Cook Islands rejects HIV isolation proposal
Updated
A proposal by Niue's Secretary of Health to isolate people living with HIV/AIDS, similar to Fiji's lepers who are held on the island of Makogai has attracted criticsim.
The Cook Islands, host country for the Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation, has been one of the first to respond.
The Cook Islands has been home to the Foundation since its inception in 2003.
Niue's secretary of health Dr Sitaleki Finau says people living with HIV/AIDS should be locked up in a colony and looked after by their own peers.
The Cook Islands' deputy prime minister, Sir Terepai Maoate, says Dr Finau's thoughtless "kind of attitude and approach is negative and does nothing for Pacific society".
He adds people living with HIV/AIDS have the right to be treated equally.
The Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation has applauded the prompt response of the Cook Islands government.
