Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - February 7, 2003
Sirikul Bunnag
She was tested in front of an army of reporters at a Bangkok hotel, and the result was negative.
Dr Orapan Matadilokkul, of Rajavithi hospital, certified the result.
The model said the rumours could have stemmed from her charity work at Baan Bang Pakong clinic, which distributes the controversial V1-Immunitor tablets to patients with HIV and Aids.
Ms Yoko expressed surprise when she saw the throng of reporters waiting for her, then launched into a prepared speech.
She also discussed the properties of V1 Immunitor tablets. Dr Orapan, the clinic's researcher, joined in for half an hour. Ms Yoko denied she came prepared to discuss the tablets.
The blood test was arranged by private organisations on herb research, she said.
"I feel like I am here as a presenter of V1 Immunitor. I am here to say I am not HIV-infected and still have my job," she said.
Producers of V1 Immunitor have tried unsuccessfully to register their product as an Aids drug. The Public Health Ministry said the product could be described at best as a food supplement.
Earlier an entertainment newspaper said she was rumoured to be HIV-infected. She denied it.
She took a similar test at Bumrungrad hospital in December last year and at Rajavithi last month. The results came back negative.
Ms Yoko, who is also known locally as "Yoko Takano", said the reports had damaged her reputation but she was not sure whether she would sue the publication which ran the story. "I am not sure it would be worth my time," she said.
Sunee Yamamoto, the model's mother, asked the press to observe ethics and control their appetite for sensationalism.
"Newspapers like to use sensational words in headlines which are different from the news content of the story," she said. "That can mislead those who read only the headlines."
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