The parents of two Melbourne women who died due to methanol poisoning in Laos late last year have called for travellers to boycott the country until it investigates the deaths properly.
Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones were among six people who died after drinking tainted alcohol in the tourist town of Vang Vieng in November.
Their parents have told the ABC the investigation into the tragedy has been "disgraceful" and "horrendous" and that they've been kept in the dark by authorities in Laos.
The factory where the drinks were believed to have been distilled remained closed, but the ABC can reveal that one of the bars where the girls were drinking before they fell ill has reopened.
While the Nana Backpacker Hostel where the girls were staying has not reopened, its staff members who were arrested — all foreign nationals — have been released from custody.
They are now understood to be under house arrest with their passports confiscated.
The place where the tainted drinks were believed to have been distilled. (ABC News)
Family furious over lack of information
Bianca Jones' father Mark has described the investigation and communication by Lao authorities as "horrendous".
"There's been no communication, we've had no updates. We were led to believe they had 12 people in custody, they've all been released," he told the ABC.
"It's incredibly concerning, it seems to reek of a cover-up.
"I can't imagine that from the distilling process through to handing out drinks, there's not one Lao national who was involved in the chain — so something seems incredibly off."
The parents of both Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones are concerned with how Lao authorities have handled investigations. (Supplied: Beaumaris Football Club)
He said the lack of progress in the investigation was upsetting to the families involved.
"I'm incredibly angry. My daughter's dead and her best friend is dead and we've got two Danes who are dead, there's an English lawyer who's dead, there's an American man who's dead and there seems to be no progress in these investigations," he told the ABC.
Bianca's mother Michelle said the lack of information the families have received has made the three months since they died even more painful.
"I mean, our girls were murdered and nothing's getting done. And that's really hard," she told the ABC.
"What are they hiding? That's what I'm thinking, that's what we're all thinking. Someone's got to be accountable for it."
Empty bottles are piled outside the factory where the tainted alcohol was believed to have been distilled. (ABC News)
Bianca had been travelling with her best friend Holly Bowles who died days after she did in a Thai hospital.
Ms Bowles' parents Shaun Bowles and Samantha Morton said they were worried someone could be made a scapegoat over the tragedy.
"With everything we've seen, it's very hard to have any confidence that the right person will be held accountable," Shaun said.
Neither the government nor police in Laos have responded to the ABC's requests for an update on the investigation.
Police said only that they were coordinating with the relevant agencies.
A spokesman from the Laos Ministry of Foreign Affairs simply re-sent their only public statement on the incident, issued last November.
Laos has not accepted AFP offers to aid methanol poisoning investigation
Photo shows Side-by-side photos of Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, two Melbourne teens who have been hospitalised in Thailand
A spokesman for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs said the Australian government was continuing to call for a transparent and thorough investigation "and has made these expectations clear to the Lao government".
In the meantime, Samantha Morton and Shaun Bowles have a clear message for travellers considering the South-East Asian nation.
"Don't go. Don't go. It's just not safe for travellers, it just isn't and we've seen that first hand," Samantha Morton told the ABC.
Her partner Shaun has a message for authorities in the country.
"If you want people to come to your country, make it safe. Make it a safe place."
Nana backpackers remains closed after the methanol poisoning deaths of Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones. (ABC News)
Families band together in tragedy
Since their daughters' deaths, the parents of Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones have connected with other victims' families to share their grief and any information they have received.
Didier and Anne-Marie Orkild from Denmark, whose daughter Anne-Sofie also died from tainted alcohol in Laos, were not even informed of her death by authorities.
They said they were effectively pressured into accepting a death certificate with no mention of methanol in order to have her body repatriated.
Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones were staying at the Nana backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos. (ABC News)
"The level of collaboration of the authorities basically trying to hide a corpse in a closet, almost saying nothing happened … is absolutely ridiculous," Didier told the ABC.
They said a boycott of the country — which is heavily reliant on its tourism industry — is their only hope of answers.
"Do not go, simply, it's way too dangerous," said Didier.
"It's a lot of leverage, it's a lot of money. Our recommendation is not to go to Laos, it will hurt them," added Anne-Marie.
Sue White from the United Kingdom lost her daughter Simone in the incident.
The lack of progress on the investigation has had major implications for her, too.
British authorities have opened an inquest into her daughter's death but the results of her post-mortem examination are contingent on the investigation in Laos being finalised.
"So you know really the inquest could take years," she said.
"If the investigation isn't finalised, the inquest can't be reopened so it's just hanging over our heads the whole time."
She said she's determined to keep fighting for answers.
"[Simone] wouldn't have wanted her death to be in vain," she told the ABC.
"When I was over there I promised that I would get justice for her so I'm just trying to follow it through really."
Vang Vieng is a popular party town north of the Laotian capital Vientiane. (Reuters: K Yoganand/WWF)
Fresh reports of tainted alcohol in Laos
In the past few weeks, new reports of questionable drinks being served in Laos have emerged on social media.
One user issued a warning in February after drinking a mixed cocktail at a riverside bar in Vang Vieng.
"A short time later, I started feeling nauseous and vomited. Over the next couple of hours, I developed a tingling sensation in my temples, dizziness, and numbness in my legs. I've now been in the hospital for over four hours, and I still don't know exactly what caused it," they posted.
"I don't know if this was methanol poisoning or just bad/contaminated alcohol, but I wanted to warn others to be careful."
Backpackers tried to warn others about hostel amid methanol poisoning scandal
Photo shows The outside of the Nana Backpackers hostel showing a pool and outdoor seating.
Another reported a suspected drink-spiking in Luang Prabang.
"Approx 1 hour after arriving at my hostel I started seeing visual hallucinations, everything around me was spinning,… I passed out eventually but woke up at 3am to throw up," they posted.
Anne-Sofie's mother Anne-Marie said it was upsetting to think what happened to her daughter could happen to another tourist.
"I can't stand the thought about young people having to go through this without knowing or anything. It's pure pain. Pure pain," she said.
"It's young life. They're doing what we tell them to do, to go out and meet other cultures.
"And then there is these things that are impossible for them to see, to smell, to recognise, and then they will, you know, be dead within a short time."