Andhra Pradesh may have made great strides in electronics and biotechnology, but the stoning to death of an HIV-infected woman in Kuppam in Chittoor district on July 4 has shocked people.

"Such horror is not acceptable in any society in the world and must be condemned in the strongest possible and public manner," Brian Haill, president of the Australian AIDS Fund Inc, said in a statement on Wednesday.

In a letter to President Abdul Kalam, he said, "I write to express our revulsion and outrage. Such an appalling act must not be allowed to go unreported in the India mass media or without condemnation by an internationally respected leader such as yourself."

In another letter to Andhra Pradesh Chief minister, he said, "This dreadful act will do nothing to do away with the ignorance and fear associated with HIV/AIDS and which must be confronted head-on for the sake of India's future."