The Laos government has refused expert help from Australia in its investigation into the deaths of six tourists, including two Melbourne teenagers.
Best friends Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both aged 19, were visiting the tourist town of Vang Vieng last November when they suffered suspected methanol poisoning.
The Aussies were among dozens of tourist who were staying at the Nana Backpackers Hostel when they became sick after drinking at the venue’s bar.
The pair, 28-year-old British lawyer Simone White, an unnamed American man and two Danish women, aged 19 and 20, died from the suspected poisoning.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told federal parliament on Thursday that authorities in Laos have declined the offer of assistance from Australian Federal Police in its investigation of the incident.
‘What happened to Holly and Bianca struck at the heart of the nation and all of us stand in the embrace of their families, and it is unimaginable to think about what they are going through in the loss of their beautiful daughters,’ Mr Marles said.
‘The Australian Federal Police have made an offer to the authorities in Laos to provide their assistance in the investigation and there is a whole lot of capability that the Australian Federal Police could bring to bear in terms of this investigation.
‘I have to report, sadly to the house, that, at this point, the Laos authorities have not taken up that invitation on the part of the Australian Federal Police.
The government of Laos has refused expert help from Australia in its investigation into the deaths of six tourists, including Aussies Bianca Jones (pictured) and Holly Bowles
The Melbourne teenagers died from suspected methanol poisoning after drinking at Nana Backpackers Hostel (pictured)
Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles (pictured) died alongside 28-year-old British lawyer Simone White, an unnamed American man and two Danish women, aged 19 and 20
He vowed that Australian authorities wouldn’t drop the matter.
‘I would want to assure the families of Bianca and Holly that we remain in contact with the Laos authorities and that the offer of assistance is being consistently offered and raised with the Laos authorities,’ Mr Marles added.
The teens’ families said they were ‘extremely disappointed’ in the lack of updates.
‘As the Laos government rejects any support from the AFP our confidence in accountability and justice for everyone affected remains unanswered,’ a joint statement read.
It comes after the shattered Aussie parents slammed the Laos’ investigation so far in a 60 Minutes interview.
‘We’re still waiting to hear what’s going to happen next,’ Holly’s mother Samantha Morton told the program.
She and Bianca’s mum Michelle Jones were ‘angry’ about the ‘lack of information coming out of Laos’.
Holly’s father Shaun Bowles theorised on what the best friends’ last moments would have been like.
‘They weren’t doing anything wrong,’ he said.
The girls’ parents (pictured at Holly’s funeral) have demanded someone be held accountable for their daughters’ deaths
Earlier this week, both of the Aussie teenagers’ parents expressed their disappointment in Laos’ investigation so far (pictured, Holly’s funeral)
‘They were having, having a drink, having fun. And yeah, there’s no way to determine if there is methanol in a drink.
‘So it’s, it’s very much a silent killer.’
Mr Jones added: ‘For them not to reach out is, that’s just not good enough.’
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has spoken to her counterpart in Laos and ‘made clear’ that the Australian government expects someone to be held accountable for the six deaths.
‘We will continue to press Laos to pursue this investigation as we will continue to offer the assistance of the Australian government through the Australian Federal Police in this investigation,’ Mr Marles said.
‘The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have been in contact with Bianca and Holly’s families and they will continue to do so.
‘Any information that we have we want to share with them.’
Independent MP Zoe Daniel, independent MP for Goldstein, today asked parliament for an update on the progress in the Laos police investigation on behalf of Holly’s father, Shaun
Nana Backpackers Hostel remains closed as the investigation continues.
Bianca’s father, Mark Jones, told the Laos government ‘we won’t forget’.
‘We’ll absolutely make sure that they are accountable for the loss of our daughters and make sure that we, you know, to your point, you know other people don’t suffer what we’ve suffered,’ he told 60 Minutes .
‘We want some form of closure.
‘We want to understand that people who have done wrong by our daughter and Holly and the other people are going to be brought to justice.’
