Thais urged to be proud of having own language

BANGKOK, July 29 (TNA) - The Army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has urged Thai people to be proud of having the Thai language for over seven centuries. On the occasion of the National Thai Language Day, which falls on every July 29, Army and NCPO Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha said in his speech, delivered on Tuesday morning, that all Thai people should value and protect the Thai language, which shows the identity and development of Thailand. General Prayuth acknowledged Thailand is one of a small number of countries that have their own languages, completely both spoken and written ones, and the national language has been the valuable heritage for longer than 700 years. General Prayuth suggested that all Thais should, therefore, be proud of the national language and aware of the great contribution of ancestors for developing the characters and the Thai language, which has existed until now. The junta chief encouraged everyone to join forces to keep the Thai language as a national cultural asset. The National Thai Language Day falls on July 29, as His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej attended an academic discussion on problems about the usage of Thai words at the Thai language club of the Faculty of Arts, Bangkok-based Chulalongkorn University on July 29, 1962. At the discussion, His Majesty the King made many knowledgeable remarks on the necessity for Thai people to correctly use and conserve the Thai language. (TNA)