From: tun@PHY.UCSF.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: THAILAND: AIDS PROBLEM CONTINUES TO BUG TOURISM INDUSTRY
Date: 7 Apr 92 23:09:35 GMT

/* Written  9:27 pm  Apr  4, 1992 by cscheiner in cdp:reg.seasia */
/* ---------- "ips: Thai AIDS problem worsens" ---------- */
From: Charles Scheiner <cscheiner>
Subject: ips: Thai AIDS problem worsens

/* Written 10:16 am  Apr  4, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "THAILAND: AIDS PROBLEM CONTINUES TO" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Science & Industry; Third World Dvpmnt
Title: THAILAND: AIDS PROBLEM CONTINUES TO BUG TOURISM INDUSTRY


an inter press service feature

by eric gamalinda

bangkok, apr 1 (ips) -- thailand has successfully dealt with the
temporary setbacks to its booming tourism industry brought on by
pollution, crime, and infrastructure problems.

but cleanliness campaigns and new expressways and rail systems
have not helped to rid bangkok of its dubious title of 'aids
capital' of asia.


in tourist arrivals, mainly from the european market, which accounts
for 23 percent of tourists coming to thailand.

''many of these tourists come here for opium and sex,'' says an
environment activist. ''but with more stringent laws on drug
trafficking and recent statistics on aids prevalence here, the
thrills of a thailand sojourn have been somewhat dampened.''

official reports say there are some 400,000 thais -- almost one
percent of the population -- who are carriers of the hiv virus which
causes aids. up to four million more are expected to be infected by
the year 2000.

until 1991, there were 332 cases of full-blown aids and 507 with
aids-related illness, most of them concentrated in the tourist
destinations of chiang mai, bangkok, chiang rai, lampang,
nonthaburi, lamphun, samut praban, phayao, chon buri and
phetchaburi.

aids also threatens about 800,000 thai child prostitutes, many of
whom are uneducated and do not object when customers refuse to use
condoms.

the statistics have become alarming, with recent reports saying
that about 200 army conscripts and 72 percent of prostitutes all
over the country are infected.

the government is not sparing anything to get an image makeover.
this year it has earmarked 12 million dollars in a campaign to fight
aids and four million dollars for media blitzes.

the public health minister announced recently that a new aids
vaccine was being tested by the national aids committee (nac).

in the past year, outgoing prime minister anand panyarachun took
charge, taking the chairmanship of the nac and organising an office
for coordinating planning and policy on aids. the main objective of
the campaign is altering the sexual behaviour of thai youth, mainly
through movies, radio and television. (more/ips)



thailand: aids (2)

the campaign has alerted people about the problem, sometimes to
the point of hysteria.

recently, thai papers carried a story about a teenager attacking
shoppers in bangkok with an aids-infected syringe. this was followed
by reports of criminals who robbed people by threatening to poke
them with aids infected syringes.

''this is not just a medical but a societal and behavioural
problem,''says mechai viravaidhya, thailand's family-planning
minister who now heads the anti-aids campaign.

mechai adds that the economy will be adversely affected since the
disease afflicts those in the labour export industry and tourism.
no country, he says, will take workers who are perceived to be
afflicted with aids.

experts have blamed thai males' predilection for visiting
brothels as the main cause for the spread of aids.

says mechai:''we want every boy to realise as soon as he has his
first erection that it is no longer manly, it is no longer smart to
go for commercial sex.''

but while aids seems to be driving tourists away, the lure of
opium farms bring them in. although thailand's opium production is
now the lowest in the 'golden triangle' area, tourists flock to
small farms the government allows for oldtimers in hilltribes where
opium is traditionally smoked.

this has increased the use of drugs among young thais which may
aggravate the aids problem because of needle-sharing, experts say.

''heroin has begun to be used by younger people for the past
two, three years, and it's going to be a major problem,'' says horst
weyerhauser, an adviser for the un fund for drug abuse control
(undcp).

''they come in contact with foreigners who ask for heroin and
opium, and they think it's trendy and start doing it,'' adds
weyerhauser. (end/ips/eg/lm/92)