Bangkok, Jul 17 (EFE).- Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced Wednesday that the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation would participate in the probe into the death of six people, including two Americans, believed to have been poisoned in a Bangkok luxury hotel.
In statements to the press, Srettha said preliminary investigations show the incident was a personal matter, unrelated to attempted robbery or extremism, adding that the country is safe for tourism.
His statement comes at a time when Thailand is trying to encourage the tourism sector, hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The management of the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel, located in a central tourist neighborhood of the capital, notified police Tuesday afternoon following the discovery of the bodies, including four Vietnamese nationals and two Americans, thought to have been poisoned.
There were unbroken plates of food in the room and investigators did not detect signs of violence or that a robbery had occurred.
The victims checked into the hotel over the weekend with a seventh person, who is missing, and planned to leave between Monday and Tuesday.
Authorities are conducting an autopsy to confirm the causes of death of the victims.
The five-star Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel, of more than 300 rooms, is located at a popular intersection in Bangkok next to the famous Erawan altar and shopping centers such as Central World.
These events are uncommon in Thailand, although serious shootings have occurred in recent years, including one in October by a 14-year-old who killed three people in a Bangkok shopping center.
A man used a gun and a knife to kill 36 people, including 24 children, in October 2022 in the province of Nong Bua Lamphu, while another 29 people were killed in a shooting in 2020 in Nakhon Ratchasima. EFE
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