The National Defense University was fined NT$1 million (US$31,878) for discriminating against a student with HIV and forcing him to drop out of school, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
After the university learned that the student, named A-li (a pseudonym), had tested positive for HIV during an annual health examination in early 2012, it asked him to keep his meal tray, eating utensils and clothes separate from those of other students and barred him from taking swimming classes, while teachers often suggested that he drop out of school.
The hospital that conducted the exam had given the university the test results without A-li’s consent.
He was expelled the following year, shortly before he was due to graduate, for bad conduct, including having a bad attitude and disrespecting teachers.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the CDC filing an administrative suit against the university over A-li’s case, but the Taipei High Administrative Court in March ruled in favor of the school in part because the university falls under the remit of the Ministry of National Defense, not the health ministry.
The health ministry and the CDC appealed the case to the Supreme Administrative Court in April.
As the lawsuit has continued for two years, the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) sent a letter to the CDC last month, expressing concern about the case and citing verdicts of cases in four nations about the right to education for people with HIV/AIDS.
The CDC said it had decided to fine the university for contravening the HIV Infection Control and Patient Rights Protection Act (人類免疫缺乏病毒傳染防治及感染者權益保障條例).
CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said the fine is the first the agency has issued on the grounds of education discrimination, as well as the biggest fine it has ever imposed.
If the school is willing to reach an out-of-court settlement in the administrative suit with the health ministry over the case, the CDC would not issue the fine, Chou said.
However, if it continues to refuse to reinstate the student or reach an out-of-court settlement, it could be fined repeatedly, he said.
“We want to stress that we will not give up any chance of communicating, of achieving a win-win situation, or even a triple-win situation — meaning that the university, the student and the government agencies can all will in pursuing human rights for people with HIV/AIDS,” Chou said.
“If we cannot allow infected people to feel that they can expect a good future in society, then how can we expect them to accept HIV/AIDS screening and cooperate in HIV/AIDS prevention,” he said.
The university yesterday said that it “has never discriminated against people with HIV/AIDS and no student has been expelled from the school for having HIV/AIDS.”
A-li was punished because he had violated the school’s information security rules and did not achieve the minimum standard for morality grades, and he was expelled according to assessment guidelines and a resolution of its disciplinary committee, the school said.
Additional reporting by staff writer and CNA
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
By refusing to agree spending increases to appease US President Donald Trump, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threatened to derail a summit that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte needs to run smoothly for the sake of the military alliance’s future survival. Ahead of yesterday’s gathering in The Hague, Netherlands, things were going off the rails. European officials have expressed irritation at the spoiler role that Sanchez is playing when their No. 1 task is to line up behind a pledge to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Rutte needed to keep Spain in line while preventing others such as Slovakia
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
RSS