14 h. ago Hong Kong contractors rated poorly by homeowners face removal after Tai Po fire

Hong Kong authorities may remove building maintenance contractors from a government-recommended list if homeowners are dissatisfied with their performance, as part of measures to combat bid-rigging following the deadly Tai Po fire, the city’s No 2 official has said. Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok‑ki said on Saturday that the government aimed to improve the Urban Renewal Authority’s “Smart Tender” scheme by establishing a pre‑selected list of qualified contractors. The scheme provides support to...

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21 h. ago Tai Po fire relief fund to earn interest from fixed deposits: Hong Kong minister

The HK$4.4 billion (US$564 million) donated for Tai Po fire victims will grow gradually with interest earned from fixed deposits, the home affairs minister has told the Post, adding the money will also fund long-term resettlement. In an exclusive interview with the Post on Friday, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said the fund’s accountant, the Treasury, had put an “appropriate amount” of the unallocated donated money into fixed deposits. “Some say, ‘you are just leaving...

Politics

55 h. ago Pledges fall short of fixing Hong Kong building sector after deadly fire: experts

New measures to strengthen Hong Kong’s building maintenance regime after the deadly Tai Po fire only scratch the surface of long-standing issues that require deeper systemic reforms and tougher laws, according to experts and industry figures. The damning verdict came after the government’s pledges and proposals on Wednesday to close policy gaps and tackle entrenched problems laid bare by the blaze at Wang Fuk Court. At the first Legislative Council meeting of the year, officials unveiled a raft...

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3 d. ago Hong Kong’s John Lee to open new Legco’s first meeting with Tai Po fire on agenda

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. Hong Kong’s new Legislative Council will hold its first meeting on Wednesday, with lawmakers set to focus on follow-up actions after last year’s Tai Po fire that claimed at least 161 lives. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will address the new batch of 90 lawmakers, followed by a...

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3 d. ago Hong Kong’s John Lee tells Legco fire relief, accountability at top of agenda

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. Hong Kong’s new Legislative Council is holding its first meeting on Wednesday, with lawmakers set to focus on follow-up actions after last year’s Tai Po fire that claimed at least 161 lives. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu addressed the new batch of 90 lawmakers, highlighting government...

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4 d. ago Hong Kong government to replace Tai Po district officer Eunice Chan

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 planned “for a long period of time” after multiple internal complaints against Chan, who had served in the role for seven years. Those complaints were related to her abrasive...

Politics

4 d. ago Influential Curator Philip Tinari Leaves UCCA Beijing for Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun

Influential Curator Philip Tinari Leaves UCCA Beijing for Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun  Artforum

Politics

5 d. ago Singapore takes stock of lessons from Hong Kong’s Tai Po blaze

Singapore has begun reviewing early findings from the investigation into Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po high-rise blaze, with ministers signalling that lessons from the tragedy could feed into tighter rules on construction and maintenance works in the city state. Lawmakers said in parliament on Monday that observations made by Hong Kong authorities about the fire at Wang Fuk Court would be studied and, where relevant, incorporated into Singapore’s legislation and policy framework. The blaze, which...

Politics

5 d. ago Hong Kong’s Tai Kwun names Philip Tinari its new head of art

Tai Kwun has named Philip Tinari as its head of art, bringing one of mainland China’s most high-profile art personalities to the Hong Kong cultural institution. He replaces Pi Li, who will be leaving Tai Kwun next month to help launch a new art museum in Shenzhen. The American-born long-time Beijing resident will also take on the role of deputy director, working with Timothy Calnin, director of Tai Kwun Arts, across all artistic disciplines, including performing arts and heritage programmes at...

Politics

5 d. ago Hong Kong DAB chief urges respect for Tai Po fire survivors’ community ties

The head of Hong Kong’s largest political party has urged authorities to respect the deep-rooted community ties of residents displaced by the deadly Tai Po inferno, amid growing concerns that the government might rule out the option of rebuilding on the original site. Gary Chan Hak-kan, chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said on Monday that while Wang Fuk Court residents had different demands, the mainstream view was to move into new housing as...

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5 d. ago Hong Kong official softens stance on rebuilding homes at Tai Po fire site

Hong Kong’s deputy finance chief has softened his stance on resettlement options for people displaced by the deadly Tai Po fire, pledging to take residents’ wishes into account days after calling on-site redevelopment “not practical”. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun said on Monday that rehousing the residents of the blaze-hit Wang Fuk Court estate would be handled “with compassion, reason and in accordance with the law”. Wong, who chairs a government task force on emergency...

