Before the cyanide poisoning that killed five Vietnamese individuals at a hotel in Bangkok, the suspect Sherine Chong and the Vietnamese group had financial disputes that led to litigation.
According to the Bangkok Post, on July 17, Major General Nopasilp Poonsawat, Deputy Chief of Bangkok Police, identified the suspect in the case of six Vietnamese people found dead at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in Bangkok as Sherine Chong, a 56-year-old Vietnamese-American.
Hotel staff reported that Chong was staying alone in room 502 on the 5th floor of the Grand Hyatt Erawan when she invited the five victims to her room on July 15.
Suspect Sherine Chong, a 56-year-old Vietnamese-American involved in the cyanide poisoning case in Bangkok. Photo: Daily Mail
Before the incident, Chong ordered food and tea from the hotel but refused to let the hotel staff prepare the tea, opting to do it herself. Security cameras captured the five victims entering Chong’s room, and no one left the room until the six bodies were discovered by hotel staff on the evening of July 16.
Major General Nopasilp stated that Chong had invited the five individuals to invest in construction projects. Among them was a couple who had reportedly invested 10 million baht in a hospital project in Japan, which led to a lawsuit when the project did not progress.
The six individuals planned to meet in court in two weeks. Chong invited the five to negotiate before the court date. Initially, they planned to meet in Japan but couldn't due to visa issues, so they decided to meet in Bangkok instead.
They arrived in Bangkok at different times and stayed in different rooms at the five-star Grand Hyatt Erawan. The five victims checked out at noon on July 15, but Chong retained room 502 and invited them back for further discussions, serving them food and tea.
Glass bottle containing liquid with cyanide found at the crime scene. Photo: Khaosod
Major General Nopasilp revealed that cyanide residues were found in six used tea cups in the hotel room. The police are investigating the source of the cyanide to determine whether it was smuggled into Thailand or purchased locally.
Lieutenant General Trairong Phiewphan, head of the forensic science division of the Thai police, added that cyanide was also found in tea bags collected from the hotel room.
The victims included Dang Hung Van (55), a Vietnamese-American, and four Vietnamese citizens, Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan (47) and her husband Pham Hong Thanh (49), Tran Dinh Phu (37), and Nguyen Thi Phuong (46).
The police suspect that after poisoning the five victims, Chong also consumed poison to end her life. Chong had entered and exited Thailand five times previously.
Vietnamnet.vn
Podcast
.svg){kind=icon}
