Vietnamese tour guide reveals more on Bangkok hotel murder-suicide

[webfact]

Further questioning of a Vietnamese tour guide, who served the six Vietnamese nationals before their deaths, revealed that another tour guide, named Tiger, may have known the source of the cyanide and been able to identify others involved in the murder-suicide case.

 

Six Vietnamese nationals died from cyanide poisoning at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Bangkok, with their bodies discovered by a hotel maid and security guard on Tuesday, July 16. Among the deceased, 56 year old Sherine Chong, a Vietnamese-American citizen, was suspected of being the murderer.

 

According to the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Chong laced the tea with cyanide. It was consumed by all the deceased, including herself. The motive for Chong’s crime is suspected to be a debt of approximately 10 million baht.

 

Chong reportedly invited each victim to invest in a hospital project in Japan but the project failed to progress, leading the investors to demand their money back. They travelled to Thailand and stayed at the hotel to resolve the issue.

Channel 7 reported that three people in the deaths, including Sherine Chong, Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan, and Hung Dang Van, believed to be Chong’s husband, were the agents who invited others to invest in the hospital project.

A 37 year old makeup artist, Dinh Tran Phu, and another couple, Thi Nguyen Phuong and Hong Pham Thanh, who died at the hotel, were investors.

 

To confirm their suspicions and locate the source of the cyanide, police questioned the 35 year old Vietnamese tour guide, Phan Ngoc Wu, who had provided services to the group.

 

Phan revealed that he met one of the deceased last year before assisting the group this year. The name of the person had not yet been revealed.

 

Source of cyanide unknown

 

After questioning the tour guide, police revealed that Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan asked the guide, Phan Ngoc Wu, to buy a medicine called Snake Medicine Number 7, for 11,000 baht. Phan Ngoc Wu then asked another tour guide, identified only as Tiger, to purchase the medicine.

 

ThaiRath reported that Snake Medicine Number 7 is a restorative medicine that has been popular among Vietnamese people for over 10 years. The medicine comes in small, multi-coloured tablets packed in a plastic bottle.

 

The medicine is only available in Thailand, so Vietnamese tourists often buy it to take back to their home country.

 

Tiger delivered the medicine to Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan at a hotel near Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok. Officers are now reviewing security camera footage to locate Tiger.

 

Phan Ngoc Wu further revealed that Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan’s husband, a Japanese businessman, asked him to exchange Vietnamese dong for 90,000 Thai baht and give the money to one of the deceased, Hung Dang Van.

 

Channel 7 reported that Hung Dang Van later gave the money to Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan’s sister, who was supposed to check into the hotel but did not. After receiving the money, the sister immediately returned to Vietnam.

 

Thai PBS reported that Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan’s Japanese husband asked the tour guide to search for his wife after being unable to contact her. The guide claimed to have searched for her around Bangkok before she was found dead in the hotel room.

 

According to the media, Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan’s Japanese husband is currently being questioned at Lumpini Police Station in Bangkok.

 

UPDATE 2: Murder-suicide: 6 Vietnamese deaths linked to 10 million baht debt

 

Following the suspicious deaths of six Vietnamese nationals at a hotel in Bangkok, Thai police discovered that one of the deceased, a Vietnamese-American woman, allegedly poisoned her friends before committing suicide with the toxin over a 10 million baht debt.

 

The Metropolitan Police Bureau of Thailand revealed more details of the case in a press conference, today, July 17, following an investigation into the deaths of the six foreigners, whose bodies were discovered last night.

 

The deceased were identified as American citizens Sherine Chong (56 years old) and Dang Hung Van (55 years old), and Vietnamese nationals Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan (47 years old), Hong Pham Thanh (49 years old), Dinh Tran Phu (37 years old), and Thi Nguyen Phuong (46 years old).

 

Dang Hung Van and Thi Nguyen Phuong were a married couple. Police questioned their children and found that they invested 10 million baht in a hospital project in Japan with Sherine Chong. The project had not progressed, leading to a dispute over the funds.

 

The group, initially planning to meet in Japan to resolve the issue, changed their destination to Thailand due to visa problems. It remains unclear whether the other deceased were also investors in the project.

 

Seven hotel rooms were booked for the group but only six individuals checked in. The seventh person, a sister of one of the deceased, was not involved in the incident.

 

The individuals checked in on different days between July 14 and 15, later gathering in a room booked under Chong’s name.

 

Hotel staff reported serving food and tea to the group for the last time at 1.57pm. According to the deputy police chief, a waiter offered to make tea for the guests but Chong refused this. The waiter recalled that she “spoke very little and was visibly under stress.”

 

The waiter later left the room and no one else is believed to have entered apart from the six inside. Police say there were no signs of a struggle or a robbery.

 

Police suspect Chong used this opportunity to lace the tea with cyanide, serving it to others before consuming it herself. Police believe her motive was an inability to repay the investment money.

 

Cyanide was found in all six teacups, as well as in the blood system of one of the deceased and two stainless tumblers.

 

Searches of their luggage did not uncover any illegal items but a land litigation document dating back to 2022 was found in Chong’s belongings.

 

One of the victims, Dinh Tran Phu, was a well-known makeup artist in Vietnam with over 15,000 followers on his Facebook page, Phú Gia Gia (I’m Makeup Artist).

 

UPDATE 1: Cyanide poisoning suspected in deaths of 6 Vietnamese nationals

 

A Thai academic suspects that cyanide poisoning may have been used in the deaths of six Vietnamese nationals at a hotel in Bangkok.

 

The deaths of the six Vietnamese visitors came to light at approximately 7.30pm, yesterday, July 16. They were found lifeless in the same room on the fifth floor of a luxury hotel, reported to be the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, located in Bangkok’s city centre. The original report stated they were found on the sixth floor.

 

Two of the Vietnamese nationals also held American citizenship. It was reported on DailyNews that each of them was frequent visitors to Thailand but the police have not yet confirmed this information.

 

According to reports from Brick Info TV, each Vietnamese tourist arrived in Thailand alone. They checked into separate rooms located on the fifth to seventh floors of the hotel, later gathering in a single room on the fifth floor.

 

The group had booked seven hotel rooms but only five members checked in. Despite this, six bodies were discovered in the room. According to the police report, they had not yet paid for their accommodation. Officers are also investigating whether there was a mistake in booking the room or if the seventh person did not attend the scheduled meeting.

 

Upon inspecting the room, investigators found that six plates of Thai food had been ordered, all left untouched. However, empty cups in the room indicated that each person had consumed tea or coffee before their death.

 

Two suspicious stainless-steel tumblers were discovered in the room, though their contents have not been disclosed. Additionally, officers located a packet of tea and two opened bottles of water and mineral water.

 

Cyanide effect

 

Samples of all the food and drinks were collected for further investigation, as poisoning is suspected to be the main cause of death. Officers also plan to investigate the luggage left unpacked in the room.

 

Police further reported that the fingers and toes of the deceased had turned dark. However, this does not confirm poisoning, as it could be due to the bodies being undiscovered for about 24 hours.

 

A well-known academic and professor from Kasetsart University, Weerachai Phutdhawong, suspected that the Vietnamese nationals may have been poisoned with cyanide.

 

Phutdhawong posted on Facebook that he had seen photographs of the bodies and other evidence from the hotel room. He suggested that cyanide might be involved because each deceased person had bruises and pink skin.

 

Furthermore, he noted that a person dying from cyanide poisoning would not exhibit foam at the mouth.

 

The professor also highlighted that each Vietnamese individual appeared to have died suddenly, which is consistent with the effects of cyanide, known to cause rapid death in sufficient quantities.

 

However, Professor Phutdhawong advised the public to await comprehensive autopsy results for each body, as well as the examination of the food and beverages found in the room.

 

ORIGINAL STORY: 6 Vietnamese nationals found dead at hotel in Bangkok

Six Vietnamese nationals mysteriously died today at a luxury hotel in Bangkok after allegedly drinking tea and coffee mixed with poison. Police believe there may be a seventh Vietnamese but that individual has not been located.

 

The deaths of the six foreigners were reported to the Metropolitan Police Bureau at approximately 7.30pm today, July 16. They were reportedly found lifeless in the same room on the sixth floor of the luxury hotel near the Ratchaprasong intersection.

 

The name of the hotel has not yet been confirmed, but some news agencies reported that it was the five-star Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel.

 

According to a report on Brick Info TV, they were scheduled to check out today, and all of their belongings were packed up ready to leave.

 

Several Thai news agencies initially reported that all of the foreigners had died in a shooting. However, police later confirmed that there were no traces of fighting or struggling found at the scene.

 

The Commander of the Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Teeradate Thammasutee, arrived at the scene at about 8.30pm. Teeradate reported that all of the deceased were Vietnamese nationals, and two of them also held American citizenship.

 

They are identified as below:

Sherine Chong (56 years old)

Hung Dang Van (55 years old)

Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan (47 years old)

Hong Pham Thanh (49 years old)

Dinh Tran Phu (37 years old)

Thi Nguyen Phuong (46 years old)

 

According to Teeradate, police suspected that the victims were poisoned, as leftover tea and coffee were found at the scene. However, officers will transfer the bodies to the Police General Hospital for a thorough autopsy.

 

Regarding the motive for the murders, officers believe it might be related to a business or personal conflict among the deceased. Another possibility is that the deaths were a sacrifice to some cult.

 

The Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Torsak Sukvimol, arrived at the scene at about 8.30pm. According to Torsak, each Vietnamese individual arrived in Thailand at different times and entered the country on tourist visas.

