Bush Makes Vietnam Eligible for AIDS Help

1 hour, 14 minutes ago

By SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press Writer

PHILADELPHIA - President Bush (news - web sites) made Vietnam the 15th nation eligible for help under his global AIDS (news - web sites) program on Wednesday as he blended public policy in the inner city with re-election chores at a country estate.


Bush's official purpose in making his 29th trip to Pennsylvania was to promote his administration's efforts to combat AIDS at home and abroad. But the campaign was in the air as he and chief political adviser Karl Rove traveled here. Bush spent more than two hours mingling behind closed doors with wealthy donors who chipped in $1.4 million for the Republican National Committee (news - web sites).


Republican Sen. Arlen Specter, who hitched a ride to his home state with Bush on Air Force One, said Bush's outreach to an overwhelmingly black audience here could help tip the balance in Pennsylvania. Bush drew just 7 percent of Pennsylvania's black voters when he lost the state — the nation's fifth-largest electoral prize — by a mere 204,000 ballots in 2000.


Bush said his administration had decided to add Vietnam to the list of countries eligible for help under the five-year, $15 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief he launched last year.


"We're putting a history of bitterness behind us with Vietnam," the president said. "We want the Vietnamese to hear: together we'll fight the disease. You've got a friend in America," he said.


Until now, most of the AIDS relief fund countries have been in Africa, with one each in the Caribbean and South America.


While India and other countries have larger populations with AIDS or HIV (news - web sites), the administration chose to add Vietnam to its global AIDS focus because top officials believed American money could make the largest impact there.


Vietnam is on the brink of an AIDS epidemic, with cases predicted to rise from 130,000 currently to 1 million by 2010, according to Bush administration officials.


Critics, including Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites), said Bush's spending requests will fall short of his own goal to spend $15 billion.


"It is long past time for empty rhetoric on this issue. It is time for real resources and a real commitment that is based on science — not politics — to fight this epidemic," Kerry said of Bush's initiative.


Independent of his emergency AIDS program, Bush has pledged to give $1 billion over five years to the public-private Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. But some experts say that figure is inadequate and that as a result Vietnam and other countries will suffer from a shortfall in their efforts to combat.


"President Bush gives with one hand while taking away with the other," said Paul Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance. Vietnam expects to receive $44.7 million from the global fund this year, but may not, he said.


Bush also said his administration was immediately shifting $20 million into a program meant to get HIV drugs to patients who have trouble obtaining them.


Bush laced his speech to the parishioners with Bible references, and his listeners responded with frequent cries of "Amen!"


The White House chose as Bush's audience members of the congregation of the Greater Exodus Baptist Church and activists with its sister charity, People For People Inc. Its pastor, the Rev. Herbert H. Lusk II, has been an ardent supporter of Bush since even before he became president.


Bush has been trying to feature the softer side of his policy agenda this week — the "compassion agenda," as he calls it. One protester outside Bush's speech held up a sign that called on the president to "Show Some Compassion: Resign!"


___
=====================================================

Bush Defends Inclusion of Vietnam in AIDS Fund

2 hours, 38 minutes ago Add Politics to My Yahoo!


By Adam Entous

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites) on Wednesday made Vietnam eligible for funds under a $15 billion global AIDS (news - web sites) initiative and dismissed critics who said India should have been chosen instead.


Some AIDS activists questioned the decision to add the communist state and former U.S. enemy to the list of nations that can benefit from the program, saying Asian giants China and India needed the money more urgently.


Bush defended his choice, citing a rapid rise in HIV (news - web sites) infections in Vietnam, especially among the young, and the country's willingness to own up to its AIDS problem, while others are "in denial."


"We believe that Vietnam deserves this special help. We're putting a history of bitterness behind us with Vietnam," Bush said.


Only a fraction of the $15 billion promised for the five-year program has been distributed so far, and Bush's Democratic opponent in the November election, John Kerry (news - web sites), joined AIDS activists in urging a quicker transfer of funds.


"It is long past time for empty rhetoric on this issue. It is time for real resources and a real commitment that is based on science -- not politics -- to fight this epidemic," he said in a statement.


Bush said his administration would soon release $500 million to provide more immediate AIDS relief. "We need to move quickly," he said. "We are fighting one of the great tragedies of human history."


Congress approved $2.4 billion for this year and is expected to provide about $2.8 billion in fiscal 2005. AIDS groups lobbied for $3 billion a year.


The groups complained that Bush's proposed budget would cut assistance by almost two-thirds to the U.N.-backed Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, threatening its operations in Africa.


