Bangkok (VNA) – Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on July 16 ordered a swift investigation into the case that six foreign nationals, including four Vietnamese, were found dead at Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Pathun Wan district, Bangkok.
He told the press that the incident was unexpected but it should not have any negative impact on tourism.
Besides, he has requested officials to take urgent steps to contain panic among tourists and the public, according to government spokesman Chai Wacharonke.
Two of the deceased were identified as Chong Sherine, 56, and Dang Hung Van, 55, carrying US passports. Four others were Vietnamese, namely Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan, 47, Pham Hong Thanh, 49, Tran Dinh Phu, 37, and Nguyen Thi Phuong, 46.
Bangkok police commissioner Thithi Saengsawang said at the press briefing that the victims were not dead from suicide but from the killing of others.
According to the hotel's records, seven people booked five rooms on the fifth and seventh floors at the hotel, but only five checked in for the five rooms. Four rooms on the seventh floors were scheduled for check-out on July 15, and their bags were packed. Their bodies were discovered by hotel staff in a fifth-floor room.
The victims ordered food at around 1pm on July 15, but the food appeared to be uneaten, but six cups were found empty and drinks appeared to be consumed.
According to Thiti, none of the bodies showed any signs of suffering physical violence. Only one victim had a facial wound, and police assumed the person fell onto a hard object.
Authorities are currently searching for the seventh person who was part of the hotel booking, and is now a suspect.
The investigation agency is examining the closed-circuit television footage since they touched down in Thailand to clarify the case.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand is working with competent authorities in Thailand to fact-check the case that four Vietnamese nationals were found dead in a Bangkok hotel, as well as carry out necessary citizen protection measures./.
