November 24, 2008

Proposal: Implant Microchips to Track Positive Indonesians

The Indonesian province of Papua may pass a law that requires microchips be implanted in HIV-positive people who are sexually active, Reuters reports. The government hopes that this tracking procedure will prevent positive people from transmitting the virus to others.

“It’s a simple technology. A signal from the microchip will track their movements, and this will be received by monitoring authorities,” said John Manangsang, a local official.

Manangsang said that if an HIV-positive person were found to be have transmitted the virus to someone who was HIV negative, he or she would face a penalty yet to be determined.

A similar law was proposed last year. These types of controversial proposals have caused uproar among the global and local AIDS community and human rights groups.

The HIV/AIDS rate in Papua is nearly 20 times the national average in Indonesia, according to a 2007 government study. The microchipping law could be introduced by the end of this month.

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