HlaMin

Blog

  • SPHS54

    SPHS54

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    Class Photo

    SPHS54

    Alumni

    • Alan Khoo / Than Win (GBNF) : ADB
    • Ernest Po Saw / Thein Oo Po Saw : Nuclear Physicist
    • Koon Yin Chu / Phillip : First in Burma; Architect; Entrepreneur
    • M Hla Min : RUBC Gold; SPHS Saya
    • Dr. Myo Paing : Medical Researcher
    • Oo Thwin / Michael (GBNF) : Rutgers Graduate
    • San Maung / Gerald (GBNF) : RUBC Gold & Coach
    • Sao Hso Hom : English Honors; Law; Sawbwa
    • Dr. Thein Htut : RUBC Gold
    • Tin Htoon : Architect; RUBC Captain & Gold
    • Tun Shein / Willie : RUBC Gold

    Koon Yin Chu

    • First in Burma
    • First in Architecture 1960
    • Entrepreneur
    • Currently in USA

    Oo Thwin (Michael)

    • Graduate of Rutgers University
    • Passed away in Houston, Texas
    Oo Thwin

    Sao Hso Hom

    • Son of Arzani Sao Sam Htun
    • Mong Pawn Sawbwa Lay
    • First Class English Honors
    • Law Graduate
    • Author, Translator
    • UN Retiree
    • Currently in Australia
    Sao Hso Hom

    Tin Htoon

    • Architect, Thiri Pyit Saya Hotel in Bagan
    • Architect, Burmese Buddhist Temple in Singapore
    • Advisor, selected S N Goenka’s Projects
    • RUBC Captain & Gold
    • Winner of Venables Bowl for Coxless Pairs, 1958 ARAE Regatta in Calcutta with Harry Saing
    • Winner of Willingdon Trophy for Coxed Fours, 1960 ARAE Regatta in Colombo with Harry Saing, Victor Htun Shein and Sein Htoon
    • RUBC 40th Anniversary Magazine with Sithu U Tin and U Po Zon
    • Chair, RUBC 90th Anniversary Magazine
    RUBC 90th Anniversary

    Dr. Thein Htut

    • RUBC Gold
    • Parents : Col Min Sein, Dr. Daw Yin May
    • Currently in Australia
    Thein Htut

    Tun Shein

    • Aka Willie Saing
    • RUBC Gold
    • Sr. Novices Winner in 1954
    Tun Shein
    Paulian Crew — Sr. Novices Winners in 1954

  • Memories

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    Sayadaws

    Myingyan Sunlun Gu Kyaung Sayadaw
    Mahasi Sayadaw 1
    Mahasi Sayadaw 2
    Mahasi Sayadaw 3
    Mahasi Sayadaw 4
    Mahasi Sayadaw 5
    Mahasi Sayadaw 6

    Webu Sayadaw
    Saddhammaransi Sayadaw
    U Thilawuntha
    Beelin Sayadaw

    Sayas

    SPHS Sayas
    Bro Anslem
    Daw Nyein
    Daw Khin Khin Gyi & Dr. Kyaw Thet
    U Lin
    Saw Christopher Sein

    UCC Alumni in Singapore

    UCC 1
    UCC 2

    Garawa by 69ers

    U Tun Shwe
    U Win
    U Kyi
    U Lay Aung
    U Lin

    Htee Yein ထီးယိမ်း

    • 1970 Rangoon University Golden Jubilee
    • Performers from Rangoon Institute of Technology
    • With colorful umbrellas
    Htee 1
    Htee 2
    Htee 3

    Award in memory of U Ba Toke

    • Saya U Ba Toke was Professor of Mathematics at RASU and RIT
    • He was Associate Dean at Assumption University in Bangkok
    Daughters of Saya U Ba Toke; Sayama Daw Myint Myint Khone

    SF Bay Area Retirees

    • Saya U San Tun / Sain Fone Wong (M59)
    • Saya U Maung Maung / George Chan (ChE66
    SF 1
    SF 2

    New Jersey

    NJ

    Lyn Swe Aye

    Hosted by Lyn

    Win Latt

    Win Latt 1
    Win Latt 2

    RIT

    With U & Mrs. Sein Myint
    Meeting 1
    Meeting 2
    SPZP
    69er
    Intake of 1966
    Intake of 64 and 65

