Edison Chen to visit Singapore despite threats
Pop star Edison Chen Koon-hei, who is at the centre of a sex-photos scandal, will make a scheduled promotional visit to Singapore next month, despite a threatening letter containing a 9mm round being received by Cable TV on Wednesday and another being received by Apple Daily publisher Next Media yesterday.
Peter Lam Kin-ngok, the head of Media Asia, said yesterday the beleaguered star did not deserve death threats and would definitely attend publicity events for the movie The Sniper. It is Chen's first film since the celebrity sex-photos scandal broke early last year.
The film, produced by Media Asia, will open in Hong Kong on April 9 and Southeast Asia around the same time. The date of Chen's promotional visit to Singapore has yet to be finalised, and there are no plans for him to promote the movie in Hong Kong.
'We never thought of having [Chen] promote the film in Hong Kong,' said Mr Lam, adding that Chen's continued absence from the city had nothing to do with the threat, but was Chen's preference.
A threatening letter, which contained a 9mm cartridge, was sent to Cable TV on Wednesday. The letter said it was a 'final warning' for Chen and told him not to make any public appearances after April 4 or his life would be at risk.
A letter of similar content and containing a cartridge was also received at the Next Media building on Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate, the Apple Daily reported on its website late last night. The letter was sent from New York and addressed to Next Media chairman Jimmy Lai Chee-ying. Police confirmed they had received a report about the letter.
A Cable TV employee said of the letter received by his company: 'The letter in English was a computer printout saying that [Edison] should not appear or speak again. It said his personal safety would be in danger. But no word like 'kill', 'shoot' or 'chop' was used in the letter.'
It told Chen to take the warning seriously and that he was already given a chance in Singapore earlier this month, apparently a reference to not doing him any harm in the city. He was in Singapore to attend the launch of a burger chain, his first attempt to return to the celebrity circuit.
Mr Lam insisted he was not worried about Chen's safety, saying the city's legal system and police force could protect the people. 'Edison has made some mistakes, but those mistakes were not worth a death penalty,' Mr Lam said. 'This [threat] has a very bad intention. It's challenging the law. This joke is too big.'
When asked if Chen had received any previous threats, Mr Lam said: 'I never received any. You should ask him.'
Emperor Entertainment Group boss Albert Yeung Sau-sing said he was not worried about the safety of his niece, Vincy Yeung, Chen's girlfriend. Detectives investigating the threatening letter said they would contact the pop star as part of the inquiry, but did not give details.
The investigation has moved from the district crime squad of Tsuen Wan police station to the New Territories South regional crime unit.
Cable TV's 9mm round was to be sent to the police force's forensic firearms examination bureau to check whether it is live, according to another police source. The source said the letter, envelope and plastic bag used to hold the bullet would be checked for fingerprints. The Cable TV letter was thought to have been sent from Allentown, Pennsylvania, as there was a US address, the source said. Police did not rule out the possibility that the address was a fake.
