Mae Hong Son, the Northwest Border Province: A Challenging Toward the Special Development Area

Abstract

Mae Hong Son Province, a border of Thailand, there were varied with the topography, population, and sociocultural. The current article aimed to declare a baseline data of context and the problems of Mae Hong Son Province, for the continuing drive to a special development area, were as follows: the border security, restriction on transportation, poverty, limitation of public utility, prevalence of disease, and public health problems. This article also presented contents analysis of challenging toward the special development area, that needed collaboration from both Republic of the Union of Myanmar, and Thailand to enhance Mae Hong Son’s border trade in order to upgrade the checkpoint for border trade to the border checkpoint. The relationship between nature and folkway lives in Mae Hong Son Province should be balanced, it could minimize the risk among drugs, the restriction on transportation, the limitation of public utility, poor education, a prevalence of disease, and public health problems. In addition, it also needed to promote the wellness economy that could affect to against poverty, and decreasing a socio-economics’ disparities among Mae Hong Son’s population. Finally, reforming government’ s policy, and supporting integrated management in accordance with the residents needs and opportunities for equality and sustainable development were essential.