Basically what the AEC means is a future with much greater and freer flow of capital, goods, services, and labor among the ASEAN countries. This means that Thais will encounter a much great number of individuals from neighboring countries such as students, teachers/professors, tourists, customers, employers, traders, businessmen, artistic and cultural performers, and laborers. Since few of these individuals will know Thai, it is imperative to communicate with them effectively in English and/or their native languages.
Thus, in terms of preparation for the AEC era, foremost is the critical need to improve the language proficiency of Thais both in English and in the languages of the ASEAN countries. All Thai college students should be developing proficiency in one Western language (normally English but it could be French, German, or another language) and one language of the ASEAN region.