Tai Po Fire independent inquiry continues with Home Affairs Deputy Director & ex-ICU head testifying
發佈日期: 2026-05-08 20:03
TVB News
The hearing of the Independent Committee's inquiry looking into the deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po continues.
Testifying today were the Deputy Director of Home Affairs and former head of the Housing Bureau's Independent Checking Unit .
The Independent Committee's public hearing on the Wang Fuk Court fire continued Friday.
Taking the stand was Te Chi-wang, deputy director of the Home Affairs Department.
He said the department received a total of 44 complaints related to the owners' group at Wang Fuk Court, and his colleagues had tried their best to handle them.
In February and July 2024, 5 percent of the owners of the housing estate requested to hold general meetings, including one in July to remove management committee members.
Both were rejected by the then chairman of the owners' group.
He says the Home Affairs Department plays a coordinating role but it does not have enforcement powers.
Te says the owners' groups can consider hiring licensed property management companies in future to assist with major maintenance project-related work, and as for building consultants, Te says it's better that the Development Bureau helps with the arrangement, instead of the home affairs bureau.
The former head of the Independent Checking Unit of the Housing Bureau Lau Fu-kwok also testified.
He said the ICU is mainly responsible for ensuring works safety at government subsidised housing or HOS flats.
Lau agreed that the ICU needed to take the initiative to supervise and expose misconduct.
In the case of the illegal temporary openings in the stairwells, Lau said because no complaints were received at the time, he was not aware of it, and admitted there are blind spots in the system.
