May Oung (Burmese: မေအောင်, also spelt May Aung; 6 January 1880 - 5 June 1926) was a Burmese legal scholar, judge and politician who served as Minister of Home Affairs during the colonial era. He was known for his expertise in Burmese Buddhist law and one of the founders of the Young Men's Buddhist Association Burma.

May Oung
မေအောင်
Minister of Home Affairs of British Burma
In office
1924[1] – 5 June 1926
Minister of High Court of British Burma
In office
1922–1924
Personal details
Born(1880-01-06)6 January 1880
Sittwe
Died5 June 1926(1926-06-05) (aged 46)
Maymyo, British Burma
NationalityBurmese
SpouseThein Mya
ChildrenTha Doe Oung
Tun Hla Oung
Mya Sein
Parent(s)Tha Do Phyu (father)
Hnaung Dway (mother)
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge
OccupationLegal scholar, Judge, Politician

May Oung was the first law professor at Yangon University.

Early life and education edit

May Oung was born on 6 January 1880 in Sittwe to parents Tha Do Phyu and Hnaung Dway, the second eldest of three sons. His parents died when May Oung was a child, so he was raised by his mother's brother, Hla Aung and his wife, Mya May, who sent him to India for his formative education. He studied law at the University of Cambridge from 1904 and 1907, and pursued an LLM at Cambridge in 1922.[2]

Career edit

He was one of only two Burmese judges appointed to the High Court when it was established by the British administration in 1922.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ Kyaw, Aye (2018). The Voice of Young Burma. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9781501719349.
  2. ^ Keck, Stephen L. (2015-10-06). British Burma in the New Century, 1895–1918. Springer. ISBN 9781137364333.
  3. ^ Oung, Kin Thida (2007). A Twentieth Century Burmese Matriarch. Lulu.com. ISBN 9780557102297.