Jackie Chan is S'pore's anti-drug ambassador
PUBLISHED ONMay 08, 2015 1:47 AMByLim Yi Han
Hong Kong action superstar Jackie Chan is Singapore's new anti-drug ambassador and hopes to influence youth to say no to drugs.
He said his son - Jaycee, who served time for a drug offence in Beijing this year - has hurt him, but made him determined to tell young people to stay away from drugs.
The 61-year-old star was at the launch of a new anti-drug mobile game app at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) yesterday.
He said in Mandarin: "I never thought that it would happen to my family. I was so ashamed and so angry. But this incident made me more determined to influence people to say no to drugs.
"Don't ever think that you won't be hooked. When you take drugs, you harm yourself, your family and your country too. It's a domino effect."
Chan, who is also China's anti-drug ambassador, said that his late father had warned him never to take drugs, join a secret society or gamble.
"But I gambled and I lost all the money he gave me and I ate bread for seven days. So you must remember - don't take drugs, don't join a gang and don't gamble," he told thousands of cheering students crowded around the polytechnic's auditorium.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Masagos Zulkifli said at the event that everyone has a part to play in the fight against drugs.
"(Jackie) has decided to lend his star power to us because he knows too how difficult it is to fight this drug menace alone," said Mr Masagos, who is also Second Minister for Home Affairs.
"I hope that he can inspire our youth to say no to drugs."
The new mobile app was an initiative of the Central Narcotics Bureau, and 12 final-year students from NYP worked on it for about nine months.
Called Aversion, players try to avoid contact with drugs and various obstacles, as well as learn about the harm different drugs can cause.
"Preventive drug education is our first line of defence in the war against drugs. We must build awareness and inform (young people)... so that they can make the right choice," said Mr Masagos.
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