Gaybutton

I'm the one wearing a trench coat with nothing underneath, ready to flash. Besides, what makes you so sure he wasn't in Bangkok with me?

PATTAYA MAIL publishes the following on the opening page of its web site, which is another reason why, if someone wants to quote from that publication or any other, it would be appreciated if the source is cited within the post: _____ WARNING! It has come to our attention that certain unscrupulous web masters are stealing news and photos for display on their websites. Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd. own the copy rights to materials published in the Pattaya Mail newspaper and on our website. We will prosecute any offenders to the fullest extent of Thai and International Law.

I probably qualify as one of those fat slobs. But I won't wear a thong. I won't even take off my shirt. Whenever I do, people keep trying to help me back into the water. Besides, there are plenty of other ways to get sick in Thailand without my bod contributing to a potential epidemic.

Unfortunately, Assumption University is located south of Bangkok, nowhere near that area. If you're coming in to Bangkok from Pattaya, when you're on the expressway, getting close to Bangkok but not quite there yet, you'll see a very tall structure off toward the east, standing alone. That's Assumption. Getting to the Pinnacle or Tarntwan Place would take about another half hour or so. Thanks for the compliment about my report. Now you need to get there and see for yourself. I hope your luck is more like GayThailand's and mine instead of a washout like Geezer ended up experiencing. Let us know.

There are several reasons that may have happened. First, are you certain you were even in the right place? As I said, many taxi drivers are not even familiar with that park and your driver may have simply taken you to the wrong park. Saranrom is not the only park in that area. That's what the driver of the taxi I was in tried to do until I saw a sign and pointed out that this is not the right place. Maybe you were there at the wrong time of night. Whatever it was, it certainly must have been an anomaly judging from the numbers of boys I saw. Also, this park is not frequented by "farang." I was the only one there. I saw no other "farang." I did see some cars drive by, slow down, talk with small groups of boys, and either just drive off or a boy would enter the car and go, but they were all Thai. I'm not surprised. First, at least in my case, I knew nothing about Saranrom Park until GayThailand wrote about it. Second, it's not near any of the areas that "farang" are likely to frequent at night. But I'll bet, after this thread makes the rounds, there will be a lot more "farang" appearing at Suan Saranrom.

Agreed. I won't go so far as to say that most "farang" behave in that manner, but I do think, as long as they are going to publish this anyhow, that it would be a good idea to hand out the booklets on all international flights coming in to Thailand. Maybe that would help, but with some people I doubt much of anything would help.

Drunk or sober, the stupidity of it is unbelievable. First, the "lese majeste" laws in Thailand are strictly enforced. Second, in Thailand His Majesty the King is highly revered and deservedly so. He will probably go down in history as one of the greatest kings who ever lived in any country anywhere. It's quite upsetting to see that anyone, especially a foreigner, would come to Thailand and do such a thing, no matter what the reason. This incident is one of the most idiotic things I've ever heard about a foreigner doing. You would think a 57 year old man would have better sense. Too bad caning isn't a punishment in Thailand, as it is in Singapore, because this guy deserves to get his ass kicked.

That's an interesting adjective to use. Ok, go on, Snowkat. Tell me about it. Tell me all about how if it was you and your board, you'd have done it differently.

