Locals want AIDS sufferers named

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: The number of people in South Sumatra infected with HIVAIDS has reached alarming levels, prompting local residents to demand that the sufferers be isolated and their identities be disclosed.

Local health officials said two more prostitutes in the province were recently found infected with the deadly disease, bringing the number of sufferers to 78 people.

There were only 32 AIDS sufferers listed two years ago, and most of them lived in the city.

Residents in the province urged the authorities to isolate the sufferers, mostly prostitutes, and reveal their identities in an effort to curb the further spread of the disease.

Tamzil Bermawi, head of the South Sumatra health and Welfare office, however, turned down the demand, saying such a move was against human rights principles. --JP