Singapore's "Dr. Love" -- a flamboyant, multi-media sex educator -- has launched an SMS [short message service, or text messaging] campaign in Indonesia. The outreach is the first of its kind in the nation, which is the world's most populous Muslim country.

The service invites Indonesians to send their sex-related questions to a panel of local doctors. The physicians will either text their answer to the sender or use the question to help compile an informational Web site.

"In over one month I think we will get a lot of SMS questions, and these SMS questions will be answered and compiled into a pool of questions and answers," Dr. Love, or Wei Siang Yu, told a press briefing. These then will be used to develop an avatar, an artificially intelligent virtual character, who will guide Web visitors to the information they seek.

Wei stressed that the project "is not about putting foreign content in Indonesia. This is for Indonesians to participate in public and community-generated health care."

There is an obvious need for accurate sex education in Indonesia, where one survey showed 57 percent of young people learn about sex from friends or pornographic movies.

Wei hopes next to introduce the texting program in Malaysia, India, and China.

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