Australia updates travel advice for Laos as charges announced over mass methanol poisoning | Australian foreign policy

The Australian government has raised the travel alert level for Laos, advising travelers to “exercise a high degree of caution” due to the risk of methanol poisoning.

A distillery owner in Laos has been charged after six foreign nationals, including Australian backpackers Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, were killed in a mass methanol poisoning incident.

“We have reviewed our advice for Laos and raised the overall travel advisory level,” the Smartraveller update said. “We now advise: Exercise a high degree of caution due to ongoing concerns about crime, risk of methanol poisoning, and lack of transparency in the justice system.”

The distillery owner could face just three months in prison after a court in Laos announced charges in the case.

The Australian teenagers, both 19, were fatally poisoned with methanol while drinking at the Nana backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng while traveling in Southeast Asia.

Two Danish women, a British woman and an American man also lost their lives in the incident in November 2024.

The court said the charges included selling unhealthy food and running an illegal business, and that the defendant would face a prison sentence of three months to four years and a fine if convicted, the Danish foreign ministry said in a statement Friday, citing authorities in Laos.

It was also stated that the case would officially remain open for 15 years and that charges could still be brought for a more serious crime such as manslaughter if there was sufficient evidence. It was not stated whether the charges were related to all the deaths.

The Danish government’s statement did not identify the defendant or state what defenses he had against the charges.

The Danish government said the charges were announced at the public security ministry in Vientiane. The Associated Press’s request for access to cover the hearings was not approved.

Families of the Australian women feared the charges would be minor and had expressed outrage before they were confirmed on Friday.

Danish and Australian authorities have expressed disappointment and are seeking justice for the victims.

Holly’s father, Shaun Bowles, who was informed of the possible charges, said Friday he was devastated that the charges did not reflect the seriousness of the case.

“This is devastating news for us,” he said.

“It’s like their lives don’t matter,” Bianca Jones’ mother, Michelle, said. “We were really horrified by the whole thing. You know, they were just going out there to have some fun and they were doing the same rite of passage that every kid or teenager does. So in terms of that outcome, it was really devastating.”

Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, said in a statement on Friday morning that she was “deeply disappointed and bitterly disappointed” by authorities’ failure to pursue “the most serious allegations” over the women’s deaths.

The minister said Wong and Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese sent an envoy to Laos on Friday “to convey the Australian government’s objections and strengthen our expectations for an investigation that will deliver justice for Holly, Bianca and other victims of methanol poisoning.” He added that Australian officials also summoned Laos’ ambassador to Canberra.

In the statement made by the Danish foreign ministry, it was stated that the country’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, stated that he was deeply disappointed that the indictment did not reflect the seriousness and extent of the tragedy that affected so many families.

He acknowledged that meeting the precise burden of proof required to bring the most serious charges in such a case can be complicated, but also noted that it is difficult to accept such a lenient indictment.

Rasmussen said his office will now work with relatives and other affected countries to discuss their next move on the case.

The victims were staying at the Nana Backpacker hostel, where some were said to have consumed “free shots” of Laos vodka before heading to other venues.

When the Australian teenagers were unable to check out as planned, they were found ill in their room and eventually evacuated to hospitals in neighboring Thailand, where they later died.