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…
The Filipino domestic worker who fought for her life to escape from Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades with her employer’s three-month-old baby is spending Christmas with her family back home after being treated for pneumonia. While 28-year-old Rhodora Alcaraz’s time in intensive care is long behind her, she is still recovering from pneumonia and…
Raphael Chan* entered Hong Kong’s construction sector in the mid-1990s convinced that quality building works could improve people’s lives. But he quit more than two decades later, disillusioned by what he called rampant corruption in the industry. The former senior project manager of a consultancy company said he had witnessed how syndicates, often led by…
Hong Kong’s home affairs minister has urged landlords against “fishing in troubled waters” by raising rents to pocket government subsidies meant to help displaced residents of the Tai Po fire. The appeal came days after the government announced it would provide affected homeowners of the Wang Fuk Court fire with an annual rental subsidy of…
Taiwanese mortuary reconstruction specialist Kuo Chang-chen wasted no time starting work to restore the bodies of Wang Fuk Court’s fire victims upon arriving in Hong Kong on Thursday. Kuo, 62, is leading a team of five other specialists from Taiwan who volunteered to assist in reconstructing the remains of the victims at the Kowloon Funeral…
The trust of late billionaire Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum has donated HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) to victims of the deadly Tai Po blaze, surpassing tycoon Li Ka-shing to become the second-largest single donor after the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Nina Wang Charity Management announced on Thursday that it would donate HK$100 million to support the…