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Bangkok hotel murder of six people alarms Prime Minister Setia

A shocking incident occurred in Bangkok, Thailand on Tuesday night (July 16), when the bodies of six foreigners, including Vietnamese Americans and Vietnamese, were found in a luxury hotel at the Ratchaprasong intersection in the city center. It is estimated that the death time was nearly 24 hours.

After learning about this, Thai Prime Minister Setth went to the hotel late at night and ordered relevant departments to urgently investigate and control the situation, and handle the matter strictly, carefully and thoroughly. He did not want this incident to affect other tourists.

The incident occurred at 16:30 on July 16. Deputy Superintendent Pairat Kamlee of the Lumpini Police Station reported that six dead bodies were found in a luxury hotel on Ratchadamri Road, Pathumwanglongpini Street.

Superintendent Pilat rushed to the scene with Bangkok police chief Thiti Saengsawang, deputy chief Major General Noppasilp Poolsawat, medical examiners, forensic pathologists and charity staff.

Preliminary information shows that six dead bodies were found in a locked room on the fifth floor of the hotel. They were Vietnamese Americans and Vietnamese nationals. None of the dead had any external injuries. Preliminary judgment is that they all died after 1:53 pm on July 15.

Information about the 6 deceased foreigners:

1. Ms. Sherine Chong, 56 years old, American nationality, has entered and exited Thailand 5 times

2. Mr. Hung Dang Van, 55 years old, American nationality, entered and exited Thailand once

3. Ms. Thi Nguyen Phunng Lan, 47 years old, Vietnamese nationality, entered and exited Thailand 17 times

4. Mr. Hong Pham Thanh, 49 years old, Vietnamese nationality, entered and exited Thailand once

5. Mr. Dinh Tran Phu, 37 years old, entered and exited Thailand 11 times

6. Ms. Thi Nguyen Phuong, 46, entered and exited Thailand three times

After speaking with the police, Prime Minister Setiawan said he had spoken to the Vietnamese ambassador. He said the incident had nothing to do with Thailand, so he believed the tragedy would not affect the tourism industry.

Possible "Seventh Person" and Unknown Motives

After receiving instructions from Prime Minister Setthana, Thai police held a joint press conference among multiple departments to report on the progress of the investigation and expressed doubts about the existence of a "seventh person".

According to Titi Saensawong, the chief of Bangkok Police Department, the room on the 5th floor where the incident occurred was supposed to be checked out at noon that day. When the hotel staff tried to clean the room in the afternoon, they found that the door was locked and they could not enter. The hotel staff realized that the guest had not checked out and did not respond. The front desk also confirmed that the guest had not paid, so they opened the room from the back door and found the deceased. The cleaner then notified the hotel management and reported the incident to the Lumpini Police Station. At 5 pm, the police investigation team and forensic personnel entered the scene for investigation.

Four bodies were found on the dining table and two bodies were found in the bedroom.Tea and coffee drinks were found at the scene, all showing signs of having been consumed.There were no signs of a fight at the scene.The luggage is already packed.

Comprehensive survey information showsThere were 6 dead people: 4 in the living room, 2 in the bedroom, 3 men and 3 women, they did not stay together. One group arrived on July 13 and stayed in 4 rooms on the 7th floor. Another group arrived on July 14 and stayed in 1 room on the 5th floor. A total of 5 rooms were booked for 7 people, 5 people checked in, but 6 bodies were found. The immigration police confirmed the data of 5 people, but 6 bodies were found.

Police have taken the tour guide of one of the deceased to the police station for questioning.The body was sent to Chulalongkorn Hospital for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

Based on the on-site evidence and experience, the Thai police initially identified two key areas of investigation: business issues and cult activities. The subsequent investigation results also confirmed this judgment.

Six untouched single-serve Thai plates were found in the living room. There were also six drinks that looked like mixed drinks, five of which were placed on a tray and one was placed directly on the table, all of which had been drunk and had residue left on them. Two suspicious stainless steel thermos cups that did not belong to the hotel were also found.

