11.   Human Rights Watch Asia sharply criticised the Hong Kong government Wednesday for planning to change the law to allow the indefinite detention of Vietnamese asylum seekers.

12.   In August, a court in Leipzig convicted four policemen for brutality against Vietnamese asylum seekers, handing out jail sentences ranging from three to nine years.

13.   China has said all Vietnamese asylum seekers must be out of the territory before the handover.

14.   China wants all Vietnamese asylum seekers be cleared out by then.

15.   Critics contend that the measure would unfairly expedite Vietnamese asylum claims ahead of others and prompt more Vietnamese to flee by boat in hope of winning asylum.

16.   The riots were started by the Vietnamese asylum seekers themsleves, who injured their own people as well as police and prison staff, the paper said.

17.   The UN committee also criticised Hong Kong on other counts, including its treatment of Vietnamese asylum seekers who are held in detention here.

18.   It also called on Phnom Penh to reopen its borders to the refugees, reversing a decision last month to turn away all future Vietnamese asylum seekers.

19.   Many of Vietnamese asylum seekers petitioning the High Court Tuesday are ethnic Chinese considered by Vietnam to be non-nationals because of their supposed links with Taiwan, sources said.

20.   Most Vietnamese asylum seekers here are kept in closed camps.