Hong Kong Fire Death Toll Rises to 156 — John Lee Challenged: Why Don’t You Step Down?

The devastating fire in Hong Kong has claimed 156 lives.

[People News] Although the massive fire at Hong Kong’s Tai Po Hung Fuk Court has been extinguished, the hearts of bereaved families—and indeed all Hongkongers—surely harbor a long-lasting wound that will be difficult to heal. Seeking accountability and justice for the victims is an outlet for easing people’s emotional trauma. But after the public began calling for accountability, what followed instead was official suppression and arrests.

The director of the Hong Kong Police Casualties Enquiry Centre, Tsang Suk-yin, stated that as of December 2, the death toll had risen to 156. Another 29 bodies were awaiting identification, and around 30 people remained missing, so the number of deaths is expected to continue rising.

Police said that as of December 1, fifteen people had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, including personnel from the main contractor, the engineering consultancy, and subcontractors responsible for scaffolding and exterior wall repairs. The scaffolding net is a very important piece of evidence; police will dismantle it, and the evidence-collection process is estimated to take three weeks.

The cause of this catastrophic fire is suspected to be construction workers smoking on site, accidentally igniting the scaffolding net and triggering the tragedy.

Regarding the role of the scaffolding net in the fire, the Hong Kong government changed its story twice in just a few days after the incident. Late on the first night of the fire, Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang stated that the net burned much faster than typical fire-resistant materials. On the third day, after the fire was almost extinguished, he changed his statement again, saying that preliminary tests showed the net “met flame-retardant requirements.” On December 1, Hong Kong Chief Secretary Eric Chan announced that among the 20 net samples taken, seven failed to meet flame-retardant testing standards. Chris Tang also acknowledged this finding.

After the Hung Fuk Court fire, public attention turned toward whether scaffolding nets used in other repair projects were safe. Multiple buildings posted scaffolding net testing reports. Among them, the reports posted by Cheung Sha Wan Yee Kuk Court and Chai Wan Fung Wah Estate listed the testing institution as the “National Personal Protective Equipment Quality Supervision and Inspection Center (Beijing).”

The Beijing testing center involved is a state-level inspection agency. Staff members told the media that the institution had been renamed in 2019, removing the word “supervision,” and is now called the “National Personal Protective Equipment Quality Inspection and Testing Center (Beijing).” They further stated that “any report issued after 2019 that still contains the word ‘supervision’ is fake.”

If these testing reports involve forgery, then the scaffolding nets used in other renovation projects may also be flammable. The details of this potential wrongdoing have yet to be uncovered.

While the truth about the fire remains unclear and the public is still steeped in grief, the Hong Kong government has aligned itself with Beijing. Hong Kong police and the National Security Department have begun making arrests over two consecutive days under the accusation of “using the disaster to cause chaos in Hong Kong,” claiming violations of the National Security Law.

According to TVB News, on November 30, former Hong Kong lawmaker Cheng Kim-hung and a female volunteer who helped distribute supplies were arrested by the National Security Department. Their alleged crime was “using the fire to incite hatred toward the government.” Cheng Kim-hung had volunteered in Tai Po many times.

The day before, Hong Kong police arrested the initiator of the “Hung Fuk Court Fire Concern Group” petition, 24-year-old university student Kwan Ching-fung, who was detained for提出“四大诉求”要求問責 (putting forward the “four major demands,” which included demands for accountability).

The so-called “four major demands” included: supporting affected residents and ensuring proper resettlement; establishing an independent investigative commission to thoroughly investigate potential corruption; reassessing the regulatory system for construction projects; and fully pursuing responsibility for regulatory negligence, including holding government officials accountable. Among these demands, “an independent investigative commission” and “holding officials accountable” echoed the 2019 anti–extradition movement, triggering heightened alert from Beijing and the Hong Kong government.

In addition to the arrests, the Office for Safeguarding National Security issued a statement saying it would severely punish “anti-China, disrupt-Hong-Kong” elements. Kang Jun-rong, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in South Korea, noted that under the Hong Kong National Security Law, demonstrations, assemblies, and related acts can be classified as subversive or seditious behavior, carrying penalties of up to 30 years in prison.

On December 2, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee announced at a press conference that an “independent committee” chaired by a judge would be established to investigate the cause of the fire and why it spread so rapidly. Compared to his previous statements, although John Lee thanked firefighters first this time, he still did not forget to thank Xi Jinping and Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office.

An AFP reporter on site questioned John Lee, asking why he still deserved to remain as Chief Executive after such a catastrophic tragedy.

John Lee did not answer the question directly. He responded forcefully in English, saying reforms would be carried out. He stated that deficiencies in the system must be rectified. As for the Legislative Council election, he said it would proceed as scheduled on December 7.

Judging from John Lee’s attitude, this Hong Kong fire will not harm him in the slightest. Because he is a Chief Executive handpicked by Xi Jinping rather than elected by the people of Hong Kong, he does not need to be accountable to Hongkongers. Moreover, for Xi Jinping to remove him would be equivalent to humiliating himself. Therefore, as long as John Lee continues to demonstrate loyalty to Xi Jinping and use the National Security Law to suppress dissent in accordance with Beijing’s instructions, his position will remain secure.

(People News original publication)

△