Two directors of a contractor linked to the deadly inferno at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court have denied all allegations of bid-rigging, corruption and collusion with consultants, with one saying he was never told the housing estate’s fire safety system had any problems. A district councillor, Peggy Wong Pik-kiu, who has been criticised for her links to the former owners’ committee of the Tai Po complex, also rejected allegations of exchanging “gift bags” for proxy votes and denied soliciting or...
Hong Kong hotels and guest houses are required to provide fire escape hoods to ensure customer safety, with authorities rolling out a grace period for the sector, the city’s home affairs minister has said. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen also said on Saturday that the government would discuss implementation arrangements with the sector soon, after some representatives flagged that they had not been consulted before the requirement was introduced. “We have heard different...
Hong Kong authorities are set to roll out sweeping reforms following the conclusion of the investigation into the city’s deadliest fire in decades, including criminalising bid-rigging and overhauling fire safety and property management laws. Political observers also expected senior officials, including ministers, to take accountability for the blaze once the committee submits its report, which sources said would be delayed by a month to late October due to the extra time needed to review...
Residents of Hong Kong’s blaze-ravaged Wang Fuk Court would still have died even if the housing estate’s fire alarms had been working during last year’s inferno, a contractor has suggested, prompting the judge overseeing a public inquiry into the disaster to question whether he was attempting to evade responsibility. Legal counsel for a director of fire service contractor China Status Development and Engineering said on Wednesday that residents living in the first building to catch fire on...
Al Jazeera's Tony Cheng reports from the site where a deadly fire tore through a Bangkok pub around midnight on Monday.
Bench says “slackness” by the civic authorities to take effective action against unauthorised constructions in the national capital and its neighbouring regions will not be tolerated