Her Royal Highness received a formal welcome on landing at Phuket International Airport, before travelling to Phuket Provincial Prison in Srisoonthorn.
At the prison, Her Royal Highness presided over the opening ceremony for ‘Library of Wisdom, No. 31’, created as part of a Department of Corrections initiative launched with royal support.
The project aims to increase literacy among inmates so they have a better chance of a successful life after their release.
The ‘Library of Wisdom’ at Phuket Prison features more than 10,000 titles, and has been designed to replicate the ambience of Phuket Old Town, so that it is reflects a multicultural society with people living together, including Thai Muslims, Sikhs and Sao Chin Babam, or Peranakan, explained an official report of the event.
The library also includes royal writings and books, general knowledge books, reference books, novels, journals and magazines, and features an electronic media corner for ‘E-Learning’.
In addition, the library already holds activities to promote reading, telling stories from royal writings and the availability of audio books which have received royal permission to produce royal writings in multimedia format so prisoners can listen to them in their dormitories.
As a result, the number of inmates interested in borrowing books has increased by more than 30%, noted the official report.
“The Library Association of Thailand Under the Royal Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has come to provide advice and organise training in the library programme for prisoners in bringing books into the system for searching and borrowing,” the official report added.
Phuket Provincial Prison is currently home to 3,795 inmates, comprising 3,276 men and 519 women.
There are 524 inmates undergoing education while incarcerated at the facility, with 94 are undergoing non-formal education lessons, 203 in primary education, and 142 in middle school.
There 138 people studying at high school level lessons, eight people are studying for bachelor’s degrees and 62 people graduated in the academic year 2023, the report concluded.