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Explanation about the typo: Burmese



Reply-To: "Dr. Khin Ni Ni Thein" <nin@xxxxxx>
Subject: Explanation about the typo: Burmese Poets in Jail

Dear SALAI KIPP KHO LIAN,

First of all thank you very much indeed for your posting which gives me
an opprtuunity to get to know you. Warm greetings from NiNi, 
one time class-mate of KO TIN AYE KYU. (Ko Hmine)

Also thank you for your added information on Ko Hmine.
As you may notice, on our computer key board "i"is just next to "u".
It was meerly a typo. However, I will be more careful next time.
In fact, I was his class-mate when we were together in RIT.

I know/knew him personally and have had many apolitical 
conversations at the time we were in RIT. One time I undertook the duty 
as an associate general secretary of the Civil Engineering Students' 
Association. However all activities which may relate between his and I
were either CESA's activities or about poems. It was apolitical
because at that time I was a book-worm and a dreamer to become a professor
or a philosopher. 

Anyway, here I am, doing what I should be doing, a political activist.
WHY? The answer is very simple. First, I am guilty while my students know
how to behave and I didn't. Second, because the majority of the the first
class leaders like Ko Hmine become one of the people who could be
put under one of the following four categories.
(1) Martyrs
(2) Political prisoners
(3) Captured inside Burma and being under virtual house arrest
(4) Being physically and/or mentally disable due to the dreadful
    torture and unspeakable life in prison

Having said all that, please let me thank you for the additional info you
have posted. I am honoured to get to know you.

By the way, Ko Than Lin lived five houses away from my previous house and
he was one year senior than me in RIT. We know each other QUITE well
including his mother dating from late 1960s. However, let me repeat at
that time I was a book-worm and a dreamer to be either a professor or a
philosopher. That dream was very close to be realised when I completed
my studies. However, at that same time, I was already enlightened by my
own students who are now (since 1988) at the border area striving to 
restore democracy, human rights, and rule of law in Burma regardless of
themselves being an engineer! or whatever form of future professional.
These are university students, medical students, high school students, 
etc. etc. In particular, those who enlightened me were former RIT
students who turned out to be my teachers. 

At that very critical moment of "TO BE or NOT TO BE" a professor, I
said to myself that "How dare I go back and resume my teachership 
in RIT (now it becomes YIT) knowing now what is right and what is 
wrong. I am not that shamelss". Consequently, I did refuse to
become a professor under the military rule. I surpress my dream
temporarily while we(ALL) are striving to restore democracy, 
human rights, and rule of law in Burma. 
I hope that one day, .... I could probably resume my sweet
dreams. NOT NOW!


> The demontrastion was waged in commemoration of the 100th. anniversary of
> Thakhine Ko Daw Hmine's birthday. He was arrested along with other student
> leaders including Ko Than Lin (RIT), Ko Win Myint (RIT ), now a well known
> song writer known as Win Min Htay and Mai Po Po, the sister of Salai Tin
> Maung Oo who was secretly hanged by the military regime on 3 April 1976 in
> Insein Jail.
 
Very sincerely yours,
NiNi