Blog

Doctors 1
by Hla Min

Updated : May 2026

Dr. Ba Than (GBNF)

Dr. Ba Than
- Police Surgeon
- MS, RGH (during the Japanese Occupation)
- Rector, IM (1)
- Shan Lay (Soccer)
- Zwe A Nyeint
- Children : Georgie, Kitty, Amy
Dr. U E (GBNF)

Dr. U E
- Rector, IM(2)
- Children : Bertie, Shirley, Babsy
Dr. Maung Maung Gyi

Dr. Maung Maung Gyi
- Rector, Mandalay IM
Dr. Ko Gyi (GBNF)
- Ophthalmologist
- Medical Superintendent of EENT Hospital
- Children : Tin Oo, Glory, Aung Khin (GBNF), Thein Wai
Col. Min Sein (GBNF)
- Dean, Medical College
- Spouse : Dr. Daw Yin May (GBNF)
- Children : Dr. Thein Htut (RUBC Gold), Tin Tin Aye
U Maung Gale (GBNF)
- Dean of the Rangoon Medical College from 1959 – 1962
- He translated Grey’s Anatomy to Burmese and he handed over the manuscripts to Dr Norma Saw.
U Khin Maung Win (GBNF)
- Pathologist
- DG ME
- Head of Medical Board to examine the people chosen for States Scholar.
Dr. Mya Tu (GBNF)

Dr. Mya Tu
- Founder-Director of Burma Medical Research Institute (BMRI) which later became DMR.
- Compiled the Magnum Opus (“Who’s who in Medicine in Burma?”) with his spouse Khin Thet Hta.
- Passed away in Australia
Dr. Tin U (GBNF)
- He initiated the study of Pediatrics in Burma as a separate discipline.
- Medical Superintendent of Rangoon Children’s Hospital.
Dr. P. R. Mohan (GBNF)

Dr. Mohan
- He served in the Burma Army Medical Corps from 1939 – 1945 as a medical officer in Burma theater, and discharged as a Major at the completion of World War II.
- He passed away in USA in 2005. He was 88 yrs old.
Dr. Mohan & Dr. Daw Hnin Yi
- Dr. Mohan and Dr. Daw Hnin Yi (Rosie) are remembered by several former students and colleagues.
Dr. Pe Nyun (GBNF)

Pe Nyun & Pe Thein at 1948 Independence Day Regatta
- Past Captain and Gold, RUBC
- Pediatric Surgeon
- Led team to operate conjoined twins (Ma Nan Soe & Ma Nan San)
- Passed away in Canada
Dr. Pe Thein (GBNF)
- RUBC Gold
- Professor
- Retired Minister of Health and Education
Dr. Htut Saing (Harry Saing, GBNF)

Dr. Harry Saing
- Second Lead to operate conjoined twins (Ma Nan Soe and Ma Nan San)
- All-round athlete : Burma Selected in Cricket, Hockey & Rowing
- Past Captain & Gold, RUBC
- 1958 ARAE Champion for Coxless Pairs
- 1960 ARAE Champion for Coxed Fours
- Worked at RCH and Hong Kong
- Passed away in Hong Kong
- Siblings : Sheila, Victor, Shirley
Dr. Daw Khin Than Nu (GBNF)
- Pioneer of Neonatal Care in Burma/Myanmar
- She regularly attended the IM(1) Saya Pu Zaw Pwes.
- She left to visit her son Ko Win Htut in the USA. When she passed away, Ko Win Htut gave a soon kwyay in her memory at Mettananda Vihara.
Dr. Thein Toe (GBNF)
- Headed Nutrition Research at BMRI / DMR
- Spouse : Khin Thitsar
- Passed away in UK
Dr. Thein Toe and Dr. Htut Saing (Harry)

Dr. Kyaw Win (GBNF)
- Army Doctor / Bogyoke
- Ambassador to UK and US
- Spouse : Kyi Kyi Chit Maung (GBNF)
- Sons : Htut Kyaw Win (GBNF), Aung Kyaw Win
Dr. Thein Htut
- RUBC Gold
- Moved to Australia
- Spouse : Wendy Sein
Dr. Nyunt Win (Eddie Tha Win, GBNF)
- Neurologist
- Moved to Australia
- Spouse : Marie Yu Khin (GBNF)
Dr. Daw Kyin Yee (GBNF)
- Worked in Myanmar before following her spouse Saya U Kyaw Myint (M/Auto64) to Beijing where he was working for UN.
- Relocated to USA and volunteered for meditation retreats.
Dr. Aung Khin Sint (GBNF)
- Medical doctor with a passion for “Public Health”
- Won the National Literary Award for his book on the “Awareness and Prevention of Diseases“
- Deputy Director with the Ministry of Health
- Led protests in the 8-8-88 movement
- Vilified for his criticism of the “unconstitutional” proposals and for running as an MP for the NLD in the 1990 elections
Dr. Khin Maung Gyi (Kevin, SPHS59)

The Gardener

(A tribute to all teachers)

Let me introduce to our teacher
Who is also a guardian and preacher
Guiding and nurturing from a youthful age
To raise us up with a healthy image.

As soon as the morning bell tolls
He started his routine – heart and soul
Never does he skips a single day
Sickness and malady are kept at bay.

He may be tired, his voice may whimper
His zest and zeal, nothing gets dimmer
Never to be seen in fits or rage
Happy and contented on not so high a wage.

His loving kindness is like a mountain
Goodwill from him flows like a fountain
He looks after us as one of his own
His empathy towards us is very well known.

Hearing the success of his ‘daughters and sons’
He beams as though ‘a war was won’
He is now overjoyed and highly thrilled
His life seems to be thus fulfilled.

Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint (SPHS60)

TOKM 1

TOKM 2
- He was the top Paulian in his class, and stood Sixth in the Matriculation exam.
- He founded the group “Alumni of the Institute of Medicine in Myanmar (Overseas)” and wrote about his mentors (Aba U Hla Myint, Dr. Tin U) and other trail blazers.
- His former students published a book for his 70th birthday.
Dr. Min Lwin (SPHS60)
- Orthopedic Surgeon
Dr. Than Toe (SPHS60, GBNF)
- Rehabilitation
Dr. Kyaw Win (SPHS61)
- Also known as Robin Ban
- Stood 2nd in Burma
- Moved to Australia
Dr. Khin Maung U (SPHS63)

SPHS
- Stood 1st in Burma.
  First student to have almost perfect score in Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics with 299 marks out of the possible 300. Grapevine says that Chief Examiner of Physics reluctantly took back a mark.
- Retired from FDA
- Sharing KMU Medical Reports
Scholarship Winners

Dr. Myo San (Freddie, SPHS63, GBNF)
- Stood Third in Burma
- Took early retirement as Surgeon
Dr. Nyunt Wai (Victor, SPHS63)
- Stood Fourth in Burma
- Retired as Professor of Physiology
- Taught at IM and Malaysia
- Hobbies : Painting, Writing, “Sagar Pari Ye”
Dr. Thein Wai (SPHS63)
- Stood Fifth in Burma
- Moved to USA after graduation
Dr. Aung Kyaw Zaw (Johnny Mg Mg, SPHS63)
- Stood Ninth in Burma
- Army Doctor / Cardiologist
Dr. Khin Maung Zaw (Frank Gale, SPHS63)
- Stood Seventeenth in Burma
- Retired Medical Doctor / Examiner / Registrar (in UK)
Dr. Aung Win Chiong (SPHS64)
- He had the second highest “raw” score behind Dr. Cherry Hlaing and Dr. Lyn Aung Thet. He had a perfect ILA score and was admitted to IM(2) as Roll Number One.
- He is now retired. His spouse Dr. Winnie Tan is co-founder of USA Con-Bro Association.
Dr. Min Lwin (Maurice, SPHS64)
- Admitted as Roll Number Two to IM(2)
- Surgeon (with Practice in UK and Myanmar)
Dr. Yi Thway (Edwin, SPHS65, GBNF)
- Fifth highest marks
- He was admitted as Roll Number (1) to IM(1).
- Passed away in UK
Dr. Paing Soe (Freddie, SPHS65)
- He had the same marks as Dr. Yi Thway.
- He was admitted as Roll Number (2) to IM(1).
Medical Research

Thanks to TOKM (Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint) and VNW (Dr. Victor Nyunt Wai) for their input and feedback.

Dr. Mya Tu (GBNF)
- He founded Burma Medical Research Institute (BMRI).
  BMRI later became Directorate of Medical Research (DMR).
  DMR had branches in Upper and Lower Burma.
- He served as Director General.
- He was a physiologist.
- He and his spouse compiled a directory of medical professionals in Burma.
- He passed away at the age of 91 in Australia.
- Dr. Thein Htut and Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint gave eulogies at Saya’s service.
Dr. Aung Than Ba Tu
- He is fondly known as ATBT.
- He succeeded Dr. Mya Tu.
- He requested UCC to give lectures on computing at BMRI. I was a Guest Lecturer.
- In his 90s, he is still active, giving talks and participating in the editorial team of a certain journal.
Dr. Khin Maung Tin (GBNF)
- He was MS of the Rangoon University Sanatorium.
- He succeeded Dr. ATBT.
- He specialized in liver diseases
- He passed away the earliest (heard it was a heart attack)
- survived by Dr Daw Htay Kyi, a TB specialist.
Dr. May May Yi (GBNF)
- I met Sayama at the Inlay Luyechun camp in the summer of 1965.
- She is a physiologist.
- She was Professor of Physiology at the Institute of Medicine.
- She became DG at BMRI.
Dr. Than Shwe
- He is a microbiologist.
- After retirement, he moved to USA.
- He stays active by guiding high school students for their SAT tests.
Dr. Paing Soe
- He matriculated from St. Paul’s High School in 1965.
- He was selected Luyechun.
- He was DG of DMR.
- He retired as Deputy Minister of Health.
Researchers
- Dr. Thein Toe (UK, GBNF)
- Dr. Cho Nwe Oo
- Dr. Khin Kyi Nyunt (GBNF)
- Dr. Khin Maung U (FDA, USA)
- Dr. Kyaw Min (Retired as Acting DG)
Group photo : Young researchers (BMRI- DMR)

Medical Researchers

L to R: U Aung Myint, Dr Htay Htay, Saya (Prof Mya Tu), Dr Myo Thein, U Ba Aye (statistician), Dr Pe Thaung Myint (sports medicine), Dr Htin Kyaw (physiologist).

Alumni of Institute of Medicine in Myanmar
- Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint founded the group.
- He also wrote about Medical Pioneers in Burma.
Credit
- Dr. Maung Maung Nyo
- Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint
- Dr. V Nyunt Wai
- Dr. Kyaw Min
- Khin Thit Sar
- Mona Mohan
Related Posts
- Early Doctors
- Medical Research
- Paulian Doctors
May 1, 2026
Lifelong Learner
by Hla Min

Updated : May 2026

Paying back ကျေးဇူး ဆပ်

From our younger days, we learned about paying respect to our parents, mentors and benefactors.

ကျွန်တော် တို့ ငယ်စဉ် ကတည်း က ကျေးဇူးတရား အကြောင်း လေ့လာ မှတ်သား လေ့ကျင့် ခဲ့ ရပါတယ်။

I am following the noble tradition of honoring pioneers and outstanding people. I am trying my best to present their achievements and contributions. I an privileged to have known many seniors, contemporaries and juniors.

Who’s Who, Twentieth Century Impressions of Burma, Five Minute Biographies တွေ ကို နည်းယူပြီး ကျွန်တော် က Old Burma တုန်းက ထူးချွန်သူ တွေ ကို မှတ်တမ်းတင် ဂုဏ်ပြု နေတဲ့ ရှေ့မှီ နောက်မှီ (ဘေးမှီ) သူတယောက်ပါ။

I volunteered as a Docent at the Computer History Museum (CHM) for two years. CHM’s programs include Hardware & Software Artifacts, Exhibits, Oral History, Lectures, Panels and Award Ceremonies.

ကျွန်တော် Computer History Museum မှာ Docent အဖြစ် နှစ်နှစ် volunteer လုပ်ခဲ့ပါတယ်။ Computer Pioneer တွေ ကို မှတ်တမ်းတင်ဂုဏ်ပြု တဲ့ အဖွဲ့အစည်းပါ။ Artifacts, Exhibits, Oral History, Lectures & Panels တွေ စုံလင်ပါတယ်။

The Old Burma Group has posts about History, Notable (Famous as well as Notorious) people. I appreciate the invaluable posts as a reader and contributor.

Old Burma Group ဟာလည်း သမိုင်း နဲ့ ထူးချွန် / ဆိုးသွမ်း (Famous as well as Notorious) ကို မှတ်တမ်း တင် နေ တဲ့ အဖွဲ့ မို့ Contributor တယောက် အနေ နဲ့ ဝမ်းသာ ကြည်နူး မိပါတယ်။

I request the Group Administrator and Moderators to approve my posts.

ကျွန်တော် ရဲ့ posts တွေကို တင်ပြခွင့်ပြုပါ Admin နဲ့ Moderator များ ခင်ဗျာ။

ကျွန်တော် က
I am
- Founder & Chief Editor of RIT Alumni Newsletter
- Owner & Admin of RIT Updates FB Group
- Member of HMEE (History of Myanmar Engineering Education) : အဖွဲ့ဝင်၊
- ကံ့ကော်မြေ (တက္ကသိုလ်ရာပြည့်) Former Moderator of RU Centennial Group : Moderator ငြိမ်း၊
- Contributing Editor of RUBC 90th Anniversary Souvenir Magazine / မဂ္ဂဇင်း : စာတည်း
- Former employee of UCC, DCS, ICST : ဝန်ထမ်း ငြိမ်း၊
- စာပေ၊ သမိုင်း၊ ပညာရေး နဲ့ အားကစား ဝါသနာရှင်၊
  Interests : Literature, History, Education, Sports
- Contributor of Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife
- စာအုပ်တချို့ ရဲ့ စာတည်း
  Editor of selected books — e.g by Sayadaw U Jotalankara, Saya U Aung Zaw (UCC, GBNF)
- Own / ကိုယ်ပိုင် website : Author / Editor
  hlamin.com
I have posted articles of historical interest.

အဖြစ်နဲ့ သမိုင်းဝင် အကြောင်းအရာ တချို့ကို ပြန်လည်မျှဝေ နေဆဲပါ။

ကြည်နူး Delighted

I am glad to receive feedback, information and suggestions from my former teachers, family members of senior alumni, colleagues and friends.

Posts တွေမှာ ပါတဲ့ ဆရာ၊ ဆရာမ၊ Senior Alumni တွေရဲ့ မိသားစုများ၊ အပေါင်းအသင်းများ ရဲ့ Feedback & Information တွေ ဖတ်ရလို့ ဝမ်းသာပါတယ်။

I also learned a lot from the posts by Subject Matter Experts and Group Experts.

SME (Subject Matter Experts), Group Experts … တွေ ရဲ့ posts တွေ ကို ဖတ် ရလို့ ဗဟုသုတ ရပါတယ်။

Credits

I have provided Credit for the Photos and References.

တတ်နိုင်သရွေ့ Source, Photos တွေကို Credit ပေးခဲ့ ပါတယ်။

Fond Memories

Pon Tu (Portrait) Present from

Bagyee Myat Myo Myint (U Myo Myint)

U Myo Myint (Retired Deputy General Manager of Burma Railways) is an accomplished Painter, Cover Designer and Cartoonist. He drew Pon Tu’s of selected RIT Sayas, Sayamas, and colleagues. I am honored to receive his present.

ပန်းချီ မြတ်မျိုးမြင့် ရဲ့ လက်ဆောင် မွန်
Pon Tu gift from Bagyee Myat Myo Myint / U Myo Myint (M)

Pon Tu

1964 – 65
Rangoon Institute of Technology (RIT)

I was admitted to 2nd BE (Bachelor of Engineering) in November 1964.

The photo was taken at the Gyogone campus.

2nd BE student

1964 – 65 ရန်ကုန်စက်မှုတက္ကသိုလ် ဒုတိယနှစ် သင်တန်းသား
2nd BE Student at Rangoon Institute of Technology

1965 Summer
Inlay Luyechun Camp

I was selected as Luyechun (Outstanding Student).

The photo was taken at the Welcome Ceremony by the Head of Shan States.

LYC

1965 နွေရာသီ အင်းလေး ခေါင်တိုင် လူရည်ချွန် စခန်း
တက္ကသိုလ် နဲ့ အထက်တန်း လူရည်ချွန်များ
Inlay Khaung Daing Luyechun Camp in the Summer of 1965

1969 December
Poem for 5th SEAP Games

Burma hosted the 2nd SEAP Games in 1961, and the 5th SEAP Games in 1969.

The photo shows a page from the Forward Magazine. Maung Thaw Ka (Bohmu Ba Thaw, GBNF) was Chief Editor of the magazine.

Forward

Forward မဂ္ဂဇင်း — ဒီဇင်ဘာ 1969
ပဥ္စမ အကြိမ် အရှေ့တောင်အာရှ ကျွန်းဆွယ်ပွဲ အတွက် ကဗျာ စပ်ဆို ခဲ့
Poem about the 5th SEAP Games

Mid 1970s
Universities’ Computer Center (UCC), Rangoon

The photo was taken with the Teachers and Students of CPC (Computer Programming Course).

Dr. Tin Maung (GBNF) succeeded Dr. Chit Swe (UCC Founder, GBNF) as Director of UCC.

UCC

တက္ကသိုလ်များ ကွန်ပျူတာ ဌာန က ပို့ချတဲ့ သင်တန်း တခု
Computer Course at Universities’ Computer Center (UCC), Thamaing College Campus

1999 April to 2025
Chief Editor of RIT Alumni International Newsletter

https://hlamin.com/2024/03/09/rit-alumni-newsletter-for-spzp-2000-2/

RIT Alumni Newsletter

2000 October
Saya Pu Zaw Pwe in California

SPZP-2000

SPZP-2000 Organizers

2005++
Paying Homage to Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa

U Silananda

ဆရာတော် ဦးသီလာနန္ဒာဘိဝံသ (ပါချုပ်ဆရာတော်)
အထိမ်းအမှတ် မော်ကွန်းစာစောင်အတွက် အဖွဲ့ဝင် & စာတည်း
Contributing Editor for the Book published in memory of Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa

2010 December
Saya Pu Zaw Pwe in Singapore

SDY Sar Saung

2010 စင်ကာပူ မှာ ကျင်းပတဲ့ စက်မှုတက္ကသိုလ် ဆရာပူဇော်ပွဲ အထိမ်း အမှတ် စွယ်တော်ရိပ်စာစောင်
Wrote an article “A Sad and Short Clip: EE Sayas” for the Commemorative Issue
of Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung for SPZP-2010 in Singapore

2012 December
Saya Pu Zaw Pwe at Gyogone Campus

SPZP-2012

ပွင့်လင်းခေတ်
2012 မှာ ကျင်းပခဲ့ တဲ့ ရန်ကုန်စက်မှုတက္ကသိုလ် ဆရာပူဇော်ပွဲ
SPZP-2012: True Home Coming

HMEE (History of Myanmar Engineering Project)
HMEE Book published in 2012

HMEE

မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ အင်ဂျင်နီယာ ပညာရေး သမိုင်း ပြုစု တဲ့ အဖွဲ့
Member of HMEE (History of Myanmar Engineering Education)
U Ohn Khine (M70) and I compiled the CD Supplement for the HMEE Book published in 2012
Copies of the Book were donated to Libraries

CD

2012 နှစ် မှာ ထုတ်ဝေခဲ့တဲ့ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ အင်ဂျင်နီယာပညာရေး သမိုင်း စာအုပ် ရဲ့ နောက်ဆက်တွဲ စီဒီ
CD Supplement for the HMEE Book
Photos and articles (in English) to supplement the articles (in Burmese) in the HMEE Book

2013
RUBC 90th Anniversary Souvenir Magazine

RUBC

2013 — ရန်ကုန်တက္ကသိုလ် လှေလှော်အသင်း ရဲ့ နှစ် 90 ပြည့် အထိမ်း အမှတ်စာစောင်
RUBC 90th Anniversary Souvenir Magazine

2014 December
RIT Shwe YaDu (Golden Jubilee)

SDY Magazine

ရန်ကုန်စက်မှုတက္ကသိုလ် ရွှေရတု အထိမ်းအမှတ်စွယ်တော်ရိပ် မဂ္ဂဇင်း (2014)
Wrote an article “Memories of a 69er” for the Commemorative Issue
of Swel Daw Yeik Magazine for Shwe YaDu 2014

2016 September
Alumni Appreciation Award

Award

2019 December
RUBC 96th Anniversary Regatta

Regatta

RUBC 96th Anniversary & Regatta (2019)
U Tin Myint (GBNF), U Sein Htoon, U Khin Maung Latt, U Hla Min

2019 December
Golden Jubilee of Graduation of RIT 69ers

GJ

2019 — 1969 နှစ် ဘွဲ့ရ အင်ဂျင်နီယာများ ရဲ့ ရွှေရတု
မနက်ပိုင်း — ကြို့ကုန်း မှာ ဆရာပူဇော်ပွဲ
2019 — Golden Jubilee of Graduation for RIT 69ers
Reunion and Saya Pu Zaw Pwe at Gyogone Campus

SPHS

Std VI (D)

Saya U Pe Tin’s Class
May 1, 2026
Memories 1

by Hla Min

Updated : May 2026

NorCal RITAA 2024

NorCal RITAA

Life Savers

Life Savers

Kyaw Win’s Birthday Gathering

SPHS63

Paulian Mountaineers

Mountaineers

Old Paulians’ Association

OPA

RIT Reunion & Saya Pu Zaw Pwe in Oct 2000

RIT SPZP-2000 Organizers

Award from Toastmasters International

DTM

Appreciation Awards

Appreciation 1

Appreciation 2

Souvenirs

Souvenirs 1

Souvenirs 2

Souvenirs 3

NorCal RITAA

Dr. Khin Maung U & Dr. Nyunt Nyunt Wai

Dr. Khin Maung U & Dr. Nyunt Nyunt Wai

Maung Maung Kyi

Maung Maung Kyi (GBNF)

May 1, 2026
Fond Memories
by Hla Min

Update : May 2026

Saya U Aung Khin

2015

Saya U Aung Khin

Windsor
- In July 2015, Ivan Lee (M69) provided car & gas for the trip to Canada and East Coast of USA.
- Fred Thetgyi (M69) drove most of the way. Also took photos.
- Visited Saya U Aung Khin (Former Professor of Mechanical Engineering)
- Saya not only prepared breakfast for us but also gave us mementos.
- Saya stays fit by playing Tennis and Golf
Saya Allen Htay

Donations by Ma Ma Mu

Saya Allen & Daw Mu Mu Kin
- Founder and President of RIT Alumni International, which hosted SPZP-2000. See posts : Saya’s articles
- In memory of Saya Allen, Daw Mu Mu Kin donated saya’s books to YTU Library. She also provided financial assistance to eligible YTU students.
Donation by Daw Mu Mu Kin

