Updated ,first published
The families of two Australian backpackers who died in Laos after drinking tainted alcohol shots have received the devastating news that no one is likely to serve serious jail time, if any at all, for the deaths of their daughters.
Almost two years after Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones unwittingly drank methanol in the backpacker hotspot of Vang Vieng, the families are yet to hear directly from Lao authorities.
Most of the information they have received has come to them in a piecemeal manner, from loved ones of other young travellers (two Danish women, an American man and a British woman) who died in the same event.
On Thursday, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) informed them that Lao authorities were unlikely to proceed with charges that, if proven, could have landed the operators of the Tiger alcohol brand in prison for up to five years.
Instead, DFAT told them in a statement, the most serious charge likely to be brought against Tiger carries a maximum penalty of just one year and a fine.
“It’s very hard putting into words the disappointment we have,” Shaun Bowles, the father of Holly, told this masthead late on Thursday.
“But I guess at the same time, not a whole lot of surprise, with the way that it’s all played out over there. We’ve literally just got [the information] in the last couple of hours, and we’re just trying to process it at the moment.
“We’ve had so many conflicting stories from the Lao authorities. But I’ve always sort of been of the thinking that if they hadn’t [already] gathered the evidence … they’re not gathering any more evidence this late on in the investigation. And we’re all aware of the corruption and everything that goes on over there.”
Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Friday said that the Australian government was frustrated and disappointed that Laos was not pursuing the most serious charges.
“We have consistently made clear our expectations that charges should reflect the gravity of the tragedy that claimed the lives of Holly and Bianca in November 2024. This includes the Prime Minister and I expressing these expectations directly to our respective counterparts,” she said in a statement.
“What happened to Holly, Bianca and four other foreign nationals should never have happened.
Meanwhile, Bianca’s father, Mark Jones, has reportedly urged Anthony Albanese to contact his counterpart in Laos.
“It is disgusting that they think our daughters’ lives are only worth a year in jail or collectively a fine,” he told the Herald Sun.
The information presented to the families comes ahead of a supposed press conference from the Lao Ministry of Public Security on Friday afternoon local time. Laos is a one-party Communist state that does not tolerate a free press.
“I am conscious that the information [about prosecutions] … will not be what you had hoped to hear,” the DFAT letter, sent to the families and seen by this masthead, said.
“It is also not consistent with what Lao authorities have previously indicated to us regarding the possible charges under consideration.”
In January, a Lao court gave suspended sentences and fines to 10 hostel staff members for tampering with evidence in connection with the American’s case. This masthead understands that no one has yet faced court over the deaths of the Australians.
The Melbourne friends died in November 2024 after drinking methanol at the Nana Backpacker Hostel during a shot giveaway.
Shots from Tiger vodka and whisky bottles were being served at the hostel on the night the backpackers became sick, but it is unclear whether the contents were genuinely from the Tiger factory or rather the moonshine commonly brewed in backyards.
The Vang Vieng distributor for Tiger said the brand was sold in many places. Only people drinking at the hostel became sick.
Tiger, which is sold in 700ml bottles for the equivalent of about $2.50 a bottle, was nonetheless banned by Lao authorities following the poisonings.
Methanol is a deadly byproduct in the brewing of drinkable alcohol (ethanol) and must be removed before sale.
The operators of Tiger have denied responsibility. When this masthead in April tracked down a woman involved in the business, located on the outskirts of the Lao capital, Vientiane, she said it did not actually brew vodka and whisky, but rather bought hospital-grade alcohol from a pharmacy and diluted it with water and flavours.
She claimed tests on the product had already cleared Tiger and that, as far as she knew, there was no legal action pending.
The Ministry of Public Security, however, told the Australian government on Thursday that the business would face court charged with operating illegally, according to the DFAT letter.
If proven, the maximum penalty is a year in jail and a $640 fine. The business may also be charged with selling goods hazardous to health, which carries a maximum penalty of $960.
The more serious charge under Lao Penal Code Article 183 – breaching hygiene laws – could have incurred a five-year jail sentence if found to have caused someone’s death, but that now seems unlikely.
“While they stopped short of stating definitively that Article 183 will not proceed, the explanation provided suggested the prosecutor does not consider they have sufficient evidence to establish the necessary legal link between the Tiger alcohol and the deaths of Holly and Bianca,” the DFAT letter said.
DFAT has previously apologised to the families for failing to keep them informed and appointed Pablo Kang, a former ambassador to Cambodia and the United Arab Emirates, as a “special envoy” on the case, bypassing the ambassador. Even so, news about Friday’s “press conference” came from the other families.
In her statement on Friday, Penny Wong said she and the prime minister had asked Kang to travel to Laos today “to convey the Australian Government’s objections and reinforce our expectations for an investigation that delivers justice for Holly, Bianca, and the other victims”.
Wong said DFAT’s acting secretary had also called in Laos’ ambassador in Canberra.
Australia has budgeted $64 million in foreign aid for Laos this year.
DFAT has been contacted for comment.
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