Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has apologised for last year's deadly Tai Po fire and promised sweeping reforms, while Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho resigned to take political responsibility. The developments were reported by the South China Morning Post and republished by The Star on October 31.
The apology
Lee and seven other top officials bowed their heads at the start of a press briefing, the first time his administration directly expressed regret since the blaze at Wang Fuk Court on November 26 last year. The fire killed 168 people and displaced 1,984 families. Lee said the tragedy had caused pain and sorrow to the affected families and to society, and he apologised on behalf of the government.
The independent report
The briefing took place on the same day the government released a 1,154-page report by a judge-led independent committee, published 11 months after the fire. The committee concluded that the disaster resulted from faults and deliberate misconduct by private sector players, as well as decades of failure by government bodies overseeing construction, building management and fire safety. It named four government departments as bearing part of the blame, with the Housing Bureau's Independent Checking Unit receiving the biggest share of responsibility. The report suggested that the tragedy could have been avoided.
Reforms announced
The government said it will pursue reforms in seven areas and revise six pieces of legislation, including giving the Competition Ordinance more power to criminalise bid-rigging in major building repair works. The Independent Checking Unit will be scrapped and replaced with a public housing control unit. A Public Service Commission team will also investigate 40 to 50 officers and interview about 100 civil servants over possible errors or misconduct.
Reaction
Beijing's liaison office praised the government's response, while Lee was repeatedly asked at the briefing whether the apology came too late and whether more officials, or he himself, should be held accountable.
