December 2, 2025 • 19 mins
Hong Kong’s worst fire disaster in decades has stirred up public anger over negligence, safety standards and official accountability.
On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, host K. Oanh Ha talks to Bloomberg’s Shawna Kwan and Jenni Marsh about the devastation, the political fallout and how the public outcry is causing unease in Beijing.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hutong four Home, Oh LOI, this is painful for me.
I feel helpless. How could such a massive fire happened?
And this could have been prevented.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
For the past few years, Andrew Lung has lived with
his elderly mother at wang Fu Court, the sight of
last week's devastating fire here in Hong Kong. Hong Kong
is waking up to some tragic news this morning.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Hong Kong firefighters close to completing their search of seven
burnt down apartment towers.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
More than one hundred and fifty people were killed and
many others, including Andrew and his mother, were displaced after
the blaze ripped through the housing complex, damaging seven of
its eight towers. Over the week, and thousands of mourners
from across the city gathered at the site to honor
the victims. At one point, the line stretched for more
(01:07):
than a mile. They left handwritten notes and bouquets of
white and yellow chrysanthemums, a flower traditionally used at funerals
here across the city. The sense of shock, anger and
sadness is palpable. When I visited wang Fu Court with
our producer. Last week, the elevated walkways and sidewalks were
(01:29):
lined with people. They just stood in silent disbelief, staring
at the burnt shell of the housing complex nearby. Thousands
of volunteers dispersed supplies to victims, a mass mobilization not
seen in years. We met Andrew and others like him,
residents struggling to make sense of the devastation before them.
(01:51):
My cat died in the fire, and I cry for
two days. I saw my own health burned down. But
what can I do? The Hong Kong government has opened
an investigation into what caused the fire, but many questions
are still to be answered, why the building's fire alarms failed,
and whether the contractor renovating the complex followed proper safety protocols.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
I think the public really wants to know whether the
contractor is at fault and whether the authorities have any
chance to have stopped it but it didn't.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Shana Kwan is a Bloomberg real estate reporter based in
Hong Kong.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
All these are the answers the public are urgently seeking.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
This kind of outpouring of grief and mounting anger hasn't
been seen in the city since twenty twenty, when Beijing
imposed its National Security Law here, authorities in Hong Kong
have moved quickly to forestall any potential unrest. China's National
Security Office in the territory issued a stark warning saying
it will take action against anyone attempting to stir up
(02:54):
unrest or threaten national security. Over the weekend, at least
three people were arrested for sedition and inciting hatred toward
the government.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
They're coming down hot and quick because they do not
want this desiable.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
That's Bloomberg's Jenny Marsh, who oversees our coverage of Greater
China's economy and politics. I spoke with Shauna and Jenny
to understand how this tragedy unfolded, how the fire became
entangled with the National Security Law, and how the government
is using that law to keep order.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
They're concerned that public grief and mourning will get out
of their control, and they do not want protests. They
don't want Hong Kong to look disorderly.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
This is the big take Asia from Bloomberg News. I'm
Wanha today on the show Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades.
The fury is ignited in the financial hub, how that's
causing unease in Beijing, and what this could mean for
Hong Kong's future. The death toll continues to rise in
(04:07):
Hong Kong's worst fire in nearly eighty years. Victims are
still being identified in the ruins of the high rise complex,
with dozens still missing and thousands displaced. Like many of
us across the city. Bloomberg real estate reporter Shauna Kwan
watched in horror as the flames tore through the massive
housing complex in the northern district of Taypo last week.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
So on Wednesday, November twenty sixth a fire began at
around three pm at one of the buildings at the
Wongfo Court complex, and he spread quickly to the other
six towers in the densely built high rise complex within
just a couple of hours, so a total of seven
out of the eight tower complex were affected. There was
(04:56):
a massive rescue effort close to four hundred fire engines
to thousand and three hundred fire fighters and paramedics, but
the fire was not contained until about forty hours later
on Friday morning.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Now, Shana, for people who aren't here in Hong Kong,
I wonder if you can give us a bit of
background about One Foot Court. Where is it in Hong Kong?
What kind of housing is it? Who lived there?
Speaker 1 (05:17):
It was built in the nineteen eighties as government subsidized housing,
so to the growing lower middle class bias at discounted prices.
It consists of eight blocks with almost two thousand apartments.
I suppose you know in international standard that's quite compact
and dense, but it's very typically in Hong Kong. Because
home prices are so expensive in Hong Kong, it's normal
(05:38):
for families to live together and for buildings to be
built very close with each other.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Hong Kong's limited land and high density make it difficult
to demolish and rebuild aging buildings. Individual owners are often
responsible for maintenance. By law, private buildings over three stories
and more than thirty years old must undergo mandatory inspections
and renovations. Around twenty nine thousand buildings that's roughly sixty
(06:07):
percent of the city's total, have reached that threshold, and
thousands more will join over the next decade. When the
fire broke out last week, Wang Foot Court was about
a year into a forty one million dollar renovation. Project
to repair damage to its exterior walls. Seana. This kind
of renovation is pretty common here in Hong Kong. It's
(06:27):
part of the everyday scenery here for us, but for
people who aren't familiar. Can you describe what construction on
high rises look like here in Hong Kong?
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Yeah, it might be quite a strange visual for our
international readers. So when you walk around Hong Kong, you
may see high rises as high as forty thirty or
even higher. Floors have bambuska folding wrapped around it and
on top of it usually greenland netting as well. So
when those renovation projects are ongoing, so residents inside sometimes
(07:00):
they cannot even open their windows, and sometimes you cannot
really see what's going on outside from the apartment. So
that might have contributed to the tragedy as well, because
the victims might not have known what's happening outside.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
They might not have seen a fire and flames right
outside their windows.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
There were warnings about problems with the Wang Fuk Court
renovation from the outset. Initial findings revealed that the protective
nets and foam panels used during the renovation may have
failed to meet fire safety standards. And that may have
been a factor in how quickly the blaze spread. Residents
of the towers told Bloomberg they raised concerns about the
(07:42):
plan to put styrofoam boards over the windows more than
a year ago. According to several attendees, A representative for
the consultancy overseeing the renovations brushed off their concerns, saying
that styrofoam wasn't illegal. Here's Bloomberg's Jenny Marsh.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
They knew that the construction materials that have been put
up around their building. They knew that these materials were
no good. They had tested them themselves. They knew that
they were flammable, and they tried every single term to
raise the alarm in every single way they knew possible.
These residents didn't just complain to the construction company. They
went into the labor department, They went to the housing department,
(08:21):
They went on television. The labor department visited sixteen times.
Did they not see there was diyrophone boards in people's
windows and no one did anything to protect them? And
I think that is what has made people here so angry.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Bloomberg's reporting showed a series of missed opportunities to prevent
the tragedy from homeowner concerns that weren't addressed to an
appeal to the Anti corruption agency to investigate the contractor.
Then there's Hong Kong's use of traditional bamboo scaffolding, which
has become a flashpoint.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Bamboo scaffolding has been such an integral part of Hong
Kong's landscape as well as architectural culture. It has been
here for over one hundred years. So using bamboo, which
is lighter as well cheaper and more agile as opposed
to metal, which is fixed.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Hong Kong is one of the few places in the
world that routinely uses bamboo scaffolding in construction. China abandon
its use for residential and municipal construction a few years ago.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
So when I talked to experts, they say that obviously
bamboo can be burned, but it's not easy to burn,
and obviously metal.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Is more durable than bamboo is.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
But as more investigation went on and in the later
press breathings, government officials said that it was probably the
nattank that first caught fire, and the rapid spread of
fire was mainly because of the phoam panels.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
In the aftermath of the fire, the government announced that
it would accelerate phasing out bamboo scaffolding and replacing it
with metal alternatives for safety. That's a big shift from
an earlier plan which aimed to replace bamboo in about
half of public construction projects, and with the public calling
for investigations and accountability, the government has taken swift action.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
So very quickly. The government carried out an investigation and
overnight they arrested three people from the contractor company for manslaughter,
and the Anti coruption Watchtock had also arrested a people
connected to the project. The three people arrested by the
police were two directors of the company and one engineer
(10:34):
for the contractor, and the a people arrested by ICAAC
the anti corruption Washtock in Hong Kong are relatively unknown.
