Senior civil servants are among scores of witnesses to be cross-examined by an independent committee set up to probe the cause of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades in a string of open hearings expected to take around two months, the South China Morning Post has learned.
The committee tasked to investigate the fire, which claimed 168 lives in the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po, will hold its first meeting on Thursday morning at the City Gallery in Central to discuss arrangements for subsequent hearings and lay down the road map of the probe.
Wang Fuk Court residents who scrambled to secure tickets for the 400 seats reserved for the public said on Wednesday they hoped the investigation would identify the parties responsible for the fire and hold them accountable.
An insider said the hearings would start in mid-March and were expected to run until May, with most of the sessions open to the public.
“Given the public interest, the public should be able to follow what’s going on,” the insider said.
It was anticipated that representatives of various government departments would be among the witnesses invited to give their testimonies – and be cross-examined – by lawyers for the committee.
But the source said they were likely to be senior civil servants at the departmental level rather than ministers or permanent secretaries of the bureaus, explaining they needed someone who had “personal knowledge” of the matter.
“If some departments are found not to have done their best, the committee would offer recommendations – but the political consequence is determined not by it, but by the government,” the source said.
Representatives of the Urban Renewal Authority and Wang Fuk Court’s property management company, ISS EastPoint, are also expected to give their testimonies at the hearings.
However, Hop On Management, the firm appointed as the administrator of the estate’s owners’ corporation, is only expected to observe the meetings, having been engaged after the fire.
While the estate’s owners’ corporation may not have legal representation in the probe, the insider said this was not a concern, as flat owners had been encouraged to submit their own information and views to the committee.
Chaired by judge David Lok Kai-hong, the committee was set up by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in early December to uncover the cause of the inferno and initiate “systemic reforms”.
The investigation is expected to conclude within nine months, after which the committee will submit its report.
Although the committee has no legal power to compel or protect witnesses, it may apply to the city leader for permission to remove bureaucratic hurdles and seek judicial powers during the probe.
In January, six barristers were appointed as counsel for the committee. They are senior counsel Victor Dawes, a former chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, Lee Shu-wun, Jason Yu, Brian Lee, Jonathan Fung and John Cheung.
It is understood that senior counsel Jenkin Suen has been instructed to represent the government.
The committee will examine the cause of the fire; the safety and equipment standards at Wang Fuk Court; potential systemic issues in large-scale building maintenance and renovation projects across the city; and will make recommendations on improvements to existing legislation.
A Wang Tai House resident surnamed Yip, who lost his wife in the fire, confirmed he would attend Thursday’s meeting with his two sons.
“Our biggest hope is that the investigation identifies the parties responsible for the fire and holds them accountable,” the 68-year-old said.
“For the survivors, the initial cause of the fire is no longer the main concern. What matters is understanding why the blaze was so severe and spread so rapidly, leaving victims with almost no time to escape.”
Yip said several government departments seemed to have neglected their duties, pointing out that fire alarms failed to sound and fire hoses were found to contain no water.
He also expressed concern that the independent committee had not invited residents to testify, fearing that without their involvement, the victims’ voices would go unheard and their perspectives on the investigation’s scope overlooked.
Another resident, surnamed Lee, whose elderly mother and two domestic helpers died in Wang Cheong House, said he had only managed to secure a place to watch the live stream at the Central Library.
“Why doesn’t the government broadcast the meeting on RTHK instead, if we are to watch the TV anyway?” the 70-year-old said.
“It’s most important that the independent committee look into why the government has been so irresponsible and ignored all the safety complaints from residents way before the fire ... but I don’t know if that’s what they will do.”
Separately on Wednesday, the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau released more details about its proposal to amend the Building Management Ordinance to strengthen oversight of relevant matters and better support property owners.
In its reply to a question from lawmaker Webster Ng Kam-wah, the bureau said it would refine the declaration-of-interest mechanism for large-scale maintenance projects by requiring consultants to declare any links with contractors.
It added that it would consider the feasibility of requiring owners’ corporations to engage independent professionals in major building management projects and procedures, noting the potential financial burden on residents.
Authorities also announced that each family of the 168 people who died in the fire would receive HK$100,000 in compensation, and each flat owner or affected family would receive an additional HK$5,000 as a Lunar New Year goodwill payment.
-- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
