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SCMP’s Asia desk

The Australian government is launching a campaign to warn its citizens of the dangers of methanol poisoning abroad, after two young Aussies died in Laos last year.
Smartraveller, the government’s trip advisory portal, would run targeted promotions to educate youngsters on alcohol safety, the foreign ministry said on Monday.
“We want our children to be curious and explore the world – but above all else, we want them to be safe,” foreign minister Penny Wong said in a statement.
“These efforts will help young Australians travelling overseas to protect themselves from methanol poisoning, drink spiking and other alcohol harms.”
The new campaign would last across peak travel periods and school and university holidays, Wong said.

Apart from social media alerts and public service messages, Smartraveller will also start an online safety hub aimed at schools, universities and parents by June.
Unscrupulous businesses substitute methanol, a toxic industrial alcohol, for consumable ethanol to lower their costs. However, methanol poisoning can lead to blindness or even death.
“Labels on bottles aren’t always accurate. Be suspicious of unusually cheap drinks claiming to use branded spirits, they may be counterfeit,” a social media post by Smartraveller published last week read.
Alcohol-related deaths
The government’s push comes after two 19-year-old friends, Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, died of suspected methanol poisoning from drinking tainted alcohol at a Laotian hostel in November 2024.
They were among four others – two Danish citizens, a Briton and an American – who died after joining the same “vodka” giveaway at the Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng, a tourist destination an hour’s drive from the capital Vientiane.


A third Australian also reportedly fell ill, but managed to return home after treatment, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
The drink bore the Laotian brand of Tiger and local authorities had prohibited the sale and consumption of its product, according to the Australian government travel advisory.
The spirits factory and the hostel have been closed, pending government investigation.
However, parents of Jones and Bowles told ABC early this month that the Laotian authorities had not updated them on the investigation.
“There’s been no communication, we’ve had no updates,” Bianca’s father Mark Jones said.
“It’s incredibly concerning, it seems to reek of a cover-up.”
Additional reporting by the Associated Press


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Foreign ministry warns travellers to ‘be suspicious of unusually cheap drinks’ following the death of two 19-year-olds


Foreign ministry warns travellers to ‘be suspicious of unusually cheap drinks’ following the death of two 19-year-olds.


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