1.   Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said in a joint statement the agreement could potentially put the Vietnamese asylum seekers in danger.

2.   Aside from the Spratlys issue, the Vietnamese are expected to talk about the issue of Vietnamese asylum seekers in the Philippines, Severino added.

3.   Helmeted police with shields battled scores of Vietnamese asylum seekers who threw burning debris during a protest Thursday over plans to deport some of them.

4.   It was not clear whether the issue of the Vietnamese asylum seekers would be included in the talks.

5.   The escape was the second from a camp for Vietnamese asylum seekers in Hong Kong in under two weeks.

6.   Thousands of Vietnamese asylum seekers threw spears and rocks as they battled police at a detention center.

7.   Hanoi said Friday it hoped that Vietnamese asylum seekers be treated with respect during their repatriation from camps in Hong Kong and around Southeast Asia.

8.   Hong Kong government expressed confidence Wednesday that it would be able to close its detention camps for Vietnamese asylum seekers before the territory returns to Chinese sovereignty in July.

9.   Hong Kong legislators on Friday turned down a government plan to swiftly introduce a law making it harder to release Vietnamese asylum seekers from detention camps here.

10.   However, it noted that Cambodia had met its obligations by affording protection to Vietnamese asylum seekers, although this was achieved only after considerable international pressure.