On My Road to Rangoon

Dr Maung Maung Nyo

Preamble

I’ve heard of the poem entitled” On the Road to Mandalay” by the Nobel Prize winning poet Rudyard Kipling. It was composed to encourage and honour the British soldiers in their march to Mandalay to dethrone King Thibaw thus depicting the way from the British Burma in Moulmein and Rangoon to Mandalay along the Irrawaddy River.

(Nobel Prize Winner Poet Rudyard Kipling 1865-1936)

The first stanza clearly depicts this road:

(Moulmein Kyaikthalan Pagoda)

“By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' eastward to the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say:
"Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!"

(This is exactly what she sees: "Lookin' eastward to the sea")

Come you back to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay:
Can't you 'ear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?

(Old Ships of the Irrawaddy Flottila Company in the Old Days)

On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay! “

(Mandalay Hill, Fort and Moat)

There were some criticism as to the absence of any Moulmein pagoda on the road to Mandalay or in Mandalay. But the pagoda he mentions is in Moulmein and he had seen the pleasant pagoda there. It’s the Kyaikthalan Pagoda.

(Gilded Kyaikthalan "Old Moulmein Pagoda" of Kipling)

Similarly some critics said adversely that there is no flying fish in the Irrawaddy River or in the whole world, but it’s a poetic expression like the flying carpet, flying horse or even elephant. It denotes fish jumping on the water of the river. We see it every day in the Irrawaddy River and Chindwin River. The flying fish is a metaphor. itself, but Kipling had been to Molumein and Rangoon.

(Mandalay at Dusk Signalling the End of the Mandalay Era)

This poem has become so famous that the Allied soldiers also sang during the WW II to evict the Japanese soldiers in Mandalay and elsewhere in Burma. The famous singer Frank Sinatra sang it as a song and it became a hit. The name Mandalay becomes popular and there is now a Mandalay Bay entertainment enterprise in the Las Vegas in the USA.

(The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas)

So also, I’m writing my memoirs in whatever way I remember and it’s not an official report or a precise diary. It’s just the things or events I remember in my head or heart and some sequences of events may not be chronological, they are just eventual but I try to keep them true without romanticizing them unduly. Enjoy.

Farewells in Lashio

I received my transfer order from Rangoon in the early week of March 1964 and I told all my friends that I was going to Rangoon to join the Medical College 2 in Mingaladon, Rangoon. They all were surprised that a military doctor had been selected to train for a civilian medical college and that that person would be sent abroad for a higher degree, not MRCP or FRCS.

(Dr Saw Aung Hla Win and Son Still Cherish the Degree)

Now it needs some clarification here as many medical doctors in Burma are confused with degrees, diplomas and fellowships. There are some doctors who have increased serotonin output if I say Ph.D. is a higher degree and MRCP and FRCS are diplomas. It’s nothing boasting and not meant to belittle the clinical fellowships and memberships. After all these fellowships and memberships serve their purpose, but they are not degrees granted by a university, but just diplomas granted by the respective Royal Colleges. So I was the first military medical person in Burma to be sent abroad for a higher degree (Ph.D.) in the UK.

(Pagoda at the Top of the Mandalay Hill)

I also told the Deputy Commander of the Eastern Command Colonl Aung Pe that I was going to Rangoon soon as my transfer order was already issued and I would not be joining any military operations while waiting for the replacing medical officer to arrive in Lashio. Colonel Aung Pe agreed to keep me in Lashio and asked the Commander of No.232 Medical Battalion in Meiktila to send a replacement as soon as possible. So, I was set for transfer to Rangoon and my friends in Lashio tried to get a date from me to enable them to give me a farewell dinner or a suitable meal.

(Lashio City, Northern Shan State)

Colonel Min Maung’s Farewell

Colonel Min Maung had become my personal friend and he regretted that I was transferred so soon from Lashio. ”Saya, your transfer order came so soon. This is a record in the Burma Army. We’ll give you a farewell lunch one day. I’ll arrange with the Adjutant,” he said. He invited me to have a lunch at 12.00 noon on one Saturday and all the army officers of the Lashio Station were invited. Lieutenant Shwe Man was on duty. He later was awarded a Thura Medal and became a general in the SPDC.

(Namkham River)

There was no ceremony, just stating that the 109 Light Infantry Battalion bid “Farewell” to me and they all wished me success and happiness in the future and they ate lunch for me. It was Htattaya (Parata) and chicken curry with vegetable salads and refreshments (light drinks). The whole battalion that was stationed in Lashio enjoyed it. I also did.

Captain Yin Nyunt’s Farewell

Captain Yin Nyunt and his wife were my good friends and they used to invite me to their home quite often. I think they were then just married over two or three years and they did not have a child yet. “Saya, please give us one evening to give you a farewell dinner. Khin is a very good cook. She wishes to say farewell to you personally,” Captain Yin Nyunt said to me. So, I had to give them a date just two or three days before my departure.

(The Namtu Mine Spiral Where Captain Yin Nyunt Fights Bravely)

They fed me coconut rice, oily chicken curry (Kyet Thar Sipyan), fried Balachong (Fish paste and chili), cucumber salad and pea soup. It was very delicious and I thanked them for their generosity. Daw Khin Hla Myint was very happy that I enjoyed her cooking. Captain Yin Nyunt resigned or retired from the army and settled down in Mandalay while I was in London. We never met again although we were informed of each other’s progress. Captain Yin Nyunt opened a broker house in Mandalay transmitting Shan and Burmese goods from Mandalay to Lashio and Taunggyi in the Shan State or vice versa. I heard he had a good business and he was becoming rich with money and children.

