Go Travel agent Sue White’s daughter Simone died of methanol poisoning while travelling in Laos last November. She was taken ill after drinking alcohol shots at the hostel she was staying at in Vang Vieng, and her death, and those of five other tourists – two Australian teenagers, two Danish women and an American man – are being investigated.
Simone was travelling with her best friend Bethany Clarke, who has now launched a petition to “Put the dangers of methanol poisoning on the school curriculum”.
The petition has so far received more than 11,000 signatures, which means the government will respond, but 100,000 signatures would mean the petition would be considered for debate in parliament.
It reads: “Young people are dying needlessly of methanol poisoning, most recently in Laos, Turkey and Vietnam.
“We think that children should be taught the dangers of consuming bootleg alcohol as part of the PSHE and/or Biology curriculum in school.”
Speaking to TTG, Sue said her and Bethany want to promote the petition far and wide.
“It’s quite disappointing that even now, after this has been all over the news, people still don’t know about the dangers of this happening,” she said.
A Dartford MP has already raised the issue of methanol poisoning in parliament, and earlier this year MPs, Abta and a company called Toxbase (which carries out research into poisoning) joined a parliamentary session on the topic. Trials on methanol testing strips are currently being carried out.
Sue and others joined a subsequent meeting with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Catherine West, who Sue says has flown out to Laos on more than one occasion to “try and get some answers”.
Still waiting on answers
Sue said while she’s received Simone’s post-mortem results (which confirmed her cause of death as methanol poisoning), it’s been a frustrating six-month wait for them.
She added Simone’s inquest cannot be resumed until the investigation in Laos has been completed, which Sue has been warned could take years. Sue understands the police investigation has concluded, but the case is now with the prosecutor’s office.
Sue does now receive fortnightly updates from the FCO, but “their hands are tied as well” with regards to attaining information from Laos.
