Aids Memorial Day Held in Amsterdam


AMSTERDAM. Last week for the tenth time in succession the Dutch
"Aids memorial day" was held at the "Beurs van Berlage"-buil-
ding in the centre of Amsterdam. This year some 3000 people got
together to commemorate the 1650 victims the desease has clai-
med in Holland to date. Aids Memorial day started out in 1986
with some 50 people gathering in an Amsterdam church, but after
having moved premises twice because of the growing number of
persons attending each year, organisers fear that in the near
future the event may be forced out of the city centre just
because no building there is large enough to hold over 3000.
After the ceremony indoors, which started at 17:00 and included
calling out the names af the Dutch AIDS-victims and lighting
candles, those attending walked to Dam square where balloons
with the names of the victims of AIDS attached to them were let
up.


Special Attention to Providing Help for AIDS-patients

AMSTERDAM. In related news the National Aids foundation has
announced it will allocate more funds to projects to do with
the nursing of AIDS-patients as opposed to spending more on
research into the desease. This policy was immediately attacked
by researchers pleading for more money to be spent on research
to come up with a cure for AIDS. Mr. van Rooyen, director of
the AIDS-foundation defended the foundation's policy by stating
that the foundation only gives supplementary funding with the
government and universities providing the bulk of funding for
research.


Belgium Holds fifth AIDS Memorial Day

ANTWERP South of the border, in the Belgian city of Antwerp,
the fifth Belgian Aids memorial day was attended by some 300
people. Flanders' minister for employment and health Reekers
presented a charter for companies to sign stating that they
will not discriminate against persons who are HIV-prositive.
Six companies have signed to date. Antwerp's mayor Mrs. Detiege
urged politicians to combat the growing influence of reactiona-
ry forces in Belgian politics.


Tax on Condoms to be reduced

THE HAGUE In reply to questions asked in Dutch parliament by
Social Liberal representative Mr. van Boxtel, health-minister
Borst has announced that VAT (Value Added Tax) on condoms will
be brought down from the current 17.5 % to 6 or even 0 %. This
move would follow a similar measure taken by France in 1988 to
promote AIDS-prevention. Cutting VAT on condoms would bring the
price of the avarage rubber down by some DFl. 0,30 (US$ 0,20).


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Love from Holland,


Bert