A year after devastating fire, Hong Kong struggles to make amends

{"text":[[{"start":7.92,"text":"One year after her apartment was destroyed in Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades, Chloe Tsui is still struggling to put her life back together."}],[{"start":15.92,"text":"While she and her family were lucky not to be there as the blaze raged, 168 people died in the inferno at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po and nearly 2,000 families lost their homes. A year-long investigation has now resulted in a damning independent report, a minister’s resignation and promises of major reforms."}],[{"start":35.92,"text":"The fire has posed the biggest challenge for Hong Kong authorities in years and a test of legitimacy after a sweeping crackdown that crushed dissent and transformed the territory’s political system in the wake of pro-democracy protests in 2019."}],[{"start":49.96,"text":"The city’s leader John Lee, flanked by senior officials, expressed “deep sorrow” last week as the government released the 1,154-page report. He also announced investigations into four departments, promising to hold those responsible for the tragedy to account."}],[{"start":65.96,"text":"“It was very refreshing to hear the chief executive talk about political accountability . . . because no official has talked about this since 2018,” said John Burns, an emeritus professor at the University of Hong Kong."}],[{"start":78.84,"text":"“Of course the Tai Po fire is in a class of its own and, given how appalling it was, this is something that they could not ignore.”"}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":85.92,"text":"But some, such as Tsui, say senior leaders took too long to apologise and complain that no other government ministers or officials have faced censure or more serious repercussions."}],[{"start":95.84,"text":"“They only gave a verbal apology and one so-called resignation,” said Tsui, a 46-year-old clerk. She noted that Winnie Ho, the 62-year-old housing secretary who stepped down last week, was close to retirement age for public officials. “How can this possibly convince the public?”"}],[{"start":113.84,"text":"Local media, which has been subject to heavy crackdowns, has been vociferous in demanding answers from politicians."}],[{"start":120.6,"text":"Ming Pao, a leading Chinese-language outlet, opined that “the fact that only one bureau chief resigned raises questions about the adequacy of accountability . . . Furthermore, the government’s apology, coming almost a year after the fire, is seen by some as too late.”"}],[{"start":136.48,"text":"At a press conference on Friday, at least four of the seven questions permitted addressed whether ministers would resign. “How can you really look at yourself in the mirror?” one asked."}],[{"start":146.82,"text":"In mainland China, government officials and party secretaries are often swiftly removed following high casualty disasters in a form of public accountability. But such events rarely offer the transparency of Hong Kong’s public inquiry."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":160.98,"text":"The report drew on 30 days of public hearings that included painful first-hand testimony, with one resident describing speaking on the phone to people trapped inside who were screaming for help before they perished. The final report was only lightly redacted to avoid prejudicing legal proceedings."}],[{"start":178.68,"text":"It said the fire was probably caused by a smouldering cigarette that ignited paper in a lightwell, before catching flammable netting surrounding the buildings and polystyrene boards, which accelerated the blaze and helped it spread across seven of the eight towers in the complex."}],[{"start":193.76,"text":"It laid the bulk of the blame with private sector companies and individuals involved in renovation and maintenance works, saying they used materials that fell short of fire safety standards, deceived regulators and cut power to fire alarms, including on the day of the blaze."}],[{"start":208.92,"text":"The report made a total of 120 recommendations for reforming building works regulations and emergency response systems. The government has also said it will investigate departments overseeing housing inspections, buildings, fire safety and labour as well as about 40-50 civil servants."}],[{"start":226.04,"text":"Authorities in June charged seven people and two companies with a range of offences, including some for manslaughter. In September, the building and labour departments initiated prosecutions on nearly 300 charges against individuals and companies involved in the renovations."}],[{"start":241.92,"text":"Last week, officials also said they would criminalise “bid-rigging”, the process by which contractors allegedly collude to fix the outcome of tenders for government-mandated renovation projects, and establish a task force to crack down on the practice. Some of the individuals singled out in the report denied bid-rigging and corruption as part of the enquiry."}],[{"start":260.98,"text":"The government also banned smoking at building sites and updated standards for building netting."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":265.56,"text":"But security secretary Chris Tang on Sunday said that it would be difficult to ensure that lists of authorised contractors were “100 per cent free” of “bad elements”."}],[{"start":275.88,"text":"Hong Kong’s process has been faster than that in the UK following the 2017 Grenfell disaster, in which 72 people were killed. A final report into that incident was only published in 2024, and nearly a decade on, no charges have been brought, though the process is ongoing."}],[{"start":294.2,"text":"The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, China’s top body overseeing the city, has urged Hongkongers to look to the future. “After the storm comes the rainbow,” it said in a statement last week, adding that residents should seize the opportunity to “build our common home of Hong Kong into an even better place”."}],[{"start":311.8,"text":"Sonny Lo, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, said civil servants could still be prosecuted, while Lee, who is expected to seek reappointment for a second term as the city’s leader next year, could reshuffle senior ministers after his annual visit to Beijing in the coming months."}],[{"start":327.6,"text":"But ultimately, it is unclear if these measures will satisfy a grieving public that can no longer express frustration with the government via meaningful elections or organised protests."}],[{"start":337.88,"text":"“I think that public cynicism and unhappiness may be a new political culture of Hong Kong people,” said Lo."}],[{"start":344.44,"text":"Meanwhile Tsui, the former resident, has been living in a subdivided unit with a shared kitchen that was arranged by a local NGO. The government is in the process of buying out Wang Fuk apartment owners, who can opt to find new housing themselves or purchase subsidised units reserved for victims."}],[{"start":361.8,"text":"“For those who lost their family members, they are very sad,” said Tsui. “Their problems have not been solved at all.”"}],[{"start":374.28,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1793782022_3988.mp3"}