The families of two Melbourne teenagers who died after consuming methanol-laced alcohol in Laos have expressed shock after learning that workers responsible for serving the drinks received fines of just $185.
Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, were among six tourists killed by methanol poisoning in November 2024 after a night out at the Nana backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng, a popular tourist destination in Laos. More than a year later, the girls' fathers, Shaun Bowles and Mark Jones, said they relied on a group chat with other victims' families, started by the parents of British lawyer Simone White, for updates provided by the UK government. That is how they learned that 10 people connected to the hostel faced court in January and were fined $185 and given a suspended sentence for destroying evidence.
“We were shocked by the absolute injustice for our girls and the others,” Jones told 9News. “We have had no correspondence with anyone from the Laos government. We had no idea the court case was going ahead.” While the men initially believed the court case was linked to the deaths of their daughters, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the destruction-of-evidence charges only related to the death of an American tourist.
Bowles said: “We’ve been in touch with the government yesterday and last night and what we’re … asking them to do is to step up and represent our girls in the way that they deserve to be represented. Because we just we’re out of options. It’s pretty devastating.” The department has apologised to the families for failing to keep them informed about the court outcome. Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said she had made it clear to her Lao counterpart that Australia expects “full accountability” and stressed charges should reflect the seriousness of the tragedy.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged the recent events had “added to the heartbreak” of the families, while Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan expressed contempt for the court outcome, saying: “You can’t even really call it a punishment, can you? It’s just heartbreaking.” The Laotian government previously vowed to “bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the law”.
