$91,000 for Edison's hand

FIRST, Hong Kong triads were said to want actor Edison Chen dead.

Now, word has it that an underworld figure has offered a HK$500,000 ($91,000) reward to hack off one of his hands, reported Apple Daily Hong Kong.

Chen has apparently been targeted by the triads after hundreds of obscene photos of him and several female celebrities like Bobo Chan and Gillian Chung were stolen from his laptop computer and posted on the Internet.

On Sunday, more photos of Chen and Chan were circulated online.

Apple Daily HK, quoting a police source, reported that someone is planning to harm Chen when he returns.

Chen is now lying low in Boston, on the advice of his management company, Media Asia.

He planned to return to Hong Kong last Saturday and hold a press conference on Sunday, but pulled out at the last minute, saying he had something to attend to.

The other reason was that AIG Building in Hong Kong's Central district allegedly declined to lease its premises for Chen's press conference, citing security reasons.

DISTRIBUTORS TARGETED TOO

The source told Apple Daily HK that the underworld figure who offered the reward is targeting not only Edison, but also all other persons involved in distributing the photos.

The police are said to be treating the informers' reports seriously and that it is keeping the said underworld figure under surveillance.

Chen is said to be keen to fly back to Hong Kong as soon as possible as he wants to resolve the fall-out quickly.

But his management company reportedly decided to err on the side of caution by ensuring that his security would be taken care of, before allowing him to return.

Media Asia plans to hire bodyguards to give Chen 24-hour protection and for him to stay at a safe place.

The company is believed to have asked Chen to be patient and wait for the security arrangements to be confirmed before flying back.

Meanwhile, Chung made an appearance on a Hong Kong charity show on TV.

She was the first singer for the show on Sunday and even stood in the centre during the group singing.

However, Apple Daily HK reported that some angry netizens complained about her appearance to the Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority.

By: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/story/0,...,156798,00.html?