Protests against high costs of AIDS conference

HIV/AIDS activists have protested against the high registration fee for the upcoming XV International AIDS Conference to be held in Bangkok next month. The registration fee, initially US $900 not including meals and accommodation, was increased to US $1,250 on 1 May. Activists said this had prevented thousands of key voices from registering and being heard at the conference. Karyn Kaplan of the Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group said she found it ironic that the theme of the conference was 'Access for All', because this was one of the most expensive AIDS conferences to date. Even though it was being held in a developing country, "the reality is that access is still very limited," she said. The Director of Thailand's AIDS Access Foundation, Nimit Tien-undom, told Agence France Presse that lower registration prices would mean more attendees, satisfying the conference's theme of providing access to all.