Policy and Politics Related to Thai Occupied Forest Areas in the 1990s: Democratization and Persistent Confrontation

Abstract

This paper focuses on the policies and politics associated with Thai occupied forest areas, and identifies noteworthy aspects of both as they emerged in the 1990s. Furthermore, we confirm the fundamental principles related to the most notable aspect, in particular, that emerged under democratization in the decade. To identify these noteworthy aspects, we make use of the concept, "territorialization, " and adopt a polyarchical perspective for the purpose of describing policy evolution and political structures, respectively, while modifying both. As well as discussing those stages of "territorialization" that Vandergeest has previously presented in relation to Thai forests, this study describes policy processes that we have termed the deterritorialization and reverse territorialization of forests. With respect to the polyarchical perspective, we have noticed certain changes in the political structure. Thai occupied forest area policy in the 1990s evolved by traversing two conflicting policy directions dynamically. Behind this evolution are the political structures associated with the re-establishment of absolute power by the military and the establishment of a democratic political regime. In addition, it is especially notable that two opposing policy directions emerged within a continuing democratic regime. This suggests that the democratic political regime, in itself, does not necessarily guarantee a particular position in Thai occupied forest area policy, and that occupied forest area politics under a democratic political regime have developed structures of competition and conflict that are consistent with the political regime, in response to policy evolution.