Jackie Chan refused to help his daughter's mother, says lawyer

Jackie Chan refused to help his daughter's mother, says lawyer

HONG KONG - When former Miss Asia winner Elaine Ng was in dire straits financially in 2015, her friend, lawyer Mary Jean Reimer, had a middleman ask actor Jackie Chan, the father of Ng's daughter Etta, for a lifeline.

According to Ms Reimer, the answer was: "Don't expect to get a cent, i.e. not helping you."

She was speaking at a press conference Ng held on Thursday (March 30), a week after Etta reported Ng to the police for a domestic incident and she was arrested on suspicion of criminal intimidation.

After her arrest, Ng said she had quarrelled with Etta because she saw a packet of sedatives in her daughter's room, which the girl insisted she had not used. In 2015, Ng had been arrested for child abuse, amid talk of a drinking problem.

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On Wednesday, Etta, 17, wrote on Facebook: "Leaving HK for a bit tmr - I'm still alive for those who are wondering."

At the press conference, Ng, 44, wept and asked her daughter to go home. "I just want you to come home. Whatever it is, I want you to come home."

Ms Reimer said: "The daughter is unhappy. We don't know the source of her unhappiness."

She also clarified Ng's financial situation, dispelling a rumour that Etta's half-brother, actor Jaycee Chan, paid for the mother and daughter's home in Tai Hang, Hong Kong, reported Ming Pao Daily News.

In 2015, Ng was fired from her radio hosting job after her arrest. Ms Reimer reached out to Chan on Ng's behalf, but to no avail, she said.

Later, a Buddhist charity helped Ng, she said. Ng also borrowed money from her to pay off debts and redeem her late mother's home in Shanghai, so that she could sell it and buy her Tai Hang place.

Ms Reimer said rumours that Etta had received financial support from her biological father were unfair to her mother.


This article was first published on Mar 31, 2017.
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