We, GRET colleagues who have worked in Myanmar, will always remember U Hla Min as a truly remarkable colleague and human being.
Our collaboration with him began in 2000, during his time in Northern Rakhine as an agronomist, and later continued as he served as a technical advisor to GRET’s agricultural development projects in the Delta.
U Hla Min was not only one of Myanmar’s leading experts on rice cultivation, but also someone deeply connected to rural life. He engaged with farmers with humility, warmth, and openness speaking not from above, but as an equal, grounded in shared experience and simplicity.
Thanks to his invaluable expertise and dedicated work with GRET, U Hla Min helped achieve sustainable, positive impacts on the ground. His contributions supported meaningful innovations – such as introducing adapted forms of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in Northern Rakhine State and establishing the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) with Delta farmers for the local production and certification of quality paddy seed.
U Hla Min’s legacy is not only in the work he accomplished but in the spirit with which he lived: principled, humble, curious, and quietly courageous. Beyond his technical knowledge, U Hla Min brought a sharp and critical mind to the GRET teams. He challenged us, made us think, and often made us smile.
We will remember the many conversations and the laughter we shared in his joyful presence. He had a wonderfully subversive sense of humor, full of wit and satire. We still recall his wry description of Bogale town:
“In Bogale, the main roads all lead to one of three destinations just like life in Myanmar: the hospital, the police station, or the cemetery.”
He may have reached the end of life’s journey, but in all cases, U Hla Min has ended in our hearts. We are deeply saddened by his loss.
We honor his spirit and the legacy he brought to GRET Myanmar and to the communities he served so well.
