Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - July 13, 2004
Preeyanat Phanayanggoor
Promoted as a "social vaccine", the plan is aimed at preventing the rising spread of the disease among teenagers.
Government spokesman Jakrapob Penkair said Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra admitted to Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, Swaziland Prime Minister A.T. Dlamini and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan during a luncheon meeting yesterday that the country was very weak in providing sex education to youngsters.
Mr Thaksin vowed to reform the curriculum by making it more realistic, and suggested that students openly learn about sex at an earlier age, such as at the primary or lower secondary levels. Primary level education starts from Pathom 1 (Grade 1) to Pathom 6 (Grade 6) while lower secondary class takes place between Mathayom 1 (Grade 7) and Mathayom 3.
Public Health Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said yesterday that the government's "social vaccine" programme would help youngsters gain sufficient information on sex and HIV/Aids so that they could avoid risky behaviour when they get older.
At present, the number of people infected with HIV/Aids in Thailand has dropped in all groups except for young people, where it has increased by around 17%, with young girls being infected at a higher rate than boys.
The prime minister yesterday shrugged off criticism from Aids activists who accused him of lying about efforts to help drug users during the opening ceremony at the 15th International Aids Conference on Sunday, saying he accepted the role non-governmental organisations were playing.
But Aids activists yesterday voiced disappointment over the way they were being treated at the meeting.
"We're more of a decorative piece for the conference organisers," said Paisal Sawannawong of the Thai Drug Users Network.
Mr Paisal was the only representative of people living with HIV/Aids (PHAs) to get an opportunity to speak at the conference opening.
However, by the time he was called to the podium, most of the leaders had already left the venue.
Prominent South African activist Zackie Achmat of Treatment Action Campaign said the way Mr Paisal was treated reflected the attitude of political leaders towards people living with the virus.
"We don't only feel disturbed about last night, but also feel humiliated about the Thai government's war on drugs," he said.
But the South African activist strongly applauded the prime minister's planned support of harm reduction measures and expressed hope that Mr Thaksin's words would become action.
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