The body of a 17-year-old girl in Pattaya, Thailand, was found in a suitcase along a railway line.

Thai police have since arrested a 45-year-old Australian man, Simon Carman, on Jun. 26 at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, according to Australian Broadcasting Channel News (ABC News).

Carman allegedly picked up the 17-year-old, named Tunchanok Donhomla, from the Beach Road vice strip in Pattaya on Jun. 25.

CCTV footage later showed the pair holding hands and going to Carman's room before Carman appeared the next evening with a black suitcase in tow.

Met in Pattaya

When Tunchanok did not make any contact for more than 24 hours, her friends reported her missing, Pattaya News reported.

Police traced her last steps to the building she entered with Carman, where the pair was seen entering at around 3:34am on Jun. 25.

CCTV also showed Carman leaving the building at 9:34pm with a black suitcase and loading it onto a black motorcycle.

They then traced the motorcycle's route via CCTV and located the suitcase about 4.2km away.

The 17-year-old girl was found dead with injuries consistent of an assault inside.

Arrested at airport

A travel ban notice was issued for Carman, who was eventually arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

He reportedly denied the accusation when he was first arrested, only coming clean when presented with CCTV footage.

Carman also had visible scratch marks on his neck and arms.

Claimed self-defence

Carman reportedly told police that he had acted in self-defence.

He claimed to have invited the girl back to his long-term rented condominium after meeting her at Pattaya Beach around 3am on Jun. 25.

Once inside, she allegedly received a phone call and later told him she wanted to leave as she was on her period.

She allegedly asked Carman for 500 baht (S$19.40) in compensation but later demanded more money, leading to a heated argument.

Carman claimed that the girl then grabbed a kitchen knife and pointed it at his neck.

He claimed this led him to use his left hand to grab her hand while using his right hand to choke her neck until she became still.

Carman insisted he had no intention to kill her and acted only in self-defence.

Police have charged Carman with intentional murder, concealing or disposing of a body, and abducting/taking a minor (aged over 15 but under 18) for indecent purposes.

He has been remanded in custody by Pattaya Provincial Court for further investigation.

As the ongoing dispute within one of Thailand’s wealthiest families continues, questions have been raised about the century-old law at the centre of the matter.

The mother of Siranudh “Psi” Scott, the alleged victim in the case, had in February sued her younger son under Thailand’s unique “Ungrateful Child” law.

Chiranuj Bhirombhakdi, the matriarch of the Singha Beer family, had initiated the lawsuit over an inheritance dispute involving assets from his late grandfather.

She also accused her son of damaging the family's reputation after Siranudh publicly accused his elder brother, Sunit "Pi" Scott, of sexually abusing him during his teenage years.

Neglectful children

The century-old "ungrateful child" law, as reported by AFP, via the Malay Mail, and the Telegraph, is intended to protect parents from neglectful children.

It enables parents to revoke gifts if their children are considered “ungrateful, physically abusive, neglectful in old age, or responsible for serious reputational harm".

In her suit, Chiranuj argued that Siranudh has damaged the family's reputation.

She is looking to reclaim millions of dollars worth of land gifted to Siranudh by his late grandfather, Chamnong Bhirombhakdi, who was himself the youngest son of Phraya Bhirombhakdi, the founder of the Singha Beer empire.

The lawsuit prompted Siranudh to reveal more details via social media about the alleged abuse, including a four-minute audio clip involving a confrontation with his elder brother Sunit.

Tore up contract

Siranudh, 29, said that his brother and a nanny subjected him to sexual abuse between the ages of 12 and 24, allegations that he said he showed his family proof of.

But instead of taking action regarding the abuse, he was made to sign a contract promising his silence, in exchange for five million baht per year (S$195,500).

Earlier in June, Siranudh publicly tore up the contract, saying that his family could not "buy my voice, buy my humanity."

Siranudh added that his mother called him an "ungrateful child" because he dared speak out about his abuse.

Expert opinion

AFP spoke to several experts about Thailand's ungrateful child law, with an anthropology professor at Chulalongkorn University, Jiraporn Laocharoenwong, saying that the English translation of "ungrateful" or "ingratitude" did not convey the much stronger moral meaning the term had in Thai.

“It refers not simply to failing to appreciate someone's kindness but to betraying or violating a relationship of care and obligation.”

Many such cases usually occur within wealthy families, and Pimyaphat Jullaphan, a Thai family lawyer, said that most are resolved through court-mediated negotiations rather than judicial rulings.

The focus in these cases, he said, is on compromise in order to help repair family relationships rather than to declare a winner or loser.

Such cases usually occur when children are deemed to have failed to take care of their parents, something which is considered one of Thai culture's highest values.

Western societies, he said, do not always have a direct equivalent.

Parental obligations

However, it was noted that Thai law also obliges parents to care for their children, although the ability for children to seek redress against delinquent parents was limited.

Jiraporn said that the case involving Siranudh and the Singha family invited Thais to consider the conditions under which a familial moral debt is "created, challenged, or even broken."

Siranudh himself has argued that the law reflects an outdated view of family relationships, and has "no place in a liberal society that places importance on the welfare of children".

"Looking at the fine print, this law is an attempt to kind of silence any damage done to a family name. Anything remotely damaging to the name is considered disobedient possibly by the law," he told AFP.

Siranudh and his mother are due to appear in court on Jul. 8, after several failed rounds of mediation.

Related stories

Tower Transit Singapore (TTS) celebrated its 10th anniversary today (Jun. 27) by unveiling Singapore’s first-ever wedding bus.

For its very first special event, disability advocate Alister Ong proposed to his girlfriend, Jasmine, amidst decorations by Singaporean design firm Med Karlek.

Ong, 33, lives with cerebral palsy, and is also a public speaker and a board member of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore.

Proposals and bus rides

The wheelchair-bound Ong proposed to his girlfriend of seven years just in front of TTS's special electric bus.

The new "wedding bus" was bedecked with pastel flowers and quirky decorations like a “priority seat” sign with stylised bride and groom logos, and long ribbons trailing behind the bus.

Ong and Jasmine said that the decision to incorporate a bus into their proposal plan was a straightforward one, as they both recalled the role that buses had played in their relationship.

Over the course of their seven-year relationship, Ong would send Jasmine home on the bus, before making the journey home himself, often catching the last bus to do so.

Jasmine reminisced about the many meaningful conversations they had shared, and how “much of our love story has been intertwined with public transport.”

Accessibility

To mark the occasion, TTS and designer Med Karlek had consulted the couple on the decorations for the bus.

Ong also expressed his thanks to TTS, saying he appreciated that they had made the event very accessible, with the Bulim Depot having several accessibility features such as slopes, ramps, and elevators.

Ong commented that as a wheelchair user, he was “thankful that public transport has been more accessible” over the years, pointing out the wheelchair spaces on buses (where they were speaking to press), as well as ramps on buses which make it easier for him to board and alight.

10 years on the road

The event also saw TTS unveil new bus captain uniforms, mental wellness programmes, and the pilot of a Bus Executive Officer scheme, which combined active bus driving with a supervisory role in operations.

Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow was present to deliver an opening speech, as well as to observe Ong and Jasmine’s proposal.

Siow recalled his time working in the Ministry of Transport as a civil servant between 2012 and 2017, where he saw TTS join Singapore’s transport framework.

Paying tribute to TTS, he credited them for taking “the leap” in partnership with the Singapore government, and for bringing “new thinking to our shores”.

Available for charter

As for Ong and Jasmine's love story, TTS said it would continue to celebrate the occasion with them by sponsoring the official wedding ceremony, which will also take place on the bus.

The wedding bus will soon be made available as part of a two-hour charter service around Singapore, for other couples to celebrate their own weddings.

In addition to floral decor and full bridal livery, the bus also comes with a red carpeted aisle, onboard TV and karaoke system, as well as a collapsible registry table.

A durian stall assistant who was handed the passcode to his outlet's safe while covering for his supervisor over Chinese New Year (CNY) ended up stealing S$17,300 from it.

He then lost the entire sum gambling at Marina Bay Sands (MBS).

Malaysian national Tan An Sheng, 26, pleaded guilty to one charge of criminal breach of trust and was sentenced to 5 months' jail, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Got the safe passcode standing in for his supervisor

The stall in question was Top Durian Station at Block 154 Bukit Batok Street 11.

During the CNY period from Feb. 18 to 22, 2026, the supervisor of the stall went on leave.

Tan was subsequently assigned to take over the role temporarily.

He was given the safe's passcode for the first time, and made responsible for tallying and reporting each day's profit or loss before depositing the takings into the safe.

During this period when he worked at Top Durian Station, Tan was the only employee who held the passcode; before then, the supervisor had always handled the deposits personally.

Lost S$17,300 at MBS

On Feb. 20 and 22, Tan stole a total of S$17,300 from the safe on two separate occasions.

The first time, he made off with a stack of S$50 notes totalling S$1,000; the second time, he swept up the remaining S$16,300 in cash.

He then took the stolen money to the casino at MBS, hoping to win enough to repay his debts to moneylenders.

Instead, he lost everything.

About 50 customers turned up to "collect debts"

He eventually confessed his crimes to his employer.

The stall's operator, Cai Ming You, told Shin Min that Tan had worked for the company for about eight or nine months before the offence, and that he had initially been unaware Tan had a gambling habit.

The company had originally intended to give Tan a chance by deducting repayments from his salary as restitution, Cai said.

But after repaying around S$2,204, Tan apparently relapsed into his old ways and borrowed money from both customers and neighbouring stallowners to feed his gambling habit.

About 50 customers later came knocking one after another, demanding that Tan repay them, Shin Min reported.

Even after the company made the police report and Tan was arrested, people continued coming to the stall to look for him, Cai said.

Everybody lent him cash

Several stall owners and assistants confirmed that they had lent cash to Tan, according to Shin Min.

Jenny, 37, who runs a fish soup stall, said Tan had told her he had been issued a fine and urgently needed to borrow money.

He looked like an honest person, so she lent it to him without even noting down his contact details, she said.

"When I didn't see him for the next few days, I went to the durian stall to ask for my money back.

That's when I found out he had been borrowing from people, with one person even lending him $1,000. I don't think I'll ever get my money back. I won't be so quick to lend money to others again."

Fong, 43, who owns a nearby Vietnamese grocery shop, said Tan had made similar claims and asked to borrow S$700.

He felt it was only right to help out a "neighbour", only to realise after handing over the money that Tan was a gambler.

"He repaid $400 and said he would pay the rest when he received his salary, but he was arrested.

I didn't make a police report, but I hope he reflects on what he has done."

In mitigation, Tan said he had realised the seriousness of his actions and apologised for damaging the company's business and reputation.

He also expressed remorse to his supervisors and colleagues, and appealed for leniency.

A Shopee delivery rider allegedly orchestrated a wrong delivery by "accidentally" delivering a package to the wrong unit.

After taking a photo indicating proof of delivery, he apparently made off with the parcel instead.

The woman, who gave her surname as Toh, shared the footage from her doorbell camera in a post on HardwareZone on Jun. 27.

She told Mothership that the package was a coffee portafilter and tamper device that cost around S$140.

In response to Mothership's queries, a Shopee spokesperson confirmed that the order has since been refunded, and that disciplinary action has been taken against the personnel involved.

Rider "glanced" at her unit first

According to Toh, she had been expecting a parcel that day (Jun. 26).

Footage showed the man, dressed in orange, walking across the corridor and appearing to glance at her unit.

He then headed to another unit to take the proof-of-delivery photo.

According to the footage, he appeared to "shake his phone" while taking the photo, before walking away with the parcel still in his hands.

Toh did not receive her parcel in the end.

"He can cry wolf"

Toh went on to lay out her suspicions about the deliveryman's alleged intent.

With his "proof of delivery", he could claim that he had erroneously made the delivery to the neighbour's unit, and accuse the neighbour of taking the parcel, she said.

"Imagine how this could create a huge misunderstanding with your neighbour if there's no evidence," she pointed out.

She added that she believed he had deliberately made the photo "a bit blurry" so he could later argue he had misread the unit number.

Without her doorbell footage, the situation could have become tricky, she said.

S$140 of coffee gear

Speaking with Mothership, Toh said she had first checked in with her neighbour over WhatsApp when she saw the "proof" that the item had been delivered to his unit.

