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Wednesday, February 5, 2025
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No Answers: Families of Vang Vieng Methanol Poisoning Victims Demand Transparency from Lao Government

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Families of victims who died from methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng, Laos, in November 2024 have voiced frustration over what they describe as a lack of communication and action from the Lao government, foreign media reported on 2 February.

The incident, which took the lives of six foreign tourists, has left grieving relatives demanding accountability and justice.  

Despite the severity of the incident, the victims’ families said they had received no direct communication from Lao authorities, Sydney Morning Herald reported. 

“There’s literally been no communication at all for us to know what’s happening over in Laos,” Sue White stated in an interview with Australia’s 60 Minutes on 2 February. “It’s just been terrible.”

Among the victims were Australians Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones, both 19, Danish nationals Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Sorensen, 21, as well as American James Hutson, 57. 

Mark Jones, whose daughter Bianca also died, shared concerns about the government’s alleged lack of urgency in addressing the issue. 

“I cannot have my daughter’s passing not mean anything. Surely, the Laos government needs to take a strong stance against this to protect what is one of their biggest industries, to ensure that travelers from Australia, from anywhere, that are going to their country are protected from this,” he said during the show.

Didier Coyman, the father of Anne-Sofie, traveled to Laos to retrieve his daughter’s body but said he felt stonewalled by officials, he said in the show. He claimed authorities did not inform him or Freja Sorensen’s parents about their daughters’ deaths, despite having their passports and contact details.

Simone White, 28, a British lawyer from London, was another victim. She fell ill after drinking complimentary vodka shots at Nana Backpackers Hostel. She was rushed to the hospital, where doctors informed her mother, Sue White, that she required emergency brain surgery. 

Sue flew 16 hours from Kent to be by her daughter’s side, only to be faced with the decision to take her off life support three days later. An inquest confirmed Simone died from a brain hemorrhage.  

The Lao government released a statement in November expressing condolences to the families and pledged a “thorough investigation” to bring those responsible to justice. However, months later, no charges have been filed, and no further details have been provided to the public.  

A leaked document, published in Australian and British news publications, suggested the contamination may have originated from a factory in Vientiane Capital, but officials have not publicly confirmed this information. With no answers and little communication from Lao authorities, families continue to demand transparency and justice for their loved ones.

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