PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, HUAI SAI NUEA VILLAGE, HUAI HIA SUBDISTRICT, NAKHON THAI DISTRICT, PHITSANULOK PROVINCE

Abstract

The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand B.E. 2560 gave importance to public participation in national development from the community level, village level and all levels in the voluntary and democratic manner. Huai Sai Nuea Village, Huai Hia Subdistrict, Nakhon Thai District, Phitsanulok Province was a Hmong hill tribe village, which also included Yao and Lisu people. In the past, some villagers joined the Communist Party of Thailand according to political ideology. Later, they surrendered to the government and helped develop the country, which was continually ongoing until the present. Huai Sai Nuea Village currently still encountered environmental problems, forest degradation, and other problems that affected the lives of people in the village. Therefore, the researcher aimed to study the conditions and guidelines for public participation in community development in 4 aspects: participation in decision-making, participation in operations, participation in benefits, and participation in monitoring and evaluation. It was recommended that the public should be encouraged to participate in policy-making together with government agencies in proposing development guidelines and voting in the community. The village leaders should be educated about development and apply the principles of good governance to their work. Moreover, the public should be encouraged to participate in solving village problems. Cooperation between relevant agencies and the public should be strengthened in conserving Huai Sai Reservoir and measures to maximize water usage. The career development for the public should be promoted by the relevant agencies by enhancing knowledge.