From HKFP…
Thursday marked the first day of the public hearing into the blaze, which killed 168 people and displaced thousands living in the Tai Po residential complex. It was the city’s deadliest fire in nearly eight decades.
The inquiry is expected to disclose photos, videos, documents, testimonies, and previously undisclosed internal communication records among the contractors responsible for a major repair work at the estate.
Senior Counsel Victor Dawes, the lead lawyer for the independent committee, said in his opening statement that “human errors” had contributed to the huge life loss.
…A clip showing workers smoking on the rooftop of one Wang Fuk Court building on November 26 was played during the hearing, with Dawes pointing out that residents had long complained about the issue to contractors and authorities.
And from a subsequent report…
The independent committee tasked with investigating the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire heard on Thursday that the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) – the body that oversees government-subsidised housing in Hong Kong – had told Will Powers Architects about upcoming inspections at the housing estate, which had been undergoing major renovation since 2024.
Will Powers Architects, the consultant firm overseeing the renovation, then allegedly alerted Prestige Construction, the main contractor.
Executives from both firms were arrested on suspicion of corruption and manslaughter following the blaze that broke out on November 26. Authorities previously said they found non-fire-retardant netting at the Tai Po residential estate, which could have contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze.
Senior Counsel Victor Dawes, lead lawyer for the committee, called the ICU’s advance notices “deeply concerning.”
Where does ultimate responsibility lie? With sub-contracted construction workers breaking the rules by smoking? With the owners and managers of the company that won the renovation contract but failed to exercise oversight on smoking and flammable materials, or to listen to residents’ concerns? Or with the all-patriots executive-led government, to which residents complained, and which manages to (for example) closely monitor old folk making ‘seditious’ posts on Facebook? The answer must be: whichever of these three actors that has the most power.
A handful of sad eyed, uneducated, blue collar labourers will be thrown into prison for life and the HKCCPSAR government can wash their hands and exclaim proudly “Case CLOSED!”
If everyone in the chain of command gets a three-year jail sentence, and the responsible corporate entities are fined into bankruptcy, and every director is disqualified permanently from holding any directorships in the future, the likelihood of a repeat would shrink to almost zero.
Given the quality of justice in HK these days, I won’t hold my breath.
The inquiry is expected to disclose photos, videos, documents, testimonies, and previously undisclosed internal communication records among the contractors responsible for a major repair work at the estate.
But don’t expect anything incriminating the actor with the most power.
Where does ultimate responsibility lie?
The answer must be: whichever of these three actors that has the most power.
Who will carry the can?
The answer must be: whichever of these three actors that has the least power.