U Oo Tha Tun

Sayargyi U Oo Tha Tun (Burmese: ဦးဦးသာထွန်း; born 23 November 1917 - died 14 August 1990) was a Rakhine archeologist, politician and historian. He is known for documenting historical information about the Rakhine people and for co-founding the Arakan League for Democracy (ALD).

Early life U Oo Tha Tun was born on 23 November, 1917, in Mrauk-U, Arakan State, Burma. After the death of his father, he was forced to leave school during his ninth grade. Later, he continued his education independently by studying Sanskrit, history, astrology, and archaeology under the guidance of his grandfather and other local mentors. From 1950 to 1955, he worked as a primary school teacher before joining the archaeological department in Mrauk-U, where he served from 1955 until 1977. He later continued as an advisor to the department from 1977 to 1983 and took part in the excavation of the ancient city of Waithali. However, later he eventually stepped away from archaeology and entered politics, believing it was his responsibility to contribute to the advancement of Rakhine nationalism.

Political career Under his leadership, the Arakan League for Democracy (ALD) gained strong support under his leadership among the Arakanese population. He travelled widely across Arakan State, speaking about the glory days of the Arakanese Kingdom and openly advocating for Arakanese nationalism.

Eventually he was later arrested in Sittwe. On May 22, 1990, local authorities sentenced him to prison under Section 5(j) of the Emergency Provisions Act. He was one of the first people in Arakan State to be imprisoned for political activities under this law. After his arrest, voters in Kyauktaw supported the Mro (Khami) National Unity Party in the 1990 election due to his absence.