    Dhammananda Vihara, Half Moon Bay

    With Sayadaw U Osadha & Dr. Lyn Swe Aye
    With Uzin Chan Min & Dr. Lyn Swe Aye

    RIT Elec Engg

    EC / EP 68

    Singapore

    Reception for Andrew Khoo

    Reading, UK

    Win Mar’s Birthday

    SPHS63

    Kyaw Win’s Birthday
    Victor Nyunt Wai

    Paulian Mountaineers

    Sydney Kyant & Aung Thwin are GBNF

    Old Paulians’ Association

    OPA

    RIT69ers

    69er A
    69er B
  • Celebrations

    Celebrations

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    Centennials

    • Rangoon University (Established on December 1, 1920)
    • Thakhin Kodaw Hmaing (Founder of Peace Movement and Principal of National College)
    • Bogyoke Aung San (Architect of Burma’s Independence)
    • U Thant (United Nations Secretary General)
    • U Thein Han (Zawgyi, Chief Librarian of Rangoon University Central Library, Laureate Poet)
    • U Wun (Minthuwun, Professor, Head of RU Translation Department, Lexicographer, Visiting Professor at Osaka University)
    • Dr. Maung Maung Kha (Rector of Rangoon University)
    Dr. Maung Maung Kha
    Dr. Maung Maung Kha & Family
    • Ludu Daw Ah Mar (Amar, Author and Publisher)
    • U Khin Maung Latt (Taught English at RU and at his private school, Chief Editor of Working People’s Daily)
    • Daw Khin Myo Chit (Participant in the struggle for Burma’s Independence, Award winning Author and Translator)

    RU Jubilees

    The University of Rangoon was established in December 1920. The Jubilees include

    • Silver Jubilee (in 1945)
      Most of the schools were closed for three years. The University of Rangoon reopened in 1946.
      There were make-shift classes on Mogul (Shwe Bon Tha) Street during that period.
      Saya U Ba Toke was lucky to receive his Masters during the war (thanks to his supervisor).
    • Golden Jubilee (in 1970)
      I used to have a commemorative issue.
      I also had a small part as a volunteer of the “Zay Nay Yar Cha Htar Yay Ah Phwe”.
    • Diamond Jubilee (in 1995)
      Saya Dr. Soe Win has posted a picture.
    • Centennial (in 2020)
      EC Members of the “Tekkatho Kalaung Ah Thin (1958 – 1962)” will publish a Kabyar book and a commemorative issue.

      The Engineering Education was established in 1923.
      Rangoon University Boat Club (RUBC) was founded in 1923.
      The Centennial Celebrations could be held in 2023.

    At the centennial celebrations of some universities, the alumni and staff were asked to nominate events and people to be honored as the 100 items associated with the school. The Group members could propose a list of memorable items about their alma mater.

  • U Tin Maung Nyunt

    U Tin Maung Nyunt

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    Saya U Tin Maung Nyunt (M)

    Highlights

    • Born in Mogok
    • Attended I.Sc at Mandalay University
    • Graduated with Mechanical Engineering in 1960
    • Worked for Joint Venture Corporation (JVC) formed by relatives
    • Found an advertisement in a newspaper to apply for a Government Scholarship.
    • Selected to study Agricultural Engineering in USA
    • Received Masters from Virginia Tech
    • Came back to Burma on an Ocean Liner with Saya Allen Htay (GBNF), Saya U Soe Paing, Saya U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF) & U Than Pe. They became close friends on the two-month long journey.

    M/Agri Saya at RIT

    • Upon his return, he was assigned to Agricultural Institute in Yezin. Before reporting for duty, he visited RIT.
    • Sayagyi U Ba Than asked if he would like to join Agri Sub-Department of Mechanical Engineering. Sayagyi said that some students were not at ease following lectures given by visiting Soviet lecturers via interpreters.
    • President, RIT Thaing
    • Played Defender on RIT Saya Soccer team

    Life after RIT

    • Worked in Thailand & USA

    USA

    • Attended RIT Alumni Gatherings
    U Tin Maung Nyunt 1
    • Donated $500 for the Training Component of YTU Library Modernization project.
    U Tin Maung Nyunt’s Donation
    • He is a day older than Saya Allen. Their birthdays are December 30 & 31.
    • Monthly Breakfast Gathering with Saya Allen, U Ko Ko Aye, Ko Thein Naing (Patrick) and me. Saya Allen & U Ko Ko Aye are now GBNF.
    U Tin Maung Nyunt & Saya Allen
    • Saya U Soe Paing visited him in Milpitas, California. We had a lunch gathering at a restaurant.
    U Tin Maung Nyunt 2
    • He enjoyed Hiking & Tennis, but had to suspend due to Jara and Byadi
    • Volunteer for establishing Taungpulu Kaba Aye Monastery in Northern California.
    • He had operations (one quite early and another a few years back).
    • He listens to selected Dhamma talks.

