Cambodian Advocates Call for Improved HIV/AIDS Care

Approximately 3,000 people in Cambodia on Friday participated in a demonstration in Phnom Penh to call for improved HIV/AIDS care in the country, which has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in Southeast Asia, AFP/France 24 reports. The advocates included Buddhist monks, university students, government officials and about 500 people living with HIV. "We need better access to treatment," Kong Vanny, an HIV-positive woman who participated in the demonstration, said, adding, "Most HIV-positive people still lack access to even cheap ... treatment." Hor Bunleng, undersecretary of state for the National AIDS Authority, said, "We hope this event will help raise awareness of HIV/AIDS among Cambodian people." Almost 10,000 Cambodians die of AIDS-related illnesses annually, according to government statistics. About 1.9% of Cambodia's 13.8 million people are HIV-positive, AFP/France 24 reports (AFP/France 24, 5/25).

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