Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - February 9, 2006
Anjira Assavanonda
"HIV/Aids is a serious threat to our society. The 1.7-1.8 billion baht we spend each year to combat the disease is too small compared to the scale of the problem we're facing," said Mr Kitti at a seminar on 'TeenAIDS' yesterday.
He linked liquor, sex and Aids together in proposing the idea, saying drunkenness could possibly end up in unsafe sex and also HIV/Aids.
He said large sums of money were collected each year from cigarettes and liquor taxes for the health promotion fund. Unfortunately, that money is primarily allocated to campaigns against drinking and smoking, while little is given to HIV/Aids prevention, he said.
Besides liquor, Mr Kitti added the government might collect taxes from products or advertisements that arouse people's sexual desire so producers would take responsibility for their content.
Political commitment is another key factor in the fight against HIV/Aids, he said. Any good policy would not be fully implemented if the government leader did not show his commitment to tackling the problems.
"We have the National Aids Committee which is chaired by the prime minister. During the term of former prime minister Chuan Leekpai, he usually chaired the meeting himself, but that has not happened under the current prime minister. When the head doesn't move, the tail won't wag,"said Mr Kitti.
Senator Rabiabrat Pongpanich said the government should be more active in its battle against HIV/Aids. The campaigns or any programmes to tackle the disease should be ongoing, not sporadic.
A survey places teenagers as the new high-risk group with a steady increase in a number of infections. The rate of new cases has increased by 11.2% in 2001, 11.7% in 2002 and by 15.1% in 2003.
Itthirak Samitsuwan, president of the Life and Hope Association, for people living with HIV/Aids, said many temptations put teenagers at risk, including the internet, pornography, and the craze for luxury and expensive items.
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