Anger swelling in Hong Kong over deadliest fire in more than 70 years | Hong Kong
The inferno that engulfed Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court compound is still burning, but questions are already being asked about what the deadliest blaze in more than 70 years means for Beijing’s grip on power in the city.
The number of deaths in the fire, in which seven of the eight high-rise apartment buildings in Wang Fuk Court, where 4,800 people live, were destroyed, rose to 75. Hundreds of people are still missing.
But anger is already growing among Hong Kongers over the causes of the blaze as firefighters try to contain the blaze and make progress in rescue efforts.
The fire also increased social concern about affordable housing in Hong Kong; Sky-high property prices here mean many people live in cramped high-rise apartments that can become death traps when disaster strikes.
At a news conference on Thursday, Hong Kong leader John Lee said the government would create a HK$300 million fund to help residents and the city’s development bureau was discussing replacing bamboo scaffoldings with metal alternatives. He also said contractors in the Asian financial hub would be given seven days to submit documents proving they used fire-retardant materials.
But some Hong Kongers are angry at the focus on bamboo, which has the potential to accelerate fires. As of Thursday afternoon, most of the bamboo scaffolding remained standing and the green mesh between the poles had been burned.
Angry people feel that blaming bamboo, which the government has already promised to remove from public construction works, deflects responsibility for the true cause of the fire, which is still unknown. Bamboo scaffolding holds a valued place as an important part of local heritage and is a feature that distinguishes Hong Kong from mainland China, where steel scaffolding is widely used in construction.
Former Hong Kong district councilor Michael Mo, who now lives in the United Kingdom, said residents of Wang Fuk Court had been complaining about the construction company’s shoddy behavior for months. He was born in Tai Po district, where Wang Fuk Court is located.
Last year, the text of an email purporting to be from the Hong Kong Ministry of Labor was published to a group of Wang Fuk Court residents. Responding to questions about the maintenance work, the email said “the risk of fire from the scaffolding is relatively low” as the work does not involve open flames. It was stated that the Ministry of Labor’s regulations do not cover flame retardant standards for scaffolding. The Department of Labor was contacted for comment.
On Thursday, Hong Kong police arrested three people linked to the building maintenance company responsible for the site.
Hong Kong’s corruption watchdog also said it would launch a criminal investigation into the renovations.
Traditionally, Hong Kong has held open investigations into major tragedies, usually presided over by an independent judge.
But many legal experts say Hong Kong’s judiciary is no longer independent, especially on matters critical of the government.
“I don’t think the government will establish an independent committee on this issue,” Mo said. “They didn’t do this for Covid. If they did, John Lee would be cooked.”
Trust in authorities has been low since Beijing’s sweeping crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, which included several violent clashes between police and demonstrators.
“Since the elimination of the pro-democratic camp and civil society, there has been no opposition to effectively sound the alarm bells,” Mo said. He said that before 2019, authorities had guardrails in place, albeit imperfect ones. “In their absence… there is no way to make government more effective or accountable.”
Beijing’s response to the fire was swift. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts” to extinguish the fire and minimize loss of life and property. Chinese companies such as BYD, Geely and Alibaba have pledged relief donations amounting to tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars. A defense ministry spokesman said the People’s Liberation Army was ready to “protect” the city.
Leader John Lee also hinted on Thursday that Legislative Council elections scheduled for December 7 could be postponed due to the disaster. Elections were last postponed in 2020, ostensibly due to Covid, but this also served as a way to silence the pro-democracy camp. In the years since, that camp has been destroyed by imprisoning or forcing lawmakers into exile or disbarring candidates deemed disloyal to Beijing. This year’s election will be a “patriots only” vote.
Additional reporting by Helen Davidson and Reuters
