The fire at the Wang Phuc Court apartment complex started while the buildings were being renovated. It eventually spread to seven of the complex’s eight apartment towers.
Officials have already said they suspect that poor-quality insulation foam and cheap plastic mesh used on the scaffolding caused the fire. The exact cause has not yet been determined.
The Hong Kong Labor Department told Reuters news agency that as early as September 2024, local residents had raised safety concerns about the construction materials being used for the project, but were told they faced a “relatively low” fire risk.
Authorities are investigating the incident and have already arrested fifteen people on suspicion of murder. The suspects include several people associated with the renovation contractor.
Hong Kong Chief Secretary Eric Chan said that contractors had hidden the locations where substandard traps were used to save costs and avoid detection by inspectors, adding that the suspects “acted with deliberate intent and planning.”
On Tuesday, Hong Kong’s chief executive, John Lee, said a “judge-led independent committee” would be formed to “investigate the cause and rapid spread of the fire and related issues.”
Demand for official accountability is increasing
The fire has raised major questions about widespread corruption and malfeasance in Hong Kong’s construction industry, with the tragedy also focusing attention on the city’s “national security” laws, which are often used to suppress dissent against the city’s Beijing-backed government.
As a Chinese special administrative region, Hong Kong has traditionally boasted civil liberties not seen in mainland China, including open elections, anti-government protests, and a largely independent media.
However, following widespread pro-democracy protests in 2019, Beijing passed a harsh national security law that included heavy penalties for loosely defined acts of “treason,” effectively criminalizing free speech and the right to protest.
People in Hong Kong who publicly criticize authorities, even in the event of a tragedy such as the Tai Po apartment fire, now risk violating these laws.
China’s National Security Office has already issued a statement warning people against using the 2019 apartment disaster to “bring Hong Kong back into chaos.”
It said national security laws would be used against “anti-China” forces who “incite hatred against officials.”
The public controversy over the fire has also come to the fore ahead of the Legislative Council elections to be held on December 7.
Critical voices reportedly detained
According to Hong Kong media, authorities have already taken action against two people who spoke about the Tai Po explosion.
Former Hong Kong district councilor Kenneth Cheung was detained on Sunday. He told DW that he believed he was arrested after posting critical comments on Facebook about the fires and the overall situation of freedom of expression in Hong Kong.
Cheung said it is unclear what speech violates national security laws, and this complicates any public criticism of Hong Kong authorities.
Cheung said, “Everyone thinks there is a ‘red line’, but no one really knows where it is. Therefore, many people will self-censor, choosing not to express their views directly.”
He said, “Overall, we can clearly feel that the space for free expression is very different than it was five or ten years ago.”
Also, Hong Kong media reported that student Miles Kwan was detained for “seditious intent” on Saturday after launching a petition with “4 demands” to the authorities.
These included holding officials accountable, launching a review of the construction supervision system, and creating an independent committee to investigate potential conflicts of interest in the city’s construction sector. The petition received thousands of signatures online.
The Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported Kwan as saying before he was detained, “Hong Kongers are united in grief, we are united in anger. Of course, we think all our demands should be borne by the law.” HKFP also published photos showing Kwan handing out leaflets to passengers at a Hong Kong train station.
On Monday, AFP news agency reported that Kwan was seen leaving a police station in Hong Kong. He did not talk to journalists.
Hong Kong officials ‘extremely uncomfortable’ with public reaction
Although Hong Kong authorities did not comment directly on the arrests, Security Secretary Chris Tang said at a press conference on Monday that “misogynistic online comments” were threatening national security.
“We must take appropriate measures, including law enforcement measures,” he said, adding that operational details could not be disclosed for “security reasons.”
Asked about the detentions, Chief Executive Lee said at a news conference on Tuesday that he would “not tolerate any crimes” that “take advantage of the tragedy we are facing right now.”
Eric Lai, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Asian Law, told DW that the arrests under national security offenses show that both the Hong Kong and Chinese governments have “transformed the post-fire response into a crisis management effort focused on protecting the security of the regime.”
“Officials appear very uneasy about grassroots, self-organized relief efforts and free expression of accountability,” he said.
He said authorities had already begun to replace community-led relief initiatives with officially supported “care teams” and were using arrests to prevent people from delving deeper into what caused the fires.
Move toward greater transparency?
Hong Kong leader Lee on Tuesday pledged to reform the construction industry and create an independent investigative committee. However, he still faces the issue of balancing the need for transparency with the risk of tarnishing his administration’s image.
Jason Poon Chuk-hung, a civil engineer turned activist, told DW that the local construction industry is suffering massive losses. According to the activist, if exposed, the blame for these shortcomings may fall on the officials.
“The biggest problem lies in lax implementation – laws that exist but are not followed, and rules that are not strictly enforced,” he said.
Chuk-Hung has been lobbying the Hong Kong government to address the fire safety of scaffolding mesh for over a year.
He added, “Ultimately, this was a once-in-a-century fire. The Hong Kong government’s performance was mediocre at the beginning, and was even worse in the early stages of the disaster – especially in providing relief to residents who were suddenly left homeless.”
The activist said Hong Kong law still allows for an Independent Commission of Inquiry (ICI), a process that provides a high level of transparency to the public.
The ICI also encourages citizens to come forward with information or testimony, and its final recommendations “hold official significance in solving the incident.”
However, any such process would also need to deal with new legal hurdles aimed at hindering any criticism of Hong Kong’s government.
Survivors of man-made disaster ‘furious’
For now, it appears that Hong Kong authorities are at least paying lip service to public demands for accountability.
“We must uncover the truth, ensure that justice is served, the dead rest in peace and the living rest in peace,” the chief executive told reporters at a weekly press conference on Tuesday. “We want to make sure we prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.”
A Wang Fuk apartment resident, who identified herself as Anna and has lived in the apartment complex for more than 40 years, told DW that she is “angry” that renovation work destroyed her home and others, and hoped Chief Executive Lee would respond.
“This was not a natural disaster – it was man-made,” he said. “My sadness has turned to anger. If I ever see the contractor, I swear I’ll punch him, consequences be damned.”
DW East Asia correspondent Rick Glauert and DW’s China department contributed to the report.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
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