Not long ago, on the thread entitled "Bangkok Parks and Street Hustlers" (see http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.ph...kok%20park&st=0 ) GayThailand wrote about the scads of boys he saw at Saranrom Park, in Bangkok. Yesterday I was in Bangkok and I decided to see for myself. It's absolutely true. If you go to Saranrom Park at night you're going to find available boys virtually everywhere! Most of them are college students, or at least they say they are. Some work alone and some work in small groups. Every boy and group I spoke with were very friendly and I felt perfectly safe walking though the area. It's well lit and on a major thoroughfare, so you don't have to worry about being in an area of sleazy back alleys in the middle of the night. It's fun even if you're not going to take any of the boys back to your hotel with you. But it will be awfully difficult to resist the temptation. Many of these boys are very good looking. VERY good looking! All of the boys said they ask 500 baht plus cab fare for their services. All of them appeared to be at least 18 years old. Most seemed to be in their early 20's. Some speak English quite well and some speak only very little, but all of them seemed to be able to speak enough to get by. If you decide to take any boys back to your hotel with you, make sure they understand and agree with what you want to do. Not all of them are gay. Several are "gay-for-pay" and may not be willing to do what you might have in mind. Make sure first so there won't be any disappointment. So, where is this "untapped resource" and how do you get there? The easiest way is to take a taxi and have the driver drop you off. Then you can do your "exploring." The park is pronounced "sah-lahn-LOM" The Thai word for park is "soo-wan," so you'll ask to be taken to "soo-wan sah-lan-LOM." Pronounce it clearly to make sure the driver understands where you want to go. The taxi drivers are not all familiar with the park and may not know where it is. If they can't figure it out, just tell the driver to take you to Wat Po (the famous Thai massage school wat), but make sure the driver understands. When you say "Wat Po" they tend to think you are trying to say Patpong. It sounds similar and they would expect you to be familiar with Patpong. When you arrive at Wat Po, the park is directly across the street. You'll find boys on the Wat Po side of the street, but most seemed to be hanging out on the other side of the park, which runs along a canal. To make sure you can easily get there, I've attached a file that has maps, both in English and Thai, so that you can print it out and show the taxi driver. From the Pinnacle Hotel it's a 65 baht, ten to fifteen minute taxi ride, depending on traffic. If you're staying at Tarntawan Place, or somewhere in that area, the cab fare should be a little less. Take your hotel's business card with you to show the next taxi so he get you back to your hotel without any problems. On the larger scale map, look for the red 'pin' on the left side of the map. The later you go, the more boys there are. I got there around 10:00 PM and there were literally dozens of boys. Several told me that if you come around midnight, there are even more. If you are an "early bird," you'll start finding boys around 7:00 PM. It's a great alternative if you're tired of the Bangkok bar scene and dealing with the prices, mama-sans, the music volume, buying a drink you may not want in the first place, buying the drink for the boy, and all of that. Saranrom park is just the opposite . . . quiet and very friendly. I highly recommend giving it a try. If you do, please look for this thread and let us know if your experience was similar to GayThailand's and mine.

I am very grateful for all of these comments. It's also very nice to see a thread in which everyone has something positive to say, rather than turning it into another war of words. Now that my boyfriend won the scholarship, that doesn't mean he gets to slack off. He still has to perform well in his present school. The school made it clear to the scholarship recipients that if anyone does not continue to achieve, their scholarship can be rescinded. But since these are the top 20 students in that school, I doubt that will happen to any of them. He is also well aware that once he graduates starting salaries won't exactly permit him to live a lifestyle similar to Thaksin's, but it is a good beginning. The very fact that he is in school on a scholarship will provide him opportunities that he never would otherwise have had.

Thank you for that. It hasn't always been easy, to say the least, and we've both been through quite a lot that I wouldn't want to have to go through again, but today's announcement made it all worth doing. The next time I see a post in which someone says these boys are nothing but prostitutes, not even worth a decent tip, I'll be thinking of one of my favorite Franklin Roosevelt quotes: "Tell that to the marines."

That's true. In Florida I was a bar boy. As a matter of fact my photo was used in a trade magazine article for bar boys. The caption on the photo was "Don't Let This Happen to You."

Thank you. I will certainly tell him. I also just discovered that if he does well enough once he's there, then he'll be eligible for yet another scholarship for two years in New York, although I don't know yet which college that would be. As far as deciding his major, it's far too soon for that, but he seems to be primarily interested in economics, business, and law. I like the law part. That will be a big help in responding to the "Attorneys of the Internet" who we often see on these message boards. In any case, to me he represents the answer to the "experts" who consistently post about how these boys are interested only in how much money they can soak from "farang." I think it is quite a mistake when I see people stereotype these boys as people who only want to take "farang" for as much as they can get and then end up right back on the rice farm. Perhaps that does happen all too often, but I've also seen boys work their tails off trying to achieve something in life. My boyfriend and his best friend both made the scholarship. It wasn't handed to them on a silver platter. They worked for it and they worked hard. Nearly every night they were up until 1:00, 2:00, and sometimes 3:00 AM working on their assignments. They made a lot of sacrifices to achieve this. So did I. Most of my friends know that when I do things during the daytime, and quite often at night too, such as going to the beach, out to eat, or whatever, I am almost always alone. That's because my boyfriend is either in school or working on projects and assignments. This is where it pays off. He never thought he could do it, but here we are. He's also excited because when he receives the actual scholarship papers, he will receive them directly from the hands of the Crown Prince at a formal ceremony. Not bad for someone who started off as a bar boy.

