Still No Funds For New B1Bn Phuket Prison

[webfact]

Still no funds for new B1bn Phuket prison
Nattha Thepbamrung



PHUKET: -- With prisoner numbers now at bursting point in the existing overcrowded and ancient prison in Phuket Town, the director of Phuket Provincial Prison is hoping that the funds to build a new B1 billion prison in Thalang will be included in the 2014 government budget.

Phuket's jail was declared a 'white prison' after 200 officials searched the place and found no drugs or mobile phones.
The money has already taken a long time coming – the proposal to build a new prison was first mooted in 2002, when Manit Suthaporn, the top official in the Ministry of Justice, announced that the prison would be closed, and inmates moved either to Bangkok or to a new prison planned for Baan Bang Jo, Thalang.

A decision was made then to build a new prison, rather than upgrade the current one, which is set on limited land, and the request for the budget was made in October last year. So far no decision has been made by the government.

Prison Director Rapin Nichanon told The Phuket News yesterday (March 6) that the current prison was about 115 years old.

“It can hold only 760 people comfortably, but now there are around 2,000 prisoners – 1,800 men and 320 women. It is very overcrowded” he said.

The prison had asked the government “many times” for the budget to build but so far the funding had not been approved.

However, the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Pracha Prasopdee, confirmed he would push this project in parliament and promised the project would go ahead.

Mr Pracha agreed that the current prison was too crowded and very old, and said the government “realised the importance of building a new one”.

“I hope the new prison will eventually happen,” Mr Rapin said.

The new prison in Bang Jo will cover 108 rai of land, and have state-of-the-art facilities.

Water treatment plants, sports facilities, a football field, a skills training school and comfortable dormitories will all be part of an effort to improve the quality of life for prisoners.

“We must prepare them to enter society again as good people and with the skills to find work and contribute to the community,” Mr Rapin said.

“The new prison will be a “white prison” (meaning drug-free) as well, meaning we take security seriously relating to drugs. We enforce this strongly.”

The current prison was declared a “white prison” in June last year after a massive dawn search four months earlier, involving 200 officials, found no drugs and no mobile phones. All inmates were also urine-tested for drugs.

Roughly 85 per cent of all the convicts in Phuket Prison are doing time for drug-related offences.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/still-no-funds-for-new-b1bn-phuket-prison-37591.php


-- Phuket News 2013-03-07

[Jimi007]

Roughly 85 per cent of all the convicts in Phuket Prison are doing time for drug-related offences.

Prohibition has never worked in any country. Although the scourge of methamphetamine should be wiped out!

[retell]

just let wanted criminal no1 pay for it

[JetsetBkk]

just let wanted criminal no1 pay for it

He should be in it.