 In the 1920s Sao Konkaeu Intaleng attended a durbar in India, and realized that all of his sons should be given a western education to be successful, so Sao Saimong was called back from Bangkok and sent to the Shan Chiefs' School in Taunggyi, a school founded by the British administration to train the sons of ruling families.From there, he went on to attend Rangoon University, and then on to the University of London.Returning to Burma in 1940 during the start of the Second World War, he was soon swept into war to serve with the British army.