{"text":[[{"start":9.2,"text":"Hong Kong’s leader John Lee has apologised for a devastating fire that killed 168 people last year, the worst in the territory in decades, and promised a slew of reforms."}],[{"start":20.08,"text":"“As chief executive and head of the government, I feel deep sorrow,” Lee said on Thursday at a press conference after a government review of a scathing independent report into the fire. “On behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, I express my apologies to the victims and society at large.”"}],[{"start":39,"text":"Housing secretary Winnie Ho resigned, Lee said, adding that while Ho was not personally responsible for the tragedy, the department should shoulder political responsibility."}],[{"start":48.6,"text":"Lee said that the report had identified “shortcomings and deficiencies” in the fire services, buildings and labour departments and the Independent Checking Unit, which falls under the purview of the housing bureau."}],[{"start":60.02,"text":"The fire at the Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po in November 2025 was the city’s worst residential blaze in decades, tearing through seven out of the eight towers in the complex and leaving thousands homeless."}],[{"start":72.52,"text":"The authorities’ response to the disaster has been closely watched for signs of how the government will enforce political accountability after cracking down on dissent and overhauling the legislative system in response to citywide pro-democracy protests in 2019."}],[{"start":87.84,"text":"The police and the ICAC, the city’s anti-corruption body, charged seven people and two companies in June with a range of offences. Some were charged with manslaughter."}],[{"start":98.2,"text":"Last month, the building department and the labour department initiated prosecutions on nearly 300 charges against individuals and companies involved in renovation work that was under way at Wang Fuk Court at the time of the fire."}],[{"start":111,"text":"Following the blaze, the government also commissioned an independent committee to investigate the causes of the fire and consider ways to prevent similar tragedies in the future."}],[{"start":119.96,"text":"In July, the committee’s lawyers submitted a highly critical closing argument that accused various government departments of “systemic failures” while laying the brunt of the blame on “unscrupulous” contractors overseeing the renovations."}],[{"start":133.72,"text":"Authorities have blamed protective netting surrounding the buildings, which they said did not meet fire safety standards, as well as flammable polystyrene boards, for accelerating the fire’s spread."}],[{"start":143.32,"text":"Those arguments, as well as submissions on behalf of the various government departments, a group of residents and victims’ families and other stakeholders, were reviewed by Mr Justice David Lok, the judge chairing the committee."}],[{"start":155.64,"text":"On Wednesday, Lee said that Hong Kong would form a new task force to crack down on “bid-rigging”, the process by which contractors allegedly conspire to manipulate the awarding of tenders for government-mandated renovations to residential blocks. The process was a focus of the committee’s investigation."}],[{"start":173,"text":"He added that the committee had submitted its final report to the government on October 22. It was posted online for public view on Wednesday."}],[{"start":184.2,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1793265033_1560.mp3"}