Ban Pareh Community: A Sufficiency Economy Model in Southern Thailand

(24/08/2011)

Local villagers in Ban Pareh, Barahom subdistrict, Mueang district of the southern border province of Pattani, lead their life under the Sufficiency Economy principles and have been known for their unique method of coping with drug problems among youth. There are three villages in this community, with 115 families and 3,000 people. Out of the local population, 90 percent are Muslim and 10 percent are Buddhist. With faith in the value of self-reliance, local villagers in this community began to adopt Sufficiency Economy principles and the “New Theory” approach in 2007. These principles and approach, advocated by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, will help lead to well-balanced and sustainable development. His Majesty explained that Sufficiency Economy means having enough to live on and to live for and to lead a reasonably comfortable life without extravagance or destruction of the environment. His Majesty pioneered the New Theory model as guidelines for agricultural land management to create optimum benefits for farmers who own a small plot of land. Mr. Royalee Nimahming, Head of Ban Pareh, said that the people in this village look after one another and solve their own problems through friendly discussions and democratic principles in a public forum, known as “peace council.” This small community schedules the public forum on the fifth day of each month at its Sufficiency Economy Center, which also serves as the community-learning center. There is no conflict between Buddhist and Muslim Thais here. In fact, Muslims in the village deem it a duty to help protect Buddhists, who are the minority here. All families in the village send their representatives to join the assortment of activities that take place when the community is setting up public services. For example, when the village agrees to build a public facility, local craftsmen will work together and offer a helping hand, without the need to hire craftsman outside the village. Most activities at the Ban Pareh learning center involve the promotion of the Sufficiency Economy philosophy, community empowerment, the inheritance of local wisdom, and skilled craftsmanship. Those who play an important role in passing along knowledge and local wisdom to other villagers, and in solving local problems, include four types of leaders – area, local, religious, and natural – who are recognized as the four pillars of peace and strength for the community. “Natural leaders” in this context means local wise men, known in Thai as prat chao ban. In order to deal effectively with the drug issue, parents at Ban Pareh were invited to work out rules through consultation with the “four pillars” to protect their children from this problem. A number of rules were set before a meeting of young villagers, who in the end agreed to abide by the rules, which were based on religious principles. For instance, they agreed to pray at least twice a day and attend weekly religious sermons. By so doing, the drug problem in this village has been brought under control. Local people in Ban Pareh live in harmony and unity and have become a model for other communities, as well.