Blog

Saya Pu Zaw Pwe
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2025

Micro-SPZP
- Started school at an early age. I was not enthusiastic.
- My mother said something magical happened one day She thanked Teacher Kywe, a Karen Christian with a warm soul & the skill to transform a normal kid like me into a life long learner.
- For several years, my mother asked me to visit Teacher Kywe and pay respect to her. It was an early Micro-SPZP. Her eyes were filled with pride as she introduced her former student to her current students.
SPZP
- Saya Pu Zaw Pwe (SPZP) transcends religion.
- Some said that RIT was a dying breed, but there were several who wanted to keep the RIT Spirit alive & well. They wanted to have sayas & alumni get reconnected electronically via Internet, and physically via Pu Zaw Pwes.
SF Bay Area Alumni Group
- RIT Alumni International was formed by the San Francisco Bay Area Group (and KMZ) with the objective to host the First RIT Alumni Reunion & SPZP in San Francisco, California, USA in October 2000.
- The term SPZP was chosen over Saya Gadaw Pwe — which had religious connotation — to allow sponsors & alumni who profess different religions to pay back to their mentors for their metta and cetana.
- I am honored to be a member of the team that organized SPZP-2000, and SPZPs in Singapore (2002, 2007 & 2010) and Myanmar (2004, 2012 & 2016).
- Singapore has a large number of alumni. Its proximity to Myanmar eased the task of inviting sayas to attend SPZPs.
- SPZP-2012 was the first true Home Coming. Thanks to U Aye Myint (EP72), who did not forget his alma mater.
U Aye Myint
- SPZP-2016 was the first to have a full day event at the Gyogone Campus. RITAA, Sponsors and Donors provided free food & entertainment.
RITAA
- The smiles from our beloved sayas and sayamas, and occasional “slap on my back” from my former colleagues, classmates and give me “second wind” even after being a volunteer messenger for 26 years.
KMZ (Right)

U Khin Maung Zaw (KMZ, EC76) wrote :

The official name of these “Reunions” was one of the many discussions at the very early days of first Reunion committee members under the leadership of Saya Allen Htay. All of us were aware that the “Saya Gadaw Pwe” could somehow be restrictive where you would have many intakes and graduation classes spanning several decades not to mention people transcending various religions.

SPZP, Saya Pu Zaw Pwe, was officially adopted. It turned out well, and was adopted by the consecutive Reunions.

SAYA PU ZAW PWE (Poem)

Poem in Newsletter

S eems like it was only yesterday
A t our alma mater in a land far away
Y ou taught us to work, play, laugh, even cry
A nd coaxed us, forced us to aim for the sky

P roblems in real life, lab, computation, survey
U nderstand concepts, design, display, …

Z eal, zest, ardor, grit, passion to make it “our day”
A rchitects, engineers, we’ve come here to say
W e honor your metta, your cetana — we fully can’t repay

P resently we meet, alum from five decades we greet
W ith memories true, fond, sweet
E cstatic yet sad that the GBNF could not join this memorable fete
- My poem was published on the front page of the commemorative issue of RIT Alumni Newsletter for SPZP-2000.
- Saya U Moe Aung & team reprinted my poem on the back cover of Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung for SPZP-2002 hosted by Singapore alumni.
SPZP-2000 in the USA

SPZP-2000 Organizers

Organizers

Ko Khin Maung Zaw (KMZ, EC76, web master) copied the names/tags from the very first posting from his album.

Sitting L-R: Saya U Mya Htoo (Civil 68), U Benny Tan (Mech 70), Saya KC Chiu (Chem 63), U Hla Min (EC 69) Editor Extraordinaire, Saya U Allen Htay (Civil 58) GNBF, Saya U Nyo Win (Mech 65), Saya U Tin Htut (Mech 60), Saya George Maung Maung (Chem 66), Daw San San Nyunt @ Mrs. Thein Aung (Mech 76)

Standing L-R: U Soe Aung (Mech 75), U Gordon Kaung (Mech 83), , U Myint Swe (EP 74), U Anthony Ng (Mech 76), U Phillip Mya Thwin (EP 75), U Maurice Chee (Mech 75), U Thura Thant Zin (Mech 76), Sayalay U Thein Aung (Met 72), U Myint Lwin @ Henry Chee (Civil 63), Ko Khin Maung Zaw (EC76), Daw Yi Yi Khaing @ Audrey Wong (Civil 84), Daw San San @ Mrs Myint Swe (EC74)

All of them, except KMZ, live in cities across Northern & Southern California. KMZ lives in a city near Seattle, Washington State.

Golden Sponsors

We appreciate the cetana of the following alumni who felt that the RIT Alumni International should have activities beyond the First ever RIT Grand Reunion and Saya Pu Zaw Pwe.

They are honored as “Golden Sponsors” of SPZP-2000.
- Steeve Kay (U Thaung Sein, EC70, Southern California) :
  Donated $1000 initially and later gave an additional $1800.
- Ivan Lee (U Khin Maung Oo, M69, New Jersey) : Donated $1200 for the General Fund of RIT Alumni International and for SPZP-2000. Earlier donated $360 for one year’s operating expense of the ex-rit.or web site
- David Ko (U Tin Myint, M67, Northern California) : Donated $1000 for SPZP-2000
- Benny Tan (Tan Eu Beng, M70, Northern California) : Donated in cash and kind. Designed the memorabilia (Banner, Mug, Calculator/Clock & Tee-shirt). Since he had gift shops, he obtained most memorabilia from his vendors at discount prices.
- U Maung Maung Than (M79, Texas) : Donated a Round-trip ticket to Myanmar. By popular acclaim, the ticket was given to Sayagyi U Ba Toke.
Updates

Steeve Kay

Steeve 1

Steeve 2
- Multiple Golden Sponsor for SPZPs.
- Established the “Steeve and Helen Kay Health Care Fund for RIT Sayas and Sayamas. In 2019, the balance of the Fund was handed over to Swel Daw Yeik Foundation.
- Founded Kay Family Foundation. KFF sponsored a delegation from Myanmar to visit Universities & Research Institutions in California. KFF provided a matching fund of $30000 for 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles.
LA 2015
- Donated $200,000+ over the years to RIT-related activities.
- Sponsored the Centennial Publication of Hwa Kyone School.
- He is now GBNF
Ivan Lee

Ivan‘s house in NJ

With Saya Dr. Aung Gyi

With Saya U Aung Khin
- Hosted the annual RIT-UCC Gathering in New Jersey
Sayas at NJ Gathering
- Golden Sponsor for SPZP-2007
  Sponsored Naw Mu Mu Aye to attend the SPZP
- Co-founded MASTAA. Was CEO
David Ko

David
- Donated US $3000 to SPZP-2012
Donation

Appreciation
- Sponsored Dinner Tables at NorCal RITAA Dinner
- He is now GBNF
Benny Tan

Benny 1

Benny 2

Mug
- Multiple Golden Sponsor for SPZPs
- For SPZP-2000, he used Steeve’s donation as seed money to raise funds. He designed memorabilia to give to sayas, sayamas and selected organizers / volunteers. Some memorabilia were put on sale for attendees at SPZP-2000.
U Maung Maung Than
- Could not attend SPZP-2000, but he comunicated with Saya Allen Htay
- Supported Saya Dr. Tin Win’s “Run LA Marathon to raise fund for SPZP-2007”
Sponsors for Sayagyi U Ba Toke

U Ba Toke
- U Maung Maung Than donated the round trip ticket
- U Zaw Min Nawaday (EP70) hosted Sayagyi and son U Ye Myint (EP72) at his new house in Hayward, California.
- Saya Allen Htay, Saya U Tin Htut, Saya Mao Toon Siong and several sayas and alumni took care of Sayagyi’s stay.
SPZP-2000 : By The Numbers

One
- SPZP-2000 : First RIT Grand Reunion and SPZP
- One round-trip ticket for a saya from Myanmar to attend SPZP-2000. By popular acclaim, Sayagyi U Ba Toke was invited.
Two

Sayas of our sayas
- U Num Kok
- U Ba Toke
Former RIT Rectors
- Dr. Aung Gyi
- U Khin Aung Kyi
Major events
- Dinner/meeting on Oct 28, 2000
- Lunch/picnic on Oct 29, 2000
Organizing Committees
- Working Committee : Chaired by Benny Tan and Maurice Chee
- Steering Committee (Mostly Sayas)
Three

Outstanding Member Awards
- Ko Hla Min (EC69) for the pioneering work of RIT Alumni International website & Editor of RIT Alumni Newsletter
- Ko Khin Maung Zaw (EC76) for the design, implementation, maintenance & enhancements to http://www.ex-rit.org
- Ko Hla Myint Thein (Maurice Chee, M75) Treasurer, Financial Controller & Publisher of RIT Alumni Newsletter
Four

Four intensive months of preparation by the Organizing Committee

Five

Golden Sponsors for SPZP-2000
- Steeve Kay (Ko Thaung Sein, EC 70)
- Benny Tan (Tan Yu Beng, M70)
- Ivan Lee (Ko Khin Maung Oo, M69)
- Ko Maung Maung Than (M79, Texas)
- David Ko (Ko Tin Myint, M67)
Six

Number of years spent at the engineering colleges & institutes by most attendees

Seven

Seven unforgettable hours (5 – 12 pm) at the Reunion and SPZP

Seven sleepless nights per week by Maurice, Benny, …

Eight

Countries represented by the attendees
- United States
- Canada
- Myanmar
- Thailand
- Singapore
- Japan
- Australia
- New Zealand
Major disciplines at RIT
- Civil
- Mechanical
- Electrical
- Mining
- Textile
- Chemical
- Metallurgy
- Architecture
36

Number of “Post-Reunion” articles written by Hla Min for SPZP-2000

64

Number of “Count down to the Reunion” articles written by Hla Min for SPZP-2000

100

Number of articles written by Hla Min for SPZP-2000

Singapore SPZPs

SPZP-2002, SPZP-2007 & SPZP-2012 hosted by the Singapore alums were grander with a huge turn out at main events, publication of the commemorative Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saungs by Saya U Moe Aung & teams, first-rate entertainment by the famous Swel Daw Yiek Ah Nyeint and the young-at-heart (“never grow old”) singers and dancers.

SPZP-2002

Saya Moe

Saya U Moe Aung (Tekkatho Moe War) was Chair. He was also Chief Editor of the Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung.

Websites

Saya Dr. Soe Thein (C75) was a core organizer. He & his team maintained two web sites
- One for alumni in Singapore
- One for Civil Engineers in Singapore
Singapore Alumni web site contained info for SPZP-2002.
- SINGAPORE-2002 Ex-RIT Reunion Dinner Program
- 7 December 2002 (Saturday)
The second web site contains info for resident and visiting Civil Engineering sayas. Some sayas would stay at the hotels provided by the SPZP-2000 Organizers. Some sayas might stay with their former colleagues or students. The contact info is helpful for arranging gatherings and tours.
- Civil Sayas’ Address & Contact Number in Singapore
Organizers

The Second RIT Grand Reunion and Saya Pu Zaw Pwe was hosted by the sayas and alums in Singapore.

Saya U Moe Aung (Chair), Saya Dr. Tin Hlaing, Sayama Daw “Emma” Tin Tin Myint, Saya U Aung, Saya U Tin Lin, and Saya Dr. Dr. Soe Thein are some core members of SPZP-2002.

The RIT gathering at the Thingyan festival and musical gala at NTU helped with the planning and implementation of SPZP-2002.

Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung
- SWEL DAW YEIK SAR SAUNG for SPZP-2002 (Singapore).
- Saya U Moe Aung (Tekkatho Moe War) & team published the commemorative issue.
- They reprinted my poem (first published in the web pages of http://www.ex-rit and the commemorative newsletter). Thanks.
“Don Min” U Yu Swan, U Moe Myint, Daw Moh Moh Han, U Myint San (“Tet Lu”), U Aung Kyaw Myint (“ko Ba Kyaw”) and many other talented Geeta Ah Nu Pyinnar Shins helped with the entertainment for SPZP-2002.

SPZP-2007
- U Nyan Win Shwe (Chair)
- Saya U Moe Aung (Chief Editor of Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung)
- See “SPZP-2007 Diary”
SPZP-2010

Saya U Moe Aung (Chair; Chief Editor of Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung)

Yangon SPZPs

SPZP-2004 was held in Yangon, but not at the Gyogone campus. The Tsuanami-related tremors did not deter the sayas and alums from attending SPZP-2004.

SPZP-2012 and SPZP-2016 were held at the Gyogone Campus.

SPZP-2012 was the first True Home Coming

SPZP-2016 was the Free All Day Event

SPZP-2004 in Yangon

The following appeared in the ReUnion 2004 Home Page

RIT Reunion & Saya Pu Zaw Pwe – 2004
Yangon, Myanmar
26th December 2004

Morning : Saya Pu Zaw Pwe

Date : Sunday, December 26, 2004
Time : 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 am
Place : Myanmar Convention Center (MCC)

Evening : Dinner & Entertainment

Date : Sunday, December 26, 2004
Time : 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Place : Dusit Inya Lake Hotel

Pu Zaw Pwe Office & Contact

Office : United Engineering Co Ltd
Corner of Wayzayantar Road & Yadana Road
Thingangyun Township 11071
Yangon MYANMAR

Contact : U Zaw Min (Mechanical 1975)
U Hla Win (Mechanical 1975)

Hotline : 571321/ 571877/ 571990/ 571995
Fax : 571288
Website : http://www.sayapzpygn.com/
Email : zawmin@uegroup.com.mm

The Third RIT Grand Reunion and Saya Pu Zaw Pwe was hosted by the sayas and alums in Myanmar. U Win Khaing (M 75) & his team (U Zaw Min, U Hla Win) formed the core of the Yangon-2004 SPZP Organizers. An earthquake that morning did not deter the attendees.

SPZP-2012

Tears of Joy

SPZP-2012

Attendees

When alums learned that SPZP-2012 will be held at their alma mater (which had been largely neglected and turned into dilapidated building with bushes around), tears of joy fell.

