About 30 dealers in the SAR - and others from as far as New York - are believed to have paid up to $350,000 each to show their wares at the Convention and Exhibition Centre.

They began to fear for their money after Mr Burris faxed them, just days before the show's proposed opening, to say it would be postponed indefinitely.

Agent Yumi Kunizuko said she had recruited dealers who paid large deposits to Mr Burris, but had no idea whether he would return the millions collected.

'I'd like to know, I'd like to know very much,' Ms Kunizuko said.

'Every half-month I send a fax to the UK and I have called the mobile phone many times but somebody just asks me to leave my name and a message.' Would-be exhibitors said they had met and hired a lawyer after receiving a fax from Mr Burris advising them: 'Although we would like to be able to give refunds, there is no contractual obligation on our part for us to do so, nor would it be advisable for us to do so, due to laws against undue preferment.' Fine Arts and Antiques Exposition, the company with which dealers signed contracts, is owned by Bradbury International Holdings. Its subsidiary, Bradbury International Marketing, folded owing $3.8 million last year.

Bradbury International Marketing, which lists Mr Burris and his wife, Karen, as directors, went into voluntary liquidation on May 6, 1998 - the day before the exhibition was due to open in Hong Kong.

Bradbury International Holdings lists Mr Burris as its representative and nominates his wife to act on its behalf in Britain. The company cites its address as Singapore and its main business as organising art fairs in Asia.

But the phone number provided for its Singapore office leads to accountancy firm Stephen McLaren Consultants.

'They don't have an office here. They just leave their phone and fax machine with us,' a staff member said.