The cost of six lives in Laos: a food charge and a maximum of four years
The distillery owner faces a minimum of three months, nearly two years after six tourists died in Vang Vieng, including two teenagers from Melbourne.
Laos has charged the owner of the distillery that made the methanol-laced alcohol which killed six tourists in Vang Vieng, including two 19-year-olds from Melbourne.
The charges are selling food products harmful to health, and operating an illegal business.
The maximum penalty is four years. The minimum is three months.
Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, best friends, were staying at the Nana Backpackers Hostel in November 2024. Two Danish women, a British woman and an American man died alongside them.
Nearly two years later, this is the case.
“I don't have words for the disgust that I have with what the Laos authorities are suggesting is meant to be justice for the deaths of six tourists,” Bianca's father Mark Jones said.
“All up, our daughter, along with four other beautiful women, their lives are worth less than a year and about $1600.”
The $1600 is not a figure of speech.
Last month a Lao court found 10 hostel staff guilty of destroying evidence.
Each received a suspended sentence and a fine of $185.
Nobody has been charged with killing anyone.
The families learned that case was proceeding from other victims' relatives in Denmark and the UK, not from anyone in Vientiane or Canberra.
“We have had no correspondence with anyone from the Laos government,” Jones said at the time.
“We had no idea the court case was going ahead.”
Australia summoned the Lao ambassador to Canberra on Friday.
“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.
“This devastating news will only add to the immense pain and grief suffered by the families and friends of Holly and Bianca.”
Denmark's foreign minister said the same thing in more careful language.
Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he understood the difficulty of meeting the burden of proof for more serious charges, but found the leniency of the indictment hard to accept.
The press conference announcing all of it was held in Vientiane. International media were denied entry. Australian, British and Danish officials were inside.
There is one thread left.
The case stays formally open for 15 years, which means negligent manslaughter can still be brought if the evidence is ever established.
Ten people have already been convicted of destroying it.