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HIV carrier says infection isn't a criminal offense

A local woman who became infected with HIV through her foreign husband has appealed to the government on humanitarian grounds to let her spouse, who was deported, return to Taiwan to be reunited with his family.

The woman, surnamed Liu, made the appeal yesterday at a press conference arranged by Legislator Chen Chao-jung (陳朝容) of the People First Party.

Liu said that she was not aware that her husband was HIV-positive until he was tested three years ago when he applied for residence status in Taiwan. Worse still, she found that she had also become infected, although she said she does not blame her husband.

As indicated under current immigration law, her husband was deported when he was found to be an HIV carrier. Liu said that she and her husband have not lived together as a family since the deportation. She added that although her family has been forced apart, she still manages to visit her husband every few months.

Liu said that over the past few years, she has solicited the assistance of lawyers, the Department of Health, and the Bureau of Immigration to try to win approval for her husband's return to Taiwan.

She said that since her husband remains barred from returning due to the law, she has come forward to fight for the rights of all HIV carriers, believing that they will "grow in numbers" and that "if you don't fight the laws, they will remain intact."

Liu stressed that HIV carriers are not criminals and urged those who are infected with the virus to step forward and fight for their rights.

Chen pointed out that the number of those who have been infected with HIV has increased by 309 in Taiwan during the past year, adding that the number had increased by 20 percent annually over the past four years, which he said demonstrates that Taiwan has become a seriously affected area.

Chen said that statistics released by the health department show that as of May 15 of this year, there were 3,469 HIV carriers in Taiwan, representing a 10 percent increase over the number at the end of last year.
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