Secretary general said his misbehavior damaged Democratic Party's reputation

The secretary general of the Democratic Party has resigned after being caught on film visiting a prostitute.

Chan Ka-wai also said that he has resigned his party membership.

Chan announced his resignation through a text message to media on Wednesday morning.

He said his behavior embarrassed the party, and damaged its reputation.

Chan said he submitted his resignation to Albert Ho Chun-yan, chairman of the party, on Tuesday night, with immediate effect.

Ho expressed his regrets on Wednesday, adding he has waived the usual notice period, given the severity of the matter.

Ho refused to make any comments regarding Chan, indicating Chan is no longer working for the party.

The resignation announcement came as a local Chinese newspaper reported the prostitution scandal on the front page, titled "Pigeons (the party logo) love prostitutes".

Chan was photographed stepping from a one-woman brothel in a building at Kimberly Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, at 6:10 pm, Tuesday.

Caught unexpectedly, the panicked man blurted out that he was not Chan Ka-wai and ran out via the back stairs.

After a chase by reporters Chan finally stopped running and started talking.

He didn't deny that he paid a visit to a prostitute, but admitted only to conducting an interview during the 40 minutes he was in her company.

He also admitted that he asked the naked prostitute to pose in front of him.

But when asked whether the two had sexual intercourse, Chan didn't answer directly.

The Chinese newspaper also described Chan as "dejected", and "sweating".

Chan, 48, married, was a member of the Kowloon City District Council during 2000 and 2007.

He was hired as the secretary general of the Democratic Party after he lost re-election in 2007.

He ran for the Legislative Council in 2004 but also failed.

"I should always remind our members, especially those who are interested in pursuing a career as politicians, they should be very cautious about their personal conduct," said the party's Chairman Ho.

guojiaxue@chinadailyhk.com

China Daily

(HK Edition 07/14/2011 page1)