Tuesday, August 29, 2006 Hong Kong Hong Kong's political elite Tuesday said they would look into calls by a Hong Kong pop star to tighten privacy laws after she was secretly photographed semi-nude by a tabloid-style magazine. Political leader Donald Tsang and legislators vowed to review law proposals that would curb stalkers and snoopers as outrage grew over the publication of the photographs of Cantonese pop star Gillian Chung. "I agree with the criticism of the photo," Tsang told reporters. "I believe there is a need to strike a balance between press freedom and privacy. We will launch fresh round of discussions (on privacy laws)." Legislators are due to debate privacy laws when they reconvene in September at the end of the summer recess. The photos, taken while Chung -- one half of the chart-topping duo Twins -- was changing costumes backstage at a concert in Malaysia, have sparked protests by fellow celebrities and women's groups. Another protest through the business district and to the government headquarters was planned for this afternoon, calling for the introduction of privacy laws proposed in March but never debated. Chung Monday launched a legal suit against the magazine, Easy Finder, claiming damages and demanding it hands over all copies of the photos. A tearful Chung appeared on a special TV broadcast Monday along with 300 actors and pop stars to denounce press invasion and to call for a boycott of Easy Finder. Hong Kong's highly competitive mass media are notorious for doing all they can to get a scoop and have often been accused of prying in the process. In 2002, action star Jackie Chan launched a protest against Three Weekly magazine after it published naked pictures of pop star-actress Carina Lau allegedly taken at a time when she had been kidnapped and raped by triads. credits: channel news asia, asianfanatics.
