AFP - 1 hour 8 minutes
ago
HONG KONG (AFP) - - The actor at the centre of an Internet sex
photos scandal involving a string of Hong Kong stars admitted
Thursday that he took them and announced his retirement from the
local entertainment scene.
The explicit photographs of Edison Chen with actresses and pop
stars have been plastered across the Internet over the past few
weeks, causing a storm in this celebrity-obsessed city.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the scandal broke,
Canadian-born Chen, 27, said he had returned to Hong Kong to
account for himself.
"I would like now to apologise to all the people for all the
suffering that has been caused and the problems that have arisen
from this," he said, reading a statement in English to a packed
press conference.
"I would like to apologise to all the ladies and to all their
families for any harm or hurt that they have been feeling. I am
sorry," he said.
Media reports say the photos -- which purportedly show him in
compromising positions with various celebrities, including
Canto-pop star Gillian Chung, actress Cecilia Cheung and former
actress Bobo Chan -- were copied from Chen's computer when he sent
it in for repairs.
Chen admitted taking the photos but said they had been stolen
from him.
"I admit that most of the photos being circulated on the
Internet were taken by me but these photos were very private and
have not been shown to people and were never intended to be shown
to anyone," said the star of "Grudge II."
"These photos were stolen from me illegally and distributed
without my consent. There's no doubt whoever obtained these photos
had been uploading them on the Internet with malicious and
deliberate intent," he said.
Chen said he was helping the police investigation.
"I have been assisting the police since the first day the photos
were published and I will continue to assist them," he said,
thanking the police "for their hard work on this case."
Hong Kong police have made several arrests linked to the case,
but have faced criticism that they have been over-zealous because
the scandal involved celebrities. A charge against one Hong Kong
man detained over the photos was dropped last week.
In the wake of the scandal, Vancouver-born Chen said he had now
decided to retire from the Hong Kong entertainment scene, whose
stars are popular across Asia.
"During my time away I have made an important decision. I will
wholeheartedly fulfil all commitments I have to date but after that
I have decided to step away from the Hong Kong entertainment
industry," he said.
"I have decided to do this to give myself an opportunity to heal
myself and to search my soul. I will dedicate my time to charity
and community work within the next few months.
"I will be away from Hong Kong entertainment indefinitely."
Chen, who had a supporting role in cop thriller "Infernal
Affairs," which Martin Scorsese remade as "The Departed," said he
had failed as a role model and apologised to the people of Hong
Kong.
"I give my apologies sincerely to you all, unreservedly and with
my heart. I know young people in Hong Kong look up to many figures
in our society, and in this regard I have failed as a role model,"
he said.
Chen added that he had instructed his "lawyers to do everything
possible within the law to protect all the innocent victims in this
case."
"I hope you all will accept my apology and give me a
chance."
The scandal has spread across the region, with police in Taiwan
and China arresting around a dozen people this week for allegedly
possessing and distributing the photographs.
