A week ago, Cecilia Cheung gave a television interview in Hong Kong. It was her first public appearance since the sex photo disgrace more than a year ago.

Before Lunar New Year's Day in 2007, a stream of very explicit photos popped up online, showing Hong Kong heartthrob Edison Chen in the middle of sexual activities with several female entertainers. Cheung's images were mostly solo, but extremely graphic. It was later revealed that Chen had taken these photos, which were leaked after being stolen by a computer repairman. After days of silence, one of the female stars, Gillian Chung, made a public apology and Chen later publicly announced he was to retire from the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

But it appears Edison Chen never apologized to his partners in the incident. When Cheung tried to contact him in the early days while the public was still unsure whether the photos were doctored, Chen refused to answer the phone. Instead, he went into hiding in North America, where he hailed from originally.

Edison Chen (center) leaves the Supreme Court in Vancouver late last month surrounded by bodyguards. [Agencies]

In the interview, Cheung was bitter that Edison Chen was making grand and vague statements such as the female victims should come out and stand up for themselves. "He is starting another career in another country. But what about us?" Cheung asked.

Whether Edison Chen did or did not console his partners in private, it would probably have made no difference to their public image. Both Cheung and Gillian Chung have essentially suspended their entertainment careers. But I agree Cheung does have a point.

Although I could only surmise what was going on behind the scenes, everything seems to indicate that Edison Chen is not a "gentleman", and I'm not talking about the sex photos. Granted, the sex and the photos happened between consenting adults. But Chen has a responsibility to protect them from leaking.

Once the photos made waves online, Chen hid from both the public and the female victims. He first posted a video clip in which he cursed and cursed, and then, after what seemed like an eternity, came back to Hong Kong and made a public apology, escorted by a big entourage. Since then, rumors have not died down about his "comeback".

Chen acts like a rich spoilt brat, and I have every reason to believe he is just that. Everything came to him so easily - he was born with wealth and good looks and his career was practically handed to him on a silver platter - that he did not have a clue how to behave like a responsible adult. Leaving aside the moral issue concerning the photos and what they portrayed, he should have come out and shouldered the blame. Everything being equal, it was he who inadvertently leaked the smoking gun, no pun intended.

Yet, when I browsed online opinions, I was shocked that Chen got more sympathy than his female co-stars. There were a lot of postings, presumably from sex-starved young men, who did not conceal their envy for Chen. Some cheered him as a hero outright.

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