    Others

    • Saya U Tin Maung Nyunt (Met70)

  • U Tin Maung Nyunt’s Books

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    Education & Work

    • Mechanical Engineering from Rangoon University in 1960
    • Worked for JVC run by relatives. Read news about State Scholarship
    • Masters in Agricultural Engineering from Virginia Tech in the USA
    • Paid respect to Saya U Ba Than. Saya asked if he would like to join Agri Dept. (sub-dept of Mechanical).
    • Later moved to Thailand & USA

    Books

    • Saya and I used to exchange books (dhamma and general).
    • He told me to keep the ones that I want.
    • He bought books. He got books when his dhamma friend Saya U Soe Kaw (Mining) passed away. He got books when a monastery undergoing renovation gave away the old stuff.
    • Saya’s books include Ludu Dawlove Ah Mar, Theikpan Maung Wa, Tha Ka Doe, and Kyemon U Thaung.

    Ludu Daw Ah Mar

    • She took part in the 1936 RU Student Strike.
    • Spouse : Ludu U Hla (Writer & Journalist)
    • Many journalists & writers worked at Ludu Newspaper founded by U Hla & Daw Ah Mar.
    • Saya gave me the book written by Ludu Daw Ah Mar about notable people from Mandalay.
    • Daw Oo Zun (founder of the first Lu Oh Yone လူအိုရုံ) and Kyar Ba Nyein (Boxing & Checkers) are some of the Mandalay Thu မန္တလေးသူ and Mandalay Thar မန္တလေးသား featured in the book.
    Book by Ludu Daw Ah Mar

    Theikpan Maung Wa

    • U Sein Tin was an early student who took Burmese Honors.
    • Became ICS.
    • Co-founded “Khit San Sar Pay” with U Thein Han (Zawgyi) & U Wun (Minthuwun).
    • Wrote a journal during his study at Oxford University and published a book.
    • Wrote semi-autobiographical accounts featuring Maung Lu Aye မောင်လူအေး and Maung Lu Hmwe မောင်လူမွှေး
    • His collection of “Wut Htu Saung Par ဝတ္ထုဆောင်းပါးာwas prescribed as a Burmese text for high school.
    • Saya gave me the book written a book by Theikpan Maung Wa about pets.
    • Theikpan Maung Wa succumbed as a victim of a robbery (gone wrong).

    Memories

    Health & Fitness

    • President of RIT Thaing
    • Member of RIT Saya Soccer Team
    • Hiking & some Mountaineering (before having medical problems)
    • Had operation

    Social & Religious Activities

    • Volunteer for constructing the pagoda & monastery at Taung Pulu Kaba Aye (first in the SF Bay Area & later at Boulder Creek)
    • Member, Kappiya Karaka ကပ္ပိယကာရက
    • Supporter, Team that compiled & converted Mogok Sayadaw’s tapes into CD
    • Donated $500 to YTU Library Modernization project
    Donation
    • Used to have monthly လဖက်ရည် နဲ့ စကားဝိုင်း with Saya Allen Htay (GBNF), U Ko Ko Aye (GBNF), Ko Thein Naing (Patrick) and me.
    • Visit by Saya U Soe Paing (EE, UCC). They spent over a month on an Ocean Liner to return home after studying in the USA.
    Visit by U Soe Paing
    • Saya and U Sein Tun were roommates at Mandalay University in 1955. They met again at a Fundraiser in Newark Pavilion on June 22, 2025.
    With U Sein Tun

    Posts

    • Agricultural Engineering
    • Agricultural Research Institute (ARI)
    • Mechanical Engineering
    • RIT Sayas
  • Men on the Moon

    Men on the Moon

    by Hla Min

    Update : June 2026

    July 1969

    • NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) successfully sent Apollo-11 to land men on the moon and bring them safely back to the earth (as envisioned by JFK).

    Apollo 11

    • Neil Armstrong — Civilian Commander; First man on the moon
    • Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin — Lunar Module Pilot; Second man on the moon
    • Michael Collins — Command Module Pilot

    My Poem

    • The poem honoring the Apollo 11 Mission was published in the Guardian newspaper.
    • A copy of the poem was given to Mr. Hall (USIS), who forwarded it to NASA and the astronauts.

