Six people were found dead in a Bangkok hotel, poisoned at a tea party orchestrated by Sherine Chong, a Vietnamese American. Chong, facing a legal dispute in Japan, took her own life in the act. The incident has shocked and angered Thailand. On Wednesday, police detained a seventh Vietnamese national for questioning over the nature and supply of the suspected poisonous substance.
Six people gathered on Tuesday afternoon in Bangkok in the luxury room of a five-star hotel for a tea party of death. In short, this is what the Metropolitan Police Bureau confirmed on Wednesday. They identified 56-year-old Vietnamese American Sherine Chong as the perpetrator of the heinous act. Ms Chong was a regular visitor to Thailand and murdered the defendants in a legal action against her in Japan while simultaneously taking her own life. The grim, macabre and cruel nature of the incident has not only shocked Thailand but has, at the same time, angered many Thais who feel the country’s image has been damaged.
Senior police officers with the Metropolitan Police Bureau on Wednesday offered some answers to last Tuesday’s grim discovery of six bodies at one of Bangkok’s top hotels.
Yesterday, a maid at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel entered Room 502 on the fifth floor. In short, she found six bodies around a coffee table.
Afterwards, police quickly deduced that the deaths were from poisoning.
On Tuesday night, officers were looking for two other potential witnesses. They included a woman, the sister of one of the deceased from Vietnam, and a tour guide.
Police name suspect linked to hotel deaths, citing murder-suicide connected to Japan dispute
However, on Wednesday at a briefing by Investigations Department Chief Police Major General Thiradej Thammasuthee, police named their prime suspect.
At length, it was the killer of the six people who died on Tuesday. US passport holder of Vietnamese origin, Sherine Chong.
The 56-year-old had been a regular tourist to Thailand. Certainly, she had entered the kingdom five times.
Police Major General Thiradej linked the murder-suicide to a legal dispute in Japan.
In brief, it appears that the other five Vietnamese included investors in various construction projects, particularly one project linked to a hospital in Japan.
Two of those who died on Tuesday were a Vietnamese couple. The pair had invested $273k or ฿10 million approximately in the project. At the same time, a court case was to be heard in Japan in two weeks’ time.
Piecing together the events leading to the grim discovery of six bodies in a Bangkok hotel
On Tuesday night, investigators at Bangkok’s Lumpini Police Station managed to speak to relatives of the deceased. In short, they quickly pieced together a picture of what may have happened.
Previously, Ms Sherine had invited the parties for talks in Japan. However, this plan fell through when one of the Vietnamese parties could not get a visa. In turn, taking advantage of Thailand’s new easy-access visa regime, they settled on meeting in Bangkok.
Parties had a week earlier arrived in the city as part of these talks. All stayed at the same hotel. Indeed, it was mentioned that they had visited the capital’s famed Wat Yannawa.
This is an Ayutthaya period temple that includes an early 19th-century structure in the form of a Chinese junk boat or trader. In short, it is emblematic of commerce in the region.
Invited for tea, parties entered the room before the fatal poisoning event unfolded without struggle
The Vietnamese parties had finished their talks and indeed checked out on Tuesday when they were invited for tea by Ms Sherine. Some of the group left suitcases outside the room and entered just after 2 pm on Tuesday.
Bangkok police made it clear that after the luxury hotel room door closed at 2:17 pm on Tuesday, no one else entered. That was until later, the maid entered in the evening making the grim discovery.
Detectives also revealed that Ms Sherine pointedly refused an offer by the room waiter to prepare the tea.
Autopsy confirms cyanide poisoning. Police suspect stronger substance causing instant death
On Wednesday, Associate Professor Dr Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin of the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University confirmed the cause of death. An autopsy had been performed expeditiously on each body.
Certainly, the result was conclusive.
Oxygen was cut off to the heart cells and the neural system. In effect, cyanide poisoning.
However, police on Wednesday suspected the substance used was significantly more potent than standard cyanide, causing instantaneous death.
Reports on Tuesday suggest that there was no sign of a struggle in the room. Nonetheless, one of the bodies had a head injury after falling violently from shock.
Royal Thai Police Forensic Chief Police Major General Trairong Phiewphan confirmed that a cyanide-related substance was also found in tea bags in the room.
Tourist Guide questioned. Police reveal more details about the victims and the grim incident
Later, police revealed that the sister of one of the victims had returned to Vietnam on July 10th.
Meanwhile, a 35-year-old Vietnamese man, Mr Phan Ngoc Vu, when questioned, told police he only knew one of the victims.
He had only acted in the capacity of a tourist guide. After that, he refused to discuss the matter further with officers.
Thereafter, Bangkok police on Wednesday named the five other deceased.
In short, the victims of what constituted an evil, coldly calculated, and diabolical crime. They were 55-year-old Dang Hung Van, 37-year-old Tran Dinh Phu, 47-year-old Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan, 46-year-old Nguyen Thi Phuong and 49-year-old Pham Hong Thanh.
Police bring in tour guide for questioning on Wednesday
On Wednesday afternoon police took Mr. Phan Ngoc Vu into custody.
They were pursuing the nature of the poisonous substance. It is understood that the Vietnamese man may have procured a substance for one of the six deceased parties.
At the same time, Ms Sherine may have conspired with one of the other five at the meeting to murder all parties. In short, this person was also linked to the investment scheme that went wrong.
Furthermore, police have subsequently discovered that Ms Sherine was the subject of a criminal complaint to police authorities in San Francisco
Shocking murder-suicide raises concerns about Thailand’s open visa policy amid economic slump
Undoubtedly, the macabre story caused by Ms Sherine Chong’s outrageous act is further bad news for Thailand.
It comes days after another horrific murder of a young Chinese woman at the hands of a Hong Kong man.
Six Vietnamese tourists found dead at a luxury city centre hotel in the Pathumwan area of Bangkok
Chinese Tik Tok star believed to have been murdered by another Chinese tourist on Monday, July 1st
On Wednesday, Thai social media networks were left both horrified and angry that the kingdom’s image could be so marred by people perpetrating evil.
Certainly, these stories will further raise concerns about Thailand’s wide-open visa policies designed to boost tourism to the kingdom amid an economic slump.
Join the Thai News forum, follow Thai Examiner onFacebookhere
Receive all our stories as they come out on Telegram here
Follow Thai Examiner here
Further reading:
Six Vietnamese tourists found dead at a luxury city centre hotel in the Pathumwan area of Bangkok
Not Scotsmen but Cameroonians who had already fled Thailand after committing foul murder and theft
Manhunt for two Scotsmen wanted after the murder of a Burmese businessman in Sukhumvit, Bangkok
Bangkok Police seek arrest of white Westerner linked to the hotel murder of a Taiwanese man
Japanese man tells Chiang Mai police his 25-year-old girlfriend strangled herself with a cable in hotel room
Spanish chef murdered gay lover on Ko Phangan, cut him into 14 pieces and left him as garbage
Killer Spaniard surprised naked Chilean man at his home on Ko Phangan and knifed him to death
Prachinburi police launch murder investigation as German teacher found stabbed in bed at his home
Pattaya police release grainy CCTV of UK man picking up the woman he later brutally murdered at home
Four Chinese men arrested after hideous murder of a Chinese tourist and his wife last Monday night
Murderer who stole not only a foreigner’s life but his wife is finally arrested by CSD police in Phrae
About the Author
James Morris and Son Nguyen
James Morris is a pename for an international writer based in Bangkok who works on various international news media. He is a sub editor with the Thai Examiner news website since it began in 2015. Son Nguyen is an international writer and news commentator specialising in Thai news and current affairs. He commenced working with the Thai Examiner News Desk in May 2018.
- All posts by James Morris and Son Nguyen
