Jackie Chan Protests Racy Magazine Pics

Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, center, and Tony Leung Ka-fai, right, arrive at Hong Kong's government headquarters during a demonstration Tuesday, Aug. 29,. 2006. Members of Hong Kong's entertainment industry attended a televised rally Monday to protest tabloid journalism they said violated their privacy rights. The demonstration was sparked by the publication of photos of pop star Gillian Chung changing her clothes after a recent concert in Malaysia. The pictures were on the cover of the weekly Easy Finder magazine. Black T-shirts read: "Bitterness and disgust, To tolerate evil is to abet it." (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)


Jackie Chan and fellow stars marched silently Tuesday to Hong Kong's government headquarters, protesting against a gossip magazine that featured a cover photo of a pop singer changing backstage.

The celebrities, wearing black T-shirts, handed over a petition denouncing the photos that were secretly taken of Hong Kong pop singer Gillian Chung, part of the popular female duo Twins. The stars urged the government to tighten laws governing racy publications.

Chung was shown adjusting her bra backstage after a concert in Malaysia's Genting Highlands. It appeared on the cover of the current issue of Easy Finder weekly.

The photos have sparked a major backlash. Government regulators have received a deluge of complaints. Hong Kong's Obscene Articles Tribunal has classified the magazine issue "indecent," which could lead to prosecution. Chan and fellow stars attended a TV special protesting the photos Monday.

Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang spoke out against the photos Tuesday.

"I identify with society's strong criticism of these tactics," he said.

Journalists have opposed restrictions on their coverage as a threat to press freedom. Legal reforms propose banning secret surveillance by private parties, but the government is still considering the recommendations.

Asked if he wants to see paparazzi photos banned completely, Chan said he believed celebrities should be held accountable for their actions.

"As public figures, we should allow our pictures to be taken. If we crash our cars when we're drunk, it serves us right. People should scold us. But for a girl to be photographed when she's in a changing room, such a private place, is despicable behavior," he said.

Also Tuesday, about 10 protesters burned a copy of the Easy Finder issue outside Next Media, the media group that publishes the magazine.

Chung has filed for a court injunction demanding Easy Finder turn over the photos and reported the matter to both Hong Kong and Malaysian police.

Malaysia's Deputy Internal Security Minister Fu Ah Kiow said in an interview with Hong Kong's Cable TV aired Tuesday authorities will investigate people in the changing room at Genting with Chung and Genting's security personnel.

Hong Kong's celebrity-obsessed culture, its small size and its status as a hub for Chinese entertainment has made for a tense relationship between local paparazzi and movie and pop stars.

A local magazine was shut down temporarily amid a backlash after it published a cover photo of a visibly distressed, seminude female, widely reported to be actress Carina Lau, in October 2002.