When alums learned that the Stage-3 cancer survivor “Seik Kyi” (Cartoon Myint Pe) and his fellow cartoonists will revive the Cartoon Box, and also publish a collection of “RIT cartoons” (at a modest price of K1500), they was laughter and echoes of “walking down memory lane”.

When alums learned that the multiple ICU visitor Ko Saw Lin (C71) would head not only the main preparation committee of SPZP-2012, but also publish the 350+ page commemorative SWEL DAW YEIK MAGAZINE, reprint limited copies of the 23 vintage RIT Annual magazines, their spirits became high.

When alums learned that Sayagyi U Ba Than, Saya U Soe Paing, Saya U Aung Hla Tun and team would take the first (scoped but important) step to compile the “History of University Engineering Education in Burma / Myanmar”, the importance and uniqueness of SPZP-2012 became evident.

Homage at SPZP-2012

December 30, 2012 saw several Union ministers and deputy ministers sitting on the lawn alongside the alums and paying respect to the sayas and sayamas for their “Arcariya” virtues (irrespective of age and experience). That day saw sayas, sayamas, and alums endure the hot sun to bask in the glory and memories of the hey days. That day saw the re-emergence of RIT glory and the close bond of alums spanning five or more decades.

SPZP-2012 will go down in engineering history as one of the historic and memorable events (which many had feared would not see in their life time).

Thanks to the unsung heroes for carrying on the noble tradition.

SPZP-2016

SPZP-2016

U Lin

Bag for attendees

All-Day Free Event was held at the Gyogone Campus.

Free food for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Saya Pu Zaw Pwe was held in the morning.

Reunion Dinner & Entertainment took place in the evening.

Updates
- Effects of Jara, Byadi & Marana are noticable
- Several sayas — U Ba Toke, U Num Kok, U Ba Than, U Khin Aung Kyi, U Min Wun — are now GBNF
- Some sponsors — Steeve Kay, David Ko — are now GBNF
- Some organizers — Saya Allen Htay, U Win Khaing, U Saw Lin — are now GBNF
- SPZP-2020 was canceled due to the pandemic
- Some PZPs are conducted online
- At some PZPs, attendees pay homage while standing. Sayas remain seated at their tables (do not have to go on stage).
Posts
- Alumni Associations
- Gatherings
- Newsletters
- Noble Tradition
- Paying back to my alma mater
June 24, 2025
Thanks for your appreciation
by RIT Alumni

Updated : June 2025
- Dr. Soe Thein (C75) wrote :
ကျွန်တော် တို့ မမှီ လိုက်တဲ့ အင်ဂျင်နီယာ တွေနဲ့ ပါတ်သက် ခဲ့တဲ့လိပ်ခုံး BIT RIT အကြောင်း အရာ တွေကို နှစ်ပေါင်း ဆယ်စု များစွာ စံနစ် တကျ စဉ်ဆက် မပြတ် ရေးသား ပေးတဲ့ ရာသက်ပန် RIT သတင်း ပြန်ကြားရေး မှူး ဦးလှမင်း ကို အထူး ဂုဏ်ပြု အပ်ပါတယ်။

ဒီလို ထူးချွန် ပြောင် မြောက် တဲ့ သတင်း ပြန်ကြားရေး မှူး နောက် တယောက် ဘယ်တော့မှ ပေါ်ထွန်း နှိုင်တော့ မည် မဟုတ်ပါ။

Big big congratulations ပါ

ဦးလှမင်း
- Khin Aye Myint wrote :
Congrats to U Hla Min for his informative RIT, BIT history ..
- Aung Min wrote :
Junior များ

လက်ဆင့်ကမ်းကြလော့
- Aung Myaing wrote :
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away making you healthy and happy.
- Zaw Winn wrote :
My Appreciations Dear Senior,

Your affection for our Alma Mater is unparalleled and will be in our memories for ever.
- Mg Mar Ga wrote :
အကို့ကြောင့်သာဒိလိုမှတ်တမ်းမှတ်ရာတွေအသေအချာကျန်ခဲ့တာပါအကို့ခြေရာနင်းနိုင်ဖို့နောက်တယောက်ထပ်ရှိဖို့မလွယ်ပါတကယ်ပြောတာပါမှတ်ညဏ်ရယ်စေတနာရယ်အချိန်ပေးနိုင်မှုရယ်ဆောင်ရွက်တတ်မှုဆိုတာသာမန်လူလုပ်နိုင်ခဲလွန်းလှတယ်RIT Archive လုပ်ဖို့အကိုတအားတိုက်တွန်းခဲ့တာမှတ်မိတယ်ကြိုးစားစခဲ့ပေမဲ့တကယ်ကအကိုလုပ်ပြီးသားထက်ရေှ့မတိုးနိုင်ခဲ့ တကယ်ကိုရင်ထဲကချီးကျူးပါရ စေကျန်းမာသက်ရှည်လိုရာပြည့်ပါစေအကို
- U Myo Myint wrote :
Mg Mar Ga

ဆရာ U Hla Min စုဆောင်းပြုစုမှတ်တမ်းတင်နေတဲ့‌အားထုတ်လုပ်ဆောင်ချက်များကို

ဦးဝင်းထိန်ဦးရဲ့မှတ်ချက်နဲ့ထပ်တူကျနော့်ရင်ထဲမှာလေးစားတန်ဖိုးထားချီးကျူးရပါကြောင်းနှင့်

ဆရာကိုယ်စိတ်နှစ်ပါးကျန်းမာ ချမ်းသာပါစေကြောင်း ထပ်ဆင့်ဆုတောင်းပါတယ်ခင်ဗျာ။
- Wai Lu wrote :
These are extraordinary records. Maybe superman @ genius @ techniques.
- San Lin wrote :
ပြီးခဲ့သမျှကို အရမ်းမှတ်မိသလို လုပ်လဲလုပ်နိုင်တဲ့ ဆရာဦးလှမင်း ကျန်းမာသက်ရှည်ပါစေ။
- U Hla Myint Rit wrote :
Thanks to all. VV Nice. Be mindful

Photos

At Ko Benny’s house

Soon Kyway on August 20, 2016

Award & Birthday Greetings

Saya U Myat Htoo presented the Award

Birthday card (from sayas & alumni)
& two cakes (by Charlie & Diana Tseng)

Birthday Card

Welcoming Saya U Soe Paing to SF Bay Area

At Half Moon Bay monastery

SF Bay Area Retirees

Retirees

Welcoming Sayas Dr. San Hla Aung and U Tin Htut

With Ko Tun Shwe & Ko Myint Thein (Soon Hoe)

Saya Dr. Aung Gyi received Pon Tu (by Bagyee Myat Myo Myat)
carried by Saya Ko Nyunt Htay

SF Bay Area alumni

Gathering hosted by Steeve Kay
40th anniversary of arrival in USA

With Steeve Kay (Multiple Golden Sponsor of SPZPs)

With Class of 71 at Indian restaurant

SPZP-2012 at Gyogone Campus

At SPZP-2012
with Sayas George & U Myat Htoo

At Feel restaurant
hosted by Ko Saw Lin (GBNF)
June 24, 2025
A Zillion Thanks
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2025