Thank you very much. From what I understand it's one of the best and quite expensive by Thai standards. By my standards too. If he had not made the scholarship, that particular university would be far beyond my reach. Somehow, though, I doubt he'll be trading in the wai in favor of making the sign of the cross . . .

Today I had a piece of great news and I'd like to share it with you all. Some of you who know my boyfriend also know he has been working very hard in his school, trying for a college scholarship. Today, to coincide with His Majesty the King's birthday, his school made the announcement as to which students won the scholarship. Out of 2000 students only twenty were selected and my boyfriend was one of them. He has won a full scholarship to Assumption University in Bangkok. He begins in May. Needless to say he is absolutely ecstatic about it and so am I. I couldn't be happier if I were twenty people rolled into one. Come to think of it, if I don't lose some weight, that's exactly what I'll be. It's certainly nice to be able to share happy news like this with all of you. I know how hard he has been working and I'm extremely proud of him.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Fiji Government Toppled by Military SUVA - Fiji's military has toppled the government and dismissed elected Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, commander Voreqe Bainimarama announced Tuesday. "As of six o'clock this evening, the military has taken over the government, has executive authority and the running of this country," he told a press conference. The commander, who has for months been locked in a bitter standoff with Qarase, said he was suspending certain provisions of the country's constitution and taking over the role of the president as the head of state had been unable to act. "Therefore, having stepped into the shoes of the president, I shall now therefore dismiss the Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase," he added. He said an interim government would be appointed pending elections, and appealed for Fijians to remain calm and for businesses to continue to operate. The military commander vowed the takeover would not be permanent. Bainimarama, who had repeatedly warned Qarase to resign or be toppled, said he took the action after the premier failed to show up at a meeting with the country's president Tuesday. "This stalemate has forced me to step forward and the military has taken overpower," he said. Agence France-Presse _____ And This, from AP: _____ SUVA, Fiji (AP) -- Fiji's military commander announced Tuesday he had taken control of the country from the elected government, confirming the South Pacific nation's fourth coup in less than two decades. "As of 6 o'clock this evening, the military has taken over the government, has executive authority and the running of this country," Commodore Frank Bainimarama told a news conference broadcast nationally. Bainimarama said he had invoked special powers under the Constitution to assume some powers of the president, and was using them to dismiss Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase from office and appoint an interim replacement. He said he would surrender the presidential powers next week, and would ask the country's Great Council of Chiefs to restore them to President Ratu Josefa Iloilo, who he expected would then appoint a full caretaker government. Elections to restore democracy would follow sometime after that, he said. Bainimarama said he was compelled to act against Qarase because the government was backing bills that undermined the Constitution, and insisted he was acting within the law. The takeover was immediately condemned by acting Police Commissioner Moses Driver. "The military has now indulged in a very serious criminal act, and ... we are not going to support the military in this regard, because it is unlawful," Driver told the Legend radio network. Fiji's mostly unarmed police force has said previously it can't challenge the military's might, and Driver said police opposition would be limited to refusing to take orders from the military. Armed trooped locked down the capital, Suva, on Tuesday, setting up checkpoints outside government buildings and at other sites. Troops surrounded Qarase's house, blocking roads with tire-bursting spikes, with the prime minister holed up inside with his family and a handful of ministers. "My impression is that I am under house arrest," Qarase told reporters hours before Bainimarama's declaration. "What happens next is anybody's guess." Bainimarama had been threatening to "clean up" Qarase's government for weeks, bringing to a head a long-running feud between the two men that has at its roots deep-seated ethnic divisions in Fiji and personal grudges linked to a coup in 2000. The slow-coming takeover has already been condemned internationally. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark announced in Parliament on Tuesday that defense ties with Fiji were being severed and officers and their families from that country would be banned. Bainimarama is believed to have children studying in New Zealand. "This is an outrage what is happening in Fiji today," she told reporters in Wellington, the capital. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia would impose similar conditions if it was confirmed Qarase had been removed, adding that two international groups -- the Commonwealth of Britain and its former colonies and the South Pacific Forum -- would consider suspending Fiji. Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Tuesday that Qarase had asked Canberra to send troops to try to prevent the coup, but that he had rejected the request. "The possibility of Australian and Fijian troops firing on each other in the streets of Suva was not a prospect that I for a moment thought desirable," Howard told a news conference in Canberra. Bainimarama previously warned that any foreign intervention would be fiercely opposed. Fiji, with about 900,000 people, is among the richest and most developed nations in the South Pacific, attracting up to 400,000 tourists a year to resorts built on idyllic beaches mostly in the country's west, away from Suva. But it has lurched from one political crisis to the next since the military twice grabbed power in 1987 to ensure political supremacy for the 51 percent of the 900,000 population who are indigenous Fijians. Ethnic Indians are a minority of about 44 percent, with most of the rest ethnic Chinese. Gunmen, angry those advantages were being eroded, seized Parliament in a 2000 coup that brought Qarase, a moderate nationalist, to power in a deal brokered by Bainimarama. Qarase has since won two elections, based partly on populist policies that appealed to indigenous Fijians. Bainimarama sees himself as the guardian of Fiji's constitutional guarantees to all Fijians, and opposed as racist legislation proposed by Qarase that would pardon conspirators in the 2000 coup and secure coastal land rights for indigenous Fijians. Bainimarama survived a mutiny and assassination attempt linked to his resolution of the 2000 coup and the jailing of its leader, George Speight. The architect of the two 1987 coups, former military chief Sitiveni Rabuka, is currently on trial in connection to the mutiny.

