One of the dead in Bangkok hotel could be behind the poisonings: Police

One of the six foreigners found dead in a Bangkok luxury hotel – presumably as a result of cyanide poisoning – is believed to have also committed the crime, Thai police said on Wednesday.

The bodies of six Vietnamese citizens – two of whom also held American citizenship – were discovered on Tuesday afternoon in a suite at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok’s tourist center.

“We are convinced that one of the six people found dead committed this crime,” said Noppasil Poonsawas, deputy commander of Bangkok police.

At a press conference, he stated that the police assume that cyanide was used as poison and that the motive for the crime was probably related to debt.

The mysterious circumstances surrounding the deaths of the three men and three women gave rise to wild rumors. Several local media initially reported a mass murder.

But photos released by police of a bloodless crime scene showed plates of untouched Thai food and two thermoses of coffee and cups.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Tuesday the crime was “a private matter” that had nothing to do with national security and should not affect the lucrative tourism sector.

– Improve image –

Thai authorities are keen to improve the image of the kingdom, whose reputation as a safe travel destination is sometimes tarnished by reports of gruesome crimes.

The country has been the scene of several sordid and high-profile criminal cases, such as that of French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, nicknamed “The Serpent”, who is linked to at least two dozen murders – mostly of tourists – in the 1970s.

Just recently, the son of a Spanish actor was accused of killing a renowned Colombian plastic surgeon and dismembering his body on the tourist island of Koh Phangan.

The verdict in the trial is expected in the next few weeks.

Last October, a 14-year-old boy opened fire at Siam Paragon shopping mall, in the same area as Tuesday’s attack, killing three people.

The shooting came just days before the anniversary of the massacre at a kindergarten in northern Thailand that left 36 people dead, and amid government efforts to increase the number of tourists.

In 2023, about 28 million people visited Thailand, up from 11 million the year before, but still significantly less than the 40 million who came in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.

Travel restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic have hit the Kingdom’s vital tourism sector hard, and arrivals have not recovered as quickly as authorities had hoped.

Authorities hope to reach 35 million visitors and target revenue of $55 billion by 2024.

tak/tp/srg/fox