🔗 Share this article

Officials in Hong Kong have detained thirteen individuals on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the recent devastating fire, amid growing criticism over the detentions of civilians demanding responsibility.

Search Continues as Fatalities Climbs

Emergency services continued to search through the seven towers of the Wang Fuk Court residential area in Tai Po on the start of the week, following the most fatal blaze in 75 years. The death toll rose to one hundred and fifty-one and is expected to rise further as the operation goes on. Approximately forty people are still missing.

Construction Work Linked to Fire’s Cause

The housing complex, home to almost 5,000 people, had been in the midst of major refurbishment that have been linked to the fire’s cause. In the wake of the tragedy, public fury has grown over reported past safety violations by the contractor working at the location and lax enforcement of safety codes, spurred on by disclosures that residents had been complaining about the work for a year.

Those Detained Include Corporate Executives

On Monday afternoon, authorities said anti-corruption authorities had arrested 13 people over the disaster so far, including the directors and an engineering consultant of a contracting firm, and had “promptly initiated comprehensive investigation along the lines of manslaughter”.

Substandard Materials Uncovered

A senior official stated that 7 of twenty tested specimens of the scaffolding net used around the buildings did not meet fire-retardant standards. Initial testing had found samples were up to code, but the spokesperson said the cheaper, substandard netting had been installed in areas hard to reach in order to avoid discovery, describing it as a “deplorable deed”.

“Their sole aim was to profit at the cost of human lives,” the official stated.

Citizens Arrested Amid Calls for Answers

As accusations of safety violations grow, alongside reports that official bodies had issued several apparently unenforced warnings, the public have questioned why no officials have yet faced consequences. Conversely, two civilians were allegedly taken into custody by national security police.

A person, identified as a local student, was arrested over an internet appeal that made “four demands” for assured assistance for the affected families and accountability for those at to blame, including any corrupt or culpable public servants.

Reports said the student was arrested for “seditious intention”. Law enforcement did not verify the arrest, saying only that they “will act according to actual circumstances and in accordance with the law”.

Local media also covered the arrest of a ex-local representative.

Government Statement on Arrests

Questioned about the detentions, the secretary of security said there had been “inaccurate comments online” that were intended to threaten national security. “Therefore, we must take appropriate measures, including police action,” the secretary told a media briefing. “Operational details cannot be revealed as they concern state security.”

Public Reaction and Parallels Drawn

On local online platforms, people criticised the arrests of civilians. “State security must be given precedence even if the dead are still trapped in the structure,” said a comment.

Several users drew comparisons to the Chinese mainland. “There, such acts are called ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’,” said a user. “They are typically punished with severe penalties. Stability trumps everything.”

Another said: “Since we are following mainland China’s methods, by targeting the individual who asks questions, no one will venture to question, and thus the city's administration will have no problems.”

Heightened Sensitivity and Community Response

The arrests followed advisories by national security authorities that they would take action against anyone considered to be exploiting the incident to incite “anti-China” feelings.

Prior to the arrests, authorities had already begun showing heightened sensitivity to the public reaction. Following the quelling of earlier protests, public assemblies have been tightly controlled. In the days following the fire, volunteer supporters rapidly established aid operations, with hundreds of people employing vehicles and transit to bring in large quantities of garments, food and other necessities for the victims.

Nevertheless, by nightfall, armed police were patrolling the vicinity, and government officials eventually assumed control from the volunteer organisers.

The appeal over which the student was reportedly detained was launched on Friday evening. Its “four points” mirrored the language of past campaigns but did not call for political change.

The individual informed reporters that he was only “proposing fundamental requests”.

“If these ideas are considered seditious or ‘transgressive’, then I believe I can’t predict the outcomes of anything any more, and I can only do what I truly believe is right,” he said.