Hong Kong’s home affairs minister has urged landlords against “fishing in troubled waters” by raising rents to pocket government subsidies meant to help displaced residents of the Tai Po fire. The appeal came days after the government announced it would provide affected homeowners of the Wang Fuk Court fire with an annual rental subsidy of…
Hong Kong authorities took market rates into account before setting a two-year annual subsidy of HK$150,000 (US$19,278) for flat owners displaced by the Tai Po fire, the city’s home affairs minister has said, amid calls for the government to monitor whether the new measure will further drive up rents in the area. Under the new…
Taiwanese mortuary reconstruction specialist Kuo Chang-chen wasted no time starting work to restore the bodies of Wang Fuk Court’s fire victims upon arriving in Hong Kong on Thursday. Kuo, 62, is leading a team of five other specialists from Taiwan who volunteered to assist in reconstructing the remains of the victims at the Kowloon Funeral…
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog has arrested the current and former chairmen of the Wang Fuk Court owners’ corporation as part of an investigation into renovation works linked to the city’s deadliest fire in decades, the Post has learned. The owners’ corporation has come under heavy scrutiny after the contractors it chose were found to have…
Hong Kong authorities have expressed confidence in swiftly identifying a location in Tai Po to build subsidised flats as part of resettlement options being reviewed for victims left homeless by the deadly inferno last month. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun on Saturday outlined several options to resettle displaced residents in Wang Fuk Court, while…
Hong Kong contractors will be required to provide proof that the scaffolding mesh they use is fire-retardant while samples will also be tested in designated laboratories after arriving in the city under a series of measures rolled out by the government in the wake of the deadly fire in Tai Po. Secretary for Development Bernadette…
Flat owners affected by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades will each receive HK$100,000 (US$12,850) from authorities, a senior government official has said, while announcing that funds raised for survivors have reached HK$3.4 billion. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said on Wednesday that many owners had lost rental income when seven out of the…
The Hong Kong Insurance Authority has directed insurers to move quickly to assist victims of the Tai Po fire by directly contacting policyholders to help them claim compensation for about 12,000 insurance policies, according to CEO Clement Cheung Wan-ching. Cheung on Monday updated the figures on insurance policies affected by the 43-hour blaze that started…
Hong Kong authorities have doubled the living allowance from HK$50,000 (US$6,410) to HK$100,000 for each household at inferno-ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, while assuring affected residents that a long-term solution on housing settlement will be found for them. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen revealed more support measures on Thursday…
More than 140 private doctors in Hong Kong have signed up to offer free basic healthcare for survivors of last week’s deadly blaze that tore through seven of eight blocks in a housing complex in Tai Po. The government said on Thursday that the scheme spanned doctors across 170 locations, including four private hospitals. The…