COUNTRIES "IN DENIAL"


Bush formally announced his decision to include Vietnam during a speech to community activists in Philadelphia, although U.S. officials had provided details on Tuesday.


While praising Vietnam, Bush criticized other countries as "in denial" about the crisis while "in the meantime, people are dying." Though he did not name any country, congressional aides said he was referring to India.


Many AIDS experts had expected India, where 4.5 million people carry the AIDS virus, to be the 15th country eligible to participate in the program. Vietnam, by contrast, has about 130,000 people living with AIDS, U.S. officials said.


"While Vietnam needs and deserves assistance, the question must be asked, 'Why not India or China, which are facing explosive epidemics'? asked Paul Zeitz, executive Director of the Global AIDS Alliance.


Last week Bush upset India by naming its nuclear rival, Pakistan, as a major non-NATO (news - web sites) ally of the United States, making it easier for the country to get U.S. arms. India does not have the same status, although it has growing military contacts with Washington as part of an overall "strategic partnership."


Bush came to the election battleground state of Pennsylvania to make the announcement on Vietnam and highlight his other AIDS initiatives as a cornerstone of his "compassionate" conservative agenda.


Apart from Vietnam, the 14 other "focus countries" are in Africa and the Caribbean, and the initiative is particularly popular with African-Americans, a group that overwhelmingly supports the Democrats.


=====================================================

We need to get rid of this disease in Vietnam. Shoot the hoes and druggies.

lol that's good. According to the CIA World Factbook the rate of aids in Vietnam is just 0.3%, while in the U.S it's like 0.6%, so it's FREE MONEY, Vietnam really doesn't have an aids problem. lol

Cambodia has an aids rate of 2.7%, Are they giving it to Cambodia as well? I think Vietnam is the only asian country to get a share of this 15 billion so far. Am I correct?

Speaking from a person who never been in Saigon before

Why do all your posts about Vietnam end up being negative ones?

Ok the CIA world factbook said Vietnam's aids rate is 0.3% America's is 0.6%, do you think you no more about the CIA smart guy? So unless you've gone to Vietnam and taken a friggin survey to see how many Vietnamese have aids then shut up.

Yes but you never experienced who or what I actually saw. I saw two guys sharing needles PUBLICLY BEFORE, I saw some petty gangs fighting in Saigon gas station (it's behind my house). MY dad was fu-king scared of them influenced on me. AIDS is still an epedemic in Saigon.

Yeah based on what YOU saw with 2 guys sharing needles you automatically assume Vietnam has an aids problem because of 2 guys?

It clearly says 0.3% only has aids and aids was probably brought into Vietnam by those Americans in the Vietnam War, which first came from Africa and then to White countries and now those troops brought it to Vietnam.

The official rate of infection in Vietnam is approx 80,000. In reality however, most experts believe that it stands at least 3 times that, somewhere around the 300,000 mark, which is around 0.37%. That is not a very high figure compares to the African countries that are as high as 40% of the population.

However, I appreciate that because it will potentially stop an endemic of huge proportion. The money could be used to teach people about AIDS and buy condoms or supply them cheaply.

Not to mention that I actually read many of Saigon Bao articles on AIDS epedemic. I was one of those guy in "Thanh Nien Tien Phong" who goes out and clean the streets that covered with needles and used drug. It's very often to hear someone who failed on the street or in the park and got AIDS by the needles.

dude - aids is everywhere and statics on any subject are only guesstimations - so that stuff you (supernovasp) said about the people sharing needles and the rest - you can see that on Hastings street when you ride near and around downtown Vancouver

VN has aids - that is a fact cause aids moves quick, but i dont think its huge like Byron said, cause our culture is not towards shaggin and playas - know wat im sayin G

DELETE

The thing is sharing needles are common to see in Saigon. I'm not speaking of Vietnam, but specificly Saigon because I lived there.

Dude, you should go and see the new Vietnam. All the drug addicts are sent to reeducation camps for somewhere between 2-5 years, whether they liked it or not. My family used to live in district 1 (we still have a house there) and 5 years ago there were still many drug addicts wandering the streets. Now there's none. Not even one.

That's maybe because it's District one, the center of Saigon, but there are plenty in Quan 3, Quan Binh Thanh, and Quan 10 (Quan 3's friendly enemy ).

I suggest you go to Vietnam and see it for yourself. I've been there, seen that.

