The Closing Ceremony of the Conference was conducted in the Mae Ping Khan Toke Garden of the Imperial Mae Ping Hotel in the presence of Mr Chanasak Yuvapurna, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior of Thailand. The ceremony itself comprised a spectacular light and sound show, incorporating a traditional Thai procession and a dramatic presentation of the history of Chiang Mai. This was greatly appreciated and admired by all delegates present. The ceremony also incorporated the formal removal of the APCCA symbols, the Fijian war club and the Indian brass lamp, for safe-keeping by Thailand for twelve months, before being presented to the host of the 22nd APCCA in Indonesia in 2002.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the APCCA Coordinator, Professor David Biles, was asked to move a vote of thanks to the conference host, Mr Siwa Sangmanee and his staff. Professor Biles said that he had attended 13 assemblies of the APCCA and, from every point of view, the 21st in Chiang Mai was undoubtedly the best ever. He said from the brilliant opening ceremony, the memorable evening at the home of Mr and Mrs Sangmanee, and the dramatic closing ceremony, as well as many other wonderful events, the hospitality at this conference had been absolutely second to none. He also observed that formal aspects of the conference were marked by excellent presentations and a valuable exchange of views, Also, for the first time the conference had included two simultaneous specialist workshops led by Canada and New Zealand, as well as informative presentations by two private companies involved with aspects of correctional work. Furthermore, all parts of the conference organisation had run like clockwork as a result of the hard and dedicated work of scores of staff members of the Thai Department of Corrections. Above all else, he said, this conference had been marked by a level of friendliness and cooperation that was outstanding and unforgettable.

Professor Biles then asked the leaders of a number of delegations, nominated by the conference organising committee, to each make brief comments. The first of these was Ms Liu Guoyu of the People's Republic of China, who was followed by Mr James Ryan from Australia. Mr Donald Wee from Malaysia spoke next, followed by Mr Pieter de Vink from Canada. Finally, Mr Ambeg Paramarta from Indonesia repeated his invitation for all present to meet again in Bali next year. The representatives of these nations were all appreciative of the wonderful hospitality that they had received and also appreciated the high level of organisation of the conference. Professor Biles then observed that if every nation present had been asked to speak at this time all would have been equally full of praise for the work done by Mr Siwa and his staff.

Mr Siwa Sangmanee then identified the members of his staff who had worked hard to ensure that the conference was a success. He also thanked all the delegates for their cooperation and wished them all a safe return to their home nations. He then formally declared the 21st Asia and Pacific Conference of Correctional Administrators closed.