Linda Lewin, using the recollections of her 94 year old father, Boh Lay Desmond and other family members and friends, has written the story of her family covering a number of generations. In this episode we hear a little about her great grandparents U Tun Hla and Daw Bu Ma and learn how her grandparents, Sa Po Lwin and Lucienne Auberhoffer met and married in London and moved to Bassein (now Pathein) in the Myanmar delta where her grandfather practiced law. We also learn of the eve...

This interview was originally made on 8 December 2017. U Than Htay made some interesting comments about the colonial and Japanese occupation of Burma.Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at [email protected] you for listening .Peter Church

Dr Than Oo, born 1928, prominent educator, former DG of Basic Education, the key player in raising the literacy rate in Burma in the 1960's and for the re-establishing of the teaching of English to primary school children after a gap of many years, former Chairman of the Academy of Arts and Science.This interview was first published back on 5 March 2018. As many of you only became listeners in recent times and may not have heard this interview, I hope you will find this interview of an ...

This was the second interview I made for Myanmar Oral History back on 4 December, 2017. Many of you have signed up in recent years and I hope you will find some of these earlier interviews of interest.Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at [email protected] you for listening .Peter Church

U K Ba Thaung (1931-2022) - interesting stories of his relationship with General Ne Win, including observations regarding the death of General Aung San and the involvement U Saw and more personal first hand observations of General Ne Win's many unusual superstitions and remedies such as bathing in buffalo blood and his methods to increase his virility.   I was fortunate to interview Kenneth twice before he passed away on 22 May, 2022 at the age of 91.  We must ensure the life stories of...

U Kenneth Ba Thaung (1931-2022), his life and career as a military officer including discussing his relationship with General Ne Win and his career running the Pearl and Fishery corporation, as Commissioner of Salt, the establishment of Polo 9 cigarette company and the 7 1/2 years he spent in Insein Prison. I was fortunate to interview Kenneth twice before he passed away on 22 May, 2022 at the age of 91.   We must ensure the life stories of elderly Myanma are recorded in some way or they...

General Ne Win (1910 -2002) was a Burmese politician and military commander who served as Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974, and also as President of Burma from 1962 to 1981.  He was the country's military dictator during the Socialist period from 1962 to 1988. I wonder how many of those listening to this podcast know that the name "Ne Win" was a nom de guerre used by Ne Win during WW2 to protect his identity.  His birth name was Shu Maung. In this episode I have...

Dr. Maung Maung was not only a giant in terms of his legal scholarship - being awarded two doctorates from prestigious international universities - but was also a thorough gentleman and patriot in the important years of Burma's pre and post independence.  He was heavily criticized by some for being too close to General Ne Win, but others saw him as a loyal servant of the State and who tried to be a positive influence on General Ne Win. Towards the end of his life he spent time at Singapore's...

Charles Haswell Campagnac (1886 to 1970) wrote much of his autobiography before he died and we have his grand daughter, Sandra and other members of his family to thank for pulling all of his notes together and producing The Autobiography of a Wanderer in England and Burma published in 2011 and available at Amazon and other ebook stores. Charles Campagnac's role as a barrister, a Councillor of Rangoon's Municipal Council (including time as Mayor) and as a Member of the Legislative Council...

Charles Haswell Campagnac (1886 to 1970) wrote much of his autobiography before he died and we have his grand daughter, Sandra and other members of his family to thank for pulling all of his notes together and producing The Autobiography of a Wanderer in England and Burma published in 2011 and available at Amazon and other ebook stores. Charles Campagnac's role as a barrister, a Councillor of Rangoon's Municipal Council (including time as Mayor) and as a Member of the Legislative Council...

Charles Haswell Campagnac (1886 to 1970) wrote much of his autobiography before he died and we have his grand daughter, Sandra and other members of his family to thank for pulling all of his notes together and producing The Autobiography of a Wanderer in England and Burma published in 2011 and available at Amazon and other ebook stores. Charles Campagnac's role as a barrister, a Councillor of Rangoon's Municipal Council (including time as Mayor) and as a Member of the Legislative Council...

Guy Slater was born in Lahore (then India) in 1941, the eldest son an Englishman who worked for the Indian Civil Service (as did several earlier generations of the family).  Following India becoming independent in 1947 his father became a diplomat and was posted at one time to Burma.  On leaving school Guy spent 8 months in Rangoon between school and university with his parents during which time EM Law-Yone, the legendary founder of the Rangoon Nation (...

