The families of two Australian teenagers who died of methanol poisoning in Laos in 2024 have expressed shock at the “disgraceful” fines levied on workers responsible for serving the tainted drinks.
The workers at the Nana backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng, a popular tourist area in the Southeast Asian country, received fines of about £95 (A$185) that the families described as an “absolute injustice”.
Six tourists died after consuming methanol-laced alcohol at the hostel in November 2024. Ten people were found guilty of destroying evidence and received a suspended sentence and a fine of about £95.
The hostel has since reopened under a different name. Two 19-year-olds from Melbourne were among the six tourists killed by methanol poisoning.
“We were shocked by the absolute injustice for our girls and the others,” Mark Jones, the father of Bianca Jones, told 9News.
“We have had no correspondence with anyone from the Laos government. We had no idea the court case was going ahead,” he said.
Earlier, the families of the two Melbourne teenagers had said that there was “silence” and “inaction” from the Laotian authorities. They said the lack of communication from the Australian government had “made an unbearable grief even worse”, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. The government has not yet addressed these allegations by the parents.
Shaun Bowles, the father of Holly Morton-Bowles, said: “The best word to describe it is ‘disappointment’.”
He added: “For us not to be told they’re going ahead is abhorrent.
“To think that the Laos authorities believe that those who were involved in killing our daughters is worth (A)$185 is absolutely disgraceful.”
The families claimed that they had learned of the sentencing through other poisoning victims from Denmark and the UK and not the Australian government.
“As citizens of this country, we expect the government to look after their people and get justice for their citizens when they go travelling,” Mr Jones told 9News.
“We can’t get into the country. There’s nothing more we can do. We need the government to do something because we are out of options,” Mr Bowles added.
“We’ve been in touch with the government yesterday and last night and what we’re … asking them to do is to step up and represent our girls in the way that they deserve to be represented,” Mr Bowles said.
“Because we just we’re out of options. It’s pretty devastating.”
Mr Jones told the Sydney Morning Herald: “We have had no correspondence with anyone from the Laos government.
“We had no idea the court case was going ahead. Our beautiful girls, and the other victims, deserve justice at a bare minimum, and a $185 fine is hardly justice.”
Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong said she has communicated to the Laos authorities that Australia expected “full accountability”.
“I have also made it clear that charges should reflect the seriousness of the tragedy, which left six people dead, including Holly and Bianca.”
The department of foreign affairs and trade (DFAT) said in a statement that they were “aware that the Vang Vieng District Court sentenced individuals over the destruction of evidence in relation to the death of a US citizen.
“We continue to press Lao authorities on the cases relating to Holly and Bianca’s deaths, and we will continue to support Holly and Bianca’s families at this distressing time.”
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