HlaMin

Blog

  • Law

    Law

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    Video Broadcast on December 16, 2020

    Law Department and Professors

    • When Rangoon University was established in December 1920, it had the Department of Law.
    • U May Aung served as the first Professor.

    U May Aung

    • Barrister-at-law, LL.D
    • Professor of Law (1920 -1922)
    • Rakkhine national
    • Later : Home Minister
    • Daughter : Daw Mya Sein (Scholar)

    Sir Arthur Eggar

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sir-arthur-eggar.jpg
    Sir Arthur Eggar
    • Professor of Law (1923 – 1937)
    • Earlier served as Lecturer in the Maths Department at Rangoon College
    • Alumnus of Cambridge University
    • Author, Egg-Bairn Rowing Style
    • Legal Advisor in UK, Middle East & Burma
    • Founder (in 1923) & Life President, Rangoon University Boat Club
    • Pledged one third of his salary for the operation of RUBC
    • Wrote his autobiography (in three installments) for the Guardian Magazine in the mid 50s.
    • Several Old Members including me reprinted his autobiography for the 90th Anniversary of RUBC.
      YUBC OMA has copies of the autobiography. It could be of interest to Law students & practitioners.

    Dr. Ba Han

    Dr. Ba Han
    • Alumnus of Sorbonne University
    • Professor Law for two terms : (1937 – 1942) and (1946 – 1950)
    • Rangoon University was closed for a period during the war
    • Compiled a dictionary
    • Dr. Ba Maw (Adipati, former English Lecturer at RU) is his brother. Both brothers are B.O.B (Brothers’ Old Boys).

    U Kyaw Myint

    U Kyaw Myint
    • First in Burma in Matric exam with distinctions in all subjects from Central. He & Dr. Ba Than were selected by Mr. Matthew Hunter (Principal of Rangoon College) to take the entrance exam of Calcutta University. His beloved mother passed away. He requested the Principal that he wanted to pay last respect to his mother. The Principal warned that he would be expelled if he did not show up at the entrance exam. He attended his mother’s last journey and was punished with the expulsion from the College. Worse still, his father threatened to disown him. The story of U Kyaw Myint can be read in a series of blogs by his son Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint and re-printed in my web site hlamin.com
    • Professor of Law & Dean of the Faculty of Law (1950 – 1958)
    • Earlier : Justice of High Court & Supreme Court, Head of the Tribunal that tried Galon U Saw, Co-founder of a political party with Dr. Ba Maw.
    • Later : founded his law firm
    • Siblings : elder brother (ICS U Tin Tut), two younger brothers (U Myint Thein & Dr. Htin Aung), and three younger sisters (Daw Khin Mya Mu, Daw Khin Saw Mu & Daw Tin Saw Mu)
    • According to Dr. TOKM, his father U Kyaw Myint had full confidence in his students (e.g. Guardian U Sein Win, Sao Hso Holm, U Mya Thein).

    Law Professors (for the later periods)

    • U Myint (1958 – 1961)
    • U Aung Khine (1961 – 1964)
    • U Hla Aung (1965 – 1971)
    • U Tin Ohn (1971 – 1986)
    • U Tin Aung Aye (1986 – 1994)
    • Daw Than Nwe (1994 – 2007)
    • Dr. Daw Khin Mar Yi (2007 – 2018)

    Law Degrees

    • BL
      Generally taken after BA or BSc; Taken by several student leaders; Requirement for senior Police and Military Police Officers; Also taken by several BCS e.g. U Khin Maung Gyi, BA, BCS, BL
    • LLB
      Under the new Education System, e.g. Daw May Thi Kha (daughter of Saya Kha)
    • Master of Law
      e.g. LLM

    Laws

    They may vary with Place and Time

    • National Law
    • International Law
    • Constitutional Law
    • Maritime Law
    • Civil Law
    • Criminal Law
    • Religious Law (in some countries)
    • Intellectual Property Law