Politics

5 d. ago Hong Kong surveyor’s undeclared role prompts rule review after deadly Tai Po fire

Hong Kong will tighten declaration-of-interest rules after discovering that a surveyor arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over a deadly fire had failed to disclose his role at the estate ravaged by the blaze to the Housing Department, for which he worked as a service provider, the Post has learned. The Housing Department’s move to strengthen supervision followed the arrest of 68-year-old Steve Wong Chung-kee in connection with the fatal blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po last...

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6 d. ago 8 hurt as coach with mainland Chinese tourists hits KMB bus in Hong Kong

Eight people were injured when a coach filled with tourists from mainland China crashed into the back of a KMB double-decker bus in Hong Kong’s Wong Tai Sin neighbourhood. Both vehicles were travelling along Lung Cheung Road towards Kwun Tong at about 11.40am on Sunday when the KMB bus slowed down near Wong Tai Sin Square. The coach reportedly failed to brake in time and slammed into its rear. Three passengers on the KMB bus – a man and two women aged between 63 and 80 – and five on the tour...

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6 d. ago Hong Kong police to release list of 161 Tai Po fire victims, some families told

Hong Kong police have informed some families who lost their loved ones in the tragic Tai Po fire that a full list of the 161 deceased will be made public, the Post has learned. Six weeks after Wang Fuk Court fire, Hong Kong’s deadliest in decades, two residents who lost family members told the Post separately that officers contacted them by phone on Sunday to relay the plan. “The police called us and said they will release the list. They didn’t ask if we agree or not, or tell us when,” said one...

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6 d. ago Hong Kong ‘to release list of 161 fire victims’ as rehousing questions grow

Hong Kong police have informed some families who lost loved ones in the deadly Tai Po fire that the full list of the 161 victims will be made public, the Post has learned, prompting displaced residents to call for clarity on long-term rehousing arrangements amid conflicting information. Their appeal followed remarks by Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai‑lun a day earlier, who said in‑situ redevelopment was “not practical”, even though that option had been included in a government survey...

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7 d. ago Hong Kong housing estate flat owners drop contractor linked to deadly Tai Po blaze

Owners of a private housing estate in Tuen Mun have voted overwhelmingly to terminate their renovation contract with Prestige Construction and Engineering Company – the same contractor responsible for works at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court, in the aftermath of the deadly blaze. At a general meeting held on Friday night at Elegance Gardens, 96.45 per cent of 1,655 effective undivided shares held by flat owners voted to terminate the contract. Several owners who spoke to the Post said they no longer...

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7 d. ago Hong Kong housing estate flat owners drop contractor linked to Tai Po blaze

Owners of a private housing estate in Tuen Mun have voted overwhelmingly to terminate their renovation contract with Prestige Construction and Engineering Company, the same contractor responsible for works at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court, in the aftermath of the deadly blaze. At a general meeting held on Friday night at Elegance Gardens, 96.45 per cent of 1,655 effective undivided shares held by flat owners voted to terminate the contract. Several owners who spoke to the Post said they no longer...

Politics

7 d. ago Housing anxiety impeding Hong Kong fire trauma recovery: mental health experts

Anxiety over housing has hindered the psychological healing of residents affected by the deadly Tai Po fire, mental health professionals have said, as Hong Kong authorities begin polling flat owners on their preferences for long-term resettlement. The inferno that broke out on November 26 at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court claimed 161 lives, injured 79, and displaced almost 5,000 residents, most of whom are now living in hotels, youth hostels or transitional housing. The government said on Friday that...

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8 d. ago To root out corruption, Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire investigation must go beyond scapegoats

Alongside death and taxes, there are few things more universally certain than corruption in public procurement. That is a reality worth keeping front of mind in Hong Kong as we home in on those we want to blame for the tragic Wang Fuk Court fire that in November killed at least 161 people and left thousands homeless. The maintenance contracts may not have been public procurement contracts, but they were supposed to be strictly overseen by officials and subject to government regulations....

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1 week ago Tai Po public housing site ‘viable option’ for fire victims, Hong Kong councillors say

Hong Kong district councillors have proposed building residential blocks on a Tai Po site reserved for public housing to resettle residents displaced by last year’s deadly fire, with about 1,300 flats expected by 2030. Lo Hiu-fung, chairman of Tai Po district council’s newly set up working group on building management, also said he would convene the first meeting on Thursday to address maintenance and water leakage issues in other blocks in the area. In an interview with the Post on Wednesday,...

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