MAY 7 (Reuters) — Kung fu movie star Jackie Chan on Thursday (May 7) spoke about his son’s drug crimes at an event in Singapore, where he was named the city state’s first celebrity anti-drug ambassador.
Jaycee Chan, the son of the Hong Kong actor, was released from jail in China in February after serving a six-month sentence on drugs charges, after being caught in the government’s aggressive anti-narcotics campaign.
“I would never think it’d happen to my family. The day I found out, I am so ashamed, I am so angry. How (did) that happen? After, you know, all the young children (said) ‘no that’s nothing, we just playing…fooling around’. I’m lucky, I could find out sooner. If it was too late, it was probably too late. I was very angry but it made me more determined to be against drugs,” Jackie Chan said.
The older Chan had served as a goodwill spokesman for the China National Anti-Drug Committee in 2009, promoting anti-drug education.
He took the opportunity on Thursday to warn Singapore youths not to do drugs.
“Don’t ever think you won’t get addicted, because not only are you hurting yourself — young people, remember — not only are you hurting yourself, which is fine, but you need to know, you’re one drug addiction will hurt your family, in order to earn money, you’ll steal, you’ll rob, in the end, you’re hurting your country, you’re hurting your family, you’re hurting your son…it’s a dominoes effect,” he said.
The younger Chan, a 32-year-old actor and singer, was formally charged in December with “the crime of sheltering others to take drugs” after testing positive for marijuana, with police saying they found 100 grams of the drug at his home. He faced a maximum prison sentence of three years.
Illegal drugs, especially synthetic substances like methamphetamine, ketamine and ecstasy, have grown in popularity in China in tandem with the rise of a new urban class with greater disposable income.
Thursday’s event in Singapore saw the launch of Aversion, an anti-drug mobile game application, at Nanyang Polytechnic, local media said. (Singapore)