HANOI: Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MOFA) to closely coordinate with the Thai side in the investigation and citizen protection following the deaths of four Vietnamese nationals in a hotel in Bangkok, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.
In an official dispatch sent to the MOFA, the Public Security Ministry, and the Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand, the prime minister said on Wednesday that four Vietnamese nationals, along with two others of Vietnamese descent who held American citizenship, were found dead in the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel on July 16.
The foreign ministry was tasked with protecting the legal and legitimate rights and interests of the Vietnamese citizens, handling foreign relations matters with Thailand, and providing updates on the case to the media and the public.
The prime minister also urged the Public Security Ministry to coordinate with relevant authorities in the investigation work at Thailand’s request and provide information about the victims’ relatives to the MOFA for citizen protection purposes.
The ambassador needs to instruct the embassy to monitor the case, make timely reports on its developments and public opinion, carry out citizen protection measures, and visit the bereaved families to assist them with necessary procedures.
Medics at the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Thailand on Wednesday confirmed that the six individuals died of cyanide poisoning.
The deaths are believed to have occurred about 12 to 24 hours before police arrived on the scene.
The bodies showed traces of the rapid-acting chemical and had purple lips, indicating a lack of oxygen, a Chulalongkorn Hospital representative told reporters, adding that more tests are being conducted. - Bernama, VNA
