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…
The head of Hong Kong’s largest political party has urged authorities to respect the deep-rooted community ties of residents displaced by the deadly Tai Po inferno, amid growing concerns that the government might rule out the option of rebuilding on the original site. Gary Chan Hak-kan, chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and…
Hong Kong will tighten declaration-of-interest rules after discovering that a surveyor arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over a deadly fire had failed to disclose his role at the estate ravaged by the blaze to the Housing Department, for which he worked as a service provider, the Post has learned. The Housing Department’s move to strengthen…
When he sits down later this month to finalise the budget for the coming financial year, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po will have some positive news in his pocket to balance against the many calls for additional spending. As some of those new demands are likely to be expensive and compelling, he will need all…
Hong Kong police have informed some families who lost their loved ones in the tragic Tai Po fire that a full list of the 161 deceased will be made public, the Post has learned. Six weeks after Wang Fuk Court fire, Hong Kong’s deadliest in decades, two residents who lost family members told the Post…
Hong Kong’s newly elected lawmakers will discuss a government motion to strengthen support for Wang Fuk Court fire victims at their first chamber meeting next Wednesday, but will skip a regular question session for officials. The Legislative Council chamber meeting for legislators, who assumed their posts on January 1, will also debate a lawmaker’s motion…
A Hong Kong primary school opposite the scene of the deadly Tai Po fire is expected to take over another campus by the end of June, its principal has said, with pupils set to begin classes for the coming academic year at the new premises. Parents of pupils at Tai Po Baptist Public School told…
Hong Kong authorities estimate that acquiring all homes in the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court will cost around HK$6 billion (US$770 million), with officials saying that rebuilding on the same site was “not really very practical”. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun said on Saturday that the site was expected to be repurposed for community facilities…
Passing, tackling and scrums – all part of the sport of rugby. But in some Hong Kong schools, they take on a deeper meaning – helping to bridge divides between students of different backgrounds. Since 2013, the charity Rugby For Good has been introducing the game to school campuses, using sport as a tool to…
Anxiety over housing has hindered the psychological healing of residents affected by the deadly Tai Po fire, mental health professionals have said, as Hong Kong authorities begin polling flat owners on their preferences for long-term resettlement. The inferno that broke out on November 26 at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court claimed 161 lives, injured 79,…