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Published on November 30, 2007

"Thailand wants to be seen as a success story in the fight against Aids, yet it is failing to address the epidemic among the population hit hardest by HIV," said Rebecca Schleifer, an advocate with the HIV/Aids and Human Rights Program at Human Rights Watch.

"The Thai government has recognised that the HIV infection rate is 'unacceptably high', and it has the expertise to address this public health emergency."

The 57-page report, "Deadly Denial: Barriers to HIV/AIDS Treatment for People Who Use Drugs in Thailand", pointed to the routine police harassment and arrest of drug users seeking medical help. The report also documents how drug users face discrimination from health care workers, who continue to deny them anti-retroviral treatment.

One outreach worker, Kriengkrai Aiemprasert, told participants at the launching of the report at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand yesterday that police routinely wait for drug users as they line up at the clinic to receive treatment. The Thai government estimates that 40 to 50 per cent of intravenous drug users are living with HIV in Thailand and that this figure has remained virtually unchanged over the past two decades, the report said.

The report also pointed to former premier Thaksin Shina-watra's 2003 drug war that created a lasting effect on drug users who may be afraid to seek help for fear for their lives. Activists accused the Thai police of carrying out more than 2,200 extrajudicial killings during the three-month war.

"An HIV diagnosis is still a death sentence for most drug users in Thailand," said TTAG's director, Paisan Suwannawong. "Thailand must stop discrimination against drug users seeking health care services, or it will never meet its promise to ensure access to Aids treatment to all who need it."

The government has said it would treat recognised drug users as patients but actions by the law enforcement agencies suggested otherwise.

Activists said serious obstacles in accessing needed health care still persist as many health workers do not know or refused to follow the HIV/Aids treatment guidelines, and continue to deny anti-retroviral treatment to drug users.

"The Thai government pays lip service to its official policy, which is to treat drug users as patients rather than criminals," Paisan said. "In reality, police collect information about drug users from health clinics, and arrest them outside drug treatment clinics. Drug users risk criminal charges if they seek health care services, which are theirs by right," he added.

Schleifer urged Thailand to translate its written commitments into action. "If the authorities don't immediately address the systematic human rights violations committed against drug users by police and health care providers, the government will be contributing directly to the continued spread of HIV."

Don Pathan

 The Nation