    Miscellaneous

    • RU Centennial Celebrations
      by Law Department in March 2020
    • Law Practitioners
      Lawyers
      Advocates
      Judges
      …
      RL
      HGP
      Ad hoc (during a period of BSPP regime)

    Posts

    • Departments
    • Disciplines
  • Khin Maung Zaw (Names)

    Khin Maung Zaw (Names)

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    Dr. Khin Maung Zaw (Frank Gale, SPHS63)

    Frank (Standing : second from left)
    • Stood 17th in the Matriculation exam in 1963.
    • Retired after working in the UK.
    • He visited Yangon to see his mother, elder sisters and Old Paulians.
    • His eldest sister, who was taking care of the mother, passed away unexpectedly. The mother followed soon.

    U Khin Maung Zaw (“KMZ”, SPHS70, EC76)

    KMZ (Right)
    • Attended St. Paul’s High School
    • Matriculated in 1970 from No. (6) Botahtaung SHS State High School (name of SPHS after nationalization in 1965)
    • Due to disturbances, the convocation for KMZ’s class took place in March 1977. For simplicity & consistency), we call his class as “Class of 76”.
    • Represented All Universities in Hockey and RIT in Rowing.
    Hockey
    • Played as the last defender in the RIT Hockey Team. Many played for the University & All-Institutes Team. He coached Thura Thant Zin (goalkeeper). At RUBC, Thura coached KMZ.
    • Helped Maung Maung Hnyut & brothers (major players for the Graduation Photos).
    • Volunteered at UCC. He usually brought an empty lunch box and a spoon. Several friends and some “ah ma gyis” would provide him lunch.
    • Took courses at UCC, but flatly refused to do some assignments (e.g. COBOL).
    • Worked in Singapore and then migrated to US. He has been in the Seattle region since his arrival in the US.
    KMZ in Seattle
    • When my company subsidized my vacation trip (for the successful completion of a project), we visited KMZ at his old house. He showed us around (including a day trip to Vancouver, Canada). He showed me his wine cellar. Since I do not drink, I ended up with his concoction (“ginger beer (or similar) with ice cream”).
    • Founding member of RIT Alumni International
    • We were lucky when we were planning for SPZP-2000. He was working four 10-hour week with the Technology and Architecture Group of Nordstrom (where he had time & luxury to play with several computer systems).
    • Accepted the call of Saya U Soe Paing (our mentor at UCC) and me to set up a web site for RIT sayas and alumni.
    • Designed and implemented the first RIT web site. He was then an eligible bachelor and had a three day weekend. He burned the midnight oil preparing for the SPZP-2000.
    • Promised SPZP-2000 attendees that he would work on Version 2.0 of the web site. Things changed. Had a wonderful job at Microsoft and also started a wonderful family. A busy schedule at work and at home meant that maintaining and extending the web site would no longer have the top priority. He longer had time for RIT Updates.
    • Visited SF Bay Area in March 2018 to attend the retirement soon kyway of Maurce Chee (M75). There was a pre-soon kwyay gathering at a Sea Food Restaurant in San Mateo.
    • Mailed me two books that he bought in Myanmar. One is “U Thant Ah Ye Ah Khin” by Htein Win (Photo). The other is a “tran-composition” of Saya Zaw Gyi’s poems about Pagan by Ah May Thar.
    • After retirement, he is doing forensics on his old desktops and PCs to recover albums, and articles.
    • Has provided tags and comments for my postings.
    KMZ’s visit to SF Bay Area

    U Khin Maung Zaw (SPHS71, EE77)

    • Per KMZ, the “other Khin Maung Zaw” is also from SPHS, 71 batch. He’s an active member & instigator of OPA (Old Paulians Association) as well as RIT Electrical 1971-77 group.
    • EE77 group donated Kyat 77 Lakhs collected mainly from the group towards the flood victims through Daw Khin Kyi foundation. Amazingly he was able to cajole exactly Kyat 77L to commemorate 1977 batch folks. Sadhu! Sadhu Sadhu!
    • Interesting enough he and KMZ overlap in several areas, SPHS, RIT including Hockey and Rowing at RIT,

    U Khin Maung Zaw (T76)

    Per Ko Myat Thein (Adam K Khan, EP76) :

    There is another Khin Maung Zaw (whom I called Ngachate tayoke literally meaning Black Chinese because he has dark complexion) Class 76 Textile. We had very good conversations at D9 when we were final year students.

