By Michael Taylor

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 (Openly) - In an apparent U-turn on plans to decriminalise homosexuality, lawmakers from the South Pacific Cook Islands are pushing to retain a law that could jail men for gay sex in a blow to LGBT+ rights groups. The self-governing nation of 15 islands with a largely Christian population of about 17,000 people has been debating whether to scrap a law which, despite never having been enforced, would impose a sentence of up to seven years.

Legislation drafted in 2017 appeared to remove references to the gay sex ban but a lawmaker reforming the country's five-decade-old penal code said last week that homosexuality would remain illegal, according to local media.

"There were provisions (on homosexuality) removed from the draft bill and people said they have got some concerns about it," Tingika Elikana told Cook Islands News. "If you remove those provisions, then you more or less encourage it (homosexuality) to be in the open."

"This is of the gravest concern to our community and we will continue to protest at this impingement on our constitutional rights as citizens of this country," said Valentino Wichman, president of LGBT+ group Te Tiare Association.