The interview will be broadcast on "Democracy Today", which airs on Mondays on the website www.thaitv.tv, which is based in Los Angeles.

It tired him to see Thai politics becoming so severely distorted, but he was determined to hang on to his job to maintain Thai democracy, Thaksin said.

"Please be confident that I'm not as bad as my accusers make out. I'm determined and committed to my work. But problems occur because I have changed many things in the country. People who used to benefit from weak politics are unhappy," he said.

Politicians are trying to outwit their rivals, he said, and the opposition is determined to boycott the electoral system. However, his Thai Rak Thai Party had never been in involved in "evil" resolutions or conduct, he said.

No matter what is said, people have to exercise discretion as to what they believed, the premier said.

Thailand's international profile was rising, he said. It has recovered from the economic crisis of the late 1990s and is fielding a candidate for the United Nations secretary-general position, he said. Many countries supported Thailand's bid for the post, Thaksin said, although the stance of the US remained unclear.

"Sending a candidate to contest for the position is an honour for the country. There have been many UN secretary-generals over the years, but no Thais. But so far, I think the Thai candidate [Surakiart Sathirathai] is winning," he said.

Thaksin also addressed Thai youngsters living in the US who visited Thailand as part of a "motherland-visiting" project. Where you live, he told them, is not important as long as the mother country remains in your heart. Whatever impact the political situation has on the country's image, Thailand is a peaceful country, he said.

Thai democracy had not been properly developed as in the US, he said. However, Thais are lucky to have His Majesty the King as an example of determination, creating unity and solving poverty for people in rural areas.

He asked the youths to look at the positive aspects of the country.

"I want everybody to enjoy visiting Thailand. If you want to be happy and peaceful, don't discuss politics as it is at a turning point. There is all kinds of fighting going on that is unconstructive," he said.

"But if we want apple juice

we have to chop apples and put the pieces in the blender. We have to wait and be tolerant of the noise of the blender and seeing the apple crushed. It's like our country, which is being developed into a perfect democracy," he said.

Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation