CNA reported that on the morning of July 17, Thai police held a press conference to announce the death of 6 people in a hotel room in Bangkok, including 4 Vietnamese people, which was a murder and then suicide by poisoning.
Police said traces of cyanide were found in cups and bottles in room 502 of the hotel where the bodies were discovered. According to forensic sources, this is an extremely powerful and extremely dangerous poison.
We confirm that one of the six deaths caused the incident using cyanide, said Noppasil Poonsawas, deputy commander of the investigation at the Bangkok Capital Police Department.
The police later identified the suspect in the poisoning and murder of the group as Ms. Sherine Chong, 56, with an American passport, a member of the group. Ms. Chong has entered and exited Thailand 5 times, the most recent time entering the country was on July 5.
Police added that interviews with relatives of the deceased showed that there were debts.
Six people were found dead in room 502 of the Grand Hyatt Erawan on the afternoon of July 16. Two of these people have US passports.
The group of 6 people took the room on July 15. Their bodies were all found in room 502 on the afternoon of July 16, with no signs of a fight.
Surplus food bowls ordered from the room service are still on the table. Some plates are still wrapped in the food wrap.
On July 17, 2024, answering reporters' questions regarding the incident of 6 people dying at a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand on the evening of July 16, 2024, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Pham Thu Hang said:
According to the latest information from the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand, Thai authorities said that 4 out of 6 deaths were Vietnamese citizens.
Following the direction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' leaders, the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand continues to closely coordinate with local authorities, closely monitor and clarify the cause of the incident, provide necessary information to serve the investigation, coordinate with domestic authorities to notify the victim's family and guide post- mortgage procedures as well as deploy necessary citizen protection measures.
At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is urgently coordinating with the Ministry of Public Security to verify the identities of the above victims.
