Hong Kong authorities will spend about HK$6.8 billion (US$870 million) to buy back homes damaged in the deadly Tai Po fire from flat owners, offering HK$8,000 to HK$10,500 per square foot as part of a long-term resettlement plan involving HK$4 billion in public funds. Deputy financial secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun unveiled the plan on Saturday,…
Hong Kong’s annual fundraiser, Operation Santa Claus (OSC), has wrapped up its campaign this year, raising more than HK$19 million (US$2.4 million) for charitable projects and victims of the Tai Po fire – nearly double its target. The campaign, launched on November 4, had aimed to raise at least HK$11 million for 13 charitable projects….
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,…
Any potential Hong Kong cabinet reshuffle will take place only after the investigation into the deadly Tai Po blaze wraps up, sources have told the Post, following a media report suggesting two ministers were set to step down. A government spokesman on Thursday did not deny the report suggesting that Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho…
Members of Hong Kong’s Housing Authority have urged the government to clarify how a proposal to resettle residents displaced by the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po at a site designated for public rental flats will not impact the thousands currently on the waiting list. They made the call on Monday during a…
Hong Kong’s new Legislative Council held its first meeting on Wednesday, with lawmakers focusing on follow-up work after last November’s deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, which claimed the lives of 161 people and displaced nearly 5,000 residents. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and government officials outlined priorities including rehousing the displaced…
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…
Hong Kong’s new Legislative Council president has formed a group of lawmakers to act as coordinators in a bid to make the body more efficient and effective. The 12-member group will have fellow lawmakers Ronick Chan Chun-ying, who represents the finance sector, and Stanley Ng Chau-pei of the Federation of Trade Unions as its “chief…
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…
Six labour unions with Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department have denounced banker turned film producer Checkley Sin Kwok-lam for comments about its chief’s handling of the Tai Po fire. The unions banded together on Thursday to slam Sin’s comments about the department’s strategies for battling the city’s deadliest fire in decades. The blaze raged for…