Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Papua health officials outraged over HIV/AIDS microchip proposal

Posted at 08:19 on 25 July, 2007 UTC

Health officers in Papua province of Indonesia have expressed outrage at a proposal to have microchips implanted in people living with HIV/AIDS.

The Legislative Council of Indonesia’s Papua province is deliberating a regulation to enable authorities to monitor actions of patients with "high-risk behaviour".

The regulation requires that to supervise and control people with HIV/AIDS a detection device is needed to monitor their movements and sexual activities.

The National AIDS Commission Papua chapter slammed the proposal as a violation of human rights.

And Dr Elsa Siahaam, an advisor on the HIV/AIDS programme with the provincial health office, says this is not the way those thousands who are affected in Papua.

“Have a heart to care for these infected people... We protect the rights of all people living with HIV and AIDS. And that’s our policy until now. We don’t think microchips will protect them. I think it’s a violation of human rights.”