Evaluating Public Participation Process in Development Projects in Thailand: A Case Study of the Hin Krut Power Plant Project

Chompunth Chompunth

doi:10.3844/ajassp.2012.865.873

Abstract

Problem statement: Public participation has become a vital element of environmental decision-making. Although public participation has grown tremendously in Thailand due to a rising pressure from the public, this practice often fails to solve environmental problems and conflicts. The re is a keen for a systematic evaluation of the public participation process to investigate whether the participation process is effective and what works o r does not work in this respect. Approach: This study evaluates the effectiveness of the public par ticipation process of the Hin Krut power plant proj ect through an evaluation model developed from relevant literatures. Results: It was found that the public participation process of the case study was not com pletely effective when tested against the evaluatio n criteria. The affected people had no chance to pres ent any comments at the very beginning. The public participation process started too late, after a dec ision had been made and conflicts among stakeholders already occurred. Conclusion: The public participation process is not yet proper ly established in the Thai context. There is an urgent need to find a wor king model and conditions of public participation which can assist in resolving environmental problem s. Finally, a set of recommendations for improving public participation process are suggeste d.

Highlights

Thailand’s rapid economic growth and industrialization over the last four decades have led to significant environmental challenges
A single case study was adopted as an inquiry strategy for this thesis in order to conduct an indepth study of the public participation practices in the Thai context
The affected people had no chance to present any comments at the very beginning

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Thailand’s rapid economic growth and industrialization over the last four decades have led to significant environmental challenges. The concept of public participation in the environmental decision-making process through a number of laws and legal requirements was established and the public began to recognize their rights granted by laws. This study is important to Thailand because it highlights the significance of conducting public participation in the implementation of development projects in Thailand and identifies the critical factors for effective practice of public participation. The public participation processes of the Hin Krut power plant was evaluated to provide evidence to answer the research questions of this study that is: How effective is public participation for managing environmental conflict management in development projects in the Thai contexts?. The research findings and recommendations are contexts in each country typically have an influence on vital to improve the public participation practice in the effectiveness of public participation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

DISCUSSION