Malaysian singer Gary Chaw, who was accused of causing a commotion at a restaurant in Taipei, has urged the netizen who uploaded the video to make a statement on the incident, failing which he would take legal action against him or her.
In a video widely circulated on the Internet earlier in the week, a man - who was not seen in the video - was heard using English swear words repeatedly outside a room at the restaurant.
The man was later identified by the media to be Chaw, who is based in Taiwan. The incident reportedly took place on Monday night (March 7).
The 42-year-old singer told Taiwan's Mirror Media on Wednesday (March 9) that he was having chicken soup with his mentor, music producer Michael Tu, at the restaurant when five or six people entered the next room and began chatting loudly.
Chaw said he told the restaurant staff about it but the noise continued. He and Tu decided to leave the place, but he was angered when he heard someone in the next room using an English swear word, leading to the spat.
"They provided a video which was in their favour. I am in the open and they are in the dark," Chaw said.
"In fact, the police were at the scene taking down statements of all the people involved," he added.
"I won't apologise as 'the other person' is probably trying to blackmail me by demanding my apology."
Tu corroborated Chaw's version in an interview with Taiwan's Liberty Times on Thursday, adding that they were not drunk even though there was wine in the chicken soup.
Tu said Chaw parted the door curtain of the other room on the way out, and they heard someone saying "leave me alone" when they were near the exit.
Chaw felt provoked and began cussing, as Tu pulled him away.
Chaw said in a social media post on Thursday that he respected Taiwan's laws and would bear all the consequences.
"But I also hope the person behind this can make a statement on what happened and not tell only one side of the story."
He repeated the request on Friday and said he would sue the netizen if he or she did not do so.
He also expressed his disappointment with the media for blowing up the incident without understanding the full story.
Chaw rose to fame for his song Superwoman in 2006 and was named Best Male Mandarin Singer at Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards in 2008.
He was in the news in 2009 after a highly publicised drunken brawl with Hong Kong singer Justin Lo and in 2013 for a drunken outburst at singer Jimmy Lin's wedding. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
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