(Misty Lashio Scene)

Major Hla’s Farewell

Major Hla’s home had been my “Sar Ein Thauk Ein” (Free Eating and Drinking Haven), but they gave me a farewell dinner. They asked me to bring along Dr Ivan Win Pe too as we used to be inseparable before I left. Ivan was keen to join the Burma Army like me, but his mother who lived with him to look after his house as he was single at the time did not agree.

(Lashio Motel)

However, Ivan used to take me to his home almost every day and he asked me to eat his portion of Chapati (Indian flat bread) and vegetable dishes made for him. He instead ate what was cooked for me. His mother told me, “Maung Nyo, your friend is hard headed. He is acting strange as he likes to join the army like you. But he can’t as he is a Hindu.” However, Ivan’s elder brother Kenneth Varma (K. Ba Thoung) was already in the Burma Army. He was a major then. He was more popular when General Ne Win married Yadana Natme (June Rose Bellamy) as they were classmates in Maymyo. Ivan later succeeded in joining the Burma Army.

(Welcome to Lashio)

Daw Aye Ngwe cooked a typical Burmese meal for us. It included specially cooked rice, oily cooked pork, roasted chicken, fried pea, assorted vegetables sour soup, fried fish paste, fresh vegetables salads, fried fish and roasted soy flakes (Pebokekin). We drank some beer as Major Hla urged us for a happy farewell. Bohmu Hl and Daw Aye Ngwe had been good to me in all ways. They hosted my friends Colonel Tun Hla Pru and Captain Khin Maung Lin in their home while I was away at somewhere. They told them I was very busy and had many social activities. Yes, I was.

Ma Ohn May and Ma Kyin Mu’s Farewell

Ma Ohn May and Ma Kyin Mu gave me a farewell dinner at a Chinese Restaurant in Lashiolay (Small Lashio). (There are two Lashios, Lashiogyi and Lashiolay; Lashiolay is the town where government offices, market and Lashio Civil Hospital are situated while Lashiogyi (Big Lashio) is about 3 or 4 miles away where Shan and other races live like a big village. The Army Hospital is situated between the two nearer to Lashiogyi.)

(Manzu Pagoda in Lashio)

They both said I was transferred so soon and they would miss me very much as we three had become good friends. We had good company and now I would be leaving them two alone. They were so sad. I told them it was the Director’s doing and I was keen to go abroad. I would meet them when I came back from the UK. They gave me souvenir gifts that I kept for a long time.

U Aung Hla’s Farewell

U Aung Hla was a close friend of Major Hla. His wife and Daw Aye Ngwe were fast friends. They shared some common interests and Bohmu Hla used to take me to their house and shop in Lashiolay. They sold all kinds of Shan goods especially Shan dried tea leaves. I used to buy one or two visses of dried tea leaves whenever I went down to Mandalay, Monywa and Meiktila to give to friends as presents. (1 Viss of weight equal 3.6 Pounds.)

(Lashio Market)

My friends liked those pure unadulterated tea leaves. So when I bought 4 Visses of tea leaves they asked me why I was buying so many. I told them I was transferred from Lashio and I was going to Rangoon and these tea leaves would be good gifts to my Burmese friends in Rangoon and elsewhere in Burma proper. They then invited me to their home for a farewell lunch.

It was a typical Shan meal consisting of cooked Shan rice that was sticky, pickled Monhnin (Mustard), Soon-Tan soup, fried soy flakes and chili, chicken and gourd soup, cooked 3-layered pork and cucumber salad. It was a specially cooked delicious meal and we three ate ravenously including Major Hla.

BMH, Maymyo

I remember I was driving the ambulance jeep from Lashio to Meiktila and driver Hla Min was accompanying me. I would leave the ambulance in Meihtila Medical Battalion 232 when I arrived in Meiktila. Then, I would take the train from Thazi to Rangoon. So, I had a whole car and supporting staff with me from Lashio to Meiktila and I had the opportunity to visit BMH, Maymyo, Monywa and Mandalay before I reached Meiktila. The BMH, Maymyo was my first stop. I drove direct to the CO’s Office. The sentries at the gate looked at me surprised and let me go when they recognized me. Soldiers from BMH, Maymyo were fond of me as I used to befriend them while I was posted there.

(Maymyo or Pyin Oo Lwin City Centre)

Colonel Balakrisna was happy to see me.” So, you are on the way to Rangoon, right, Maung Nyo?” he asked me. ”Yes, Colonel, I just come in to greet you and say Hello,” I replied. He shook my hand and said, ”Good. Do continue your hard work. You will be successful.” He then let me go and see other officers and staff. I saw Dr Tin Aung Swe as a civilian consultant in medicine and Dr U Thein Nyunt as the civilian consultant surgeon for the army. They greeted me cordially. “Congratulations, Ko Nyo. So you are going abroad for further study,” Dr Thein Nyunt asked me.” Yes, but after some training at MC 2,” I answered. I later met them n Rangoon; Dr Tin Aung Swe as rector of Institute of Medicine 2 and Dr Thein Nyunt as Professor of surgery.

(Rangoon Medical College, Lanmadaw, Yangon)

I went to my old medical wad and Major Aiyyappan greeted me warmly. He was glad that I had been chosen for further study in the UK. My news spread like wild fire in the BMH and medical corps. I was surprised and glad. I met Captain Htun Hlaing in the medical ward and he was very glad with my news. He introduced me to any doctor I met at BMH that day. He was a Panthay and served in the army up to the colonel rank. He retired a few years after my retirement as professor in 1998.

