A 17-year-old girl, Nong Tong, has disappeared in Pattaya, Thailand, after informing friends she was scheduled to meet an older foreigner at the Central Pattaya shopping mall. Her disappearance on Saturday comes weeks after an Australian truck driver was charged in connection with the death of another teenager in the same city.
Nong Tong's loved ones are actively trying to retrace her last known movements and identify the man she was supposed to meet. Her sister, Pinanong Lansettha, stated that Nong Tong might have met the individual online through an app. "We don't know who she was meeting or where he was from," Lansettha told the Daily Mail.
Friends have expressed concern, noting that Nong Tong's sudden silence and absence from social media are out of character. Some locals reported seeing her socializing with foreigners at the Stone House pub around the time she vanished. Nong Tong, who is unable to work in local bars due to her age, reportedly went to meet the man before her disappearance. "She doesn't work in the bars or the street, she is freelance and went to meet an older foreigner and I can't contact her since then," Lansettha said.
The circumstances bear a resemblance to the case of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla, whose body was discovered in a suitcase near railway tracks in Pattaya last month. Australian truck driver Simon Carman, 46, has been charged with her murder and is currently held at Pattaya Remand Prison. Carman has denied the murder charge, claiming self-defense after Ms. Donhomla allegedly produced a knife and demanded money. CCTV footage showed Carman transporting a suitcase on his scooter the evening after Ms. Donhomla's death. He was apprehended at Bangkok airport, reportedly attempting to fly to Perth, though he maintained he was only collecting a bank card and intended to return to Thailand.
Both Ms. Tong and Ms. Donhomla had relocated to Pattaya from rural provinces in search of employment. In both instances, friends raised alarms after the young women failed to return home and became unreachable. While prostitution is technically illegal in Thailand, it is a prevalent industry in Pattaya's nightlife areas, where many women engage with foreign tourists.