It was only later, she said, that she reviewed the doorbell footage more closely and realised the rider had taken the item away.

"[You can give] him the benefit of doubt that he's too tired, too blur, too whatever... [but] in the end I didn't receive my parcel," she said.

She has since lodged a report with Shopee, who told her that they would need three days to investigate before deciding on the next course of action.

In response to Mothership's queries, a Shopee spokesperson said they take the matter "very seriously".

"Our investigations found that the delivery personnel failed to follow our delivery procedures when completing the delivery record.

The order has since been refunded, and disciplinary action has been taken against the personnel involved."

The incorrect proof did not end up causing any issues for the neighbour, the spokesperson clarified.

The spokesperson added that it is working with its delivery partner to improve compliance, and encouraged customers who encounter missing parcels to report them.

"We will investigate each case thoroughly and assist with refunds where appropriate," the spokesperson said.

A popular Japanese park where wild monkeys bathe in natural hot springs will cap daily visitor numbers and move to online ticketing from August 2026.

This follows a surge in crowds and a run of bad tourist behaviour, The Japan Times reported.

Tourists tried to bathe with the monkeys

Jigokudani Monkey Park is a popular attraction in Nagano, Japan, famous for its wild Japanese macaques.

In recent years, visitor numbers have climbed sharply, sometimes hitting 3,000 to 4,000 a day.

The vast majority are foreign tourists, according to a park official who declined to be named.

As the crowds grew, so did instances of poor behaviour, with some visitors trying to feed or touch the animals.

Some even tried to bathe with them, according to the report.

Not a human onsen: Park

The park's official guidance tells visitors not to feed, touch or stare at the monkeys, to keep their distance, and not to bring pets.

Those who break the rules may be asked to leave.

On bathing, the park is even more blunt. Its guide page states:

"Our facility is to provide the place for observation of monkeys' ecology to everyone. [It is] not an onsen (hot spring) facility for human bathing."

Overtourism problem

The official said the queues have become a major problem:

"We have been seeing incredibly long queues of visitors waiting outside the ticket booth. To ease that, we will have them buy tickets in advance online.”

The park will introduce the online booking system in August, with a possible daily cap of 2,000 people, according to The Japan Times.

On its own website, the park separately confirmed the change, saying it often receives more visitors than it can accommodate during the winter season, which leads to long queues outside the entrance.

It added that it will introduce online ticket sales with fixed visit dates to reduce crowding.

Part of a wider overtourism problem

The crackdown comes as Japan grapples with record tourist numbers.

About 42.7 million tourists visited Japan in 2025, an all-time high, with the weak yen making the country a more affordable "bucket list" destination.

That boom has also fuelled friction elsewhere.

In Kyoto, tourists have been accused of harassing kimono-clad geisha performers in the rush for photos.

A cherry blossom festival near Mount Fuji in Fujiyoshida was also cancelled after residents said their "quiet lives" were under threat, with complaints of trespassing, littering and people defecating in private gardens.

To head to university as a 19-year-old is exciting enough for many, to do so for double degrees is incredibly impressive.

But Guo Bin from Shanxi province in China is even more remarkable, as he has achieved these feats after being blinded at age six in a horrific attack.

Horrific attack

China Daily reported on Guo's past and current circumstances.

In 2013, his parents, who were farmers, found the boy in a field, his face covered in blood.

They took him to the hospital, only to find out that his eyes were missing.

His assailant is believed to be his aunt, who took her own life shortly after the attack.

No reason was ever found.

Wuhan school for the Blind

After undergoing a life-saving treatment, Guo was invited to join a community of blind students and mentors in Wuhan, reported China Daily on Jun. 24.

He was enrolled in the Wuhan School for the Blind, where he continued his studies in Braille and excelled academically.

"He explores every question repeatedly and helps classmates patiently," his math teacher said.

The teen also picked up music, co-founding Hubei's first blind electric band as well as mastering multiple instruments and winning national awards.

Sat for entrance exams

12 years later, he sat for China’s college entrance exams for students with disabilities, scoring an exemplary 721 out of 800.

He received high marks in math, Chinese, English, and top marks in anatomy, chemistry, and physics, according to the report.

