Hanoi police paint fugitives red

Police in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi are now armed with a non-lethal but potentially extremely effective weapon - a paintballing gun.

The idea is to use the guns' red, yellow and green dyes to mark thieves and racers as they speed away on their motorbikes and disappear into a crowd.

The guns have a range of 10 metres (33 feet).

Street racing on the streets of Hanoi is becoming an increasing problem. The government says traffic is the main cause of preventable death in Vietnam.

Last year it introduced new motorbike licenses in an attempt to reduce the number of road deaths - around 12,000 in 2002.

The new paintballing guns may help to reduce speeding and therefore accidents, but it may not be without its own hazards.

Analysts say police may miss their targets and accidentally brand the wrong person.

And the high velocity of the ink ammunition can make paintballing a painful experience.