/ 13 May 2011

Bieber’s bodyguards outnumber fans in Hong Kong

A video showing teen pop idol Justin Bieber arriving in Hong Kong with 20 bodyguards to be greeted by just seven female fans was a hit on the YouTube website on Friday.

The 17-year-old Canadian — usually mobbed by huge crowds of fans on tour — found only a tiny gaggle of young girls waiting at Hong Kong International Airport when he arrived on Wednesday.

More than 20 000 YouTube viewers had by Friday afternoon watched a video uploaded on Thursday of Bieber arriving with a reported 20 bodyguards to the embarrassingly muted reception.

Looking grumpy, the singer — wearing his trademark baseball cap and carrying a skateboard — leaves the airport and gets into a vehicle where he tries but fails to draw the curtains.

The video, compiled and uploaded by Chinese newspaper Apple Daily, includes clips of the young star arriving in other world cities to frenzied mobs of female fans.

Bieber, who is reportedly suffering from a chest infection, was due to perform his first Hong Kong concert on Friday evening at the city’s Asia World Expo venue. He performed in Manila on May 10. – Sapa-DPA