Hong Kong leader John Lee apologises for fire that killed 168

Hong Kong's chief executive, John Lee, has apologised for government shortcomings that contributed to a fire which killed 168 people at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex last November, after an independent report identified "decades of failure" by official bodies.

Lee and seven other officials bowed in apology as the report was released on Thursday. The report said four government departments "should bear part of the responsibility" for the high death toll, and that one official, housing secretary Winnie Ho, has so far resigned.

What the report found

The judge-led review named private contractors as the "main culprits" of the fire, but also accused officials of "lax enforcement". It said that if the four departments had better recognised the risks and acted accordingly, there was a "real possibility" that misconduct by private-sector parties and fire hazards at the complex could have been rectified or removed before the blaze.

Lee said a three-month investigation into the government's own role would now begin. He said he was "deeply saddened" and wanted to apologise to affected residents and the public, adding that Ho should "bear political responsibility".

How families responded

Some bereaved relatives said the government's acceptance of accountability did not go far enough. Yip Ka-kui, who lost his wife and home in the fire, told reporters that all the secretaries of the departments named should step down, saying administrative responsibility was insufficient and political accountability even more so.

Phyllis Lo, whose mother died in the blaze, told AP that progress had been made but justice had yet to be served. She said the officials' apology was late, though better than nothing.

The fire and the charges

Last November, a small fire probably started by a cigarette grew into an inferno that enveloped seven of the eight towers of Wang Fuk Court, which was covered in bamboo scaffolding and netting for renovations. It was the world's deadliest fire in a residential building since 1980.

Authorities have filed charges, including manslaughter, against seven individuals and two companies over their roles, and at least 35 people have been arrested.

Reforms and criticism

Hong Kong's government has previously been accused by critics of being more concerned with clamping down on criticism than addressing the disaster's causes. Since Beijing imposed a national security law on the city in 2020, its once vibrant civil society groups and political opposition have been all but quashed. In the weeks after the fire, authorities warned against crimes that "exploit the tragedy" and reportedly arrested at least three people for sedition, while China's national security agency in Hong Kong summoned international media representatives over their coverage.

Lee promised that "similar incidents will never be allowed to happen again" and said authorities had proposed "systematic reforms", including criminalising bid-rigging and overhauling the complaints system. Some observers had called for a more legally powerful inquiry commission rather than the judge-led independent review committee.

The report concluded: "The fire has been put out, but the reform has only just begun."

Source: The Guardian World.