Charles Haswell Campagnac (1886 to 1970) wrote much of his autobiography before he died and we have his daughter, Sandra and other members of his family to thank for pulling all of his notes together and producing The Autobiography of a Wanderer in England and Burma published in 2011 and available at Amazon and other ebook stores. Charles Campagnac's role as a barrister, a Councillor of Rangoon's Municipal Council (including time as Mayor) and as a Member of the Legislative Council provides...

Charles Haswell Campagnac (1886 to 1970) wrote much of his autobiography before he died and we have his daughter, Sandra and other members of his family to thank for pulling all of his notes together and producing The Autobiography of a Wanderer in England and Burma published in 2011 and available at Amazon and other ebook stores. Charles Campagnac's role as a barrister, a Councillor of Rangoon's Municipal Council (including time as Mayor) and as a Member of the Legislative Council provides...

Charles Haswell Campagnac (1886 to 1970) wrote much of his autobiography before he died and we have his daughter, Sandra and other members of his family to thank for pulling all of his notes together and producing The Autobiography of a Wanderer in England and Burma published in 2011 and available at Amazon and other ebook stores. Charles Campagnac's role as a barrister, a Councillor of Rangoon's Municipal Council (including time as Mayor) and as a Member of the Legislative Council provides...

Charles Haswell Campagnac (1886 to 1970) wrote much of his autobiography before he died and we have his daughter, Sandra and other members of his family to thank for pulling all of his notes together and producing The Autobiography of a Wanderer in England and Burma published in 2011 and available at Amazon and other ebook stores. Charles Campagnac's role as a barrister, a Councillor of Rangoon's Municipal Council (including time as Mayor) and as a Member of the Legislative Council provides...

Charles Haswell Campagnac (1886 to 1970) wrote much of his autobiography before he died and we have his daughter, Sandra and other members of his family to thank for pulling all of his notes together and producing The Autobiography of a Wanderer in England and Burma published in 2011 and available at Amazon and other ebook stores. Charles Campagnac's role as a barrister, a Councillor of Rangoon's Municipal Council (including time as Mayor) and as a Member of the Legislative Council provides...

Sithu (a very prestigious award for bravery and gallantry) Colonel Raymond Campagnac was born in August 1921 and passed away in November, 1989.  He was Anglo Burmese as were both his parents. His daughter Sandra Campagnac - Carney has written a biography of his life entitled Burma's Son (published in 2020 by Blue Mist Publication and available in several ebook shops).  I was made aware of his remarkable life by another of my podcast subjects, Sithu Captain Kyaw Thein Lwin - see Episodes 31...

With significant assistance from Professor John Ingleson and Dr Ian Black (then both at the University of New South Wales) I published the first edition of A Short History of South East Asia in the late 1990s.   The current 6th edition was published in 2017 by Wiley and, if you are interested, is available for purchase on all the major ebook sites. The catalyst for writing the book was a 1980 speech by the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore to the People's Action Party (the...

With significant assistance from Professor John Ingleson and Dr Ian Black (then both at the University of New South Wales) I published the first edition of A Short History of South East Asia in the late 1990s.   The current 6th edition was published in 2017 by Wiley and, if you are interested, is available for purchase on all the major ebook sites. The catalyst for writing the book was a 1980 speech by the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore to the People's Action Party (the...

With significant assistance from Professor John Ingleson and Dr Ian Black (then both at the University of New South Wales) I published the first edition of A Short History of South East Asia in the late 1990s.   The current 6th edition was published in 2017 by Wiley and, if you are interested, is available for purchase on all the major ebook sites. The catalyst for writing the book was a 1980 speech by the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore to the People's Action Party (the...

With significant assistance from Professor John Ingleson and Dr Ian Black (then both at the University of New South Wales) I published the first edition of A Short History of South East Asia in the late 1990s.   The current 6th edition was published in 2017 by Wiley and, if you are interested, is available for purchase on all the major ebook sites. The catalyst for writing the book was a 1980 speech by the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore to the People's Action Party (the...

With significant assistance from Professor John Ingleson and Dr Ian Black (then both at the University of New South Wales) I published the first edition of A Short History of South East Asia in the late 1990s.   The current 6th edition was published in 2017 by Wiley and, if you are interested, is available for purchase on all the major ebook sites. The catalyst for writing the book was a 1980 speech by the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore to the People's Action Party (the...

Maurice Collis was born in Dublin in 1889, the son of an Irish solicitor, and went to Rugby in 1903 and then in 1907 to Oxford.  He was posted to Burma  in 1912. He had postings at Sagaing  and elsewhere in Burma. In 1917, the British army raised a Burmese brigade with which Collis went to Palestine. In 1919, he went on leave and travelled in Europe. In the 1920s he was district commissioner in Arakan State.  In 1929–1930, a period when relations between Burmese, Indians and British became...