Though the status of Thai as the national language is assumed in practice - particularly in the government, education and the mass media - an explicit policy supporting this is minimal. State Convention 9, promulgated on June 24, 1940, declared Thai as the national language. However, neither the 1997 nor the 2007 Constitution mention a national language.
On February 7, 2010, then-PM Abhisit Vejjajiva approved the implementation of a new national-language policy drafted by the Royal Institute of Thailand, which has also been approved by the incumbent Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. This new policy reiterates the status of Thai as the national language, declaring that every citizen should be fluent in it so as to enhance national unity and communication. The policy also calls for increased focus on English and Chinese, as well as the languages of neighbouring countries.