Archive for the ‘Edison Chen’ Category
HK Star, Edison Chen, Will Not Return To Testify In Sex Photo Case
HONG KONG : The Hong Kong actor at the centre of a sex photos scandal involving female celebrities has refused to return to the city to testify in a trial linked to the saga, a report said Wednesday.
Edison Chen will not appear as a witness in the trial against a man who allegedly distributed photos across the Internet of Chen’s sex acts with a string of female starlets, according to the South China Morning Post.
The refusal of Chen to return from the United States has stalled the trial of computer technician Sze Ho-chun, as the prosecution said it would have to apply for a higher court’s permission to obtain evidence from the actor there.
Prosecutor Hayson Tse told a magistrates court that the permission would allow a Hong Kong judge to take evidence in the United States and assess the credibility of the Canadian-born star.
Tse said they had originally planned to deal with Chen’s evidence by way of his witness statements. But the proposal was rejected by defence lawyers for Sze.
Explicit photographs of Chen with the stars were plastered across the Internet for weeks in February this year, causing a storm in this celebrity-obsessed city.
Sze was arrested in his computer store and pleaded not guilty to one count of obtaining access to a computer with a view of making dishonest gain for himself or another.
Chen’s management company said the actor had promised to try his best to assist the investigation of the case but not to return to testify in court, the report added.
- AFP/vm
Channel News Asia
Internet Video Of Alleged Rape Sparks Outrage In HK
HONG KONG: A disturbing video of an alleged rape circulating online has sparked outrage in Hong Kong.
Shot with a mobile phone camera, it shows a young woman struggling with two men seemingly in an office.
The incident has triggered more debate about controlling internet content in the territory.
The one minute 48 second clip showed the attacker wearing a uniform of a well-known Japanese restaurant chain.
Police arrested three teenage boys last week in connection with the case and warned of tough action against illegal uploading and distribution of the video.
The nature of the internet, however, made it virtually impossible for police to stop the clip from circulating.
This has sparked fears that a lack of regulation of the online world means it is becoming too easy for violent or private content to reach web users.
Mr Mike Yao, Department of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong, said: “Digital technology, online technology, allows people to relatively easily acquire, distribute, exchange this type of information. And it’s difficult for the government to control.”
Media communication experts however stressed that people often jump to blame technology when inappropriate or private content is released, overlooking the benefits of the internet.
Mr Yao added: “We’re afraid of something that we don’t truly know and we have no control over. In this case, I think the obvious party to be blamed is, “wow, look how easily it is to share this information”, but again, yeah it was so easy to share this video but it’s also made it very easy to share other things too.”
The case follows a controversy in Hong Kong earlier this year, when naked photos of pop star Edison Chen and young starlets were widely distributed on the internet.
The seemingly endless boundaries of the internet can be seen as a blessing and a curse. And maintaining an open medium of communication versus protecting people’s privacy is sure to be an on-going debate in the public eye. - CNA/de
Channel News Asia
The Many Faces Of Elva Hsiao
SINGAPORE: Inner peace. That’s what Taiwanese Mandopop singer Elva Hsiao claims to be the biggest lesson she’s learned in the lead-up to her 10th anniversary in showbiz.
“How to find my inner peace and how to centre myself,” she said over the phone from Hong Kong, where she was doing a promotion for her latest album, “3 Faced Elva”.
Her new album marks her return to EMI Taiwan, after signing with Warner Music Taiwan from 2005 until last year. It’s a comeback of sorts as Hsiao was one of the first artistes signed by EMI’s then-fledgling Virgin Records Taiwan in 1999. She quickly rose to prominence with hit albums such as Elva Hsiao’s “Self-Titled Album”, “4 U” and “Love’s Theme Son, Kiss”.
The 29-year-old singer has had her fair share of “down moments” in her career. For instance, after signing with Warner in 2005, she all but disappeared from the scene, after it was announced that her much-touted album would be delayed indefinitely. It wasn’t until December 2006 that her one-and-only album for the label, “1087″ (the number of days that she was absent from the scene) was released.
Earlier this year, she was implicated in the Edison Chen sex scandal, where she famously was quoted to have offered 100 million Taiwan dollars (S$4.5 million) to anyone who could produce legally-authenticated photographs proving her involvement, and also threatened to seek full redress from any parties for the “smears”.
Still, Hsiao claims to have no regrets. “I think everything happens for a reason and every reason is an experience. You have to go through this in order to embrace a better future, so that when better things do come, you’ll be able to recognise them. The trick is to try to find a balance.”
This balance includes defining her personal and professional life, something which she admitted was hard to do. “It’s almost impossible to separate personal and professional life, because of all the media and gossip magazines … I mean, they don’t know you, they’ve never met you and yet, they can write such things about you. But it’s part of our professional life. But I think I’ve pretty much found my balance.”
Her new album, “3 Faced Elva”, is a musical representation of her self. “It’s a complete picture of Elva, using photography, music and video to show the different sides of me.”
Her Taiwanese fans got to see what she meant when she staged her concert in Taichung last month, transforming from sweet chanteuse to sexy singer. Fans here can see Elva’s different sides at her showcase at the Max Pavilion at the Singapore Expo next Friday and an autograph signing session at Bishan Junction 8 the following afternoon.
And she’s keeping mum about her performance. “It’s a 45-minute showcase,” she divulged. “There’ll be dancing and it’ll be a great show, full of energy. I’m not going to say more, you’ll have to see it for yourself!”
The latest edition of “3 Faced Elva” contains tickets to her showcase as well as a pass to her autograph session. “3 Faced Elva” is in stores now. -
Channel News Asia