- Thai tourists top the list of Myanmar’s tourist arrivals this year
- Myanmar to allow tourists through Kayin border
- Peninsula group to open hotel in Yangon
- French firm to invest in Myanmar’s tourism industry
- Japanese business travellers flock to Myanmar
- Tourists to Inle region surge 50 percent
- Inle floating market nearly disappearing
- Mandalay to build 20 hotels providing over 1400 rooms
- More passports issued in this summer
- Myanmar starts online tour guide services
No shootings occurred at Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda
Published on Sunday, 23 December 2012 05:36
The Board of Trustees of the legendary Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda denied rumors of an unidentified Karen armed group opening fire at trucks in Kinpun Mountain base camp for 10 minutes on Wednesday.
Rumour spread that an armed group had demanded a total of 100 million kyats (US$117,000) for the 200 trucks from the truck owners, charging 500,000 kyats (US$590) per truck by Friday.
Win Tin, chairman of Kyaikhtiyo Truck Association, said the Karen armed group was from one of the ethnic armed groups that has signed a ceasefire agreement with the government, but he declined to provide details.
Win Tin said that the gunmen demanded money from the truck owners.
But the case was resolved overnight, he said, after responsible persons from the group apologised for the misbehaviour of their men.
"There haven’t been any problems at the moment. [They] were just temporarily using the road and we allowed them. The current rumours seem to be works of fabrication," said San Myint, chairman of the Trustee Board of pagoda.
The Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda is a well-known Buddhist pilgrimage site in Myanmar, located 160 kilometres from Yangon. It is built on the top of a granite boulder covered with gold leaf and delicately balanced on the edge of a cliff.
Visitors must hike about 11km from the base camp to the pagoda or go up by truck to the top of the mountains.