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30 The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Volume III - 2011 30 Development of the National Language Policy (2006-2010) Committee to Draft the National Language Policy The Royal Institute of Thailand 1.0 Introduction The United Nations (UN) declared 2008 the çInternational Year of Languageé. By doing this, the UN drew attention to a fact supported by worldwide research: language is important. It is important for cognitive development. It is important for education. It is important for cultural preservation. It is important for social peace and harmony. Every country has a way to manage language. There are 125 countries which mention one or more official languages in their constitutions. Other countries (such as the United States and the United Kingdom) include language policies in their human rights laws. Some countries do not have formal written language policies, but unwritten assumptions about language control their language choices (Spolsky: 2004). Although Thai was declared the national language of Thailand in State Convention number 9, promulgated 24 June 1940 during the regime of Field Marshal Plaek Pibunsongkhram, most language decisions in modern Thailand are based on unwritten assumptions (Udom 2009: 90). Language is not mentioned in the current Thai constitution, and most Thai policy makers feel that the most important languages for the country are Thai and English. However, this simple view of language could cause Thailand to miss important opportunities, because it does not consider many critical issues, such as the languages of Thailandûs neighboring countries, the unique language needs of Thailandûs visually and hearing impaired communities, the language situation of Thailandûs 70 ethnic groups, the potential of the translation/interpretation/localization industry, or the problems of the more than 2 million legal and illegal migrants working in Thailand. Recognizing that a modern, comprehensive language policy could benefit Thailand, the Royal Institute formed the Committee to Draft the National Language Policy (CDNLP) in December, 2006. The purpose of the committee was to research the language situation and submit a policy that would benefit the Kingdom and all its people. The resulting policy was approved by then former Prime Minister Abhisit 29-44_mac9 4/26/12, 8:30 PM 30