(Maymyo Horse Cart, Yahtalone)

I said,” Hello” to Ko Aung Thein, elder brother of Dr S. Hla Mong. He was surprised and glad that I was being transferred from Lashio to Rangoon. “Take away some cakes from my shop,” he offered. I said,” Thank you Ko Aung Thein. But, no, I won’t take any. Give my regards to your mother and wife.” “I have two wives now,” he said laughing. He was a Muslim. I remember he requested to supply me with contraceptive pills every month while I was in Maymyo. He gave them to his girl friend every month. But after a few months the girl told him she was pregnant and asked him to marry her. He told his mother and she was married according to the Islamic Laws and he took her to his mother’s house where the first wife and children were living. There was no problem and he returned all the contraceptive pills to me after his second wife have returned them back. Both of them died in a car accident near the entrance from Mandalay a few years ago. His shop was the Diamond Confectionery on Mandalay Lashio Road in Maymyo. I miss him.

(Maymyo Waterfall)

I ate lunch with my driver and soldiers at the Lashio Restaurant on the Mandalay Lashio Road in Maymyo at about 11.30 AM. “Can we drive from Mandalay to Monywa today?” I asked Hla Min. “It will take one and half hours from here to Mandalay. So we’ll get in Mandalay at about 2 .00PM. Then we drive to Monywa. How fare is Monywa from Mandalay?” he asked me. “About 136 Kilometers or 86 miles,” I replied.” Then we’ll arrive in Monywa by 5.00 PM latest,” Hla Min said. “OK, enjoy your lunch, Let us drive from here to Monywa direct,” I told them. I paid the cost of lunch for all from my own pocket. This had been my habit or practice since I became their officer commanding. They appreciated it very much as soldiers could not afford good food.

Monywa

My parents were gad and surprised to see me in army uniform driving an ambulance jeep. I greeted them,” I come here to say Hello and to pay respects to you. I’m being transferred from Lashio to Rangoon,” I told them.

(Mohnyin Thanbuddhay Cedi, Monywa)

“Good. How many days will you stay in Monywa?” my father asked. “Say today and tomorrow. Then I’ll leave day after tomorrow to Meiktila,” I replied. “Today after resting for a few hours we’ll go to Sudaungpye and Shwezigon Pagodas. I’ll pay homage to them and showed my three companions. Then, I’ll greet old friends,” I continued. “Don’t eat at outside shops. I’ll cook dinner for you. Beef, bitter gourd, gram pea soup and mango pickle you like,” my mother told me.” We rested for some time, took shower and changed clothes. Then we drove to the Pagodas.

(Bodi Tahtaung, 1000 Buddhas and Banyan Trees, Monywa)

I stopped in front of Khin Khin Latt’s house at Kyaukka Street. I met her sitting on a bench. ”Hello, Maung Nyo, when did you arrive?” she asked me. “Just now .I came to say Hello to you. How are you?” I replied. “I’m very glad. Sit here,” she pointed a place beside her. ”Ma Ma, sit there,” I asked my elder sister to sit there. We exchanged pleasantries and past student life. We have been very friendly since 7^th standard. “I’m going to Kyaukka tomorrow. Would you come along if you are free? Ma Ma is coming along,” I invited her. “Yes, I’m free. Tomorrow is Saturday and come and fetch me here. I’ll be ready by 7.00 AM,” she agreed. “I’ll come here by that time,” I promised.

(Handicrafts of Kyaukka, Monywa)

We had a good picnic on that Saturday in Kyaukka. It’s is only 12 miles (20 kilmeters) from Monywa and it’s a big village with about 2000 households. It made Burmese lacquer wares sold at the many pagoda festivals in Upper Burma. It has also a famous pagoda called the Shweguni Pagoda gilded with solid gold in the upper half and gilded Buddha image inside. There is a waterfall and cold stream called the “Htan Ta Loke Chaung” that comes from an underground spring.

(Htan Ta Loke Chaung, Kyawkka, Monywa)

It’s surrounded by big boulders and shady trees. The place is good for picnic and trekking walk. We enjoyed our picnic on the boulders under the big shady trees. We bathed in the cold stream. Ma Ma, prepared a good lunch of bread and sardine with coffee. We ate well and talked well.

(Lacquerware Making in Kyaukka, Monywa)

Kyaukka celebrates the Shweguni Pagoda Festival in May (5^th to 8^th waning day of the Burmese Month Kason) each year when the whole village was crowded. I visited the festival twice in my high school days. We came back from Kyaukka at about 2.00 PM. Khin Khin Latt was a Senior Assistant teacher. My parents were happy to hear that I had been selected for state scholarship by the army to go to England after a few years’ training in Rangoon.

(90 Meters-Long Reclining Buddha, Monywa)

Meiktila

I put up at the Officers Mess at No. 232 Medical Battalion. There were four beds in two rooms and only one bed was occupied. “Who is sleeping here?” I asked the Mess sergeant. “Bogyi Win Pe,” was the answer. “Is he from Lashio?” I askd. ”Yes. Bogyi,” the Mess Sergeant replied. At long last my friend Dr Ivan Win Pe had succeeded joining the army. That’s why I lost touch with him in my last few days in Lashio.

(The Meiktila Lake, Pagoda and People)

“Hey, Maung Nyo, Congratulations,” Dr Win Pe shouted at me in the after noon. “Let’s go to town for a drink. I will drive your car,” he said. Thus we happened to enjoy our army life together in Meiktiila driving around the Meikytila Lake, drinking and eating in the restaurants and cold drinks shops near the Meiktila bazaar. “Let’s make an army uniform each for us. I have a present from my brother, it can make two uniforms,” Dr Win Pe said one day and he took me to a tailor in Meiktila.

The cloth or fabric was synthetic, smooth and soft. It was dark green in colour, the same cloth that high ranking Thai and KMT army officers as well as Shan SSA officers were wearing. “Thank you, Ivan. Can I stitch it in Rangoon, because I made all my uniforms in Mohamad Hussein Shop on 37^th Street,” I told him. ”No, Maung Nyo, this tailor is good. Let us make together here. I’ll order extra quick. It will be ready by tomorrow so that you can wear it on the train to Rangoon,” he told me. Ivan had the knack of persuasion others to follow his plan.

