Envoy, team visit Thai prison on Nelson Mandela Intl Day
BAngkok—ambassador Millicent Cruz-paredes, together with the Philippine diplomatic corps in Bangkok, joined the “Enriching the value of prisoners’ lives through social rehabilitation and artistic activities” special event, in observance of Nelson Mandela International Day at the Thonburi Remand Prison on July 18.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific set up the event, with support from the Thai Ministry of Justice.
Thonburi Remand Prison has been operating since August 9, 1994. It hosts almost 3,000 male prisoners with sentences of 15 years or less. In 2017 it was the first in Thailand to pilot the implementation of the revised UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, better known as the “Nelson Mandela Rules.”
In this year’s commemorative event, visitors saw first-hand ways the prison has implemented the said rules in the Thai context. It focuses on rehabilitation activities, including vocational training in traditional Thai craftsmanship and the arts.
Guests were given special access to the reception, classification, health care, and prerelease support facilities for prisoners, which are closed to the public. They were also treated to a cultural performance by the inmates.
Nelson Mandela International Day is marked every July 18th “to promote humane conditions of imprisonment, raise awareness about prisoners being continuous parts of society, and value the work of prison staff as a social service of particular importance.”