Gifts

Pon Tu
- From Bagyee Myat Myo Myint (U Myo Myint)
Gift from Bagyee Myat Myo Myint

Bagyee Myat Myo Myint (Center)
- See Post — Pon Tu
SPZP-2000
- Sayagyi U Ba Toke (GBNF) gave me a set of Coasters
Welcome dinner for SPZP-2000
- U Tun Aung (Jefferey, GBNF) gave me a commemorative pen
Jeffrey
- U Aye Win Hlaing (Abel) & Daw Phyu Phyu Latt (Christine) gave me a toy bear.
2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles
- U Aye Lwin (GBNF) gave me a miniature painting
Aye Lwin
- U Khin Maung Tun gave me indigenous medicine and a CD player loaded with dhamma talks.
Khin Maung Tun

Yangon
- M72 gave me “Thamudaya Kyaung” CD.
M72

Mg Mar Ga
- Saya Moe & U Nyunt Htay gave me books, magazines & sar saungs.
Saya Moe

Nyunt Htay
- Daw Gyn Yu gave me Balashin ဗလရှင် and Thai balm.
Gyn Yu
- Saya U Ba Toke gave me an autographed copy of his book.
U Ba Toke

Golden Jubilee
- From KMZ
KMZ
- From Zaw Tun & Ma Kyu
Zaw Tun

Guests of

Dr. Soe Thein
- He invited me to attend the Civil Engineering Gathering (held before SPZP-2007) and introduced me to the audience. He invited me to attend the C-75 dinner held at M3 in Yangon in 2012.
Soe Thein

Class of 70, 71 & 72
- Attended meetings of Combined 1st BE intake of 64 and 65, and the group’s Reunion and Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe.
Intake of 64 & 65
- Attended gatherings (PZP, Dinner, Lunch) by the Class of 72 in general and M72 in particular.
M72

Steeve Kay

Steeve
- Meeting alumni in Los Angeles
- QTC Anniversary
- 40th Anniversary of Arrival in USA
40th Anniversary
- Special Reunion & Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe
Special Reunion & PZP

Hosts

Singapore
- Ko Tin Aung Win (C81, UCC) hosted me during my trip to Singapore to attend SPZP-2007.
  He treated me (individually & with group) during my other visits.
Ko TAW
- Ko Win Latt (UCC)
Win Latt
- Ko Zaw Tun (UCC) & Ma Kyu
Pale & Ma Kyu
- Ko Ngwe Soe (UCC) & Ma Nu
Silver
- Ma Pale (UCC) & Ko Ye
California
- Saya U Tin Htut
U Tin Htut
- U Tin Htoon
U Tin Htoon
- U Aung Khin
U Aung Khin (Standing Left)
- Ma Phyu Phyu Kyaw
Phyu Phyu (3rd from Left)

Texas
- Dr. Ba Han & Lillian
Ba Han (2nd from Left)
- U San Lin (Robert) & Marina
Robert & Marina
- Thamee KZO & Myo
Thamee & Myo
- U San Myint Thane (Sammy)
Canada
- Saya U Aung Khin
Saya U Aung Khin & Ivan
- Saya Dr. Aung Gyi & Daw Emma
Dr. Aung Gyi

East Coast
- Ivan Lee
Fred, TAG, Alice, Tom
- Fred Thetgyi
East Coast Reunion
- Dr. L Sein Myint
- U Wynn Myint Aung (GBNF)
- U Htin Lin
- Uncle U Thein Han & Aunty
- U TAG & Daw KMM
- Tom & Kim
Some Invitations
- Ko Htay Aung (Victor) invited me to attend the RIT Alumni Dinner Gathering in Sydney in 2006.
- Saya U Ba Than (GBNF) took me to Mech Engineering sayas’ lunch gathering at Kone Myint Tha.
- Ko Thant Zin (GBNF) invited me to attend the inaugural All Mech Gathering at Dolphin restaurant.
- Ko Ohn Khine & others invited me to join another All Mech Gathering at a restaurant in Pyithu Yin Pyin.
- Ko Wai Lwin & friends invited me to join two Dinner gatherings : Feel restaurant to celebrate Daw Emma Gyi’s birthday, and at Ko Nyan Tun U’s compound to welcome Sayas Dr. Aung Gyi & Dr. San Hla Aung.
- Thanks to hosts of 69er monthly breakfast gatherings, lunch gatherings, annual dinner & entertainment. Ko Aung Min & team; Sponsors, Donors, Guitarists, Vocalists & Dancers
Appreciation Awards
- At SPZP-2000
- On August 20, 2016, Maurice Chee organized a birthday Soon Kyway at Dhammanda Vihara, Half Moon Bay.
  Several sayas and alumni brought sumptuous dishes and desserts. I received “Alumni Appreciation Award” (for the second time).
- At the Norcal RITAA Annual Dinner in 2016, I received “Alumni Award” (for the third time).
Transportation

USA
- KMZ
- Ivan
- L Sein Myint
- Wynn Myint Aung
- San Myint Thein
- San Lin (Robert)
- Benny
- Maurice
- Aung Myint Oo
- Yu Ket (Ed Saw)
- Myint Swe
- Tin Maung Win
- Ko Ko Zin
- Kyi Aung (Roland)
- Phyu Phyu Kyaw (UCC)
- and more provided me rides in the USA.
Singapore
- Khin Maung Myint & nephew
- Tint Lwin (Daniel)
- Tin Aung Wynn
- Ngwe Soe (Silver)
- Zaw Tun
- Pale
- and more provided me rides in Singapore
Yangon
- Ko Myo
- Aung Min
- Khin Mg Bo (Allan, GBNF)
- Kyaw Min Thein (Kenneth)
- Kyaw Zin
- Myint Thein (Kabar, GBNF)
- Myo Nyunt
- Than Win
- Tin Aung Win (Oscar)
- Tin Win
- Win Maung (Lake)
- Zau Lai (Duwa)
- Ohn Khine
- Saw Lin (GBNF)
- Myint Pe
- Tin Oo
- Mg Mar Ga
- Ye Myint
- Pansy Thin
- U Win
- Dr. Sann Oo
- Hla Win
- Than Tun
- Kyaw Phone Myint (Victor, MARB)
- Edwin Ngwe (SPHS)
- Aung Myin Bo (MARB)
- KK (Smart)
- Mar Mar Soe (UCC)
- Saw Yan Naing (ICST)
- Kyaw Min, Dr. (SPHS)
- and more provided me rides in Yangon.
Gatherings
- Singapore gatherings : M73 Group & Saya Winston, Daniel & 69er Group, RIT-UCC Alumni
- Alumni gatherings in SF Bay Area : RIT Alumni International; Norcal RITAA;
  Celebrations (birthday, anniversary); Welcome sayas & alumni (out of state); Ko Aung Myaing & Ma Gyn Yu
- Saya U Soe Paing & Ma Alice
  Many gatherings at their house
- Saya U Tin Htut : Hosted me at his new house; Took me to BASES dinner and Soon Kyway the following day
- Dr. Sann Oo & Ma Than Yi :
  Dinner in 2016; Lunch & Tour of their hospital in 2019
- Ko Aung Kyaw Myint (Eddie Shein : Wedding reception of his daughter (Medical doctor in Australia)
- Don Min U Yu Swan & Sayama Emma Myint : Several sessions of food & entertainment
- Ko Nyunt Htay : Shwe Bei
- Dr. Win Aung : Dinner after East Coast Reunion
Kudos to
- Contributors of articles, news
  and photos
- Those who provided Feedback,
  Corrections & Captions
- Organizers & Volunteers of RT-related activities
- All who have kept the RIT Spirit alive and well
- I belong to several circles and communities. I may have missed some non-alumni & related gatherings.
Feedback

Aung Min wrote :

Junior များ

လက်ဆင့်ကမ်းကြလော့

My reply :

Need organizers like U Aung Min

Aung Myaing wrote :

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away making you healthy and happy.

