Foreign tourists visit Hsipaw regularly

Foreign tourists visit Hsipaw regularly
Tourists are visiting villages near Hsipaw Township
Tourists are visiting villages near Hsipaw Township
Published 28 November 2019
Tun Nay Hlaing (Naung Pein)

Foreign tourists are visited Hsipaw in Kyaukme district, northern Shan State regularly although one foreign tourist was killed after he stepped on a landmine at a place between Pannyaung and Kunhauke villages, about 16 miles away from Hsipaw on November 26, sources said.

The foreign who was killed by a landmine is Tim Geibler from Germany and he died on the spot resulted from the mine blast.

His companion, Maria Del Carman from Argentina, had no injury.

They arrived in Hsipaw from Mandalay on November 23 and they rented a motorcycle to visit Nantsan on November 26. They went to Nantsan through the way leading to Kunhauke Village and the woman walked through the path as the road is rough. He rode the motorcycle alone in front and stepped on the landmine about 30 yards from her.

“No tourist went to there for a long time now. They didn’t hire a tour guide and they went to Nantsan under their owned arrangement. We assumed that the man came back to the woman after leaving his motorcycle before stepped on the landmine. The woman heard a loud explosion and she crouched down. When we went to the place, the man is died,” said Secretary Kyaw Min Yu from Hoteliers Association of Hsipaw.

Foreigners are still visiting Hsipaw Chaung Sone, Hsipaw Haw Nan and nearby villages.

“We instructed the hotels to advice the foreigners not to go to remote areas and unsafe areas. The foreigners are still going to Palaung villages nearby. The place where the accident took place was not allowed to visit since 2012-13. They went that way under their owned arrangement. It will not be affected the tourism,” said Kyaw Min Yu.

Most of the foreigners, who visited northern Shan State, went to Hsipaw and more than 300 foreigners visited the town in a day previously. Now the number of tourists is under 50.