(The Clock Tower, Meiktila)

True, my new uniform was ready one morning before I boarded the train at Thazi. I wore it and Dr Win Pe, now Lieutenant Win Pe sent me there. He was also wearing the same uniform. “I’m very glad to be in the army. I’m free. No stress like in the civil practicing for money,” he enthused. He saluted me smartly like in the British Army as I was senior to him now. I was a full fledged captain. I returned his salute and bid Good Bye to him. He was later posted to Mongton where I had been and he married a beautiful Shan girl, Nang Hla Yin, there. They had two cute sons who were now in the UK. Ivan and his wife are deceased now.

Mingaladon

I remember I arrived in the Central Railway Station, Rangoon, on the morning of March 28, 1964. Major Ko Ko Gyi (Later Colonel), Dean of Medical College 2, had kindly sent a Toyota Pickup car and a Jamadar to fetch me at the station. I saluted him as soon as I arrived at his office.

(The Central Railway Station, Kwan Chan, Yangon, Burma)

” Good, Maung Maung Nyo, Welcome. Have you got a place to live?” he asked. “No, Bohmu. Can I live in the Officers Mess?” I requested. “I’ll enquire now,’ he said and dialed a number. He said, ’Yes, you stay with us. We have me, Tin Ohn and Tun Hla Pru in single rooms on the first story, Maung Maung on the ground floor. You have another room on the ground floor. We eat in another Mess paying our rations and needed cash separately. It’s good food.” “Thank you. Bohmu. I’m single with three trunks. I’ll study hard to go and get Ph.D. from UK,” I promised him. It’s my road to Rangoon, the return trip since my transfer from the DSGH in 1961.

(The Interior of the New International Airport, Mingaladon, Yangon)

Dr Maung Maung Nyo

28.02.2009

To parody Rudyard Kipling’s On the Road to Mandalay here is my poem:

( Mark Twain and Rudyard Kipling)

On My Road to Rangoon

On my road to Rangoon

I was like a babbling baboon

Pacing from place to place

I reached my destination in haste.

I drove the ambulance fast

Without thinking about accidents much

Lucky that I did not meet any trouble as such

I had pains and aches all over as aftermath.

But, I met my teachers on the way

Colonels Bala and Aiyyappan to say

“Hello” for their parts they played in my life

It’s their kindness and guidance that right.

I met my friends before I left too

Min Maung, Yin Nyunt, Ma Kyin Mu

Ohn May kept my life occupied and cool

Major Hla couple also helped in making it too.

Ivan was a great friend

He was reliable godsend

He appeared at unexpected moments

He lent you his hand to relieve torments.

My parents encouraged me whatever I do

So long as my dreams would come true

They did not want me to become a politician

They said I would excel as an academician.

Dean Ko Ko Gyi had been good to me

He promoted me without necessity

He wanted me to excel in the academy

I tried and accomplished that by study.

I saw many men maneuvering to manage

To control others and to be top in the lineage

Scrambling upon one another like maggots in the roughage

I did not find such human animals in my crusade, so fortunate.

(Kipling's House in Mumbai, India Where He was Born)

Dr Maung Maung Nyo

28.02.2009

An Italian Dinner in Sydney

Dr Maung Maung Nyo

I recently met a young man in Sydney

While attending my daughter's nuptial ceremony

He happens to be a former student of mine

He told me sincerely with smiles that shined.

His wife is also sweet and nice

She tells me of her mother’s advice

“Read these books by Dr Maung Maung Nyo”

They are meant for all ages, from the newborn to the old.

( L to R: Adults, Dr Tun Aung Kyaw, Aung Myo Kyaw, ESN,
Ohnmar Myo Sein; Boy Standing Their Son)

They invited us to dinner one night

To their home in Sydney’s north side

My self, my elder daughter and newly weds

The other in-laws of course were included.

(L to R: Daw Mya Mya Win, U Thein Kyaw, Aung Myo Kyaw, ESN

Dr Maung Maung Nyo, Yupar Nyo)

They welcomed us warmly in their abode

A one-storey cottage in a shady slope

Ohnmar, his wife, took out a book and presented me

It’s a Buddhism book written by her father for the laity.

( A Buddhism Book Written by U Myo Sein, Father of Daw Ohnmar Myo Sein,

Wife of Dr Tun Aung Kyaw)

They then took us to an Italian restaurant

They said,” It’s a good one we frequented”

An old Post Office marked as a Heritage Site

“It’s wonderful, OK for us”, we confided.

(A Health Education Book Written by Dr Maung Maung Nyo)

Ohnmar, the hostess, was sweet and vivacious

She managed to be comfortable and courteous

A chilly champagne wine was first served

We said “Cheers” as toast by raising our glass;

Dr Tun Aung Kyaw talked about his life

He has come to Australia in 40 plus side

He had traveled and toiled in Burma for years

But, nothing seemed to be benefiting his future.

(Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon by Night)

Our speeches became swifter as wine flowed

Then, 3 plates of three different Pizzas followed

We then talked about the Burmese Diaspora galore

We hear about them wherever we go.

(General Aung San With Japanese During the Japanese Occupation

of Burma between 1942 and 1945)

We did not miss mentioning about Burma

Most people are in trouble to eat and live there

Trade, employment and economy are in shatters

There is no way out to save Burma in the near future.

More drinks were served to grease our lips

Pleasantries and personal high points mixed

U Thein Kyaw lamented about lack of his public works

There was no allocation of money and materials worth.

