The death of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla, whose body was found in a suitcase beside railway tracks in Pattaya in June, has renewed attention on the dangers surrounding the city's illegal sex trade.
Australian man Simon Carman, 45, has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in Pattaya Provincial Court. He remains in custody after being refused bail, with prosecutors arguing that he could flee Thailand.
Teenager's death court hearing
Tunchanok, known as Cake, travelled almost 600 kilometres from Kalasin in north-eastern Thailand to Pattaya in June, telling her family she was taking a short holiday. A former teacher said she worked as a waitress, sometimes sold garlands on the street and was trying to complete school while helping support her father and stepmother.
Her naked body was discovered in a suitcase in the early hours of June 27. Police and CCTV footage indicate she met Carman on Beach Road two days earlier before they went to his apartment.
What happened inside is disputed. Carman told ABC Foreign Correspondent that Cake had offered sexual services, while her family denied she was a sex worker. He claimed they fought over money and that she threatened him with a knife.
"I consistently told her to 'put down the knife'," Carman said from Pattaya Remand Prison, claiming he had acted in self-defence. He said he did not know she was 17.
Carman has been charged with four offences, including murder, concealing a corpse, and abducting a minor aged over 15 but under 18 for indecent purposes. He pleaded not guilty to all charges at his first court hearing. A murder conviction can carry life imprisonment or the death penalty in Thailand.
A city reliant on nightlife tourism
Foreign Correspondent TV programme, on ABC, highlighted that Pattaya, a city of about 120,000 people, attracted almost 10 million foreign tourists last year, contributing about $9.5 billion to the local economy. Although prostitution is illegal in Thailand, the trade remains deeply embedded in Pattaya's nightlife economy.
There are estimates of about 50,000 sex workers in the city, including people from rural Thai communities and neighbouring Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Former sex worker and bar manager Mother Aood, 72, described the industry as indispensable to Pattaya's economy.
Gigi, a ladyboy sex worker who has worked in Pattaya for 14 years, said workers often do not know what a client may want or how they might behave. She said sex workers had been strangled or beaten, and recalled a client who threatened her with a knife while taking drugs.
Police Colonel Anek Srathongyoo, Pattaya City Police superintendent, called Cake's death heartbreaking but said Pattaya remained safe and worth visiting. Police estimate that foreigners are involved in almost one in three criminal incidents in the city.
For foreign residents and visitors, the case is a reminder that Pattaya's nightlife operates within Thai criminal law, including strict offences involving minors. Visitors should avoid potentially unsafe private encounters, understand that sex work is illegal, and contact police or tourist police if they face threats or violence.
Full video is here Surviving-Sin-City
Pictures courtesy of ABC News
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23 September 2026
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