His father was a son of Southern Tavoy Commander U Toe and his wife Panhtein Thakhin, who was a daughter of Taingda Mingyi U Pho.

[5] As a young man, he served as a criminal police officer in the British colony of Burma, but soon left for patriotic reasons.

[7] While he was in service, Thibaw's second daughter, Myat Phaya Lat, fell in love with him and they eloped on 11 October 1916 due to the disapproval of their parents.

He hated the British and put up a large sign in front of his home in Kalimpong saying "Europeans and dogs are not allowed".

The couple had no money and things worsened in the 1950s when the British quit Burma, and the new government stopped paying gratuities to all royals living outside the country.