A fatal moment of passion

       Activist Nicholas Snow personalises issue of HIVin Thailand with his own account of the virus
       Nicholas Snow, actor-journalist-activist and founder of ActionEqualsLife.com, will happily discuss any aspect about himself with anyone willing to listen, especially the normally taboo fact that he is HIV-positive. Instead of hiding hiscondition,Snow embraces it, taking the HIV-awareness cause to a whole new level in Thailand and beyond.
       At a press conference held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT) in October last year, Snow announced that he was indeed HIVpositive. A limited awareness of the virus has existed in Thailand since its first appearance in 1984, however, it has never been personalised in such a way."The reason I decided to tell my story is because there is a great invisibility of people in Thailand with HIV, and basically no one [or very few] people putting their name and face and story out there to help educate, inform and enlighten."
       To promote awareness of HIV, Snow openly talks about the scenario that resulted in him contracting the virus. It occurred in August,2007, during two dates with men whom he had met on the internet. Both men had announced themselves as being HIV-negative; Snow has talked of his "false sense of security about remaining HIV negative" in the past, a sentiment in which he now embodies the dangers of.
       Last Thursday night at the Bangkok Opera HIV Awareness event held at the Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok on Sukhumvit Soi 18, Snow once again thrust himself into the spotlight to further the public's understanding of the virus, which now affects over one million (reported cases) in the Kingdom alone.
       During the event, Snow spoke of his health openly and honestly before performing the musical number,Beautiful In My Eyes , for the evening's guests."I think it's important to put a face to the [problem of HIV],...to personalise it," said Vanina Sucharitkul, a performer of the evening and niece of Somtow Sucharitkul, the host of the event.
       The awareness project is a three-year plan that aims to further the understanding of HIV by uniting child performers both with and without the virus on stage in performances so they will form friendships and show the world that HIV-infected children can exist in the mainstream arena without any stigma or handicap.
       Despite his HIV-positive status, Snow considers himself to be at the height of his career. As the awareness event was being held, the film Suay Samurai was premiering in cinemas across Bangkok. Snow appears in the film as a CIA agent, making him the first openly gay actor to appear in a Thai movie. He also appears in the film,Last Tango In Bangkok , playing the lead role, and is featured in numerous YouTube submissions, ranging from the emotionally moving to the very entertaining.
       "People say I do this to become famous," he told 'Outlook'."But I was already famous before this happened."
       He is now in the process of writing a book,Life Positive: A Journey from the Centre of My Heart , which he says will be completed and ready to be published as his life story unfolds further.
       Snow has written and recorded a dance single, for global release later this year, titled The Power to be Strong . The song aims to promote HIV testing and safer sex.
       In a mission statement made in the extensive selfpromotional material available on the man, he states:"So here's what I am doing. I am working so that millions of people who are coming to know my face and name as a result of my entertainment career to know that I am a person living with HIV. I want to be able to - on a consistent basis - share my own mistakes and to encourage people to share key messages they need to hear [like the importance of HIV testing and safer sex]."
       On his website, ActionEqualsLife.com, he talks of "expressing the truth of our lives and transforming the planet".
       So I've heard ...
       Off on his annual sales trip to London for the World Travel Mart is Victor Sukseree, the general manager of Dusit Thani Hotel Hua Hin. Selling the hotel during the economic low must be a cinch to him compared to the stress of hosting the Asean Summit a few weeks ago.
       The security alone was a major headache,understandably though, after the mishaps of the earlier summit in Pattaya.
       The first incident, which underlined this security measure for Victor, was the arrival of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's cortege. Victor was waiting to welcome the prime minister at the conference hall, but when the cortege arrived, no one got out of the car. It was a decoy,and the cortege finally dispensed its precious cargo at the nearby Benjarong Thai Restaurant, causing Victor to sprint 500m down to catch up and make his official welcome.
       And if anyone says the prime minister doesn't care for foie gras, don't you believe them. Having been forewarned of the prime minister's supposed "culinary dislikes", the hotel skipped this dish for him at the working luncheon. But noting that everyone else was being served foie gras, the prime minister inquired why he was being missed out. Waiters hurriedly brought over a portion, which he consumed with relish.
       The moral of this story? Never believe what people say about anything!