EDISON CHEN Makes a Public Apology

The Edison Chen sex photo scandal that involved some Chinese actresses like Joey Yung, Bobo Chan, Cecilia Cheung is now tagged as the latest showbiz big buzz not just in Hong Kong but in other Asian countries as well.

It started in January 2008 when nude photographs of people resembling the actors engaging in sexual acts with each other were distributed on the internet.

According to CNN, eight people have been arrested by the Hong Kong police for being connected with the distribution of the photos as of February 4, 2008. But these actions have raised concerns about violation of human rights and the relationship with powerful media tycoons.

After the exposure of the scandalous photograph, Chen quietly left Hong Kong and flew to Boston. And on February 1, Chen finally decided to break his silence through an article he posted in his blog. The blog’s content became the headline of several local papers the next day. But in the same day, Chen quickly left another message in his blog and clarified that article was written in May 2007 and not responding to the recent incident. Furthermore he was asking the media to report the truth rather than "destroying one's life".

[As of this evening, the police have made significant advances towards solving this malicious crime. As from the beginning I will continue to give the police my fullest cooperation to bring the perpetrators to justice. At this time I am not able to discuss matters related to the case, but I do feel it is my obligation to accept full responsibility and take action to help both the victims and those associated with them to heal their wounds. In this regard, I plead with everyone to please stop forwarding the images on the internet. Furthermore, to completely rid the images from your computer. This is a small step that each one of us can take to help the innocent rebuild their lives. The priority now is for all of us to pitch in and help those in need.

– Edison Chen, as posted in his blog]

On February 4, Chen sent a 90-second video clip, spoken entirely in English, to the press. In the video clip, Chen apologized to those who may have been affected by the posting of compromising nude photographs. He did not comment on the authenticity of the photos.

On 5 February, Chen was pulled from the upcoming Stephen Chow movie Jump as a result of the scandal. There are also rumors that the marriage of Cecilia Cheung and Nicholas Tse is on the rocks over the scandal.