In a bid to ease up on Taiwan's infamous policy of deporting foreigners with HIV/AIDS, the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday proposed easing immigration restrictions to allow them to stay in the country for a fortnight.
The revision to the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Control Act (
Faced with the rapid spread of AIDS in China, the department also included people from China, Macau and Hong Kong in the draft.
"The draft is made out of respect for civil liberty, as well as out of necessity to stem the epidemic," said Lin Ting (林頂), deputy director-general of the Center for Disease Control.
The center's latest statistics show that foreign people living with the disease account for 7 percent of the total reported cases in Taiwan. Since the reporting system was put into place in 1984, a total of 488 foreign cases have been identified.
Under the current law, foreigners will be deported if they are found to be HIV positive. Their visas are annulled and their names are permanently listed in official records, resulting in automatic refusal of any future application for an entry visa. Unless the revision is ratified and promulgated, their deportation is permanent.
While health officials hailed the DOH's revision as a victory for human rights, patient groups and health experts described it as an "ostrich policy."
"The point is not how long we allow them to stay," said Ivory Lin (
"The point is whether we allow them to stay. The biggest shame is the fact that our government restricts their freedom of movement in the name of public health," Lin said.
Many couples are forced to separate because of the restriction, according to Lin, whose association has filed applications on behalf of 24 couples to prevent a spouse's deportation. All 24 applications were turned down.
"Think about that: It is 24 families ruined," Lin said.
Health experts hold similar views.
"This [revision] says less about our government's care for AIDS patients than about its violation of fundamental human rights," said Chen Yi-ming (
According to Chen, the deportation law is both unethical and ineffectual.
"How can deportation help drive down the infection rate? The link between these two is tenuous," Chen said.
According to Chen, it is impossible to shield the nation from the disease by means of legislation. The 600,000 Taiwanese businesspeople living in China, which has been severely hit by AIDS, and the 3 million Taiwanese traveling abroad each year add to the nation's vulnerability to the virus.
"Every unsafe sex act is a chink in the armor against AIDS. It is about sex education and condom usage. It is not about law and punishment," Chen said.
The draft did not make it onto the Legislative Yuan's agenda yesterday, since all the legislators on the Standing Committee of Sanitation, Environment and Social Welfare were taking part in campaign activities for the upcoming elections. The draft bill has been put on hold until the end of next month.
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
RSS