Families of Australian women killed by 'poisonous shots' in Laos hit out at expected sentences
Authorities may bring charges carrying up to one year in jail as families and Australian officials press for harsher accountability.
- On Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade informed families that Lao authorities are unlikely to pursue serious charges in the deaths of Australian teenagers Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles.
- The 19-year-old Australians died in November 2024 after consuming methanol-tainted alcohol at the Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng, an incident that killed six tourists and prompted authorities to ban the Tiger alcohol brand.
- DFAT stated the most serious charge likely against Tiger operators carries a maximum one-year prison sentence and a fine, contrasting sharply with potential five-year sentences under Lao Penal Code Article 183 for breaching hygiene laws that prosecutors now seem unlikely to pursue.
- Fathers Shaun Bowles and Mark Jones expressed disbelief and disgust at the proposed penalties, with Mark Jones telling the ABC that "I don't have words for the disgust that I have," and both calling on the Australian Government to intervene.
- Lao Ministry of Public Security officials are expected to outline the investigation's conclusion during a press conference on Friday, while the Australian Government has budgeted $64 million in foreign aid for Laos this year.
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67 Articles
Laos says cannot determine cause of tourist deaths linked to tainted alcohol
VIENTIANE: Laos authorities said on Saturday (Jul 18) they could not determine blame or the cause of the deaths in 2024 of six tourists previously linked to methanol-tainted alcohol because their families had refused to allow autopsies.Two Danish citizens, an American, a Briton and two Australians died follow
However, the Lao authorities acknowledged that excessive quantities of methanol had been found in a local brand of vodka. Two Danish, one American, one British and two Australian women died in November 2024.
(Jakarta=Yonhap News) Correspondent Son Hyun-kyu = Regarding the incident two years ago in which six foreign tourists died in succession after drinking alcohol laced with methanol at a famous tourist destination in Laos...
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