A man was detained in the eastern province of Zhejiang for posting explicit photographs of Hong Kong celebrities on the Internet, said local police on Friday.

Ten people who allegedly produced, sold or bought computer discs of the photos were arrested in the southern city of Shenzhen last week, when police confiscated about 250 discs and six computers used to produce the discs.

The 11th suspect, surnamed Yu, was found claiming in an on-line post that, in his QQ space, there were many graphic images featuring entertainer Edison Chen and some female starlets, with links provided.

Police apprehended Yu at his home in Daishan county, Zhoushan city, where they found more than 260 downloaded photos on his computer.

According to Yu, he uploaded the photos to the album of his QQ space to attract the attention of other netizens. "I didn't make a profit with the photos," he said. "I just thought them interesting."

Yu was to be detained for 10 days.

It was illegal for people to disseminate or post the photos, even if they did not intend to make a profit, police said. Those found doing so could face detention of up to 15 days, under the administrative penalties for public security.

Last month, photos of the Canadian-born Chen caught in sexual acts with various Hong Kong starlets surfaced on the Internet and have spread like wildfire ever since.

Chinese Internet search engine Baidu.com has been asked by a Beijing Internet self-discipline organization to make a public apology for spreading the photos.

Thirteen on-line portals on the mainland issued a joint statement asking domestic websites to boycott such photos. So far, more than 40 domestic websites have supported the statement and many Chinese netizens have pledged not download or spread the Chen photos.
 
(Xinhua News Agency February 22, 2008)