Three Foreign Visitors Pronounced Dead In Vientiane Last Week

Three foreign visitors were found dead in Vientiane last week and security officials are currently working to ascertain the cause of their deaths.

Those who died included one man from America and another two British nationals, also male. The two British nationals were reported deceased at a hotel on November 11 while the American was found dead on November 14.

Vientiane Police Office told Vientiane Times on Saturday that they were informed by Khounta village security officials that an American was found dead in a hotel in the village, located along the Mekong in Sikhottabong district of Vientiane.

Officials from the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, diplomats and other related officials arrived at the hotel concerned at around 3am on November 14 and found the US man, 33, in his room, deceased.

Scientific crime officials then collected evidence from the scene including a small plastic bag of white powder, a hypodermic syringe as well as some cigarette papers.

Major Amay Luangpakdy explained that they couldn’t find any evidence of a struggle or conflict in the room and it is assumed that the death may be drug-related. “We are now sending the evidence for proof at the ministry.”

Police reported that the hotel staff told them that the man returned to the hotel around midnight with the other two men and staff assumed all three were gay. Then the two men left about an hour later at 1am, leaving the American inside his room.

One hour later, the hotel staff went to check the security of the hotel and found the lights in the room still on and knocked on the door but there was no response.

They decided to get a key and check on the man, finding him lying motionless on the floor. They then rushed to notify officials at the village office, which was located not far from the hotel.

“While we were collecting evidence the two guys returned to the hotel and we asked them what had happened,” Major Amay said. “They replied that the man was using drugs and they worried that he was using too much so they left and expected to return after the effects had worn off.”

A similar problem also occurred previously in Saylom village, Chanthabouly district Vientiane, when two British men were found dead in the room of a hotel in the village at 1pm on November 11.

The two men were aged 34 and 43 and both from England. They were not staying in the same room together but had booked separate rooms.

At that time the housekeeper went to check whether the occupant wanted the room cleaned or not but there was no response so staff were called to check and discovered the two men already dead.

A quantity of white powder was also found at the scene of these deaths but officials have yet to verify what it was.

“We believe that both of them were dead for around 10 hours before we found them,” Major Amay said.

Diplomats from the US and British embassies are now contacting the families of the deceased and will continue to cooperate with local officials to establish the causes of death.

Meanwhile the police committed to processing the evidence found and announcing their findings to the sectors concerned once the case is closed.

Source: Vientiane Times