Laos poisoning casts shadow over tourist town after at least 6 killed – National

A small town known as a backpacker's paradise in northern Laos has come under fire for importing poison that killed at least six tourists and injured scores of others.

The Lao government on Saturday officially acknowledged the crime and promised that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

News broke earlier this week that young Australians fell seriously ill after drinking alcohol in the town of Vang Vieng. They died in Thai hospitals, with one confirmed case of methanol poisoning. A British woman has also been confirmed dead. An American and two Danes also died, although their causes of death have not been released. A New Zealander is sick.

Since then, many tourists have become worried as it is not clear how many were affected, said Neil Farmiloe, a New Zealander who owns a restaurant in the city.

The incident evoked a dark memory of a city once known for reckless parties involving young backpackers. But despite the disaster, the city, especially at night, was full of tourists in its main square bustling with bars, restaurants and food shops. During the day, many kayaks floated along the river, tourists shouting and splashing water on each other.

Frida Svedberg left Sweden five weeks ago on her big tour of Southeast Asia with no firm plans to return. He said he heard about the news shortly before he arrived in Laos and has been bombarded with messages from concerned family members and friends.

He continued with his original plan of spending three nights in the city. He found it as good as expected.

“Obviously it's like a popular backpacker spot. From Thailand Luang Prabang then go to Vang Vieng and continue. “I've just heard good things about it and it's where a lot of people go,” said the 24-year-old.

Closed Laos, a one-party communist country, is one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries and is a popular tourist destination, especially Vang Vieng.

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Soutjai Xayphankhaun, who has had his place to stay at Sout Jai Guesthouse in Vang Vieng for 17 years, said that the city back in 2005-2006 became popular with European tourists, who were attracted by the peaceful nature and activities such as river tubing, where tourists stay. tube and float along the Nam Song River, stopping to party at the many different bars on the banks.

It can be chaotic with cheap alcohol, illegal drugs and sometimes deadly river sports. People drown or die after jumping into the river on a rope. In 2011, the city recorded 27 deaths related to river activities, forcing the government to intervene with regulations.

After that, Farmiloe said Vang Vieng has been receiving diverse groups of tourists who enjoy a wide range of activities outside of nightlife. There are still many young Western backpackers, but the town is also visited by many Chinese and South Koreans.

Travel agencies scattered along the highways advertise a number of packages that offer the clear blue waters of the Blue Lagoon, peaceful mountain views and many different caves. Those are hot air balloons try kayaking, zip line, paragliding or hot air balloons. Tubing is still there, but there are fewer riverbanks to visit than before.

Vang Vieng has received more than 600,000 visitors by 2023, and is expected to see more this year, the state-run Laos News Agency quoted the regional governor as saying earlier this year.

But with the recent deaths of tourists, guest house owner Soutjai is a little worried.

“It's about the tourists and the confidence of the tourists. The news was all over the world. It will definitely have an impact,” he said.

Swedish tourist Anton Honkanen said what happened affected him.

“I think it destroys the value of the backpack a little bit. Because everyone is enjoying this time. Maybe meeting new people in hostels, having drinks with all kinds of people from all over the world. Now I won't do it today because of the poison,” he said.

However, Svedberg said what happened was unfortunate and should not stop people from coming. “Things can happen anywhere, everywhere. So I think it should not affect tourism. Just be careful.”

The Nana Backpacker hostel, where young Australians were staying, closed its gate on Saturday. It had not been allowed to take in new guests since earlier this week and was accommodating remaining guests until Friday. The manager and owner, who are of Vietnamese origin, have been detained for questioning by the Lao police.

Methanol is sometimes added to mixed drinks in bars as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, but it can cause severe poisoning or death. It's also a poorly distilled alcohol product, and could inadvertently find its way into bar drinks.

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