Legislators yesterday demanded the government take action over the publication in a Chinese-language magazine of a picture of a topless actress taken against her will.
In an unusual move, a coalition of eight political parties strongly condemned the Eastweek publication and urged the government to take the case seriously, criticising the coverage as a 'serious infringement of privacy' and 'breaching media ethics'.
Artists and film directors including Anita Mui Yim-fong, Michelle Yeoh, Jackie Chan and John Shum Kin-fun, representing 10 associations from the film industry, jointly appealed to the public to boycott it.
The controversy erupted on Wednesday when the weekly hit newsstands with a cover picture showing the naked actress, with her eyes shaded out. She is not named but can be easily identified. It was reported that the picture was taken when she was kidnapped about 12 years ago.
The Legco coalition's convenor, Ip Kwok-him of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Hong, said: 'We want to send a strong message to the government to address the issue. The way the article is handled is not acceptable.'
Police are investigating.
The Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority has been flooded with 290 complaints against the magazine over the past two days.