Dear Prime Minister Yingluck,

We hope we are not being presumptuous, but we are writing on behalf of all the people of Phuket to highlight a couple of things that we think you should know.

This is your political honeymoon period, which sounds especially wonderful as you are Thailand's and Phuket's first woman Prime Minister.

It means you have about 100 days while the media gush about where you shop and how you mix being a mother with politics, plus meaningful facts, like your fear of geckos.

Come November, we are sorry to have to tell you, the knives will be out. You will need to prove your capacity as a leader. If you are still only terrified of geckos, that will be a good sign for us all.

We sincerely wish you all the best in a difficult job, but let's face it - haven't you made it more difficult for yourself by promising your way into government and the country's top post?

Did you really have to tell everyone that the minimum wage would be raised to 300 baht a day from January? Who taught you economics - your fortune-teller?

This week, a friend told us what happened when he took his Thailand-educated son to Europe, and checked him into a school there. The boy is proficient in three languages and plays the piano well.

But do you know what happened? The principal of his new school in Austria decided that, at the age of 15, the boy should go into a class of 12-year-olds. The boy is understandably miffed - especially as he was top of his class on Phuket.

Khun Yingluck, what do you think this says about Thailand's standard of general education, and how do you intend to help this country's backward school system catch up with the rest of the world?

Perhaps there were better things to do with the revenue from Phuket's tourist industry than promise it to voters, especially as it seems they will not need new skills to, er, ''earn'' the extra money.

What you seem to be saying is: ''Don't worry about learning so you can compete with the rest of the world. Just vote for me, and I will take care of you.''

On Phuket, which is perhaps a little more international in its outlook than other parts of the country, we're a little perplexed. We hope the promises are just a passing phase, and perhaps you will perform admirably once the honeymoon is over.

We'd hate to find ourselves on the side of the geckos.

Apart from the need to give every Thai child a much, much better education, there are a couple of other points we'd like to make on behalf of Phuket.

Please, please, stop the corruption. End the bribes and the greed. Prevent the jet-ski scammers intimidating tourists, give us public transport at a fair price, put meters in the tuk-tuks, save the beaches for the people . . . make Phuket a role model for the rest of the country.

Phuket is small and an island, so it shouldn't be hard to fix.

Spend the money that you take from the pockets of the corrupt and the greedy on educating Thailand's next generation properly.

And when you've done all that, please come to visit us. Despite all its problems, Phuket remains a great place for honeymoons and holidays. You can make it even better.

We'd love to see you soon. All the best,

The Phuketwan team.