Suspect in poisoning of Vietnamese group in Thailand "is dead"

At a press conference this morning, Major General Teeradej Thamsuthee, head of the Capital Investigation Team of the Royal Thai Police, announced the preliminary investigation results after questioning witnesses and people involved in the death of 6 Vietnamese people in room 502 at the 5-star Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in Bangkok.

After examining the scene and questioning the daughter of one of the dead, Thai police said the six had been poisoned. General Thamsuthee said forensics were examining a white powder found at the bottom of cups of tea and coffee the group drank.

Officials have not released the name of the poison, but forensic experts said it had properties similar to cyanide but was "more potent" and could cause immediate death, General Teeradej said.

On the afternoon of July 16, Thai police discovered the bodies of 6 foreigners, including 3 men and 3 women, including 4 Vietnamese and 2 Vietnamese-Americans in room 502 on the 5th floor of the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel.

Hotel data shows that 7 people booked a total of 5 rooms at the hotel, but only 5 people checked in, and 6 bodies were found. This suggests that one person in the group entered the hotel but did not check in.

"According to the information we have gathered, the motive of the case is most likely related to debt issues, not other issues," Mr Teeradej said. "The suspect has been identified as one of the six deceased, as the results of checking the hotel room entrance showed that there were no people outside the group involved."

Thai authorities had previously said they were searching for the seventh person in the group. General Thamsuthee updated the information, saying that the police had identified the seventh person as the sister of one of the six victims, who had returned to the country since July 10 and was determined to be unrelated to the case.

Police also identified two of the six dead as a husband and wife. The group gathered in room 502 on the afternoon of July 15 to resolve money and business borrowing issues. General Thamsuthee said the conflict between the group stemmed from a debt worth millions of baht.