🔗 Share this article

Authorities in Hong Kong have detained 13 individuals on suspicion of manslaughter related to last week’s devastating fire, amid growing criticism over the arrests of citizens demanding accountability.

Search Continues as Death Toll Climbs

Emergency services continued to search through the seven-building complex of the Wang Fuk Court residential area in the Tai Po district on the start of the week, days after the most fatal blaze in seven and a half decades. The number of fatalities reached one hundred and fifty-one and is anticipated to climb higher as the search continues. Approximately 40 people are still unaccounted for.

Renovations Connected with Cause of Blaze

The estate, housing nearly 5,000 people, had been undergoing major refurbishment that have been linked to the origin of the blaze. In the wake of the tragedy, public fury has grown over alleged previous safety breaches by the contractor working at the location and lax enforcement of standards, spurred on by disclosures that occupants had been complaining about the renovations for a year.

Arrests Include Corporate Executives

On Monday afternoon, officials said anti-corruption authorities had arrested thirteen people over the disaster so far, including the directors and an technical advisor of a construction company, and had “promptly initiated a thorough probe along the lines of involuntary manslaughter”.

Substandard Materials Uncovered

A top administrator stated that 7 of twenty tested samples of the mesh netting used around the towers did not meet flame-resistance requirements. Preliminary checks had found samples were up to code, but the spokesperson said the cheaper, noncompliant netting had been put in areas difficult to access in order to evade detection, describing it as a “shameful act”.

“Their sole aim was to make money at the cost of people’s lives,” he said.

Civilians Detained Amid Calls for Accountability

As allegations of safety violations grow, alongside reports that government authorities had issued multiple apparently unenforced warnings, residents have asked why no government figures have yet faced consequences. Instead, two members of the public were reportedly taken into custody by security forces.

One individual, identified as a local student, was arrested over an internet appeal that made “four demands” for assured assistance for the affected families and responsibility for those at fault, including any corrupt or responsible public servants.

Reports said the student was arrested for “seditious intention”. Police did not confirm the arrest, saying only that they “will act according to actual circumstances and in compliance with the legal framework”.

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

Government Statement on Detentions

Asked about the arrests, the security chief said there had been “misleading statements on the internet” that were intended to undermine public security. “Therefore, we must take necessary steps, including police action,” the official told a media briefing. “Specifics of the operation cannot be disclosed as they concern state security.”

Social Media Response and Comparisons Drawn

On Hong Kong social media, people criticised the arrests of civilians. “State security must be given precedence even if the victims are still buried in the structure,” said one.

Some commenters drew comparisons to the Chinese mainland. “The mainland, these crimes are called ‘creating disturbances’,” said one commenter. “They are typically met with heavy sentences. Social order trumps everything.”

Another said: “Now that we are following the mainland’s methods, by dealing with the person who asks questions, nobody will dare to ask, and thus the city's administration will have no problems.”

Heightened Sensitivity and Community Response

The arrests came after advisories by national security authorities that they would take action against anyone deemed to be exploiting the tragedy to incite “hostile” feelings.

Prior to the arrests, authorities had already demonstrated increased vigilance to the public reaction. Since the quelling of earlier protests, civilian gatherings have been strictly regulated. In the immediate aftermath, volunteer supporters rapidly established aid operations, with hundreds of people employing cars and public transport to bring in large quantities of garments, food and other essentials for the victims.

Nevertheless, by nightfall, officers were patrolling the vicinity, and public authorities soon assumed control from the community coordinators.

The petition over which the individual was reportedly arrested was initiated late on Friday. Its “four points” echoed the terminology of past protest movements but did not advocate political change.

The individual informed reporters that he was only “putting forward very basic requests”.

“Should these suggestions are deemed subversive or ‘crossing the line’, then I feel I can’t predict the outcomes of anything any more, and I can only do what I sincerely think is right,” he stated.