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The Development Bureau today announced a new mechanism for scaffold nets on external walls to be sampled on-site. The regime, devised following the blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, applies to scaffold nets used in repair projects as well as those used in new building works. Specifically, contractors must provide certificates and test reports for the fire-retardant performance of the scaffold nets. In addition, upon delivery of the scaffold nets to Hong Kong, contractors are required to take a specified number of samples in a specified manner, and send them to designated laboratories for testing. Samples must all pass the test before the scaffold nets can be installed. The Government’s enforcement departments will conduct random verification checks after the scaffold nets are installed. Taking into account space constraints, the Buildings Department will allow on-site or off-site sampling. Contractors are required to establish a tracking system to the satisfaction of the department in order to ensure that the installed scaffold nets are from the same batches that have passed laboratory testing. To facilitate the implementation of the new mechanism, the Government is identifying additional laboratories and aims to have a preliminary list drawn up next week. The Government has also initially identified a suitable site for the industry to conduct off-site sampling, which is expected to be ready for use next week. Furthermore, to address the short-term surge in demand for scaffold nets and testing services, the Construction Industry Council will make special arrangements for collective bulk procurement and coordinated testing services. Financial supportAs of noon today, donations received by the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po had reached about $3.2 billion. Combined with the $300 million in startup capital from the Government, this takes the fund to a total of around $3.5 billion. The fund will provide a living allowance to each affected household. As of today, 1,784 cases had been processed. The fund will also provide the families of each deceased victim with a $200,000 token of solidarity, as well as $50,000 to cover funeral costs. As of today, a total of 121 cases had been processed. Welfare arrangementsThe Advisory Committee on Mental Health today announced the launch of a programme to provide free mental health support services to bereaved families following the fire at Wang Fuk Court. Separately, as of this morning, 1,457 residents had been accommodated under the co-ordination of the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps or hotel rooms. Another 2,796 residents have moved into transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or the Hong Kong Housing Society. Relief suppliesOn the Government’s online platform for donated supplies, about 1,700 registrations have been received, with approximately 30% submitted by organisations. Over 19,500 donated items, covering various categories, have been distributed. Regulation workAs of 4pm today, the Labour Department had inspected 440 construction sites, issued a total of 226 written warnings and 105 improvement notices, and taken out 25 prosecutions.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government strongly disapproves of and opposes a report by the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), which made biased, slandering and smearing remarks about the situation in Hong Kong. In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government said it disapproves of the CECC's repeated tactics to interfere in the affairs of Hong Kong through the so-called annual report, and strongly opposes the report’s absurd and untrue content regarding legislation safeguarding national security in Hong Kong. In accordance with international law and international practice based on the Charter of the United Nations, safeguarding national security is an inherent right of all sovereign states, and many common law jurisdictions including the US, the UK, Australia and Canada have enacted legislation and implemented measures to safeguard national security, the statement said. Regarding the offences related to seditious intention, the Hong Kong courts have ruled in different cases that the provisions on sedition are consistent with those of the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights on the protection of human rights, and that a proportionate and reasonable balance has been struck between safeguarding national security and protection of the freedom of speech, the statement said. The offence is not meant to silence the expression of any opinion that is only genuine criticism of the Government based on objective facts, it added. Regarding the custodial arrangements for Jimmy [Lai] Chee-ying mentioned in the report, the Hong KSAR Government has stated on numerous occasions that the medical services provided to him in custody are adequate and comprehensive. The Correctional Services Department attaches great importance to the safety and health of persons-in-custody (PICs), the statement said, adding that irrespective of the PICs’ identities, ages and nationalities, the department is committed to ensuring the custodial environment is secure, safe, humane, appropriate and healthy. The Hong Kong KSAR Government emphasised that all judicial cases are handled strictly on the basis of evidence and in accordance with the law, and that all defendants will receive a fair trial strictly in accordance with laws applicable to Hong Kong, including the National Security Law (NSL) and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO) as protected by the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights. The US report specifically mentioned cases on offences endangering national security involving Lai Chee-ying, wantonly smearing the law enforcement, prosecution and judicial organs of Hong Kong regarding the handling of the relevant cases, the statement said. Their ulterior motives are obvious - to interfere with the judicial proceedings in the city by means of political power so as to procure a defendant's evasion of the criminal justice process, the statement said, adding that the Hong Kong SAR Government strongly condemns such blatant attempts to undermine the rule of law of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong SAR Government said it steadfastly safeguards the rights and freedoms enjoyed by the Hong Kong people as protected under the law, noting that since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the human rights in the city have always been robustly guaranteed constitutionally by both the Constitution and the Basic Law. The statement said that since the implementation of the NSL and the SNSO, the media landscape in Hong Kong has remained vibrant, but the US report deliberately fabricated facts about freedom of the press and speech in the city. The statement said that the US Government itself does not hesitate to take action against misleading and biased news reporting, adding that it has recently set up a webpage to list misleading and biased media reporting, some of which is described as subversive. The US CECC's smearing of Hong Kong using double-standards is a shameful political maneuver, the statement said. The report's claim that women in Hong Kong face discrimination and harassment in the workplace is another absurd accusation, as the Sex Discrimination Ordinance protects women from discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation in the prescribed area of employment, the statement added.