(The Bride ESN M.Comp.Sc. (Australia) and the Groom

Maung Aung Myo Kyaw B.Engg. (Australia)

His son the groom was just drinking and eating

He seemed down and drowsy due to driving

His wife, my daughter, was cute eating and clinking

I ordered more beer as I enjoyed the drinking;

Two big plates of Pasta were served together

They were Macaroni and Spaghetti in splendor

Ohnmar and her hubby passed the plates to share

We gratefully took portions to satisfy our hunger.

(L to R: MMN, Dr Tun Aung Kyaw, U Thein Kyaw, Daw Mya Mya Win,

Ohnmar Myo Sein, Near Side: Yupar Nyo, ESN, Aung Myo Kyaw

at an Earlier Lunch Given by the Newly Weds)

Eating speaking and squeaking continued

Drinking, clinking and sipping ensued

There was a lull after we had consumed food

We stretched and spoke nice things of the group:

We’re later served desserts to our liking

It’s ice cream of different varieties and icing

I chose vanilla as I’m familiar with its aroma

I finished with Cappuccino Coffee as comforter.

(L to R: Dr NOM, Yupar Nyo, ESN, Dr MMN at their Graduation

As Master of Computer Science)

We said,” Good Bye, Good Night” to each other

We drove different ways after the dinner was over

I was glad we’ve met and shared the evening together

It’s more so as the time elapsed has more than thirty years

Some people feel eternal gratitude so long for their teacher

It’s a wonder that I have met such grateful pupils in my career.

(Thanbuddhey Cedi, Monywa, Burma, Where MMN was Born)

Dr Maung Maung Nyo

07.02.2009 and 26.02.2009

The Lasting Lessons Learned in Lashio

Dr Maung Maung Nyo

Preamble

I enjoyed my stay in Lashio as I was in town enjoying the city life like others and at the same time doing my doctor’s duties in a normal way. Besides I could refer some serious and emergency cases to the Lashio Civil Hospital (LCH) as it has more qualified doctors and facilities. E.g. we had to refer our orthopaedic cases to the LCH for radiography as we did not have the X-Ray machine and radiographers. Of course, we had to provide them with new radiographic plates and developers.

(A Panoramic View of Lashio, Northern Shan State)

And I had friends in the army and civil service as well as in the populace. I was also getting regular mail and I continued writing my short stories in the Thwe-Thauk (Comrade) mothly Magazine. I therefore learned a lot in Lashio and I like to share my lessons learned in Lashio. Enjoy.

Simple Wrist (Colles’) Fracture

At about 9.30 AM one bright day in Lashio a young stout man in tennis shorts came to my OPD with a complaint of severe injury to his right wrist. “I salute you, Captain. I just have a fall on the tennis court and I have severe pain on my right wrist now. I may have fractured my bones,” he said. He was holding his right hand flexed at the elbow by a handkerchief sling. ”OK, I’ll examine and take a radiograph right now. What’s your name?” I asked him. ‘I’m Lieutenant Aung Win from the Artillery. Major Hla directed me to go to you at once,” he replied.

(A Radiograph of the Colles' Fracture of the Wrist)

I examined him and found the following signs of fracture:

(1) Swelling of right forearm just above the wrist joint

(2) Tenderness in the area (Pain felt on feeling)

(3) Inability to use or move the wrist joint (loss of function)

(4) Discontinuity of the right radius (lateral forearm bone)

(5) Jutting ends of the fractured bone

“Yes, Bo Aung Win, you have a Colles’ fracture, Simple one as there is no open wound and protruded bones. I will send you to the LCH to take an X-Ray for confiemation of my diagnosis and then come back to me. I’ll do what I can,” I told him. Then I asked Corporal Sein Tun to take him to LCH for immediate X-Ray and wet film. They came back after an hour and the radiograph confirmed the Colles’ fracture on his right radius. “It’s a simple fracture of lower end of the right radius bone. I can reduce it now under ether anaesthesia, apply a POP and retake the X-Ray for check whether I did it right. Or I can refer you to the BMH, Maymyo where you have to go by train and stay there for at least a few days. Choose your choice because you’re an officer. I won’t tell these options if you are an ordinary soldier,” I explained to him. “I would request you to do by yourself, Captain, I trust you,” he replied.

(Pete Sampras Playing Tennis at Wimbledon)

So, I put him under ether anaesthesia, reduced the fractured segments for normal alignment and applied the POP (Plaster of Paris) bandage supported by a shoulder sling. “You go for another X-Ray and come back,” I told him when he recovered consciousness. The post-POP X-Ray showed I did it fine. So, I told him,” You stay like this for 6 weeks. I’ll check the healing then.” “OK, Bogyi. Thanks a lot,” he said.

“In the mean time you practice your right hand to move and grasp as exercise. That will keep your hand functional,” I explained how to do the hand exercise.

(Labamuni Buddha Image, Lashio, Northern Shan State)

After six weeks, I checked him with another X-Ray and it was found to be OK, the two bone fragments had united well in normal alignment. So, I removed the POP and asked him to move his right hand. He could move well. “It seems OK, Bogyi. Can I play tennis again?” he asked. “Yes, Of course. But wait for about 2 more weeks to make the muscles concerned get back to normal,” I told him.

“Thank you very much Bogyi. You are so kind and efficient. I’m a nephew of Colonel Hla Han, your Director. I have written to him about this fracture and he was pleased with your efforts. I’ll write to him again. Thank you, Bogyi,” he said. “My pleasure,” I replied.

(The Chinese Temple at Lashio Where Fortune Telling is Available)

Major Htwe commented,” You are courageous and kind. If I knew he is the nephew of our Director I would have sent him to the BMH, Maymyo or DSGH, Mingaladon to prevent consequences if any thing untoward happens. But, congratulations for your success.” Lieutenant Aung Win later became a Brigadier-General in the Artillery Corps and he had won several Tennis Championships.

Acute Abdominal Pain

At about 10.30 PM one night Major Maung Htwe sent a soldier to me with the request that I went to the residence of Colonel Min Maung to relieve him of acute pain in the upper part of abdomen he was suffering just now. He wrote it’s not an order and it’s just a personal request by him and Colonel Min Maung as they knew that I refused to go and treat at the senior officers’ houses. Colonel Min Maung was a personal friend of mine as he was the Column Leader for two major operations in Kokang and Wa States when I accompanied him as a medical officer. He was kind to the soldiers, but strict with military discipline and preparations so that he was successful in most operations and his forces suffered few injuries. His soldiers loved him, but his enemies hated him. He treated me like a younger brother during operations protecting me and explaining me what he was doing all along.

(Cause of Pain in Upper Abdomen; Epigastric Pain)

So, I went with his errand soldier bringing with me all the necessary medicines. I asked Corporal Than Soe, my nursing assistant, to bring along injection syringes and pain relieving medicines. Colonel Min Maung’s wife welcomed me warmly and said,” Saya’s friend is in severe pain. He is on the bed. He wanted you to see him badly so, he requested Bohmu Htwe to send you here out of protocol.” “It’s OK. I’ll do what I can,” I replied and entered their bed room. I exchanged greetings with Colonel Min Maung and took history and did the physical examination. He showed me his barium meal X-ray recently taken that showed no ulcer.

“I have no peptic ulcer, Bohmu Htwe told me and yet I’m getting this acute pain at night. It has been occurring off and on for about a week now. Tonight I’m having it since I came back from the meeting with the Taing Hmu (Commander of Northern Shan State). I felt burning pain in the upper part of abdomen like a molten solution of iron poured into my mouth and I swallow it. I have not eaten any meal, but I took Gelmag tablets and drank Horlicks that my wife kindly prepared,” he told the history of his present illness.

I said,” Yes, Bohmu, you don’t have peptic ulcer that is a chronic wound in the stomach or duodenum. As shown by the barium meal. But you have increased gastric motility and increased secretion of gastric acid. That’s why you are suffering from acute pain. You may be irritated emotionally or stimulated mentally. That’s why you are having pain now. This may lead to ulcer later. I’ll relieve your pain now by injection. Then I’ll give you one tablet of this drug to relive pain, spasm and mental irritation. You will go to sleep. Continue this treatment for a week and you will be OK.”

So saying I gave him an injection of Spasmo-Cibalgin intramuscularly and then gave one tablet of Bellaneutron that contained atropine, phenobarbitone and magnesium trisilicate. I asked him to take Gelmag Antacid) three times a day with milk or Horlicks, take a tablet of Miltown (Meprobamate tranquilizer) in the morning and avoid spices and fried food. (It was before the availability of Valium drug and other modern tranquilizers). He telephoned me the next day that his pain had gone and he was feeling fine, fresh in the morning. I heard he was doing his job without pain after that.

(The Great Shwedagon Pagoda by Night, Scenic, Serene and Solid )

My treatment was psychosomatic as he was under severe stress for military operations in the Northern Shan State quite often as he was the only able commander there. I met him in Rangoon before I went to UK in 1966. He thanked me for getting rid of his pain that night and for ever. He was appointed a Managing-Director in the Ministry of Industry under Colonel Tint Swe who also had been to the Shan State with him.

Colonel Min Maung hailed from Gyo Bin Gauk like his classmate U Win Tin of the NLD, Colonel Htoo Myint of BAMC and Colonels Khin Maung Win and Khin Maung Lin brothers. U Zaw Nyunt and Daw Htoo of the Htoo Supplies Co Ltd,Rangoon were also from Gyo Bin Gauk. There are other prominent people from Gyo Bin Gauk too. Sometimes, a town or a place produces many notable persons at the same time.

Not Against His Wishes

“Saya, do you have any medicine that can stop drinking?” one day Daw Aye Ngwe asked me. “Yes, we have a drug called Antabuse that can make a person stop drinking if he takes it. It’s antagonistic to alcohol and if taken together patient will become restless, irritated and may vomit. He may not be able to sleep and became angry. But, it only works if the person concerned likes to stop drinking himself,” I explained. “I like to try it to Ko Hla,” she replied. “Don’t do it Ahmagyi if he does not wish to stop drinking. Sometime people drink because they like it. The effect of alcohol soothes them. It makes them peaceful.. It’s their only escape from the stressful or painful world,” I cautioned.

(A Patient With Swelling of the Abdomen due to Ascites
Caused by Cirrhosis of the Liver Due to Drinking)

Yes, a friend of mine Dr Aung Thu was asked by his teacher Professor Daw Myint Myint Khin of Mandalay, “ Why do you drink alcohol?” .He replied. “I drink because I like the vasodilator effects of ethyl alcohol. It makes me warm, cosy and comfortable. It gives a sense of euphoria that makes me pleasant.” Daw Myint Myint Khin commented,” Dr Aung Thu, you gave good reasons for drinking. Don’t let your students get them. They would become alcoholic!” But, Dr Aung Thu drank only two pegs of Rum a day and he ate well after drinking. He died of cerebral sclerosis soon after retirement at the age of 60 years.

(Three Beautiful Bottles of Rum)

As for Major Hla, he was just over 35 years at the time. He drank Army Rum regularly in the evening and he would give his Rum to any body that came to his house at the time. He did not ask me to drink it as he knew that I was not fond of it and I had patients to take care of all the time. Major Hla was a saint when he was sober, but he was like a tiger when drank. Because he quarreled with people on drinking his wife wanted him to stop it. But, he refused. That was the reason Daw Aye Ngwe had come to me to ask for Antabuse. Fortunately or unfortunately, I had it with me as a sample and I gave it to her.

