What is the situation like now?

Thanks to the cooperation between Thai police, Vietnamese authorities, and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the tragedy at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel on July 16th is gradually becoming clearer.

Several new details related to the case were updated during a joint press conference between Major General Noppasin Punsawat, Deputy Chief of Police of Bangkok; Lieutenant General Trairong Phiwphan, head of the Forensic Science Department of the Thai Police; and Major General Thiradej Thamsuthee, head of the Investigation Division of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police.

Senior Thai police officials held a press conference on July 17 to announce details of the horrific murder at a five-star hotel in Bangkok. (Photo: Khaosod)

Timelines

They stated that police conducted an autopsy, collected evidence, and questioned more than 10 relevant witnesses, including relatives of the deceased. They also examined eight pieces of luggage. The findings can be summarized as follows:

1) Ms. Sherine Chong, 56 years old, American citizen: Found dead near the dining table in room 502. She entered Thailand at 1:05 PM on July 5th (local time) from Ho Chi Minh City. She had visited Thailand five times before and was the person who checked into room 502, where the incident occurred.

2) Ms. Nguyen Thi Phung Lan, 47 years old, Vietnamese nationality: Wearing a pink shirt, died in the bedroom of room 502. Entered Thailand at 12:56 PM on July 4th from Da Nang . Had visited Thailand 17 times before.

3) Mr. Tran Dinh Phu, 37 years old, Vietnamese national: Found dead near Ms. Nguyen Thi Phung Lan and Mr. Dang Hung Van. Entered Thailand at 12:28 PM on July 12th from Da Nang. Had visited Thailand 11 times.

4) Mr. Dang Hung Van, 55 years old, American citizen: Wearing a blue shirt, died near Ms. Nguyen Thi Phung Lan. He entered Thailand for the first time at 09:55 on July 7th from Taipei, Taiwan – China.

5) Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong, 46 years old, Vietnamese nationality: Wearing a white shirt, died near the room door. Entered Thailand at 1:48 PM on July 12th from Ho Chi Minh City. Had visited Thailand three times before.

6) Mr. Pham Hong Thanh, 49 years old, Vietnamese national: Husband of Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong, found dead in the bedroom. First-time entry into Thailand, arriving with his wife at 1:48 PM on July 12th from Ho Chi Minh City. His name was not on the hotel check-in list because he was traveling with his wife.

CCTV footage shows Sherine Chong, a Vietnamese-American woman, suspected of poisoning five other people at a luxury hotel in central Bangkok. (Photo: Khaosod)

Hotel surveillance cameras showed that everyone checked in independently, and no one else entered the room. On July 14th and 15th, no one other than the six deceased victims entered room 502, except for the food service staff who provided full information.

Data from July 14th shows that Sherine Chong was in room 502. Subsequently, five other people visited this room between 11 PM and midnight, and then returned to their own rooms.

On July 15th, after checking out, everyone moved their luggage to room 502. At 11:42 AM, Mr. Dang Hung Van ordered food from the hotel, and Mr. Tran Dinh Phu later ordered fried rice, requesting delivery at 2 PM. Room service staff brought the food at 1:51 PM, taking 6 minutes to serve.

The plates of Thai food in room 502 of the hotel were still untouched. Photo: Khaosod

Overview of the case involving multiple Vietnamese deaths in a Thai hotel.

According to the room service staff's testimony, upon entering, they only saw Ms. Sherine Chong. When the staff offered to make tea, Ms. Sherine Chong refused, saying she would make it herself. The staff noted that Ms. Sherine Chong seemed quite tense, not smiling, even when the staff complimented her attire.

After the housekeeping staff left at 1:57 PM, the victims entered room 502 one by one from 2:03 PM onwards. After that, no one was seen entering or leaving the room until the bodies were discovered.

The bodies were discovered at 4:30 p.m. on July 16th when hotel staff checked the room because check-out time had passed.

Traces of cyanide

Forensic examinations revealed cyanide in the liquid from the teapot, residue in all six cups of coffee, and in the blood sample of one of the deceased. It appears that one of the victims poisoned the group with cyanide, stemming from a debt of $278,000.

Five cups of tea containing cyanide poison were found in the suspect's hotel room; all had been consumed. Photo: Khaosod

According to relatives, Sherine Chong asked Nguyen Thi Phung Lan to act as a middleman to persuade Nguyen Thi Phuong and Pham Hong Thanh to invest $278,000 (over 7 billion VND) to build a hospital in Japan.

When the project stalled, Ms. Phuong and Mr. Thanh repeatedly demanded that Ms. Sherine Chong return the money. Initially, they agreed to meet in Japan to settle the debt, but when one of them failed to obtain a visa, they changed the meeting location to Thailand, according to the Khaosod newspaper.

The cases of Mr. Tran Dinh Phu and Mr. Dang Hung Van remain unclear. Neither of them invested any money, but it is believed they were invited to discuss potential investments. The investigation also revealed that Ms. Sherine Chong booked a room for Mr. Dang Hung Van, but he used his own credit card to pay for the room.

Examination of the victims' eight pieces of luggage revealed no evidence of illegal activity. The incident was confirmed to be a personal dispute between six individuals and was not linked to any transnational criminal organization.

"None of the six victims had any prior criminal record," Khaosod quoted Thai authorities as saying.

Tea bags containing traces of cyanide are being examined by Thai forensic authorities. Photo: Khaosod

According to the Bangkok Post, police at the Lumphini station questioned Phan Ngoc Vu, 35, who was the tour guide for the group. Vu told reporters that he only knew one of the six people beforehand and had met them all last year.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tham-an-nguoi-viet-tai-thai-lan-tinh-hinh-den-nay-ra-sao-19624071723202977.htm