This publication is a parallel study developed by the Community Resource Centre Thailand. It is of the Alternative Law Groups’ Stories from the field: Overcoming access to justice barriers through grassroots communities’ participation and collective action project.
Using the law as a community’s tool to protect natural resources, the environment, and community rights from the adverse effects of economic activities or development projects is an interesting action. There are a few cases that reflect the approach in which villagers and community members shifted from being “victims” to being legal enforcers along with the state. The practice enables those who had been affected by the development program to take action for changes at the local level and at the policy level by creating enabling or supportive factors for the community action or restrictive factors to the development projects.