Saya U Aung Hla Tun

U Aung Hla Tun
- Chief Editor of RIT Annual Magazine
- Associate Professor of Metallurgical Engineering
- Resident Elder of the Church of Holy Christ
- Leader of HMEE project
U Aung Hla Tun donating HMEE books to RU Central Library
- Published two books. He won National Literature Award for the first book.
- Despite failing health, he completed the second book and most of his three-year plan.
- In his memory, Saya U Nyunt Htay (Met73) & team published a book.
My Souvenirs
- Some are displayed on my desk
- Birthday Greetings in Aug 2016
- Collegiate Scholarship Winners from St. Paul’s High School in 1963
- Awards from Toastmasters International
- Alumni Appreciation Awards
- Photo Mug from my Life Savers
Souvenirs

Alumni Appreciation Awards

Award 1
- Misplaced the award received at SPZP-2000
- Second award received in August 2026 from Alumni Worldwide
- Third award received in September 2016 from NorCal RIT Alumni Association
Award 2

SPHS63

SPHS63

Hla Min
- Scholarship Winners
- Award ceremony at SPHS
- Invited to attend OPA (Old Paulians’ Association) Annual Dinner
Invitation from OPA

Toastmasters International
- DTM Award & Triple Crown received in 2017
DTM 1

DTM 2

Electronic Greeting Card
- Printed by Maurice Chee
- Given to me at the Soon Kwyay gathering at Dhammananda Vihara, Half Moon Bay, California
Gifts from my Myees

Myee 1

Myee 2
- Photo Mug
- Hand printed cards
- Father’s Day Gifts
Present from KMZ
- for Golden Jubilee in 2023
KMZ’s present

Uncle U Thein Han & Auntie Daw Khin Khin Htwe

U Thein Han
May 1, 2026
2025 GBNF
by Hla Min

Updated : May 2026

Gone But Not Forgotten

in 2025
- Sayama Daw Yin Yin Mya (Australia)
- Daw Aye San (California)
- Uncle U Thein Han (Maryland)
- Saya U Tin U (Yangon)
- U Kyi Toe (California)
- Saya Dr. U Win (California)
- Sayama Dr. Daw Khin Nwe Soe (California)
- Ashin Ukkamsa (C69, Myanmar)
- U Kyin Lwin (M69, Myanmar)
- Saya U San Tun (M59, USA)
Daw Yin Yin Mya
- Former Head, RIT English
- Passed away in Australia on Oct 20, 2025
Daw Yin Yin Mya

Daw Yin Yin Mya

U Tin U

Obituary

Memories of U Tin U

Family members

U Tin U & Siblings

U Thein Han
- Former Systems Engineer, IBM Burma
- Passed away in Springfield, Maryland in September 2025
- He celebrated his 96th birthday on March 1, 2025
U Thein Han 1

U Thein Han 2

Dr. U Win
- Former staff, Geography Department, Rangoon University
- Passed away in Salinas, California, USA on 9th September, 2025
Obituary for U Win

Dhamma Friends

Daw Aye Aye Lyn

Daw Aye Aye Lyn

U Kyi Toe
- Spouse : Daw Than Nyein
- Children : Su Kyi & Kyi Phyu
Musicians

Victor Khin Nyo
- Played for several bands
- Shades
- LPJ
- Thamankyar
- Playboy
VKN 1

VKN 2

Obituary

With musicians & music lovers
May 1, 2026
Sayadaw
by Hla Min

Updated : May 2026

Mahasi & Mingun

Usage
- Senior monk or the Chief resident monk of a monastery. Often used together with “U”. e.g Sayadaw U Sobhana
- A distinguished sayadaw may be referred to as Sayadawgyi as a sign of reverence.
- The terms “sayadaw” and “sayadawgyi” originally corresponded to the senior monks who taught the former Burmese kings. They may be influential teachers of the Buddhist Dhamma and also outstanding meditation practitioners. They usually are Abbots of monasteries or monastery networks with a large number of resident monks and a lay following.
Honorific Terms
- Several honorific terms exist for Buddhist monks, reflecting their achievements and number of Vassa spent.
- The given name is extended with Prefixes, Suffixes and Titles
Prefix
- Achan (used in Thailand)
- Ashin အသျှင်
- Baddhanta ဘဒ္ဒန္တ
- Bhikkhu ဘိက္ခူ
- Maha Thera မဟာထေရ
- Oo ဦး၊ ဥူး
- Sayadaw ဆရာတော်
- Sayadawgyi ဆရာတော်ကြီး
- Shin ရှင်
- Upazin ဥပဇင်း
- Uzin ဦးဇင်း
- U ဦး၊ ဥူး
- Thera ထေရ
- Venerable
Suffix
- [A]bhivamsa” အဘိဝံသ
  Pass “Set kyar thi ha Dhammacariya” examination before age 26
- Lankara လင်္ကာရ
  Pass Lankara dhamma exam as a novice
- Pa hta ma gyaw ပထမကျော်
  First in the “Pa hta Ma Pyan” examination
- Thi ro ma ni သိရောမဏိ
  Finished 9 “kyans” in a single year
- Wun tha ka ဝံသက
  First in the “Set kyar thi ha Dhammacariya” examination
Title

Some monks may highlight their accomplishments
- Dhammacariya ဓမ္မာစရိယ
  Dhamma lecturer
- Thamane Kyaw သာမဏေကျော်
  Stood first in the Lankara examination
- Pali Paragu ပါဠိပါရဂူ
  Completed the examination in Pali
- Agga Maha Pandita အဂ္ဂမဟာပဏ္ဍိတ
  Senior sage
- Tipitaka Dara တိပိဋကဓရ
  Completed Three Baskets — “Vinaya”, “Sutta”, and “Abhidhamma”
- Dwee Pitaka Dara ဒွိပိဋကဓရ
  Completed Two Baskets
- [informal] “Ta Pone Saung” တပုံဆောင်
  Completed One Basket
- [informal] “Hna Pone Khwair Saung” နှစ်ပုံခွဲဆောင်
  Completed “Vinaya”, “Sutta” and the first part of “Abhidhamma”
U Vicittasarahhivamsa

A monk may be addressed by
- his given Dhamma name
  e.g. U Vicittasara
- a qualified name,
  e.g. U Victtasarabhivamsa (with the suufix -abhivamsa)
- by the name of his monastery
  e.g. Mingun Sayadaw
- title
  e.g. Tipitakadara
- and the combination
  e.g. Tipitakadara Mingun Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhimvamsa
Venerable Mingun Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa, served as “Chief Respondent” at the Sixth Buddhist Council (1954 – 1956) in Yangon,

He earlier passed the Tipitaka Examination with Distinctions in all subjects.

