When I speak to Sue it’s just less than four months since her 28-year-old daughter Simone’s death in Laos, but the family is still in the dark as to who is responsible for her consuming deadly levels of methanol. What they do know is Simone was taken ill after drinking alcohol shots at the hostel she was staying at in Vang Vieng, and that the deaths of five other tourists – two Australian teenagers, two Danish women and an American man – are also being investigated.
Sue endured an excruciating 17-hour plane journey to be with her daughter in hospital and was at Simone’s bedside when she tragically died on 21 November.
But Sue is not speaking to TTG to go over the scant details of the investigation she has – she’s been told the UK police are liaising with the Foreign Office for updates and the FCDO confirmed to TTG it was “in contact with the local authorities”.
What Sue can do, she feels, is firstly warn others about the dangers of drinking unlicensed alcohol abroad, and also to throw herself into her work promoting the joy and importance of travel – a passion Sue and her daughter shared. Sue returned to work six weeks ago following Simone’s funeral, on the day of which the agency closed to enable staff to attend.
“It wasn’t until Simone’s funeral and the eulogies were read out that I could see how similar we were,” Sue shares. “I didn’t really see it at the time, but she definitely got her passion for travelling from me.
“She was obviously only 28, but she’d done a lot more than I’d done at that age. She just loved travelling, absolutely loved it.
“Simone was very exuberant, an extrovert; she had loads of friends. We travelled abroad with her from when she was a baby and she loved holidays with us.”
Simone and her friend, Bethany Clarke – who she was travelling with when she died – headed out on a trip to China, Thailand and Vietnam for six weeks when they were 20.
“She also went to Australia and New Zealand on her own in 2023. She did a lot of city breaks, skiing every year… there weren’t many places she’d not been to, to be honest,” recalls Sue. "I think she wanted to do South America, Florida and South Africa.”
Sue pauses before continuing: “So she was used to travelling overseas.”
A warning
Sue says the fact this happened to Simone – a lawyer and “sensible girl” who’d even travelled to south-east Asia before – has spurred her on to spread the word that this sort of thing can happen to anyone.
“I think at the end of the day it was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Sue says. “We keep saying if she’d gone even three or four days earlier it might not have happened.”
Simone also leaves behind a devastated father and 23-year-old brother. “They’ve both taken it very hard,” Sue says. “I think we’ve all had different experiences because I got on a plane and flew out there, so I was with Simone before she passed away, whereas they were just at the end of the phone.”
Asked how Simone’s death has changed what advice she’d give to travellers, she ponders: “It’s very difficult because you can’t really say to young people ‘go there, but don’t drink or don’t stay in the hostels’ – it’s part of the experience.
“I think my advice is to be very, very careful about what you’re drinking. It’s not just shots, but lots of places do those fish bowl drinks, as well. Anything could be going into them, you just don’t know… and this doesn’t just happen over there [in Laos], it’s all over.”
The FCDO says in its travel advice for Laos that methanol has been used in the manufacture of counterfeit replicas of well-known alcohol brands or illegal local spirits, like vodka.
“You should take care if offered, particularly for free, or when buying spirit-based drinks,” the advice reads. “If labels, smell or taste seem wrong then do not drink it.”
The FCDO also confirms that the Laos authorities have issued an order prohibiting the sale and consumption of the locally-produced Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky due to concerns about them being a risk to health, and closed the Tiger Vodka Distillery.
All Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky products have also been recalled from the markets and destroyed, according to the Laos authorities.
Tackling the work
Since returning to work, Sue says she’s been able to compartmentalise her trauma and “just concentrate on the job”.
“I’ve found going back to work quite therapeutic really,” she shares. “It’s taken my mind off everything else and it’s nice to focus on everyday things and booking people’s holidays.
“I’ve just come back from Sharm el Sheikh with my son, which was my first time on a plane since it all happened. I was a bit dubious about it, but again, once I was on the plane it was fine.
“I still love travelling.”
I ask Sue whether she’s been faced with a south-east Asia enquiry since returning to work.
“I haven’t personally, but one of my colleagues did when I was still off. She had a couple of young girls come in who wanted to go travelling, and she actually said to them that she wouldn’t advise staying in hostels and to go for hotels, which tend to be a bit more reputable.
“I must admit it might be a bit of a challenge for me if I do get an enquiry [for Laos]. I’ve said, personally, I will never go there again after what’s happened. We were actually planning on doing a Vietnam and Cambodia cruise later this year, but we’re not going to do that now.
“This has put me off – whether that will be forever or not, I don’t know, but certainly for the foreseeable future.”
Supporting each other
Sue and her husband are part of a WhatsApp group with the families of the other people who died, which Sue says has been a support.
She’s worried they will not see much come of the investigation into the deaths. “The Australians seem very intent on getting justice and pursuing everything… which of course we want too, but it’s just so difficult in a country like Laos,” Sue says.
“I think the best I can do is publicise our story so people are aware that these things can happen.”
Bethany is starting a petition for UK schools to educate children about methanol poisoning, and the issue is due to be raised in parliament this month.
“Whether any good will come of that, I don’t know,” concludes Sue. “But at least we’ve not just sat back and said, ‘it’s tragic and it’s happened’… at least we’ve tried to create awareness and do what we can.”
The Laos Embassy in London confirmed that hostel workers initially arrested have now been released, although their passports have been retained by police while the investigation is completed.
It reiterated the country’s government’s "unwavering commitment” to ensuring the “safety of both domestic and foreign tourists”.
“The embassy wishes to extend, once again, our sincerest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the grieving families for the loss of their loved ones, including British national, Ms White, due to this unfortunate incident that should not have taken place,” the embassy added.
