The Success of Movement Strategies in Protesting Against Natural Gas Power Plant Project, Bangkhla District, Chachoengsao Province

Abstract

          The objectives of the research were to study the success of strategies against the construction of Bang Khla Natural Gas Power Plant of the affected communities in the area of Samet Nua Sub-district and Samet Tai Sub-district, Bang Khla District, Chachoengsao Province. The results of the study were as follows it has been found that community movement in the area of Samet Nua Sub-district and Samet Tai Sub-district was to protest against the plan to construct a power plant that uses natural gas and water coolant which would cause good and bad impacts on the livelihoods of the people living in the area.  They people used 4 important strategies, namely: (1) creating the body of knowledge, understanding, and knowledge sharing about the consequences of the project to the people in the community; (2) creating a process to participate in the community together, think together in order to find out guidelines for protesting the project; (3) civil disobedience and social sanction, according to peaceful approaches; and, (4) learning the effects from the real area by bringing potential community representatives to learn about places affected by the similar projects and in the areas where there was no solution from those involved to bring the gathered knowledge and information to disseminate to the community members. The success of the protest movement in this case is rooted in the strong socio-cultural elements of the community, the participation of people in the community and the use of various strategies for objecting to the project, which is a knowledge movement. This can be used as a model for other areas affected by other large-scale projects of the government that are not transparent.