Following Edison Chen's open apology on Thursday, owner of Chan's management company, East Asia Music, Peter Lam Kin-ngok asked the public to give Chen a chance.

On Thursday, Chen made a long-awaited public appearance. He said sorry to Hong Kong people and asked for forgiveness.

He also said he will quit the Hong Kong show business.

"Since Edison has admitted his own fault, we should give him a chance", Lam said.

He added he will accept Chen's apology and will respect his wish to exit the local entertainment industry.

Lam said Friday's newspapers had varied comments about Chen's apology.

Most of the papers' editorials commended Chen's coming forward to apologize but said there are issues yet to be resolved.

The editorial of South China Morning Post (SCMP) said Chen has done the right thing to prevent the scandal from growing out of control. It is time for Chen and the society to move on from the nude photo scandal.

It is important to find the culprit behind the distribution of the photos and bring them to justice, SCMP said.

SCMP said privacy should be the focus of the scandal and called for a review of the law that can more appropriately reveal the views of society.

Wen Wei Po's (WWP) editorial said Chen is not the only one to blame; the whole society is responsible for fuelling the scandal and we should all reflect on the scandal.

WWP also pointed out that the scandal has exposed difficulties that law enforcement agencies encounter when handling Internet crime.

WWP called for self-discipline among Internet users and appealed to them to abide by the law.

Ming Pao said although Chen is remorseful for his behavior and has delivered a heartfelt apology, he is still the one who "started it all" and that is something that he cannot escape from.

He still has issues to clarify. For example, his motives in taking the photos and whether drugs were ever used when the photos were taken, Ming Pao said.

Ming Pao also said the scandal is a lesson for Hong Kong to learn about influences of the Internet.

Meanwhile, the trial of 23-year-old computer technician Sze Ho-chun who allegedly uploaded some of the nude photos onto the Internet at the Eastern Magistrates' Court was adjourned until March 14, pending further police investigation.

Sze is charged with obtaining access to a computer with a view to dishonest gain.

(China Daily HK Edition, February 23, 2008)