    Saya U Khin Maung Zaw

    • One is English Saya
    • Another is Chemistry Saya

    Posts

    • Names
    • RU Sayas
    • Sports
    • St. Paul’s High School
  • In Memory of Saya Allen Htay

    In Memory of Saya Allen Htay

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    Saya Allen (Center)

    Brief Bio

    • Matriculated in 1952
    • Graduated with Civil Engineering in 1958
    • Joined Faculty as Assistant Lecturer
    • Received Masters from Harvard University
    • Promoted to Lecturer
    • Later, moved to USA
    • See Posts about Saya

    Family

    • Married Daw Mu Mu Kin in 1971.
    • They have a son, a daughter and four grandsons.
    • Son Myo Lynn Htay (Electrical Engineer) has two sons : Alyn and Daniel
    • Daughter Thuzar Kin Htay has two sons : Reed and Miles
    Alyn, Dhaniel, Reed, Daw Mu Mu Kin, Miles

    SF Bay Area RIT Alumni

    Contributions

    • Leader, SF Bay Area RIT Alumni Group
    SF Bay Area Alumni
    • Founding member & President, RIT Alumni International
    SPZP-2000 Organizers
    • Organizer, SPZP-2000
    • His article, “Brother, can you afford US$500?” helped with Fund Raising of SPZP-2000 with five Golden Sponsors — Steeve Kay (Thaung Sein, EC70, GBNF), Benny Tan (Yu Beng, M70), David Ko (Tin Myint, M67, GBNF), Ivan Lee (Khin Maung Oo, M69), Maung Maung Than (M79) — and many donors.

    Gatherings

    A 1
    A 2
    A 3

    Donation to YTU library

    • In memory of Saya Allen, Daw Mu Mu Kin donated books and book shelves to YTU Library.
    • Maurice Chee (M75) coordinated the shipment of Saya’s books.
    D 1
    D 2
    D 3
    D 4
    D 5
    D 6
    D 7

    Financial Aid for eligible YTU students

    • In memory of Saya Allen, Daw Mu Mu Kin provided Financial Aid for eligible YTU students.
    • NorCal RITAA and ARITA coordinated with the selection of students.

    Posts

    • C58
    • Dana
    • RIT Alumni International
    • SPZP-2000
  • RIT Organizers

    RIT Organizers

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    ရန်ကုန်စက်မှုတက္ကသိုလ် အကျိုးဆောင်များ

    ဦးဝင်းသိန်း (စက်မှု1967, ကွယ်လွန်)

    Win Thein
    • စက်မှုသတင်းစဉ် Set Hmu Thadin Zin
    • RIT စက်မှုအင်ဂျင်နီယာအသင်း Mechanical Engineering Association နဲ့ မဂ္ဂဇင်း Magazine
    • RIT အနုပညာအသင်း Ah Nu Pyinnya Ah Thin
    Ah Nu Pyinnya Ah Thin

    ဦးစောလင်း (မြို့ပြ1971, ကွယ်လွန်)

    Dr. San Hla Aung & U Saw Lin
    • RIT မြို့ပြအင်ဂျင်နီယာအသင်း Civil Engineering Association
    • MES — Myanmar Engineering Society
    • 2012 ကမ္ဘာလုံးဆိုင်ရာ ဆရာပူဇော်ပွဲ SPZP-2012

    Posts

    • Associations
    • Memories of RIT
    • Wall of Fame
  • Bo Htay, Tin Mg Nyunt, U Ba Toke

    Bo Htay, Tin Mg Nyunt, U Ba Toke

    by Soe Paing

    Updated : June 2025

    by Saya U Soe Paing (EE)

    U Soe Paing

    Thank you [HM and KMZ] for all the updates. I enjoy reading them and can feel the excitement and enthusiasm of the participants and the organizers. I wish I could be there for the REUNION and visit my old haunts in the Bay Area.

