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Community Organization Council: Examining Thailand’s Civic Politics. Anusorn Unno Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology, Thammasat University. Community. Victim of modernization and development Alternative to mainstream development and representative politics
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Community Organization Council:Examining Thailand’s Civic Politics AnusornUnno Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology, Thammasat University
Community • Victim of modernization and development • Alternative to mainstream development and representative politics - rural development: community rights, community forestry, etc. - politics: community organization council
Arguments • Community organization council, seen through its advocates’ involvement with political crisis, is inimical to democracy. • Community organization council, seen through a case study, is still caught up with problems it is intended to solve and unable to tackle problems the locality has been faced with.
Community Organization Council A response to perceived limits and failures of representative democracy especially the sub-district administrative organization (SAO) Professor Saneh Jamarig Chinda Boonchan Community Organization Development Institute (CODI)
Community Organization Council Act B.E. 2551 • Surayut government • National Legislative Assembly • Aims: Strengthen communities primarily in the form of sub-district community organization council (SCOC) • A consultative, exchange and co-learning forum • Progress and problems
Bangnob Sub-district Community Organization Council The setting up and structure A community organization plan Problems The virtual end Comments of the practitioners
Community Organization Council and the Political Crisis • Community Organization Council Act and the undemocratic regime • Community organization council advocates’ involvement with the political crisis and the crackdowns on the protesters in April and May 2010
Conclusion • Founded in limited number and unable to accommodate needs and solve problems of the localities • Still caught up in problems it is intended to solve and grounded on the problematic understanding of state and society • Came into being via an undemocratic regime and its advocates’ involvement with the political crisis is inimical to democracy