Commentator allegedly arrested at orgy apologizes to fans

File photo of celebrity blogger Xue Charles Bi-Chuen. (Photo source: Chinanews.com)

Publicly humiliated social commentator Xue Charles Bi-Chuen apologized on Saturday afternoon after being released on bail pending trial for alleged group sex with prostitutes, vowing to devote himself to the greater public good.

Internet star Xue, 60, sent four posts in two minutes on Saturday saying he has learned his lesson and apologizing for disappointing his family and fans.

In an earlier interview with the Xinhua News Agency, he regretted his mistake, and hoped the government would give him an opportunity to make it up.

Known online as Xue Manzi, Xue stressed in his verified microblog that he would refuse to comment or spread unverified information online in future.

With nearly 12 million Weibo followers, Xue was once better known for calling for greater government transparency about pollution, advocating critical illness insurance and campaigning to track down trafficked children.

A national campaign against online rumors was launched after Xue's high-profile arrest in August, prompting an official media debate about the limits of legal free speech in cyberspace.

Xue said he would rededicate himself to his pet causes including free lunches for children, helping worthy business start-ups and fighting child abduction, the posts said.

Xue was detained for soliciting prostitutes by police along with 26 other suspects at a residential community in northern Beijing in August 2013.

The case is still under investigation, and has not yet been handed to prosecutors.

Xue said he has suffered diabetes for 10 years, Xinhua reported. He also had colon cancer and coronary heart disease, having had a silent stroke, or cerebral infarction, he said.