Conflict Management through Community Mediation: Ban Tubtim Siam 07, Bak Dong Subdistrict, Khun Han District, Sisaket Province and Ban Na Thap, Tha Sala Subdistrict, Tha Sala District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research article are as follows: 1) to examine the context related to the conflicts and mediation in the communities; and 2) to examine the process of conflict management and mediation in the communities. This qualitative study employed the focus group discussion, semi-structured interview, and non-participatory observations. The target groups included community leader from the public sector, the civil society and religious leaders, as well as people in community. The data were derived from the principles of content analysis by connecting relevant concepts with the actual phenomena to examine the consistency and relations.

The result revealed that 1)the general contexts of the conflicts and mediation in the communities revealed the similarities and differences of the two communities in terms of their economy, society, and culture. 2) the result from examining the process of conflict management and mediation in the communities. The conflicts in both communities were not protracted and related to ethnicities, so they were unlikely to be escalated. In fact, the conflicts were related to either interests or emotions of the public and individuals. The mediation process of both areas can be divided into the following: the mediation process which examines the possibility for resolving the conflict; the mediation process which invites both parties to the leaders' home; and the process after the mediation which involves post-mediation follow-up. The mediation in both communities was conducted in a short, medium, and long term. Not only the agreement but also mediation was broadly applied along with people’s participation. Last, the result led to the guidelines of conflict management and mediation in the communities for both the general context and the sustainable process.