plicated by poverty and the subsequent out-migration of its youth and
constraints on life opportunities and resources.
Located on land belonging to a forest temple, the Ban Pak opened
on September 29, 1996, with the support of the temple, the government
sector (mainly through the Ministry of Public Health), subdistrict-level
organizations, private organizations, and a committee of local village
headmen. Luang-pu Somchai, the abbot of the forest temple, served as
project chairman. Between 1996 and 1999, the Ban Pak housed over
two hundred PLWHA.18 The Ban Pak statistics claim that 70 percent
of these PLWHA have returned home after experiencing alleviation of
symptoms, 20 percent have died at the Ban Pak, and the remaining 10
percent continue to live at the Ban Pak.19
After visiting the Ban Pak community in September 1999, Laura
Hollinger reported: