Parents of teens killed by tainted liquor in Laos are angry at expected charges: Its like their lives didnt even matter

BANGKOK — Australia’s government and the families of two Australian teenagers who died of methanol poisoning in Laos have lambasted as inadequate the charges they said were due to be laid by Lao authorities on Friday against those allegedly responsible.Australian tourists Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, were among six foreigners killed by tainted alcohol at a tourist hostel in Vang Vieng in November 2024.The others killed were an American man, a British woman and two Danish women.Jones’ parents told reporters in Melbourne that authorities in Laos would later Friday announce charges against the alleged suppliers of the methanol-laced drinks.Mark Jones, Bianca’s father, said that according to information received by the families, the penalties the accused are expected to face if convicted are up to a year in jail and a fine of about 1,600 Australian dollars ($1,117).

Australian authorities have been keeping the affected families apprised of the case since the incident.He described such a resolution as “unacceptable.”“It’s like their lives didn’t even matter,” said Bianca’s mother, Michelle.“We’re just really appalled by it all.

You know, 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 for that outcome, it was just devastating.”An announcement was supposed to be made at the Ministry of Public Security in the Lao capital, Vientiane, and cars from the embassies of two of the concerned countries, Australia and Britain, were seen leaving that location on Friday afternoon but no information was immediately available.

A request from The Associated Press for entry to cover the proceedings was not approved.Methanol poisoning is a problem all over the world, not only for tourists but more so for local residents.In the latter case, it is found especially in countries where alcoholic drinks are hard to afford or illicit.

Statistics of suspected ...