https://www.scmp.com/rss/324641/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Brian Wong,Jess Ma Brian Wong,Jess Ma Government inspectors did not foresee engineering firms colluding to deceive authorities over the use of substandard renovation materials at a Hong Kong residential estate devastated in the city’s deadliest fire in decades, a public inquiry has heard. Andy Ku Siu-ping, a senior maintenance surveyor with the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit, on Wednesday blamed “systemic defects” for the body’s failure to rectify the use of flammable polyfoam boards and scaffolding mesh during a HK$336... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3352656/tai-po-fire-inspectors-failed-anticipate-firms-deception-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3352656/tai-po-fire-inspectors-failed-anticipate-firms-deception-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 13:58:03 +0000 Jess Ma,Brian Wong Jess Ma,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. All eyes were on the Hong Kong Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) on Wednesday, as one of its officers testified before a judge-led panel about its role in the Tai Po blaze. Senior maintenance surveyor Andy Ku Siu-ping was the only witness giving testimony in the first of three sessions of the fourth round of evidential hearings. The ICU,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3352299/tai-po-fire-probe-housing-bureaus-checking-unit-failed-follow-safety-issues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3352299/tai-po-fire-probe-housing-bureaus-checking-unit-failed-follow-safety-issues?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 04:03:08 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A prominent hedge fund manager took advantage of a bank’s “wholesale collective failure” to prevent illicit trading, making HK$1.7 million in a single day by using confidential information to sell shares in a Hong Kong fashion house nine years ago, prosecutors alleged on Tuesday. British-born investor Simon Sadler is on trial at the District Court alongside the now-defunct Segantii Capital Management and former employee Daniel Anthony La Rocca Jnr over alleged insider dealing in the shares of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3352518/hong-kong-block-trade-king-exploited-bank-lapse-make-hk17-million-court-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3352518/hong-kong-block-trade-king-exploited-bank-lapse-make-hk17-million-court-told?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 11:18:54 +0000 Brian Wong,Ng Kang-chung Brian Wong,Ng Kang-chung A transgender student has taken a Hong Kong school to court, alleging “discriminatory” policies requiring short hair in line with her sex assigned at birth. Lawyers for Oscar Fung King-ho on Thursday sought unspecified damages from the incorporated management committee of Lung Kong World Federation School Limited, Lau Wong Fat Secondary School in Tai Kok Tsui. They said she had faced “public humiliation and rebukes” from teachers over her hair length before leaving the school last... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3352370/transgender-student-sues-hong-kong-school-over-discriminatory-hair-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3352370/transgender-student-sues-hong-kong-school-over-discriminatory-hair-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 10:00:54 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong dancer left paralysed after being struck by a giant screen at a concert by Cantopop boy band Mirror delivered court testimony for the first time on Monday, with his lawyer revealing he had received treatment in Beijing and Thailand. The District Court is assessing the damages to be awarded to Mo Li Kai-yin after finding Studiodanz liable for compensation under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance following the accident at Hong Kong Coliseum on July 28, 2022. Li, 31, was paralysed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3352332/paralysed-dancer-mo-li-testifies-court-first-time-over-mirror-concert-accident?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3352332/paralysed-dancer-mo-li-testifies-court-first-time-over-mirror-concert-accident?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 06:31:33 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen An official tendering system designed to curb anti-competitive conduct is powerless to combat engineering firms colluding to manipulate Hong Kong’s lucrative building maintenance market, a public inquiry into the city’s deadliest fire in decades has heard. Testifying on the 21st day of an independent committee’s hearing, three Urban Renewal Authority (URA) officials said on Thursday that the statutory body had neither the capacity nor the resources to combat bid-rigging linked to estates’... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3352067/tai-po-fire-tendering-system-cant-stop-firms-manipulating-market-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3352067/tai-po-fire-tendering-system-cant-stop-firms-manipulating-market-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:04:14 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee investigating the deadly blaze at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court residential estate held its 21st day of evidential hearings on Thursday. Three witnesses from the Urban Renewal Authority gave evidence. URA case manager Matthew Chan Yat-ho, said the authority was aware of the practice of bid-rigging in the building maintenance sector, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351931/tai-po-fire-probe-uras-lack-price-checks-opened-door-unscrupulous-consultants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351931/tai-po-fire-probe-uras-lack-price-checks-opened-door-unscrupulous-consultants?