Guo will attend Changchun University to pursue a double degree in computer science and traditional Chinese medicine.

Asked about his future, he said hopes to return to the Wuhan School for the Blind as a teacher to guide other visually impaired children.

A 20-year-old Singaporean was the sole survivor of a fatal car crash in Kuala Lumpur early on Saturday (Jun. 27).

The sports car had skidded, crashed and burst into flames, reported Malaysian media.

The Singaporean, who was in the back seat, escaped with minor injuries.

The driver and front-seat passenger, both university students, were trapped inside and burnt to death.

Car bursts into flames

The car is believed to have skidded before catching fire at the Jalan Kuching exit ramp on the Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (DUKE), the New Straits Times (NST) reported.

The Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department said rescuers were sent to the scene after it received an emergency call at 5:20am.

They arrived to find the vehicle engulfed in flames.

While they managed to rescue one of the victims, the other two remained trapped in the car and were burnt to death, said the department's operations commander.

They managed to extinguish the fire, but the car was "destroyed", he said.

Driver was a student in Australia

The car, a BMW, was driven by a 22-year-old Malaysian man who was a student at the University of Brisbane in Australia.

The 21-year-old front-seat passenger was a student studying in Sunway University in Malaysia.

The two casualties have not been formally identified.

The Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department Chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zamzuri said this would be done through DNA analysis, NST reported.

Meanwhile, the Singaporean suffered minor injuries to his hands and legs and was taken to Kuala Lumpur Hospital for treatment.

Under investigation

Police believe the car was being driven at speed before the driver lost control and crashed into a road divider, The Star reported.

The impact apparently caused it to catch fire.

Officers have requested CCTV footage from the area and carried out preliminary questioning, with the survivor's statement also being recorded.

The cause of the accident and fire is still under investigation.

A drinking session between two friends in Thailand's Khon Kaen province ended with one man dead, after the other allegedly accused him of being a ghost and beat him with a hammer.

Wichan Khunsri, 59, was arrested over the death of his friend, Banjong Daphaeng, 57, on Jun. 24, The Thaiger reported.

Drinking since morning

The pair had been drinking white liquor together at a hut, which Wichan owned, since the morning.

But an argument broke out at around 5pm, investigators said.

Police have not disclosed what triggered the dispute.

During the confrontation, Wichan accused Banjong of being a "Phi Pop" — a cannibalistic spirit in Thai folklore — before fetching a hammer from inside the hut and attacking him.

Wichan struck Banjong on the head and body about 20 times, inflicting severe injuries, according to the police superintendent.

The police turned up at around 7pm and took Wichan into custody.

Banjong was rushed to Nam Phong Hospital, but later died.

Suspect waited at the scene

Wichan made no attempt to flee and remained at the hut until officers arrived, police said. He did not resist arrest.

Investigators sealed off the hut for forensic examination, photographing the scene and collecting evidence, the Thai Examiner reported.

Banjong's body will also undergo a forensic examination.

Wichan was handed over to investigators and faces a charge of assault causing death. Police said the case is proceeding through the legal process.

A 33-year-old woman has been arrested by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) for her suspected involvement in a case of loanshark harassment.

Loanshark harassment

On Jun. 25 at around 10:40pm, the SPF was alerted to a case of loanshark harassment at a residential unit along Jurong West Street 65.

The main door of the unit was splashed with white paint.

Photos of the incident showed an outdoor shoe cabinet covered in splashes of paint, which also partially covered the floor.

The woman was identified by officers from the Jurong Police Division, through follow-up investigations and images taken from police cameras.

She was arrested on Jun. 26.

Preliminary investigations indicate that she is also involved in other cases of loanshark harassment, said SPF.

The woman will be charged in court on Jun. 27 under the Moneylenders Act 2008.

First-time offenders for loanshark harassment face a fine of between S$5,000 and S$50,000, up to five years' jail, as well as up to six strokes of the cane.

Zero tolerance

In a police news release, the police warned that they have "zero tolerance" for loanshark harassment.

Those who would deliberately vandalise property, cause annoyance, or disrupt public safety, peace, and security will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.

The police advised staying away from loansharks, as well as to not assist or work with them in any way.

Members of the public can call 999 if they suspect someone they know of being involved in loansharking activities.