Police found a tea can similar to oolong tea, a bottle of electrolyte drink, a bottle of water, and a small half cup of water in the bathroom. The forensic doctor has collected all the items and residues for toxicology testing.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Police and Immigration Police have agreed on the direction of the investigation, includingVerify whether the seventh person has indeed entered the country; collect all detailed information about the six people through the embassy and their registered social media; if there is no seventh person, focus on investigating the motive.

In addition, the investigation team coordinated with the embassy to check all the luggage in the room for any evidence or clues that might indicate who was involved. This is to determine whether all of them committed self-harm or if someone else was responsible for their deaths.

Case Solved: The Seventh Man and the Last Supper

On July 17, Thiradej Thammasuthee, commander of the Bangkok Police Department's Investigation Department, revealed at the Lumpini Police Station that the police questioned the daughter of one of the six victims and other witnesses last night, and everyone provided useful information.

The most likely motive for the crime was debt, and no other factors have been found. The room on the fifth floor where the crime occurred was locked from the inside. The police reviewed the hotel surveillance one by one and confirmed that during the stay of the six people, no seventh person entered or left the hotel, and no one entered or left the locked room.Therefore, the murderer is believed to have no connection with anyone other than the six victims. The only thing that is difficult to determine accurately is who among the six people poisoned everyone, including himself.

As for the investigation into the "seventh person", the person who booked the hotel room where the incident occurred, the Exit-Entry Administration of the Thai Immigration Bureau has tracked down this person and confirmed that she is the sister of one of the six victims. She flew back to the country on July 10, and it is initially speculated that she has nothing to do with the poisoning incident.

As for the cyanide poisoning reported by foreign media at the first time, it has not been confirmed. The police had not yet tested what the toxic substance that caused the death was and had not released any confirmed information. They had to wait for the results of the forensic experts' examination.

The medical examiner's report only said that the substance found in the glass was "similar to cyanide" and was highly toxic and would cause rapid death. The latest autopsy report also confirmed that cyanide was indeed present in the body of the deceased.

It is speculated that the poisoner was one of the six victims, and before committing suicide, he also drugged everyone else present, causing their deaths.

Thai media reported that one of the suspects was 56-year-old Ms. Sherine Chong, a Vietnamese who holds an American passport.She had entered and exited Thailand five times. The motive was debt. She had persuaded a couple among the six to invest in a hospital in Japan, but ended up with a huge debt and lost 10 million baht (about 2 million RMB). After that, the couple kept asking her to pay back the money. In the end, both parties agreed to meet in Japan to clarify the facts, but one of them could not get a Japanese visa, so the meeting place was changed to Thailand because Thailand is visa-free.

On the day of the incident, Sherine Chong specifically ordered hotel dining service. When the hotel waiter tried to serve her, she was refused. She insisted on preparing this "last supper" by herself.

As for some foreign media reports such as "a gunfight broke out in a luxury hotel in Thailand, cyanide killed 6 people" and attached footage of the Siam Paragon shooting incident last year, it is simply making a joke of their own professionalism and credibility.

As for the attack of some foreign netizens that "Thailand is unsafe" and "never go to Southeast Asia", it is completely illogical. Thailand is really being blamed! Whether it is a large-scale case involving dozens or hundreds of people in the gray industry of cyber fraud, or the famous Thai wife-killing series of cases, the case of a Chinese female student being killed by three compatriots, or the Chinese couple murder case last week, the common point is that the location is in Thailand. Another more important feature is that the perpetrators are not only compatriots but also the closest people around the victims, such as husbands, boyfriends, friends, classmates... Instead of shouting about how dangerous Thailand is on the Internet, it is better to seriously improve your cognition and be able to discern people, especially the strangers who you think are closest to you. After all, the bloody truth of these cruel cases tells us that the most dangerous people are right next to you.