Tomorrow, take some time out from your daily schedule and send a message about safe sex by heading to Bangkok's Lumpini Park and helping to create the world's longest condom chain on World Aids Day.

"Aids is not a sad issue," says Srisuman Sartsara, national consultant to Unesco's HIV/Aids coordination and school-health programme.

She encourages people of all ages to come along to the park and help representatives from Unesco, the Thai Red Cross, UnAids, Plan Thailand and local NGOs beat the Guinness Book's record for a condom chain and take part in a host of fun activities.

"The 'chain of life' festival aims to build understanding that the condom is not something to be shy of, but signifies responsibility to one's partner," Srisuman explains.

Another highlight is a show of condom fashions by award-

winning Thai designer Pisith Sirihamarout.

Three dresses, painstakingly made with more than 500 condoms, will be showcased in the finale. Each dress took between three and four days to complete.

The parade also includes numerous T-shirts with hand-stitched patterns made of condoms.

"Condom fashion is to reflect that the prophylactics are not disgusting but a part of life. They can be beautiful," says Panus Rattakitvijun Na Nakorn, a programme officer with Plan Thailand.

The safe-sex message is particularly aimed at Thais aged between 15 and 24, the group that is most afflicted, according to Plan's latest survey.

"Ten years ago, when the Thai government launched a series of campaigns against HIV/Aids, there was a good success rate in preventing new infections," he says.

"But without constant pushing, people start to get careless and now the infections rate is on the rise again. The World Aids Day campaign aims to put prevention awareness back in the public eye."

Plan Thailand is part of an international, humanitarian, child-centred development organisation without religious, political or governmental affiliation, and has been working in Thailand for the past 26 years.

In the field of HIV/Aids, the organisation works to provide information, education and communication campaigns and has implemented sex education curricula in primary and secondary schools as a pilot project in seven provinces in Northeastern and Northern Thailand.

Sisaket province has a high infection rate due to its location on the Thai-Cambodian border, which brings it into constant contact with immigrant labourers, Panus explains. Teenagers in the provinces need different information from that offered to urban youngsters.

For rural teens, obtaining condoms is not as easy into popping an anonymous convenience store.

"Sometimes the health centre is the only place they can get a condom. And while they are free, imagine asking for condoms in a close-knit community where everybody knows who your parents are," says Panus.

Next year Plan Thailand will come up with an advocacy plan to train government officials and tambon administrators to be child-friendly.

Fashion designer Pisith stresses the need for everyone to become involved in the fight against HIV/Aids. "While I was studying in Frankfurt six years ago, a close friend told me he was infected. He devoted his time to comforting infected people who needed psychological support. He showed me that infected people can also continue to contribute something to society," says the designer.

"By taking part in the World's Aids Day tomorrow, I hope to raise awareness that we can live happily together."

Miss Thailand Lalana Kongtoranin and former Miss Universe 2005 Miss Natalie Glebova are among the celebrities who will be joining hands with the HIV-positive community to share a life-affirming message on living with HIV and preventing new infections.

For more information, call (02) 391 0577,

extension 116 or visit www.unescobkk.org.

Aree Chaisatien

 The Nation