bagyee Myat Myo Myint, U Nyunt Htay presented a Pon Tu to Sayagyi.
Micro-gathering in 2019
- During my visit to Yangon in late 2019, U Nyunt Htay hosted a micro gathering at Shwe Bae.
- U Win Kyaw picked me and Saya U Ye Myint (ChE70) to attend the gathering.
Micro-gathering

Kabyar by Saya Moe

Saya Moe

” ကဗျာဆရာ… သို့ “

လွတ်လပ်ခြင်းဆိုသည့် မြေပေါ်…
မတော်တဆလား
ခြေချော်ခဏအလား
မွေးဖွားလာရခရီးစခဲ့….။

“ခုနစ်ဆယ့်သုံး…”
ဝရုန်းသုန်းကား
ခေတ်ဖဝါးအောက်
ကျရောက် ရှည်ကြာ
ဘယ်မှာ ဘယ်တော့
မော့မော့ ပေါ့ပါး
ဝန်အား မပိ
လွှင့်ဘိ ကြယ်တံခွန်
မိုးစွန်ထိပ်ဖျားတက်နိုင်ငြားအံ့…။

တပ်လှန့် ခရီးပြင်း
ဝေးနေရင်း က
နီးခြင်း မယိမ်းမယိုင်
ဟော..ဟိုမှာပန်းတိုင်ဟေ့…
ဆုပ်ကိုင်မိ တစ်ဘဝ
အလှ သစ္စာတရား
ဖွားသစ်ရနံ့ သင်းပျံ့လှိုင်…။ ။

(မောင်ညွန့်ဌေး-အထက်မင်းလှ .. မွေးနေ့သို့)
တက္ကသိုလ် မိုးဝါ
၄ -၁ -၂၀၂၂
June 14, 2026
BASES
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2026

Background
- Name suggested by U Tun Aung (Jeffery, EC68, GBNF)
U Tun Aung
- Burmese American Society for Engineers and Scientists
- Southern California, USA
Founders
- Saya U Tin Htut (M60)
U Tin Htut
- U Tin Htway (M59)
- U Tun Tin (David, GBNF)
Past Presidents
- U Tin Htut
- U Tin Htway
- U Tun Tin
- U Tun Aung ( Jefferey, EC68, GBNF)
- Saya Dr. Tin Win (M62)
Dr. Tin Win
- Saya Dr. Chris Lee (EE59)
- U Khin Maung Lay (Henry, T68)
- U Tin Nwe (Milton, C68)
- U Thura Thant Zin (M76)
U Thura Thant Zin 1

U Thura Thant Zin 2

With Dance Troupe
- John Huntley
Activities
- Fundraiser
  Kyan Yay (Sugar Cane Drink)
  Htamane
  Food & Desserts
BAP Booth selling Sugar Cane Drink
- Annual Dinner & Entertainment
- Trips
- Helped 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles
2015 Reunion 1

2015 Reunion 2

2015 Reunion 3
- Active in Activities sponsored by SCBA (Southern California Burmese Associations)
Notes
- Many members are RIT alumni. Some volunteered for SPZP-2000 held in San Francisco.
- U Aung Khin (EP68) is Past Vice President
- James Shwe (M76) is a Donor and EC.
- U Khin Maung Lay (Henry) served as Emcee for BAPS gatherings and 2015 Alumni Reunion. He was Secretary of RIT Track & Field Association. He represented RIT in Soccer, Rowing and T&F. He loves Cooking.
- I attended BASES gatherings as Guest of EC and/or Saya U Tin Htut.
- Mra Tun (UCC, TAMPS) and Ricky Zaw are guitarists & vocalists. Ricky’s sister is Nyunt Nyunt Zaw (T68, GBNF).
2015 Reunion
- NorCal RITAA invited selected BASES EC to the gatherings.
NorCal RITAA Dinner

Posts
- Alumni
- Associations
- Fund Raising
- Gatherings
June 14, 2026