Updated ,first published
The owner of a Lao oil refinery has been charged over the November 2024 methanol poisoning that killed Australians Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones, and could face up to four years in prison, according to Danish officials.
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been closely involved in the case because of the deaths of its citizens, Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21, in the same incident. American James Hutson, 57, and Brit Simone White, 28, also died. All six were living in the same hostel in the festive town of Vang Vieng, north of the capital Vientiane.
In a statement on this topic after a press conference organized by the Lao authorities on Friday, the Danish ministry said the owner of the factory has been charged and could face a penalty of “three months to four years in prison and a fine” for selling dangerous food products and running an illegal business.
“The case will remain open for 15 years; therefore, charges with higher penalties, such as negligent homicide, may still be brought if the burden of proof can be met,” the statement said.
It is believed that the “distillery” is Tiger, which sells products advertised as vodka and whiskey. It has denied responsibility.
The Melbourne families of Morton-Bowles and Jones were told by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on Thursday that information from Lao officials suggested the maximum prison sentence available was only one year if the factory owner was found guilty. Fines totaling more than $1000 were also on the table, according to DFAT.
The Lao authorities’ choice not to pursue more serious charges sparked outrage in Australia and a sharp rebuke from Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
But it is not clear which maximum prison sentence is correct – four years, according to the Danish authorities, or one year. Wong’s office did not respond following Friday’s press conference.
The Australian government, however, increased its travel advice for Laos late on Friday from taking the usual precautions to “exercise extreme caution”.
“The Lao legal system cannot provide transparency or justice, especially in criminal cases,” Smartraveller website is now reading. “Authorities can use the law against procedure. Several foreign nationals, including Australians, died from methanol poisoning through alcohol consumption in 2024.”
Wong said in a statement on Friday morning, before a press conference, that the government was “very confused and disappointed” by Laos and had summoned its ambassador to Canberra.
DFAT previously apologized to the family for failing to inform them and appointed Pablo Kang, the former ambassador of Cambodia to the United Arab Emirates, as a “special envoy” in the case, bypassing the ambassador.
Wong said he and the prime minister had asked Kang to travel to Laos on Friday “to present the Australian government’s objections and strengthen our expectations for an inquiry that will deliver justice to Holly, Bianca and other victims”. It was not clear if he made it to the press conference in the capital Vientiane.
“It’s so hard to put into words how desperate we are,” Shaun Bowles, Holly’s father, told the Herald on Thursday.
“But I think at the same time, it’s not a big surprise, with the way it’s all playing out there. We just got (the news) in the last few hours, and we’re just trying to process it right now.
“We’ve had a lot of conflicting stories from the Lao authorities. But I’ve always thought that if they didn’t (already) collect evidence … they don’t collect any more evidence this late in the investigation. And we all know the corruption and everything that goes on there.”
Bowles could not be reached Friday night.
Wong said he would put Australia’s views to the Lao foreign minister next week at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
“We have made clear our expectation that the charges should reflect the seriousness of the tragedy which claimed the lives of Holly and Bianca in November 2024.”
Penny Wong, minister of foreign affairs
Australia has allocated $64 million in foreign aid to Laos this year.
“We have made clear our expectation that the charges should reflect the seriousness of the tragedy that claimed the lives of Holly and Bianca in November 2024. This includes the prime minister and myself expressing this expectation directly to our relevant colleagues,” Wong said.
“What happened to Holly, Bianca and four other foreign nationals should never have happened.”
Meanwhile, Bianca’s father, Mark Jones, has reportedly asked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to contact his Lao counterpart.
“It’s disgusting that they think our daughters’ lives are worth just one year in jail or a fine together,” he said. he told them Herald Sun.
Laos is a one-party Communist state that does not tolerate a free press. The Associated Press reported that he was not allowed to attend Friday’s press conference.
In January, a Lao court handed down suspended sentences and fines to 10 employees from the Nana Backpacker Hostel for tampering with evidence related to the American’s case. This masthead understands that no one has yet faced trial over the deaths of the Australians.
Bad product
The Melbourne friends, all 19, died in November 2024 after drinking methanol in the hostel during the shooting prize.
Shots from Tiger vodka and bottles of whiskey were being served at the hostel on the night the packers fell ill, but it is unclear whether the contents came from the Tiger factory or rather the moonshine traditionally made in the backyard.
Tiger’s Vang Vieng distributor said the brand was sold in many places. Only people who drink alcohol in the hostel became sick.
Tiger, which is sold in 700ml bottles for the equivalent of $2.50 per bottle, however banned by Lao authorities following poisoning.
Methanol is a dangerous byproduct in the production of potable alcohol (ethanol) and must be removed before sale.
Tiger operators have denied responsibility. When this masthead in April looking for a woman involved in the businesslocated on the outskirts of the Lao capital, Vientiane, said it did not actually make vodka and whiskey, but bought hospital-grade alcohol from a pharmacy and diluted it with water and flavorings.
He claimed that tests on the product had already eliminated Tiger and that, as far as he knew, no legal action was pending.
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Zach’s hopes is a Southeast Asian writer. He is a former journalist at the Brisbane Times.Connect through email address.