Upon liaison with Police, the Housing Department will remove burnt scaffolding on the external walls of Wang Cheong House, Wang Tai House and Wang Sun House at Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po, starting this Friday. Meanwhile, the Buildings Department’s orders to remove scaffold nets has all been complied with. It will announce a new set of arrangements within this week requiring scaffold nets used at construction sites to be sampled on-site and certified as compliant with the relevant standards prior to installation, so that the relevant external wall work can resume as soon as possible. Financial supportAs of noon today, donations received by the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po had reached about $3.1 billion. Combined with the $300 million in startup capital from the Government, this takes the fund to a total of around $3.4 billion. The fund will provide a living allowance to each affected household. As of today, 1,717 cases had been processed. The fund will also provide the families of each deceased victim with a $200,000 token of solidarity, as well as $50,000 to cover funeral costs. As of today, a total of 109 cases had been processed. Furthermore, the Government announced today that a new special one-off grant of $100,000 under the fund will be provided to flat owners at all the eight blocks at Wang Fuk Court. Social workers from the Social Welfare Department have been in contact with more than 1,980 affected households, and more than 4,900 residents have been registered for the “one social worker per household” follow-up service. Accommodation arrangementsAs of this morning, a total of 1,435 residents had been accommodated under the co-ordination of the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps or hotel rooms. Another 2,677 residents have moved into transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or the Hong Kong Housing Society. Separately, the temporary shelter at Tai Po Community Centre has ceased operation as users there have all relocated to the emergency accommodation arranged by the Government. The temporary shelter at Tung Cheong Street Community Hall will remain in operation until existing users have moved to the emergency accommodation. Relief suppliesOn the Government's online platform for donated supplies, about 1,700 registrations have been received, with approximately 30% submitted by organisations. Over 16,300 donated items, covering various categories, have been distributed. Regulation work The Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit has inspected the scaffoldings at Yee Kok Court in Sham Shui Po, On Kay Court in Kwun Tong, Sui Wo Court in Sha Tin, Ching Lai Court in Sham Shui Po and Fung Wah Estate in Chai Wan. The contractor concerned has completed removing all the miscellaneous items on the scaffolding. As of 4pm today, the Labour Department had inspected 404 construction sites, issued a total of 210 written warnings and 104 improvement notices, and taken out 25 prosecutions.
The Legal Aid Department (LAD) today announced that it has established a dedicated task force to implement support measures to assist individuals affected by the fire at Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po, in applying for legal aid in accordance with statutory requirements. The legal aid aims to handle litigation and related matters about personal injury claims, property damage claims and employees’ compensation claims, the department explained. Specifically, the LAD has co-ordinated with the Social Welfare Department to leverage the “one social worker per household” service to disseminate information on legal aid, such as details on the scope of the legal aid, application procedures and eligibility criteria. In addition, the LAD has established telephone hotlines (2867 4516 or 2399 2277) to address enquiries from the affected citizens about legal aid. To ensure that the affected citizens can obtain legal aid as soon as possible, the LAD will streamline the application procedures and deploy staff to expedite the processing of applications. Furthermore, seminars will be held to elaborate on legal aid application matters. Staff will offer assistance on site. Separately, taking into account the burden and needs of the affected citizens, the LAD will arrange legal representatives to handle their litigation upon approval of their legal aid applications. In this regard, the LAD reminds the prospective applicants not to arrange their own legal representation, and not give instructions or sign authorisation documents for legal services, in order to avoid incurring unnecessary costs and safeguard their own interests.
