THAILAND MUAY THAI – Thailand’s inmates fight for glory in prison muay Thai championship

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Under the watchful eyes of coaches, peers and relatives, 20 boxers prepare to enter the ring. It would be just another competition if it weren’t for one detail: the central figures of this fight are inmates of a prison in Thailand who have found their future in muay Thai.

Inside the walls of Nonthaburi Prison, in the Bangkok metropolitan region, about 13 of the fighters are prisoners participating in the “Continuing Muay Thai Skills” program, which helps inmates with social rehabilitation through sport, and this month prepares them to fight at a tournament organized in honor of Thai Mother’s Day.

The program, launched in 2021 but suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was founded by prison director Preethida Somchit to promote health, discipline and harmony in the jail.

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