AIDS AMONG DRUG ADDICTS RISING, PROSECUTORS SAY

The number of drug addicts in Taiwan suffering from AIDS has been
growing rapidly in recent years, prompting law enforcement
authorities to step up a crackdown on drug trafficking, prosecutors
said yesterday.

The number of addicts infected with AIDS began increasing sharply in
2003, according to statistics compiled by the Ministry of Justice. In
2004, there were 544 reported cases around the island, a seven-fold
growth over the 2003 level and exceeding the combination of the
aggregate number posted during the 1998-2003 period.

A prosecutor exclusively in charge of fighting drug abuse said that
most addicts acquire AIDS through sharing needles with other infected addicts.

With society getting more open and widely diversified, bars,
nightclubs and house parties have become places where young men and
women can abuse illegal drugs due to the rampant spread of narcotics,
the prosecutor claimed.

Although the investigation authorities have done their best to
eradicate the abuse of illicit drugs to prevent the spread of AIDS,
the prosecutor contended that crackdowns alone are not enough to
achieve the goal.

"Law enforcement alone will not remove the root cause of the drug
abuse problem in society," he said, pointing out that the problem has
further worsened as a result of a growing number of drug abusers and
more expensive prices of narcotics due to increased consumption.

"More and more drug addicts turn to crime such as robbery in order to
feed their habits," he said.

To effectively contain the spread of AIDS through drug abuse, the
prosecutor suggested cooperation with health authorities to raise
public awareness of new concepts about treating and curing AIDS, such
as providing free needles for addicts at some specific sites, in
addition to cracking down on drug trafficking.