VIETNAMESE asylum-seekers are threatening to set themselves alight on the anniversary of the fall of Saigon on April 30.
The leaders of Whitehead and High Island detention centres are behind the suicide plans which are aimed at grabbing world attention at a time when the Hong Kong Government finds itself under a microscope for its treatment of Vietnamese.
On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese tanks rolled into Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, in the final days of the Vietnam War.
The Vietnamese have a propensity for self-immolation which has been demonstrated in the past. The Government and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are planning to stop people killing themselves or assisting others to do so.
UNHCR chief of mission Jahanshah Assadi said he was aware of the rumours and he and his staff had met government officials in an effort to prepare contingency plans should people attempt to kill themselves.
''We pray and hope these people do not follow through with plans to harm themselves or others. We know there will probably be stepped up demonstrations but we hope they will be peaceful,'' Mr Assadi said.
