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Also see RGHF Voices
and 2nd Class of
Women DGs |
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 Rotary
in Burma, by PDG Tin Tin Raschid. |
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It all began when I met RIP 11/12 Kalyan
Banerjee at the District Conference 0f 7620 in 2010,
when he represented the RI President Ray Klinginsmith. He asked
me where I was from and as soon as he heard I was originally
from Burma, he told me about his efforts to revive Rotary in
Burma. I immediately introduced him to my husband, Bilal, who
was President of the Rotary Club of Rangoon, Burma, in 1969-70
(His late father, the Honorable U Raschid, was Governor of RI
District 325 in 1959-60).
 The article in the Rotarian Magazine of September 2011, by a
Rotarian from Florida, having in correctly stated that Rotary
was banned since the military coup in 1969. Bilal, wrote to the
Editor with the correct information. His letter appeared in the
Rotarian of January 2012. This prompted a lot of communication
from PRIP Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar and JT Warring, who have been
involved with Rotary sponsored projects in Burma for the past
few years. JT had many questions to ask of us, and one of them
was how Shelter Box got into Burma at the time cyclone Nargis
devastated the delta region of Burma, when the military
Government was not permitting any outside aid into the country.
Fortunately, we knew how that happened and how only one
individual (not even a Rotarian) managed to be of help. Ever
since then we have been in touch with each other. JT was even
planning to have a session on “Extension of Rotary to Burma” at
the Convention in Bangkok. We were to have met, but we did not
meet until I got to Rangoon, Burma.
In the mean time JT
had informed me about the 22 water projects the Rotary clubs
from California, Arkansas and others have carried out in Burma.
They were going to look at these projects in Rangoon. I offered
to join them if I could get a visa to visit my own country (I
had not been back to Burma for 43 years). Fortunately, the
political conditions in Burma had changed for the better and I
was given a visa. So, I flew over to Burma for 6 days after the
May 2012 Convention in Bangkok.
Photo taken at Aung San Suu Kyi's
home in Rangoon, Burma on May 9 , 2012
A day after I got to Rangoon, our
opposition leader and Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu
Kyi (below right) invited me to her house. I extended
to her the invitation of RIPE Sakuji Tanaka to attend the Rotary
International Convention in Lisbon , Portugal next year. In
speaking about the humanitarian needs for the people, she
emphasized the importance of clean water and the need for wells.
She also expressed concern about the intense lack of funds for
education and other humanitarian projects. I assured her that
Rotary could help the people a lot with such projects as these
were the primary concerns of the Rotarians as well. I also
requested her to become an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of
Rangoon once it was formed. She was a bit hesitant as this might
create a precedent. I have been wondering why she would not like
to set a “good precedent”!. It was a good one hour meeting
talking about the issues and needs for humanitarian projects in
Burma. I was so focused on Rotary that I forgot to ask her about
her family; and did not talk about mine!
Rangoon,
Burma is now very different from the one I knew forty-three
years ago. When we left in 1969, the shops and stores were
almost empty, and there was hardly anything one could buy. One
had to line up with your national registration card and ration
cards even to buy basic commodities like rice, oil and gasoline
etc. This time when I went with the Rotarians to buy toys for
the orphans, I was pleasantly surprised to see the shops well
stocked with all kind of goods, semi and fully cooked food, the
latest facial make-ups and fragrances, etc. The shopping centers
are as good as ours. With the economy flourishing, there is no
reason why a Rotary club cannot be formed, and for Rotarians to
start helping those in need. Before leaving for the Convention,
I had informed my niece and host Dr. Nwe Oo, of my intention to
form a Rotary Club and to seek out prospective members. Bilal
and I had also sought some prospective members.
