The dilemma is not in Xishuangbanna alone.

Two years ago, a drug trafficker was caught by police in Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province, but was released at the scene because he had festered hands. Police suspected he had AIDS.

With nearly 500,000 HIV/AIDS cases across the country at the end of October 2012, increasing reports of crimes by carriers have led to rising concerns among the public.

No law protects violators and crimes, but these groups of offenders are also patients, and their double identities are where the dilemma lies, says Lu Lin, director of the Yunnan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

A convicted HIV carrier is usually allowed, in accordance with related laws, to serve his term outside prison, as most jails do not have separate facilities for them. Mixed confinement means a threat to non-infected prisoners, says Lu, who was once a prison guard.

As treatment means an extra burden, few prisons accept HIV/AIDS carriers without extra governmental investment, says Lu.

Pei Yan, an associate professor with the People's Public Security University of China based in Beijing, says convicted HIV/AIDS carriers should not be granted terms outside prison if they pose potential threats to both public security and health.