FOUR years ago, Edison Chen arrived in Singapore to little fanfare to promote Hong Kong racing flick Initial D (2005). Then, the attention was on his co-star Jay Chou.

But when the 29-year-old actor arrived in Singapore on Thursday, it was a huge media circus.

Hardly surprising, since this was his first official media appearance since his sex photo scandal broke last year.

Intimate photos of the actor and several Hong Kong female celebrities like Gillian Chung of Twins and actress Cecilia Cheung were leaked onto the Internet.

Edison, a personal friend of the local management of fast food chain Carl's Jr., was in town to launch Angus Beef Thickburger at Grand Hyatt hotel's Bang & Olufsen (B&O) boutique Friday evening.

Local media started waiting for his arrival at Changi Airport's Terminal 1 at 10am. When the first flight from Hong Kong landed at about 1pm, there was no sign of him.

Hong Kong and Malaysian media showed up later.

There was one solitary fan, customer service officer Katalina Jiang, 21, who had gone to the airport at 10am.

An Edison fan since 2003, she said: 'I took leave because I want to pass Edison my telephone number. I cried when news of the scandal broke. I have a feeling he'll call me.'

She said she 'envied the girls who slept with him' and that speaking to reporters about him had taken her 'one step closer to Edison'.

But her hopes were dashed as there was still no sign of the actor at 4pm.

Ms Julia Jemangin, corporate communications manager of CAAS (Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore), later told The New Paper that Edison had made his exit through Jet Quay's CIP Lounge, a contained terminal.

The media then rushed to the Grand Hyatt at Scotts Road, where Edison is putting up during his short stay here.

The air was tense and security was hawkish at the hotel's main entrance.

Barricades had been set up and no fewer than 10 suited-up bodyguards waited for Edison's arrival.

Finally at 4.30pm, a white van pulled up. It was Edison and his entourage of six.

Photographers surged forward and even blocked the van. For a moment, it seemed impossible for Edison to get out.

Then came shouts from security personnel who shoved aside anyone in their way.

In the mayhem, some photographers fell and The New Paper's Kua Chee Siong sprained his ankle.

When Edison finally emerged from the van, it was an image of a celebrity who had unwittingly walked into intense media scrutiny.

Wearing a white beanie and attention-grabbing red shoes, the actor, whose boyish-looking face was shielded by large sunglasses, hung his head low as he entered the hotel lobby, ignoring the media.

It seemed ironic that a celebrity who sneaked out of the airport would enter the hotel by its main doors.

Some photographers who managed to get past security chased him to the lift but that was as far as they got.

Businessman Tony Neo, 30, who happened to be waiting for his friend at the lobby was shocked at 'the chaos'.

'It's not the poor guy's (Edison's) fault with regards to what happened anyway. He was sabotaged,' he said.

By 7pm, a curious crowd and Edison's fans had gathered outside the heavily-guarded hotel.

Most had read newspaper reports of his appearance and hoped to catch a glimpse of the elusive star whose new movie, The Sniper, will premiere at the Hong Kong International Film Festival on 24 Mar.

Edison was last seen in a small role in The Dark Knight (2008).

Student James Li, 18, who has been a fan since Initial D, had been waiting since 5pm.

He told The New Paper: 'He's good-looking and fashionable. I'm eagerly anticipating his return to showbiz. I think he was very brave in admitting to the sex photo scandal. He's even made a public apology.'

Even tourists from San Francisco knew about Edison and his scandal. 'Poor guy' was how a sympathetic soul described him.

The Carl's Jr. event, which was supposed to start at 7.15pm, was delayed until Edison's arrival at 8pm.

His appearance sparked another wave of chaos and mayhem.

Photographers jostled for a good shot of Edison who was surrounded by a circle of at least 10 bodyguards.

Once inside B&O, he made his way to the stage where he joined host Eunice Olsen and local celebrity Irene Ang to launch Carl's Jr.'s Angus Beef Thickburger.

He turned briefly to the screaming crowd outside and waved to them.

Barely five minutes later, Edison made his exit from the high-end electronics boutique.

When Edison saw the sea of photographers, he tried to make an about-turn. But his bodyguards pushed him forward.

Ignored questions

When he passed the media, he ignored questions from Hong Kong reporters who asked him about Cecilia's recent interview about the scandal, in which she called him a liar and hypocrite.

He had named her as one of the women in the photos in a hearing in Vancouver for the Hong Kong trial of a man who had allegedly leaked the photos onto the Internet.

In the commotion, guests and media were shoved towards pillars to make way for Edison and his entourage.

The next minute, amid the pushing and jostling, a table collapsed and champagne glasses shattered as they fell onto the floor.

For a while, it seemed that Edison had left the event and was on his way to the Adidas event.

But the star reappeared 10 minutes later, this time to a significantly-dwindled mediacrowd.

Edison entered a VIP-only lounge within B&O and was seen happily tucking into the Angus Thickburger.

Local celebrities Allan Wu and wife Wong Li-Lin also took a photo and chatted with him.

When contacted by The New Paper, Allan said: 'He was a very nice guy and said he really likes Singapore.'

Edison hung around for about 25 mins and left, presumably for the Adidas event.

When this reporter asked Edison to take a photo with her, Edison turned and seemed to agree. But the tired-looking Edison was swiftly whisked off.

- additional reporting by Yeoh Wee Teck

This article was first published in The New Paper on Feb 28, 2009.

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