Solo Protest Staged by HIV Patient in Rangoon
The Irrawaddy
4 April 2007
Tin Ko, a 33-year-old Burmese HIV patient, staged a solo protest on Wednesday in Rangoon, calling for better health care for people who suffer from the disease, a source told The Irrawaddy.
Tin Ko, from Magwe Division in central Burma, traveled to the former capital of Rangoon to stage his protest, according to an eyewitness.
"He staged a protest at Myaynigon junction [Sanchaung Township] by distributing leaflets urging the government to treat HIV patients like him," said the witness. Tin Ko, who is seeking anti-retroviral treatment, held a placard describing the purpose of his protest.
ARV treatment is offered in Rangoon by the AZG clinic of the Dutch branch of the French-based Me'decins sans Frontie`res and the Rangoon Infectious Diseases Hospital, Wai Bar Gi, in North Okkalapa Township.
The World Health Organization reported last December that Burma has 339,000 HIV/AIDS sufferers. Japan pledged last November to donate US $2.65 million to UNICEF to help fight HIV/AIDS and malaria in Burma, while the Norwegian government has pledged $819,948 to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Following his brief protest, security officials took Tin Ko into custody.
In late February, several protesters staged a demonstration calling on the military government to address the current social and economic crisis. Most of the protesters were put into custody but later released.
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Rangoon man protests lack of HIV treatment in Burma
Naw Say Phaw April 05, 2007 (DVB)---A man living with HIV in Kanma town, Pakhuku township staged a solo demonstration outside Rangoon's Dagon Centre shopping mall at about 3pm yesterday.
According to bystanders, Ko Tin Ko handed out educational HIV/AIDS leaflets he had written himself, held up placards and shouted slogans for about 30 minutes.
"He said the reason he was demonstrating was to raise awareness of the fact that it is not easy for HIV/AIDS victims to come to Rangoon to get treatment because of the accommodation and travel expenses," one bystander told DVB.
"He said he wanted [antiretroviral treatment] to be available in victim's local hospitals."
Ko Tin Ko reportedly lives with his wife and three-year-old son, who are also HIV positive. On February 10, he attempted to open an educational HIV/AIDS reading club outside the local Kanma township, before being thwarted by the police.
"Two people who were in civilian clothing and a police man in full uniform showed up and questioned him. They were there for about five minutes before they took him away," an eyewitness said.
Officers at the Sanchaung township police centre later told DVB that Ko Tin Ko had been detained for questioning but denied that he had been arrested.
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