HK ‘Beauty Queen’ criticised for flouting Covid-19 SOP

Compiled by C. ARUNO and MARTIN CARVALHO

A VIDEO of former Hong Kong beauty pageant contestant Sit Yeng Yi kicking a person who filmed her not wearing a face mask in public went viral, reported Sin Chew Daily.

The 38-year-old, who signed as an artiste with Asia Television (ATV) last year, was spotted not wearing a face mask in public, which prompted the person to start recording her.

Realising she was caught breaking the law, Sit ran into a nearby lift. The person chased after her and had even attempted to enter the lift.

Dressed in a pink T-shirt and shorts, Sit was heard swearing in the video and was filmed turning aggressive.

The incident, which was believed to have taken place last September, caused an uproar among netizens, many of whom criticised Sit for not doing her bit to curb the spread of Covid-19.

“Those not wearing a face mask are doing a disservice not only to themselves but society as a whole!” one wrote.

An ATV spokesperson, responding to media queries, said public figures should set a good example by following Covid-19 standard operating procedures, assuring that Sit would not be careless again.

When interviewed, Sit confessed to the incident, claiming that she went outdoors without a face mask as the Covid-19 situation then was not as bad.

She declined to comment when asked if she physically assaulted the person filming her.

Sit gained fame last year after saying that she was confident of winning the Miss Asia Pageant 2021 last July. That confidence won over many fans online.

Despite not even passing the qualifying round of the pageant, she managed to land herself a contract with ATV later.

> Japanese boy band member Akira squashed talk that his son was born via surrogacy, saying his Taiwanese supermodel wife Lin Chi-ling was recovering from the ordeal of giving birth, reported Sin Chew Daily.

The first-time father gave an online interview with Taiwan media outlets recently and admitted that he was learning to make his wife’s favourite soup.

“We will eat soup together. I hope Chi-ling’s body will recover soon,” he said.

Lin and Akira, 40, were married in 2019 after getting to know each other during the production of a Red Cliff inspired stage play.

Following the news of Lin giving birth in January, rumours began circulating online that the couple had a baby via surrogacy due to Lin’s age.

Akira, whose real name is Ryohei Kurosawa, was seen wearing a wide grin throughout the interview.

He kept thanking the reporters as well as his wife.

When asked who the child resembled, Akira gave a big laugh and said: “like the two of us”.

The couple spent their Chinese New Year in Japan this year and will consider visiting Lin’s family in Taiwan once travel restrictions are lifted.

> An elderly couple made headlines in China after a video of them presenting each of their grandchildren 8,000 yuan (RM5,267) in ang pow went viral on social media, the daily also reported.

When interviewed, relatives said the family was well to do.

He said they prepare 100,000 yuan (RM65,771) in cash to be given out as ang pow each year.

Many netizens commented that they wished they had such generous grandparents. “Are they looking to adopt grandkids?” an Internet user asked in jest.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.