Partygoers who knew they were HIV-positive attending a sex-and- drugs party last week in Taipei could face criminal charges, Health Minister Chen Chien-jen said this week. Nearly one-third of the 92 men detained at the party in a Taipei apartment on Saturday tested HIV- positive. Police raided the party on reports that the illegal drug Ecstasy was being used and made arrests after finding the drug there. "We respect the human rights of people with AIDS, but I hope that at the same time we're respecting their rights, each person will take care of himself and be concerned about others," Chen said. Chen did not specify what charges the men could face. Of the 28 attendees who tested HIV-positive, only 14 were on the government's list of HIV-infected people, the China Times and Daily News, two of Taiwan's biggest newspapers, reported Wednesday on their front pages. TV footage from the scene showed the floor littered with used and unused condoms. "There are 64 people who might have already been infected, but it's still too early for the tests to be definitive," Chen said. "So we've already set a time for them to be tested again" in three months. Chen did not say how the courts would punish those who knowingly infected others with HIV.

A furor erupted among gay rights campaigners in Taiwan today after Vice President Annette Lu suggested AIDS was God's punishment for homosexuality. Televised reports showed Lu remarking, at an AIDS awareness event over the weekend, that "Some said the reason why AIDS spreads is because God can not stand it any more." Lu, who urged the public to practice safe sex, said, "God felt it's time to mete out punishment, or there would not be any difference between men and animals." Local gay rights groups condemned her remarks. The presidential office released a statement expressing regret over the reports and said Lu's remarks had been misinterpreted.

The Taiwan Department of Health's Center for Disease Control said Wednesday that another 759 Taiwan residents were diagnosed HIV-positive in 2002 - a 16 percent increase over new diagnoses a year earlier. Taiwan has 4,373 nationals infected with HIV/AIDS, of whom 842 have died of AIDS. "New HIV infections in Taiwan have seen a two-digit growth rate each year over the past decade, which is what we should be very careful about," said Ou Nai-ming, head of the agency's AIDS division. Data show that the overwhelming majority of the new infections were contracted through sexual intercourse.

The number of people in Taiwan who have become infected with HIV since 1984 was 4,590 by the end of October, according to figures released last week by the Cabinet's Department of Health. The department shows 603 new cases reported this year. Of the cumulative total, 4,217 cases were Taiwanese nationals and 373 were foreigners. Since 1984, the Department of Health shows 1,319 HIV-infected Taiwanese have been diagnosed with AIDS. There have been 820 deaths. Health authorities said statistics suggested that young people were at greater risk of HIV infection than older individuals. HIV-positive persons in their 20s and 30s account for 36 percent and 33 percent, respectively, of the cumulative number. Nearly 93 percent of the 4,217 HIV-infected Taiwanese are male. Results of two recent studies by the department indicate the real number of Taiwan's HIV/AIDS cases could be about twice the official statistics, said department Deputy Director-General Hsu-mei Hsu. Obligatory HIV testing in Taiwan targets several categories of people, including soldiers, prisoners, blood donors and pregnant women. In addition, some medical centers offer free, anonymous testing and counseling. Hsu said there have been more than 20 million testing records so far. "We estimate five out of 100,000 persons in Taiwan are HIV-positive, and the infection rate is increasing gradually," Hsu said. Taipei is the city most heavily affected by HIV/AIDS in Taiwan. Shiow-ing Wu of Taipei City STD Control Center said that about one in four HIV-positive persons live in the country's largest city. A recent survey of 39 sex workers conducted by the Department of Health showed 86 percent did not persuade clients to use condoms, Wu said. "The problem is that they believe they might be lucky," Wu said. In anticipation of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, the Department of Health will distribute 20,000 condoms at Taipei gas stations Nov. 25-29.

Taiwan's HIV rates shot up by more than 20 percent last year with nearly 4,000 people now infected with the virus that leads to AIDS. A total of 3,958 Taiwan nationals are HIV-positive, up 644 people or 21.1 percent from the end of 2000, the China Times cited statistics from the Department of Health as saying. The department said 98 percent of the patients contracted HIV via sexual intercourse, with statistics showing increased infections among homosexuals and bisexuals.

More people in Taiwan have unprotected sex than anywhere else in Asia, local media reported on Sunday. About 14 percent of sexually active Taiwanese use no contraceptive methods, resulting in the highest pregnancy rate in Asia. An average of two people on the island contract HIV each day, and between 320,000 and 400,000 abortions are performed each year. The data were quoted from the 2001 Durex Global Sex Survey conducted annually by the condom maker.