    The least I can do is to contribute something about the Sayas who will be attending the SPZP-2000 Reunion. I would like to say something about Saya U Ba Toke and my friend Sayas Allen Htay and Ko Tin Maung Nyunt.

    Saya U Ba Toke

    U Ba Toke

    I am very happy to hear that Saya U Ba Toke will be making the trip to the Bay Area. Saya U Ba Toke was our Math Saya in I.Sc.(A) at Yankin College in 1956 and I.Sc.(B) at Main University in 1957. He was a lecturer and Sayagyi U Kar who also taught us in 1957 was the Professor. He was a very good lecturer. I still cannot believe how he can write pages of notes on the
    blackboard in a very nice handwriting. I think he became Professor of Mathematics in 1958 when U Kar retired. I remember that in 1958 we had to request him for recommendations to apply for places in universities in the States. He gave me a great recommendation for which I am still very grateful. I met him again when he joined RIT as the Professor of Mathematics before I moved to UCC. The last time I saw him was some months back at the funeral of the father-in-law of Dr. Khin Maung Win (Met) and the father of Khin Than Nwe (T62).

    Allen Htay

    Allen Htay

    Allen Htay was a brand new Saya when we joined the Engineering College in Leik Khone in 1958. I remember him teaching Engineering Drawing to the Chemical & Textile first year students like Khin Than Nwe (T62) and my high school friend Richard Than Se (ChE62). I met him again in August 1963 when we took the same ship SS Warickshire from Liverpool on the way back home.

    Ko Tin Maung Nyunt

    Tin Maung Nyunt

    Ko Tin Maung Nyunt, Ko Ko Lay (UCC, GBNF), and Ko Than Pe (Chartered Accountant, ADB) were also on the ship. We spent about two months on the ship with about 4 weeks in Colombo. We played ping pong [table tennis] and swam in the pool during the day. We played Bridge [card game] every night after dinner with Ko Tin Maung Nyunt and Ko Ko Lay as partners and myself partnering either Allen Htay or Ko Than Pe. We went on land at Port Said (at the start of the Suez Canal), Port Sudan and Aden in the Red Sea, and Colombo, Kandy and Nuwara Elyia in Sri Lanka. All of us became very good friends.

    On arrival home in 1963 Allen Htay rejoined RIT in Gyogone. I was then assigned to the RIT Electrical Engineering Department in January 1964. We were together again when Ko Tin Maung Nyunt joined the Agricultural Engineering Department some months later. Ko Tin Maung Nyunt was one of our regulars on the Saya Football Team. We remained good friends as all of us stayed in the RIT estate. Ko Tin Maung Nyunt then left for the US via Thailand. I joined the UCC in 1971. Allen Htay then left for the US. The last time all of us got together was in 1988 in the Bay Area.

    I am also glad to hear that my old colleagues from the EE Dept Ko Sann Tint (another Saya Football Team regular) and Ko Sein Maung will be attending the reunion. Please pass on my best regards to my Sayas, colleagues, friends, students and all participants.

    Congratulations to you, the organizers and to a successful REUNION.

    Editor’s Notes

    U Soe Paing was my mentor at RIT and UCC.

    During my visits to Yangon, I paid respect to U Ba Toke. Sayagyi is a Phwa Bet of Rangoon University and the First RU Students’ Strike in December, 1920.

    Saya Allen Htay (GBNF), Saya U Tin Maung Nyunt, U Ko Ko Aye (GBNF), Ko Thein Naing (Patrick) and I used to meet once a month.