Of course, I can think of a few manners that some Thais ought to apply when dealing with "farang," but that's a different issue. Here's the article: _____ BANGKOK, Dec 4 (TNA) Thailand's Ministry of Culture will distribute a handbook on Thai manners and 10 'Do's and Don'ts' in Thailand to foreign tourists to enable the visitors to understand and avoid doing things considered taboo in the kingdom, according to Ministrer of Culture Khunying Khaisri Sri-arun. Khunying Khaisri said the handbook is designed to create more understanding among foreign tourists regarding Thai etiquette and actions that may not appropriate among the Thai public. The Fine Arts Department and the Culture Monitoring Centre frequently receives complaints of inappropriate behaviour by foreigners such as placing Buddha image heads at inproper places. "Some foreigners use the Buddha images as hatracks, some put them at the foot of their beds and some use them as a decoration in the product sales display cases," she said. Many foreign tourists were found dressing inappropriately when visiting temples in Thailand, she added. The minister said the handbook would be issued in eight languages including English, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic, and would be given to foreign embassies in Thailand for distribution. The manual would also available at hotels, Suvarnabhumi Airport and on board Thai Airways International aircraft. (TNA)-E003

I don't know if this is true. I haven't had an opportunity to try it. However, I was recently told that "farang" who hold a Thai driver's license and/or can produce a residence certificate do not have to pay the "farang" prices at government venues and at many privately owned venues. It never occurred to me to try. Recently my boyfriend and I had gone to a waterfall at which there was an admission charge of 20 baht for Thai citizens and 400 baht for "farang." I had my Thai driver's license with me, but it never even entered my mind to produce it. I wonder if I could have saved 380 baht. Does anyone know if there is any truth to this?

Thai Central Bank Curbs Short-Term Capital Inflows BANGKOK, Dec 4 (TNA) In an attempt to prevent speculation in the Thai baht, the Bank of Thailand on Monday sought cooperation from financial institutions in Thailand to monitor short-term transactions with nonresidents after the currency hit an eight-year high against the US dollar last week. Tarisa Watanagase, Governor of the Bank of Thailand (BOT), attributed the rapid appreciation of the baht to the depreciating US dollar and the economic stability of Thailand and the Asian region which has caused capital to flow from USD-denominated markets into Asian markets, including Thailand. In addition, the BOT said in a statement, significant short-term inflows into the debt securities market also contributed to the increased volatility of the local currency. To prevent speculation on the local currency, the bank asked financial institutions to refrain from selling and buying all types of debt securities through sell-and-buy back transactions for all maturities. "Such transactions are financial instruments through which nonresidents can undertake to evade BOT measures preventing baht speculation," the bank said. Financial institutions are allowed to sell and buy foreign currencies with nonresidents or to credit or debit Nonresident Baht Accounts for settlements relating to investments in government bonds, treasury bills or BOT bonds only when such investments are longer than three months, according to the central bank statement. Apart from that, the bank said, financial institutions are allowed to borrow Thai baht from nonresidents including through sell-buy swap transactions when there are no underlying trades and investments in Thailand for maturities longer than six months, an increase from the three month level of the previous measure. "The measures aim at lessening volatility in the foreign exchange market while minimizing the adverse impacts on the bond and other debt securities markets," the central bank governor explained. The bank also asked Thai businesses not to issue or sell short-term debt securities to nonresidents. The baht, which was trading Monday at around Bt35.90 to the US dollar, has gained about 14 per cent on the dollar since early this year. (TNA)-E001

Maybe whatever kind of profile they look for, you don't fit it. I like the idea that they are going to keep records of what kind of meals people order. That's certain to be a key factor in sparing us all another 9-11. Do you realize that somebody must actually have been at work one day and came up with that one? "Hey, Ed. I've got a great idea. Let's start keeping track of what people order to eat when they fly. Huh? What do you think?" "Excellent, Phil. That's a brilliant idea. Whatever they're paying you, it's not enough. That's going to be of enormous help in stopping the terrorists. Boy! When we hired you we certainly got the right guy. Remind me to put your name in for a medal. This might save hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives. Let's get the ball rolling on this one today. The rest of you . . . you need to start coming up with wonderful ideas like this too. Say, that gives me another good idea. Maybe some of these people are clever enough not to order a special meal. My idea is hidden cameras in the lavatories. That way, when we see somebody middle eastern looking take a dump, then we can collect and inspect their turds to see what they have really been eating. What do you think? How come nobody else thought of that? This is so exciting." Your Tax Dollar at Work I think I'll order a liver with fava beans and a nice chianti . . . and a side of hummus.

Note from GB: I don't claim to be any kind of an economist, but less than four months ago the predictions were that the exchange rate would be about 42 baht to the US dollar by now. Famous last words. BANGKOK, Dec 3 (TNA) Economists predict continued baht strength until the middle of next year and a booming stock market, but warned that a more dramatic braking of the US economy could yet see funds flowing out of the region as fast as they have flowed in. Usara Wilaipich, senior economist at Standard Chartered Bank in Bangkok, said at a seminar on Investment Prospect in the Year of the Pig held by the Stock Exchange of Thailand, that Thai investors need to monitor the economic development in the US closely. She attributed the baht rise to the recent influx of foreign investment into the financial and stock markets, pushing the baht, along with other Asian currencies, to record highs. Investor sentiment has been buoyed by low inflation, low interest rates and a healthy trade balance, Usara added. However, the country

