Bangkok hotel deaths: Suspect claimed she was Dubai billionaire’s wife, says victim’s mother

DA NANG, Vietnam: A woman suspected of fatally poisoning several Vietnamese nationals and killing herself in Bangkok was a “special client” of one of the victims, forking out thousands of dollars for him to travel and provide makeup services for her, his mother and friend told CNA.

They said Tran Dinh Phu, 37, was paid about US$5,000 for each trip by Sherine Chong, who presented herself as the wife of a billionaire from Dubai.

Phu and Chong were among six Vietnamese nationals who are presumed to have died after ingesting cyanide from teacups in a suite at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel.

They were found by housekeepers in the room under mysterious circumstances on Tuesday (Jul 16) afternoon. Thai police released their images and identities the following day.

Police have concluded it was likely a murder-suicide case, with Chong, 56, believed to have carried out the crime.

According to the Thai daily Kaosod English, citing sources, she had persuaded a couple in the group to invest in building a hospital in Japan.

However, they ended up losing 10 million baht (US$278,000). The conflicting parties then apparently agreed to meet in Bangkok to settle things.

Two of the deceased - Dang Hung Van, 55, and Chong - held dual United States citizenship.

Apart from Phu, the three others were Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan, 47, Pham Hong Thanh, 49, and Nguyen Thi Phuong, 46.

Some of their families have flown to Bangkok and are working with the police to bring the bodies home.

PHU OFTEN TRAVELLED TO BANGKOK

When CNA visited the home of Phu’s parents, who live in a working-class neighbourhood in Vietnam’s central Da Nang province, his mother shared about the pain and shock that the family is going through.

"Sometimes when I hear the sounds of someone opening the house's gates, I think to myself: ‘It would be my son Phu back from work’,” said Le Thi Tuy.

“I just can't believe that my son died. I could never imagine that work trip of his became the last, and I could never ever see him again.”

According to Le and Phu’s friend Pham Mai Quynh, Phu had been working for Chong for the past year.

Phu, better known as Phu Gia Gia on Facebook, was a famous makeup artist in Da Nang city. His public posts on the social media platform often featured his works with clients such as brides, artists, and models for weddings, beauty contests or fashion shows.

Family members said he often travelled out of Vietnam for work, with regular visits to Bangkok.

Quynh told CNA that Phu had confided in her about working for the wife of a Dubai billionaire.

A woman in Da Nang had introduced Phu to Chong, his mother said.

Quynh said: “He showed me the photo of that person. He said the client paid him very well – US$5,000 for each travel trip for doing makeup for her. He also travelled for this client to other places, such as Hong Kong, not just in Thailand.”

According to Quynh, Phu said the client was “very difficult” and had to check with her feng shui master in Hong Kong to assess his suitability as her makeup artist.

The group had checked into the hotel at separate times after arriving on Saturday and Sunday, according to the chief of Bangkok's Metropolitan Police Thiti Saengsawang.

They booked different rooms - four on the seventh floor and one on the fifth floor. Cleaning staff discovered the six bodies on Tuesday afternoon - all in the fifth-floor room - after the guests had failed to check out as scheduled.

There were no signs of robbery or a struggle. The room was locked from the inside.

Investigators believe they had been dead for between 12 and 24 hours by then.

According to Quynh, Phu had just returned to Vietnam from Bangkok the previous week on Jul 10. He had been there on a work trip for Chong.

Phu then told Quynh he had to return to Bangkok on Jul 12 for work.

The bodies were found four days later.

FAMILY HAS QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED

Phu’s relatives and friends told CNA that Vietnamese authorities only confirmed his death a day after news of the deaths broke. This was after reports and photos of the victims flashed across Thai and Vietnamese media.

Despite Thai police having held a press conference on Wednesday, his family still have questions about what happened.

Police previously said that traces of cyanide were found in the liquid in a teapot and in six cups in the hotel room.

However, Phu’s friends and family said he never drank tea or coffee.

Le, his mother, pointed out that photos of the crime scene showed a bottle of water on the table in the hotel suite.

“He doesn't drink tea, coffee or beer … When my son travelled, he often bought water bottles and opened them himself to drink. But someone was horrible enough to put the poison into the bottle,” she claimed.