Government social workers supporting survivors of Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po fire are struggling to manage their “indefinite” duties, with poor communication about new initiatives compounding the stress of their already heavy caseloads. Several social workers, including a union leader, told the South China Morning Post that they needed clarity from authorities on their roles…
Hong Kong’s police chief has said that national security remains a priority despite the city’s overall stabilising social situation, citing absconders and foreign forces among lingering threats. Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said on Wednesday the force would continue to ramp up intelligence gathering and enhance national security education among officers and the public,…
A significant portion of flat owners at the fire-ravaged Tai Po estate are inclined to sell their properties to the government as part of a long-term rehousing plan, Hong Kong’s leader has said. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday also pointed out several key challenges in resettling thousands of residents displaced by the inferno…
Scam cases in Hong Kong fell by 2.9 per cent last year over the figure for 2024 after rising annually since 2019, while overall recorded crimes decreased by 5.9 per cent, according to police. In revealing the annual figures on Tuesday, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming also told lawmakers that fewer traditional street crimes…
Hong Kong lawmakers have called for greater scrutiny of flat owners’ proxies attending meetings on building management affairs in response to the government’s proposed legal amendments to combat bid-rigging following the deadly Tai Po blaze last year. During a Legislative Council panel meeting on Monday, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said…
To err is human. But when an error funnels through a system that has safeguards, the error is supposed to be caught and rectified. Checks and balances are written into the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini constitution. Hong Kong has an executive-led system, which means it is the executive branch’s job to formulate and implement…
Hong Kong authorities have pledged to reserve nearly a fifth of the city’s 21,000 transitional homes for tenants displaced by a new law regulating subdivided flats, with the housing chief downplaying concerns about a potential wave of evictions under the policy. Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin offered the assurance on Sunday after more than…
The provisional administrator of the housing estate ravaged by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades will attend hearings of the independent committee “as necessary” to represent the “common interests” of the owners’ corporation, the city’s home affairs chief has said amid criticisms that displaced residents lack legal representation in the probe. Secretary for Home and…
Some residents of Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court have urged an independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades to identify and hold those responsible to account, as the judge leading the inquiry vows a fair and thorough probe. The committee’s first hearing began at 10am on Thursday with a minute of silence to…
The head of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong has urged the city to be a “reformer who braves challenges” rather than a “complacent idler”, expressing expectations that the executive-led governance model will be strengthened. Office director Zhou Ji made the remarks on Wednesday at a reception to celebrate the coming Lunar New Year, also…