China plans to establish a disease-monitoring network with five other countries in the Mekong River area to fight against AIDS and infectious diseases. The Mekong River is known as Lancang River in China.

China will cooperate with Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam in the fields of disease monitoring, vaccine research and prevention.

China will also provide those countries with medicines and other materials to help them control the spread of AIDS.

Known as Lancang River in China, the Mekong River runs through 2,100 kilometers and there are around 250 million people living in the area.

Separatists from Indonesia's tsunami-hit Aceh province is demanding a full withdrawal of the government's 50,000 security forces, as part of a negotiated settlement to end the decades old war. Talks between the Indonesian government and Aceh rebels are going underway in Helsinki, Finland, with a focus on Jakarta's proposal to grant autonomy to the region.

Pauliina Arola, Executive director for Crisis Management Initiative says the rebel delegation will ask for clarification about Jakarta's special autonomy plan.

"The other issues which would be on the table are the security arrangements and issues around the limitation and monitoring of the final results," said Arola.

It's the first time the two sides are meeting since a previous peace process collapsed in 2003, when the Indonesian military launched a major offensive against insurgents in the gas-rich region.

After the tsunami struck last December, the rebels proclaimed a unilateral truce saying they wanted to help rescue efforts.

But the Indonesian military said it would continue combat operations until a formal cease-fire was signed.

Source: CRI News