🔗 Share this article

Officials in the city have taken into custody 13 individuals on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with last week’s catastrophic blaze, amid growing criticism over the arrests of citizens calling for responsibility.

Search Continues as Death Toll Climbs

Emergency services continued to search through the seven towers of the Wang Fuk Court estate in Tai Po on Monday, days after the most fatal blaze in 75 years. The death toll reached 151 and is expected to rise further as the search goes on. Approximately forty people are still missing.

Construction Work Connected with Fire’s Cause

The estate, home to nearly five thousand people, had been in the midst of extensive renovations that have been linked to the origin of the blaze. In the aftermath, anger has escalated over alleged past safety violations by the construction company working at the site and lax enforcement of safety codes, fuelled by disclosures that occupants had been complaining about the work for a twelve months.

Arrests Include Company Directors

On Monday afternoon, authorities said anti-corruption authorities had arrested 13 people over the tragedy so far, including the directors and an technical advisor of a construction company, and had “immediately begun a thorough probe along the lines of involuntary manslaughter”.

Substandard Materials Uncovered

A top administrator stated that 7 of 20 tested specimens of the scaffolding net used around the buildings did not meet fire-retardant standards. Preliminary checks had found samples were up to code, but the spokesperson said the less expensive, noncompliant netting had been installed in areas hard to reach in order to avoid discovery, describing it as a “shameful act”.

“Their sole aim was to profit at the cost of people’s lives,” he said.

Civilians Detained Amid Calls for Answers

As accusations of safety violations grow, alongside revelations that government authorities had issued several apparently unenforced warnings, residents have questioned why no government figures have yet been held accountable. Instead, two members of the public were allegedly arrested by national security police.

A person, named as a local student, was arrested over an internet appeal that made “four requests” for guaranteed support for the affected families and responsibility for those at to blame, including any negligent or culpable government officials.

Reports said the individual was arrested for “inciting disaffection”. Police did not confirm the detention, saying only that they “will act according to the situation and in accordance with the law”.

Local media also reported the detention of a ex-local representative.

Government Statement on Arrests

Asked about the detentions, the secretary of security said there had been “inaccurate comments on the internet” that were aimed to undermine public security. “As a result, we must take appropriate measures, including police action,” the official told a media briefing. “Operational details cannot be revealed as they concern national security.”

Social Media Response and Comparisons Made

On local online platforms, people condemned the detention of citizens. “National security must be given precedence even if the victims are still buried in the building,” said one.

Some commenters drew comparisons to mainland China. “There, these crimes are termed ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’,” said one commenter. “They are typically punished with severe penalties. Stability trumps everything.”

A different user said: “Now that we are following mainland China’s methods, by dealing with the person who raises the question, nobody will dare to ask, and thus Hong Kong’s governance will have no issues.”

Increased Scrutiny and Community Response

The arrests followed advisories by security officials that they would crack down on anyone considered to be using the tragedy to incite “anti-China” sentiment.

Prior to the detentions, authorities had already begun showing heightened sensitivity to the community response. Since the quelling of earlier protests, civilian gatherings have been tightly controlled. In the days following the fire, community volunteers rapidly established aid operations, with many individuals employing vehicles and public transport to bring in mountains of clothes, food and other essentials for the victims.

However, by evening, armed police were monitoring the vicinity, and government officials eventually took over from the volunteer organisers.

The appeal over which the student was reportedly arrested was launched on Friday evening. Its “four points” echoed the terminology of past protest movements but did not advocate political change.

The student informed media that he was only “proposing very basic requests”.

“If these ideas are deemed seditious or ‘crossing the line’, then I believe I can’t predict the consequences of anything any more, and I can only do what I sincerely think is right,” he stated.