Fridae

The topic of conversation in Thailand has turned. For a while it was the mystery of the exploding airplane on the runway at Bangkok's international airport. Then, briefly, at least, it was the Prime Minister's plan to pay off the national debt with a buried treasure of tons of gold and United States T-bonds. Now, the talk of the town has turned to AIDS.

Over the last several weeks, there have been a conference on pediatric AIDS, an important speech on the AIDS crisis in Asia by a former prime minister, heavily reported by the media, and a meeting about AIDS and Buddhism.

Unfortunately, some of the response has been less than progressive. A group of monks has released a set of sermons that use the fear of AIDS to scare people away from vice. This group, from rural Mae Chan has released a set of sermons about the causes of AIDS - not biological, but moral. The document, reported in the Bangkok Post, was translated from the Lanna dialect of Thai.

The sermons blame the epidemic on a wide variety of vices. To avoid contracting HIV, there are a number of steps a person should take.

Drinking alcohol for instance, contributes to the spread of AIDS because it reduces inhibitions, or, in the language of one commentator, "builds up a person's courage to do all kinds of unacceptable and disastrous acts."

Going to discos and karaoke bars can foster the spread of AIDS, too. Dancing and singing may be harmless enough in themselves, but, according to one summary of the sermons, "While having a good time someone may slip a drug in your drink, causing you to participate in uncontrollable evil acts."

Beware of strangers, warns one cautionary sentence fragment: "Getting acquainted with evil people who look nice and who sweet talk you into indecent conduct and eventually you end up in a brothel and contract AIDS."

These prohibitions verge on the comical - and some may even cross the line - but many Thais take monks' words as absolute truth. Still, many monks enter the Sangha (monkhood) at an early age, and lack experience with things like karaoke and alcohol. While a lack of experience often leads to paranoid exaggeration of the unknown, in Thailand these unseasoned monks are often regarded as fonts of highest wisdom.