Burmese military authorities have closed a family business owned by the brother of Mya Aye, one of the leaders of the 88 Generation Student group, without explanation.
According to Mya Aye, on March 30 his brother, Maung Maung Aung, was ordered to report to the Rangoon Botataung Township City Development Office.
He said the authorities gave his brother an official letter ordering the closure of the Tamardi Transportation Service, located at 55 Roads in Botataung Township, which transports goods between Rangoon and Mandalay.
“The authorities told my brother that from the day he received this letter he had to close the Tamardi Transportation Service, and if he continued to operate it, they would take action against him,” Mya Aye said.
“There is no clear reason why they closed it down," he said. “When he asked the authority why, they said they did not really want to close it down, but they were following orders from the top.”
Mya Aye said that when his brother went to the township development office in Rangoon, authorities asked him if he gave financial support to the 88 Generation Student group or to his brother.
“The main reason for the closure seems to be me—that I am an 88 Generation Students group leader and the authorities think the business gives financial support to the student group," Mya Aye said. "But it is not true.”
Mya Aye said he was a director and worked for the company several years ago, but he no longer received any money from the company, which is owned by his brother. on March 22, local authorities in Mandalay ordered an employee in the Mandalay branch to close that office without issuing an official letter. The authorities then locked the office.
The Tamardi Transportation Service employed about 50 people. Their families are now experiencing financial difficulty, Mya Aye said.
Mya Aye said the company was opened by their parents in 1979.
