(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-05-28 16:37

US actress Sharon Stone has sparked a storm of criticism and condemnation in China after suggesting the devastating earthquake on May 12 that killed more than 68,000 was bad "karma" because of China's Tibet policy.

Actress Sharon Stone arrives at amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2008 event in Mougins during the 61th Cannes Film Festival May 22, 2008. [Agencies]

Stone, 50, made the remarks at the Cannes Film Festival last week, leading to pledges by many Chinese mainland and Hong Kong cinemas not to show her films again, and reportedly motivating a cosmetics chain to remove advertisements with her image.

"'I've been concerned about how should we deal with the Olympics, because they are not being nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a good friend of mine," Stone said in Cannes, according to footage available on YouTube. "And then all this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and I thought, is that karma -- when you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"

The Beijing Times on Wednesday quoted Ng See-Yuen, founder of the UME Cineplex chain, as saying that from now on, no film featuring Stone would be shown in any UME cinema in Hong Kong and the mainland.

The Beijing Times also reported that the Chinese public relations company for cosmetic and couture giant Christian Dior -- which uses Stone extensively in its advertisements -- had distanced itself from her remarks.

Dior boutiques in major Beijing department stores that had until recently featured advertisements with Stone's image had also removed these images by late Tuesday, the paper said.

Meanwhile, Chinese netizens have criticised Stone for her remarks, using YouTube among other forums to spread their message.

"I want her to say sorry. It's not for me. It's for the dead people," said a young man, who described himself as a Chinese called Adam.

The May 12 earthquake, which struck in southwest China's Sichuan province, is the nation's worst natural disaster in a generation.