Thai police reported that a group of Vietnamese nationals had previously sued each other in court over an investment project in Japan before a suspected poisoning incident in Bangkok.
On July 17, the Bangkok Post detailed a case involving six foreigners, including four Vietnamese, who were found dead in a room at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in Bangkok.
The deceased included two Vietnamese Americans: Dang Hung Van (55) and Chong Sherine (56). The other victims were Vietnamese nationals: Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan (47), Pham Hong Thanh (49), Tran Dinh Phu (37), and Nguyen Thi Phuong (46).
Related: Six Foreigners Found Dead in Bangkok Hotel
Thai authorities suspect that a Vietnamese American used a mixture of cyanide and tea to poison the other five individuals during a meeting at the Bangkok hotel to resolve a financial dispute.
Major General Nopasilp Poonsawat, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department, identified the suspect as Ms. Chong Sherine, an American citizen born in Vietnam.
Hotel staff reported that Ms. Chong was alone in room 502 on the 5th floor of the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel when the victims arrived on July 15. She had ordered food and tea from the hotel services but insisted on making the tea herself.
Security footage showed five other individuals arriving with luggage. From 2:17 p.m. on July 15, no one left the room. On the evening of July 16, a hotel employee discovered the bodies, including that of suspect Sherine Chong.
### Legal Disputes
Major General Nopasilp revealed that prior to the incident, Ms. Chong had invited the other five individuals to invest in construction projects, including a couple who invested 10 million baht (approximately $278,000) in a hospital project in Japan. When the project stalled, legal actions ensued.
The group was scheduled to meet in court within the next two weeks. While waiting, Ms. Chong invited the five individuals to negotiate. They initially planned to meet in Japan but changed the location to Bangkok due to visa issues.
The group arrived in Bangkok at different times and stayed in various rooms at five-star hotels. They checked out at noon on July 15, but Ms. Chong retained room 502 and invited them back for further discussions. She then ordered food and tea for everyone.
Major General Nopasilp reported that cyanide residue was found in six used tea cups in the hotel room. Police are investigating the source of the poison. General Trairong Phiewphan, head of the police forensic science department, stated that cyanide was also found in tea bags recovered from the room.
Preliminary blood sample examinations conducted by the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University confirmed cyanide as the cause of death. Associate Professor Dr. Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin explained that the poison cut off oxygen to the cells of the heart and nervous system.
“Further tests will determine the amount of cyanide used and whether other poisons were involved,” Dr. Kornkiat said.
Major General Nopasilp added that authorities are investigating whether the cyanide was smuggled into Thailand or purchased locally.
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Source: Vietnam Insider