Authorities in Hong Kong have arrested 13 people on suspicion of murder in connection with last week’s devastating fire, as they face growing criticism from residents over the arrest of at least two citizens demanding accountability under national security laws.
Emergency services continued searching seven towers of the Wang Fuc Court estate in Tai Po on Monday, days after the city’s deadliest fire in 75 years. The death toll has risen to 151 and is expected to rise further as the search continues. About 40 people are still missing.
Home to approximately 5,000 people, the property was undergoing extensive renovation work, which has been linked to the cause of the fire. Following this, the city has been furious over alleged past safety violations and laxity in enforcing standards by the construction company working on the site, following revelations that residents had been complaining about the renovation for a year.
Anti-corruption authorities have so far arrested 13 people, including the director of a construction company and an engineering consultant, and “immediately launched a comprehensive investigation along the lines of murder,” officials said on Monday afternoon.
Hong Kong Chief Secretary Eric Chan said seven of 20 tested samples of mesh netting used in the scaffolding around the towers did not meet fire-retardant standards. Initial testing found that the samples complied with code, but Chan described it as a “shameful practice”, saying that cheaper non-compliant traps were placed in areas that were difficult to access to avoid detection.
“They just wanted to make money at the cost of people’s lives,” he said.
As allegations of safety violations mount, along with revelations that government officials have issued numerous apparently unenforced warnings, residents have asked why no officials have yet faced consequences. Instead, two civilians have reportedly been arrested by the National Security Police.
Miles Kwan, a Hong Kong student, was arrested on Saturday over an online petition making “four demands” guaranteeing support for victims and accountability for those at fault, including any corrupt or culpable government officials.
Local media said Quan was arrested for “seditious intent”. Police did not confirm the arrest, only saying they would “take action according to the actual circumstances and in accordance with the law”.
Kwan was seen leaving a police station on Monday afternoon, Agence France-Presse reported.
Local media also reported the arrest of former district councilor Kenneth Cheung on Sunday evening.
Asked about the arrests on Monday, Security Secretary Chris Tang said only that “misogynistic comments” were made online that were intended to jeopardize national security. “Therefore, we must take appropriate measures, including law enforcement measures,” Tang said at a press conference. “Operational details cannot be disclosed because they involve national security.”
People criticized the arrest of civilians on Hong Kong social media. One said, “National security must be given priority, even if the dead are still buried in the building.”
Some commentators compared it to mainland China. One commentator said, “The mainland calls these crimes ‘picking up fights and provoking trouble’.” “It’s usually punished harshly. Stability trumps everything else.”
Another said: “Now that we are aligning with mainland China’s point of view by dealing with anyone who raises questions, no one will dare ask questions, and thus Hong Kong’s regime will have no problems.”
The arrests came after national security officials warned that they would crack down on anyone using the incident to incite “anti-China” sentiment.
Even before the arrests, authorities had begun to show extreme sensitivity to community reaction in Tai Po. Since the 2019 protests were suppressed, civic gatherings in Hong Kong have been strictly controlled or prevented. On Thursday and Friday the Guardian witnessed the rapid deployment of volunteer supporters using their skills on the scale of the protests, with hundreds of people using cars and public transport to bring clothes, food and other essential items to victims. The Guardian found no sign of political activism.
However, by the evening, armed police were patrolling the area, and government officials soon replaced volunteer organizers.
The petition on which Kwan was reportedly arrested was launched late on Friday night. Its “four demands” echoed the language of the protest movement’s “five demands” for democratic progress, but did not call for political change.
Quan told media on Friday that he was only “proposing very basic demands”.
He said, “If these ideas are considered treasonous or ‘crossing the line’, then I guess I can’t predict the consequences of anything, and I can only do what I truly believe in.”
Additional reporting by Lillian Yang and agencies
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