The Guinness Book of World Records recognized his memory and the feat of reciting 8000+ pages of the Pali Canon.

Thus, he could be addressed in several ways “
- Mingun Sayadaw
  Reference to his home monastery at Mingun
- U Vicittasara
  Name given at the Ordination
- U Vicittasarabhivamsa
  Passed the Mandalay Setkya Thiha examination before age 26
- Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa
  Chief Resident Monk
- Mingun Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa
  Chief Resident Monk of a monastery in Mingun
- Tipitaka Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa
  Passed Tipitaka examination
- Tipitakadhara Dhammabhandakarika Sayadaw U Vicittasarabhivamsa
  First monk to be awarded the titles Tipitakadhara (“Bearer of the Tipitaka) and Dhammabhandakarika (“Treasurer of the Dhamma”).
Posts
- Buddhist Councils
- Phenomenal Memory
- Triple Gems
May 1, 2026
Sayadaws
by Hla Min

Updated : May 2026

Sixth Buddhist Council

Five Sayadaws

Maha Thera Ledi Sayadaw U Nyana Daza
- Prolific writer, an outstanding lecturer, and a teacher of teachers
- Lay people in Burma were not known to teach Vipassana meditation
- The Ledi tradition has a lineage of Vipassa teachers who are not ordained monks:
  Sayagyi U Thet,
  Sayagyi U Ba Khin,
  Sayagyi S. N. t
Mingun Jetawun Sayadaw U Narada (1868 – 1955)
- Credited as one of the major revivers of Vipassana meditation
- Went to one Mingun Sayadaw, who presumably had studied meditation under Thee Gon Sayadaw, and asked for guidance.
  Was told to study Sattipattha (from the Scriptures) deeply and then practice meditation
- Prominent disciples : Mahasi Sayadaw and Taung Pulu Sayadaw
Sayadaw U Thittila (1896-1997)

U Thittila
- Did missionary work in UK
- Came back to Burma and taught at the Pali Department for several years before continuing his missionary work abroad
- Lectured in 25+ countries (including US, UK, France)
- Ovadacariya to Sanagha Maya Nayaka, trustees of renowned pagodas
- Outstanding teacher and writer
- Played an important role in reviving Buddhism in India and propagating the study of Abhidhamma
- Very modest; rarely talked about his many achievements
- Patamagyaw scholar of all Burma (1918) : selected from among 5000 candidates
- Panyattisasanahita (1923) : among the 4 out of 150 entrants who passed the toughest monastic examination
- Studied Sanskrit in India; English in India and England
- Translated Vibhanga (second of the seven Adbhidhamma texts) from Pali to English : published by the Pali Text Society in 1969 under the title of The Book of Analysis
Mahagandaryone Sayadaw Ashin Janakabhivamsa

Mahagandayone Sayadaw
- Wrote several books in Pali and Burmese
- Several of his students including Thamane Kyaw Sayadaw and U Hla Myint are teaching “Pali Sikkha (Training)” to lay persons without overwhelming with Pali Grammar
Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana

Sixth Buddhist Council

Mahasi & Mingun Sayadaws

Mahasi Sayadaw
- Renowned Meditation Master and author
- Served as Questioner at the Sixth Buddhist Council held at Kaba Aye, Rangoon, Burma
- Chief Resident Monk of Mahasi Sasana Yeiktha
- Mentees : Sayadaws U Pandita, U Kundala, U Janabhivamsa and many meditation teachers
Panditarama Sayadaw U Pandita

U Pandita
- Senior disciple of Mahasi Sayadawgyi
- Renowned Meditation Master and author
- Succeeded Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana at Sasana Yeiktha
- Established Panditarama
Saddhamaransi Sayadaw U Kundala
- Senior disciple of Mahasi Sayadawgyi
- Outstanding meditation teacher
- Made Dhamma Duta missions abroad (until his health forced him to stop going on long, tedious trips).
- His biography (which covers to the age of 85) and his works can be found in http://www.saddhamaransi.org/
Chanmyay Sayadaw Ashin Janakabhivamsa
- Practiced vipassana meditation with the instruction of Mahasi Sayadawgyi in 1953-54
- Served as Palipatiwisodhaka (editor of Pali scriptures) at the Sixth Buddhist Council.
- Meditation teacher at the Sasana Yeiktha from 1967 – 1977.
- Member of Mahasi Sayadaw’s Dhamma Dhuta Mission to Europe and US in 1978 – 80
- Established the Chanmyay Yeiktha Buddhist Meditation Center in Myanmar
  chanmyay.org
  Branches in several countries (e.g. US, Singapore, Australia)
Mingun Tipitaka Sayadaw Ashin Vicittathara

