Hong Kong’s governor announced Tuesday the creation of a judge-led “independent committee” to probe the deadly fire at an apartment complex that killed 151 people last week.
The city’s worst fire in decades, according to authorities, spread swiftly due to netting on external scaffolding that did not meet fire-resistance requirements and did not prevent flames from spreading.
“I will establish an independent committee to conduct comprehensive and in-depth review to reform the building work system and prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future,” the city’s leader John Lee told a news conference in English, adding that the committee would be led by a judge.
Hong Kong has a legal system for establishing “commissions of inquiry,” which were formerly headed by judges to carry out intricate fact-finding tasks. This practice dates back to British colonial administration.
On Tuesday, Lee used the phrase “independent committee” instead.
Lee told AFP that officials had discovered multiple faults, and that revisions will be needed in safety, oversight, building and maintenance standards.
“We must act seriously to ensure that all these loopholes are plugged so that those who are responsible will be accountable. The shortcomings will be addressed. The bottlenecks will be addressed,” he said.
“We will reform the whole building renovation system to ensure that such things will not happen again.”
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog and police, running a joint investigation, have arrested a total of 14 people, 13 of them on suspicion of manslaughter over the blaze.
“The responsible culprits tried to mix up substandard net with qualified nets so as to cheat inspection and law enforcement agencies,” Lee said, calling the suspects “evil”.
There has been a huge outpouring of sadness and calls for accountability around the city, but local media claimed that several people who were demanding answers had been arrested.
Police allegedly detained 24-year-old student Miles Kwan for “seditious intent” after he distributed fliers calling for government accountability.
In less than a day, over 10,000 people signed an online petition that contained Kwan’s four demands, including calls for an independent investigation, before its contents were deleted.
Two other people, including former district councillor Kenneth Cheung, were also brought in by police, according to local media sources.
Asked about the arrests, Lee told AFP that “I will not tolerate any crimes, particularly crimes that exploit the tragedy that we have been facing now”.
The world’s deadliest residential building fire since 1980 broke out on Wednesday at the high-rises of Wang Fuk Court in the city’s northern Tai Po district.
Police completed searches in five of the seven affected towers on Monday, finding the remains of victims in apartments, hallways and stairs.
Some families of victims returned to Wang Fuk Court on Monday to begin traditional funeral rites, which are expected to continue.
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