BANGKOK (AFP) – One of the six foreigners found dead from suspected cyanide poisoning in a luxury Bangkok hotel likely also carried out the crime, Thai police said yesterday.
The bodies of six people of Vietnamese origin – two who held American citizenship – were discovered in a suite at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in the tourist centre of Bangkok on Tuesday afternoon.
“We are convinced that one of the six people found dead committed this crime,” said deputy commander Noppasil Poonsawas of Bangkok police.
He told a news conference police believed cyanide was used as poison, and the motive for the crime was thought to be related to debts worth millions of baht.
The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry said four of the dead were Vietnamese, while the other two were United States (US) citizens.
The mysterious circumstances surrounding the deaths of the three men and three women, aged between 37 and 56, have fuelled wild rumours, with several local media outlets initially reporting a mass shooting incident.
But photos released by police of a bloodless crime scene showed bodies scattered around the room among plates of untouched Thai food, and two thermos flasks and cups. Initial examinations revealed the presence of cyanide in six cups, according to police.
Investigators also revealed that no movement had been observed around from Monday afternoon, suggesting the deaths could have occurred the day before the bodies were discovered.
Speculation a seventh person may have been part of the group was also dispelled by the police. Tran Dinh Dung, the father of one of the victims, said his 37-year-old son was due to return to Vietnam last Sunday.
“I kept calling him but couldn’t get through so I was very worried, but I didn’t expect him to die in Thailand,” Dung said in an interview with Vietnam’s Thanh Nien newspaper.
“Phu’s mother has fainted countless times, she could not bear this shock,” he said.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said yesterday the crime was “a private matter”, unrelated to national security, and should not affect the lucrative tourist sector.
