Thailand urged to end HIV drug "discrimination"

Human Rights Watch, an international campaign group, has protested against what it terms "discrimination against [narcotic] drug users seeking health care services," which includes access to antiretroviral treatments in Thailand.

Although the country is under a military-backed government until elections scheduled for December 23, the human rights group argues that the problem dates from the previous government of Thaksin Shinawatra. At least 2,500 narcotics users were allegedly the victims of extrajudicial killings as a result of a "War on Drugs" program.

As a consequence of repressive policies, the Thai government estimates that 40%-50% of injectable narcotics users are HIV positive. This figure, unlike the successes in preventing infections in the rest of the population, has remained constant in the past 20 years, Human Rights Watch claims.