An unidentified man was found dead near Nam Pon Pa village on the Hsipaw-Nam Lang road in Hsipaw Township, northern Shan State, on Wednesday.

The presumed cause of death is believed to be gunshot injuries, due to wounds present on the body.

“The police station called us at around 11:30 a.m. Then we went to pick up the body. The man had two gunshot injuries, to his arm and his chest,” Ko Myo, who works with the Hsipaw-based Volunteers Without Borders, told SHAN.

Ko Myo said that it was as yet unknown who had killed the man, or where he was from.

His body has been sent to the Hsipaw public hospital to undergo an autopsy.

While shootings are not uncommon in northern Shan State and even in Hsipaw Township, locals said that that such a crime has not previously happened on the Hsipaw-Nam Lang road.

“Police are investigating this murder case. This kind of murder has never happened in this area,” a Hsipaw local told SHAN.

SHAN called the Hsipaw police station for further information on the case but had received no response at the time of reporting.

On August 24, three men were shot dead in Hsipaw Township. A family of five was also shot and killed in the township in April. No one has been arrested in either case.

The Burma Army, government-backed People’s Militia Forces, and ethnic armed organizations are all active in Hsipaw Township.