    Posts

    • RIT Sayas
    • SPZP-2000
  • Myint Thin (M71)

    Myint Thin (M71)

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    Highlights

    • Matriculated from St. Paul’s High School in 1965
    • Joined 1st BE at RIT
    • RIT Luyechun
    • Represented RIT in Rowing
    • Graduated with Mechanical Engineering in 1971
    M71
    • Worked in Singapore and Malaysia
    • Wrote bios of Dr. Tin Win (M62), U Tu Myint (M) & U Aung Myint (M69) for SPZP-2000
    • Sponsored Saya U Ba Than to attend SPZP-2007 in Singapore
    Gathering in Singapore
    • Attended Meditation Retreats at Panditarama Meditation Center in Bago Hse Mile Gone
    • Passed away in Singapore
    Myint Thin, Myint Toe, U Tu Myint

    Emma Myint wrote :

    Last time I met him was at Ko Nyan Win Shwe son wedding. His mom was my primary school teacher.

    Posts

    • Luyechun
    • Rowing
    • SPZP Sponsors
  • UCC Alumni

    UCC Alumni

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    Singapore

    U Win Latt

    Win Latt
    • Studied Masters in Computer Science at UCC.
    • Wrote WinHoro at UCC.
    • Founded Computer Training School in Myanmar.
    • Founded SysMagic with branches in Thailand & Singapore.
    • He was host during my first visit to Singapore.
    • He later moved to Yangon & Thailand.

    U Ngwe Soe / Silver

    Ngwe Soe (Right)
    • Worked for Systems Division at UCC.
    • After a brief stint as seafarer, he joined Siemens in Singapore.
    • He hosted me during my first and a later visit.
    • He & Nu Nu Yee (sister of U Khin Maung Thwe EE69er) took us to their home in Jahore. He drove us to Melecca.
    • He retired after working for various projects overseas.
    Ngwe Soe (Center)

    U Tin Aung Wynn

    Ko TAW (Left)
    • Studied Masters in Computer Science at UCC.
    • Taught courses at UCC.
    • Moved to Singapore.
    • Taught Multi-media and other subjects at a Polytechnic.
    • Spouse Ma Wah is a doctor.
    • They hosted me in April 2007, when I attended SPZP-2007.
    • He co-organized lunch gatherings during my visits.
    • The photo was taken in 2019 when he took us to his home for home-cooked lunch.

    U Zaw Tun

    U Zaw Tun
    • Studied Masters in Computer Science at UCC
    • He & spouse Kyu Kyu Hlaing hosted us during our visits.
    • Rretired after managing Programming Projects for a shipping company.
    • Gawpaka of Singapore Chan Myei Yeiktha.

    Daw Pale Shein

    Seated : Pale, Kyu Kyu Hlaing & Pale’s GK
    • Studied Masters in Computer Science at UCC
    • Hosted me for part of my last trip. The stay was cut short when Covid hit some of her family members.
    • Organized sightseeing & gatherings

    Ying (Sree Wunna Mangrai)

    • Studied Masters in Computer Science at UCC
    • She & her spouse invited us to a lunch gathering. We were joined by Ko Aye Kyaw.

    UCC & ICST alumni

    • Met them at the gatherings (e.g Ko Zaw Tun’s house, Indian & Chinese restaurants, West Coast)
    • Some may have moved out of Singapore

    In Alphabetical Order

    • Ko Aung Aung & Ma Kyin Mya
    • Ko Aung Khine Cho
    • Ma Aye Aye Than
    • Ko Aye Kyaw
    • U Boe Ba Shan & Daw Phyu Phyu Win
    • Ko Hla Min (Lay)
    • Ma Hpyu Hpyu Aung
    • Ko Khin Maung Aye
    • Ma Khin Myint Cho
    • Ko Kyaw Htay
    • Ma Myint Myint Thein
    • Ko Nay Myo Aung
    • Ma Nilar Thein
    • U Ngwe Soe & Daw Nu Nu Yee
    • Ma Pale Shein
    • Ma San Yi
    • Ko Shein Soe Myint (GBNF)
    • U Than Lwin & Daw Khin Swe Oo
    • Ko Tin Aung Win
    • Ko Tin Htun Saing
    • Ko Win Latt
    • Ying (Sree Wunna Mangrai)
    • Ko Zaw Tun

