Survivors of Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po blaze have condemned what they called “insensitive and bureaucratic” arrangements for a government subsidy, with some saying they were blindsided by demands to provide proof of legal heirship in the wake of the blaze that tore through the estate and killed 168 people last year. The outcry over…
Hong Kong authorities are considering changing the proposed fine for smoking on a construction site to a fixed penalty of HK$3,000 (US$385) rather than a maximum of HK$150,000. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Tuesday that the initial plan was to amend the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, which only stipulates…
A secondary school in Hong Kong has apologised after a teacher was criticised for citing the deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze as an example to urge students to take a fire drill seriously. The MKMCF Ma Chan Duen Hey Memorial College in Tseung Kwan O on Tuesday said it was aware of the incident that…
Around 85 per cent of insurance claims for damages caused by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades have been settled, with the amount paid out totalling almost HK$510 million (US$65.3 million). The city’s Insurance Authority said on Tuesday that insurers had settled 1,032 claims related to the Tai Po fire that broke out last November,…
The new generation of Hong Kong police officers will need “iron bones” in the face of unrelenting “oppression by hostile foreign forces”, the security minister has said. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung, speaking at the force’s passing-out parade on Saturday, was also moved to tears when he recalled the force’s efforts to recover the…
Hong Kong’s competition watchdog has cracked down on a new syndicate suspected of bid-rigging in tenders for building maintenance projects across 17 estates and buildings, with the total value of contracts hitting HK$700 million (US$89.7 million). The two-day operation is the first major enforcement action led by the Competition Commission following the deadly Tai Po…
Hong Kong authorities will launch a pilot scheme to test firefighting drones, with the aim of deploying the equipment in operations once the technology has matured, the security minister has said. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung made the remarks on Wednesday while answering lawmakers’ questions on fire safety in the Legislative Council, following the…
On a sunny Saturday, 25 employees from the Hong Kong law firm Deacons spent the morning working side by side with 18 elderly volunteers, weeding, tilling the soil, and transplanting seedlings, while sharing laughter and lessons on organic farming and healthy eating. The event on January 24 took place on the rooftop of Metroplaza in…
Abby Choi Tin-fung’s ex-husband, his brother and father will stand trial for her alleged killing in September, three years after the death of the Hong Kong model. In a closed-door hearing on Tuesday, Alex Kwong Kong-chi, his elder brother Anthony Kwong Kong-kit and their father Kwong Kau appeared before Deputy High Court Judge Brian Keith…
The Hong Kong government is analysing feedback from 90 per cent of property owners affected by the devastating Tai Po fire, with the city leader stressing that “every option” is being considered amid some residents’ demands for in situ redevelopment. Two months after the fire that claimed 167 lives, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on…