Zaw Winn wrote :

My Appreciations Dear Senior,

Your affection for our Alma Mater is unparalleled and will be in our memories for ever.

Mg Mar Ga wrote :

အကို့ကြောင့်သာဒိလိုမှတ်တမ်းမှတ်ရာတွေအသေအချာကျန်ခဲ့တာပါအကို့ခြေရာနင်းနိုင်ဖို့နောက်တယောက်ထပ်ရှိဖို့မလွယ်ပါတကယ်ပြောတာပါမှတ်ညဏ်ရယ်စေတနာရယ်အချိန်ပေးနိုင်မှုရယ်ဆောင်ရွက်တတ်မှုဆိုတာသာမန်လူလုပ်နိုင်ခဲလွန်းလှတယ်RIT Archive လုပ်ဖို့အကိုတအားတိုက်တွန်းခဲ့တာမှတ်မိတယ်ကြိုးစားစခဲ့ပေမဲ့တကယ်ကအကိုလုပ်ပြီးသားထက်ရေှ့မတိုးနိုင်ခဲ့ တကယ်ကိုရင်ထဲကချီးကျူးပါရ စေကျန်းမာသက်ရှည်လိုရာပြည့်ပါစေအကို

U Myo Myint wrote :

Mg Mar Ga

ဆရာ U Hla Min စုဆောင်းပြုစုမှတ်တမ်းတင်နေတဲ့‌အားထုတ်လုပ်ဆောင်ချက်များကို

ဦးဝင်းထိန်ဦးရဲ့မှတ်ချက်နဲ့ထပ်တူကျနော့်ရင်ထဲမှာလေးစားတန်ဖိုးထားချီးကျူးရပါကြောင်းနှင့်

ဆရာကိုယ်စိတ်နှစ်ပါးကျန်းမာ ချမ်းသာပါစေကြောင်း ထပ်ဆင့်ဆုတောင်းပါတယ်ခင်ဗျာ။

Wai Lu wrote :

These are extraordinary records. Maybe superman @ genius @ techniques.

San Lin wrote :

ပြီးခဲ့သမျှကို အရမ်းမှတ်မိသလို လုပ်လဲလုပ်နိုင်တဲ့ ဆရာဦးလှမင်း ကျန်းမာသက်ရှည်ပါစေ။

U Hla Myint Rit wrote :

Thanks to all. VV Nice. Be mindful

Photos

At Ko Benny’s house

Soon Kyway on August 20, 2016

Award & Birthday Greetings

Saya U Myat Htoo presented the Award

Birthday card (from sayas & alumni)
& two cakes (by Charlie & Diana Tseng)

Birthday Card

Welcoming Saya U Soe Paing to SF Bay Area

At Half Moon Bay monastery

SF Bay Area Retirees

Retirees

Welcoming Sayas Dr. San Hla Aung and U Tin Htut

With Ko Tun Shwe & Ko Myint Thein (Soon Hoe)

Saya Dr. Aung Gyi received Pon Tu (by Bagyee Myat Myo Myat)
carried by Saya Ko Nyunt Htay

SF Bay Area alumni

Gathering hosted by Steeve Kay
40th anniversary of arrival in USA

With Steeve Kay (Multiple Golden Sponsor of SPZPs)

With Class of 71 at Indian restaurant

SPZP-2012 at Gyogone Campus

At SPZP-2012
with Sayas George & U Myat Htoo

At Feel restaurant
hosted by Ko Saw Lin (GBNF)
June 24, 2025
Sea of Men
by Hla Min & Tekkatho Moe War

Updated : June 2025

Tekkatho Moe War

Article By Tekkatho Moe War (Saya U Moe Aung)

Translated by Hla Min

(1)

When the Korean War erupted in 1950 with the USA and China as the main protagonists, I was a child [probably too young to comprehend the details], but the interest in the war and its impact intensified as I grew older. Imperial Japan ruled Korea from 1910 to 1945. At the end of the Second World War, USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republic) declared war on Japan [supposedly] with the aim of dividing Korea. With the approval of the US, the Soviet Union claimed North of the 38th Parallel. The USA took control of South Korea. Japan conceded defeat and left Korea.

The conflict between the Governments of North Korea and South Korea escalated into a full-scale war. With the backing of the Soviet Union and China, the North Korea army invaded South Korea in June, 1950. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned the invasion and passed a resolution to defend South Korea. Twenty one nations (including US) sent forces to defend South Korea.

About two months – in the early phase of the war – South Korean forces suffered losses and had to retreat. Then, the counter attacks of the UN forces were able to “severe” the connections of the North Korean fighting units. In the middle of 1951, China sent forces to aid the North Korean army. UN forces retreated.

I am not trying to describe the Korean War in detail. I want to emphasize the intensive use of man power to engage in traditional combat. Note that there were occasional uses of bombers. During the three years (June 25th 1950 to July 27th 1953), there was a huge number of dead, wounded, POW (prisoners of war), and MIA (missing in action). The following statistics show the ghastly nature of the war. Note that only South Koreans are accounted for “South Korea & the 21 nations sent by UN”.

South Korea
178,426 Dead
566,434 Wounded & POW

North Korea
300,000 (estimate) Dead
303,000 Wounded; 120,000 POW

China
400,000+ (estimate) Dead
486,000 Wounded; 21,000 POW

Civilian Casualty
2.5 million South Koreans
1.5 million North Koreans

(2)

From the list of casualties, we can clearly see the striking amount of dead and wounded for both soldiers and civilians. In particular, China – the most populated nation in the world – is estimated to have 900 thousand dead and wounded. Imagine, how many soldiers China must have sent to help North Korea. The News Media of that time coined the phrase “Sea of men” to describe the Chinese army battling the Korean War. One can envision the mass of fighters as an vast open sea.

We have witnessed two “Sea of men” in our mother land. We saw the first Sea in 1988. We are seeing the second Sea now [in 2015]. The poem “Sea of men” was written in September 1988, but it was censored. One does not need to think twice to guess why I wrote the poem.

SEA OF MEN

Water – drop by drop

countless drops assemble

as a water flow

Water flows – collectively

rushing, hustling, bustling –

transforming into a stream

From streams

to twisting, turning and winding rivers

to the whorl of the sea

Very long and broad – vast expanse

waves – agitated by winds – rise high

with grudge and anger

to put down [intruders]

It’s SACCA (“Thitsar” – Truth of nature)

[Rower] holding an oar

thrusting into the water

hoping to harness the wave, but …

[Helmsman] on board a ship

with engine roaring

hoping to split the wave, but …

Only for a short while

the waves seem to loosen –

with sprinkles and sprouts

turn into vortex with immense power –

stronger than ever

One can never break up determined men

It’s SACCA (“Thitsar” – Truth of nature).