    Updates

    • Neil Armstrong became a University Professor
    • For some time, Buzz Aldrin was depressed for not being the first to set foot on the Moon. He later competed in “Dancing with the Stars”.
    • Michael Collins reply to interviewers : “The mission needed three astronauts. I am 1/3 of the success.” He wrote a book.
    • Apollo 13 had a technical problem. The saga was recounted in a book and a movie.
    • Apollo 17 had a Scientist Astronaut.
    • A mini-history was published based on the interviews with Astronauts.
    Mini-history

    Posts

    • Anniversaries & Celebrations
    • July
    • My Writings
    • Poetry
    • Space race
  • Dr. Aung Gyi

    Dr. Aung Gyi

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    Highlights

    Pon Tu of Saya Dr. Aung Gyi
    Saya U Min Wun and Saya Dr. Aung Gyi at the Welcome Dinner for SPZP-2000
    • Born on 1st October 1931
    • Except for loss of hearing, he is healthy.
    • Attended SPZPs, mini-PZPs and micro-PZPs in Canada, USA, Singapore & Myanmar.
    • Matriculated in 1949
    • First group of engineering students selected to study at prestigious universities in the USA under the Twinning Program
    • BS and MS from MIT
    • Upon return, he joined the Faculty of Engineering as Assistant Lecturer.
    • Promoted to Lecturer & Head of Civil Engineering
    • Doctorate from University of Alberta
    • Succeeded U Yone Mo as Rector of RIT in 1971
    • Left for UN assignment.
    • Later : moved to Canada
    • Fondly talks about “the best days of his life at RIT”
    DAG 2
    DAG 3

    Contributions

    • Brief bio for SPZP-2000
    • Keynote at SPZP-2000 : Talked about Health & Emotional Intelligence
    • Article covering (a) State Scholarship in the USA (b) experience as Professor and Rector (HMEE book has excerpts from the article)
    • Introduction to the History of Myanmar Engineering Education ( in Supplement CD of HMEE book)
    • Coconut Episode (Heard at Saya Allen Htay’s house before SPZP-2000. Transformation of a student from a Coconut thief into a respected 3R teacher. Printed version appeared in “Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung” for a Singapore SPZP.)
    • Anecdotes on several occasions
    • Saya and I spent a few days together at Ivan’s house in New Jersey in 2015. Saya would tell us stories from his RIT days.
    Ivan, Saya & me
    • We spent two nights at Saya’s house in Canada during the whirlwind trip hosted by Ivanwith the help of Fred Thetgyi.
    At Saya’s house
    • During my visits to Yangon, I was “Ei Hmyaung” at the gatherings — one for the birthday of Daw Emma and one for welcoming Sayagyis attending SPZP
    Birthday Party for Daw Emma

    Posts

    • Civil Engineering
    • HMEE
    • SPZP
    • Twinning Program
    • Visits
  • U Tun Shwe

    U Tun Shwe

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    ဆရာ ဦးထွန်းရွှေ (စက်မှု အင်ဂျင်နီယာ 1960)

    U Tun Shwe 1
    • Graduated in 1960 and joined the Faculty.
    • Taught until retirement at the Mechanical Engineering Department at RIT.
    • Patron on several RIT-related organizations and activities.
    • Took care of his mentor Sayagyi U Ba Than during the SPZPs held at Singapore.
    • Looks young and active as ever.
    U Tun Shwe 2

    နာယက Patron

    ကျောင်းသားဟောင်း အသင်း အစည်းအဝေး Alumni Meeting

    မှတ်တမ်း (တချို.) Selected Documents

    ရန်ကုန်တက္ကသိုလ် ဝန်ထမ်း

    နိုဝင်ဘာ 1960

    လက်ထောက် ကထိက

    ဘွဲ့ လက်မှတ်

    ထောက်ခံစာ

    2018 All Mechanical Gathering at Dolphin Restaurant

    All Mech Gathering

    Meeting

    Sayas U Tun Shwe & U Myo Kyi

    Notes

    • He attended 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles. He was hosted by his cousin
      U Win Htay (Walter, M70).
    • In 2024, U Wynn Htain Oo (M72) recorded videos of the Sagar Waing စကားဝိုင်း with Saya. It was to help celebrate the 60th Anniversary of RIT.

    Posts

    • 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles
    • Alumni Association
    • Gatherings
    • Mechanical Engineering
    • SPZP
  • U Saw Lin

    U Saw Lin

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    Highlights

    • Secretary, RIT Civil Engineering Association; Predecessors — U Hla Myint Thein (C69), U Myo Khin (C70); Successor — U Ko Ko Gyi (C72)
    Secretaries, RIT Civil Engineering Association
    • Graduated with Civil Engineering in 1971
    U & Mrs. Saw Lin
    • Retired MD, Kyay Ni project
    U Saw Lin & Dr. San Hla Aung

    SPZP-2012

    SPZP Meeting
    • Logistics
    • Security
    • Publications
    U Moe Aung and U Saw Lin
    • Chief Editor, Swel Daw Yeik Magazine
    Swel Daw Yeik Magazine Committee
    • Reprinted 23 RIT Annual Magazines
    • Hosted tour to selected sayas

    Reunion

    • Sayas
    • Alumni
    Civil Engineering Sayas and Alumni

    MES

    • VP
    • Editor & Publisher, Tech Magazine

    Memories

    • Gave me rides during my visit to Yangon in March & December 2012
    • Gave a welcome dinner at Feel restaurant for me and gave me an autographed copy of RIT Cartoons
    RIT Cartoons
    Welcome dinner

    Attendees : U Hla Min (EC69), U Ohn Khine (M70), Saya U Aung (C70), U Saw Lin (C71), Rosie Mai Khin Nyunt (ChE71), U Khin Maung Myint (ChE71)

    • Took me to SPZP meeting; Gave me dinner on the way back; Learned about his medical conditions & dietary restrictions

    Health

    U Saw Lin, Spouse, Brother, Daughter & Doctor
    • He had operations about a decade ago
    • After SPZP-2012 his health declined.
    • He was admitted to ICU a couple of times.
    • He passed away in 2014
    Obituary

  • U Tin Htut

    U Tin Htut

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2026

    U Tin Htut

    Brief Bio

    • Alumnus of SPHS, RU Faculty of Engineering, German University and Birmingham University
    • Graduated in 1960 and joined Mechanical Engineering Department as Assistant Lecturer.
    • His parents needed help to run their business. He complied. Three family members — his father U Chit Maung, his eldest brother U Sein Tin and saya — were taken into custody for several months.
    • After completing his Waso at Insein, he rejoined Mechanical Engineering Department as Assistant Lecturer. New Sayas had to join as Instructors.
    • Taught Industrial Management. Earlier, the subject was taught by Visiting Lecturers from Faculty of Social Science & Institute of Economics.

    Rowing

    • Past Captain & Gold of RUBC
    • Won Senior Novices twice : as Rower and as Cox of the All Paulian Crew with Tun Shein (Willie), Than Nyun (George), M Hla Min (Moosajee) & Sao Hso Holm (Sawbwa Lay)
    • Served as Administrator of YUBC for several years

    USA

    • Joined Northrop and also helped several alumni to join the company
    • Took Sabbatical to work for UN
    • Founded BASES with U Tin Htway (M59) and U Tun Tin (David, GBNF). He is a Past President.
    • Financial Controller for 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles.
    • Helped with SPZP-2000 held in San Francisco.
    • Came to SF Bay Area to attend RIT gatherings and to have family reunion with his sisters.
    • Hosted me at his new house. Took me to BASES Dinner and La Puente Monastery the following day (where there was a Soon Kwyay followed by Literary Talks).

    Donations

    • K100 lakhs to YTU Library Modernization Project
    • K10 lakhs to SDYF (Swel Daw Yeik Foundation)
    • Donated to All Mechanical Gathering

    Memories

    • SPZP-2000
    SPZP-2000
    • 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles
    2015 Reunion in Los Angeles
    2015 Reunion in Los Angeles
    • Donations
    Donation
    U Tin Htut and U Wynn Htain Oo
    • Singapore
    U Tin Htut, U Mg Mg Win, Dr. Tin Win & U Aung Myint
    U Tin Htut in Singapore
    U Tin Htut in Singapore
    • New Zealand
    U Tin Htut in NZ
    • SF Bay Area
    U Tin Htut in SF Bay Area
    • RUBC Golds
    RUBC Past Captains and/or Gold

    Posts

    • BASES
    • RIT Sayas
    • RUBC
    • SPZP