Two Sayadaws at Sixth Buddhist Council
- The Guinness Book of World Records listed Sayadaw as having an outstanding memory — the best at that time [in 1954].
- Served as the Chief Reciter (a la Ashin Upali and Ashin Ananda at the First Buddhist Council) at the Sixth Buddhist Council held at KabaAye (World Peace) Pagoda in Rangoon, Burma from 1954 – 1956.
- Could memorize, recall, and give exposition on 8027 pages of the Buddhist Scriptures known as Tipitaka [“Three Baskets”] :
  Vinaya – Rules of monastic conduct
  Sutta – Buddha’s discourses
  Abhidhamma – Ultimate reality)
Mogok Sayadaw U Vimala (1899 – 1962)
- Renowned Vipassana meditation master
- 500 (or more) audio tapes of Sayadaw’s recordings have been transcribed into books (some e-books), and CDs
  Available at the Mogok Vipassana Meditation Centers
- Featured in “Yahanda Hnit Poke Ko Htoo Myar” book by Dhammacariya U Htay Hlaing
Dhammananda Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa
- External examiner for the Pali Department
- Rector of ITBMU
- Chief Resident Monk of Dhammananda Vihara
- Spiritual Advisor of several monasteries and meditation centers
- Wrote books in Pali, Burmese and English
- Served as Chief Compiler of the Tipitaka Pali-Myanmar Dictionary for the Sixth Buddhist Council.
In April of 1979, Mahasi Sayadawgi made a Dhamma Duta mission to the US. At the request of the devotees, Sayadawgyi agreed to leave behind Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa and Sayadaw U Kelasa as “trail blazers” for the promulgation, preservation, and the promotion of Sasana.

There were no Burmese Buddhist monasteries and/or temples, but the Sayadaws were determined to sacrifice their blissful lives back in their homeland to do whatever they can to do the Sasana work.
May 1, 2026
Texas (May 8 – 10, 2019)
by Hla Min

Updated : May 2026

Trip Plan

We had frequent flyer miles with United Air Lines.

Booked round trip flight from SJC (San Jose, California) to DFW (Dallas / Fort Worth in Texas) via DEN (Denver, Colorado) after consulting with Dr. Ba Han (SPHS66, IM1 73, who lives in Fort Worth) and U San Lin (Robert, MEHS67, EC73, UCC, who lives in Dallas).

There are several twin cities in the USA. They include
- Dallas & Fort Worth (in Texas)
- Minneapolis & St. Paul (in Minnesota)
- Seattle & Tacoma (in Washington)
DFW is an International air port near Dallas and Fort Worth.

Dallas also has a local airport named “Love Field” (which is used mainly by Southwest Airlines).

Robert agreed to pick us up at the DFW air port and host for two nights.

Dr. Ba Han agreed to host the remainder of the trip, and also show us around selected cities in Texas.

Break from FB

I did not take my lap top.

I did not log in to FB for the duration of the trip.

May 8, 2019

We flew from SJC to DEN on the morning of May 8, 2019.

At the DEN airport, we learned that “due to thunderstorms, only a limited number of inbound flights to DFW were allowed.” The estimated time of departure from DEN was adjusted twice. After more than two hours delay, the plane took off and landed in DFW about two hours later.

Robert and his spouse Daw Hla Myint (Marina, EC73) picked us up at DFW. They treated us to a Texas BBQ (Barbecue). We learned that Robert had become a vegetarian, but would occasionally order BBQ for his grandson.

They hosted us for two nights.

May 9, 2019

They showed us around Dallas (including the infamous depository used by Oswald, the ranch used in the TV series “Dallas”, and the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.

Robert

Robert studied at RIT & UCC. He worked for TI (Texas Instruments) in Singapore. He was relocated to TI in Houston. He retired in 2018 and moved to Dallas to be near his son Dr. Vincent & two grandsons.

Vincent and his wife are medical doctors. They hosted a dinner near the swimming club of their elder son.

U Boon Pin

U Boon Pin and wife

Robert’s father U Boon Pin is a 1948 – 49 classmate of U Soe Aung (PWD) and U Gyn Kho (PWD, Dr. Ba Han’s uncle). He retired as Deputy Chief Engineer of Railways.

Robert’s mom passed away in Taiwan in 2020. She has two sisters. One married Albert Teoh (the eldest of 15 Teoh siblings). Another is the mother of Johnson Lim (C7x).

May 10, 2019

Dr. Ba Han joined us for lunch at the Dallas Chinese temple that offers excellent vegetarian dishes for a suggested donation of $7.

He then drove us to Temple to meet our common niece — daughter of his elder brother U Myo Myint (EC67, RUBC Gold) and my elder sister Sayama Daw Tin Tin Win (RIT Chemistry).

My niece Dr. Khine Zin Oo & her spouse U Myo Tin treated us a dinner at a restaurant which offered dishes from Texas and Louisiana.

Posts
- Texas (May 8 – 10, 2019)
- Texas (May 11 – 13, 2019)
- Texas (May 14 – 16, 2019)
- Texas (May 17 – 19, 2019)
May 1, 2026
Texas (May 11 – 13, 2019)
by Hla Min

Updated : May 2026

Places

We visited
- Temple
- Austin
- Houston
- San Antonio
- Fredericksburg
May 11, 2019

The weather reports indicated heavy rains and floods in parts of Texas (e.g. Houston) on May 11, 2019.

So we decided to visit Austin that day. My niece Dr. Khine Zin Oo and her husband U Myo Tin took us to Austin Sitagu and the Austin Capitol.

Austin Sitagu

Austin 1

We offered soon to the resident monks (including an American monk). Several meals were prepared by a former Sushi shop owner from California.

The visitors included
- Dr. Doris Maung Oo : spouse of Thura Tin Maung Aye (BAF, GBNF)
- her daughter (classmate of my elder son at TTC)
- her son-in-law
- niece (daughter of Dr. Alice Maung Oo).
State Capitol

Austin Capitol 1

Austin Capitol 2

We joined the tour at the Austin Capitol (which at one time claimed to the tallest among the Capitols in the USA).

The tour guide explained the six flags of Texas and showed us the two chambers and the Dome.

May 12, 2019

Dr. Ba Han took us to Houston to see NASA and to visit our cousin U Oo Thwin (Michael, alumnus of Rutger’s University).

NASA

There were two tram rides at NASA.

