Parents of methanol victims Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones want answers

Following the deaths of two Melbourne women in Laos late last year due to methanol poisoning, the victims' families are urging tourists to boycott travel to Laos until the country conducts a thorough investigation into these deaths. Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones were reportedly two of six people who died in the tourist town of Vang Vieng in November after consuming contaminated alcohol.

The victims' families told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that the investigation into the tragedy was "disappointing" and "appalling," and that Lao authorities have been withholding information from them. It was revealed that the factory suspected of brewing the toxic alcohol remains closed, but one of the bars where the two women had been drinking before the incident has reopened.

While the Nana Backpacker Hostel, where the two women were staying, has not yet reopened, the hostel staff (all foreigners) who were previously arrested have been released. It is understood that they are currently under house arrest and their passports have been confiscated. Mark Jones, Bianca Jones' father, described the Lao authorities' investigation and communication as "appalling."

"There's no communication, we're not getting any updates. We were told they detained 12 people, but they've all been released," he told ABC, "It's incredibly concerning, it smacks of a cover-up. I can't imagine there's not a Lao national involved from the distilling process to the distribution of the drinks – so something seems very unusual." He expressed that the lack of progress in the investigation has frustrated the families involved.

Michelle, Bianca's mother, said that the family's lack of information has made the three months since their deaths even more painful. "I mean, our daughter's been murdered and nothing's being done. It's really hard," she told ABC, "What are they hiding? That's what I think, that's what we all think. Someone has to be held accountable."

Holly Bowles was Bianca's best friend, and she died in a hospital in Thailand a few days after Bianca's death. Ms. Bowles' parents, Shaun Bowles and Samantha Morton, said they fear someone will be made a scapegoat for the tragedy. "From everything we've seen, it's hard to have confidence that the people who should truly be held responsible will be held responsible," Shaun said.

Neither the Lao government nor the police have responded to ABC's requests for comment on the progress of the investigation. Police only stated that they are coordinating with relevant agencies. A spokesperson for the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs simply re-sent the only public statement about the incident released last November. A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs stated that the Australian government will continue to call for a transparent and thorough investigation, "and has made these expectations clear to the Lao government."

Meanwhile, Samantha Morton and Shaun Bowles have a clear message for tourists considering traveling to the Southeast Asian country. "Don't go. Don't go. It's not safe for travelers, and we've seen it firsthand," Samantha Morton told ABC. Her partner, Shaun, conveyed a message to the country's authorities: "If you want people to come to your country, make it safe. Make it a safe place."

Since their daughters' deaths, Holly Bowles' and Bianca Jones' parents have connected with other victims' families, sharing their grief and any information they receive. Didier and Anne-Marie Orkild from Denmark, whose daughter Anne-Sofie also died from contaminated alcohol in Laos, were not even informed of her death by the authorities. They said they were actually pressured to accept a death certificate that did not mention methanol in order to transport her body back home. "The authorities basically tried to hide the body in the closet and said almost nothing... This level of cooperation is absolutely ridiculous," Didier told ABC.

They said that boycotting the country (which relies heavily on its tourism industry) is their only hope of getting answers. "Don't go, it's simple, it's too dangerous," Didier said. "It's a big influence, it's a lot of money. Our advice is not to go to Laos, it will hurt them," Anne-Marie added. Sue White from the UK lost her daughter Simone in the incident. The lack of progress in the investigation has also had a significant impact on her. UK authorities have launched an investigation into her daughter's death, but the autopsy results depend on whether the Lao investigation is completed. "So you know, realistically the investigation could take years," she said. "If the investigation isn't completed, the inquest can't be reopened, so it's just hanging over our heads." She stated that she is determined to continue fighting for answers. "Simone wouldn't want her death to be in vain," she told ABC, "When I was there, I promised I would get justice for her, so I'm just trying to fulfill it."

In the past few weeks, new reports of suspicious drinks being served in Laos have surfaced on social media. One user issued a warning in February after drinking a mixed cocktail at a riverside bar in Vang Vieng. "After a while I started to feel nauseous and was vomiting. Over the next few hours I started getting stabbing pains in my temples, dizziness, and numbness in my legs. I've now been in hospital for over four hours and I still don't know what exactly caused it," they posted. "I don't know if it was methanol poisoning or just bad/contaminated alcohol but I wanted to warn others to be careful." Another reported a suspected drink spiking incident in Luang Prabang. "About 1 hour after arriving back at my hostel I started having visual hallucinations, everything around me was spinning, ... I ended up passing out but woke up at 3am vomiting," they posted.

Anne-Marie, Anne-Sofie's mother, said that she is heartbroken at the thought that what happened to her daughter could happen to another tourist. "I can't bear the thought that young people have to go through this without knowing. It's pure pain. Pure pain," she said. "These are young lives. They are doing what we tell them to do, go out and meet other cultures. And then these things are things they can't see, smell, identify, and then they die in a short amount of time."