Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press - Wednesday, Dec. 15, 1999
Described as a "vampire" by local villagers, Pheach Phen, 20, was arrested Dec. 7 in the eastern province of Kompong Cham after allegedly killing a 5-year-old boy, the Koh Santepheap newspaper reported.
The suspect allegedly slashed the boy with a machete and then sucked his blood, according to the report.
Pheach Phen, who is HIV positive, told police that a traditional healer convinced him he could halt the onset of AIDS and prolong his own life if he killed people and drank their blood, the newspaper said.
Police suspect he is responsible for killing four other people in the province, it said.
An estimated 200,000 Cambodians are infected with HIV and AIDS is spreading faster in this poverty-stricken country than anywhere else in Asia.
Information campaigns and condom distribution programs are beginning to take effect, but dubious local cures - including having sex with virgins, drinking dog's blood and consuming witches' brews - persist.
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