120 youths from southern Thailand visit Phuket for educational programme

A group of 120 youths from Thailand’s southern border region visited Phuket on 29 September 2026 for educational activities focused on the island’s natural environment, history and multicultural heritage.

The visit was part of the 47th batch of the “Sarn Jai Thai Su Jai Tai” (“Connecting Hearts of Thais to Southern Hearts”) programme. At Phuket Aquarium, the youths observed marine species including sharks and clownfish, toured the fish-display tunnel and learned about waste management and decomposition rates. They also watched the animated film The Legend of Crystal City: The Magical Island.

In the afternoon, the group visited the Phuket Mining Museum in Kathu, where they learned about Phuket’s tin-mining history, the lives of miners and mining technology. Exhibits covered open-cast “Lan” mining, manual “Hab” mining, hydraulic mining and bucket-ladder dredging, as well as antique equipment and machinery.

The museum visit also introduced the youths to Chinese migration to Phuket, traditional Baba clothing and the island’s ethnic and cultural diversity. Other displays covered the origins of the Earth and solar system, the development of life, human evolution, and ore smelting and processing.

The visit was led by Sarn Jai Thai Su Jai Tai Foundation Secretary-General Ekarat Leeseng. Phuket Provincial Public Relations Officer Wimon Nukaew and teams from NBT Phuket helped welcome and cover the group’s visit.

The programme runs from 24 September to 27 October and includes activities in Phang Nga, Krabi and Phuket. Participants come from Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Satun, as well as Songkhla’s Chana, Thepha, Na Thawi and Saba Yoi districts. Organised by the Sarn Jai Thai Su Jai Tai Foundation, the initiative began in 2005 and gives participants opportunities to experience other communities and ways of life, including through stays with host families.