Who will represent S'pore?

Controversial Ris Low gives up her beauty pageant title

By Lim Wei Chean & Carolyn Quek
		Miss Low, said her resignation from the Miss Singapore World pageant was "best for everyone". --PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHEN

CONTROVERSY-PLAGUED beauty queen Ris Low has decided to give up the Miss Singapore World crown, saying that it was a decision that was 'best for everyone'.

Her comments came after the organiser of the beauty pageant, ERM World Marketing, said in a statement that Miss Low, 19, had resigned with immediate effect and will no longer represent Singapore in the Miss World finals to be held in South Africa in December.

The question of who will replace her, however, remains unanswered.

The pageant's runner-up, Miss Claire Lee, 23, is contractually slated to take over if the winner pulls out.

However, the aerospace engineering graduate suffered an injury on Monday - she fell down the stairs - and aggravated a back injury.

She said she might not be able to stand up to the demands of the competition, which will require her to stand for hours on end and parade in high heels, among other things.

The second runner-up, 19-year-old Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) student Pilar Arlando, is next in line, but ERM said it has not made a decision, and will be 'interviewing a new representative'.

Yesterday's announcement ended a controversy that had been on the boil since it was reported last Friday that Miss Low had been convicted in court and sentenced to two years' supervised probation for stealing credit cards.

She used the stolen cards to run up $8,000 in charges on items such as lingerie, meals at fancy restaurants, and cellphones.

Since then, public calls for her to step down - already at high pitch since a video of her speaking poor English was aired last month - grew into a din.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times

weichean@sph.com.sg

carolynq@sph.com.sg