The Education Min-istry says youths are keener on reading nowadays. In 2003, Thai children read an average of seven lines a day, and that number had increased 7.9 per cent by 2005. The ministry hopes to build on that success and have children reading an average of 12 lines a day by the end of this year.

PM Surayud Chulanont said a love of reading - a key indicator of people's potential - should be instilled from childhood. He cited His Majesty the King and HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn as examples of avid readers, listeners, thinkers and writers who used their knowledge from reading to benefit the people.

Surayud said reading skills were vital in the digital and information age. Being able to understand messages, analyse information and thus make good decisions in solving problems was key to personal development.

He said well-read people were knowledgeable and made fewer mistakes, because their decisions were based on a "wider database".

A National Statistical Office (NSO) survey found that Thais' average reading time in 2005 had increased 7.9 per cent from 2003, when they had read an average of seven lines a day, Surayud said.

Children were reported to be the largest reader group at 87.7 per cent, followed by teenagers at 83 per cent. Surayud praised all parties involved in reading-promotion activities that had led to a higher number of young Thai readers.

Education Ministry permanent secretary Charuayporn Torranin said a ministry campaign would soon be in full swing to encourage Thais to read more and achieve a 12-line-a-day national average this year.

Surayud and Charuayporn were speaking yesterday at the opening ceremony of the Thailand Readers and Book Fair 2007 at Muang Thong Thani's Impact Arena. The event is organised by the Education Ministry and runs through next Sunday.

Education Minister Wijit Srisa-an said the event was aimed at fostering a love of reading among Thai youths so they become lifelong readers. He said students should assist their teachers in organising reading activities at libraries.

Thailand Knowledge Park president Chodchoy Sophon-panich said the event's exhibitions, books and websites would help youngsters explore and learn and that she hoped they would continue seeking new knowledge even after the event ended.

She urged parents and teachers to join forces in instilling a reading habit among children so they would enjoy books on a daily basis. She suggested that teachers distribute books to parents to read to their children and then the teachers talk with the children about the books in class. This way, more children would grow up to become readers and thus raise Thailand's reading statistics.

The event consisted of three zones. "Library City" offered visitors a "depot of knowledge and the seeds of intelligence". "IT City" took visitors on a world tour of new information technology. And "Reader City" featured several book corners and book promotions and exhibitions, including ones about such avid readers and authors as HM the King and HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The Association of Publish-ers and Book Distributors of Thailand said 107 million books were sold in Thailand last year, compared with 72 million three years ago, even though the population had increased by only 1 million to 64 million in the same period.

In 2001, the National Statistical Office carried out a survey on book readership among Thais aged 10 years and older. The findings showed that only 4.4 per cent of Thais spent their spare time reading, compared with an average of 30 per cent in developed countries.

On average, Thais spent three minutes a day reading, compared with 25-30 minutes a day for people in developed countries. Half of the respondents in the survey said they preferred watching television to reading.

The 2005 NSO survey showed 45 per cent of Thais read cartoons, novels and miscellaneous books, 36 per cent read magazines and 34 per cent read textbooks.