18/7/2026

SATURDAY | JULY 18, 2026

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Australia protests response to Laos tainted drink deaths o Canberra summons ambassador

Smoke inhalation main cause of death in pub fire BANGKOK: The majority of people killed in Bangkok’s bar fire died from smoke inhalation, forensic police said yesterday after completing autopsies of all 33 victims. The blaze swept through the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao restaurant and bar on Sunday night. Autopsies found that 27 victims died from carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning after inhaling smoke, according to Wiroon Supasingsiripreecha, commander of the Institute of Forensic Medicine. The gases are produced by fires and“when inhaled, block oxygen from reaching the blood, resulting in death”, he said. “If inhaled in large quantities, they can cause death within four minutes.” The remaining six victims died later in hospital from severe burn injuries, Wiroon said. Authorities said the death toll yesterday remained at 33, with 77 people injured. The bar owner was admitted to intensive care after the fire, but it was not clear if he was still in hospital. Senior police officer Siam Boonsom said on Thursday that investigators had found evidence the venue was using high-voltage electricity without approval, which could have been a factor in the fire. In the wake of the blaze, police and Bangkok’s governing body said they would inspect 1,000 entertainment venues across the capital within one month. Officials have so far ordered three bars to be temporarily closed for failing to meet safety standards. Thailand’s approach to health and safety regulations – particularly in bars and nightclubs – has long raised concerns. – AFP Nine rescued in China landslide CHONGQING: Nine people have so far been rescued after a rainfall induced landslide occurred along a section of the Wujiang River in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality yesterday. None of those rescued sustained life-threatening injuries, according to authorities in Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County in Chongqing. The landslide sent massive amounts of rock and soil cascading downslope at 9.08am (9.08am in Malaysia), burying more than 10 residential buildings and leaving several residents trapped and unaccounted for. Jiang Wei, head of an emergency rescue team in Chongqing, said a search and rescue mission has been launched. China Anneng Construction Group, a state-owned engineering rescue force, has dispatched 110 professional rescuers, including engineering and geological experts, alongside 50 sets of detection, search and rescue equipment to support the disaster relief operation in Pengshui. Rescuers said three power poles were buried, disrupting power supply. Local power departments have sent 53 maintenance workers, 12 repair vehicles and one emergency power vehicle to the site. – Bernama

parties for backpackers but has since re-branded as an eco-tourism destination. Australian authorities warn travellers to Laos to “be alert” to the risks of consuming spirits-based drinks, including cocktails. The travel advice notes that Lao authorities issued a ban on the sale and consumption of the local brand of Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky due to health concerns. Bianca Jones’ parents criticised the Laos authorities for not pursuing harsher charges. “It’s like their lives didn’t even matter. We’re just really appalled by it all,” her mother Michelle Jones told the ABC. “They were just going over to have a bit of fun and just doing the rite of passage that every, you know, child or teenager does. So that outcome was just devastating.” – AFP

brand of alcohol with operating illegally. The operator of the Tiger brand has reportedly denied any responsibility. “The Australian government is deeply frustrated and bitterly disappointed that authorities in Laos are not pursuing the most serious charges,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. “This devastating news will only add to the immense pain and grief suffered by the families and friends of Holly and Bianca.” Wong said she would again put Australia’s views directly to her Laos counterpart at a meeting next week. Vang Vieng has been a fixture on the Southeast Asia backpacker trail since Laos opened the country to tourism decades ago. The town was once synonymous with alcohol and drug-fuelled jungle

The Australian government did not specify the charges to be laid against suspects in the alleged methanol-related poisoning but said it had been in “regular contact” with the Laos authorities. Alcohol tainted with methanol was suspected to be the cause of the deaths. Methanol is a toxic alcohol that can be added to liquor to increase its potency but can cause blindness, liver damage and death. Public broadcaster ABC and other Australian media said Laos would press charges that collectively carry penalties of up to one year in jail and a fine equal to A$1,600 (RM4,557). The media cited Australian Foreign Ministry letters sent to the families of the two citizens killed, informing them that Laos would charge the operator of the Tiger

SYDNEY: Australia denounced Laos’ response to a 2024 tainted alcohol poisoning that killed six tourists, saying yesterday it is “bitterly disappointed” the country is not pressing stronger charges. Canberra summoned the Laos ambassador and dispatched an envoy to Laos to convey its objections and urge justice for the two Australian women who died, the government said in a statement. Two Danish citizens, an American, a Briton and two Australians – Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones – died following a night out on the town in Vang Vieng in November 2024.

NATURE’S BOUNTY ... Javanese villagers collect spring water at Gunung Batur village in Cilegon, Banten province. Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency has warned that the country’s dry season will be more intense and prolonged than average. – AFPPIC

Philippines condemns propaganda video MANILA: The Philippines strongly condemned China Daily for releasing an AI-generated video that depicted Filipinos as monkeys, saying the “racist” imagery is “offensive, distressing and unacceptable” and drawing a firm line against dehumanising propaganda. monkey pulled a sheet of lyrics bearing the words “South China Sea arbitration award” before being thrown into the sea and blasted by a vessel’s water cannon. Defence Secretary Gilberto Arbitral Award and the video’s glorification of violence against the Filipino people and soldiers expose the moral and intellectual

trustworthy neighbour,”Teodoro said. Manila’s sharp rebuke comes at a time when relations between the Philippines and China are already strained by South China Sea tensions, including repeated confrontations at sea, aggressive manoeuvres by Chinese vessels, Beijing imposing sanctions on Teodoro, and more recently over a floating barrier installed by China at the entrance of the contested Scarborough Shoal. “We draw a firm line at the depiction of Filipinos as monkeys in the 10 July 2026 video, which is deeply offensive, distressing, and unacceptable,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Thursday. – Reuters

bankruptcy of China’s propaganda machine,”Teodoro said late Thursday. China Daily’s AI-generated video was posted on July 10, coinciding with Philippine events marking the 10th anniversary of a landmark arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea. Beijing rejects the ruling. “The spate of schizophrenic behaviour of the Communist Party is too clear to disregard or to ignore. This latest act of dehumanisation further reveals them as neither a secure and confident actor nor a

Teodoro denounced the material as “contemptible propaganda” and “a disgrace to any state that claims to exercise responsible regional leadership”. He said the episode exposed “the weakness of a government that resorts to racism, threats, and manufactured hatred because it has utterly failed to defend its ridiculous claims through reason, evidence, or law”. “This mockery of the lawful 2016

Manila demanded that the video posted on China Daily’s Facebook account on July 10 be taken down. The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The video portrayed a monkey dressed in Filipino attire being directed by arms representing the United States and Japan on what to sing. After being called “stupid”, the