Taiwanese officials investigating whether gay men deliberately spread HIV

Gay men who knew they were HIV-positive and attended a sex party last week in Taipei could face criminal charges, Taiwan health minister Chen Chien-jen said Tuesday. Nearly one third of the 92 men detained at the party in a Taipei apartment on Saturday tested HIV-positive. Police raided the party on reports that the illegal drug ecstasy was being used. "We respect the human rights of people with AIDS, but I hope that at the same time we're respecting their rights each person will take care of himself and be concerned about others," Chen said. Chen did not specify what charges the men could face or how the courts would punish those who knowingly infected others with HIV. Of the 28 party attendees who tested HIV-positive, only 14 were on the government's list of HIV-infected people, the China Times and Daily News, two of Taiwan's biggest newspapers, reported Wednesday on their front pages. TV footage from the scene showed the floor littered with used and unused condoms.