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Merck to Offer AIDS Drug Price Cut to Thailand Merck & Co. Inc. will offer to cut the price of a key anti-HIV drug in Thailand in an attempt to stop that country's government from using cheaper generic suppliers and overriding the U.S. drug giant's patents, the Financial Times reported on its website Thursday. A spokesman for Merck's local unit, MSD Thailand, said the company would seek talks with health officials to propose discounts or a "voluntary" license to the Thai government pharmaceuticals organization to produce generic versions of its drug, Efavirenz. Merck's move follows Thailand's surprise decision this week to threaten a "compulsory license" for Efavirenz to overturn Merck's patents, raising fears by western pharmaceutical companies of a significant challenge to their intellectual property.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ BOT Ready with Steps to Stop Baht Speculation The Bank of Thailand will soon introduce new measures to block speculative capital inflows - the "hot money" speculators bring into the Kingdom to influence the baht, which has risen at too fast a pace over the past few days. The central bank also admitted yesterday that it had been intervening in the foreign-exchange market occasionally over the past week to stabilise the baht. The Thai currency has strengthened significantly at around Bt0.20 per day against the dollar over the past week, mainly due to short-term inflows. The baht opened at Bt35.81 to Bt35.86 per dollar yesterday and closed at Bt35.87 to Bt35.89, after peaking at Bt35.74 during the day. A dealer from Bangkok Bank said the central bank had intervened between 3pm and 4pm to bring down the value of the baht by Bt0.30. He believes the unit will appreciate further next week, with a likely range of Bt35.50 to Bt36.10. Pongpen Ruengvirayudh, the Bank of Thailand's senior director of the Financial Markets Operations Group, said yesterday the central bank would soon introduce a new measure, but declined to disclose the details. She said the planned measure would be suitable for the current situation in Thailand. "It is the kind of measure that solves the problem at its roots," Pongpen said. She said the central bank would prefer medium-term investors rather than hot money, as the latter flows in and out quickly. Short-term money helps boost market volume, but also brings about higher costs for exporters, she said, adding that the margins of some exporters are quite thin. The Stock Exchange of Thailand Index rose 2.41 per cent from 723.87 points last Friday, to close at 741.38 yesterday. Pongpen said the central bank believed the new measure would not destroy the trade and investment atmosphere as it will carefully implement it without any impact on real investors who are not speculators. She said the central bank had studied several measures suitable for the current situation, before making the most appropriate choice. Nitaya Pibulratanagit, the assistant governor, said yesterday the strengthening of the baht was due to a combination of the weakening of the dollar, the current-account surplus, and speculative activity. The dollar has weakened to its lowest level in more than 14 years against the pound, and the lowest in over 20 months against the euro. She revealed that the central bank had intervened in the currency market several times to stabilise the baht. Over the past few days, there have been huge capital inflows into the Thai market. In addition to the new measure to control speculative inflows, Nitaya said the central bank would also urge banks not to issue bonds to non-residents. Over the past few days, non-residents, who are speculators, have sold and bought back bonds from banks for huge amounts. With this transaction, speculators lend baht to banks that then issue bonds to them. Non-residents commit to sell back the bonds to the banks within a short period. Pongpen also said that selling and buying back bonds was similar to an earlier transaction, whereby non-residents would sign a repurchase agreement with banks for the extension of baht loans to these banks. "We would ask banks to cooperate in this issue as well," she said. Pongpen said there were several forms of baht speculation. Some speculators have parked their money in non-resident accounts in order to withdraw them after the baht appreciates, while others just speculate on the baht by buying the Thai currency in the morning before selling it in the afternoon. Some invest in bonds or the stock market before selling the bonds and stocks later. "We can figure out that they are speculators only by seeing their names," she added. Anoma Srisukkasem The Nation

PHUKET, Dec 1(TNA) Almost two years after a tsunami hit the southern coastal provinces of Thailand killing more than 5,400 people, including thousands of Thais and tourists from many nations worldwide, Thai and US officials Friday sent off a ship carrying a 'DART' tsunami warning device designed to protect millions of people from such a natural disaster. Some 220,000 people in a dosen countries were killed by the tidal waves caused by a 9.3 magnitude earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Dec. 26, 2004. DART

BANGKOK, Dec 1 (TNA) Thailand's disease control department revealed on World AIDS Day Friday that the number of young people with AIDS in Bangkok is the highest in the country. To mark the occasion, Bangkok recorded the highest number -- 92 young people newly-infected with HIV, according to Dr Thawat Suntrajarn, director-general of the Disease Control Department. According to the report of the Epidemiology Bureau, the number of AIDS patients aged between 15-24 years old has been rising recently with the highest rate reported among university students. The other 10 provinces which have recorded high numbers of young AIDS patients are Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nonthaburi, Phayao, Khon Kaen, Rayong, Lampang, Songkhla, and Samut Prakan. The number of male patients is higher than female patients and most of them contracted the deadly disease by sexual intercourse. According to surveys from 2004 to 2006, young people aged between 15-24 years old had little knowledge on HIV protection and the rate of condom use remained low. Dr. Prat Boonyawongvirot, Permanent Secretary for Public Health said more than one million AIDS patients were recorded in Thailand from 1984 through November 2006. Half of them already died while 556, 848 people with AIDS are still alive and have received medical treatment. There have been 15,174 infections reported this year with an average of 40 new cases daily--or almost two persons per minute on average. He said it is worrying that 0.44 per cent of pregnant girls aged between 15-19 years old were infected with HIV in mid 2006 although there had been no infections among this group reported earlier. (TNA)-E004