(Abdomen of a Patient With Ascites: Water in the Abdomen Being Drained by

a Tube)

After a fortnight, the driver of Major Hla came to me one night to accompany him at once as Major Hla was in temper tantrums and vomiting. I followed him immediately as both our homes were only 5 minutes drive away. I found Major Hla calling names and shouting all nonsense in his bed. Daw Aye Ngwe was beside his bed massaging his legs. I asked Daw Aye Ngwe,” What happen to Major Hla?” She smiled and said,” He drank a few glasses of Rum about an hour ago and now he became so rowdy. He had vomited twice. He is complaining of restlessness, irritability, nausea and vomiting. He likes to walk and shout. That’s why I called you.” “Did you give him the medicine?” I asked quietly. ‘Yes,” she said. “Then, that’s the reaction,” I told her. I examined him and gave him an injection of Largactil intravenously with glucose. I let him take a glass of milk before he went to sleep. I checked his vomit and found it contained no blood and it was not coffee ground in colour indicating there was no bleeding.

I went and checked major Hla the next morning and found him alert and well. He was taking a bowl of rice gravy or porridge containing duck meat. “Come and join me Saya,” he invited me. “Thank you, Bohmu. I just finished my breakfast. How are you doing or feeling?” I asked. “I’m well, Saya. I’m sorry for the last night’s troubles. Ma Aye Ngwe gave me alcohol antagonistic drug without my knowledge and I drank Rum. It made me angry and irritated. I already asked her to discontinue the medicine. I like alcohol. That’s why I’m drinking,” he replied. I checked his physical condition, took blood pressure, pulse rate and noted the nervous functions. His liver was also not enlarged. “OK, then. Don’t take the two together,” I told him.

(Some People Just Enjoy Drinking)

Major Hla continued drinking well into his late fifties. He developed cirrhosis (fibrosis) of the liver and had to be admitted to the DSGH, Mingaladon for several times. He began to develop ascites (Accumulation of water in the abdomen) and vomiting of blood and he died of liver failure later. He was a very intelligent man drinking alcohol knowing its dangerous effects because he liked it.

Menopause

I knew U Ye Myint as the DFP (District Forestry Officer) in Lashio when we accompanied Colonel Aung Pe to Muse and Nam Kham. We came to Nam Kham on our own as the Deputy Commander (Later Commander) of the Eastern Command (Shan State) permitted us to go although he stayed behind in Muse. We went to the cinema together in Nam Kham and watched the hilarious movie “the Football Fiend” starring Norman Wisdom. In the cinema, U Ye Myint talked a lot about politics citing Marx and Maol and I was impressed by him. “I’m now leader of the Workers Asiayone (Association) in Lashio,” he told me.

Since the distance from Nam Kham to Lashio was a long one we struck a good friendship and I continued looking after his family’s health in Lashio as he frequently invited me to his home for dinner. His wife Nyo (Khin Lay Nyo?) was also friendly and generous. She was tall, fair and about 40 years of age. They had 3 children, two boys and a girl. “It’s enough for us. Three children are good. I’m meditating most of the time and politics take my free time,” he used to say. He supported the CPB on its peace efforts and blamed General Ne Win for its breakdown so soon. “I’m a Marxist,” he declared proudly. I always found publications of the People’s Republic of China in his hand quite often.

(Injection to Test Pregnancy)

One day, he called me and asked me whether he could come and see me at my OPD. “Come along. You are welcome,” I told him. He came to me at about 11.00 AM accompanied by his wife. I was examining a soldier and he was the last patient to see at the OPD. “Yes. We can talk freely after him,” I told U Ye Myint gesturing them to take seats. They sat and waited for me to clear the patient.

When we’re alone he said,” Ko Nyo, I like to take your opinion. Nyo is not menstruating for one month or more now. I thought she was beginning her menopause, but she suspected another child coming. Can you check for us please?” “OK, I can. By the way, was Ma Ma Nyo taking any pills?” I asked. “What pills? Nothing taken,” she replied. I guessed she did not know the pills and not taking any contraceptive measure. “Let’s go to the operating theatre to examine you fully. This OPD is only for the male patients and it’s not private. Other people can see.”

I took both of them to the nearby operating theatre and examined Ma Ma Nyo physically as well as intra-vaginally with her husband looking. I found her genital organs soft and supple. We have a saying in obstetrics that a cervix of the pregnant uterus is as soft as the lips (Hegar’s Sign and Goodell’s Sign) and that of the non-pregnant uterus is as hard as the tip of the nose. I thought her cervix felt like a lip.

(Home Pregnancy Test Kit)

” Ma Ma Nyo, I think you are pregnant. Congratulations,” I told them. “But Ko Nyo, I followed the rhythm method to make it safe. Why did it fail?” U Ye Myint demurred. “Well, U Ye Myint, the rhythm method of birth control is not 100 % reliable. It fails sometime. I can inject a medicine to confirm it further,” I told them and gave her a hormonal injection for pregnancy test. “If Ma Ma Nyo bleeds within 3 or 4 days it’s not pregnancy. If it does not bleed, it may be pregnancy as the physical signs for pregnancy are found in Ma Ma Nyo,” I told them and wished them good luck whatever thy want.

At that time the injection test for pregnancy was just commercialized and doctors were given samples to test it. During our student daysthe test for pregnancy was different. The urine of the pregnant woman or suspected woman was injected to an immature rabbit, rat, toad or bull frog and its internal organs were inspected by dissection after a few days. If pregnant the ovaries of the animal usually a toad or bull frog become enlarged and bleed. The laboratory assistants of the Mandalay and Rangoon physiology departments earned an outside income by doing such tests. Now, time had changed and their fortunes were nearing the end as the home pregnancy test kits are commercially widely available.

