Hong Kong’s TVB threatens legal action against police watchdog member over criticism of beauty pageant outfits

TVB, Hong Kong’s biggest free-to-air television station, has threatened to take legal action against a member of the police watchdog after she questioned the appropriateness of outfits worn by beauty pageant contestants.

Helen Yu Lai Ching-ping, a member of the Independent Police Complaints Council and a former senior government official, was attending a meeting of the watchdog being carried online when she remarked on the levels of sex and violence in the media as part of a wider discussion about efforts by the force to protect and support vulnerable witnesses.

“Even when speaking about the Miss Hong Kong pageant, you can see they are wearing such little clothing,” Yu said. “It is OK to wear less clothing, you can do so for swimming, but why should they be answering questions in an air-conditioned room with someone like [pageant host] Eric Tsang Chi-wai staring at you?

“Why are they wearing bikinis while answering questions? I really don’t understand.”

Tsang is TVB’s general manager of content operations.

TVB issued a statement strongly condemning the remarks. Without naming Yu, the broadcaster said an “individual” had made malicious and false accusations against one of its senior executives. The person had singled out TVB’s beauty pageant, failing to note that other TV stations held such contests, it said.

The individual had made public remarks that associated TVB with child abuse, obscenity and violence, the broadcaster claimed, calling it immoral.

“This irresponsible behaviour will not only mislead the audience and the public, it also amounts to disrespect and malicious slander of the women participating in the ‘Miss Hong Kong pageant’,” it said.