The Australian government has increased its travel alert level for Laos, advising travellers to “exercise a high degree of caution” due to the risk of methanol poisoning. The update comes after a distillery owner in Laos was charged following a mass methanol poisoning incident that killed six foreign nationals, including Australian backpackers Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles.
Travel advisory raised
“We’ve reviewed our advice for Laos and have raised the overall travel advice level,” the Smartraveller update said. “We now advise: exercise a high degree of caution due to crime, the risk of methanol poisoning and ongoing concerns around lack of transparency in the justice system.”
Charges announced
According to Denmark’s foreign ministry, a court in Laos announced charges against the distillery owner, who could serve just three months in jail. The charges include selling food that is harmful to health and operating an illegal business, making the accused liable to a prison sentence of between three months and four years and a fine if found guilty. The case will formally remain open for 15 years, and charges can still be brought for a more serious offence, such as negligent homicide, if sufficient proof is found.
The Australian teenagers, both 19, were travelling through south-east Asia when they were fatally poisoned with methanol while drinking at Nana backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng in November 2024. Two Danish women, a British woman and an American man also died in the incident.
Families react
“It is devastating news to us,” said Holly’s father, Shaun Bowles. “It’s like their lives didn’t even matter,” said Bianca Jones’ 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.”
Government response
Australian foreign minister Penny Wong said she was “deeply frustrated and bitterly disappointed” that authorities were not pursuing “the most serious charges” in relation to the women’s deaths. Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dispatched an envoy to Laos “to convey the Australian government’s objections and reinforce our expectations for an investigation that delivers justice for Holly, Bianca and the other victims of the methanol poisoning”. Australian officials also summoned Laos’ ambassador to Canberra.
Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen declared he was deeply disappointed that the indictment did not reflect the seriousness and extent of the tragedy. He acknowledged the difficulty in meeting the burden of proof for the most serious charges but pointed out the challenge of accepting such a lenient indictment. Rasmussen said his office will work with relatives and other affected countries to discuss next steps.
The victims had been staying at the Nana Backpacker hostel, where some reportedly consumed “free shots” of Laotian vodka before heading out to other venues. When the Australian teenagers failed to check out, they were found sick in their room and evacuated to hospitals in Thailand, where they later died.
