Thai police arrested a 46-year-old Australian man on Friday evening at an airport in Pattaya as he was about to fly home to Perth. He has been charged in connection with the death of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found inside a suitcase, according to Reuters.

Police say he loaded the suitcase with the girl's body onto a motorcycle and drove it to an area near a railway line, where he left it. The Guardian reported that he was arrested at the airport as he prepared to board a flight.

Pattaya is a popular seaside city about 150 kilometres south of Bangkok where many Australian tourists visit. Australia has legal rights in this situation: international agreements require Thailand to tell Australian officials about the arrest and allow the man to have a lawyer.

The girl was 17 years old. Thai law punishes crimes against minors more severely than crimes against adults, which may affect how prosecutors handle the case.

When someone is arrested in Thailand, the case goes to court following set legal steps. Because this is serious, it will likely go to a higher court. The Australian government will keep watch on the case to make sure the man is treated fairly.

Al Jazeera reported that police are treating this as a murder case. But it's important to remember: police claims are not the same as proof. In the legal system, a person is considered innocent until a court says otherwise.

This case is at an early stage. A teenager is dead, a man is in custody, and police have described what they believe happened. The actual trial and evidence-gathering are just beginning.