:genius: 4 more years to go

i believe you - cause Saigon is urban scene - quan 4 was famous, but now a lot cleaner - but still there

anyways i dont know what we are discussing here - aids exists in VN - of course like any country - but not as high as a lot of other countries

the quickest - cheapest way - don't be a playa and have relationships based on more than the flesh

no shagadelic stuff - sorry folks, i know it breaks all of our hearts - shaggin babee!

So if you don't know about the current situation in Vietnam, don't even bother talking about it basing on your experience a few years ago.

[quote=Nam Quoc Son Ha,Jun 23 2004, 06:16 PM] [quote=supernovasp,Jun 23 2004, 06:14 PM] [quote=Nam Quoc Son Ha,Jun 23 2004, 06:13 PM] [quote=supernovasp,Jun 23 2004, 06:11 PM] [quote=Nam Quoc Son Ha,Jun 23 2004, 06:07 PM] [quote=supernovasp,Jun 23 2004, 06:04 PM] [quote=Byron,Jun 23 2004, 06:00 PM] [quote=supernovasp,Jun 23 2004, 05:58 PM] [quote=Byron,Jun 23 2004, 05:57 PM] [quote=supernovasp,Jun 23 2004, 05:56 PM] [quote=Byron,Jun 23 2004, 05:50 PM] lol that's good.  According to the CIA World Factbook the rate of aids in Vietnam is just 0.3%, while in the U.S it's like 0.6%, so it's FREE MONEY, Vietnam really doesn't have an aids problem.  lol

Cambodia has an aids rate of 2.7%, Are they giving it to Cambodia as well?  I think Vietnam is the only asian country to get a share of this 15 billion so far.  Am I correct? [/quote]
Speaking from a person who never been in Saigon before [/quote]
Why do all your posts about Vietnam end up being negative ones?

Ok the CIA world factbook said Vietnam's aids rate is 0.3% America's is 0.6%, do you think you no more about the CIA smart guy? So unless you've gone to Vietnam and taken a friggin survey to see how many Vietnamese have aids then shut up. [/quote]
Yes but you never experienced who what I actually saw. I saw two guys sharing needles PUBLICLY BEFORE. MY dad was fu-king scared of them influenced on me. AIDS is still an epedemic in Saigon. [/quote]
Yeah based on what YOU saw with 2 guys sharing needles you automatically assume Vietnam has an aids problem because of 2 guys?

It clearly says 0.3% only has aids and aids was probably brought into Vietnam by those Americans in the Vietnam War, which first came from Africa and then to White countries and now those troops brought it to Vietnam. [/quote]
Not to mention that I actually read many of Saigon Bao articles on AIDS epedemic. I was one of those guy in "Thanh Nien Tien Phong" who goes out and clean the streets that covered with needles and used drug. It's very often to hear someone who failed on the street or in the park and got AIDS by the needles. [/quote]
Dude, you should go and see the new Vietnam. All the drug addicts are sent to reeducation camps for somewhere between 2-5 years, whether they liked it or not. My family used to live in district 1 (we still have a house there) and 5 years ago there were still many drug addicts wandering the streets. Now there's none. Not even one. [/quote]
That's maybe because it's District one, the center of Saigon, but there are plenty in Quan 3, Quan Binh Thanh, and Quan 10 (Quan 3's friendly enemy ). [/quote]
I suggest you go to Vietnam and see it for yourself. I've been there, seen that. [/quote]
:genius: 4 more years to go [/quote]
So if you don't know about the current situation in Vietnam, don't even bother talking about it basing on your experience a few years ago. [/quote]
Been there on 2000, and 2002.

I've just been there in 2004. I noticed the difference two years could make.

im planning to go back in 2010 - yeah Thang Long party dudes

Of course a good chunk of it will....so why do you still insist on defending the government in every discussion?

hell sh!t , i lived in saigon and went back there 2 years ago , there wasnt any drug addict or any AID people going around with needles , maybe u dont know anything about 113

RETRACTED THIS STATEMENT.

i always hear thailand is the most aids stricken country in southeast asia.... is it true? and what is the situation of aids in the philippines?

LOL where did you get this from?

According to AIDS expert, 80% of infections are from needling sharing and 10-15 percent from prostitution.

RETRACT THIS STATEMENT. Just a misunderstanding and didn't properly research that time. I take it back.

LOL!!!!

This is the funniest $hit

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA

So the Americans GI introduced Aids into Vietnam during the war, I can't stop laughing at this $hit.

Have you got a source Byron???

And no your imagination does not count as a source, HAHAHAHAH

You crack me up man, HAHAHAHA

do you even know how AIDs was introduced into South East Asia and when??