September 23rd, 1988

The current “Sea of men” is not for sending people to fight as in the Korean War. It is SACCA [“Thitsar” – Truth of nature] that people, who had to breathe for a long, long time polluted air and strive in an environment with degradation in economics, health, civics, ethics, and education, WOULD assemble VOLUNTARILY in the hope of breathing pure, clean air once again. Does not one like gentle breeze? Does not one want to enjoy fragrances that are carried by the breeze? Sad to note that some of the drains that are left uncleaned are making the air unfit to breathe. Worse still, the defamatory attacks by some have further degraded the air quality.

As the November, 2015 elections draw close, we see “Sea of men”. People truly want to understand and differentiate the ones who really care to upgrade the quality life of lay people, from those, who tend to ignore the people and care only for their own.

Updates

Saya Moe
- Saya had medical problems, but he did not stop writing articles & kabyars.
Kabyar
- Thanks Saya for your presents — books, magazines, sar saungs & pasoe
Book present

Posts
- Books
- Lost in Translation
- Presents
- Publications
- Tekkatho Moe War
June 24, 2025
July 2015
Enjoyable Vacation
- Trip to the East Coast of US and parts of Canada
- Took United Airlines from San Francisco International airport
- Flight was delayed for more than two hours because the computer system was down
- Our plane was diverted to Syracuse airport in New York to refuel and to wait there until Newark (New Jersey) airport — which had experienced traffic congestion — could handle the incoming flights
- Ivan Lee (M69) was aware of the flight delay. He picked us up at the airport.
- He would be our host & trip coordinator.
- Selected events from the trip are described below.
July 10, 2015

On the road to NYC
- Ivan took us — Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi, Daw Emma, my spouse & me— on a New York tour.
- We felt like “honored guests” because New York City was lined up with fans — young and old — of the US women’s soccer team which won the World Championship for the third time.
July 11, 2015

NJ Gathering

Six 69ers & Two Sayas
- Ivan hosted a gathering in honor of Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi and Saya U Soe Paing (EE, UCC).
- Ivan had hosted the RIT-UCC gathering for several years.
- Attendees include Richard Than Se (ChE62, classmate of U Soe Paing), Fred Thegyi (M69), U Tun Aung Gyaw (EC69), Daw Saw Yu Tint (Alice, T69), U Toung (Tom, EC69), U Sein Myint (EC76, UCC), Daw Sao Mon Sint (Cindy, UCC), U Mya Aung (UCC), U Soe Myint (UCC) and Ivan’s relatives (who displayed their culinary skills).
- There were six 69ers at the gathering.
July 13, 2015 (Windsor, Canada)

Windsor

Breakfast
- Sayagyi U Aung Khin was delighted to see his former students — Ivan Lee & Fred Thetgyi — drive a long way to pay respect to him.
- Ivan provided his Mercedes & gas for the trip.
- Fred drove most of the way to let Ivan have a light load. Fred also took photos of the trip.
- Sayagyi allowed my spouse & I to spend the night at his guest room.
- Sayagyi prepared “pe kyaw” and “mohinga” for breakfast the next morning for the four of us. He also gave mementos.
July 14 – 15, 2015 (Napean, Canada)

Napean

Thousand Islsnds
- Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi hosted his former students for two days.
- Showed us around Toronto
- Took us to the Thousand Islands
July 16 -17, 2015 (Massachusetts)

MIT

U TAG & Daw KMM
- Despite being busy working on two projects, U Tun Aung Gyaw took two days off to host his former classmates.
- He took us to MIT & Harvard.
- It has become a tradition to touch the “shining” shoe of Harvard’s statue (and make a wish). Fred touched with one hand and made a wish on behalf of his grand kid. Ivan touched with both hands (saying he need to make a wish on behalf of his six grand children).
July 18 – 19, 2015 (Connecticut)

Library
- U Toung (Tom) & Daw Khin Myint (Kim) were our hosts for the Connecticut leg of our trip.
- A photo was taken by Fred in front of one of the 30+ libraries at Yale University.
- Another photo was taken by a waitress (who has a “FRED” tattoo on her arm in honor of her dad) at Table (10) of Frank Pepe’s pizza. Photos of the then young Bill Clinton, who frequented the pizza place, can be seen on the wall. She then checked Fred’s ID and agreed to have a picture together.
Pizza

Miscellaneous
- On the way to Windsor, Canada we stopped to see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side. On a previous trip, I had seen Niagara Falls from the US side. Many say that the view from the Canadian side is better.
- The speed limit in Canada was lower than that of US. The GPS had some hiccup inside Canada. We ended up late arriving at Sayagyi U Aung Khin’s house.
- We just drove around Toronto on our way to Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi’s house. We prefer to be early than late.
- U Tun Aung Gyaw lives in Shrewbury (about 50 miles from Boston). He was working on multiple projects.
- Tom lives in Trumbull, Connecticut. He is retired. He often flew to Hong Kong to see his son & grandchild.
- As a side trip, Fred took us to Pennsylvania (where he lives) & Maryland. We visited Liberty Bell & selected places. U Thein Han is my sole remaining uncle. He lives in Maryland.
- Ivan had two PEs (from New Jersey and New York). He owns some real estate. He loves to cook. He plays accordion and harmonica. He is a Life time Platinum member of US Bridge Association. He is a Golden Sponsor of SPZP-2000 and SPZP-2007. He is a major donor to the 69er Health Care Fund.
June 23, 2025
July 2015
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2025

Vacation
- Trip to the East Coast of US and parts of Canada
- Took United Airlines from San Francisco International airport
- Flight was delayed for more than two hours because the computer system was down
- Our plane was diverted to Syracuse airport in New York to refuel and to wait there until Newark (New Jersey) airport — which had experienced traffic congestion — could handle the incoming flights
- Ivan Lee (M69) was aware of the flight delay. He picked us up at the airport.
- He would be our host & trip coordinator.
- Selected events from the trip are described below.
July 10

On the road to NYC
- Ivan took us — Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi, Daw Emma, my spouse & me— on a New York tour.
- We felt like “honored guests” because New York City was lined up with fans — young and old — of the US women’s soccer team which won the World Championship for the third time.
July 11

NJ Gathering

Six 69ers & Two Sayas
- Ivan hosted a gathering in honor of Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi and Saya U Soe Paing (EE, UCC).
- Ivan had hosted the RIT-UCC gathering for several years.
- Attendees include Richard Than Se (ChE62, classmate of U Soe Paing), Fred Thegyi (M69), U Tun Aung Gyaw (EC69), Daw Saw Yu Tint (Alice, T69), U Toung (Tom, EC69), U Sein Myint (EC76, UCC), Daw Sao Mon Sint (Cindy, UCC), U Mya Aung (UCC), U Soe Myint (UCC) and Ivan’s relatives (who displayed their culinary skills).
- There were six 69ers at the gathering.
July 13 (Windsor)

