- Project Leader : Aizawa Nobuhiro (Kyushu University, Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies)
- Collaborators : Pukchanok Pattanatabut (International Organization for Migration)
- : Nakanishi Yoshihiro (Kyoto University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies)
- : Virot Ali (Thammasat University, Faculty of Political Science)
- : Pitch Pongsawat (Chulalongkorn University, Faculty of Political Science)
- : Kobayashi Satoru (Kyoto University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies)
Outline of Research
Our research team aims to analyze the political usage and the policy making process on visa policies of Thailand. The first step of the analysis would be to collect different voices and opinions from key political actors that are crucial on forming visa policies, such as political parties, business groups, local authorities, central government agencies, NGOs and the local branch of international organizations. Second step of the research would be to analyze this in a regional context and in an international relation framework. the focus would not only be relations with the neighboring countries like Myanmar and Cambodia, but also with major economies such as China, Japan, US and Europe. We would engage the above issues through discussion and field research in Thaiand.
Description
The purpose of the research is to analyze the consensus building political process on visa policies in Thailand and identify the key actors and critical issues that changes the political coalition in managing visa policies. For Thailand, which aims to become a regional hub country on everything, and especially on the service sector in continental Southeast Asia, visa policies plays a critical role in meeting demands of the changing state of human flows in the region, be it workers or tourists.
The significance of the research lies in the theme’s inclusiveness in inviting both the domestic and the international dynamics in one policy making process. Different voices regarding the issue would be raised not through election. Thus we are keen to establish a different frame in analyzing the political process. Another significance shall be to raise the level of political science in analyzing politics of human flows. Sociology and anthropology has taken the lead in the field thus a new political science framework to understand should make an academic contribution in the same level as sociologists had established.
 Visa application form of Thailand |
 Visa on Arrival gate in Suvarnabhumi Airport |