    Veda

    • U Myint Sein (Principal of BARB, GBNF) requested me to develop computer programs for Veda.
    • I supervised the Veda projects by Ko Win Latt and Ko Zaw Tun.
    Myint Sein
    • Ko Win Latt wrote Win Horo. The lowest version was used to generate natal horoscope. The higher versions were used by BARB sayas for advanced astrological calculations.
    • Ko Zaw Tun wrote a Prolog program for evaluating the Zartars. He was surprised when the zartar of a young (may be 2 year old) resulted in the prediction of a very person. He later learned that the child was a recipient of wealth from his Sawbwa grand father.
    • After receiving their M.Sc.(Computer Science), both taught computing at their private schools. They later moved overseas.
    • During my initial visit to Singapore, I stayed at Ko Win Latt’s apartment. He later spent in time in Bangkok and Yangon.
    • During my later visits, Ko Zaw Tun and Ma Kyu hosted us. They also organized ex-UCC gatherings.

    Khin Maung Zaw (KMZ)

    KMZ
    • Attended St. Paul’s High School. In 1965, SPHS was nationalized and became No. (6) Botathaung State High School. He matriculated in 1970.
    • Joined RIT and graduated with Electrical Communication.
      The option is known as EC, EcE & Electronics Engineering. Due to school closure, there were two convocations in 1977. Those from March 77 are called “Class of 76” (the intended year of graduation).
    • Played Hockey for “All Institutes” team.
    • Rowed for RIT at RUBC.
    • Spent a few years at UCC before moving to Singapore and then USA.
    • In 1999, he designed and implemented the first ex-RIT web site & served as its webmaster.
    • Alumnus of SPHS, RIT and UCC

    KMZ wrote :

    KJ, thanks much for posting these old stories, sharing with the rest. We really had many interesting and amazing characters there in those days. We, the three so-called musketeers, made things much more interesting, pushed the envelope so to speak. But thanks to all the Sayas – Saya Paing, Saya Myo, Saya Lay and seniors like you, UTAG etc, we were able to do whatever we felt like it there. I know for sure that we offended many people there, but with the great rapport and support from many of you, our mischievous acts, intentionally or not, were pretty much forgiven.Like I said a few times here, those were the good old days.I would like to thank all of you for what we did there, and sincerely ask for your forgiveness if we, especially myself, indeed offended any of you. I am indebted to all of you. Sayas, seniors, contemporaries, as well as some juniors, as I learned a lot while I was there.

    U Tin Win

    U Tin Win (Seated Right)
    • Taught at RIT EE before to Systems Division at UCC
    • Worked at Forest Reserve Inventory

    U Tin Win wrote :

    In my days in UCC, U TAG was CE and ICL computer’s printer was line printer and it could print only 120 char/line. To get 160 char/line, UTAG modified the line printer by joining the original plastic printer shaft with another short shaft. One day, he came to the engineering workshop and said he would modify it. First he cleaned the desk workplace where he would join the shafts. At that time, an apprentice engineer (Ko Khin Maung) came into the room and saw U TAG cleaning the desk. Then, KKM, shouted, “Whoo! .. actually modification of printer is just Cleaning the desk”.

    Myint Myint Thein (Susan)

    Susan & Ma Nge
    • Younger sister of U Win Htein (PWD, GBNF), who was in charge of the maintenance of electrical equipment at UCC
    • Early DAC (Diploma in Automatic Computing)
    • Worked at FERD at National Planning before moving to Singapore
    • After retirement, she moved back to Yangon.

    Myint Myint Thein wrote :

    I felt young again reading about the good old days at UCC.

    Posts

    • Gatherings
    • Memories of UCC
  • Sayadaw

    Sayadaw

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    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
  • Tag

    Tag

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    TAG

    Tun Aung Gyaw

    It may stand for

    • Technology and Architecture Group
    • Tun Aung Gyaw
    • Tom Aung Gyaw (Tin Aung Win)

    Tag

    Tag may mean a label.