To offer support to individuals affected by the fire at Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po, the Judiciary announced today that all potential legal proceedings related to the incident will be handled with priority and expeditiously through a series of facilitative measures. A dedicated task group, headed by the Chief Judge of the High Court and comprising relevant court leaders and specialist judges, will be set up to ensure the swift handling of legal proceedings related to the incident at all court levels, without unduly compromising the administration of justice. The Judiciary will designate a team of support staff for handling probate-related matters relating to the deceased victims of the fire. The team will liaise with relevant government departments to disseminate essential information on probate-related matters to affected families. A special hotline 2840 1683 is in operation to answer enquiries. The Judiciary will also waive probate-related scheduled fees relating to the deceased victims. At the same time, the court will consider fee concessions for other court services. Additionally, the processing of coroner-related matters, including the issue of Certificates of the Fact of Death, will be expedited.
The Government has expressed profound sadness over the death of a senior police inspector who had been taking part in an advanced selection assessment for the Police’s Special Duties Unit. The officer, 31, lost consciousness after completing a dive in the waters off Lamma Island on December 4. He was immediately transported to Princess Margaret Hospital for treatment and passed away this evening. The force said it is investigating the incident and has temporarily suspended the advanced selection assessment exercise. Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung and Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung extended their deepest condolences to the officer’s family. Mrs Yeung added that the Civil Service Bureau is in contact with Police to assist the family during this sad and difficult period. Commissioner of Police Chow Yat-ming said he felt deep sorrow over the death of the officer, who joined the force in 2016. Attached to the Tactical Unit Headquarters, the officer had consistently shown enthusiasm and passion for his work, and was highly committed to his duties, Mr Tsang added.
Following the order to remove scaffold nets issued by the Buildings Department (BD), as of 6pm today, 224 private buildings have had their scaffold nets removed from external walls. Four cases undergoing removal work have requested an extension of time which the BD has accepted. It is expected that the work will be finished within this week. The removal work of scaffold nets from the remaining two private buildings has been affected by ongoing contractual disputes between the contractors and the incorporated owners. The BD has arranged for government contractors to carry out the work and will recover the costs later. Additionally, the Architectural Services Department has completed the removal of scaffold nets at the government buildings under its purview before the deadline. Financial supportAs of 1pm today, donations received for the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po have reached about $3 billion, on top of the $300 million startup capital from the Government, taking the fund's total to around $3.3 billion. The Government earlier announced that the fund will provide a living allowance to each affected household. As of today, 1,273 cases have been processed. The living allowance is increased from $50,000 to $100,000 and will be disbursed in phases. The fund will also provide families of each deceased victim with a token of solidarity of $200,000, as well as $50,000 to cover funeral costs. As of today, a total of 90 cases have been processed. The Government has so far disbursed an emergency subsidy of $10,000 to 1,931 households. Social workers from the Social Welfare Department have been in contact with more than 1,970 affected households, and more than 4,900 residents have been registered for the “one social worker per household” follow-up service. Accommodation arrangementsAs of this morning, a total of 1,408 residents have been accommodated through the co-ordination of the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps or hotel rooms. Another 2,702 residents have moved into transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or units from the Hong Kong Housing Society.Relief suppliesOn the supplies donation online platform, the Government has so far received about 1,600 registrations, of which approximately 30% were submitted by organisations. Over 4,800 pieces of donation items covering various categories have been distributed to different places. Regulation work As of 4pm today, the Labour Department has inspected 332 construction sites, issued a total of 170 written warnings and 95 improvement notices, and taken out 25 prosecutions.
