U Oo Hla Saw

U Oo Hla Saw (Rakhine: ဦးဦးလှစော; born 27 May 1953 – died 5 May 2025), also known by his pen name Maung Khine Aung, was a Rakhine politician, poet, writer and – in later years – political member of Arakan Army (AA). Over a long career, he served as member of the lower house of Myanmar’s parliament, as a leader of various Rakhine‑ethnic political parties and finally as AA’s Political Director.

Early life U Hla Saw was born in Mrauk‑U, Rakhine State, to parents U Aung Hla Zan and Daw San Thar Phyu. He was reportedly their eldest son. He passed the university entrance exam with honors in three subjects and was granted admission to the Yangon Institute of Technology, but was expelled for two years due to his involvement in political activities.

U Hla Saw was sentenced to 9 years in prison in 1975 and 14 years in 1988 by a military court for political activity.

Political career In 1990, U Oo Hla Saw joined the Arakan League for Democracy (ALD). However, ALD was later banned (as part of broader suppression of ethnic‑based political activity) by the Myanmar military government. In 2010, he became a founding member of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP), serving as its general secretary. He was a key figure in the Rakhine National Conference held in Kyaukphyu, from 27 April to 1 May 2014.

He additionally expressed interest for building positive relations with the Kachin people. He raised concerns about the large Chinese oil terminal on Ma Day Island. Despite the development, the nearby Rakhine villages remain very poor with bad roads and low living standards.

After the military coup in Myanmar on 1 February 2021 and the collapse of elected institutions, many ethnic‑Rakhine politicians reconsidered their strategies. Hla Saw, then joined the Arakan Army. From 2022 and onwards, he served as the Political Director of AA's Central Political Department. He attended the junta-organised Union Day event which was held in Naypyidaw being representative to the ULA.

Writing career During his middle school years, U Oo Hla Saw admitted that he was weak in the Burmese language. He served as an editor for magazines such as Rakhine Tansaung (published by Yangon University) and Rakhine RouMa Magazine. He also worked as an editor for private monthly literary journals and even served as an editor for the Federal Journal. Oo Hla Saw wrote across fiction, poetry, and political literature, and published 11 books. He received awards such as the Yangon Institute of Technology Short Story Prize and the Moe Moe Inlay Memorial First Prize. The AA/ULA issued an official statement mourning his death.