Grieving father issues plea to Laos government after daughter’s death

The father of one of the Melbourne teens who died from suspected methanol poisoning on the South-East Asia “trip of a lifetime” has urged the Laos government to fully investigate what happened to ensure her death was not in vain.

Following the deaths of Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, an emotional but determined Mark Jones read out a statement on behalf of his family, expressing their grief for the young Australians and the four other international tourists to die in a popular backpacker town this month.

He said his daughter’s “lust for life and adventure” had “cruelly been cut short” as her life was just beginning.

METHANOL EXPLAINED: The deadly substance you can’t see or taste

“Our daughter was on the trip of a lifetime with one of her best mates,” Jones said yesterday. 

“This was meant to be a trip full of lifelong memories, and was to be the first of many. 

“Bianca wanted to explore the world, meet new friends, lead and create change for good.”

Instead, the friends died late this week in separate hospitals in neighbouring Thailand, where they’d been flown for more intense treatment after suffering suspected methanol poisoning. 

The victims are believed to have consumed drinks tainted with the substance, which sometimes appears in poorly made liquor or is added as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, but can cause severe poisoning or death.

READ MORE: What to know about the Laos town at centre of suspected methanol poisonings

It is understood the owner of the Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng, where Bowles and Jones stayed, has been detained in Laos’ capital Vientiane to assist police with their enquiries.

The girls had free shots at the hostel before going out and drinking at other bars on the night before they were found ill but the hostel owner insisted the drinks did not come from his bar.

The deaths sparked outrage, well wishes and warnings from Canberra to Washington, including messages from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, various consulates and even Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder.

Jones thanked the Australian government for its support and issued a request to authorities in Laos, one of the region’s poorest countries, which has been popular with backpackers for years.

“I would like to take this opportunity to urge the Laos government to investigate this to the fullest extent, to make sure this incident doesn’t happen again,” he said.

“We can’t have the passing of our daughter … not lead to change to protect others. 

“Young men and women should be able to travel, create their own life experiences and be safe.

“We’ll forever miss our beautiful girl and hope her loss of life has not been in vain.”

After days of silence and limited transparency about police investigations into the deaths of the two Australian women, British lawyer Simone White, two Danish women and an American man, the Laos government finally addressed the tragedy on Saturday, stating it was “profoundly saddened” and promising to investigate.

The Vientiane Times, which is part of an agency run by the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, named the other victims as Danes Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21, and American James Louis Hutson, 57.

Reporters Sans Frontiers (Reporters Without Borders) ranks Laos 153 of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index.

Along with Nine’s newspapers, the local outlet cited a police report stating that the Danes and Americans were separately found unconscious in their respective rooms at the Nana Backpackers Hostel on November 13, several days before news broke that the Australian women were fighting for life.

The women went to a bar the previous night and returned home about midnight and weren’t found until 6pm, while the American was discovered about three hours later after staff realised he hadn’t left his room all day.

Yesterday, the hostel manager said staff were told by other guests that Bowles and Jones were unwell after they failed to check out as planned on November 13, and they arranged transport to a hospital for them.

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