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.

Tigers once roamed wild and free across the jungles of the world. As apex predators, life was good. Fast forward to today and most of us already know that tigers around the globe are being threatened by an even deadlier predator – humans.

Thailand will hold a general election on 24 March, authorities said Wednesday, the first national poll since a 2014 coup knocked out the civilian government of Yingluck Shinawatra.

On a television set in a grim, overcrowded Bangkok detention centre refugees closely followed Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun's quest for resettlement, as the 18-year-old asylum-seeker's case spurred hopes of a major policy turn from Thailand – a country that does not recognise refugees.Qunun fled her family to Bangkok, barricaded herself in an airport hotel room and staved off deportation with her Twitter feed, ultimately gaining refuge in Canada on 12 January.

Gunmen in Thailand's deep south shot dead two Buddhist monks and wounded two others inside a temple, police said Saturday, capping a week of deadly violence as the prime minister vowed to "punish" those responsible.Black-clad assailants carrying rifles crept into Rattanaupap temple in Narathiwat province near Malaysia's border on Friday evening and started firing, local superintendent Pakdi Preechachon said.

Recent news reports in Thailand have revealed that teacher-education graduates will not be required to have a strong grasp of the English language.

Two insurgents believed to be tied to a motorcycle drive-by shooting at a school in Thailand's south were shot dead Saturday, police said, as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) warned of trauma for children near the scene of the lunchtime violence.Since 2004 clashes between Malay-Muslim rebels and the Buddhist-majority Thai state that annexed the area over 100 years ago have killed nearly 7,000 people, mostly civilians of both faiths.The conflict rar

And so, the saga continues. Thailand’s election is probably going to be delayed – again.Unfortunately, it comes as no surprise to Thais and observers alike. Previously slated for 24 February, but just three days into 2019, Thailand’s government has come out and said that holding elections on that date may clash with preparations for the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Adventure tourism is gaining a strong foothold in ASEAN, a region which already enjoys a mature and well-developed tourism market.Blessed with jungles teeming with flora and fauna, an abundance of underwater life and a wide range of islands, mountains and cliffs to explore, Southeast Asia has world-class adventure destinations and has been marketed as such.The ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan (ATSP) 2016-2025 states that adventure tourism should be promoted regionally.

2018 proved to be a tumultuous year for the region. Some ASEAN countries faced major challenges. For example, Indonesia was struck by disasters multiple times from earthquakes to a tragic plane crash to a devastating tsunami. Elsewhere, countries were navigating their respective democratic paths. Cambodia and Thailand saw its institutions challenged with Hun Sen winning an allegedly rigged election in Cambodia while Thailand’s junta continued to delay elections it promised to hold.