PLAN TO MICROCHIP AIDS PATIENTS

An Indonesian province has come under fire for a proposed plan to microchip people with HIV/AIDS to monitor the disease, reports The Associated Press.

Legislators in the province of Papua aim to implant microchips in patients who are “sexually aggressive” with the aim of tracking down and punishing people who deliberately infect others with HIV.

They could then face a fine of US $5,000 or six months in jail.

Activists have condemned the plan as abhorrent, saying that it infringes on people’s basic human rights and urging the local government to instead increase spending on education about the virus.

If passed by lawmakers the law could go into effect as soon as next month.

Papua, a poor and remote province, has the highest rates of HIV infection in Indonesia.