A 49-year-old man in the advanced stages of HIV has not told friends about his situation because of the social stigma attached to the disease. ‘The worst thing for me is the loneliness,’ he said. Two weeks after this photograph was taken, he died.” Photo by the International Herald Tribune.
[This post has been updated as of 7:30 p.m. EST on 4.1.09.]
Here are today’s Burma-related headlines:
The New York Times reports on Burma and HIV/AIDS. Burma’s aid and assistance for people with HIV/AIDS ranks lowest in the entire world. The Times notes that Médecins Sans Frontières has estimated that 240,000 people in Burma are currently infected with HIV, and that 76,000 are “in urgent need” of antiretroviral drugs. An estimated 25,000 die from HIV/AIDS in Burma every year. The report also includes a striking series of photos, one of which is shown above.
The Agence France-Presse reports that the junta “recorded a trade surplus of 2.5 billion dollars over the past fiscal year in spite of the global economic crisis.”
According to Radio Free Asia, “Burmese children in the United States who took two commonly used household medications from Burma were found to have high levels of lead and arsenic in their blood.”
The Associated Press writes that Burma’s internet service has been disrupted this week, “costing travel agents and exporters much-needed business and forcing computer cafes to turn away customers.” They note, though, that “there is no indication that government meddling is behind the slowdown.” Uncomfirmed reports from local business owners suggest legitimate technical problems.
The AFP also reports that Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg has said the United States wants a “collaborative and constructive” approach on Burma, and that other Asian nations should avoid “recreating a mini version of the Great Game.”
Lastly, and also on the subject of relations with Burma, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) has an editorial in today’s Boston Globe about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s announced review of the US’s policy toward the country. He writes, among other things:
During the review, the administration should stay the course on current US policy toward Burma. Assistance provided in the wake of Cyclone Nargis should be monitored closely to ensure that none is siphoned off by the regime, and ongoing programs that seek to address the most basic of needs to the people of Burma – inside and along the border with Thailand – should continue at increased funding levels to address currency and commodity price fluctuations. Finally, no one should believe that elections scheduled for next year will be transformational so long as [Daw Aung San Suu Kyi], the National League for Democracy, and ethnic nationalities remain shackled, and barred from political participation by the junta’s Draconian constitution. The call for the immediate and unconditional release of Suu Kyi and all prisoners of conscience must continue.
[...]
To paraphrase former British prime minister Winston Churchill, the price of America’s greatness is a responsibility to stand by courageous democrats in Burma. Congress has done so in the past, and should continue to do so as long as they struggle for justice and freedom in their country.
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A 49-year-old man in the advanced stages of HIV has not told friends about his situation because of the social stigma attached to the disease. ‘The worst thing for me is the loneliness,’ he said. Two weeks after this photograph was taken, he died.” Photo by the International Herald Tribune.
