RI holds AIDS candlelight vigil
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesians gathered for the fist time on Sunday night to commemorate the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial and Mobilization.
In Jakarta, more than 1,000 AIDS campaigners -- many of them teenagers -- massed at the Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts Center to pray for those who have died of the disease and console those who live with it.
The participants lit candles to signify the undying hope in people living with AIDS and HIV. They sang Lilin-lilin Kecil (Little Candles), led by its composer James F. Sundah.
The memorial has been held in other parts of the world since 1984 to remind people of the dangers of the disease transmitted through the exchange of body fluids.
Similar ceremonies took place in 30 other cities in 18 provinces throughout Indonesia.
"Those who have AIDS and HIV should not feel that life has lost its meaning. Never give up hope. Many people are willing to help," Jakarta's deputy governor of public welfare R.S. Museno said.
On hand were prominent AIDS campaigner and legislator Nafsiah Mboi, assistant to Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare's Suyono Yahya, Director General of Communicable Disease Control and Environmental Health Hadi M. Abednego and several other public figures.
The annual International AIDS Candlelight Memorial and Mobilization, which was first started in 1984, was held in more than 300 cities in 50 countries this year.
The theme for the international memorial is "AIDS Discrimination is a Global Endemic", while the local theme is "Together We Build Hope", which is considered more relevant here.
In Jakarta, the participants crowded around stands providing information on AIDS and HIV.
The event was enlivened with a seminar and messages aimed at improving people's awareness about AIDS. These included poetry reading, and displays of paintings and photographs.
Gita, a student taking part in the seminar, said she hoped HIV/AIDS would be included in the school curriculum in the future. "Currently, students get information on AIDS from unreliable sources and this could be dangerous."
G.M. Sudarta, a leading caricaturist, explained that people with AIDS/HIV and those who are healthy are not very different. All people will naturally die, he said. The difference is that death usually comes sooner for people with AIDS/HIV, he added.
According to the Ministry of Health, 401 people in Indonesia have been reported to have contracted AIDS/HIV.
Jakarta still tops the list with 139 HIV and AIDS carriers, Irian Jaya is second with 102, Bali and East Java each have 33 and Riau has 29. (31)