Aspects of the Community Development Program in Thailand

Samenvatting

In order to improve living conditions in the northeastern & southern regions of Ru Thailand, its gov introduced a CD program in those 2 regions in 1960. Compared to other nat'l programs in Asia, Thailand's version of CD is not so much conceived to increase food production as to build up the infrastructure of Ru areas & to integrate existing minority groups into the Thai nation. By giving the villagers opportunities to participate in local projects & by extending technical services, it is expected to raise their standard of living. Apart from a formal, coordinated approach of development activities, informal ways of cooperation between officials & villagers are attempted. Outside assistance is introduced through patanakorns (village workers), who prepare the villagers for cooperation in local projects & thereby act as agents for change. A critical point in CD is the degree of COMM with the people; results in this respect depend largely on the att's, training & performances of the village workers & the org'al structure of the supporting agency as a whole. AA.