Windsor

Breakfast
- Sayagyi U Aung Khin was delighted to see his former students — Ivan Lee & Fred Thetgyi — drive a long way to pay respect to him.
- Ivan provided his Mercedes & gas for the trip.
- Fred drove most of the way to let Ivan have a light load. Fred also took photos of the trip.
- Sayagyi allowed my spouse & I to spend the night at his guest room.
- Sayagyi prepared “pe kyaw ပဲကြော်” and “mohinga မုန့်ဟင်းခါး” for breakfast the next morning for the four of us. He also gave mementos.
July 14 & 15 (Napean)

Napean

Thousand Islsnds
- Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi hosted his former students for two days.
- Showed us around Toronto
- Took us to the Thousand Islands
July 16 & 17 (Massachusetts)
- Despite being busy working on two projects, U Tun Aung Gyaw took two days off to host his former classmates.
- Took us to MIT and Harvard.
- It has become a tradition to touch the “shining” shoe of Harvard’s statue (and make a wish).
- Fred touched with one hand and made a wish on behalf of his grand kid.
MIT
- Ivan touched with both hands saying he needed to make a wish on behalf of his six grand children.
Dinner

July 18 & 19 (Connecticut)
- U Toung (Tom) and Daw Khin Myint (Kim) were our hosts for the Connecticut leg of our trip.
- A photo was taken by Fred in front of one of the 30+ libraries at Yale University.
- Another photo was taken by a waitress (who has a “FRED” tattoo on her arm in honor of her father) at Table (10) of Frank Pepe’s pizza. Photos of the then young Bill Clinton, who frequented the pizza place, can be seen on the wall. She checked Fred’s ID & agreed to have a picture together.
Yale

Pizza

Miscellaneous
- On the way to Windsor, we stopped to see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side. On a previous trip, I had seen Niagara Falls from the US side. Many say that the view from the Canadian side is better.
Niagara
- The speed limit in Canada was lower than that of US. Ivan’s GPS had some hiccup inside Canada. We ended up late arriving at Sayagyi’s U Aung Khin house.
- We just drove around Toronto on our way to Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi’s house. We prefer to be early than late.
- U TAG lives in Shrewbury about 50 miles from Boston. He was working on multiple projects.
- Tom lives in Trumbull, Connecticut. He is retired. He spends time in Hong Kong with his son & grandchild.
- As a side trip, Fred took us to Pennsylvania & Maryland.
  He lives in Philadelphia. We visited Liberty Bell & selected places. U Thein Han is my sole remaining uncle. He lives in Maryland.
- Ivan had two PEs (from New Jersey and New York). He owns some real estate. He loves to cook. He plays accordion and harmonica. He is a Life time Gold member of US Bridge Association. He is a Golden Sponsor of SPZP-2000 and SPZP-2007. He is a major donor to the 69er Health Care Fund.
Posts
- 69er
- Dr. Aung Gyi
- SPZP
- U Aung Khin
- Visits
June 23, 2025
Visits
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2025

Video Broadcast on December 30, 2020

2012

To coordinate with SPZP-2012 organizers, I visited Yangon in March & December.

March 2012
- Host / Transportation : U Ohn Khine (M70) & U Saw Lin (C71, GBNF); Met U Aung (C70), Daw Mai Khin Nyunt (Rosie, ChE71), U Khin Maung Myint (ChE71)
Dinner by U Saw Lin
- Preparations for HMEE and SPZP-2012
- Received preview copy of RIT Selected Cartoons fom U Saw Lin
- Mini-gathering at U Zau Lai (EP69)’s house; Last meeting with U Aung Thu Yein (EC69, GBNF)
Aung Thu Yein
- Monthly 69er gathering at Taw Win Hnin Si
- Temporary monk at Kaba Aye Sun Lun Gu Kyaung
December 2012

SPZP-2012
- True “Home Coming” at Gyogone Campus; Thanks to HE U Aye Myint; SPZP-2012
- Dinner & Entertainment at MICT Park
- Swel Daw Yeik Magazine for SPZP-2012
- Limited reprint of 23 RIT Annual Magazines
- History of Myanmar Engineering Education : HMEE Book & CD Supplement
- Selected RIT Cartoons
- Exhibits : Cartoon Box, Photos and Paintings
- Guest : M72 Gathering; C75 Gathering; Old Paulians’ Gathering
2015
- Trip to East Coast (USA) and Canada; See “July 2015” post
Windsor, Canada
- RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles; Thanks to Aung Myint Oo (EC84, ex-UCC) & Thida Khin (ex-UCC) for arranging the trip
LA Reunion

2016
- All-day SPZP-2016 at Gyogone Campus
- Free food : Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
- Entertainment : Two Stages
- Cartoon Pamphlet
- Bagyee U Myo Myint donated proceeds from the sale of his Paintings
Bagyee Exhibit
- Received “Collection of Swel Daw Kabyars” by Saya U Moe Aung, Saya U Aung Myaing, Saya U Nyunt Htay, U Win Myint, U Toe Aung
Book of Poems

2017
- Trip to England and Wales : Dr. Khin Tun & spouse Winmar showed us around; They took us to Ogmore-by-the-sea to see my childhood friend Maung Maung Kyi.
2018
- ICST/UCSY Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe : Transportation by Saw Yan Naing
- Posted “Memories of UCC” series
- Trip to Bagan : Phyu Phyu Kyaw sponsored the trip
2019
- Sojourn in Singapore & Malaysia : Thanks to Ko Zaw Tun & Ma Kyu, Silver & Ma Nu, Ko Ye & Pale, and alumni of UCC & ICST
- Gatherings : 69ers, Class of M73, UCC
- Fifth Irrawaddy Literary Festival in Mandalay : Thanks to KK
- RUBC/YUBC Annual Regatta
- Golden Jubilee of Graduation of the 69ers : Organized by the Great Aung Min & team
- ICST/UCSY Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe : Transportation by Mar Mar Soe
- Gatherings : UCC, Paulians, Veda
- Guest : Class of 72 Gatherings
2020
- PSA (Professional Speakers’ Association)
- Guest : 2020 PSA Tour to Upper Myanmar
- Restriction : Stay at home
- Virtual : RU Centennial
Updates
- Several — Dr. Khin Tun, U Maung Maung Kyi, U Aung Myint, Dr. Kyaw Thein — are GBNF.
- Due to pandemic, there were restrictions (e.g proof of vaccination & travel insurance in some countries). 18 former classmates — including Han Sein, Yi Pinn, Khin Maung Gyi, Tobias — succumbed to Covid.
- Only made short trips in 2021 – 2024.
YouTube Channel

@hmin3664

Channel to access my videos
June 23, 2025
Class of 76
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2025

Micro-gathering
- Kyaw Nyein
- Soe Myint Thu
- Daw Tin Tin Myint (Sayama, ChE70)
- Maung Maung Lay
- Than Lwin
Photo by Sayama Tin Tin Myint

Micro-gathering

Mechanical
- Moe Myint : Karuna Ah Thin; Pon Chan Chan Group; Singapore
- Thura Thant Zin : RUBC Gold;
  RU Hockey; Past President, BASES; Organizer, 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles
Thura
- Phyo Wai Win : RUBC Gold; RU Hockey
All Uni Hockey

