But you can be sure that both Government House and the White House will deny the existence of this "Dear Thaksin" letter.

Dear Thaksin;

Thank for your letter and for enlightening me on the current political situation in your country. It was a pleasant surprise given that I have hardly received any personal messages from Thai leaders in years. Your expression of "high personal regard" for my leadership was much appreciated in the face of the brickbats that my administration and I have been receiving from all other parts of the world.

I have two reasons to be grateful for the contents of your letter. Firstly, it has restored my confidence in the influence that the United States wields over Thailand. Your predecessors obviously showed nothing but ignorance when it came to the deference that your country owes a great power like the United States. They never cared to confide in American presidents and seek their blessings the way Thai leaders in the past did. Thanks to your great leadership and political farsightedness, you have now re-established that tradition. And secondly, it brings to my attention the sloppy work our diplomatic mission in Bangkok has been doing.

I was particularly struck by what you described as "a threat to democracy in Thailand" from your "opponents" through "extra-Constitutional tactics". I have to confess that I had been hoodwinked all along by our embassy in Bangkok and the American media. Contrary to what you explained in your letter, they tried to distort the political crisis you are facing as the pro-democracy middle class rightfully challenging the legitimacy of your political leadership. You have to forgive me for mistaking those peaceful street demonstrations as a sign that Thai democracy was maturing. Even worse, I was so ignorant - again, blame it on our mission in Bangkok and the media - that I thought key democratic institutions in Thailand had been undermined single-handedly by you. Your letter makes it all clear to me that you have been a victim of a political conspiracy.

I have to admit that for a while I really fell for the analyses that claimed many Thais felt you were unfit to rule because of rampant corruption and conflicts of interest in your administration. I almost wrote you off as a lame-duck prime minister rejected by all major institutions in your country. Our diplomats even described you as a "beleaguered prime minister" and for some time I also referred to you in this manner.

Your explanation about the April-2 election was very enlightening for me. I had been fooled by our Bangkok mission and the media into believing that the election was extremely dirty - even by Thai standards - and designed in such a way that a victory for your Thai Rak Thai Party was a foregone conclusion even before the first ballot was cast. I was also duped into buying charges that your party got a helping hand from the Election Commission. Your letter made it all too clear to me that your party swept the election entirely because of your popularity. You didn't spend a single baht to buy votes. You didn't coerce local officials to support your candidates. And you didn't call the snap election because you wanted to escape scrutiny over your family's business deal with Temasek of Singapore as charged by your opponents - and, again, as reported by our mission in Bangkok.

You know as well as I do what sore losers are capable of doing or saying. I had my own lesson in the 2000 presidential election. I am totally convinced that I won the election on the basis of my strong leadership - not because my brother who happened to be the governor in Florida had a hand in the contentious vote counting that turned out to be in my favour. Needless to say, my sympathy lies with you.

I am particularly glad that you mentioned "our on-going war on terror" which I suppose you know perfectly well is the cornerstone of my policy. You sure know my soft spot. I congratulate you for your tough approach in cracking down on the terrorists in southern Thailand. But as a friend, I cannot hide my disappointment at the low body count. There is definitely something you can learn from the American adventure in Iraq. We bomb, we kill and we destroy. Military force is the only language that terrorists or separatists - or whoever they are - understand. And you know that you can always count on "Uncle Sam" if you really want to stamp out terrorism in your country.

My friend Thaksin, by confiding in me, you not only reinforce my confidence in your loyalty to my administration but also give me much-needed proof that I made the right decision in granting Thailand the status of a major non-NATO ally in 2003. I hope your June 23 letter will not be the last. And I can assure you that our correspondence will be kept strictly confidential as it would do more harm than good (to you, my friend) if it were made public.

Finally, I want to assure you that heads will roll at our diplomatic mission in Bangkok. I don't tolerate diplomats who think they are smarter than their host. And you can be sure that I will use all the power I have to get all those dumb American media correspondents in Bangkok who have been feeding me with misinformation replaced. I hate journalists who ask stupid questions and pen reports that are not constructive as much as you do.

By the way, even though my hotline is open 24 hours, please don't call unless it's a real emergency - like needing an airlift in the middle of the night. You can be sure that we never abandon friends in time of troubles. Field Marshal Thanom and family members of late President Marcos can testify to that.

Sincerely,

George

Thepchai Yong