Bussabong Chaijaroenwatana’s research while affiliated with Prince of Songkla University and other places

COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on migrant workers all over the world, including in Malaysia. This study focuses on the undocumented Thai migrant workers in Malaysia. Due to their illegal status, as returnee migrants in Thailand, they could not seek assistance from the government. This study aims to explore the struggle of illegal Thai migrant workers after returning to their country of origin and responses from government and other organizations. The methodology used for this research is a multi-site case study, with the case study sites being southern border provinces: Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Songkla, and capital city Bangkok. Data were collected through intensive fieldwork and various secondary documents. This study revealed that Thailand has not developed any concrete policy to assist the returnee workers in the pandemic period. There is a lack of coordination among government agencies, and local support including from civil society organizations initiatives has been inadequate.

In Myanmar's post-independence history, the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities have been in conflict with the Rangoon based central government. It is commonly alleged that the Rohingya are involved with separatist movements that threaten Myanmar's sovereignty. The ethnic minority Rohingya were faced with sub-violent confrontation after the military took over State power and later, and most critically, they became de jure stateless in Myanmar. The situation changed dramatically after the 2012 Buddhist-Muslim communal riots. Lastly, the quasi-civilian government launched 'operation clearance' against Rohingya civilians using the pretext of terrorist attacks on August, 2017. Since that operation, nearly a million terrorized Rohingya people crossed the border and sought shelter in Bangladesh. Almost three years on, after escaping the violence of the military in Myanmar, the refugees still live in uncertainty. This paper examines the conditions of displaced Rohingya living in different camps in Bangladesh and the extent that the Rohingya pose a security risk for host country. The Government of Bangladesh and international humanitarian agencies have been successfully handling the refugee exodus. But despite progress, it is clear that the Rohingya remain in a precarious situation. After intensive field work, it is concluded that a small minority refugees are involved with antisocial activities in Bangladesh whereas the large majority of Rohingya is innocent. Nevertheless, the refugees' long presence in border areas of Bangladesh is creating socioeconomic pressure and environmental hazards on Bangladesh's limited resources.

Using a Human Security approach, this study examines Rohyinga refugees in Thailand. The Myanmar government’s refusal to offer the Rohingya citizenship has rendered them effectively stateless, denied basic rights and protections. Myanmar’s 1982 Citizenship Law was created in the name of indigenous ethnicity to deny nationality to the Rohingya. Myanmar’s military has repressed and massacred Rohingya on several occasions, most notably in 2012 and 2017. Consequently, more than a million Rohingya have fled abroad, with a relatively small number going to Thailand. The purpose of this study is to examine how the Thai government treats the displaced Rohingya and to what extent that the Rohingya pose a security risk for Southern Thailand. After intensive field work and meeting with different stakeholders, this paper argues that Thailand is not a popular destination for Rohingyas but they have generally been brought to or through Thailand by human traffickers. Due to a lack of documents, Thai authorities have often sent Rohingya to detention centers or deported them. This study did not find any link between displaced Rohingya and Malay Muslim insurgents. However, there is no consistent policy from the Thai government to deal with the displaced Rohingya.

The engagement of communities in managing mangrove resources is critical. In Thailand, years of trial and error have brought few successes, which are not well documented. In this article an experience of 'Community-led Mangrove Rehabilitation' is staged under a participatory research project implemented in Hua Khao Community of Songkhla Province, Southern Thailand. The project was accomplished by means of 'tools' and 'information' initiated within the project. A sufficient set of information was obtained through PRA techniques (extensive consultations, review of secondary information, field visits, workshops, interviews and town meetings, public awareness through mangrove ecosystem education) following an iterative process during fieldwork. The lessons learnt concern mainly the community's capacity building in order to work with government and private sectors. The output with a consolidated framework is a holistic and integrated ·approach for degraded mangrove area development, which attempts to integrate socio-political and economic aspects with biophysical elements. In addition to mangrove rehabilitation, community empowerment was highlighted in order to attain capacity building, knowledge, confidence and skills for future management of mangrove resources. The resulted framework has also emphasised the importance of building the tri-sectoral (government, community and facilitator) relationship. One big difference from conventional mangrove rehabilitation is that the community-led mangrove rehabilitation project tries to bring social changes along with improvement in people's livelihood.

The Coastal Resources Institute (CORIN) at Prince of Songkla University worked with local communities to understand coastal issues and opportunities of the Pak Phanang Bay in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Southern Thailand. Historically, the area has been an important agricultural field and trading town but now it is characterized by slow population growth due to out migration and a decreased economic base. Residents have noted major environmental degradation within their lifetimes. Through the ‘Ecological History’, which means a history of the way people and nature have interacted over time, an initial identification and assessment of the key environmental problems were made with the participation and support of the people of Pak Phanang. The approach is based on the belief that for successful resources management, it needs action by local people, supported by the government, that will safeguard and restore local ecosystems.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of political trust and participation of people in cultural diversities area by comparing political trust and participation of people living in Hatyai and Pattani Municipalities. The data were collected using a questionnaire, and analyzed using percentage, mean, and standard deviation to explore the relationships between political trust and participation. Regression analysis was carried out to investigate factors affecting political trust and participation, and t-test was employed to compare the levels between political trust and political participation of people in areas of cultural diversity, namely, Hatyai and Pattani Municipalities. The results of the study revealed that regarding political trust, when compared between Hatyai and Pattani Municipalities, the levels of political trust of people in the two areas were not different, and the overall levels were at a moderate level. When compared by item, the level of each item was at the same level which was a moderate level for all items, namely, trust in the municipal policy, trust in the municipal work process, trust in persons in the municipality, and trust in the municipal work sys-tem. Regarding political participation, when compared between Hatyai Municipality and Pattani Municipal-ity, it was found that the levels of political participation in the two areas were not different, and the overall levels for the two areas were at a low level. When compared by item, the level of each item in the two areas was at the same level which was a moderate level for participation in elections, and participation in activities organized by the municipalities. For the levels of participation in municipal administration, and participation in demonstrations, protests or petitions for justice were at the same level which was a low level.The overall relationships between political trust and participation in Hatyai Municipality and those in Pattani Municipal-ity were the same. The factors affecting political trust of people in Hatyai and Pattani municipalities were: social capital, political communication, and political mobilization. Factors in political attitudes affected po-litical trust of people in Hatyai Municipality only while political knowledge affected political trust of people in Pattani Municipality only. The factors affecting participation of people in Hatyai and Pattani Municipalities were: political mobilization and political attitudes. Factors in income and political communication affected political participation of people in Hatyai Municipality only while religious factors and educational factors affected political participation of people in Pattani Municipality only.