Former Category III actor Charlie Cho apologises for birthday wish to Myanmar scammer

Hong Kong actor Charlie Cho is among the list of celebrities who sent birthday greeting to a Myanmar scammer. Photo: Xiao Yao Liu Jie/Weibo

Hong Kong actor Charlie Cho has apologised for sending a birthday message to a Myanmar scammer.

Cho – known for his roles in Category III Hong Kong films in the 1980s and 1990s – recently found himself embroiled in controversy after being featured in a video claiming that many Hong Kong and mainland Chinese celebrities have sent birthday wishes to Bai Yingcang.

According to Kwong Wah Yit Poh, Bai is the son of Burmese politician Bai Xuoqian wanted for running online scams near the Chinese border. He was allegedly killed while attempting to escape in a helicopter on Nov 15.

In a video apology, Cho said that he had returned from overseas last year when he received a script from his manager, who told him to record a birthday greeting. However, the 73-year-old had no idea who he was recording the message for.

"After reading the script, I felt like something was off. I wanted to refuse but was told that many celebrities would be recording the clip," he said.

It wasn't until the recording made rounds on social media and sparked controversy recently did Cho finally realise that the birthday greeting video he shot then was intended for a member of a fraud syndicate.

"I had no choice but to do it for the money and for my livelihood. Please forgive me for my behaviour," he said.

Other celebrities implicated in the controversy include TVB general manager Eric Tsang, Hong Kong actor Wong Yat Fei, Chinese actor Du Xudong and comedian Hou Yaohua.

Du also issued a video apology recently and said that the birthday greeting was shot a long time ago.

The 67-year-old added that he recorded the message at the request of a friend but didn't verify the identity of the Bai family back then.

Accepting the criticisms against him, the actor said: "This oversight has broken the love and trust of my audience. Like everyone, I don't condone the illegal activities of the fraud syndicate. I once again apologise for my words and actions."