ISTANBUL: (Bernama-Anadolu) Australia on Thursday (Feb 12) announced it is dispatching a special envoy to Laos to investigate the deaths of two Australians in a 2024 mass methanol poisoning event following "a lack of transparency from overseas authorities,” Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported, citing local media reports.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed the appointment of seasoned diplomat Pablo Kang, who has been tasked to "explore all avenues to progress the case” of the 2024 deaths of teenagers Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones, according to local broadcaster SBS News.
The 19-year-olds from Melbourne's Bayside were backpacking through the Southeast Asian nation in late 2024 when they were fatally poisoned with methanol while drinking at a backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng.
Overall, six foreigners died during the mass poisoning, including British woman Simone White, a US tourist, and two young Danish women.
The families of the two deceased voiced outrage this week after it emerged that 10 people linked to the methanol poisoning were fined just US$185 by a Laos court in January for destroying evidence. No charges have been filed over the deaths.
"Since their November 2024 deaths, the Albanese Government has been clear to the Lao authorities of the need for transparency and accountability,” Wong said in a statement.
"We have consistently conveyed our expectations that charges should reflect the seriousness of the tragedy that killed Holly, Bianca and four other foreign nationals.”
Meanwhile, opposition leader Sussan Ley on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to summon the Laotian ambassador for a "formal explanation” about the "weak prosecutions”. - Bernama-Anadolu
