The head of Hong Kong’s largest political party has urged authorities to respect the deep-rooted community ties of residents displaced by the deadly Tai Po inferno, amid growing concerns that the government might rule out the option of rebuilding on the original site.
Gary Chan Hak-kan, chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said on Monday that while Wang Fuk Court residents had different demands, the mainstream view was to move into new housing as quickly as possible.
“I personally feel that certain views must be respected – for instance, those who want to maintain community ties or have an emotional attachment to that place. These are the victims’ genuine thoughts,” Chan said on a radio programme.
“But if the government were to rule out the original site entirely, they shouldn’t have included it as an option in the survey.”
His comments followed remarks made by the Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun on Saturday that on-site reconstruction was “not really very practical”.
Wong suggested repurposing the site for community facilities instead of housing, citing overseas examples where the locations of similar tragedies were rarely redeveloped for residential use.
