Tai Po fire hearing continues as residents say they felt threatened at meetings with councillor and estate owners
發佈日期: 2026-04-16 20:50
TVB News
The independent committee investigating the Tai Po fire continued a public hearing with dramatic testimonies on Thursday. The public hearing resumed at Central City Gallery.
Under the guidance of the committee's senior counsel, Victor Dawes, a couple of Wang Fuk Court residents spoke about proxy vote issues at the estate's owners' corporation meeting.
Danny Fung, a Wang Tai House resident, claimed Peggy Wong, a DAB district councillor and former consultant of the estate's owners' corporation, exerted influence in meetings.
He said a group of people would accompany Wong to those meetings, who often threaten other attendees.
At the meeting to decide on Prestige Construction and Engineering as the renovation contractor, Fung said he had witnessed Wong's associates lined up to receive proxy votes.
The resident told the committee that one of Wong's people had contacted him on mobile, asking him to help Prestige become the contractor.
Dawes questioned if he knew the person, Fung said he didn't.
A Wang Chi House resident, Tai Chi-man, said Peggy Wong had once collected a proxy vote from his mother.
Tai went to Wong's associates after hearing the news to retrieve the vote. He managed to take the vote back despite obstructions in the process.
Asked if he had anything else to say to the committee, Tai commented that Tony Tsui, the former chairman of the estate's owners' corporation, changed after taking the post -- turning a deaf ear to residents' concerns.
Witness Ng Pui-kwan, a subcontractor who handled the external wall maintenance of Wang Cheong House, Wang Tai House and Wang Kin House, also testified.
Ng told the committee that it's his first time using foam boards to seal the windows for protection before chiselling.
He said the boards stayed on afterward because his boss, a man surnamed Yim said so. Yim owns the company, Hoi Tak Construction Engineering.
Ng said Prestige had instructed him to replace the fireproof windows at the back stairs with moveable boards every five floors.
Ng admitted that the replacement was not necessary but merely brought convenience to workers so they can get in and out.
When Lee Shun-wun, the committee's counsel asked Ng if he knew about the danger of removing the windows, the subcontractor said no.
Zhang Minghai, another subcontractor who conducted the window shielding at Wang Tao House, also told the committee that he was asked not to remove the boards.
Lee Chun-ho lost his mother, brother, niece and helper, who lived on Wang Tai House's 19th floor. Lee called his mother every 15 minutes on the day. By 9 pm, Lee's family was still trapped in the flat. Lee rushed to a FSD's command centre to report his family situation.
In return, the officers said his family had contacted the authorities eight times.
Lee recalled hearing the radio transmission from frontline firefighters that they had trouble reaching the 14th floor.
Final witness Lee Kwok-hung, who had read Prestige's renovation contract, said the contractor would conduct work differently to what the document said.
He said Prestige and the owners' corporation discussed the changes "verbally."
The committee also heard that Lee had made phone calls twice to the FSD in 2024 regarding concerns over foam boards and fire doors. But the government's barrister said authorities couldn't find the call record for the foam board issues.
