The families of two Australian women who died from methanol poisoning after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos say they fear they will never get justice, amid what they say is a vacuum of information from authorities over the deaths.Â
Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, died after a mass methanol poisoning incident at the Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng, a popular tourist destination in Laos, in November 2024.
Two Danish women, a US tourist and a British woman also died in the incident.
More than a year later, the families of the Australians say the “silence” and “inaction” from Lao authorities, combined with what they say is a lack of communication from the Australian government, has “made an unbearable grief even worse”.
Shaun Bowles and Mark Jones say a lack of clear communication from authorities has compounded their grief. (ABC News: Kyle Harley)
The women’s fathers, Shaun Bowles and Mark Jones, said they were relying on updates from a group chat with the family of Simone White, a British lawyer who also died in the mass poisoning incident, who were provided an update by the UK government.
They say that chat is how they learned that 10 people connected to the Nana Backpackers Hostel were tried in a Lao court in January and found guilty of destroying evidence, before being fined an amount they understood to be $185 and given suspended sentences.
Bianca’s father, Mark Jones, said the news of the court’s decision and the seemingly low penalty was shocking.
“To say we were disappointed would be a gross understatement.”
Holly’s father, Shaun Bowles, said he felt as if the case was being rushed through the courts.
“We were disgusted, really. It’s very clear that they want an open-and-shut case so they can just move on,” Mr Bowles said.
“That’s not being held to account.”
While the men initially believed the charges related to the deaths of their daughters, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed to the ABC that the destruction of evidence charges only related to the death of the US tourist.
“We continue to press Lao authorities on the cases relating to Holly and Bianca’s deaths, and we will continue to support Holly and Bianca’s families at this distressing time,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement.
A DFAT spokesperson said the Secretary of the department had personally written to the families of Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade apologises unreservedly for the failure to keep the families of Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones fully informed about the outcomes of the court case relating to the destruction of evidence following the death of a United States citizen at the Nana Backpackers Hostel in November 2024,” the spokesperson said.
“The Department prides itself on its commitment to consular service and to ensuring that the interests of consular clients and their families are paramount.
“On this occasion, we fell short of our aspiration.”
More than a dozen people fell seriously ill in November 2024 after drinking at the Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng. (ABC News: Mitchell Woolnough )
Holly and Bianca’s families understand that the distillery owner, who supplied the methanol, has also been charged in connection with the incident and is awaiting trial, while two other suspects have not been charged.
“They’ve made it clear … that zero has happened,” Mr Jones told the ABC.
“If [the Australian government] knew [about the charges] … why haven’t you told us, because we found this out through other channels.
“If there is a case relating to my daughter and Shaun’s daughter, we would like to understand what that is.”
The small town of Vang Vieng in Laos is a popular tourist destination for backpackers. (Reuters:Â K Yoganand/WWF)
The families of Holly and Bianca are now calling for the Australian government to apply diplomatic pressure on Laos and demand full transparency during the court process.Â
They have also requested an official written explanation from Lao authorities about the court proceedings around their daughters’ deaths.
Being met with silence during their 14-month search for answers has taken its toll on both families.
“It feels like a continual kick in the guts, to continually be delivered this surprising news,” Mr Jones said.
“No sentence is ever going to help us in the sense of bringing our girls back, but there does need to be accountability for those people who were involved in the deaths of our girls.”
“Life is very, very different. It destroys you as a person, it’s very hard to describe what it’s like,” Mr Bowles said.
“We’re not the same people.”