Thailand issues cyanide warning after mass murder-suicide

The office of the Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Thursday issued a warning to citizens that cyanide is included on the nation’s list of “Type 3 hazardous substances,” Khaosod reported.

“Anyone found producing, importing, exporting and possessing Type 3 hazardous substances without approval may face up to two years in jail and a fine of ฿200,000 ($5,500),” said Kenika Ounjit, deputy spokesperson of the office of the Thai PM, in response to the death of six people found in a room at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in Bangkok on Tuesday.

The warning was issued after Thai forensic authorities concluded that the six victims, including four Vietnamese citizens and two Americans of Vietnamese descent, had been poisoned with cyanide.

Investigators suspect that a Vietnamese American woman named Sherine Chong had laced tea leaves with the substance before the group, including herself, had them brewed and drunk the resulting poison tea.

Deputy Bangkok Police Chief Noppasin Poolsawat announced that authorities are focusing on finding the sources of the cyanide that Chong used. Noppasin said the toxin might have been imported into the country, or bought from within Thailand.

Cyanide made headlines in Thailand last year after the police arrested Sararat “Am” Rangsiwuthaporn, 36, one of Thai history’s most notorious murderers. She was accused of using cyanide in 14 killings and another attempted killing in which the victim survived.

Prosecutors have sought the death penalty for Sararat. The case also raised public concerns about Thai authorities’ lax management of cyanide in Thailand, as the serial killer bought and used the toxin as a murder weapon freely and undetected for a sustained long period of time.

Authorities found that Sararat purchased cyanide that was imported from Spain to Thailand. She bought the chemical online, from an unregistered company with a factory in Lat Krabang District.

During the investigation, Thai authorities also discovered that about 100 people had purchased cyanide from the same facility, including some who work in the health and entertainment industries.