By Josh Clarkson
On the eve of the Shanghai Expo, China has lifted its two-decade prohibition on
entry by foreigners living with HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and
leprosy. China’s State Council announced the repeal on April
27th, saying that the government had concluded that the ban
has little or no effect in combating epidemics within China’s borders.
Can rules be changed when they aren’t changed?
What may appear to be a purely metaphysical question is creating some
real-world confusion in the Republic of Korea.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently applauded South Korea’s announced lifting
of its entry ban on HIV-positive foreigners. UNAIDS executive director
Michel Sidibe also extolled the move, effective January 1, as an important step
in the effort to realize the global freedom of movement for people living with
HIV. But the reality appears to be more
complex.
By Ken Oh
Last Monday, the United Nations issued a statement applauding the United States and the Republic of Korea for lifting travel bans on people living with HIV/AIDS(PLWHA). The US ban had been in effect for 22 years, and the South Korean ban had been similarly entrenched. Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, hailed the parallel policy changes as “a victory for human rights on two sides of the globe”.
