BEIJING, July 15 (AFP) - Authorities in China's AIDS-hit Henan province have detained four people for trying to protest at inadequate healthcare and other services in the area, rights groups and local police said Thursday. The four, all HIV positive, were detained in Shangqiu city, Amnesty International said, expressing concern that they could be tortured or ill-treated. "They may be at risk of torture or ill-treatment, and Amnesty International fears that they may not receive the medical treatment they may need while they are in custody," said the London-based rights group. Local officials confirmed that people had been detained, but refused to say why. "I can't tell you anything about this case over the phone," Wang Wanqiang, deputy dirctor of Zhecheng county, told AFP> Their detention comes as China attempts to face up to its exploding AIDS problem at an international forum in Bangkok. While Premier Wen Jiabao this week called for stepped up efforts to combat the deadly scourge, translating those words into action in China is a major problem. In provinces such as Henan, where farming communities have been devastated by the AIDS scandal, officials have stormed villages at night, beating and arresting HIV-infected farmers demanding better care. Amnesty said Wang Guofeng and Li Suzhi were detained on July 12 as they were about to travel to Beijing to petition the national health department. The couple were said to be concerned that they had not received the medical treatment that the central authorities had promised. They were also angry that the school their children attended had recently been closed down by the local authorities. The school had been set up by activist Li Dan for children whose parents were HIV-positive or had died of AIDS. The two others were reportedly detained on July 9 after getting into an argument with police at a hospital. They had apparently come to the hospital to petition President Hu Jintao after rumours spread that he was visiting the premises.