The Government announced that it has so far disbursed an emergency subsidy of $10,000 to 1,931 households affected by the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. As of 4pm today, donations received for the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po amount to about $3 billion, on top of the $300 million startup capital from the Government, taking the fund's total to around $3.3 billion. It earlier announced that the fund will provide a living allowance to each affected household. As of today, 1,125 cases have been processed. The living allowance has been increased from $50,000 to $100,000 and will be disbursed in phases. The fund will also provide families of each deceased victim with a token of solidarity of $200,000, as well as $50,000 to cover funeral costs. As of today, a total of 85 cases have been processed. Social workers from the Social Welfare Department have been in contact with more than 1,970 affected households, and more than 4,900 residents have been registered for the “one social worker per household” follow-up service. Accommodation supportAs of this morning, a total of 1,403 residents have been accommodated through the co-ordination of the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps or hotel rooms. Another 2,599 residents have moved into transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or units from the Hong Kong Housing Society. The Transport Department is steering public transport operators to enhance franchised bus services, green minibuses and residents' services (RS) to support residents affected by the fire who have been admitted into transitional housing in various districts. Among them, an additional shuttle bus service has been launched connecting Good House in Tai Po, Tai Po Centre and Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital, while a supplementary RS has been introduced connecting THE STEP, a transitional housing project in Yuen Long, and Tai Po Market Station. Relief suppliesOn the supplies donation online platform, the Government has so far received over 1,500 registrations, of which approximately 30% were submitted by organisations. Over 4,800 pieces of donation items covering various categories have been distributed to different places.Inspection workAs of 3pm today, of the some 200 private buildings installed with scaffold nets, 175 have had their scaffold nets removed from the external walls. The removal work at another 52 private buildings is underway and expected to be completed in one to two days. Three applications requesting additional time involving three buildings were received, and the relevant contractors indicated that they will aim to finish the removal work by next week. The Buildings Department (BD) is now pressing ahead with the formulation of a new set of arrangements requiring the scaffold nets used at construction sites to be sampled on-site and certified as compliant with the relevant standards prior to installation. The BD aims to make an announcement within the next week so that the relevant external wall work can resume as soon as possible. In view of the suspension of repair work on external walls of those buildings, after joint deliberation by the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the Development Bureau, the CIC will expand the quota of the current Multi-skilled/Skill Enhancement courses, which are tuition-free and with subsidies, and reserve 5,000 training places for affected workers, whose trades include plumbing, window framing, painting and decoration, plastering and bamboo scaffolding. Depending on the specific trade course and training hours, workers who complete the training and obtain qualifications can receive a maximum subsidy of $14,000 to $19,000. Applications for the programme will open on December 8. As of 4pm today, the Labour Department has inspected 318 construction sites, issued a total of 163 written warnings and 95 improvement notices, and has taken out 25 prosecutions.
Police's National Security Department today arrested a 71-year-old local man in Sheung Shui for “prejudicing of investigation of offences endangering national security” and “doing an act that has a seditious intention with a seditious intention” in contravention of sections 88 and 24 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance respectively. Investigations revealed that the arrested man was suspected of disclosing details of a case endangering national security, after assisting with the probe conducted earlier by department officers. He was also suspected of publishing multiple videos with seditious intention online, with content provoking hatred towards the central authorities, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Judiciary. The man is being detained for further enquiries. Police took law enforcement actions based on evidence and in accordance with the actual circumstances, and applied section 88 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance for the first time.
The inaugural Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Lawyers Forum and the inaugural LawTech Conference were held today, marking the conclusion of Hong Kong Legal Week 2025. The five-day event attracted approximately 6,000 online and offline registrants from nearly 50 jurisdictions, demonstrating Hong Kong's status as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre that enjoys unique advantages owing to its common law system under the “one country, two systems” arrangement. The GBA Lawyers Forum, which took the theme of “GBA Connectivity: Setting Sail for Global Horizons”, brought together prominent legal experts from Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland to share insights on cross-boundary legal collaboration. This was followed by the LawTech Conference, which was the main event of this week's three-day LawTech Fest. The conference, themed “The AI Era: Shaping the Legal Landscape in the 21st Century”, featured a keynote speaker, an interactive segment and roundtable discussions, during which the LexGoTech Roundtables Report was released. In closing remarks at the conference, Secretary for Justice Paul Lam highlighted that the Chief Executive's recent Policy Address emphasised the Government's commitment to promoting AI as a core industry. Besides promoting the integration of lawtech and AI in the legal sector, the Department of Justice will establish an interdepartmental working group by the end of this year to co-ordinate the responsible bureaus in reviewing relevant legislation, he added.