Methanol poisoning in Laos: Father of deceased Australian teenager urges government to protect ‘others’ from tainted alcohol

CNN
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The father of an Australian teenager who died of methanol poisoning during a backpacking holiday has called on the Laos government to fully investigate his daughter’s death and ensure such incidents are not repeated.

Bianca Jones, 19, was one of six foreign tourists who died in a suspected mass methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng, a popular backpacker destination in northern Laos.

The deaths of two Australian teenagers, a British woman, an American and two Danish women – as well as reports of others falling ill – prompted several Western nations to warn their citizens about the potentially deadly consequences of consuming tainted alcohol in the Southeast Asian country.

Laos, a shadowy communist state that tightly controls its media, remained silent on the deaths for more than a week before issuing its first statement. But details are still sparse, including who else remains hospitalized, which nationalities are affected and how widespread the poisonings are.

Mark Jones, Bianca’s father, called on the government of Laos to “investigate this fully to ensure that this incident does not happen again,” CNN affiliate Nine News reported.

“We cannot allow our daughter’s death to lead to changes to protect others,” he said.

Bianca Jones was enjoying a backpacking trip to Laos with her friend when they became seriously ill after a night in Vang Vieng. The two friends were eventually transferred to separate hospitals in neighboring Thailand, where they fought for their lives in critical condition for several days.

Bianca Jones’ death was announced on Thursday, with her friend Holly Bowles dying the following day.

“Our daughter was on the trip of a lifetime with one of her best friends,” Jones said, according to Nine News. “This should be a trip full of lifelong memories and the first of many.”

“Young men and women should be able to travel, have their own life experiences and be safe,” he added. “We will miss our beautiful girl forever and hope her death was not in vain.”

British national Simone White, a 28-year-old lawyer, was among those killed in Laos.

Following the deaths of their daughters, Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles’ parents set up a GoFundMe page to raise awareness of methanol poisoning. They describe it as “a silent but deadly danger that often claims lives without warning.”

The fundraiser, which has already raised over $133,000, aims to assist families with expenses to bring their loved ones home, support prevention efforts and launch awareness campaigns to educate travelers, communities and businesses about the dangers of methanol poisoning.

Methanol is an alcoholic chemical commonly used in industrial solvents, cleaning products and fuels. However, it can also be added to alcoholic beverages, either unintentionally through traditional brewing methods or intentionally – usually for profit.

Although the full circumstances of these deaths remain unclear, a statement from the official Lao News Agency (KPL) on Friday said that “the suspected cause of death is believed to be the consumption of tainted alcoholic beverages.”

However, Lao authorities have provided no indication of where or how contaminated alcohol may have been served.

On Saturday, Lao state media The Vientiane Times identified three more deceased as Danish nationals: Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman (20), Frela Vennervald Sorensen (21) and US citizen James Louis Hutson (57).

In an official statement, the government of Laos said investigations were underway to determine the cause of death and vowed to “bring the perpetrators to justice.”

Laos vows justice after tourists die from consuming tainted alcohol

The government “is deeply saddened by the loss of foreign tourists in Vang Vieng district… and expresses its sincere sympathy and deepest condolences to the families of the deceased,” it said in a brief statement.

Citing a report from the Laos Police Immigration Department, the Vientiane Times said Lao authorities were “also aware of Australian media reports suggesting that 12 more foreign tourists have been hospitalized.”

At least five of the six tourists who died were staying at the same hostel in Vang Vieng, and part of the investigation focused on reports that the hostel had offered its guests free shot glasses before they headed out on a night out.

The hostel’s owner and manager were arrested but not charged, the Associated Press reported, citing a Vang Vieng tourism police officer and hostel staff.

Thousands of people suffer methanol poisoning every year. Most cases are reported in Asia by people drinking fake or homemade alcohol. Many Southeast Asian countries have low security standards, patchy enforcement and high levels of police corruption.

Colin Ahearn, owner of the Facebook page Just Don’t Drink Spirits in Bali, which raises awareness of methanol poisoning in the region, said: “This was by far the biggest case I have ever seen.”

Ahearn told CNN that most cases of methanol poisoning he sees are “industrial poisonings with concentrations impossible to achieve through distillation.”

“It’s a covert, criminal thing when there are so many cases in a particular area,” he said, and it’s “a way to reduce the cost of doing business.”

Laos, one of Southeast Asia’s poorest countries, has been hit hard by skyrocketing inflation in recent years. Tourism is an important source of income for the country’s struggling economy.

Much of this much-needed revenue comes from cities like Vang Vieng. An idyllic stopover between the capital Vientiane and the UNESCO World Heritage city of Luang Prabang, it has long attracted hordes of foreign tourists.

In the early to mid-2000s, the quaint rural town on Southeast Asia’s “banana pancake” route gained a notorious reputation for its wild parties and river tubing culture, as well as the wide availability of cheap alcohol and illegal drugs.

A series of fatal accidents linked to poor safety standards and a culture of excess along the river prompted the government in 2012 to close several bars and activities and reinvent the city as an eco-paradise and adventure travel hub.

Backpackers are not the only group drawn to the mountainous surroundings of Laos and Vang Vieng. In recent years, the city has become popular with increasing numbers of tourists, particularly families and tour groups from South Korea and neighboring China.

Laos has also become a key focus of China’s vision for Southeast Asia as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a massive overseas infrastructure development program launched more than a decade ago.

A $5.5 billion railway has brought a flood of Chinese investment to the remote, landlocked country. In 2021, the Laos-China semi-high-speed railway opened to passengers, connecting the southwestern Chinese commercial center of Kunming with the capital of Laos – a roughly 10-hour journey covering about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).

Officials claim it has increased the number of Chinese overland travelers while providing major benefits to local vendors and businesses, although the project is viewed as a “tax trap” by some analysts.

And this year, the “Laos Year 2024” initiative was launched with the aim of attracting 4.6 million tourists and generating US$712 million.

On November 25, 2024 By Oliver Sinclair