Thai family mourns girl found dead in suitcase as Australian arrested

BANGKOK- The family of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found in a suitcase in Pattaya said they were devastated by her death, for which an Australian man has been arrested and charged with murder.

Thai police said they arrested an Australian man in his 40s at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport early on Saturday in connection with the killing in Pattaya, about 150 km (93 miles) east of Bangkok.

The suspect, identified as Simon Peter Carman, faces charges of murder, concealment of a body, moving or destroying a body, and taking a minor for sexual purposes.

Thai police said they reviewed CCTV footage that showed Carman entering a condominium with the girl, then leaving alone hours later carrying a suitcase.

In a post on its official Facebook page, police said he loaded the suitcase onto a motorcycle and rode to a grassy area near a railway line. Police later issued an arrest warrant and arrested Carman at the airport as he prepared to board a flight back to Australia.

In an investigation room at the police station, Carman issued a message to the victim’s family before being transferred to the Pattaya Provincial Court.

"I feel bad for what happened to your daughter. It was out of my control," he said.

The victim's father, Thongchai Donhomla, 46, said he was struggling to come to terms with the loss. "I am deeply saddened. My daughter had no mother, so whenever she wanted anything, she would find a way herself, and she always helped me too," he said.

Her stepmother, Oradee Bussarakum, said she wanted the suspect to face the harshest punishment. "I told the police I want him executed. As a (step)mother, I don't know what else to say ... I just want him to face the full consequences," she said.

Police have not said when Carman will first face the court.

-Reporting by Napat Wesshasartar; Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Sonali Paul/Reuters