Civil Society Building Process by The Communities for Bargaining Power of State and Capitalists: A Case Study of Communities in Boonrueng's Wetland, Boonrueng Sub-District, Chiang Khong District, Chiang Rai Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research are as follows: (1) to study the structure and process of building a civil society by communities in the Boonrueng wetlands in the Boonrueng sub-district in the Chiang Khong district of Chiang Rai province; and (2) to study the role of civil society in negotiating state power and capital through community forest conservation strategies. This was a qualitative study, and the key informants include community leaders, representatives of various groups involved in Bunrueang Forest Conservation Group by specifically selecting 20 people. The in-depth interviews was used as to collect data. Descriptive data analysis was performed using content analysis techniques. The findings indicate that: (1) Community-based civil society structure, consisting of 17 member organizations and classified into three main groups: community groups in the Bunrueang wetlands area, public sector organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and educational and institutional-academic groups related horizontally through organizational structure, based on job duties. The common main goal is to protect and preserve the rights of the community regarding important documents about the royal area. The civil society building process. The community relies on a community cultural base, community traditions, economic exchange and resource mobilization (2) The role of civil society in negotiating state power and capital through strategies for conserving community forest areas. It relies on the movement to complain to the government sector, monitoring the actions of government agencies and funds, including encroaching on space in the process of using power to manage community forest resources, for the Bunrueang wetlands forest to continue to be the wetlands of the forest Community.