The investigation into the cause and motive of their deaths continues.

 

More to follow.

 

by Petch Petpailin

TOP: The Vietnamese tour guide named Phan Ngoc Wu. | Photo via MGR Online

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-07-18

 

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[ronster]

Still can't figure out how they got everyone to drink at same time and drink enough to kill everyone. All it takes is one person to say they need go to toilet or make a quick call and then at least one of the group will probably take a sip while waiting and it's all over.

[Hummin]

2 minutes ago, ronster said:

Still can't figure out how they got everyone to drink at same time and drink enough to kill everyone. All it takes is one person to say they need go to toilet or make a quick call and then at least one of the group will probably take a sip while waiting and it's all over.

Asian Politeness kills obviously

[Ebumbu]

Rest easy, Steven Seagal is on the case. 

[Dexxter]

21 minutes ago, Ebumbu said:

Rest easy, Steven Seagal is on the case. 

Nah, he's down in Phuket with the rest of the russians.

[PETERTHEEATER]

I'm curious to know how the University professor got to see crime scene photos that I would regard as crime case confidential and then used that to express an opinion on BookFace. 🤔

Following his train of thought the non-foaming lips observation leads me to conclude the cause of death was not rabies. 😀

[crazykopite]

Any other police force around the world would take weeks even months to come to a full conclusions of what happened yet here in Thailand it’s a closed case within a couple of days Could this be the next movie from NETFLIX

[thecyclist]

50 minutes ago, ronster said:

Still can't figure out how they got everyone to drink at same time and drink enough to kill everyone. All it takes is one person to say they need go to toilet or make a quick call and then at least one of the group will probably take a sip while waiting and it's all over.

A bottoms up kind of routine, for good health and luck, maybe.

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Chong reportedly invited each victim to invest in a hospital project in Japan but the project failed to progress, leading the investors to demand their money back. They travelled to Thailand and stayed at the hotel to resolve the issue

Those meetings never end well.

[ronster]

6 minutes ago, thecyclist said:

A bottoms up kind of routine, for good health and luck, maybe.

Would have been I guess , but it only takes one person to delay slightly and it's possibly not going to go to plan.

Although if you are the one doing it you probably aren't thinking that way and thinking if you kill yourself and main target then all the rest are collateral.

[thecyclist]

6 minutes ago, ronster said:

Would have been I guess , but it only takes one person to delay slightly and it's possibly not going to go to plan.

Although if you are the one doing it you probably aren't thinking that way and thinking if you kill yourself and main target then all the rest are collateral.

It's pretty synchronized in Vietnam:glasses are filled, everybody stands up, they shout something in unison, and then they all have to empty their glasses. Never seen it done with non-alcoholic beverages ,though. 

[ThaiFelix]

19 minutes ago, thecyclist said:

A bottoms up kind of routine, for good health and luck, maybe.

Exactly what I said in an earlier thread.  A toast is very difficult to refuse but if a toast why before a meal and tea is not something we would normally associate with toasting.  Maybe some cultural angle not obvious to us?

[No Forwarding Address]

1 hour ago, ronster said:

Still can't figure out how they got everyone to drink at same time and drink enough to kill everyone. All it takes is one person to say they need go to toilet or make a quick call and then at least one of the group will probably take a sip while waiting and it's all over.

They may have toasted. Mot, Hai, Baa, Yo!!! and chucked it down, like Italians and a triple expresso.😄😄😄  PS:  I never bought the Snake Poison BS   and I don't know what this "Snake Medicine Number 7" is, and none of my Vietnamese friends do either, but my neighbor is a snake handler, and milk's snakes for venom for sale.  He has been ingesting miniscule amounts King Cobra venom for over twenty years - he says as long as it doesn’t reach the bloodstream, you are in no danger.   Quite frankly, I am not convinced, but he has been bitten by banded kraits, common jungle cobras, and bamboo vipers, he is still alive.  When “The King” finally gets his fangs into him I am sure it will be lights out.    Cheers

Edited July 18 by No Forwarding Address

[BarraMarra]

40 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

Any other police force around the world would take weeks even months to come to a full conclusions of what happened yet here in Thailand it’s a closed case within a couple of days Could this be the next movie from NETFLIX

Down to Money crazykopite the thought of tourists cancelling trips or bookings to this hotel and scaring tourists away was enough for the PM to make sure quickly it had not damaged the image of Thailand.

[kidneyw]

6 hours ago, ronster said:

Still can't figure out how they got everyone to drink at same time and drink enough to kill everyone. All it takes is one person to say they need go to toilet or make a quick call and then at least one of the group will probably take a sip while waiting and it's all over.

Just got lucky maybe.

[sumongkhwai]

11 hours ago, crazykopite said:

Any other police force around the world would take weeks even months to come to a full conclusions of what happened yet here in Thailand it’s a closed case within a couple of days Could this be the next movie from NETFLIX

But, it wouldn't be a "series:, just a one pony show.

