Homeowners of the only block undamaged in the deadly Wang Fuk Court inferno who decline the government’s buy-back offer will face significant challenges in the management and maintenance of their properties in the long run, Hong Kong authorities have warned. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun said on Wednesday that while the government respected homeowners’…
Nearly 80 per cent of homeowners of the only block spared in the deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze in Hong Kong have expressed an initial willingness to sell their flats to the government, exceeding the three-quarters threshold set by authorities to extend a resettlement plan to them. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun said on…
Some Hong Kong residents displaced by the deadly Tai Po fire remain in limbo as they complained of rude or unhelpful officers on a government outreach team who failed to answer their questions about authorities’ long-term resettlement plan. The 100-strong engagement team, which started operations on March 2 along with an inquiry hotline, was tasked…
The family of deceased firefighter Ho Wai-ho, who died while battling Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in November, will receive HK$6.15 million (US$831,246) in financial assistance in recognition of his courage and selflessness. The government on Friday announced a grant approved by the body responsible for providing financial support to families of individuals who died while…
Hong Kong authorities have said that residents of fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court will be allowed to return to their flats to collect personal belongings by late April – nearly five months after the city’s deadliest inferno in decades killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000 at the Tai Po estate. The announcement came a day…
Some homeowners displaced by the deadly Tai Po blaze were disappointed by Hong Kong authorities’ decision to buy back their flats instead of resettling them at the original site, even as the acquisition offer was described by surveyors as “generous”. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun unveiled the long-term resettlement plan on Saturday, offering options…
Hong Kong authorities should step up support for elderly at risk of suicide across all social classes, analysts have said, after a 73-year-old woman was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of murdering her husband in a hotel before taking sleeping pills and losing consciousness. They added that officials should broaden efforts to educate frontline workers…
Hong Kong authorities have identified 1,600 at-risk elderly households in public housing, but analysts have said the figure fails to reflect the scale of this group of vulnerable residents and urged the government to speed up search efforts. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Saturday that authorities had identified high-risk cases…
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…
More than 1,700 households affected by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades have received an emergency cash handout of HK$10,000 (US$1,284), an official has confirmed, as the city works to ease mortgage burdens on impacted homeowners. Authorities earlier announced a series of relief funds for residents affected by last Wednesday’s massive Wang Fuk Court inferno,…