Vietnam demands information from Thailand in ‘cyanide tea’ murder-suicide

The Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand is cooperating with local authorities in investigating the deaths of six people of Vietnamese descent at the luxury Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang told a press meet Thursday.

Vietnam has also asked Thai police, and Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to provide more details on the case, while also asking for the opportunity to deploy protection measures for its compatriots in the foreign country, Hang said.

The embassy is also working with local authorities to support the victim’s families in arranging funerary procedures once they are allowed to do so, she said.

The corpses identified in the bizarre mass death are currently being held for a time as investigators seek forensic clues and evidence.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked the foreign ministry to cooperate with Thai authorities on the case.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security will also cooperate with the investigation by providing information on the victims’ relatives.

Hang said the foreign ministry had already provided information relevant to the case to the public security ministry.

Thai authorities found the six bodies in a fifth-floor room of the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok on Tuesday night after a call from hotel staff around 5:30 p.m.

Two deceased American nationals were identified as Sherine Chong, 56, and Dang Hung Van, 55, while four Vietnamese corpses were ascertained to be Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan, 47, Pham Hong Thanh, 49, Tran Dinh Phu, 37, and Nguyen Thi Phuong, 46.

Thai police said on Wednesday that cyanide poisoning was likely the cause of the deaths, with the suspected killer identified as Chong, who was also among the dead. Chong allegedly laced tea leaves with cyanide and let the group drink the brew before ingesting the deadly poison herself.

General Noppasin Poolsawat, deputy chief of the Bangkok police, said at a press conference that the crime was prompted by “business conflicts” between Chong and Van, along with a husband and wife couple in the group.

The couple had loaned Chong around ฿10 million ($278,000) to invest in a Japanese hospital project. When the project halted, the couple suspected that Chong was trying to con them out of the money.

“This is a case stemming from personal conflicts, not trans-border crime,” said Noppasin at the press conference.

The Grand Hyatt Erawan is a renowned five-star hotel in Bangkok, boasting 350 rooms. It is located in the Ratchaprasong area, a bustling shopping and entertainment district adjacent to the central Siam neighborhood.