Six people found dead in a luxury hotel suite in Thailand were poisoned with Cyanide-laced drinks, according to police. Authorities suspect one of the deceased may have orchestrated the poisoning due to severe debt.
The victims were discovered by housekeepers at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in Bangkok late Tuesday and are believed to have died about 24 hours earlier. Two of the deceased had loaned “tens of millions of Thai baht” to another victim for investment purposes.
Read more: Six Foreign Tourists Discovered Deceased in Bangkok Hotel
Initially, there was confusion surrounding the incident, with reports suggesting a shooting, which police later refuted. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin visited the hotel, calling for an urgent investigation, emphasizing it was a “private matter” and not a national security issue.
Deputy Bangkok police chief Gen Noppassin Poonsawat reported that the group checked in separately over the weekend, occupying five rooms. They were scheduled to check out on Monday but failed to do so. The victims include four Vietnamese nationals and two Americans.
The US State Department has expressed condolences and is “closely monitoring” the situation, with the FBI assisting Thai authorities in the investigation.
On Monday afternoon, all six victims gathered in a fifth-floor room where they ordered food and tea, delivered around 14:00 local time and received by Ms. Chong, the only person in the room at that time. The deputy police chief reported that a waiter offered to make tea, but Ms. Chong declined, appearing stressed and speaking very little before the waiter left.
The rest of the group entered the room between 14:03 and 14:17, and no one else is believed to have entered since the door was locked from within. Police found no signs of struggle, robbery, or forced entry and discovered traces of cyanide in all six teacups. Plates of untouched food were left on the table, some still covered in cling wrap.
A seventh name was on the hotel booking, identified as the younger sister of one victim, who had left Thailand the previous week and is not involved in the incident. Relatives told police that Thi Nguyen Phuong and Hong Pham Thanh, a couple, owned a road construction business and had given money to Ms. Chong for a hospital investment in Japan. Police suspect Mr. Tran, a makeup artist from Da Nang, may have also been misled into investing.
Mr. Tran’s mother stated he had traveled to Thailand on Friday and called home on Sunday to extend his stay until Monday, but did not answer subsequent calls. Ms. Chong had hired Mr. Tran as her personal makeup artist for the trip.
The discovery of the six bodies came a day after Thailand expanded its visa-free entry scheme for travelers from 93 countries to boost tourism. The Grand Hyatt Erawan is in a prime tourist area, which has seen high-profile crimes in the past, including a shooting incident last October nearby and a 2015 bomb blast at the Erawan Shrine that killed 20 people.
Prime Minister Srettha visited the hotel and assured the public that security measures are in place for tourists, emphasizing the importance of tourism to Thailand’s economy as it recovers from the pandemic and seeks to attract affluent travelers.
