A kiss between female actresses Vivian Lai and Kate Pang has sparked a furore among Singaporeans.

Actress-host Lai, 36, kissed actress Kate Pang, 29, on the lips for one second when she was announced as one of the Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes during Sunday's live telecast of the Star Awards Show 2.

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Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao reported that many viewers called its hotline to say they were offended by the kiss.

They said that while some women may find kissing each other to be "trendy", they were not used to it.

Some also said that it was strange to see female artistes dressed sexily and kissing each other.

The Media Development Authority (MDA) said it will probe the incident to ascertain whether it has breached content guidelines of the free-to-air TV programme code.

A spokesperson for broadcaster MediaCorp told The New Paper that the "kiss" will be censored for this Sunday's repeat telecast as some viewers may not be comfortable.

However, Lai said she was surprised by viewers' reactions and that the kiss was a natural reaction to express her joy.

Opinions were split among 100 people polled by The New Paper, who asked them what they thought of the kiss.

Some said it was fine, while others disapproved. The approval rate was higher in the younger group, with close to 70 per cent approving.

Those who felt it was fine said it could be an expression of joy while those who disapproved said it could impart the wrong values to children.

However, 62 per cent of respondents said the kiss was no big deal.

Girl-on-girl kiss to be censored in re-run of awards show

Click on thumbnail to view (Photos: ST, TNP)

paullim@sph.com.sg