The heartbreaking promise Thai teen made to her family before her alleged murder by Aussie truck driver

By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA and JONICA BRAY, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 11:41, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 11:41, 13 July 2026 Harrowing new details have emerged about a Thai teen's final selfless vow to her family before she was allegedly strangled to death by an Aussie truck driver. Simon Peter Carman, 45, from Perth's southern suburbs, remains in custody, charged with murder after the body of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla was found inside a black suitcase near railway tracks outside Pattaya on June 26. Carman was arrested at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport just minutes before he tried to board a Jetstar flight to Perth. Nine days earlier, Ms Donhomla travelled from her home in Thailand's north about 600km to the bustling city of Pattaya. She wanted a holiday to 'see the beach' and had vowed to return soon.  Back in her village of Ban Bo, the 'dutiful teenager' would look after her baby cousin Wayu frequently and had promised to bring back clothes for him while she was visiting Pattaya. She also washed dishes for a job to help her struggling family make ends meet, her grieving father Thongchai Donhomla told The Age. He also revealed how his daughter, nicknamed 'Cake'  liked to wear make-up and nice dresses. She would call her father a 'dinosaur' whenever he teased her about her clothes. A victim of school bullying, Ms Donhomla had very few friends and spent long periods alone in her bedroom. Tunchanok Donhomla had promised to buy clothes for her baby cousin while visiting Pattaya. Sadly, the Thai teen would not return home alive Tunchanok Donhomla is pictured with her father Thongchai and stepmother Oradee just months before her death Simon Peter Carman, 45, from Perth's southern suburbs, is accused of strangling the teen to death Her father recalled how he previously nicknamed her 'Dukdik', an endearing Thai term used to describe someone or something that cannot sit still. 'She complained it sounded like the name of a puppy,' he told the publication. Mr Donhomla added that he was 'immediately troubled' by police reports that his daughter had allegedly 'agreed to engage in sexual services' with Carman. The family previously ruled out any compensation deal with Carman, which could reduce his sentence to as little as seven years in jail under Thai law. Mr Donhomla said he wants 'the legal process to take its course'. 'I am poor, (but) I will not trade my daughter's dignity for money, I love my daughter so much.' Ms Donhomla had given friends Carman's address after the pair met up on Jomtien Beach in the early hours of June 25. A concerned friend then reported the teen missing the next day to police and later confronted Carman at his condo when she vanished. Simon Carman was confronted by Ms Donhomla's friends at his condo after the missing teen failed to return home By then, Carman had already allegedly strangled Ms Donhomla to death and dumped her body in the suitcase a short scooter ride away. Carman has been charged with murder, concealing and moving a body, and taking a minor aged between 15 and 18 for sexual purposes. He claims he acted in self-defence, alleging that Ms Donhomla attacked him with a knife during an argument over money. Carman was remanded in custody for 84 days, which is the maximum period police can request before an indictment is filed. He is currently being held at Pattaya Remand Prison. A murder conviction in Thailand can result in the death penalty or a jail sentence of 15 to 20 years. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.