In Thailand tourists will be put in prisons

 

The original "tourist attraction" was proposed to be created in Thailand - the country expects to turn about half of its prisons into tourist attractions. And this was announced "from the high tribunes": Minister of Justice Somsak Tepsutin said that in 72 out of 143 prisons in the country there will be organized sports events, art exhibitions, cooking competitions and souvenirs made by prisoners. Moreover, the pilot scheme is being tested in five prisons, including in Trat, Rayong, and Ratchaburi.

"This will not only lead to much-needed visitors but will also prepare prisoners for normal social life and change the image of the prison from a twilight world to a world of opportunity," he added.

It should be noted that the "conversion" of prisons into tourist attractions in itself is not uncommon - some inactive prisons have been transformed not only into museums but also into luxury hotels. However, their current version is not offered everywhere as an attraction - although there are exceptions, for example, the women's prison in Colombia has a restaurant run by inmates.

Thailand, in turn, in 2017 passed a law aimed at improving prison conditions. According to Somsak, the tourism project is part of this plan.

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