The grieving parents of two Australian teens who tragically died in Laos last year are pleading with fellow Australians: cross this destination off your bucket list.
As the anniversary of their daughters’ deaths approaches, the parents of Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones have blasted the Laos government as "corrupt" in a candid interview with the Herald Sun.
They also said there’s no sign that the police have even begun investigating the tragedy.
Best friends Holly and Bianca, both 19, were on what should have been the trip of a lifetime in the tourist town of Vang Vieng last November when they tragically ingested methanol by accident.
Holly Morton-Bowles (pictured) and Bianca Jones were enjoying a trip in the tourist town of Vang Vieng, Laos, when they accidentally consumed methanol—a tragic mistake that later cost them their lives. Facebook / Holly Bowles
Bianca Jones, pictured in a Facebook post from June 21, 2024. Facebook / Bianca Jones
The two friends tragically died alongside four other tourists who were staying at the Nana Backpackers hostel.
This colorless, odorless poison can trigger severe illness—and just 0.85 fluid ounces can be deadly.
Shaun Bowles and Samantha Morton expressed their deep disappointment with the investigation so far, saying, “We recognize how corrupt and unhelpful the Laos Government (is), there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest there is any type of investigation going on."
“(Our) hope is that Australians remove this country from their bucket list, your life is worth nothing over there and we have seen this first-hand as well as other families that have been involved in this tragedy.”
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan acknowledged that the parents’ frustrations were "very real," pointing to the lack of progress at the end of the Laotian investigation.
Meanwhile, Mark and Michelle Jones said “to date, no individual or organization has been held accountable” and noted that it “appears these deaths of innocent young women may be forgotten, brushed aside and left unresolved.”
Chatoulong Bouasisavath, the Laos ambassador to Australia, did not respond to repeated questions from the Herald Sun.
The girls tragically lost their lives alongside four other tourists staying at the Nana Backpackers hostel. Facebook / Holly Bowles
The girls’ parents slammed the Laos government as 'corrupt' in an interview, criticizing the way their daughters’ deaths were handled. Facebook / Bianca Jones
‘We’ve heard nothing’
The families’ quest for answers has been long and agonizing, with the silence from Laos ringing deafeningly loud.
In February, it emerged that the Laos government had refused to meet with the families of those killed in the mass methanol poisoning tragedy.
In an interview with "60 Minutes" journalist Tara Brown, Mark and Michelle Jones, along with Sam and Shaun Bowles, said the Laos government has refused to meet with them since the teenagers’ tragic deaths.
"We’ve heard nothing,"Jones said during the interview, which was broadcast Sunday night.
“I cannot have my daughter’s passing not mean anything.”
After the heartbreaking deaths of Jones and Bowles, messages of sympathy poured in from Australia and beyond, including from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as hundreds gathered for a vigil in Melbourne last November to pay tribute.
Samantha Morton and Shaun Bowles say the Laos government has repeatedly refused to meet with them. 60 Minutes Australia
Jones was laid to rest in a funeral service on December 6 at her former school, Mentone Girls’ Grammar.
A few days later, friends and family said their goodbyes to Bowles at Beaumaris Secondary College in Melbourne’s southeast.
After the deaths of Jones and Bowles, the teenagers’ families set up a crowdfunding page to help cover out-of-pocket expenses caused by the tragedy. The funds are also intended to support awareness, education, and prevention initiatives aimed at stopping methanol poisoning.
“60 Minutes’” Brown said attempts to talk to authorities in Laos have been unsuccessful: “Last November, in a letter to our Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the Lao Government did express its ‘profound sadness’ over the deaths. And it said it ‘was investigating the cause of the incident to bring the perpetrators to justice."
“But so far despite those words there’s been very little action. When we tried to go to Laos to find out why we were denied access to the country because they claimed the case is still being worked on."
“More significantly, and cruelly, no Lao officials will meet with the devastated families, not even in private.”