There were concerns from the residents about the projects ultimately
being awarded to the most expensive bidder. For the one
foot court, the price tech for that project was three
(10:55):
hundred and thirty million Hong Kong dollars, so you can
tell how lucrative this industry is.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Since those early arrests, authorities said they've apprehended more individuals
after the break. The tragic fire has triggered memories of
the divisive protests that rocked the city in twenty nineteen,
how the National Security Law is being used a stamp
out mounting anger, and what this moment reveals about Beijing's
(11:23):
tightening grip on the city. One of the most pressing
demands from the public is for the government to launch
(11:44):
an independent inquiry. On Tuesday, Chief Executive John Lee announced
plans for an independent committee to investigate, but it's not
certain it will appease the public calls for thorough investigation.
The committee relies on voluntary parties the patient and testimony
isn't given under oath amid the cause for transparency. Another
(12:06):
issue that's come into the spotlight are the other arrests
authorities have made that are not connected to the construction project.
Bloomberg's Jenny Marsh says some of the anger and public
calls for accountability have caught the attention of authorities.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
So the anger that we talked about decided to find
sort of organized expression over the weekend. On Friday, there
was an Instagram account that popped up a Typo residents
sort of concern group, and it made four demands from
the government and one of them was an independent inquiry
that was quickly taken down. We don't know under what circumstances,
but there was a student called males Quock who there
(12:44):
sort of handing out leaflets with these four demands on
and he has been arrested for sedition. Another arrest was
a former district councilor, Kenneth Chung, and he again he
was posting a lot on social media. He said, these
volunteers and typeoe around the sports center had formed a
human chain passing sort of alone materials to give to
(13:05):
the survivors of the blaze. And to him that the
feeling of sort of people coming together en mass on
the streets for a cause, and a cause which you
know is holding the government to account. He was saying,
this reminds you of twenty nineteen.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
In twenty nineteen, anti government protests rocked Hong Kong. Millions
of demonstrators turned out to protests, with many camping out
on the street for months. Volunteers formed long human chains
across the city, handing out supplies to protesters, from water
and food to hard hats and gas masks. Jenny says,
(13:44):
for the government just evoking memories of those protests could
threaten the city's stability.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
So the government, on the one hand, is suspicious if
this feeling like the protest movement, But the people out
on the streets themselves are recognizing that hasn't been anything
like this since twenty nineteen, when people back then were
very angry against the government, came out en mass, made
five demands and one of them was, you know, a
government inquiry. So different circumstances completely, but the parallels are emerging,
(14:15):
and I think it's a test of the government how
they handle this kind of morning in this sort of
new national security environment.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
I was out in Taipo this weekend and what really
struck me was the anger and frustration that I felt
from people that we spoke to. It feels very different
from the way Hong Kong felt just even a week ago.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Yeah, I think the tragedy has really sort of pissed
the calm that had come over Hong Kong since Beijing
imposed National Security Law in twenty twenty. You know, this
is a complex of high rise blocks that people saw
go up in flames, and most people in Hong Kong
live in a tower that looks a lot like this.
And I think everyone realized it could be them.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
The fact that the government is moving to rest people
under nash Security law because they're asking for accountability. What
is it that is threatening to the government. What is
it that they're really concerned about.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
They're concerned that public grief and mourning will get out
of their control. They have people coming together on the
streets with a lot of emotion and anger, and they
do not want protests. They don't want Hong Kong to
look disorderly. John Lee is a former police officer. He
was hired to get this city under control and that's
(15:31):
what he's done. Like since he's been in power, there
has not been any protest. I think there was one
small protest over a housing issue in northern Hong Kong
a year or so ago, and all those involved had
to apply to be in the protest that they had
numbers like they were in a marathon that were given
out from the police. It's been that controlled. It's more
controlled here than in mainland China. John Ley doesn't want chooting, ping,
(15:54):
looking down and thinking that he's led it all slip
away from him and it's got out of his control. Again,
that's not the message they want to send.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Chief Executive John Lee this week said that all of
Hong Kong is uniting to help those affected by the fire.
He also warned those who dare to sabotage this commitment
to society, saying that authorities will take action to ensure justice.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
They're coming down hot and quick because they do know
what this deniable.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
China is just right next door and watching all of this.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
I mean.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Hours after the fire broke out, Chinese presence Xi Jinping
expressed sympathy to the families of the victims. He urged
efforts to extinguish the fire, and Beijing also dispatched a
Central Task Force to Hong Kong for emergency response. It
seems that Beijing has been more hands on with this
disaster in Hong Kong. How has that been received by
(16:48):
locals and why is that significant?
Speaker 4 (16:51):
It was surprising the speed at which Chi Jinpin came
out on the mainland. He often isn't very swift to
respond to tragedies in that way, so it stood out.
I think they told Hong Kong that the government in
China is watching, that they have their support in terms
of if you need backup resources, they have it. But
I think It also is a very clear message to
the political leaders in Hong Kong that this was important
(17:13):
to the central authority, that was important to handle this correctly.
They really want Hong Kong leaders to sort of make
this a successful financial hub, to manage the city's image properly,
to make it attractive. And the sad thing about this
too is from a global perspective, Hong Kong is back
in the news for all the wrong reasons. Again.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Here in Hong Kong, we're now living under this new
national security environment and China's tighter grip on the city.
What is a government's response to the tragedy tell us
about where we are right now?
Speaker 4 (17:46):
It sort of leaves Hong Kong in my mind in
this halfway house, you know, where like John Lee is
trying to be open, he's briefing, he's out there meeting people.
It's all a contrast with how this would be on
the mainland when tragedies like this happen. There was a
car ramming last year where about forty people died in
the mainland. That kind of thing is censored very quickly.
(18:06):
People laid out flowers that were swept away almost immediately.
There's no outlet. There's no where people can sort of
vent that public grief because it's too dangerous in the
eyes of the Communist Party to let people come together
like that and start to ask questions about why did
this happen. Hong Kong isn't at that point. We don't
have that kind of censorship apparatus. We're a long way
(18:28):
from it. But that's going to be one of the
interesting things. Does Johnally open an independent inquiry? I think
if he does, there'll be a lot of applause and
it will show that the government is willing to be
open about this. But I think he has the way
the risk. You know, if there's a public inquiry and
it finds the government was guilty, then what's the risk
(18:49):
in that? I think we have to wait and see
how China thinks. Johnny handles this, and it will depend
what happens in the coming sort of days and weeks.
He needs to have in a way where he doesn't
come down too hard and then create even more anger
than sort of boomerangs back of the government.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
This is the Big Take Asia from Bloomberg News. I'm
wanh to get more from the Big Take and unlimited
access to all of Bloomberg dot Com. Subscribe today at
Bloomberg dot com slash podcast offer. If you liked the episode,
make sure to subscribe and review The Big Take Asia
wherever you listen to podcasts. It really helps people find
the show. Thanks for listening and see you next time.
Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hutong four Home, Oh LOI, this is painful for me.
I feel helpless. How could such a massive fire happened?
And this could have been prevented.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
For the past few years, Andrew Lung has lived with
his elderly mother at wang Fu Court, the sight of
last week's devastating fire here in Hong Kong. Hong Kong
is waking up to some tragic news this morning.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Hong Kong firefighters close to completing their search of seven
burnt down apartment towers.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
More than one hundred and fifty people were killed and
many others, including Andrew and his mother, were displaced after
the blaze ripped through the housing complex, damaging seven of
its eight towers. Over the week, and thousands of mourners
from across the city gathered at the site to honor
the victims. At one point, the line stretched for more
(01:07):
than a mile. They left handwritten notes and bouquets of
white and yellow chrysanthemums, a flower traditionally used at funerals
here across the city. The sense of shock, anger and
sadness is palpable. When I visited wang Fu Court with
our producer. Last week, the elevated walkways and sidewalks were
(01:29):
lined with people. They just stood in silent disbelief, staring
at the burnt shell of the housing complex nearby. Thousands
of volunteers dispersed supplies to victims, a mass mobilization not
seen in years. We met Andrew and others like him,
residents struggling to make sense of the devastation before them.
(01:51):
My cat died in the fire, and I cry for
two days. I saw my own health burned down. But
what can I do? The Hong Kong government has opened
an investigation into what caused the fire, but many questions
are still to be answered, why the building's fire alarms failed,
and whether the contractor renovating the complex followed proper safety protocols.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
I think the public really wants to know whether the
contractor is at fault and whether the authorities have any
chance to have stopped it but it didn't.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Shana Kwan is a Bloomberg real estate reporter based in
Hong Kong.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
All these are the answers the public are urgently seeking.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
This kind of outpouring of grief and mounting anger hasn't
been seen in the city since twenty twenty, when Beijing
imposed its National Security Law here, authorities in Hong Kong
have moved quickly to forestall any potential unrest. China's National
Security Office in the territory issued a stark warning saying
it will take action against anyone attempting to stir up
(02:54):
unrest or threaten national security. Over the weekend, at least
three people were arrested for sedition and inciting hatred toward
the government.
Speaker 4 (03:03):
They're coming down hot and quick because they do not
want this desiable.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
That's Bloomberg's Jenny Marsh, who oversees our coverage of Greater
China's economy and politics. I spoke with Shauna and Jenny
to understand how this tragedy unfolded, how the fire became
entangled with the National Security Law, and how the government
is using that law to keep order.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
They're concerned that public grief and mourning will get out
of their control, and they do not want protests. They
don't want Hong Kong to look disorderly.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
This is the big take Asia from Bloomberg News. I'm
Wanha today on the show Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades.
The fury is ignited in the financial hub, how that's
causing unease in Beijing, and what this could mean for
Hong Kong's future. The death toll continues to rise in
(04:07):
Hong Kong's worst fire in nearly eighty years. Victims are
still being identified in the ruins of the high rise complex,
with dozens still missing and thousands displaced. Like many of
us across the city. Bloomberg real estate reporter Shauna Kwan
watched in horror as the flames tore through the massive
housing complex in the northern district of Taypo last week.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
So on Wednesday, November twenty sixth a fire began at
around three pm at one of the buildings at the
Wongfo Court complex, and he spread quickly to the other
six towers in the densely built high rise complex within
just a couple of hours, so a total of seven
out of the eight tower complex were affected. There was
(04:56):
a massive rescue effort close to four hundred fire engines
to thousand and three hundred fire fighters and paramedics, but
the fire was not contained until about forty hours later
on Friday morning.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
Now, Shana, for people who aren't here in Hong Kong,
I wonder if you can give us a bit of
background about One Foot Court. Where is it in Hong Kong?
What kind of housing is it? Who lived there?
Speaker 1 (05:17):
It was built in the nineteen eighties as government subsidized housing,
so to the growing lower middle class bias at discounted prices.
It consists of eight blocks with almost two thousand apartments.
I suppose you know in international standard that's quite compact
and dense, but it's very typically in Hong Kong. Because
home prices are so expensive in Hong Kong, it's normal
(05:38):
for families to live together and for buildings to be
built very close with each other.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Hong Kong's limited land and high density make it difficult
to demolish and rebuild aging buildings. Individual owners are often
responsible for maintenance. By law, private buildings over three stories
and more than thirty years old must undergo mandatory inspections
and renovations. Around twenty nine thousand buildings that's roughly sixty
(06:07):
percent of the city's total, have reached that threshold, and
thousands more will join over the next decade. When the
fire broke out last week, Wang Foot Court was about
a year into a forty one million dollar renovation. Project
to repair damage to its exterior walls. Seana. This kind
of renovation is pretty common here in Hong Kong. It's
(06:27):
part of the everyday scenery here for us, but for
people who aren't familiar. Can you describe what construction on
high rises look like here in Hong Kong?
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Yeah, it might be quite a strange visual for our
international readers. So when you walk around Hong Kong, you
may see high rises as high as forty thirty or
even higher. Floors have bambuska folding wrapped around it and
on top of it usually greenland netting as well. So
when those renovation projects are ongoing, so residents inside sometimes
(07:00):
they cannot even open their windows, and sometimes you cannot
really see what's going on outside from the apartment. So
that might have contributed to the tragedy as well, because
the victims might not have known what's happening outside.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
They might not have seen a fire and flames right
outside their windows.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
There were warnings about problems with the Wang Fuk Court
renovation from the outset. Initial findings revealed that the protective
nets and foam panels used during the renovation may have
failed to meet fire safety standards. And that may have
been a factor in how quickly the blaze spread. Residents
of the towers told Bloomberg they raised concerns about the
(07:42):
plan to put styrofoam boards over the windows more than
a year ago. According to several attendees, A representative for
the consultancy overseeing the renovations brushed off their concerns, saying
that styrofoam wasn't illegal. Here's Bloomberg's Jenny Marsh.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
They knew that the construction materials that have been put
up around their building. They knew that these materials were
no good. They had tested them themselves. They knew that
they were flammable, and they tried every single term to
raise the alarm in every single way they knew possible.
These residents didn't just complain to the construction company. They
went into the labor department, They went to the housing department,
(08:21):
They went on television. The labor department visited sixteen times.
Did they not see there was diyrophone boards in people's
windows and no one did anything to protect them? And
I think that is what has made people here so angry.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Bloomberg's reporting showed a series of missed opportunities to prevent
the tragedy from homeowner concerns that weren't addressed to an
appeal to the Anti corruption agency to investigate the contractor.
Then there's Hong Kong's use of traditional bamboo scaffolding, which
has become a flashpoint.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Bamboo scaffolding has been such an integral part of Hong
Kong's landscape as well as architectural culture. It has been
here for over one hundred years. So using bamboo, which
is lighter as well cheaper and more agile as opposed
to metal, which is fixed.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Hong Kong is one of the few places in the
world that routinely uses bamboo scaffolding in construction. China abandon
its use for residential and municipal construction a few years ago.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
So when I talked to experts, they say that obviously
bamboo can be burned, but it's not easy to burn,
and obviously metal.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Is more durable than bamboo is.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
But as more investigation went on and in the later
press breathings, government officials said that it was probably the
nattank that first caught fire, and the rapid spread of
fire was mainly because of the phoam panels.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
In the aftermath of the fire, the government announced that
it would accelerate phasing out bamboo scaffolding and replacing it
with metal alternatives for safety. That's a big shift from
an earlier plan which aimed to replace bamboo in about
half of public construction projects, and with the public calling
for investigations and accountability, the government has taken swift action.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
So very quickly. The government carried out an investigation and
overnight they arrested three people from the contractor company for manslaughter,
and the Anti coruption Watchtock had also arrested a people
connected to the project. The three people arrested by the
police were two directors of the company and one engineer
(10:34):
for the contractor, and the a people arrested by ICAAC
the anti corruption Washtock in Hong Kong are relatively unknown.
There were concerns from the residents about the projects ultimately
being awarded to the most expensive bidder. For the one
foot court, the price tech for that project was three
(10:55):
hundred and thirty million Hong Kong dollars, so you can
tell how lucrative this industry is.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Since those early arrests, authorities said they've apprehended more individuals
after the break. The tragic fire has triggered memories of
the divisive protests that rocked the city in twenty nineteen,
how the National Security Law is being used a stamp
out mounting anger, and what this moment reveals about Beijing's
(11:23):
tightening grip on the city. One of the most pressing
demands from the public is for the government to launch
(11:44):
an independent inquiry. On Tuesday, Chief Executive John Lee announced
plans for an independent committee to investigate, but it's not
certain it will appease the public calls for thorough investigation.
The committee relies on voluntary parties the patient and testimony
isn't given under oath amid the cause for transparency. Another
(12:06):
issue that's come into the spotlight are the other arrests
authorities have made that are not connected to the construction project.
Bloomberg's Jenny Marsh says some of the anger and public
calls for accountability have caught the attention of authorities.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
So the anger that we talked about decided to find
sort of organized expression over the weekend. On Friday, there
was an Instagram account that popped up a Typo residents
sort of concern group, and it made four demands from
the government and one of them was an independent inquiry
that was quickly taken down. We don't know under what circumstances,
but there was a student called males Quock who there
(12:44):
sort of handing out leaflets with these four demands on
and he has been arrested for sedition. Another arrest was
a former district councilor, Kenneth Chung, and he again he
was posting a lot on social media. He said, these
volunteers and typeoe around the sports center had formed a
human chain passing sort of alone materials to give to
(13:05):
the survivors of the blaze. And to him that the
feeling of sort of people coming together en mass on
the streets for a cause, and a cause which you
know is holding the government to account. He was saying,
this reminds you of twenty nineteen.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
In twenty nineteen, anti government protests rocked Hong Kong. Millions
of demonstrators turned out to protests, with many camping out
on the street for months. Volunteers formed long human chains
across the city, handing out supplies to protesters, from water
and food to hard hats and gas masks. Jenny says,
(13:44):
for the government just evoking memories of those protests could
threaten the city's stability.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
So the government, on the one hand, is suspicious if
this feeling like the protest movement, But the people out
on the streets themselves are recognizing that hasn't been anything
like this since twenty nineteen, when people back then were
very angry against the government, came out en mass, made
five demands and one of them was, you know, a
government inquiry. So different circumstances completely, but the parallels are emerging,
(14:15):
and I think it's a test of the government how
they handle this kind of morning in this sort of
new national security environment.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
I was out in Taipo this weekend and what really
struck me was the anger and frustration that I felt
from people that we spoke to. It feels very different
from the way Hong Kong felt just even a week ago.
