Ho was speaking publicly for the first time since he was arrested in a Guangdong hotel on August 13 and sentenced without trial to six months of "re-education through labor'' for allegedly soliciting the services of a prostitute.

Ho vowed to remain a Kwun Tong district councillor, saying he believes the scandal has not affected his work as a public officer.

Speaking at Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital in Wong Tai Sin where he is receiving treatment for a liver ailment and a skin infection, Ho, 47, described his 168-day detention as the darkest days of his life.

He accused the detention center of not offering him proper medical treatment for cirrhosis and claims his liver has now only 20 percent of its function.

He lifted his shirt to show the extent of the skin ailment, psoriasis.

Accompanied by wife Carol, Kowloon East party colleagues Fred Li and Wu Chi-wai, and dozens of supporters from his constituency - Shun Tin Estate in Kwun Tong - Ho said he was quitting the Democratic Party as he felt a sense of guilt in having tarnished its image, particularly as the incident occurred only a month before the Legislative Council elections.

``The incident affected the election campaigns of my party colleagues and members. Some outsiders even branded us a `prostituting party' and myself as a `prostituting councillor.' I felt very sorry and uncomfortable after I heard these accusations,'' he said.

Ho said he saw no reason to give up his district council seat as he had not harmed the interests of the public, saying: ``I did not solicit a prostitute.''

Democratic Party chairman Lee Wing-tat said he will respect Ho's decision, which will be discussed by the party's central standing committee on February 17.

He noted that as Ho has already decided to leave the party, there is no need for an internal disciplinary hearing.

Lee and vice-chairman Albert Ho both insisted they played no part in Alex Ho's decision to step down.

``He did express such an intention to us when he returned to Hong Kong last Friday, but I told him that he was not required to do so.

``But when we talked again on Wednesday night, he said that he would leave the party,'' Albert Ho said.

Asked whether he believed Alex Ho was innocent, Lee said the party could not make any judgment without concrete evidence.

However, Lee did express discontent at the absence of an open trial and the lack of proper medical treatment while Ho was detained.

Replying to a charge by the Dongguan public security bureau last September that he had made two sex transactions with a 25-year-old prostitute from Anhui province, Ho said he had known the woman for some time before his arrest.

He said the woman had arrived at his hotel room between 3am and 4am on the night in question and was there for about half an hour before public security officers came in and arrested them.

Ho said that he was just chatting with the woman and denied having sex, making any sexual transaction or having any close physical contact with her.

``I had known the woman for a couple of months and, as I understand, she was a disc jockey in a karaoke and not a prostitute,'' Ho said.

``She is just an ordinary friend and I let her in for a chat, but we never had sex or entered into any sex transaction.''

But he would not say what they spoke about, arguing it did not have any direct bearing on the case. ``The only person who has a right to know is my wife and not the public,'' he said.

Ho also denied they were naked when officers broke into his hotel room.

Asked whether he thought that he was framed or falsely accused by Dongguan authorities, Ho said he would take it as a false accusation.

He explained that even if he insisted he was framed, the Dongguan authorities could still produce the statements and recordings he made while under duress.

``It will be meaningless as the bureau can still call for a press conference and arrange for 10 or even 100 women to say that I had sexual relations with them,'' he said.

He said he would not discuss the matter after the press conference. ``This is the last time that I will talk about what happened as I do not want to recall the incident.

``Even if the mainland police were to release new evidence about my arrest, I shall not respond.''

Ho's wife sat beside her husband, holding his hand tightly.

She also pledged her full support.

``I absolutely trust my husband. I have never had any doubts,'' she said firmly.

Ho noted that the Dongguan public security bureau had deployed dozens of officers to question and threaten him. They also did not allow him to hire a lawyer or to contact his family.

``They led me to believe that if I admitted the charge, I could get an early release. Otherwise, they said they would charge me with rape,'' he said.

michael.ng@globalchina.com