Nonetheless, our PG-13 audience doesn't have to be afraid to read the following. The Hollywood cliche I've heard in many films - "What you think may not be what it is" - applies here. Like the disappointing endings of many Hollywood films, the following story, which should have been "The Insider", might turn out to be simply "True Lies".

The story that I am about to share with you is about a self-proclaimed American saviour who acts as if he cares about the plight of sick patients in a developing country. The lead in this movie, however, is not Angelina Jolie but Kenneth Adelman, the executive director of USA for Innovation.

I must confess that in my 20-year experience as a trade reporter, I heard the name of USA for Innovation for the first time this week. It makes me wonder why the organisation chose to be active right now when Thai political life is less than ordinary.

Yes, I just heard of the organisation on Wednesday, after a small chaotic scene erupted in The Nation's newsroom. Reporters debated the merits of an advertisement that severely slammed the Thai government's decision to suspend the patent rights on selected drugs. The ad, printed on Thursday, reads: "The Wrong Prescription for Thailand".

Many of our readers phoned in to voice their anger, asking why the newspaper had not done a better job of choosing the ads. Some Thai non-governmental organisations threatened to stage a protest against the newspaper for choosing the ad money over the plight of HIV/Aids patients. A pharmacy lecturer said the paper had "sold its soul", to which our editor, Tulsathit Taptim, replied that we just sold our advertisement space.

In short, these critics disagreed with the statements in the ad and asked why The Nation let the US organisation use our newspaper's space to slam our own people.

For your information: the advertising and editorial departments are absolutely separate. Normally, the editorial department has no idea which advertisers will buy space in the paper the next day. The dummy that we get says only whether the advertisement will cover half of a page or a full page. As our editor said, the editorial department is not supposed to know what ads we will carry to ensure that we will be able to work without advertisers' influence.

The ad in question claimed that GPO-vir, a copy HIV treatment made by Thailand's Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO), had one of the worst cases of HIV drug resistance. The ad ends with a strong statement: "We urge the leadership to protect the people of Thailand." I almost raised my fist to back up the powerful statement from the US activists, thinking that they might be people who really care about Thailand. But then when the ads briefly criticised the Thai government, I was enticed to check the website.

So I click on "www.USAforInnovation.org" to check what this group has to say to promote US innovation.

Frankly, before loading up the website, I was expecting something exciting about the US drive for innovation. I was expecting, for instance, to see pictures of sophisticated DNA diagrams to showcase US innovation and confirm that knowledge originating from the US should be sanctified.

But the website turned out to be a disappointing climax to the movie in my head. And I must say that the title of the website is a shame for all American inventors.

The website didn't feature anything innovative by my level-headed standard. The website didn't seem to have any innovation to brag about, but rather was focused on saying bad things about Thailand.

There's a picture of a boring grey-haired old man, Kenneth Adelman, the executive director of USA for Innovation. And the home page featured the press releases with the headline: "USA for Innovation Announces Advertising Campaign in Thailand", while some of the other releases accuse Thailand of the theft of American assets. There is also a letter from Adelman to the members of the US Congress to take action against on the Thai government because of the compulsory licensing decision, and a news article featuring Adelman published in the Washington Times that recommends Washington take action against the Thai government.

I don't have to tell you in detail what was said in the website, just check The Nation's Friday paper, which came in a package with the explanation from the Public Health Ministry rebutting every single point raised by the website. If you believe what the Thai Ministry said, the points appearing on the USA for Innovation's website are lies. I leave it to you to decide who's the liar in this game.

Reading through the website, there were also moments when I was almost led to think that, perhaps, USA for Innovation really cared about Thailand. Otherwise, why would the website dedicate virtually all its space to Thailand while barely mentioning the piracy problem in China or Vietnam? Adelman must have had a touching experience in Thailand, which is why he wants to save our country from, say, the generic drugs from the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation.

So, let's see who Adelman is. According to the USA for Innovation's website, Adelman also currently serves as a member of the Defence Policy Board. He also held various offices in the US administration. But it didn't say anywhere in his CV how he came across Thailand.

However, for some unknown reason, USA for Innovation, or Adelman, is obviously and alarmingly obsessed with Thailand. Does this self-proclaimed non-profit-organisation act purely in good faith?

Instead of citing the plight of HIV patients, whoever is behind the website and the ongoing effort might be better off explaining things in a clear and simple manner - that it all comes down to the profits of drug companies, which want to recoup high investments in research. The problem with Thailand is not the wrong prescription but rather an overdose of innuendoes about Thailand.

Also, I wonder whether Adelman, who is a frequent critic on American TV and a contributor to US newspapers, expresses his opinions on the basis of his conscience. Or whether he lip-syncs for whoever paid for the website and the drug companies lurking behind the scene.

 Jeerawat Na Thalang