Speaker 4 (14:34):
Yeah, I think the tragedy has really sort of pissed
the calm that had come over Hong Kong since Beijing
imposed National Security Law in twenty twenty. You know, this
is a complex of high rise blocks that people saw
go up in flames, and most people in Hong Kong
live in a tower that looks a lot like this.
And I think everyone realized it could be them.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
The fact that the government is moving to rest people
under nash Security law because they're asking for accountability. What
is it that is threatening to the government. What is
it that they're really concerned about.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
They're concerned that public grief and mourning will get out
of their control. They have people coming together on the
streets with a lot of emotion and anger, and they
do not want protests. They don't want Hong Kong to
look disorderly. John Lee is a former police officer. He
was hired to get this city under control and that's
(15:31):
what he's done. Like since he's been in power, there
has not been any protest. I think there was one
small protest over a housing issue in northern Hong Kong
a year or so ago, and all those involved had
to apply to be in the protest that they had
numbers like they were in a marathon that were given
out from the police. It's been that controlled. It's more
controlled here than in mainland China. John Ley doesn't want chooting, ping,
(15:54):
looking down and thinking that he's led it all slip
away from him and it's got out of his control. Again,
that's not the message they want to send.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
Chief Executive John Lee this week said that all of
Hong Kong is uniting to help those affected by the fire.
He also warned those who dare to sabotage this commitment
to society, saying that authorities will take action to ensure justice.
Speaker 4 (16:20):
They're coming down hot and quick because they do know
what this deniable.
Speaker 3 (16:23):
China is just right next door and watching all of this.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
I mean.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Hours after the fire broke out, Chinese presence Xi Jinping
expressed sympathy to the families of the victims. He urged
efforts to extinguish the fire, and Beijing also dispatched a
Central Task Force to Hong Kong for emergency response. It
seems that Beijing has been more hands on with this
disaster in Hong Kong. How has that been received by
(16:48):
locals and why is that significant?
Speaker 4 (16:51):
It was surprising the speed at which Chi Jinpin came
out on the mainland. He often isn't very swift to
respond to tragedies in that way, so it stood out.
I think they told Hong Kong that the government in
China is watching, that they have their support in terms
of if you need backup resources, they have it. But
I think It also is a very clear message to
the political leaders in Hong Kong that this was important
(17:13):
to the central authority, that was important to handle this correctly.
They really want Hong Kong leaders to sort of make
this a successful financial hub, to manage the city's image properly,
to make it attractive. And the sad thing about this
too is from a global perspective, Hong Kong is back
in the news for all the wrong reasons. Again.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Here in Hong Kong, we're now living under this new
national security environment and China's tighter grip on the city.
What is a government's response to the tragedy tell us
about where we are right now?
Speaker 4 (17:46):
It sort of leaves Hong Kong in my mind in
this halfway house, you know, where like John Lee is
trying to be open, he's briefing, he's out there meeting people.
It's all a contrast with how this would be on
the mainland when tragedies like this happen. There was a
car ramming last year where about forty people died in
the mainland. That kind of thing is censored very quickly.
(18:06):
People laid out flowers that were swept away almost immediately.
There's no outlet. There's no where people can sort of
vent that public grief because it's too dangerous in the
eyes of the Communist Party to let people come together
like that and start to ask questions about why did
this happen. Hong Kong isn't at that point. We don't
have that kind of censorship apparatus. We're a long way
(18:28):
from it. But that's going to be one of the
interesting things. Does Johnally open an independent inquiry? I think
if he does, there'll be a lot of applause and
it will show that the government is willing to be
open about this. But I think he has the way
the risk. You know, if there's a public inquiry and
it finds the government was guilty, then what's the risk
(18:49):
in that? I think we have to wait and see
how China thinks. Johnny handles this, and it will depend
what happens in the coming sort of days and weeks.
He needs to have in a way where he doesn't
come down too hard and then create even more anger
than sort of boomerangs back of the government.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
This is the Big Take Asia from Bloomberg News. I'm
wanh to get more from the Big Take and unlimited
access to all of Bloomberg dot Com. Subscribe today at
Bloomberg dot com slash podcast offer. If you liked the episode,
make sure to subscribe and review The Big Take Asia
wherever you listen to podcasts. It really helps people find
the show. Thanks for listening and see you next time.
Hosts And Creators
Sarah Holder
Saleha Mohsin
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