The big
day finally arrived to join the 22 Rotarians from California,
Arkansas etc. to visit the orphanages. Dr. Nwe Oo and I joined
them at the hotel where JT Warring gave a briefing. He mentioned
about his intention of forming three Rotary Clubs in Rangoon,
Naypyidaw and Maulemyinekyun. He has a couple of influential
friends who will assist him in getting governmental permission
for formation of the clubs. I was very pleased and skeptical
about it at the same time. The six days ended very quickly for
me and I returned home to Bethesda, MD. JT Warring stayed on
till June 4. I requested him to call at least one organizational
meeting before he returned to California. As a result of this, a
meeting was called on June 3 at which one of his friends and
four of my recruits attended. My niece Dr. Nwe Oo is still
trying to meet with JT’s contact person, and for more
prospective members.
Two weeks ago I got an email from
President Kalyan Banerjee saying that he would like to meet me,
and asked me where I live. I replied to his email and
immediately got an automated reply saying that the President is
away attending the Convention! I forwarded a copy of my email to
President Banerjee to his Aide, who informed me that he has sent
it on to the President’s staff. This is where we stand at the
moment. JT is busy with his travels and I am busy with the
General Federation of Women’s Clubs as I was elected President
for 2012-14. Dr. Nwe Oo and I keep in touch with each other and
she continues to recruit. But there is no more exciting news
from Burma for now. RIP 12/13 Sakuji Tanaka has asked President
Kalyan to get Rotary in Burma restarted and I am confident he
will be successful in this effort.
Tin Tin Nu Raschid
District Governor, 1996-97
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FOLLOW UP:
How do I know her? Another very
long story - Goes back to 1935, when ASSK's father and my father
in-law met, served on the Executive Committee of the Rangoon
University Student's Union first in 1935-36 and again in 1936-37
(M. A. Raschid was President, and Aung San was Vice-President of
the Union). These group of student leaders eventually became the
leaders of Burma's freedom movement, which fought and won
Burma's Independence from the British colonialists. (You can
read more about it in Bilal's book which should be out soon
[Bilal Raschid, Tin Tin's husband, and also an RGHF member]).
Unfortunately, her father was assassinated along with other
leaders in July 1947 when ASSK was only 2 years old. The
friendship between her family and the Raschid's continues until
today. Her mother was Burmese Ambassador to India in the late
50s. At that time Bilal and I visited India, and met the
teen-aged Su Su in the ambassador's residence. My father-in-law
was also under detention after the military coup of 1962 for a
total of seven and a half years. My mother-in-law Fatima Raschid
and Daw Khin Kyi (ASSK's mother) wrote to each other almost
every month until Daw Khin Kyi's passing way in early 1988. We
still have stacks of those letters. (As well as letters between
the fathers going back to 1935).
She is aware of the work
we have been doing here to restore democracy to Burma. We did
not discuss Burmese politics at all. Our conversation was
limited to Rotary and the humanitarian needs of the country. Not
even about our families.
She is very well, apart from
minor illnesses because of her anemic condition and over work.
It is quite normal for a Burmese women to be slim and have low
blood pressure. My mother-in-law had the same problem with a
body weight of 85 pounds. She lived to be 84. Aung San Suu Kyi
has just been to Switzerland and Finland and is now, as of June
2012, in London. In a day or two she is addressing the joint
session of the British parliament. She is also meeting with
members of the Burma Justice Council, where our daughter Sappho
Dias is the Chairman. The BJC is composed of some of the top
barristers of London. Sappho called me yesterday to tell me
about Aung San Suu Kyi's visit to BJC and polishing her Burmese
with me. (Our daughter left Burma when she was 10 and has been
living in UK ever since she left home to study at Cambridge
University). She also mentioned that she and her husband, both
barristers in London, have been invited to hear Aung San Suu Kyi
address the British Parliament. 19 June 2012, is also Aung San
Suu Kyi's 67th birthday. |
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| PDG Tin Tin, as well as presidents Banerjee and Tanaka
are RGHF members. Posted 17 June 2012 by RGHF Founder
Jack Selway |
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| Many thanks to PDG Tin Tin for these historic
files. |
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voices/images/RC Rangoon - Bulletin 1 -1969-70.PDF
voices/images/RC
Rangoon - Bulletin 1959-60.PDF
voices/images/RC Rangoon - Bulletin 1963-64.PDF |
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