PUBLISHED ONDecember 08, 2024 4:15 AMByCandice CaiA Singapore digital lock company has made a public apology to actor Ryan Lian for making defamatory remarks about the latter in a TikTok video.
The apology comes months after the latter's arrest under the mental health act for allegedly tampering with the digital door lock of a Telok Blangah HDB flat.
In its report on Saturday (Dec 7), Shin Min Daily News stated that news of Ryan's arrest had sparked discussions online over the security of digital locks.
It noted that the incident also become fodder for an online post by local company, Zansan Singapore, which touts itself as the largest distributor for digital locks in Singapore.
According to the Chinese evening daily, the TikTok video, which was uploaded on Sept 22 and has since been deleted, stated that Ryan, 39, had attempted to "break in" to three households.
The clip also alleged that Ryan had utilised a "black box" to successfully break the locks of only two of the households, as the third home was using one of their products.
In its apology posted to TikTok on Dec 3, Zansan admitted that the company, along with its director, Wong Chun Fong, had made "several defamatory written and oral statements" about Ryan, which they admitted to being "entirely false and without foundation".
"We unreservedly apologise to Ryan Lian for the damage and injury to his reputation and business caused to him by our false allegation and unconditionally withdraw our false allegations."
Speaking to Shin Min, Ryan stated that his team had seen the video online several weeks ago. He then made the connection that the clip could have been the reason for rumours circulating online about his "breaking and entering".
He added that besides getting the feeling of being treated like a criminal whenever he was outside, he was also dropped by several potential partners who had expressed interest in working with him.
In the interview with the Chinese evening daily, Ryan explained that he did not "break in" to homes and claimed that he did not even touch the metal gate of the flat, stating that he was simply in a confused state.
"The police did not investigate me for house-breaking, and I really didn't do it. I also didn't have any so-called 'black box'. They made use of me about things I'd never done, it's akin to adding insult to injury.
"Even though the company has apologised, if people don't see the apology, they'd [still] think I'd really committed a crime."
Ryan has seemingly also replied in a comment, written in Chinese, to Zansan's apology, berating the company for its actions.
Using the TikTok handle of his company Longmao Studio, he wrote the following day: "Do you know how torturous the last three months have been for me? Do you know how much your video has affected my life? Do you know I've tried my best to live on?"
"I've worked hard for my career, but do you know your video has destroyed 24 years of hard work?" Ryan remarked.
The actor also took issue with the choice of music in the TikTok video, writing: "What's the meaning with this music?"
Other netizens also noticed that the upbeat track used might not be the most appropriate. "The music shows the amount of sincerity," wrote one commenter.
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candicecai@asiaone.com
