The Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC) is preparing to propose the establishment of Satun University in Satun province to upgrade the quality of education in the deep South of Thailand.

SBPAC Secretary-General Rear Admiral Somkeart Ponprayoon said that the proposal would be submitted to the Strategic Committee for the Development of Southern Border Provinces during its meeting on 27 February 2023.

The project on Satun University is set to be carried out from 2023 to 2029, in line with the Southern Border Provinces Administration Act B.E. 2553 (2010), which empowers SBPAC to promote and encourage education arrangements in the southern border provinces.

Rear Admiral Somkeart said that SBPAC had invited relevant agencies for discussions on the setting up of Satun University. The relevant agencies, such as the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Interior, the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council, and the Bureau of the Budget, agreed on the project.

The proposed Satun University will be the first institution of higher education in this southern border province. Apart from upgrading educational standards for local youth, the university is believed to help strengthen the family institution, reduce social problems, and improve the quality of life of the people in the deep South.

During the meeting of the Strategic Committee for the Development of Southern Border Provinces on 27 February 2023, SBPAC will also submit the project on the development of Ko Adang, or Adang Island, in Satun as a world-class tourism destination.

Rear Admiral Somkiat said that all relevant agencies agreed to designate Ko Adang as a tourism center linking Trang, Krabi, and Phuket in Thailand with Langkawi in Malaysia. In this regard, infrastructure on the island will be developed for international connections.

Dubbed the "Riviera of Southeast Asia,” Ko Adang will focus on medical tourism that has halal standards, to be ready to welcome tourists from Muslim countries.