Air Chief Marshal Somkid Sukhbang, the King’s Close Adviser to Her Royal Highness Princess Pacharikit Yaphanrennirathep, the Duke of Ratchasririni Siripachara, and Vice Chairman of the Kamlang Jai Fund, visited Nakhon Si Thammarat Central Prison and Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University on July 1, 2025, to monitor the progress of the Kamlang Jai Project under the royal initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Pacharikit Yaphanrennirathep.

On Tuesday, July 1, 2025, Air Chief Marshal Somkid Sukhbang, the King’s Close Adviser to Her Royal Highness Princess Pacharikit Yaphanrennirathep, the Duke of Ratchasririni Siripachara and Vice Chairman of the Kamlang Jai Fund, visited Nakhon Si Thammarat Province to assess and follow up on the project's results at Nakhon Si Thammarat Central Prison. At 10:00 a.m., he travelled to Nakhon Si Thammarat Central Prison, where he was welcomed by the Governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, the Commander of the 41st Military Circle, the Superintendent of Nakhon Si Thammarat Central Prison, Mr. Somphorn Channarong, along with Mrs. Pongsawath Nilayothin, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Ms. Jirapa Sinthuna, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Yuthnana Nakeruangsri, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Corrections, and other officials.

Mr. Somkid Sukhbang spoke about the objectives of the site visit, viewed a video about the Kamlang Jai Project, and received a report from the prison director on the project's progress and updates from ongoing monitoring efforts.

Nakhon Si Thammarat Central Prison is the sixth facility where Her Royal Highness Princess Pacharikit Yaphanrennirathep presided over the opening of the activity “Building Morale... to Nakhon Si Thammarat” under the Kamlang Jai Project on May 30, 2010, and he also attended the second follow-up on August 5, 2019. Additionally, Air Chief Marshal Somkid Sukhbang has conducted site visits and participated in meetings with various agencies under the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Justice in the area during November 7-8, 2023.

 

The prison has a staff strength of 223 personnel, including civil servants, government employees, and contractors. It houses 4,069 inmates (as of June 15, 2025), consisting of 3,450 male inmates and 619 female inmates.

The prison is divided into 8 zones:

- Zone 1: Behaviour Control Zone

- Zone 2: Education and Mental Development Zone

- Zone 3: Reception Zone

- Zone 4: Control and Vocational Training Zone

- Zone 5: Control and Vocational Training Zone

- Zone 6: High Security Zone (6/1) and High Security Zone (6/2: Special Control / MAX)

- Zone 7: Medical Zone

- Zone 8: Female Zone

- Zone 9: Pending declaration of jurisdiction from the Ministry of Justice

In 2021, the Department of Corrections allocated a budget of 643,689,900 Baht to construct a maximum-security zone at Nakhon Si Thammarat Central Prison to house high-risk inmates requiring special supervision, making it the most secure prison in the southern region, in line with the department's mission.

Mr. Somphorn Channarong, the Director of Nakhon Si Thammarat Central Prison, reported on the follow-up activities as follows:

1. Collaboration with network agencies: The Industrial Promotion Centre (Region 10) of the Ministry of Industry and the Nakhon Si Thammarat Employment Office of the Ministry of Labour have engaged in vocational training and employment readiness programs for inmates.

2. Coordination with educational networks: Partnerships have been established with educational institutions involved in vocational training and knowledge development for inmates through memoranda of understanding. This includes the Non-Formal Education Centre, the District 22 Nakhon Si Thammarat Vocational Skills Development Centre, and Nakhon Si Thammarat Vocational Centre.

3. Engagement with business networks: Companies such as Siam Master Concrete Co., Ltd., Monton Rung Ruan Fruit Co., Ltd., Payuro Printing House, and Kimji Nail Spa have been involved in internships and employment placement for former inmates.

Activities under the Kamlang Jai Project in various areas include:

**Area 1: Legal Assistance and Legal Knowledge Corner**

- Establishing a legal knowledge corner to provide inmates with legal knowledge and skills, helping them behave appropriately during incarceration and avoid criminal behaviours, as well as enabling them to use legal knowledge to take care of themselves legally.

- Collaboration with the Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Court, where judges have provided legal knowledge and consultations on legal cases to inmates.

- A volunteer project titled "Friends Helping Friends: Basic Legal Assistance," which offers legal aid to female inmates, such as assisting with writing petitions to courts.

- An online legal education project by the Ministry of Justice aimed at reducing inequalities, with Mr. Intharut Sommatran serving as the trainer.

- A basic legal training course for the general public by the Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Justice Office, focusing on legal knowledge and penalties related to drug offences.

**Area 2: Knowledge and Vocational Training**

- Nakhon Si Thammarat Central Prison has provided vocational training to inmates with seven products registered with OTOP, including:

   1. Yan Lipao bags

   2. Tie-dye shirts

   3. Plastic covers

   4. Woven scarves

   5. Plastic baskets

   6. Tie-dye fabrics

   7. Yansri bracelets

Activities for Enhancing the Quality of Life for Inmates through Online Knowledge Training Programs by the Ministry of Justice during 2024–2025 are as follows:

1. Financial Management and Savings Course 

2. Chinese Language Course 

3. Poetry Composition Course 

4. English Language Course 

5. Astrology Course 

6. Japanese Language Course 

7. Tarot Card Reading Course 

8. Environmental-Friendly Vocational Promotion Course 

9. Green Skills Course 

10. Digital Skills Development Course 

11. Basic Care for Elderly Inmates 

 

Activities for Improving the Quality of Life of Inmates through Vocational Training to enable them to use the knowledge and skills for self-sufficiency and supporting their families after release include:

1. Thai Dessert Making 

2. Bakery Products Making 

3. Cooked Food Preparation 

4. Beauty Technician Training 

5. Weaving Vocational Training 

6. Batik Fabric Making 

7. Crochet Work 

8. Clothing Sewing 

9. Rattan Weaving 

10. Laundry and Clothes Washing 

11. Textile Weaving 

12. Traditional Thai Massage 

13. Men’s Haircutting at Huay Pra Temporary Prison 

14. Coffee Shop Vocational Training Programs to Promote Skills for Inmates, including: 

   - Cook & Coffee @ Huay Pra Agriculture 

   - Behind the Wall @ Khao Mak 

Joint Vocational Training with External Agencies:

1. Nakhon Si Thammarat Vocational College has conducted short-term vocational courses, including: 

   1.1 Modern Crafting Activities 

   1.2 Gardening and Landscaping 

   1.3 Soil Mixing for Planting 

   1.4 Beverage and Drink Mixing 

2. Nakhon Si Thammarat Polytechnic College has also conducted short-term vocational courses, including: 

   2.1 Making Popular Baked Goods 

   2.2 Beauty Technician Skills 

   2.3 Basic Sewing 

   2.4 Making Farewell Coins 

3. Region 10 Industrial Promotion Centre, Department of Industry, Ministry of Industry, has offered short-term courses such as: 

   3.1 Rattan Bag Making 

   3.2 Ready-to-Wear Clothing Sewing 

   3.3 Fabric Weaving

4. The Labour Skill Development Institute 22 Nakhon Si Thammarat has conducted short-term vocational courses in single-dish cooking. Additionally, there is a "Big Brother Teaches Little Brother" project for practising daily conversation in Standard Chinese and English, in which inmates with language skills teach their fellow inmates to use foreign languages, providing knowledge that can be applied after release.

**Section 3: Promoting Employment in Enterprises and the Prison Opportunity Corner for Career Building**

3.1 The Career Coordination and Promotion Centre (CARE) has set up a "Prison Opportunity Corner" in the prison, displaying job vacancies, enterprises that can employ former inmates, and examples of successful former inmates to serve as role models, providing inmates with information about employment opportunities after release.

3.2 CARE has coordinated with the Nakhon Si Thammarat Employment Office to send monthly job vacancy information to the prison, provide career counselling for inmates nearing release, and offer vocational training.

3.3 Nakhon Si Thammarat Central Prison has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with private sector organisations to promote employment for former inmates, including:

- Siam Master Concrete Co., Ltd.

- Monton Rung Ruan Fruit Co., Ltd.

- Payuro Printing House (Pryuarn Printing)

- Kimji Nail Spa

3.4 CARE promotes employment for former inmates by liaising with network agencies and companies to facilitate hiring:

- In the 2024 fiscal year, two individuals were employed by Siam Master Concrete Co., Ltd., though currently no former inmates are employed there. They are continuously recruiting former inmates.

- Monton Rung Ruan Fruit Co., Ltd. has no current former employees but continues to broadcast job openings.

- Payuro Printing House is recruiting former inmates.

- Kimji Nail Spa is also recruiting former inmates.

 

**Section 4: Innovation and Role Models**

In 2024, there are four role models, and in 2025, there is one.

**Section 5: Sufficiency Economy Philosophy**

Nakhon Si Thammarat Central Prison has adopted the principles of the sufficiency economy philosophy by implementing agricultural practices that emphasise sustainability. They have created two learning sites for organic farming training under the sufficiency economy project, providing inmates with knowledge and skills in sustainable agriculture and organic farming.

1. The sufficiency economy philosophy learning sites inside and outside the prison (the "Khok Nong Na" learning plot inside the prison) and (the "Khok Nong Na" learning plot at the temporary Khao Mak prison).

2. The outside sufficiency economy philosophy learning site (at the temporary Khao Mak prison) to learn about the lifestyle of sufficiency and to develop this knowledge further for post-release application.

The temporary Khao Mak prison organised a training course titled “Applying the Philosophy of Sufficiency Economy to Prisoners’ Lives,” which lasts five months.

Around 11:00 am, the inmates moved to the women’s section where a legal education training session was conducted by the Office of Justice Affairs. During this, Air Chief Marshal Somkid Sukhbang gave words of encouragement to the participants and expressed gratitude to the trainers from the Office of Justice Affairs. Afterwards, Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Pongthorn Thanyasiri, Director of the Office of Justice Affairs, handed legal learning materials to the Kamlang Jai Project, which would be distributed to prisons participating in the project.

Next, they visited the activity area where a performance by a group of inmates was held. The event included speeches regarding the roles, responsibilities, benefits, and assistance provided to inmates, as well as encouragement for social development and human security in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, with representatives from the Ministry of Labour, the Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Justice Office, the Chamber of Commerce, the Industry Chamber, business owners, role models, the provincial governor, or their representatives.

Later, Air Chief Marshal Somkid Sukhbang presented certificates of honour to four organisations that have supported the employment of ex-inmates, and he encouraged both the inmates and the visitors. The inmate representatives expressed their gratitude for the visit. The team then toured the vocational training demonstrations at various stations.

At 2:00 pm, they arrived at Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University for a visit, during which they discussed collaboration efforts between the prison and the university. The visit concluded with a trip to Wirisara Massage & Wellness Shop, where they visited a role model, presented a gift basket, and offered words of encouragement to Miss Wirisara Jowkhun, who previously received a career fund of 10,000 Baht from the Kamlang Jai Fund to purchase equipment for her traditional Thai massage shop. Miss Wirisara has successfully established her business and supports herself and her family.