Opinion /

Letters

Related Topics:
Focus
China Briefing
Just Saying
City Beat
Blowing Water
Macroscope
My Take
The View
People walk past the blackened blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on December 20. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Hong Kong society

Letters | Why lapses in the Tai Po tragedy are both shocking and familiar

Readers discuss Hong Kong’s light-touch culture, the city’s struggling retail sector, and meeting the emotional needs of men.

Education in Hong Kong

Letters | New benchmarks for Hong Kong language teachers underline policy shift

Hong Kong society

Letters | Let 2026 be the year we are kinder to animals

Social media

Letters | To kick our social media habit, let’s start with the adults

Readers discuss the missing link in efforts to restrict screen time for children, concern over the Jimmy Lai trial and verdict, and rampant illegal parking in Hong Kong.

Hongkongers engrossed in their phones are a common sight on the MTR. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hongkongers engrossed in their phones are a common sight on the MTR. Photo: Eugene Lee
Education in Hong Kong

Letters | Hong Kong’s AI grant for schools shouldn’t leave out teacher training

Readers discuss the flaws of a hardware-first, training-last approach, shoring up accountability of owners’ corporations, and the aftermath of the Bondi Beach attack.

China's economic recovery

Letters | Shenzhen-Hong Kong special zone could better serve national economy

Readers discuss takeaways from the central economic work conference, native-level English proficiency, and how to honour those lost in the Tai Po fire.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Hong Kong society

Letters | Medical volunteers’ joint effort on Tai Po fire relief made a difference

Readers discuss the collaborative spirit of and bonds forged through the mobilisation, and smoking in public in Hong Kong.

A woman receives medical attention at a temporary shelter, after a fire started across multiple buildings at Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on November 26. Photo: Reuters
A woman receives medical attention at a temporary shelter, after a fire started across multiple buildings at Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on November 26. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong society

Letters | Building renovation management should not be entrusted to laymen

Readers discuss the law that makes owners responsible for common parts of buildings, the opening of the Chinese Medicine Hospital, and a robot’s record-breaking feat of endurance.

Extreme weather

Letters | Asia is not built for extreme weather. This must change

Readers discuss the urban planning features essential to climate resilience, the demise of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, and the Legislative Council election.

Hong Kong society

Letters | Tai Po fire tragedy shows importance of disaster risk reduction

Readers discuss how addressing risk factors can save lives and minimise loss, the turnout of the Legislative Council election, and the Japanese prime minister’s controversial remarks on Taiwan.

The buildings of Wang Fuk Court seen on December 16, a month after the devastating fire that engulfed the housing estate. For sudden‑onset disasters like fires, risk reduction is especially vital given the limited response time. Photo: Sam Tsang
Greater Bay Area

Letters | As Greater Bay Area shifts to carbon-free trade, Hong Kong must catch on

Readers discuss a key role for the city gleaned from China’s central economic work conference, promotion of indoor sports, and the mass shooting at Australia’s Bondi Beach.

President Xi Jinping speaks at the annual central economic work conference in Beijing on December 11. Photo: Xinhua
President Xi Jinping speaks at the annual central economic work conference in Beijing on December 11. Photo: Xinhua
China trade

Letters | World must learn to live with China’s manufacturing prowess

Readers discuss China’s record trade surplus so far this year, Hong Kong’s ambitions to be a cryptocurrency hub, and how to effectively curb social media overuse.

Accidents and personal safety

Letters | Hong Kong’s ageing buildings need better care under stronger rules

Readers call on the government to revamp the city’s governance of building management and repair, and rethink its approach to teenagers’ social media use.

Hong Kong society

Letters | Hong Kong’s ‘coin carts’ are not serving residents who need them most

Readers discuss the city’s coin collection programme, Hongkongers’ response to the Tai Po fire, and why Russia can’t be framed through a Western or Eastern lens.

Hong Kong Monetary Authority staff collect coins from residents in Lam Tin in 2024. Photo: Edmond So
Nexperia

Letters | The case for separating the Dutch and Chinese arms of Nexperia

Readers discuss the fight for control over the semiconductor company, the case of two skirt-wearing Malaysian women barred from entering a police station, and a potential ban on smoking at construction sites.

Flags fly next to a logo of Nexperia at the facade of its factory in Dongguan, Guangdong province, on November 7. Photo: Reuters
Flags fly next to a logo of Nexperia at the facade of its factory in Dongguan, Guangdong province, on November 7. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Letters | Japan overplayed its hand at the table of great powers

Readers discuss the broader implications of Tokyo’s miscalculation, Hong Kong’s entry requirements for native English-speaking teachers, and whether anything could have been done differently in Tai Po.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Letters | Uncovering truth of Tai Po tragedy not at odds with care for survivors

Readers discuss concerns raised about survivors’ psychological well-being, recognising migrant domestic workers’ contribution over the years, and stepping up efforts at disease prevention.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Hong Kong society

Letters | How Tai Po fire exposed weakness in Hong Kong contract governance

Readers call for steps to improve procurement and contract oversight, official accountability for lapses that led to the tragedy, and appreciation for donor generosity.

Volunteers sit in front of the flowers left by mourners for the victims of a deadly fire at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, on December 8. Photo: AFP
Volunteers sit in front of the flowers left by mourners for the victims of a deadly fire at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, on December 8. Photo: AFP
Scams and swindles

Letters | Cambodia is confronting the scourge of online scams head-on

Readers discuss the cross-border effort targeting the syndicates behind Cambodia’s scam farms, Malaysia’s first fully home-grown EV, and the investigation into the Tai Po fire in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Letters | Hong Kong hospital fee rises a necessary step towards sustainability

Readers discuss the healthcare reform aimed at directing care to those most in need, recovering from a traumatic disaster, and AI’s impact on society.

Foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong

Letters | It shouldn’t take a tragedy for Hong Kong to treat domestic workers fairly

Readers discuss the wave of support for migrant helpers in the wake of the Tai Po fire, professionals who volunteer their skills, and the educational value of play.

People mourn the domestic helpers who lost their lives in the Tai Po fire, at community prayers at Chater Road in Central on November 30. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Hong Kong society

Letters | Commercialisation of Hong Kong’s public venues must come with a caveat

Readers discuss the government’s bid to open up underused public venues, call for a Firefighters’ Day, and take issue with the sensationalisation of news.

Dancers perform at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre piazza on November 16, as part of the Asia+ Festival programme this year. Photo: Sam Tsang
Dancers perform at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre piazza on November 16, as part of the Asia+ Festival programme this year. Photo: Sam Tsang
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Letters | Safety lapses in Hong Kong’s construction industry must be fixed

Readers discuss an overhaul of the project tendering process, more raids at renovation sites, high-rise building design, and deploying the emergency alert system.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Letters | Investigate real causes of Tai Po fire before blaming bamboo scaffolding

Readers discuss why bamboo scaffolding is a cultural asset that should be preserved, respecting the contributions of all in community, watching the tragedy from afar, and the appropriate distance between buildings in a housing estate.

Hong Kong society

Letters | A kinder, gentler Hong Kong forged in shared pain

Readers praise Hongkongers’ empathetic response to the Tai Po fire tragedy, clarify the workings of the Observatory’s chatbot, and call on Hong Kong to consider a social media ban for adolescents.

Volunteers organise aid distribution for residents affected by the Tai Po apartment fire in Hong Kong on November 28. Photo: EPA
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW