Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio. I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

Lamiya Al-Gylani was an Iraqi archaeologist with a passion for tiny, ancient document

seals. Our obituaries editor Chronicles the Heartbreak that Ms Al-Gylani felt when

thousands of the artifacts were looted during the Iraq War. And Chinese scientists have

come up with a smarter way to try contacting aliens. What kind of messages has humanity

already sent? And what are the odds that a reply will arrive?

But first, it's a move that's astonished the whole of Thailand. Princess Ubo Ratana Mahidol,

the older sister of the country's king, has joined the race to be the next Prime Minister.

Her decision to stand has upended an election scheduled for March 24th. Thailand has been

under military rule since a coup in 2014 when power was rested from the powerful Xina

Watra family that dominated Thai politics for years. The princess has registered for the

Thai Roxas Chart party which is allied to the Xina Watras. She's pitting herself against

the military generals. Standing against the princess will be a challenge in a country

where criticism of the royal family is essentially illegal.

Formerly, the royals do not hold political power. Miranda Johnson is our Southeast Asia correspondent.

Over the course of the 70 year reign of the last king, who's the current king,

King Vigiro Longkorn's father, we saw while the royals don't officially have any kind of political

role, the network monarchy has powerful influence and also the monarchy is revered by ordinary

ties. So it is a very powerful institution in the country.

Okay. And the current leadership essentially came out of the sort of military junta that's

over through the previous government. They've got some power.

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