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 03:21:28 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Hong Kong’s Law Society has ordered the closure of a solicitors’ firm under investigation for its alleged role in a series of “crash-for-cash” scams in the city. The society’s council announced on Wednesday it would intervene in the practice of Raymond Lam & Associates, which will cease operations with immediate effect. The council also appointed Robertsons, another local law firm, as the intervention agent to handle matters pertaining to the closure. In a statement, the society said it found... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351885/hong-kong-law-society-closes-firm-linked-crash-cash-scams?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351885/hong-kong-law-society-closes-firm-linked-crash-cash-scams?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:56:09 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong man has been jailed for two months for sharing a social media post urging residents to shun last year’s Legislative Council election. Security guard Wong Wah-kwong, 63, pleaded guilty at West Kowloon Court on Wednesday to inciting others to boycott the December poll – the second under a Beijing-imposed “patriots-only” election overhaul in 2021. Wong admitted sharing a Facebook post dated October 15 last year by fugitive activist Alan Keung Ka-wai, who urged Hongkongers to avoid... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351876/2-months-jail-hong-kong-security-guard-who-shared-post-urging-legco-poll-boycott?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351876/2-months-jail-hong-kong-security-guard-who-shared-post-urging-legco-poll-boycott?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:02:51 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong cook has been jailed for 18 years for persistently sexually abusing the daughter he shares with his mistress, with the presiding judge also criticising the victim’s mother for trying to keep her silent. The High Court on Wednesday said a deterrent sentence was necessary for the 61-year-old to reflect society’s abhorrence of the “evil” crimes he committed against the girl when she was aged 11 to 18. The accused, identified only by his initials, TML, to protect his daughter’s identity,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351813/hong-kong-cook-jailed-18-years-evil-sexual-abuse-daughter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351813/hong-kong-cook-jailed-18-years-evil-sexual-abuse-daughter?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 06:39:42 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong An accounting clerk has admitted to helping a fraud syndicate withdraw HK$31 million (US$4 million) from a Hong Kong brokerage five years ago after being told she was under investigation by Beijing’s national security arm in the city. The High Court on Tuesday convicted Wong Pui-shan of 10 counts of money laundering after she confessed to authorising 10 illicit transactions at the behest of an impostor she believed was from the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351682/brokerage-clerk-admits-helping-syndicate-defraud-employer-hk31-million?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351682/brokerage-clerk-admits-helping-syndicate-defraud-employer-hk31-million?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 07:41:47 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Government surveyors failed to detect major fire risks at a housing complex destroyed in Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno in decades because they were following outdated guidelines that did not require in-person inspections of renovation works, a public inquiry has heard. The independent committee was told on Monday that illegal alterations to Wang Fuk Court’s emergency passages during the HK$336 million (US$42.9 million) overhaul of the estate’s exterior could have been discovered sooner had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351604/fire-risks-not-spotted-due-old-inspection-guidelines-tai-po-blaze-inquiry-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351604/fire-risks-not-spotted-due-old-inspection-guidelines-tai-po-blaze-inquiry-told?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 13:55:41 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po fire examined the roles of building and home affairs authorities on the 20th day of evidential hearings. Four witnesses from the Buildings Department and the Home Affairs Department testified before the judge-led panel on Monday. Cheung Yuk-ching, an assistant director of the Buildings... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351448/tai-po-fire-probe-higher-qualifications-supervision-required-repair-works?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351448/tai-po-fire-probe-higher-qualifications-supervision-required-repair-works?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 03:07:48 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Hong Kong’s fire services chief has acknowledged that better communication with building authorities is needed after an independent committee earlier revealed that his officers had taken no action against possible safety breaches during renovations at Wang Fuk Court, where 168 people were killed in last year’s inferno. But Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung Yan-kin insisted on Friday that authorities had clear divisions of work when it came to the supervision of renovation projects, even as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351341/departments-must-communicate-better-fire-chief-tells-tai-po-blaze-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351341/departments-must-communicate-better-fire-chief-tells-tai-po-blaze-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:00:09 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The head of the Fire Services Department testified on the 19th day of evidential hearings looking at Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades – the most senior official to appear before the investigating committee so far. Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung Yan-kin appeared before the independent committee on Friday to testify about the department’s operations... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351232/tai-po-fire-probe-water-pressure-could-only-reach-20th-floor-commander-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351232/tai-po-fire-probe-water-pressure-could-only-reach-20th-floor-commander-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 03:07:00 +0000 Brian Wong,Jess Ma Brian Wong,Jess Ma Hong Kong’s fire services declined to activate an emergency alert during the city’s deadliest inferno in decades, citing concerns that it might have caused confusion among trapped residents, a public inquiry has heard. An independent committee investigating last year’s disaster at Wang Fuk Court was also told on Thursday that the system, which would have triggered a loud, high-pitched alarm on mobile phones, would have offered little help to the Fire Services Department’s evacuation efforts, as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351135/hong-kong-fire-services-declined-tai-po-alert-over-confusion-fears-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351135/hong-kong-fire-services-declined-tai-po-alert-over-confusion-fears-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:49:52 +0000 Jess Ma,Brian Wong Jess Ma,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The role of Hong Kong’s fire service remained under the spotlight on the 18th day of evidential hearings held by an independent committee investigating the catastrophic blaze at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court. Three officers from the Fire Services Department testified on Thursday before the judge-led panel. Four of their colleagues gave accounts the previous day of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351068/tai-po-probe-very-rare-damage-found-fallen-firefighters-breathing-apparatus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3351068/tai-po-probe-very-rare-damage-found-fallen-firefighters-breathing-apparatus?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:11:58 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen A public inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has exposed confusion among government agencies over their roles in supervising large renovation projects, with a fire services officer insisting on Wednesday that his department was not responsible for handling complaints about flammable building materials because it lacked construction expertise. Hours after the hearing, the Fire Services Department announced it would launch a new mechanism this month for handling cases involving fire... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351019/confusion-over-government-agencies-roles-fire-oversight-tai-po-probe-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351019/confusion-over-government-agencies-roles-fire-oversight-tai-po-probe-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:00:18 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Four officers from Hong Kong’s fire department testified on Wednesday before an independent committee investigating the Wang Fuk Court fire, as hearings entered their 17th day. The conflagration, which broke out on November 26 last year amid a major renovation, claimed 168 lives, displaced about 5,000 residents and destroyed seven of the estate’s eight... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350941/wang-fuk-court-hazard-complaints-none-fire-departments-business-probe-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350941/wang-fuk-court-hazard-complaints-none-fire-departments-business-probe-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 02:51:32 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen A Labour Department official has told an inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po inferno that the temporary removal of fireproof windows from emergency passages in the blaze-hit estate complied with occupational safety protocols, triggering questions on whether the interests of workers and residents are at odds. The inquiry also heard on Tuesday that a department officer had misled Wang Fuk Court residents by claiming the fire resistance of renovation material was outside the purview of the law,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350910/tai-po-blaze-probe-temporary-removal-fireproof-windows-complied-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350910/tai-po-blaze-probe-temporary-removal-fireproof-windows-complied-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:32:49 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong The Hong Kong government is seeking to confiscate HK$56.5 million (US$7.2 million) from former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying’s bank accounts and all of the shares in his 17 companies after he was jailed for 20 years under the national security law, court documents show. The secretary for justice applied to the High Court earlier this month to seize Lai’s assets linked to three conspiracies to instigate foreign sanctions and incite public hatred towards the authorities in 2019 and 2020. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350893/hong-kong-seeks-seize-hk565-million-17-companies-jailed-jimmy-lai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350893/hong-kong-seeks-seize-hk565-million-17-companies-jailed-jimmy-lai?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:35:16 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong labour authorities’ handling of Wang Fuk Court residents’ complaints and inspections at the renovation site were scrutinised by the independent committee on the 16th day of its evidential hearing. Officers from the Labour Department testified on Tuesday before the judge-led panel investigating the fire that engulfed all but one of the estate’s eight... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3350809/tai-po-fire-probe-workers-might-have-smoked-despite-inspections-labour-department-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3350809/tai-po-fire-probe-workers-might-have-smoked-despite-inspections-labour-department-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 03:44:54 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen A public inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has heard that authorities and representatives of Wang Fuk Court homeowners took no proactive steps against alleged vote rigging at the subsidised housing estate. Jason Kong Cheung-fat, a former management committee member of the owners’ corporation at Wang Fuk Court, said on Monday that the abuse of proxy votes was a long-standing problem that had enabled his predecessors to maintain a firm grip on power until they were ousted over a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350746/vote-rigging-wang-fuk-court-went-unchecked-deadly-fire-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350746/vote-rigging-wang-fuk-court-went-unchecked-deadly-fire-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:30:14 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The third set of public evidential hearings into the deadly fire at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court began on Monday and concluded its 15th day of testimony in half a day. The sole witness to testify on the day, Jason Kong Cheung-fat, was re-elected into the owners’ corporation management committee as a member in September in 2024, when chairman Tang Kwok-kuen was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350661/tai-po-fire-probe-new-management-committee-failed-tackle-abuse-proxy-votes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350661/tai-po-fire-probe-new-management-committee-failed-tackle-abuse-proxy-votes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 03:46:01 +0000 Brian Wong,Matthew Cheng Brian Wong,Matthew Cheng The owners’ corporation of a Hong Kong housing complex devastated in the city’s deadliest fire in decades failed to convince renovation workers to use fire-resistant materials due to the absence of statutory requirements, a public inquiry heard. Tony Tsui Moon-come, chairman of the management committee of the incorporated owners of Wang Fuk Court at the time of the fire, said on Friday he and other residents were “helpless” when trying to compel contractor Prestige Construction and Engineering... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350494/tai-po-fire-owners-group-repeatedly-protested-use-flammable-materials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350494/tai-po-fire-owners-group-repeatedly-protested-use-flammable-materials?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:41:36 +0000 Matthew Cheng,Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Matthew Cheng,Brian Wong,Leopold Chen This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The hearing by an independent panel investigating the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire in Hong Kong entered its 14th day on Friday. The hearing focused on the role of the management committee of the owners’ corporation, with a former chairman of the body and a construction worker testifying. Tony Tsui Moon-come, chairman of the management committee at the time of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350390/no-cigarettes-allowed-and-no-one-seen-smoking-worker-tells-tai-po-fire-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350390/no-cigarettes-allowed-and-no-one-seen-smoking-worker-tells-tai-po-fire-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:35:35 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Two renovation subcontractors involved in a HK$336 million (US$42.9 million) project at a subsidised estate ravaged by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades have conceded they did not regulate workers’ smoking behaviour before the inferno. The two engineering firms on Thursday also told an independent committee that they had partially replaced fireproof windows at Wang Fuk Court’s evacuation passages with movable wooden boards to allow workers’ easy access to scaffolding at the behest of main... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350318/we-failed-check-if-workers-smoked-wang-fuk-court-firms-tell-fire-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350318/we-failed-check-if-workers-smoked-wang-fuk-court-firms-tell-fire-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:17:21 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. More Wang Fuk Court residents and senior staff at two engineering firms testified on Thursday for the 13th day of an evidential hearing into Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades. Justice David Lok Kai-hong, the committee chairman, said a day earlier that the body would avoid deciding for the time being on whether it would apply to the city leader to become a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350238/tai-po-fire-probe-resident-recalls-deaths-3-family-members-domestic-helper?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350238/tai-po-fire-probe-resident-recalls-deaths-3-family-members-domestic-helper?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 02:41:07 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen A Hong Kong fire services official has defended a decision to decline mainland Chinese firefighters’ help in combating the city’s deadliest inferno in decades, citing concerns that they might have been unable to immediately adapt to the new environment and effectively communicate with their local counterparts. On the 12th day of a public evidential hearing on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Fire Officer Sunny Wong Sze-lut also justified the firefighting strategies during the blaze that raged for around... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350191/hong-kong-official-defends-decision-decline-mainland-firefighters-help-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350191/hong-kong-official-defends-decision-decline-mainland-firefighters-help-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:00:16 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. A judge-led panel investigating the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, which killed 168 people in Tai Po, concluded its 12th day of evidential hearings on Wednesday. Representatives from the Fire Services Department and police testified before the independent committee looking into the Wang Fuk Court blaze and the systemic problems it revealed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350104/tai-po-probe-sees-ideal-progress-not-yet-time-commission-inquiry-chair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350104/tai-po-probe-sees-ideal-progress-not-yet-time-commission-inquiry-chair?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 02:28:27 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong retiree has been jailed for a year under the domestic national security law over seditious remarks on social media, after suggesting that last year’s Wang Fuk Court fire could trigger unrest similar to the 2019 anti-government protests. Former salesman Raymond Chong Wai-man, 61, pleaded guilty on Tuesday at West Kowloon Court to knowingly publishing 53 seditious Facebook posts that denigrated the central and local authorities between March 26, 2024 and November 29 last year. Chong, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350072/hong-kong-retiree-gets-one-year-jail-seditious-social-media-comments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350072/hong-kong-retiree-gets-one-year-jail-seditious-social-media-comments?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:12:14 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Firefighters combating Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno in decades prioritised bringing the blaze under control over evacuating residents due to the “unprecedented” scale of the disaster, a public inquiry has heard. Four Fire Services Department officers on Monday shared how the operation unfolded during the initial stage of the 43-hour inferno that ravaged Wang Fuk Court in November. They highlighted the difficulties in rescuing residents trapped in their homes due to the flames’ rapid spread... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349916/firefighters-prioritised-tackling-blaze-over-rescues-tai-po-probe-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349916/firefighters-prioritised-tackling-blaze-over-rescues-tai-po-probe-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:01:23 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, which claimed 168 lives at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, completed its 11th day of hearings on Monday. Four senior firefighters, who served as commanders during the Tai Po blaze, testified before the judge-led panel. Previous hearing sessions centred on the deactivation of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349826/tai-po-probe-knowledge-defects-couldve-aided-response-firefighter-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349826/tai-po-probe-knowledge-defects-couldve-aided-response-firefighter-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 03:11:42 +0000 Brian Wong,Matthew Cheng Brian Wong,Matthew Cheng Hong Kong authorities did not conduct a fire risk assessment of a HK$336 million (US$42.9 million) renovation project at Wang Fuk Court before the city’s deadliest blaze in decades engulfed the housing estate, a public inquiry has heard. Sam Keung Sai-ming, an assistant director of the Fire Services Department’s licensing and certification branch, said on Friday that authorities did not pay special attention to fire hazards at residential estates undergoing large-scale maintenance before the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349695/tai-po-blaze-no-fire-risk-checks-done-hk336-million-estate-renovation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349695/tai-po-blaze-no-fire-risk-checks-done-hk336-million-estate-renovation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:43:16 +0000 Leopold Chen,Matthew Cheng,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Matthew Cheng,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades completed its 10th day of evidential hearings on Friday. The session focused on the Fire Services Department’s handling of shutdown notices for the fire safety systems at Wang Fuk Court, the Tai Po housing estate where 168 people were killed in the catastrophic blaze last... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349567/tai-po-probe-switching-fire-system-power-elementary-mistake-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349567/tai-po-probe-switching-fire-system-power-elementary-mistake-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 02:50:02 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong man has been jailed for 11 months and fined HK$4,500 (US$574) for selling his digital wallet, which a crime syndicate then used to receive HK$25,500 defrauded from donors who believed the money would be used to help victims of the Tai Po fire. West Kowloon Court heard on Thursday that Cham Shu-shing, a 32-year-old cook, sold his Alipay account to an unknown group of scammers last year for HK$3,800, knowing it would be used for illegal purposes. A police investigation revealed the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349493/man-jailed-11-months-giving-over-account-used-defraud-tai-po-fire-donors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349493/man-jailed-11-months-giving-over-account-used-defraud-tai-po-fire-donors?