(The Oxford University Where U Ye Myint Studies for Forestry)

A few days later, U Ye Myint telephoned me, “Ko Nyo, there is no bleeding in Nyo and we’ll take the child.” I replied, “Congratulations to you both. Good for both of you. ” His wife Nyo gave birth to a beautiful daughter.

I met U Ye Myint when he came to me in Mingaladon to see his wounded son at the DSGH, Mingaladon. ‘Why, wounded? Did he go underground to join the Communists as you were a staunch Marxists?” I asked U Ye Myint. He laughed and said,” No, Ko Nyo. I have discarded Marxism after my son attended the DSA. He was posted to the Pegu Yoma and wounded in a fight there with the Communists. Nyo is also no more (She died.). That’s why I was so worried for him as the eldest son.” We went together to the DSGH to see his son in the surgical Ward. His son Maung Tin Aye had grown to be big and he was injured only on the two fingers of the right hand. There was no need to fear for his life or limb. U Ye Myint was glad.

(Aung San Suu Kyi's Family in Oxford, England)

Then, I read a few articles written by U Ye Myint in the government daily newspapers. He wrote about the aloofness of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Oxford, not mixing with Burmese students like him there when he attended the Oxford University for forestry. Many people were angry with him including me. Why did he write such nonsense to please the SLORC? The SLORC was trying to portray Daw ASSK as aloof from the ordinary Burmese and not in touch with the people in Burma. I asked him about his articles when I met him in a book shop. ”I was wrong, Ko Nyo. Now no body calls me even my own children except Thagyi (Eldest Son),” he lamented. I pity him for his opportunism.

Circumcision for Non-Muslims

I used to make minor operations after lunch in the military hospital at Lashio. Daw Mya Hnit was the sister nurse assisting me sometime. She saw that I was quick and successful in removing sebaceous cysts, lipoma, foreign body from the eye and ear and in draining abscesses. She noticed that there was less bleeding and trauma than operated by others particularly Major Maung Htwe. Daw Mya Hnit one day asked me,” Bogyi, could you please operate on my son for circumcision?” “Yes, I can. But how old is your son,” I asked. “He’s 7 years old. His prepuce is long. I like to do it when his school I closed,” she said. “But all the children under 12 years and all women and girls are now looked after by Major Htwe. Why don’t you ask him to operate? It’s a simple operation,” I told her. “No, he is rough. Besides he is not as skilled as you are. He is going on leave for one month after 2 days. Can you operate my son, then?” she asked me. “OK, I’ll”, I promised.

(Painting and Hieroglyphics About Circumcision in Ancient Egypt)

On the appointed day Daw Mya Hnit took her son to the operating theatre with ether ready for anaesthesia. “Ether is not necessary. I’ll use a few milliliters of lignocaine and operation will last only a few minutes,” I told her. So saying, I scrubbed and injected lignocaine to her son’s male organ. Then, I cut the prepuce and tied it. There was no bleeding and circumcision was over within five minutes. The child did not cry or complained. “OK, it’s finished. I’ll remove the stitches after 4 or 5 days. Take him to me then.” I told her cheerfully. “No need, Bogyi. I’ll remove them at home. You are so quick and neat. Thank you very much,” she said cheerfully.

“Actually, there is no need to do circumcision if the child can urinate normally. It will not cause cancer of the cervix of his wife if he cleans his male organ at bath. The old theory of circumcision to prevent cancer cervix in women is false now. But for the religious reason like Jews and Muslims, yes, you may need to do it in all the male children,” I told her. “We’re not Muslims. We’re Baptist Chins. But I want my son to be manly and able to enjoin his married life when he marries,” Daw Mya Hnit said. Is it a good reason?

According to the old textbooks of surgery , circumcised males have the following benefits:

(1) The circumscribed males have few occurrence of penile cancer.

(2) They suffered from less genital infections

(3) Their wives have less incidence of cervical cancer of the uterus

(4) Their sexual prowess is maintained longer.

But, recent researchers claimed that those benefits are easily obtained by regular personal and genital hygiene. They found that the circumcised males have constant irritation of the genital organ by the scar tissue and this leads to increased sexual activity lacking in satisfaction. They advised circumcision only for males with phimosis or paraphimosis and pinhole meatus of the prepuce.

(Two Beautiful Chin Ladies)

But I later heard tht Daw Mya Hnit family has migrated to Israel as Chin Jews. She and her husband are Chins. They must have thought about it long ago or it’s just a coincidence. Here is a news item in the Kaladan Press.

Kaladan Press.Com, dated Monday 23 February 2009

Israel gives nod to citizenship of NE Messianic Jews

Imphal, June 22: People from the North East India region (majority of them are from the Chin-Kuki-Mizo group) professing Messianic Jews faith, who were once denied citizenship in Israel on the ground of being ?converted’ can now apply for Israeli citizenship as per the green signal coming from the authority of Israel recently after several years of its struggle for it.

Disclosing this information, the United Messianic Youth Council (UMYC), India, the apex body of the Messianic in India headquartered at New Lambulane in Imphal East on Sunday said that in April 2008 the Supreme Court of Israel has entitled Messianic Jews to Israel citizenship according to the Law of Return, overturning a previous ruling fifteen years back.

There are around 10,000 members of the Messianic Jews in Manipur alone, Lienboi claimed.

He further claimed that apart from followers from the Chin-Kuki-Mizo tribes, it has also followers of the faith from some villages in Tamenglong district, belonging to the Zeliangrong tribe of the state.

Dr Maung Maung Nyo

23.02.2009