3,000 Cambodians demand better HIV/AIDS care

Some 3,000 Cambodians, including 500 who are HIV-positive, took to the streets Friday to demand better HIV/AIDS care in the country, hit hardest by the disease in Southeast Asia.

"We need better access to treatment. Most HIV-positive people still lack access to even cheap... treatment," said Kong Vanny, a 42-year-old woman, who was infected by her husband.

The crowd, including Buddhist monks, university students and government officials, also lit candles to mark Cambodia's annual AIDS Memorial Day at a central park in Phnom Penh.
"We hope this event will help raise awareness of HIV/AIDS among Cambodian people," said Hor Bunleng, undersecretary of state at the National AIDS Authority, a government body tasked with tackling HIV/AIDS.

While Cambodia has made strides in battling HIV/AIDS, and has successfully slowed its once-spiralling infection rate, the country still has the highest rate of HIV in Southeast Asia.

Some 1.9 percent of the population of 13.8 million are infected with the HIV virus, and relatively few have access to treatment.

Nearly 10,000 Cambodians die of AIDS-related illnesses every year, according to the government.