Community’s Right to Self Determination: The Concept and Case of Ban Grut - Bangsaphan Environment and Natural Resource Conservation Group, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province

Abstract

Community's right to self-determination is the right of people to freelydetermine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social andcultural development. In this regard, it is considered as a legal right and containedin international law. However, the principle of community's right to self.determination has not been expressly prescribed in Constitution of the kingdom ofThailand, B.E. 2540 (1997) and 2550 (2007). The case study of Ban Grut -Bangsaphan environment and natural resource conservation group (Ban Grut -Bangsaphan conservation group) was conducted to provide empirical support forcommunity's right to self-determination. It can be concluded that right to self-determination was closely linked with the idea of natural rights, which claimexistence of unwritten constitutional rights. The community strength and self-reliance are success factor which local people can exercise their right to determination.