Paper Title
The Role of the Thai Government Towards Self-Governing of Local Communities

Abstract
This paper has aimed to study the role of the Thai government in the self-governing of local communities. Overall, this was a qualitative study; by using documentary research methodology. The results had showed that the role of the state in the self-governing of local communities can be divided into three phases: 1) The centralization of power in the central government, 2) The decentralization stage by granting autonomy to the local administrative organization, and 3) The current stage with the claim of autonomy for the community. Index Terms - Centralization, Decentralization, Self-Government, Local Community