[JackGats]

I have 85k miles expiring soon on Thai Airways. No way to redeem them on flights. I tried the hotel awards. Only hotel available: Hyatt Erawan. Indefinitely unavailable for awards. Aaaargh!

[cncltd1973]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan’s husband, a Japanese businessman, asked him to exchange Vietnamese dong for 90,000 Thai baht and give the money to one of the deceased, Hung Dang Van.

 

21 hours ago, webfact said:

Dang Hung Van and Thi Nguyen Phuong were a married couple.

 

according to this, Thi had 2 husbands from 2 countries

[ShaneOTraveller]

All this over a failed investment scheme its just money people it will come back to you.

[BangkokReady]

I wonder if she watched them die before poisoning herself. They said one body was in a different place. She could have had a grudge against both the agents and the investors.

[john donson]

suicide is ok for thai, quick and easy

 

murder plot, bad for tourism

[10baht]

On 7/18/2024 at 10:44 AM, webfact said:

Vietnamese tour guide

Taking Thai guides' jobs???????

[Ctkong]

received post as follows: true ? 

### The Hidden World of Bangkok's Drug Lords: A Riveting Tale of Poison and Power

In an unexpected twist that reads like a gripping crime thriller, the recent tragic deaths of six individuals at Bangkok's Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel have unveiled a hidden underworld of drug cartels and ruthless rivalries. Contrary to initial reports of a shooting, it has now been confirmed that these six individuals, all of whom were either Vietnamese Americans or Vietnamese nationals, fell victim to a sophisticated poisoning orchestrated by their rivals.

The victims, three men and three women, were discovered by hotel staff in their opulent suite, leading to a swift and intense police investigation. As details emerged, a shocking narrative of deceit and power struggles within the international drug trade began to unfold.

### The Victims: High-Profile Figures in the Drug Trade

The deceased were not ordinary tourists but prominent figures in a vast drug syndicate operating across Southeast Asia and beyond. Among them was Minh Nguyen, a notorious Vietnamese American who had long evaded law enforcement. Known for his ruthless tactics and immense wealth, Minh was rumored to be the brains behind one of the most sophisticated drug trafficking operations in the region.

Accompanying Minh were his close associates and enforcers, including his trusted lieutenant, Linh Tran, and his financial mastermind, Bao Le. The women, Ha Pham, Mai Vu, and Lan Huynh, played crucial roles in the syndicate, managing logistics, money laundering, and communications.

### The Rivals: A Calculated Strike

Preliminary investigations suggest that this mass poisoning was a meticulously planned attack by a rival cartel, seeking to dismantle Minh’s empire and seize control of the lucrative drug routes. Sources indicate that a deadly toxin was discreetly introduced into their food or drinks during a seemingly innocuous business dinner.

The rival cartel, led by the enigmatic and elusive figure known only as "The Serpent," has been vying for dominance in the drug trade for years. This calculated strike at the Grand Hyatt Erawan appears to be The Serpent's most audacious move yet, signaling a new era of brutal power struggles in the criminal underworld.

### The Tour Guide: A Crucial Witness

Amid the chaos and tragedy, a sole survivor has emerged as a key figure in unraveling the mystery. An unsuspecting tour guide, hired to provide the group with local insights, miraculously escaped the poisoning. Now under protective custody, the tour guide has become an invaluable witness, offering crucial information about the group's movements and interactions leading up to the fatal evening.

The tour guide's testimony has shed light on the intricate web of deceit and betrayal that characterized the final hours of Minh and his associates. According to his account, the group seemed tense and on edge, frequently looking over their shoulders and speaking in hushed tones. His observations have provided investigators with critical clues about the possible involvement of hotel staff and other external collaborators in the poisoning plot.

### The Aftermath: Chaos and Retaliation

The brazen attack has sent shockwaves through the drug trafficking networks in Southeast Asia. In the wake of the deaths, Minh’s syndicate has been thrown into disarray, with rival factions scrambling for control. Violence has erupted in several key territories as former allies turn on each other, and law enforcement agencies are bracing for an unprecedented wave of criminal activity.

Thai authorities, in collaboration with international law enforcement, are now on high alert, launching a massive manhunt for The Serpent and his operatives. The poisoning has not only exposed the extent of criminal infiltration into high society but also highlighted the dangerous lengths to which these cartels will go to maintain their dominance.

Bangkok, a city known for its vibrant nightlife and bustling streets, is now shrouded in a sense of unease. The Grand Hyatt Erawan, once a symbol of luxury and elegance, has become a stark reminder of the dark forces lurking beneath the surface. As police intensify their investigation, the city's residents and tourists are left wondering how deep the criminal connections run and what the future holds for the once peaceful metropolis.