Associated Press - Sunday, December 29, 2002
Daniel Lovering, Associated Press Writer

But the 17-year-old from Belgrade, with badges and pins from five years of knot-tying and campfire-starting with her hometown scout troop, became an ambassador of sorts when she arrived in Thailand last week.

She is among more than 17,000 boy and girl scouts who have pitched tents 180 kilometers (112 miles) southeast of Bangkok for the 20th World Scout Jamboree, international scouting's biggest festival.

"Here you make friends from all over the world - from Japan, Thailand, Africa, South America," she said of the event, which opened Saturday evening. "It's the most beautiful thing."

The gathering is held every four years in a different country. This one brings together scouts from 144 countries for 11 days of cultural workshops, local outreach projects, jungle hikes, sailboarding and sailing.

The scouts also renew their pledges of honesty, courtesy, thrift and preparedness - the essence of the organization started by British Gen. Robert Baden-Powell nearly a century ago.

A spokesman for the Geneva-based World Scout Bureau, Richard Amalvy, said the goal of the jamboree was to "make friendship and mix people" while promoting peace at a time of international unrest.

"Everywhere there is a situation of conflict, a situation of war. Scouting helps to do something," he said Sunday. "Scouting is finally a worldwide organization. Now we need to take care of global issues."

One of those issues is sexually transmitted infections, Amalvy said, noting that "it would be a crime" if the scout leadership failed to inform its recruits of deadly diseases such as HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The World Scout Bureau said in a statement that it would make condoms available on request at Jamboree health clinics.

In a camp spread across 12 square kilometers (7.5 square miles) of hilly terrain and a beach on the Gulf of Thailand, the scouts roved among their respective "villages," swapping stories and colorfully embroidered patches.

A few - apparently unaccustomed to Thailand's tropical weather - fainted from heat exhaustion and dehydration at the opening ceremony and were rushed on stretchers to medical tents.

Michael Eisenlohr, 18, an Eagle Scout from Dallas, Texas, said fewer American scouts had come to the event than in previous years due to fears prompted by recent terrorist attacks.

"Security is an issue," he said, adding that roughly 700 U.S. scouts had arrived - and that it was difficult "reassuring our parents that we're safe on the other side of the world."

The Jamboree is the third such meeting to take place in Asia since the inaugural event in London in 1920. In 1959, the Jamboree took place in the Philippines while scouts convened in Japan in 1971.

"It allows more Asian scouts to attend," said Eisenlohr. "I don't remember there being nearly as many Asian scouts at the last Jamboree ... it makes it much more interesting."

Organizers said about 40 percent of this year's scouts have come from Asian countries, and that some of them couldn't afford to travel to farther-flung Jamborees in the past.

On Saturday, Thailand's Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn presided over an opening ceremony that included a large-scale demonstration of traditional Thai martial arts and scenes from the drama Ramayana, the 400-year-old Indian epic about war and love.

To the strains of the Thai Navy Orchestra, two elephants wearing glittering headdresses and escorted by lavishly costumed handlers marched onto the stage to declare the Jamboree open.

021229
AP021241

Copyright © 2002 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Elton John AIDS Foundation UK, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2002. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .