Being the child of a government official guarantees good fortune in military-ruled Burma. Nay Aung and Pyi Aung are the sons of the Minister for Industry 1, Aung Thaung, and in less than 20 years they have advanced to become well-to-do tycoons, controlling two companies with export-import monopolies in oil and gas products.

Their rise to fortune ran parallel to the political advance of their father, which began in 1997.  Aung Thaung’s political career has an unsavory side to it, though-he is believed to have been behind the crackdown on the start of September’s demonstrations, including the Pakkoku monks’ protests.

Apart from his father, who is one of junta leader Than Shwe’s most loyal supporters, Pyi Aung has another important patron- the junta’s No. 2, Dep Snr-Gen Maung Aye, who’s his father-in-law.

The brothers, both in their forties, manage two companies: IGE Co Ltd, also known as IGE Pte Ltd, and Aung Yee Phyoe Co Ltd. The latter company has a monopoly in agriculture products and timber trading.

IGE is the bigger company, established in 1994 and registered in Singapore since 2001. Its Burma headquarters are on Kabar Aye Pagoda Road, Rangoon, while its Singapore office has an expensive address on Shenton Way, an exclusive area of the city state. Nay Aung is a frequent visitor at the Singapore office.

The name of Win Kyaing is given on the Internet as managing director of IGE Pte, although business sources say Nay Aung and his family are the real force behind the company.

IGE’s Internet entry describes itself as one of Burma’s leading companies, functioning successfully in export-import trading and in nationwide government projects. After first of all trading mainly in steel, it has become a major supplier of substation and transmission line materials, oil and gas and accessories, and CNG filling stations for government projects.

IGE also exports rice and imports machinery and spare parts for electrical generating projects, steel, fertilizer and chemicals.

According to a report by The Associated Press in March 2007, IGE, along with the British Virgin Islands-based Rimbunan Petrogas Ltd, signed a deal for offshore oil and gas exploration with the state-owned Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise. The contract was for the exploration of oil and natural gas in Block-A, off Burma’s Arakan coast.

IGE also has its charitable side, donating 30 million kyat (about US $23,000) to the finances of the Burmese women’s football team. Tay Za’s Htoo Trading and Zaw Zaw’s Max Myanmar also gave the team money, but couldn’t match the IGE donation.

Business sources in Rangoon told The Irrawaddy that Burma’s Economic Holding Ltd had come under the control of Aung Thaung’s industry 1 in 2004. Aung Thaung gave valuable government projects and export-import licensees, relating to automobiles, gems, palm oil, agriculture goods, oil and gas products, to his sons’ two companies.

The family’s control of automobile import licenses gives them great influence in a country where it can cost up to Kyat 400 million (about $300,000) to import a luxury SUV like a Toyota Landcruiser.

IGE and Aung Yee Phyoe trade chiefly with Asian countries, such as China, India and Singapore. Neither company is on the list of Burmese businesses targeted recently with increased sanctions by the US.

Aung Thaung and members of his family are on the EU black list denying them visas for entry to most European countries, however.