A Policy Advocacy Case Study of the Northern Thailand Land Reform Movement Jason Lubanski SIT Graduate Institute

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A Policy Advocacy Case Study of the Northern Thailand Land Reform Movement Jason Lubanski SIT Graduate Institute SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad SIT Digital Collections Capstone Collection SIT Graduate Institute Summer 2012 Land is Life: A Policy Advocacy Case Study of the Northern Thailand Land Reform Movement Jason Lubanski SIT Graduate Institute Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones Part of the Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons, Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Policy History, Theory, and Methods Commons, and the Politics and Social Change Commons Recommended Citation Thailand Land Reform, Community Land Titles, PMove, peoples' movements This Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by the SIT Graduate Institute at SIT Digital Collections. It has been accepted for inclusion in Capstone Collection by an authorized administrator of SIT Digital Collections. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Land is Life: The Northern Thailand Land Reform Movement i LAND IS LIFE: A Policy Advocacy Case Study of the Northern Thailand Land Reform Movement Jason Lubanski PIM 70 A Capstone Paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for a Master of Sustainable Development at the SIT Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont, USA. July 2012 Advisor: Jeff Unsicker ii Consent to use of Capstone I hereby grant permission for World Learning to publish my Capstone on its websites and in any of its digital/electronic collections, and to reproduce and transmit my CAPSTONE ELECTRONICALLY. I understand that World Learning’s websites and digital collections are publicly available via the Internet. I agree that World Learning is NOT responsible for any unauthorized use of my Capstone by any third party who might access it on the Internet or otherwise. Student name: Jason Lubanski Date: July 2012 iii Acknowledgements First and foremost, my deepest gratitude goes to my mother and father who not only provided me with my life and all its opportunities, but also have been my greatest role models, as they have lived their lives with the utmost grace, dedication, humility, and kindness. My wife and best friend, Supawadee “A”, has been my lifework’s inspiration with her tireless efforts to help Thailand’s neediest, and without her deep reserve of patience and understanding, this project never would have been completed. My brother David, sister Susan, and their families have always supported my endeavors and provided me with a safe harbor that I know I can always return to after spending so many years so far from home. My mentors during this research- Pee Pet, Pee Jarat, and Pee Paen- have been incredibly generous with their time, extensive knowledge, and in allowing me to accompany them in the field. The NDF staff have always made feel welcome with their warm smiles, heaps of delicious food, and willingness to try to answer this crazy farang’s unending questions. My advisor Jeff Unsicker’s boundless encouragement and wise counsel have allowed this weary old brain to finally make it to the finish line. My fellow PIM 70’s and SIT professors have shared their experiences and inspired me with their selfless efforts trying to make this world a little bit better. The list of NGO workers that I owe thanks to is too long for this page, but I am compelled to single out a few especially dedicated persons who have taught me much and inspired me with their lifelong commitment to working alongside society’s most marginalized persons at the grassroots level: Thank you Ajaan Chalin Subpamong, Brad Grabs, Brendon Irvine, Brian Buckley, Duncan McArthur, Father Edward Prus, Jane Abbey, Kunakorn Boonsai, Peter/Gary/Pippa, Santipong Mulfong, and Todd Dierker. Finally, to the Farming Families of Northern Thailand: My deepest gratitude for allowing me share a bit of your lives. You may be poor in financial terms, but you are among the richest of the rich in terms of generosity, integrity, courage, and resolve. “Pee/Nong, Soo Taw Pai!” (Fight on, my brothers and sisters!) iv Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ vii INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 1 CONTEXT .............................................................................................................................. 6 Thailand Political-Economic Background .......................................................................... 6 Thai Land Law and Regulations ....................................................................................... 13 Background of Forested and Non-Forested Target Communities .................................... 20 “Peoples’ Movements” in Thailand .................................................................................. 26 ADVOCATES ...................................................................................................................... 33 Relationships between advocates: the NLRM .................................................................. 33 The Village Development and Strengthening Organization (VDSO) .............................. 35 The People’s Movement for a Just Society (Pmove) ........................................................ 38 POLICY ................................................................................................................................ 44 The land rights problem in Thailand ................................................................................. 44 Policies to address land rights problems ........................................................................... 47 Attaining new legislation .................................................................................................. 49 Community Land Titles .................................................................................................... 51 Opponent’s critiques ......................................................................................................... 60 POLITICS ............................................................................................................................. 62 Identifying Political Power ............................................................................................... 62 Advocacy Targets: The Thai bureaucratic maze .............................................................. 66 Key Allies ......................................................................................................................... 69 Major Opponents .............................................................................................................. 71 On the fence ...................................................................................................................... 72 STRATEGY .......................................................................................................................... 74 Goals ................................................................................................................................. 74 Messaging ......................................................................................................................... 74 Methods and Tactics ......................................................................................................... 75 Constituency Empowerment ............................................................................................. 78 Mobilizations and Protests ................................................................................................ 81 EVALUATION AND LESSONS LEARNED ..................................................................... 86 Evaluating the NLRM campaign ...................................................................................... 87 Evaluation of outcomes..................................................................................................... 93 Lessons Learned................................................................................................................ 95 Recommendations/ Suggestions ....................................................................................... 98 CONCLUDING REMARKS .............................................................................................. 100 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................... 103 Appendices .......................................................................................................................... 108 v List of Acronyms ADB- Asian Development Bank AOP- Assembly of the Poor (Saw Kaw Jaw- Samacha Khon Jon) ALRO- Agricultural Land Reform Office CLT- Community Land Title (Chanote Chumchon) CLTO- Community Land Titles Office CNSPR- Community Network for Social and Political Reform (Kaw Paw Saw Maw- Kreua Kai Chum Chon Peua Gan Patiroop Sangkom Lae Gan Meuang) CODI- Community Organization Development Institute (Paw Aw Chaw- Satabaan Pattana Ongkorn Chumchon) DSI- Department of Special Investigations ELRN- Esaan Land Reform Network (Kaw Paw Aw- Kana Patiroop Tee Din Pak Isan) IMF- International Monetary Fund LRNT- Land Reform Network of Thailand (Kaw Paw Taw- Kreua Kai Patiroop Prathet Thai) MOU- Memorandum of Understanding NDF- Northern
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