This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po blaze holds its 21st day of evidential hearings on Thursday, with three witnesses from the Urban Renewal Authority set to give evidence. The tragedy at…
Government surveyors failed to detect major fire risks at a housing complex destroyed in Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno in decades because they were following outdated guidelines that did not require in-person inspections of renovation works, a public inquiry has heard. The independent committee was told on Monday that illegal alterations to Wang Fuk Court’s emergency…
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadly Wang Fuk Court fire will scrutinise the roles of building and home affairs authorities on the 20th day of evidential hearings. Four witnesses from the Buildings Department…
A public inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades heard that authorities and representatives of Wang Fuk Court homeowners took no proactive steps against alleged vote rigging at the subsidised housing estate. Jason Kong Cheung-fat, a former management committee member of the owners’ corporation at Wang Fuk Court, said on Monday that the abuse…
An independent committee set up to investigate Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has named 14 members of Wang Fuk Court’s former owners’ corporation management group and seven residents as “involved parties” to give evidence at its hearings. The seven were among a list of 37 involved parties published on Tuesday by the committee ahead…
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Temperatures in Hong Kong fell to 12 degrees Celsius (54 Fahrenheit) on Sunday morning but the coming days are expected to be warmer, with the mercury projected to rise to 24 degrees on Friday,…
Since taking the helm of the owners’ corporation at her Hong Kong housing estate 12 years ago, Chan Wai-ling has received numerous reports of falling concrete, water leakage and other problems that should have been fixed during multimillion-dollar renovations a decade ago. “Whenever there is a typhoon, water leaks into our homes and damages the…
As a cold spell grips Hong Kong, scores of homeless residents are choosing to endure the chill rather than take refuge in government shelters, where they say it feels “like being imprisoned”. When the Post visited the 5.5-hectare Tung Chau Street Park in Sham Shui Po – one of the most popular spots for street…
Hong Kong authorities have replaced Tai Po district officer Eunice Chan Hau-man, who recently apologised for her choice of attire at the funeral of the firefighter who died in the catastrophic Wang Fuk Court fire. Two government sources told the Post on Tuesday that her removal was not triggered by the episode, but had been…
Owners of a private housing estate in Tuen Mun have voted overwhelmingly to terminate their renovation contract with Prestige Construction and Engineering Company – the same contractor responsible for works at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court, in the aftermath of the deadly blaze At a general meeting held on Friday night at Elegance Gardens, 96.45…