A Hong Kong district councillor criticised for her links to the former owners’ committee of the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court has resigned from her advisory role for another housing estate in Tai Po, following the announcement of a petition. A notice from the incorporated owners of Plover Cove Garden, seen by the South China Morning…
Factoring Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po fire into a civil service pay review has dealt a blow to staff morale and risks creating perceptions of populism, unions have warned, saying a proposed 2 per cent across-the-board rise fails to offset inflation or reflect overall performance. Human resources experts, however, said public sentiment had to be…
Hong Kong’s Urban Renewal Authority will help owners of 40 housing estates undergoing maintenance work to hire temporary reviewers for their projects, after their original consultant came under investigation following the deadly Tai Po fire. The authority announced on Tuesday that it would launch tenders for the 40 estates that had previously engaged Will Power…
Inside a sparsely furnished 100 sq ft public housing flat in Hong Kong’s Hung Shui Kiu, a family of two lives with little more than a bunk bed, television stand, sofa and some donated clothes racks. This flat is the temporary home of 69-year-old resident surnamed Ho and her daughter. They were among the 5,000…
Contractors should take “all reasonable steps”, such as installing CCTV cameras and setting up temporary cigarette storage points, to comply with a coming smoking ban on construction sites, Hong Kong labour authorities have said. They should also ask individuals to stop using e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, even though they do not require lighting, the…
Uber is investigating a complaint involving three female passengers who said they felt threatened during an early morning ride home in Hong Kong, after the driver allegedly told vulgar jokes, deviated from the original route and locked the vehicle doors when asked to drop them off. The ride-hailing company said on Monday that it was…
Hong Kong simply has not developed the right mindset with respect to fire safety. Unless prompt, effective action is taken, we could be looking at more tragedies like the Wang Fuk Court disaster in Tai Po. The numbers are stark and overwhelming, yet the context from which they have been derived is even more frightening….
Hong Kong’s largest non-profit organisation, the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, will offer a HK$30,000 (US$3,827) relocation allowance to victims of the deadly Tai Po fire who agree to transfer ownership of their properties to the government, its chief executive has said, with the scheme expected to benefit about 1,000 households. Albert So Yau-on also…
The success of Wang Fuk Court residents’ attempt to seek compensation for losses arising from Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades will hinge significantly on the findings of the independent committee investigating the disaster as claimants must prove negligence was involved, experts have said. The experts’ comments came after some residents of the Tai Po…
Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department has given approval for 3,600 old low-rise residential buildings to install a new Internet of Things (IoT) smart fire alarm system as an alternative to traditional fire-safety equipment, following a successful pilot scheme in the first quarter of this year. The IoT-enabled system consists of detectors installed in individual flats…