When Canadian-born actor and singer Edison Chen took his pink MacBook to a Hong Kong repair shop called eLiTe Multimedia, he got a lot more than he bargained for. An employee copied the memory and the content has turned out to be the equivalent of digital dynamite. The laptop was loaded with sexy photos of Edison and some of Asia’s best actresses and singers.
The images ended up on the net and have unleashed a great scandal. The photos show Chen in bed with at least six different women. One of the women featured in the photos is Gillian Chung, a best-selling singer who has a large fan base made up mostly of young teenagers.
The discovery that Chung was involved has drawn some criticism. Around the time she was starring in Chen’s bedroom scenes, Chung had been making the rounds as an advocate for integrity morality: making speeches condemning premarital sex.
The first batch of images appeared on the net about two weeks ago. Since then, an unknown operator has been uploading new photos every day, further compromising the women involved.
Edison Chen has apologized and called for people to destroy the images, which is a bit like asking the Dutch boy to stick his finger in the dike when half of the Netherlands is under water.
Everyone from the Catholic Bishop of Hong Kong to bloggers have weighed in on the debate. The bishop appealed for decency and asked people not to publish or distribute the images.
Police threaten to prosecute people caught sharing images. This has sparked a backlash, with bloggers objecting to what they see as unequal treatment. At a protest rally, some of the participants complained that Hong Kong’s anti-pornography laws are too vague. They argued that while police overlook much of the porn, they only decided to clamp down on Chen’s case because celebrities were involved.
Sexy photos may be the least of Edison Chen’s problems. The entertainment industry in Hong Kong has many connections to organized crime, and tabloids have been running stories about gangsters who want to teach Chen a lesson. There are even reports of threats against his life.
He’s currently in some undisclosed location outside of the territory, which seems like a good plan. There are reports that he will return to Hong Kong to hold a press conference.