    In FB, tagging a post makes a copy to the Timeline of the person being tagged.

    There are pros and cons for using FB tags. e.g. Someone may receive multiple of a post that is being revised incrementally.

    In FB, the individuals in a photo may be tagged. There are pros and cons for using FB photo tags.

    Some algorithms used by FB to process photo tags have features. e.g. I have a photo with U Osadha of Dhammananda Vihara. FB asked me to tag Ashin Pannagavesaka (Uzin Bobby Myo Tun, A69) even though he was not present in the picture. The algorithms do not handle the case correctly for Theravada Buddhist monks.

    In the early days, there is game called “Tag”.

    There used to be Rag Tag Bands.

    TAG – Technology and Architectures Group

    by KMZ

    The last group I worked in my first company. Took me 10 years in that company to get into that group, starting from the very bottom when I arrived in US. The very first year in US, every interviewer told me I would get bored in several months in the job I interviewed for. Some of them even referred me to outside Agencies.

    This first company was and still is, a retail company, where technology and IT were treated as second class citizen. Even worth the new retechnoligies we tried to push out, the higher ups were not enthusiastic about it. They see IT being the money spending “Cost Center” not a “Revenue Generating” aka merchandise selling department.

    After they pushed out long time VP of IT was transferred to newly created online entity website, TAG was abolished. I was in the middle of another technologies, Data Warehouse/Data Mart and Internet, got transferred into Database group.

    IBM, having deep connections to our IT, we were running Big Blue, like any other big IT shops. IBM got a foot hold to sell their web/internet technologies. I was in the minority of IBM’s internet products (1997/1998), and was pushed aside. It didn’t work out well so Microsoft’s Professional Services was brought in. My former VP asked me to come to his new department, but I got pushed aside again because Microsoft folks complained that I asked them too many questions.

    That was the end of my career with the retail company.

    Au Revoir!!! Adios!!!

  • Ivan Lee (M69)

    Ivan Lee (M69)

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    Family

    Ivan
    • Youngest among Siblings
    • Father passed away when he was young
    • Mother raised the family. She lived to 102 years. Stayed active by playing Mah Jong daily.
    • Spouse Ivy (GBNF) : In her memory, Ivan built a school in Kyaukme
    • Two daughters
    • Six grandchildren

    RIT

    • Attended I.Sc(A) classes at Pathein.
    • Admitted to 2nd BE in Nov 1964
    • Graduated with Mechanical Engineering in 1969
    • While attending RIT, he had a private business selling Kyauk Me Laphet Chauk
    • Earned more than enough to pay for hostel fees and car expenses
    • Moved to USA

    USA

    • Studied Masters in New York
    • PE (Professional Engineer) for New York and New Jersey
    • Entrepreneur
    • Golden Sponsor for SPZP-2000
    • Sponsored Naw Mu Mu Aye to attend SPZP-2007
    • Major donor for the 69er Health Care Fund
    • Donated PCs to YTU (via U Nyi Hla Nge)
    • Life time Platinum for Bridge
      Competitive Card Game
    • Play Accordion and Harmonica

    Host

    • For several years, he hosted the annual RIT-UCC Gathering
      The timing was chosen to coincide with visits by Saya Dr. Aung Gyi and Saya U Soe Paing

    Trip to Canada

    • Invited us in 2015. Organized a whirlwind trip to Canada to pay homage to Saya U Aung Khin in Windsor and Saya Dr. Aung Gyi in Napean, Ottawa.
      Provided car and gas. Drove part of the trip. The major portion of the trip was handled by Fred Thetgyi (M69). Visited Massachusetts (Host : Dr. Tun Aung Gyaw, EC69) and Connecticut (Host : U Toung / Tom, EC69) on the way back.
    U Aung Khin
    Dr. Aung Gyi
    • In June 2018, he organized another trip to Canada for selected sayas (e.g. Dr. Tin Win, U Aung Myint) and alumni.
    • Founded MASTAA and served as CEO

    Golden Sponsor

    On the morning of October 5, 2000, Ivan called me and asked how he can support the “RIT Alumni International” Activities. He earlier donated $360 to cover the hard costs of running the http:/www.ex-rit.org web site for a year.

    He had written a check of $1200. He would donate $1000 to the SPZP and $200 to the Alumni General Fund. When I thanked him, he said,

    “I’m not donating to your pocket. I’m donating for a good cause. The time you’ve put in definitely much more than $1200. I want you guys to set up a formal organization and a permanent fund”.

    He became a Golden Sponsor for SPZP-2000. There were five Golden Sponsors:

    • David Ko (U Tin Myint, M67, GBNF)
    • Ivan Lee (U Khin Maung Oo, M69)
    • Steeve Kay (U Thaung Sein, EC70, GBNF)
    • Benny Tan (Tan Yu Beng, M70)
    • U Maung Maung Than (M79)

    Study & Work

    Ivan wrote to Daniel Tint Lwin (M69), Saya U Aung Myint (M69) and KMZ (EC76, Web master).

    I have been staying at East Brunswick, New Jersey, USA for a long time. EB is a small nice town between New York City (40 miles south) and Philadelphia (60 miles).

    I got my MIME in 1976 from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, New York City. I hold both New York State and New Jersey State Professional Engineering (PE) licenses.

    Back in 1974, I worked as a nuclear engineer in a Nuclear Power Plant. By 1982, I was working as a senior mechanical engineer at the major chemical/petrochemical plants. I performed planning, scheduling, design, specification, procurement, construction management, client interfacing, trouble shooting, etc. —

    In 1988. I purchased the engineering and construction firm where I was chief engineer and operation manager.

    In 1992 I purchased a garden apartment with 46 units and established a realty company.

    In 1996 I purchased a co-generation power plant which produces power and steam/hot water to the hospitals, but this one was not doing great, so I gave up within two years.

    I slowed down my engineering and construction business in 1998. The only business I am working part time is the real estate business. I own two office buildings and two single family houses. I have a beach house at the NJ shore and spend most summer there.

    I have two adult daughters. The elder one graduated from Cornell University with Mechanical Engineering Degree and is working as a financial institution at Wall Street in NYC. The younger one graduated from an artist college and is doing photo for Amazon website advertisement in New York City. My wife is from Burma as well. We never returned there, since we immigrated.

    I spend my time purchasing/selling stocks daily, managing the real estate business and playing Bridge [a card game]. That is my hobby. I am a Bronze Life Master in ACBL (American Contract Bridge League).

    That is my life. I would like to add one more thing. When my wife and I came to USA, all we had was $60 plus $1200 air tickets loan from Pan Am.

    Most of our classmates and friends are smart, intelligent, and willing to work. But a few have business mind to motivate or establish their wealth. I will talk with you more if you are interested.

    Talking about donation : last year, I proposed to the Myanmar Ambassador in Washington, DC, to donate my engineering documents, books, technical catalogs, etc to Myanmar. The offer was not accepted.

    Does RIT have email address? I’d like to email to the staff of RIT. I like to say “Hello” to Naw Mu Mu Aye (T69). I heard she is the Head of Textile Department at RIT.

    His Philosophy

    In another e-mail, Ivan wrote :

    I have helped at least 75 relatives people immigrate to USA. I have sponsored at least 200 relatives, classmate, friends to USA without spending a penny to the lawyer. I had provided air tickets fees, lodging facilities, food, and transportation. I also helped most of them look for suitable jobs for most of them. I also arranged their children to go to school. This is not an easy assignment, need a huge heart to do that. My wife is of tremendous help in doing these projects. It took us more than 10 years on a consistent basis to do the projects.

    I donated about $1,000,000 to my childhood school via Ko Aung Myint back in 1991/92. The school has 1000 students. They have named their assembly hall after me.

    The message I’d like to offer is “When you are available, you should be able to contribute your assets (including knowledge, money, personal involvement) back to the society”.