Myanmar Oral History Project - life stories

This interview was originally made on 8 December 2017.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].

Thank 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 extraordinary man inspiring.  

Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at [email protected].

Thank you for listening .

Peter Church

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].

Thank 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 elderly Myanma are recorded in some way or they will be lost forever when they pass away.  

Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at [email protected].

Thank you for listening .

Peter Church

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 will be lost forever when they pass away.  

Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at [email protected].

Thank you for listening .

Peter Church

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 only dealt with his early life up to the start of WW2 in Burma.  I will shortly re-publish two interviews with my friend, U Kenneth Ba Thaung  who sadly passed away last year at the age of 91.  Kenneth had a close involvement with General Ne Win and provides some fascinating insights into Ne Win's personality.

I am again indebted to the leading Asian scholar, Professor Robert Taylor for giving me permission to read some extracts from his biography on the life of General Ne Win entitled General Ne Win: A political biography  published in 2015 by the Institute of South East Asian Studies and which can be purchased as an ebook or as a soft cover book - https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/publication/2076

Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at [email protected].

Thank you for listening .

Peter Church

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 Institute of South East Asian Studies (ISEAS) providing an oral history of his life and views.   I am indebted to the leading Asian scholar, Professor Robert Taylor for giving me permission to read some extracts from his biography of him -  Dr. Maung Maung : Gentleman, Scholar and Patriot  published in 2008 by ISEAS and which can be purchased from ISEAS in an ebook or printed format - https://bookshop.iseas.edu.sg/publication/909.

Dr. Maung Maung has the distinction of, not just being appointed the 7th President of Myanmar, but also the President with the shortest term.  He was appointed on 18 August, 1988 but was removed one month later by a military coup on 19 September, 1988.  Myanmar was then without a President until 2011 when U Thein Sein was appointed.

Please note an error I made in referring to U Thant as the first Secretary General of the UN; he was in fact the fourth holding the role from 1961 to 1971.

Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at [email protected].

Thank you for listening .

Peter Church

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 provides us with a detailed understanding of life in Burma including the years before, during and after WW2.

This episode 8 deals with Charles Campagnac's views on the plight of the Anglo Burman community post WW2.

Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at [email protected].

Thank you for listening .

Peter Church

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 provides us with a detailed understanding of life in Burma including the years before, during and after WW2.

This episode 7 deals with Charles Campagnac's experiences on the reoccupation of Burma after the war.

Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at [email protected].

Thank you for listening .

Peter Church

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 provides us with a detailed understanding of life in Burma including the years before, during and after WW2.

This episode 6 deals with the Campagnac's experiences in India having fled from the Japanese occupation of Burma.

Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at [email protected].

Thank you for listening .

Peter Church