There has been a drop in the con-men in HIV/AIDS cure since the arrival of anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs. But in the decade past there were several spin-doctors claiming to cure people suffering from HIV infection.
In Port Moresby, there was a soldier from Murray Barracks Lansy Lapu who sold medicine with the claim of having cured many people. He had a brother Ian Lapu who was another con-man seeking to make money out of the suffering of others.
The con-men all used the same technique. They stood in public with their bottles and sold their wares to anyone who claimed to be HIV positive.
They advised them to come back for a second and third bottle. At that point they asked clients how they felt. They felt good. You have been cured!! You are the 67th person I have saved from HIV infection !! Haha.
The truth was that the person was not HIV positive in the first place. No test nor doctor's certificate. It was just a sale on the claims of silly people. No test to show that the person had been cured.
Lansy Lapu was once supported by journalist Tereni Kens who was given the job of writing on HIV/AIDS by his media boss Wesley Raminai.
He criticised the Government for not allowing people to sell drugs they claimed to cure HIV/AIDS. That was the last silly report that Kens wrote on HIV/AIDS. Let us hope his standard of journalism has risen now that he is Editor in Chief of his newspaper.
I worked with Joe Lari. He was a good man who supported Positive Living in many ways. But he had one silly fault. He believed he had found a cure for HIV infection. He would very secretly mix his potion not allowing anyone to see.
He refused to give the medicine to the Health Department as he claimed that they would steal his formula. I worked with him as he gave the medicine to people without selling.
I just let him live with his quirk. I quietly talked to the people who were given the medicine.
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