Electrical
- Khin Maung Zaw (KMZ) : RU Hockey; RIT Rowing; ex-UCC;
  RIT Alumni International; SPZP-2000 Organizer; Designed & implemented First ex-rit web site; Microsoft alum
Khin Maung Zaw visiting San Francisco
- Myat Thein (Adam Khan) : RIT Rowing; RU Hockey
- Wynn Myint Aung (GBNF) : ex-UCC; Aerospace / Federal Aviation
Wynn Myint Aung, KMZ
- Sein Myint : M.Sc (CS) from UCC; UNOPS; MASTAA
Sein Myint (5th from Left)

Posts
- Hockey
- Rowing
- SPZP
- UCC
- Websites
June 23, 2025
Dr. Freddie Ba Hli
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2025

Highlights

Dr. F Ba Hli
- Only son of Sayagyi U Ba Hli, first native Dean of Engineering & Proponent of Twinning Program between Faculty of Engineering and prestigious US universities.
U Ba Hli
- Sc. D (Doctorate of Science) from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
- Helped Dr. Aung Gyi & U Min Wun, who were doing undergraduate studies at MIT under “Twinning Program”.
- Spouse : Daw Myint Thwe (sister of U Tin U & U Ba Than)
- Children : Tin Tin Hlaing (ex-UCC, Tha Hlaing (EC 83) & Min Thet Tun (GBNF)
Daw Myint Thwe and children
- Per request from Saya U Aung Khin, he wrote an article about his beloved father in the RIT Alumni Newsletter for SPZP-02000,
Service in Burma
- Part-time Lecturer, Electrical Engineering Department
- Acting Director, Burma Atomic Energy Commission
- Director General, Union Of Burma Applied Research Institute (UBARI)
- National Advisor, Ministry of National Planning
- Member, UCC Board of Management
- External Examiner, UCC
Post-retirement in Australia
- After retirement, he moved to Australia
- Celebrated his 93rd birthday on June 28, 2015
- Had a heart attack on June 30,2015 and was taken to West Mead Hospital.
- Passed away at 3 AM (Australian Standard Time) On July 1, 2015.
Messages of Condolence

From Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi

Ko Hla Min,

I am very sad to know that Dr F. Ba Hli has passed away recently.

As I have mentioned before in my contributing article to the History of Engineering Education in Myanmar, Dr Ba Hli was one of the nicest persons that I had the privilege of knowing in my life. He was helpful in every way to me and U Min Wun so that we were able to adapt successfully to our studies at MIT.

I send my heartfelt condolences to his family.

From Saya U Soe Paing

Please convey our condolences to Daw Myint Thwe, Htay Aung, Tin Tin Hlaing and the family of Saya Freddie Ba Hli.

Dr. Ba Hli was an active member of the UCC Board of Management

From Association of Myanmar Engineers in Australia

Funeral program details of Dr. F Ba Hli are as follow:
- 6 July 2015 Monday
- 3:00 pm
- Castlebrook Memorial Park Cemetery, Windsor Rd, Rouse Hill NSW 2155, (02) 9629 1477
As per family’s request: it would be greatly appreciated if you wish to contribute donations toward ‘Heart Foundation’ instead of memorial/sympathy flowers.

Memories
- Engg Dean U Ba Hli
U Ba Hli 2

U Ba Hli 3
- Yahan Khan, Shin Pyu
U Ba Hli & Dr. F Ba Hli
- Family Gathering
Dr. F Ba Hli
- UCC Gathering
Dr. F Ba Hli, Dr. Chit Swe
- Daw Myint Thwe
Daw Myint Thwe

Posts
- Deans & Rectors
- RIT Alumni Newsletter (2000)
- Sydney Gatherings (2006)
- Three Generation of Engineers
- UCC
June 23, 2025
Metallurgical Engg
by Hla Min

Updated : June 2025

Metallurgical Engineering ဆရာ ဆရာမတချို့
- Mr. H S Sastri : taught an early course.
Met 1
- ဦးသစ် (ကွယ်လွန်) U Thit was Head of the Department. He passed away in Melbourne, Australia.
Met 2
- ဒေါက်တာစောဖြူ (ကွယ်လွန်) Dr. Saw Pru received Doctorate from Germany. He succeeded Saya U Thit as Head of Department. He passed away in Yangon. Some believe that he was reborn as the son of his nephew U Khin Aung Shwe.
Met 3
- ဦးသန်းတင် U Than Tin : He studied in USA. He served as Interim Head of Department. He moved to the USA (East Coast and later to Southern California). We invited him to SPZP-2000, but he could not attend.
- ဒေါက်တာခင်မောင်ဝင်း (ကွယ်လွန်) Dr. Khin Maung Win : He taught at Mandalay University and worked at UBARI. He received Doctorate from USA. He served as Head of Department before becoming DG of Technical, Agricultural & Vocational Training. He passed away in Yangon.
Met 4
- ဦးအောင်လှထွန်း (ကွယ်လွန်) U Aung Hla Tun : He retired as Associate Professor. He published two books. He won the National Literary Award for the first book. He was Chief Editor for the RIT Annual Magazine. He was the Leader of HMEE (History of Myanmar Engineering Education) Project. He passed away in Yangon. His former students published a book in his memory.
Met 5
- ဦးဖေဝင်း U Pe Win : He was Professor before he became Rector of YTU.
Met 6
- Victoria Simon : She retired as Professor.
Met 7
- ဦးတင်မောင်ညွန့် U Tin Maung Nyunt : He retired as Professor.
Met 8
- ဦးဝင်းကျော် U Win Kyaw : He taught at RIT before moving to the Ministry of Mines. He represented RIT in Rowing. He attended the 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles and the gathering hosted by iNapa Winery.
U Win Kyaw 1

U Win Kyaw 2
- ဦးသိန်းအောင် U Thein Aung : He taught at RIT before moving to the USA. He retired from Lawrence Livermore Lab. He represented RIT in Weightlifting & Body Building. He was Mr. RIT in 1968. His mentor was Bohmu Maung Maung (first Maung Bamar). He is a founding member of RIT Alumni International. He was an organizer and co-emcee at SPZP-2000. He had a reunion with U Win Kyaw & U Nyunt Htay at the 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles and the gathering hosted by iNapa Winery.
U Thein Aung

SPZP-2000

Hand over Salwei to Mg Mar Ga
- ဦးညွန့်ဌေး U Nyunt Htay : He retired as Associate Professor. He is a poet. He is a contributor to “Poetic Art” Series organized by U Aung Myaing (Okpo Maung Yin Maung) and U Myo Myint (Bagyee Myat Myo Myint). He was Chief Editor of RIT Annual Magazine and Myanmar Mudita Sar Saung. He attended the 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles and the gathering hosted by iNapa Winery. During my visit to Yangon before the pandemic, he hosted a Dinner Gathering for U Ye Myint, U Win Kyaw and me.
U Nyunt Htay

Poet

Editor

Posts
- GBNF
- HMEE
- Metallurgical Engineering
- RIT Annual Magazine
- Sayas
June 23, 2025