Authorities in Thailand say a separate new jail to house only lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender inmates is for their own safety

 The Min Buri prison in Bangkok will be used for LGBT prisoners only, according to a report in the Bangkok Post.

According to Kobkiat Kasiwiwat, Thailand’s deputy permanent secretary for justice, the measure will protect LGBT prisoners would protect from abuses by other inmates.

Thailand has a reputation for a relatively liberal attitude to LGBT people, but homophobia is still a large part of the prison system, particularly in all-male facilities. Since transgender people in Thailand are not officially recognised, trans females are sent to all-male prisons, where they are subject to violence and abuse.

Thailand’s Department of Corrections says there are 4,448 prisoners who have agreed to be classified as LGBT: 2,258 females, 2,156 males and 34 transgender people.LGBT inmates account for about 1% of the total of 300,000 prisoners.