Thai Princess Ubolratana's unprecedented attempt to become the country's next prime minister was abruptly nixed Saturday after her party agreed to comply with a command from the king opposing the plan.The party's announcement effectively blocking Ubolratana's candidacy came after an extraordinary rebuke by her brother King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and removes a hurdle for the ruling junta to hold onto power after the 24 March – the first since a 2014 coup.The Thai Raksa Chart

The upcoming Thai election has got everyone excited. Everyday there are new twists and turns in the unfolding drama. Most recently, the elder sister of Thailand's king Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya was announced as leader and Prime Minister candidate for the Thai Raksa Chart Party – a party reportedly affiliated to Thaksin Shinawatra.

On 24 March this year, at long last, Thais will finally be able to head to the polls to elect a government after more than four years of military rule. The current ruling military junta – also known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NPCO) led by Prayut Chan-o-cha came into power in 2014 after it carried out a coup against the then caretaker government led by Yingluck Shinawatra. Ever since seizing power, the military junta promised to return the country to proper democracy.

Thailand's junta on Tuesday lifted a four-year ban on political campaigning ahead of 2019 elections, prompting Thaksin Shinawatra - the exiled billionaire who sits at the heart of the kingdom's political rupture - to hail a "new hope" for the nation.

When the National League of Defence won the general elections in 2015, paving the way for Myanmar’s first non-military president in over half a century, many farmers sensed a renewed hope for the nation. In fact, Aung San Suu Kyi’s pledge to tackle the issue of land grabbing and to protect farmers in the country was one of the reasons for her victory.

Earlier this week, at least 15 people were killed in a landslide at a jade mine in Hpakant Northern Myanmar. State media and officials revealed that 15 bodies were retrieved from the site at Lonekhin village but rescue operations are still ongoing and there are fears that more people may be trapped under the debris.This isn’t the first time that a tragedy like this has hit the jade mines of Myanmar.

There’s a new party in town that has got everyone excited. Launched last week, the Anakhot Thai or the Future Forward Party is the latest party to enter the Thai political arena. This new party which aims to breathe a breath of fresh air into Thai politics is led by 39-year-old business tycoon, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. Thanathorn is the executive vice president and director at Thai Summit Group, one of the largest auto parts manufacturers in Thailand.

At the end of January 2017, Thailand’s military junta announced that general elections could be delayed until early 2019. The announcement sparked anger from the public as protests occurred within days of the announcement. Ever since then there has been various protests held by activists against the military junta urging them to keep their promise of holding general elections in November 2018.Under the current military junta, public gatherings of more than four people are prohibited.

After stating that elections will be held at the end of the year, the National Legislative Assembly of Thailand recently voted to amend an election law that will most likely delay the general elections by 90 days. This means that elections would take place in February 2019 at the earliest. The amended clause is part of a larger bill amending rules for lower house elections. Under the Thai constitution, elections must be held within 150 days after all electoral laws comes into effect.

Myanmar was never a frontrunner when it came to press freedom in the Southeast Asian region. However, there was a glimmer of hope when the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Laureate kept under house arrest for years because of her democratic activism, won historic elections in 2015. This led many to expect that more media freedom would follow.Fast forward to today, it seems that the country’s press freedom has only been shrinking.