🔗 Share this article

Officials in the city have detained thirteen individuals on suspected charges of manslaughter in connection with last week’s devastating fire, amid growing criticism over the detentions of citizens calling for accountability.

Search Continues as Fatalities Rises

Emergency services persisted in combing through the seven towers of the Wang Fuk Court estate in the Tai Po district on Monday, days after the city’s deadliest fire in seven and a half decades. The death toll rose to 151 and is anticipated to climb further as the search continues. About forty people are still missing.

Construction Work Connected with Cause of Blaze

The housing complex, home to almost five thousand people, had been undergoing major refurbishment that have been linked to the origin of the blaze. In the wake of the tragedy, public fury has grown over alleged previous safety breaches by the contractor working at the location and lax enforcement of standards, spurred on by disclosures that occupants had been voicing concerns over the renovations for a year.

Arrests Include Corporate Executives

On Monday afternoon, authorities said anti-corruption authorities had arrested thirteen people over the disaster so far, including the executives and an technical advisor of a construction company, and had “promptly initiated a thorough probe along the lines of involuntary manslaughter”.

Substandard Materials Uncovered

A top administrator stated that seven of twenty tested samples of the scaffolding net used around the buildings did not meet fire-retardant standards. Preliminary checks had found materials were compliant, but the spokesperson said the cheaper, substandard netting had been installed in areas difficult to access in order to avoid discovery, labeling it a “shameful act”.

“They just wanted to profit at the expense of people’s lives,” the official stated.

Civilians Arrested Amid Demands for Answers

As allegations of safety lapses grow, alongside revelations that government authorities had issued multiple apparently unenforced warnings, residents have questioned why no government figures have yet faced consequences. Instead, two civilians were reportedly taken into custody by national security police.

One individual, named as a local student, was detained over an internet appeal that made “four requests” for guaranteed support for the affected families and accountability for those at fault, including any corrupt or responsible government officials.

Local media said the student was arrested for “seditious intention”. Police did not confirm the arrest, saying only that they “will act according to actual circumstances and in compliance with the law”.

Local media also covered the arrest of a ex-local representative.

Official Response on Arrests

Asked about the arrests, the secretary of security said there had been “inaccurate comments online” that were intended to threaten public security. “Therefore, we must take necessary steps, including law enforcement measures,” the official told a media briefing. “Specifics of the operation cannot be revealed as they concern national security.”

Public Reaction and Comparisons Made

On local online platforms, people condemned the detention of citizens. “State security must be given precedence even if the victims are still trapped in the structure,” said a comment.

Several users drew comparisons to mainland China. “The mainland, such acts are called ‘creating disturbances’,” said a user. “They are typically punished with heavy sentences. Stability overrides everything.”

Another said: “Now that we are aligning with the mainland’s methods, by targeting the individual who asks questions, nobody will dare to ask, and therefore Hong Kong’s governance will have no problems.”

Heightened Sensitivity and Volunteer Efforts

The detentions followed warnings by national security authorities that they would take action against anyone considered to be using the tragedy to incite “hostile” feelings.

Prior to the detentions, officials had already begun showing increased vigilance to the community response. Following the quelling of earlier protests, civilian gatherings have been strictly regulated. In the immediate aftermath, volunteer supporters quickly organized aid operations, with many individuals using cars and transit to bring in mountains of clothes, food and other necessities for the victims.

Nevertheless, by nightfall, officers were monitoring the vicinity, and government officials eventually took over from the volunteer organisers.

The petition over which the student was allegedly detained was initiated late on Friday. Its “four points” mirrored the language of previous protest movements but did not call for systemic reform.

The student told media that he was only “putting forward fundamental demands”.

“If these ideas are deemed subversive or ‘transgressive’, then I feel I cannot foresee the outcomes of anything any more, and I can only do what I truly believe is correct,” he stated.