Abstract:
To study the power relation among government, community and interest group by considering their interrelation in establishing and implementing the Eastern Seaboard policy with a focus on MapTa Put Industrial Estate as well as to analyse the impacts of the Eastern Seaboard policy with a focus on the community around Map Ta Put Industrial Estate in term of economic, social and environmental aspects. The research collects data and information through in-depth interview, questionnaire and random sampling, brain-storming and document research. It is found that the power relation between government and the community reflects an unfair engagement. The community remains passive and is affected by policy implementation of political entity and high-level government bureaucrats. At the same time, the power relation between government and the interest group, consisting of industrial and real estate groups, demonstrates patronizing exchange relation in which there is resources transfer and rent seeking activity through political mechanism referred to as accumulation process. However, the establishment and implementation of MapTa Put Industrial Estate policy has affected on surrounding community in terms of economic, social and environmental aspects. In other words, the surround community's economic structure has changed from agriculture to large-sized industry. Workforce has been migrated from other regions, leading to inadequacy of facility and utility services, an increase of social problems, such as drug problems, thefts, crimes. Besides, environmental problems have been in the high level, especially air pollution.