Father-son duo fall victim to landmine explosion in Shan State

55-year-old San Poe and his 14-year-old son Aik Aung were hurt after accidentally setting off a landmine in Shan State’s Hsipaw Township on Sunday.

The pair had noticed that some of their goats were missing, and went to search for them in the nearby forest. Aik Aung then stepped on a landmine and was killed on the spot. A piece of shrapnel flew into San Poe’s thigh, but he was fortunately able to make it back to the village where he was then transported to the Thibaw General Hospital.

Myanmar is littered with landmines due to decades of fighting between ethnic minority armed groups and the national military. Villagers in the region where the accident took place have voiced their anxieties about the frequency of landmine explosions in the area.

“It feels like there are mine explosions on a regular basis here, and everyone’s afraid to go into the forest. It’s become quite difficult for farmers and other workers who need to go into the woods to carry on with their work,” a Thibaw resident told Eleven

Last year, two German tourists and their local guide were wounded after triggering a mine near Kyaukme township in Shan State.

Subscribe to the WTF is Up in Southeast Asia + Hong Kong podcast to get our take on the top trending news and pop culture from the region every Thursday!



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on