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 06:39:54 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong At least two bid-rigging syndicates could be linked to the HK$336 million (US$43 million) renovation bid for a housing estate destroyed in Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, a lawyer for the competition watchdog has said at the fourth session of an evidential hearing. Lester Lee Hiu-leung, the Competition Commission’s executive director for legal services, also said on Thursday that the watchdog had not ruled out applying to the Competition Tribunal for damages from Will Power Architects... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348041/2-bid-rigging-syndicates-potentially-linked-estate-destroyed-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348041/2-bid-rigging-syndicates-potentially-linked-estate-destroyed-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:48:40 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. A public evidential hearing by an independent committee into a fire that killed 168 people at a Hong Kong estate entered its fourth day on Thursday, with more residents coming out to testify. One resident who testified in the morning said piles of rubbish were seen outside the building that first caught fire at Wang Fuk Court estate, while another who called... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347925/police-hotline-busy-piles-rubbish-estate-residents-say-tai-po-fire-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347925/police-hotline-busy-piles-rubbish-estate-residents-say-tai-po-fire-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 02:57:56 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen,Oscar Liu Brian Wong,Leopold Chen,Oscar Liu A lawyer for the Hong Kong government has rejected “groundless” assertions that its surveyors conspired with a renovation contractor at the centre of the city’s deadliest fire in decades to conceal flammable materials used at the site, suggesting the firm did not have enough time to plan a deception before a crucial inspection. But Jenkin Suen SC on Tuesday acknowledged the need for authorities to review their shortcomings in supervising minor construction works and handling complaints after... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347757/government-rejects-suggestions-surveyor-conspired-contractor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347757/government-rejects-suggestions-surveyor-conspired-contractor?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:24:32 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong barrister turned activist on trial for allegedly inciting subversion has accused Beijing of undermining the nation’s constitutional order by entrenching one-party rule, describing the move as a regression. Chow Hang-tung told West Kowloon Court on Monday that mainland China took a step backwards in 2018 by amending the constitution to enshrine the Communist Party’s leadership in its main text at a time when the country was gradually heading towards constitutional democracy. She... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347577/anti-china-activist-trial-subversion-calls-one-party-rule-regression?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347577/anti-china-activist-trial-subversion-calls-one-party-rule-regression?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:49:47 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Hong Kong police have charged two men with a fresh terrorism offence under the national security law over an alleged bomb plot dating back three years. Prosecutors on Monday applied to Eastern Court to amend the charges against Ng Tsz-kit, 36, and Ho Chi-hang, 35, ahead of the case being transferred to the High Court for trial. The pair now face a conspiracy charge of committing terrorist acts for allegedly attempting to coerce central and local authorities or to intimidate the public through... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347564/hong-kong-police-file-fresh-terrorism-charge-against-pair-over-alleged-bomb-plot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347564/hong-kong-police-file-fresh-terrorism-charge-against-pair-over-alleged-bomb-plot?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 07:42:32 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Residents of a housing complex destroyed in one of Hong Kong’s deadliest fires were misled into picking a convicted contractor for the estate’s renovation project amid “widespread” bid-rigging and other corruption in the construction industry, a public hearing has been told. The judge-led independent committee also heard on Friday that an engineering consultant allegedly accepted a monthly stipend to “rubber stamp” tender evaluation reports, including one recommending Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347387/residents-tai-po-blaze-building-misled-over-renovation-project-inquiry-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347387/residents-tai-po-blaze-building-misled-over-renovation-project-inquiry-told?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:59:36 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen,Oscar Liu Brian Wong,Leopold Chen,Oscar Liu Contractors for a renovation project at the site of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades got away with covering up the use of substandard material because of systemic defects in government supervision, a public inquiry into the blaze that claimed 168 lives has heard. In the first of a series of evidential hearings, a judge-led independent committee was told on Thursday that six “human factors” led to the almost complete failure of fire safety measures at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court before seven of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347214/deadly-tai-po-fire-revealed-unacceptable-systemic-failings-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347214/deadly-tai-po-fire-revealed-unacceptable-systemic-failings-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:35:27 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A