Actor and singer Edison Chen has apologised and promised to suspend his career in the aftermath of a sex photo scandal which has gripped China.
Several people have been arrested after 1,300 private shots which Chen, 27, had taken were put on the internet.
He told a news conference he was "deeply saddened" and wanted to "apologise to all the people for all the suffering that has been caused".
Chen said he was stepping down from his showbusiness career "indefinitely".
Canadian-born Chen is a famous Asian actor and hip-hop artist.
He appeared in the Infernal Affairs trilogy, which was later made into the Hollywood film The Departed.
He was also in The Grudge 2 with Sarah Michelle Gellar.
'Malicious and deliberate'
The explicit photographs include at least six women celebrities.
The affair has led to least 10 arrests and threats of further criminal action.
Chen said: "I admit that most of these 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."
Hong Kong police say the photos were uploaded by staff at a computer repair shop which Chen took his laptop to.
"There is no doubt whoever obtained these photos had been uploading them on the internet with malicious and deliberate intent," said Chen.
"This matter has deteriorated to the extent that society as a whole has been affected by this, and in this regard I am deeply saddened."
'Naive and silly'
Chen confirmed he had been helping the police investigation but believed it was too late to save his career. He said he would focus on voluntary and charity work.
"I have decided to step away from the Hong Kong entertainment industry. I have decided to do this to give myself an opportunity to heal myself and search my soul," he said.
Those under arrest are accused of copying and distributing explicit pictures.
They were published across the internet and could be found on China's most popular search engine, Baidu.
Pornography is officially banned in China and the internet is restricted and closely monitored by the government.
One of the women implicated, singer Gillian Chung, apologised last week for being "naive and silly" but did not confirm the photographs were authentic.
Via bbc.co.uk
Chinese cops arrest 10 over Hong Kong celebrity nude photos
miércoles, 20 de febrero de 2008 | Etiquetas: Edison Chen
Police have arrested 10 people in China for producing, selling and buying explicit photos of Hong Kong celebrities, state media reported Wednesday, as the fallout from the scandal rumbled on.
Police in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen have confiscated around 250 discs and six computers with images of actor-singer Edison Chen and a string of starlets in compromising positions, Xinhua news agency reported.
Three suspects were held for five days, and two others were being held under criminal detention and questioned by police, the report said, citing the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau.
Xinhua did not provide any details on the other five detained.
"The police authorities will severely crack down on the criminal activities of manufacturing, selling and spreading discs of Hong Kong's celebrity photos and other pornography productions," a police spokesman was quoted as saying.
The photos of Chen and at least seven stars -- including Cantopop singer Gillian Chung, actress Cecilia Cheung and former actress Bobo Chan -- began appearing last month on the Internet.
Chen has been romantically linked to all three in the past. Media reports say the photos were copied from Chen's computer when he sent it in for repairs.
Last week, Chen issued a statement on video website YouTube, in which he apologized to "anyone who has been affected by this strange, strange ordeal."
Hong Kong police have made several arrests linked to the case, but have faced criticism that they have been over-zealous. A charge against one Hong Kong man detained over the photos was dropped last week.
On Tuesday, Chinese censors ordered the nation's most popular Internet search engine, Baidu, to apologies for allowing the sexually-explicit photos to be published on its site.
In a separate Xinhua report, more than 40 domestic websites have supported a joint statement by 13 Chinese portals to prevent the spread of the photos.
Via inquirer.net
Edison Chen released a video message through his lawyers today. It was the first time the star had spoken publicly since sex photos purportedly of him, Gillian Chung, Bobo Chan and Cecilia Cheung started surfacing on the internet a week ago.
In the video message filmed at an undisclosed location, Edison spoke in English directly to camera in front of a plain wall.
He said: "I've decided to break my silence today and make this statement to the media and to all people involved in this strange ordeal. Recent documents being posted online have been intentionally hurtful and malicious not only to the victims but to our whole community.
"I have already handed matters over to the police and have been assisting them with this case from the first day onwards. Due to ongoing investigations, I am unable to comment any further upon this case.
"The lives of many innocent people have been affected by this malicious and criminal conduct, and in this regard I am filled with pain, hurt and frustration.
"I hereby use this opportunity to apologize to anyone who has been affected by this strange, strange ordeal.
"I now call upon everyone to help and assist the victims of this case. If you have ever downloaded any of these images, please do not forward them to anyone. Please do not send them to anyone. If you are still in possession of these images, I urge you to please destroy them immediately. Let's help the wounded heal their wounds. I urge you to help the victims and not make anything worse."
Via batgwa.com
