Bangkok, Thailand - July 18, 2024

Thai police said Wednesday they have found traces of cyanide in cups and glasses next to the six victims found dead the day before at a luxury hotel in Bangkok and are considering a dispute over money as a motive for the alleged crime.

At a press conference, the head of the police forensic division, Trairong Piwpan, said they suspect that all the victims, four Vietnamese and two Vietnamese Americans, died of poisoning, although this will be confirmed by autopsy results.

According to preliminary investigations, officials suspect that one of the deceased poisoned the others with cyanide and then committed suicide with the poison because of financial problems.

Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced today that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will be involved in the investigation into the incident as there are two American victims.

Srettha told reporters that preliminary investigations indicate that this is a personal matter, not related to an attempted robbery or terrorist act, and assured that the country is safe for tourism.

The prime minister is trying to ensure that the incident does not affect tourism at a time when Thailand is trying to boost the sector, which has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.The prime minister is trying to ensure that the incident does not affect tourism at a time when Thailand is trying to boost the sector, which has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The management of the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel, located in a central tourist district of the capital, alerted police on Tuesday afternoon to the discovery of the bodies of three men and three women, apparently poisoned.

Officers believe that the victims, who had their suitcases packed to leave the hotel, had been dead for 24 hours and that there were untouched plates of food in the room, while no signs of violence were detected.

A seventh person was travelling with the victims - the younger sister of one of them - but investigators say she left the country on 10 July.

The five-star Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel, with more than 300 rooms, is located at a popular Bangkok intersection next to the famous Erawan Shrine and shopping malls such as Central World.

Such events are not common in Thailand, although serious shootings have occurred in recent years, including one last October by a 14-year-old boy who killed three people in a Bangkok shopping mall.

SHOTLIST:
1. various from the door of the hotel;
2. Arrival of PM Srettha Thavisin;
3. various from the press conference;
4. various from the hotel.