The government of Laos has released its first statement in response to tourists becoming ill and dying from methanol poisoning in the town of Vang Vieng. Expressing sympathy to the families of the tourists who died, the Laos government said it was investigating the cause of the incident and intended to "bring the perpetrators to justice". State media reports the operators of the Nana backpacker hostel have been detained for questioning.
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TVTranscript
00:00Well, this is the Nana Backpackers Hostel where Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles were staying
00:07when they were here in Laos.
00:09And consensus is building that this is most likely the place where all the people who
00:13were poisoned consumed methanol.
00:16Police shut this hostel down a few days ago, but it's hardly a crime scene.
00:20It's not taped off.
00:21It was actually open before and we were able to walk in.
00:25But the Vietnamese owner of this hostel was taken away.
00:29Officials here aren't sure what's happened to him, but they believe he's been detained.
00:34And late today, police through Laos state media have for the first time confirmed that
00:39they are investigating the operators of the Nana Hostel.
00:44Police say that they have been gathering evidence ever since the first fatality in a bid to
00:49bring the perpetrators to justice.
00:52And in the face of growing international pressure over the deaths, the government in Laos has
00:57also broken its silence and issued a statement expressing its deepest condolences over the
01:03deaths of foreign tourists and saying that it attaches importance to the safety of tourists
01:10when they're travelling in Laos.