One tram took us to the Mission Control room.

We were not aware that the Mission Control room had been emptied (as part of the renovation for the Golden Jubilee of the Apollo 11 flight in July, 1969). The docent highlighted the importance of Mission Control for the NASA missions in general and the Apollo missions in particular.

Another tram took us to the Training Facility of the astronauts. There were several interesting items on display.

Both tram rides stopped at the “Rockets site” with three vintage rockets.

U Oo Thwin (Michael)

We paid respect to our cousin Ko Michael (son of my maternal uncle) at his house. He has five children and some grand children. His eldest daughter Capy (who had moved back from Seattle after her mother passed away) and his younger son Nyi Nyi were there that day.

His friends include Sao Aung Myint (John Khun Kyi).

May 13, 2019

Dr. Ba Han took us to San Antonio and Fredericksburg.

The tourist attractions at San Antonio are the Alamo (which gained fame in the Davy Crockett movie) and the River Walk beside a man-made canal (with a depth of 3 to 5 feet). We took a book ride.

We visited National Museum of the Pacific War at Fredericksburg, Texas. One exhibit was dedicated to Admiral Nimitz. He and Dwight D. Eisenhower were the two five star generals during Second World War. One exhibit was funded by the George H W Bush foundation. A two-day pass for seniors cost $12.

We returned to Fort Worth.

Fort Worth

Daw Tin Tin Aye (Lillian, T72) is known as a “Ah Phwa” to several Myanmar (Mon, Chin, …) families in Fort Worth. She is happy providing social services especially to the new comers. Due to her busy schedule, she could not join Dr. Ba Han for the trip to Temple, Austin, Houston, …

During her visit to Yangon, “Good Morning” Kyaw Myint took her to the M72 Reunion.

Lillian keeps in touch with her close friends from T72, but she cannot recall the names of several sayas and others from the Class of 72.

Dr. Ba Han’s family

Dr. Ba Han (SPHS66, IM1 73) is the younger brother of U Win Htein (SPHS56, Purdue, PWD), U Myo Myint (EC67, RUBC Gold) and U Myint Thein (B.Com, cox of our Novice crew) & the elder brother of Daw Myint Myint Thein (Susan, DAC).

He has a daughter Hester (who is a teacher) and two grand children.
His younger son Harry is doing internship at a hospital in San Francisco.

He retired twice (once in New York and once in Texas).

He has come out of retirement and is now working (some weeks from home and some weeks on-site).

During our trip, he delegated most tasks to his assistant, but he still had to take phone calls and/or “Telepresence”.

He belongs to a big extended family. He is a cousin-uncle of U Aung Win (Owen, M71).

Posts
- Texas (May 8 – 10, 2019)
- Texas (May 11 – 13, 2019)
- Texas (May 14 – 16, 2019)
- Texas (May 17 – 19, 2019)
May 1, 2026
Texas (May 14 – 16, 2019)
by Hla Min

Updated : May 2026

Slow down & Rest

After taking long trips, it was time to slow down and take a rest.

Dr. Ba Han enjoys driving. He has driven from Texas to other states including California and New York.

Due to the possibility of bad weather (thunderstorms, heavy rains, floods), we decided to play safe.

Short trips

Good weather permitting, Dr. Ba Han took us to tourist attractions in his neighborhood.

May 14, 2019

Fort Worth Stock Yard

FW 1

FW 2

FW 3

On May 14, 2019, we visited the “Fort Worth Stock Yard”. In the early days, Texas Long Horns were traded at the Exchange. For tourists, two “cow herding” shows were performed daily. There are a few guys who make money by charging $5 to mount a “Long Horn” and take pictures.

May 15, 2019

Fort Worth Water Garden

FW WG

On May 15, 2019, we visited the “Fort Worth Water Garden”. It ha four sections. People would come to enjoy the cool environment especially on hot days. The architect incorporated soothing sound effects.

May 16, 2019

Oklahoma Border

OKB

Texas does not permit gambling. Some travel to the “Winstar Casino” located in Oklahoma just a few miles from the border of Texas. It has sections named London, Paris, Madrid, Beijing, …

In several states, Native Americans are allowed to operate casinos. Oklahoma is one of them.

Spare time

The trips were short. They allowed Dr. Ba Han to do some urgent work from his home.

He loves history. He gave me three books to read in my spare time.

His sisters in Yangon were interviewed for the book “Yangon Echoes”. They received an autographed copy from Virginia (co-author). Except for some inadvertent errors (possibly introduced in the translation of the interviews), the book covers good material.

“George Washington’s Secret Six” describes how the Culper Ring saved the American Revolution.

Another book was by a Taiwanese-American researcher who spent two years (2007 and 2008) in Myanmar to study Sino-Burmese culture and practice. The book was bought in Yangon for K5000.

Side bar : Book presents

Over the years, I received book presents.

Some were from authors (e.g. Tekkatho Moe War, Ashin Kesala, Saya Des Rodgers, Junior Win, Htain Lin, Maung Swan Yi, U Ye Sint, Saya U Aung Zaw (UCC), Sayadaw U Jotalankara, U Hla Myint).

Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint (SPHS60) air mailed me the book (written and published by his former students and colleagues for his 70th birthday present) from Australia. The postage was comparable to the price of the book.

U Wint Khin Zaw (A79) air mailed me the book (autobiography of his father “K” @ BBS U Khin Zaw) from Australia.

Some were from “Sar Pay Chit Thu Myar”.

U Khin Maung Zaw (KMZ, EC76) posted me two books that he brought from Yangon. One covers “U Thant Ah Yay Ah Khin”. The other is a trans-composition of Zawgyi’s poems.

For some time, I have read and/or listened to book summaries provided by blinkist.com

Posts
- Texas (May 8 – 10, 2019)
- Texas (May 11 – 13, 2019)
- Texas (May 14 – 16, 2019)
- Texas (May 17 – 19, 2019)
May 1, 2026