Sahar Airport: Returing PLWHAs detained; denied food, medicine, care

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

I have just been able to get through to the detained PLWHAs on the mobile

phone of one of them. This is a narrative of what has happened as I have

learned from them over phone.

15 Indian Participants from the PLWA Conference held at Kampala, Uganda

[held from 26th-31st October 2003] had reached Sahar International Airport

by flight KQ200 at 0200 Hrs on the morning of 1st November. Six of these

participants are now under detention. The detained participants are from

the states of Manipur, Maharashtra, Kerala, and West Bengal. all arriving

passengers lined up for immigration clearance in lines 1-6. The six

detained participants which includes one woman participant [Ms. Serena De

Costa] and the vice president of Udaan Trust [Mr. Vijay Nair] stood in

lanes one and two for immigration clearance.

These six persons were first chased from this line, to another line and

thereafter the immigration department demanded that they produce

certificates proving that all of them have been innoculated for yellow

fever.

At this all the six detained participants revealed that they were HIV

positive people and were coming back from a PLHA conference in Kampala.

They also produced medical reports from their respective state medical

officers that stated that due to supressed immunity they cannot be given

the vaccination for yellow fever.

However the medical officer of the immigration department [one Dr. Prakash

Gaekwad] refused to recognise the certificates given by the state medical

officer. He demanded from one of the detained persons a bribe of US$ 150 to

let them go, which they refused to pay. At this refusal the said Dr.

Gaekwad insisted that they have to be detained in the yellow fever

quarantine hospital and claimed that they would have to pay Rs 120 per

person as conveyance to the hospital which is just one and half kilometres

from the airport.

The discrimination in targeting these six persons is apparent from the fact

that no other person in any of the other lines were detained for no-show of

a yellow fever vaccination certificate, and a few were let off after paying

a bribe to the doctor/immigration authorities.

The six persons refused to pay the Rs 120 being demanded of them and

thereafter they were forced to take a rickshaw to the hospital at 3 am in

the morning in the presence of immigration staff and locked up in the

deserted hospital. The authorities left after locking them up.

The six detained persons mentioned that they were positive persons and have

to take food at regular hours. One of then also fainted when the immgration

authorities were present, while another was nauseous, but the authorities

refused to give the six detained persons, water, tea, or any food, and

mentioned categorically that the government does not make provisions for

such fooding and that the detained persons would have to pay up if they are

to get food. They have refused to treat the sick detainees, and have stated

that their job is just to lock them up, not treat them. They said that a

doctor may come at about 12 noon the next day and then they can ask that

doctor if any mmedication is required to be given to the sick detainee.

The condition of the hospital is appaling and it is in the midst of a area

with thick foliage where there are many mosquitos. the detained persons

have not been given any mosquito repellant and they are afreid of

contracting diseases like malaria or dengue from mosquito bites. Also there

are just two rooms and the lady being detained is forced to share a room

with two other male detainees.

That is the narrative as given to me. I feel that such treatment of PLWAs

is appaling where our national policies clearly state that all PLWAs have

to be treated for all opportunistic infections and other other conditions

[except ARV]. Also the selected targeting of PLWAs and letting others go by

accepting a bribe is clearly discriminatory and should be condemmed in the

strongest possible terms. I would urge everyone, including functionaries of

Naco to take on this matter and ensure that the liberty and bodily

integrity of all the detained persons are respected and they are released

forthwith.

Regards and best

Aditya

E-mail: <adit@...>