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The families of two Melbourne teenagers who died after drinking methanol-laced alcohol in Laos say they have been blindsided by news the workers responsible for serving the drinks received fines of just $185.
Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, were killed by methanol poisoning along with four other tourists after a night out at the Nana backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng, a popular tourist destination in Laos, in November 2024.
More than a year later, the girls’ fathers, Shaun Bowles and Mark Jones, said they were relying on a group chat with the families of the victims, started by parents of British lawyer Simone White, for updates provided by the UK government.
That’s how they learned 10 people connected to the hostel faced court in January and were fined $185 and given a suspended sentence for destroying evidence.
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“We were shocked by the absolute injustice for our girls and the others,” Jones told 9News.
“We have had no correspondence with anyone from the Laos government. We had no idea the court case was going ahead.”
While the men initially believed the court case was linked to the deaths of their daughters, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the destruction-of-evidence charges only related to the death of the American tourist.
“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,” Bowles said.
“Because we just we’re out of options. It’s pretty devastating.”
The department has apologised to the families for failing to keep it informed about the court outcome.
“The department prides itself in its commitment to consular service and to ensuring that the interests of consular clients and their families are paramount,” it said.
“On this occasion, we fell short of our aspiration.”
Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said she had made it clear to her Lao counterpart that Australia expects “full accountability” and stressed charges should reflect the seriousness of the tragedy.
“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,” she said.
The Laotian government previously vowed to “bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the law”.
– With AAP
