Myanmar official warns of HIV, AIDS

Myanmar official warns of HIV, AIDS

YANGON (DPA): A senior military leader in Myanmar (Burma) has acknowledged in a published article for the first time that HIV/AIDS poses a threat to his country, official sources disclosed on Tuesday.

"HIV, AIDS. It's a national cause. If we ignore it, it will be the scourge that will destroy entire nations," said the junta's First Secretary Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt in an interview with the Myanmar Times, a weekly newspaper.

Khin Nyunt's statement was in stark contrast to his remarks in October, 1999, when he claimed the AIDS scare was being used by the junta's political enemies to "attack Myanmar."

Myanmar's ruling military regime has been widely criticized for its stance of "denial" about the spread of HIV/AIDS, especially in its border areas where drug abuse and prostitution are common.

While the UNAIDS program has estimated that more than 440,000 people in Myanmar have the virus, the government's estimate is close to 25,000.