Laotian prosecutors have filed charges against the owner of a distillery and staff of a Vang Vieng hostel over the deaths of six foreign tourists in November 2024, but the counts—sale of harmful food products and operating an illegal business—carry maximum penalties of four years’ imprisonment and fines, not the manslaughter charges sought by victims’ families and their governments. The charges were announced at a press conference in Vientiane from which international media were barred, and the case will formally remain open for fifteen years, allowing more serious charges to be brought if sufficient evidence emerges, according to Danish and Australian officials.

Viewed from Copenhagen and Canberra, the legal response is seen as profoundly inadequate. Denmark’s foreign ministry confirmed the charges and noted the possibility of future escalation, while Australia’s government summoned the Laotian ambassador and dispatched a special envoy, Pablo Kang, to Vientiane to convey its objections. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberra was “deeply frustrated and bitterly disappointed” that authorities were not pursuing the most serious charges. The Australian government has also updated its travel advice, warning citizens of the risks of spirit-based drinks in Laos and noting a local ban on the Tiger brand of vodka and whisky linked to the incident.

Families of the victims have reacted with fury. Mark Jones, father of Australian teenager Bianca Jones, described the charges as “meant to be justice” but said he felt “disgust.” Shaun Bowles, whose daughter Holly also died, said the outcome showed “the value that they put on life over there” and called for travellers to reconsider visiting Laos. Danish relatives told public broadcaster DR that one victim’s body was never autopsied and that Laotian authorities maintain she died of natural causes. Ten individuals connected to the hostel were charged earlier this year with destroying evidence, according to the BBC.

The deaths occurred after tourists consumed free drinks at the Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng, a town that has long been a fixture on the Southeast Asian backpacker circuit. Methanol, a toxic alcohol sometimes used to boost the potency of illicit spirits, was suspected. The victims included two 19-year-old Australians, two Danish women in their twenties, a 28-year-old British lawyer, and a 57-year-old American. The Laotian investigation has not established a direct link between the consumed alcohol and the deaths, a position that Australian officials say they were told stems from insufficient evidence. The next formal step is a mention hearing in the Laotian judicial process, while Australia’s foreign minister intends to raise the matter directly with her Laotian counterpart at a regional ministerial meeting in Manila next week.