former Hong Kong lawmaker on trial for allegedly inciting subversion has denied abetting criminal activity by supporting mainland Chinese dissidents, accusing Beijing of levelling false charges against them. Prosecutors on Wednesday challenged Lee Cheuk-yan’s claim that he had no intention to incite others to overthrow the mainland’s communist rule when he called for an end to “one-party dictatorship” as former chairman of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347061/former-hong-kong-lawmaker-denies-abetting-criminal-activity-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3347061/former-hong-kong-lawmaker-denies-abetting-criminal-activity-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:00:57 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Hong Kong actor Gregory Wong Chung-yiu has lost an appeal against his conviction and jail sentence of six years and two months for abetting a riot at the Legislative Council Complex during the 2019 anti-government protests. In a written judgment delivered on Wednesday, the Court of Appeal also dismissed the complaints by six others convicted in the high-profile case. The appellants had argued their jail terms of at least four years and 7½ months were manifestly excessive. Wong was among 14... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346982/hong-kong-actor-gregory-wong-loses-appeal-against-2019-legco-storming-conviction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346982/hong-kong-actor-gregory-wong-loses-appeal-against-2019-legco-storming-conviction?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 05:40:30 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A former Hong Kong opposition politician has argued that China’s one-party rule system is incompatible with the country’s constitution and fails to safeguard people’s fundamental rights, as he defended his calls to end “dictatorship” in a high-profile subversion trial. Ex-lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan, a former chairman of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, argued on Tuesday that calling for an end to “one-party dictatorship” in mainland China... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346900/tiananmen-vigil-activist-trial-says-one-party-rule-contradicts-countrys-constitution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346900/tiananmen-vigil-activist-trial-says-one-party-rule-contradicts-countrys-constitution?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:36:25 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A senior Hong Kong police officer has denied molesting a government clerk at the force’s headquarters more than a year ago. Senior Superintendent Ian Chow Ngai-kong, 50, on Monday stood trial at Eastern Court on three counts of indecent assault over the alleged incidents at police headquarters in Wan Chai on June 19 and November 1, 2024. The court heard the complainant, a senior clerical officer from the Civil Service Bureau, was seconded to the police force to provide administrative support... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346750/hong-kong-policeman-denies-molesting-clerk-headquarters-indecent-assault-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346750/hong-kong-policeman-denies-molesting-clerk-headquarters-indecent-assault-case?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:15:03 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Two former leaders of a now-disbanded alliance behind Hong Kong’s annual Tiananmen Square vigil have a case to answer in a high-profile trial after judges ruled the evidence supported prosecutors’ allegations that the activists incited others to overthrow the Communist Party of China leadership. Three High Court judges on Friday found that the evidence appeared to suggest Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung committed a subversion offence as leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346478/2-tiananmen-vigil-activists-have-case-answer-subversion-trial-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346478/2-tiananmen-vigil-activists-have-case-answer-subversion-trial-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 07:16:52 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A former Hong Kong opposition district councillor has been jailed for three years and nine months for handling HK$590,000 (US$75,409) in telephone scam proceeds on behalf of a fraud syndicate, saying he wanted to earn quick cash to repay his gambling debts and cover his father’s medical expenses. Sheep Wong Chun-yeung, 31, had initially insisted that he was secretly gathering evidence against what he believed to be a triad-run debt collection ring when he received money from six elderly victims... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346209/former-hong-kong-councillor-jailed-laundering-hk590000-phone-scam-proceeds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346209/former-hong-kong-councillor-jailed-laundering-hk590000-phone-scam-proceeds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 08:01:40 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong A Hong Kong police officer has been jailed for 16 months for trying to extort HK$60,000 (US$7,675) from a rape suspect he believed had been wrongly released by prosecutors. The District Court on Tuesday condemned Constable Ng Wai-fung for taking the law into his own hands while investigating a rape complaint lodged by a 16-year-old girl between January and April 2024. Defence lawyers said Ng, who pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office last month, was frustrated by the Department of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346086/hong-kong-policeman-gets-16-months-extorting-hk60000-rape-case-suspect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346086/hong-kong-policeman-gets-16-months-extorting-hk60000-rape-case-suspect?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Mar 2026 07:54:36 +0000