Laos says cannot determine cause of tourist deaths linked to tainted alcohol

Laos authorities said on Saturday 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 following what media reports said was a night out on the town in Vang Vieng in November that year.

"To date, authorities do not yet have evidence that can establish whether the deaths... were caused by the actions of any individual or by any particular causes," the Laos Ministry of Public Security said in a statement on Saturday.

"This is because the authorities were not permitted to conduct autopsies on the bodies of the deceased, and therefore lacked the forensic evidence necessary to determine the cause of death," it said.

However, the statement said: "The Ministry of Health's Food and Drug Research Center found excessive levels of methanol in Tiger Vodka."

Methanol is a toxic alcohol that can be added to liquor to increase its potency but can cause blindness, liver damage and death.

The statement said, based on information provided by the Australian Embassy and a Thai hospital, that "methanol had been detected in the blood of the two deceased Australian tourists".

It said legal proceedings had been initiated against the owner of the Tiger distillery for "manufacturing or selling products hazardous to health" and "illegal commercial operation".

The operator of the Tiger brand has reportedly denied any responsibility.

The owner and 10 employees of the hostel where the American tourist was staying have also been charged with "destruction of evidence" after transporting his body to hospital.

- 'Bitterly disappointed' -

The pace of the investigation has been a source of contention between Canberra and Vientiane.

"The Australian Government is deeply frustrated and bitterly disappointed that authorities in Laos are not pursuing the most serious charges," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Friday.

Public broadcaster ABC and other Australian media said Laos would press charges that collectively carry penalties of up to one year in jail and a fine equal to Aus$1,600 ($1,100).

Wong said she would again put Australia's views directly to her Laos counterpart at a Southeast Asian ministerial meeting in Manila next week.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told Danish media it is "difficult to accept such a lenient charge".

He said he contacted Laos' foreign minister over the years to "insist on a thorough investigation to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice".

"I am therefore also deeply disappointed that the charge does not reflect the gravity and scale of the tragedy that has affected so many families," he said.

Australian victim Bianca Jones' parents also criticised the Laos authorities for not pursuing harsher charges.

"It's like their lives didn't even matter. We're just really appalled by it all," her mother Michelle Jones told the ABC.

"They were just going over to have a bit of fun and just doing the rite of passage that every, you know, child or teenager does. So that outcome was just devastating."

Vang Vieng has been a fixture on the Southeast Asia backpacker trail since Laos' communist rulers opened the country to tourism decades ago.

The town was once synonymous with alcohol- and drug-fuelled jungle parties for backpackers but has since rebranded as an ecotourism destination.

Australian authorities have warned travellers to Laos to "be alert" to the risks of consuming spirits-based drinks, including cocktails.

The travel advice notes that Laos authorities issued a ban on the sale and consumption of the local brands of Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky due to health concerns.

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© Agence France-Presse