This paper discusses the current language policy of Thailand and reviews its historical development, current state, and the challenges Thailand is facing amidst the impact of globalization and regional integration. Under the dynamism of globalization and regional integration, Thailand begins to realize that maintaining traditional monolingual/mono-cultural paradigm seems less-efficient to address the diversity and complexity of the modern world and the growing cosmopolitanism of Thai society. Recently, the growing of movements for more rights and higher levels of engagement and participation from ethnic minorities and migrant workers has put more pressure on Thailand to open up a wider range of channels for negotiation and participation. On reflection, such movements often come under the Critical Theory’s umbrella, starting from the traditional Neo-Marxist perspectives to postmodernism. This paper bases its discussion on both the state-building theory and the Critical Theory, in addition to highlighting the tension between the two metaphors: the melting pot and the mosaic. For a sustainable development, the author proposes that Thailand should formulate its progressive national language policy, giving rights to and supporting, national, local, and international languages.
