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After the release of the independent commission’s report on the Wang Fook Court fire, Lee Ka-chao and other officials bowed and apologized. Housing Bureau director Peter Ho was cleared to resign. The government also announced reforms to the bid-rigging system and will investigate the responsibilities of four departments.
The Tai Po incident took place on November 26 last year, in which 168 people lost their lives.Wang Fook Court After nearly nine months of operation and 30 hearings, its independent committee submitted its investigation report to Chief Executive Li Jiachao last week. On the 29th, Li Ka-chao led seven officials to bow down and apologize at a press conference, and the resignation of Hong Kong Housing Bureau Secretary Ho Wing-yin was accepted.
in shenzhenAPEC On the eve of the event, at 2:45 pm on the 29th, Li Jiachao and relevant officials held a press conference on the report of the Independent Committee on the Tai Po Wang Fook Court Fire in the lecture hall on the ground floor of the government headquarters at 2 Tim Mei Road, Tamar. Officials present included Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Secretary for Administration Peter Chan Kwok-ki, Financial Secretary Paul Chan, Justice Secretary Lam Ting-kwok, Security Secretary Tang Ping-keung, Labor and Welfare Secretary Sun Yuk-han, Development Secretary Ning Hon-ho and Deputy Financial Secretary Wong Wai-lun. Housing Secretary Edwin Ho did not attend.
Li Jiachao said the Wang Fook Court fire killed 168 people, including the death of a firefighter, and affected 1,984 families, causing grief to the victims and society. As Chief Executive and Head of Government, he was deeply saddened and apologized to the victims and the general public on behalf of the SAR Government. After this he encouraged the seven officers present to stand up and pay obeisance. Lee Ka-chiu also announced that Ho Wing-hsien had accepted political responsibility and accepted his resignation. He will henceforth cease his duties and Wong Wai-lun will act as Secretary of the Housing Bureau.
Li Jiachao said that although He Yongxian was not found to have committed any personal misconduct, he must still bear responsibility for the fire. He revealed that Ho Yong-hsien had offered to resign during a meeting with him on the 28th. He has accepted his resignation and the related work will be taken over by Huang Weilun, Deputy Secretary for Financial Affairs.
The Housing Bureau, run by Ho Wing-yin, has an independent review team that has been criticized. The investigation report concluded that the group had poor supervision and should bear the greatest responsibility. As Shenzhen APEC is getting closer, Hong Kong has also become a place where leaders from different countries come. The report on the Wang Fook Court fire has not yet been released, and no officials have been held responsible or punished. There are many complaints from Hong Kong public opinion.
It is reported that the investigation report of the Wang Phuc Court is divided into more than ten chapters, totaling 800 to 900 pages and 330,000 words. It details the findings of the investigation on the cause of the fire and clarifies the supervisory responsibilities of the four government departments and relevant civil servants named in the hearing. The report also makes recommendations on project content standards and tackling bid-rigging.
At the meeting, Li Jiachao promised to comprehensively reform anti-bid rigging laws and law enforcement arrangements to enhance deterrence and law enforcement capabilities. Specific measures include allowing police to invoke the Organized and Serious Crime Ordinance to seize assets of suspected bid-rigging groups; To amend the Competition Ordinance to classify bid-rigging as a criminal offense and to allow criminal and civil investigations into related conduct.
The Hong Kong SAR Government will also establish an inter-departmental task force to combat bid-rigging, consisting of the police, the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Competition Commission.
Lee Ka-chiu also said that the government will investigate four agencies found to have failed in their duties in accordance with the Level 2 mechanism of the “Department Head Accountability System”, namely the Independent Review Unit under the Housing Bureau, the Building Department, the Fire Service Department and the Labor Department. The investigation will be completed within three months, and individual responsibilities will be clarified by collecting evidence to determine whether the personnel concerned violated relevant regulations or the Civil Service Code. Ultimately, the Civil Service Commission will recommend whether disciplinary action should be taken against the personnel responsible.
Summary FAQ
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Li Jiachao and seven officials bowed publicly and apologized, acknowledging that the fire caused 168 deaths, 1 firefighter died in the line of duty and affecting 1,984 families, and apologized to the victims and citizens on behalf of the SAR government.
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Lee Ka-chiu said that he found no personal misconduct by Ho Yong-hsien, but he still needed to bear political responsibility; He submitted his resignation on the 28th and it was accepted. From that day onwards, the post of Secretary of the Housing Bureau will be taken over by Huang Weilun.
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The government will amend relevant laws, empower police to seize assets of bid-rigging groups, and classify bid-rigging as a criminal offense; Also, it will set up an interdepartmental task force and investigate four departments found guilty of dereliction of duty in accordance with the department head responsibility system.
