Thai police confirm murder in deaths of six Vietnamese

Thai police guard outside the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, where the bodies of four Vietnamese and two American nationals were found on July 16. — VNA/VNS Photo Đinh Thị Thu Thủy

BANGKOK — Thai police have confirmed that the six people found dead in a Bangkok hotel room on July 16, including four Vietnamese nationals, were victims of murder, not suicide.

This revelation comes as a major update in the ongoing investigation into the shocking discovery of the bodies of three men and three women in an upscale hotel in central Bangkok.

All six were Vietnamese, but two had American citizenship, Thai authorities confirmed.

The victims are identified as Chong Sherine, 56 (US citizen); Dang Hung Van, 55 (US citizen); Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan, 47; Pham Hong Thanh, 49; Tran Dinh Phu, 37; and Nguyen Thi Phuong, 46. 

According to Bangkok police chief Lieutenant General Thiti Saengsawang, preliminary investigations indicate that the victims did not take their own lives but were deliberately killed.

This conclusion is based on the lack of any signs of struggle or forced entry at the crime scene, as well as the absence of external injuries on the victims’ bodies.

The investigation has also revealed that the victims, who had initially booked five rooms at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, arrived in two separate groups.

Seven individuals were initially registered for the rooms, but only five checked in, occupying four rooms on the 7th floor and one on the 5th floor.

They checked out of the four rooms in the afternoon on July 15 and gathered all their belongings into the other room, where the bodies were later discovered.

They ordered six meals to the room, but there was no indication that they had consumed any food. However, authorities did find five used teacups and one used glass, suggesting that the victims may have consumed some drinks.

One victim had a visible injury on his/her face, but the injury is likely the result of a fall and collision with a hard object and was not the primary cause of death.

Forensic teams have collected various items from the room, including food containers, utensils, and other potential evidence, for further examination.

Lieutenant General Thiti emphasised that the investigation is still ongoing, with a focus on identifying the motive behind the killings and the whereabouts of the seventh individual who was initially registered for the hotel rooms.

Additionally, the police are reviewing CCTV footage from the victims’ arrival at the airport and in the vicinity of the hotel to gather more clues.

In response to the incident, the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand has dispatched officials to the scene, working closely with Thai authorities to gather information, identify the victims, and provide consular assistance to their families.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin paid a visit to inspect the scene at the Grand Hyatt Erawan in the wake of the incident, and held a press conference there. — VNS