The family of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found in a suitcase in a resort city are "devastated", her stepmother said Monday, as authorities charged an Australian man for her murder.

The 46-year-old was stopped at about 9.30pm on Friday while preparing to board a Jetstar flight to Perth, according to the Nation Thailand

An Australian man has been arrested at a Thai airport after the body of a 17-year-old girl was found dumped in a suitcase.