Naked actress photo sparks hunt

Actress Carina Lau spoke out against the magazine

Hong Kong police are investigating the abduction of an actress 12 years ago after a magazine published a naked photograph of her taken during the kidnapping.

Carina Lau, who shot to fame in Asia for her girl-next-door roles in films during the 1980s, did not report the abduction at the time.

But the outcry generated by East Week's publication of the photo, which shows a distressed Lau naked and cowering in an unidentified location, has forced police to act.

They have urged the actress to help them with the investigation, which is being led by an anti-triad unit.

Protest

Lau talked about the kidnapping for the first time on Sunday during a protest organised by the film industry to denounce East Week's publication of the picture.

"If such a tragedy could raise awareness of the importance of media ethics... then the suffering and indignities that I have endured are not such a big deal," she said.

Carina Lau bows as she arrives at the demo

Publication of East Week was halted following the outcry over the picture, which was featured on the cover of the magazine's latest issue.

East Week chairman Yeung Sau-shing described his decision to stop publishing as "similar to the feeling of killing my own children".

Some of Hong Kong's newspapers and magazines have a reputation for publishing gruesome pictures from accident scenes. Others feature brothel guides, complete with ratings.

Despite this, East Week could still face prosecution, according to a spokeswoman for the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority.

Action might also be taken against another magazine - Three Weekly - which published the same photograph over the weekend.

If convicted, each would face a maximum fine of $1m (£643,000).