Smartraveller updates advice for Australians as Laos bar linked to Mafia

Travel advice for Australians travelling to Laos has been updated as the seedy bar where two Melbourne girls were poisoned is linked to organised crime. Warning: Graphic

Australia has updated its travel advice to Laos after a mass drink poisoning that has claimed the lives of five people, including a Melbourne teenager, while her friend fights for her life.

“Be alert to the potential risks particularly with spirit-based drinks including cocktails. For further advice on the risks around methanol poisoning as well as drink spiking,” the government warned on its Smartraveller website.

It comes after WhatsApp messages revealed that poisoned Melbourne girls Holly Bowles, who is fighting for her life, and Bianca Jones, who has died, were at a Laos bar that offers free spirits and openly sells opium, ecstasy and ketamine.

Friends who helped the Melbourne girls when they were ill have exposed more details of their night which has left both of them fighting for their lives in separate Thai hospitals.

“They were at Jaidee’s bar”, a WhatsApp message from a man who helped the girls read.

The messages went on to claim that Ms Bowles and Ms Jones drank methanol-laced spirits at Jaidee’s Bar, which left them begging for help to be taken to hospital.

The bar on the river front at Vang Vieng, a backpacker hotspot in Laos, has a standard drinks list, but also has a printed, hard copy drugs menu.

Bianca Jones was poisoned in Laos. Picture: Facebook

Holly Bowles begged to be taken to hospital. Picture: Facebook

The drugs on offer included “opium, ketamine, ecstasy and marijuana”, while balloons filled with a high-inducing gas were also for sale.

“Ketamine is 400,000 for one gram, opium is 400,000 for one gram. Ecstasy 400,000,” a bartender there said when asked about prices on Tuesday night.

“Do you want?”

Sources in Laos claimed that the bar the teenagers were drinking at had links to organised crime and the Asian mafia.

“I can’t say too much, I need to protect my safety,” a source said.

“The problem is at Jaidee’s Bar. They are dangerous.”

Ms Bowles and Ms Jones visited Jaidee’s Bar on November 11, and were taken to hospital November 13, where they have remained ever since.

On Tuesday night local time, Jaidee’s Bar had about 50 people partying to retro tunes.

There was a fog of marijuana smoke, despite it being open air.

A group of British backpackers were buying rounds of black balloons and appeared heavily intoxicated.

The Jaidee Bar openly offers drugs for sale.

A group of British backpackers at the barn.

The seedy bar offers a drug menu.

The bar, which had a skinny black cat running between drinkers’ legs, had the flags of the world on its roof and fluoro pink and blue strip lights.

Another bartender at Jaidee’s Bar, who referred to himself as Pepsi, was shocked when told that Ms Bowles and Ms Jones had become sick after spending a night there.

“What, are they in hospital?,” he asked.

“We have lots of people come here, we’re open until 1.30am so everyone comes here to party.”

Pepsi confirmed that the bar did offer free spirits, a Tiger Whisky produced by drinks manufacturer Lao Pdr.

The brown coloured whisky claimed on its label that it was the “finest blended Tiger Whisky, smooth and mellow”.

Pepsi said he did not remember the Australian women because the bar has so many customers.

He denied that the bar added anything to the Tiger Whisky that was given away freely.

Ms Bowles and Ms Jones were among as many as 14 people who became ill on the same night in Vang Vieng.

The Danish Foreign Ministry this week confirmed that two young women from Denmark had died.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs can confirm that two Danish citizens have passed away in Laos,” a statement to the media said.

A WhatsApp group made up of Danish people that has been circulating in Vang Vieng had also been warning its members to avoid drinking “free spirits” after last week’s incident.

Bianca Jones has died in a Thai hospital, after being on life support. Picture: Supplied

There is no suggestion Ms Bowles and Ms Jones had taken drugs, with testing revealing that they had been subject to methanol poisoning.

An Australian woman who visited Jaidee’s Bar while holidaying in Vang Vieng said it was notorious.

The woman, who had not met Ms Bowles or Ms Jones, said she witnessed open drug taking, even in the early afternoon.

She was offered a “sexy menu” from a Jaidee’s bartender when she arrived at around 3pm with her partner.

“This sparked major alarm bells for myself as I have worked extensively with drug and alcohol-affected patients …” she said.

Holly Bowles is critically ill. Picture: Facebook

While the couple opted to stick to bottled beer, she claims two heavily intoxicated British men, aged in their 20s, ordered a bag of ketamine from the staff.

“They were using Snapchat to tell their friends what they were about to do and video themselves doing lines of ketamine at the table next to us,” the healthcare worker said.

“After consuming the ketamine they both got very aggressive towards each other, fighting over who had more.

“Not long after that, they both went very quiet and appeared unconscious to me. I sat next to the table ensuring they were still both breathing.”

The Jaidee Bar in Vang Vieng.

She said the young travellers eventually regained consciousness some minutes later, as locals reportedly watched on and filmed the ordeal – but failed to offer any assistance.

It is just one of many incidents reported at the Vang Vieng bar.

“I was aware it was a party town but once we arrived we quickly realised it was a lot looser than any other place we have visited during our travels,” the woman said about her two-week trip.

“Something in my gut just told me drinking from anything except beer opened in front of us was not a good idea.

“We’ve drank cocktails in almost every other country in Southeast Asia without a second thought. But something just told me drinking there was not a wise option for us.”

Originally published as Smartraveller updates advice for Australians as Laos bar linked to Mafia