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Authorities in Hong Kong have arrested 13 people on suspicion of manslaughter in relation to last week’s devastating fire, as they face growing criticism from residents over the arrests under national security laws of at least two civilians calling for accountability.
Emergency services continued to search through the seven towers of the Wang Fuk Court estate in Tai Po on Monday, days after the city’s deadliest fire in 75 years. The death toll rose to 151 and is expected to rise further as the search continues. About 40 people are still missing.
The estate, home to almost 5,000 people, had been undergoing extensive renovations that have been linked to the fire’s cause. In the aftermath, anger has grown over alleged past safety violations by the construction company working at the site and lax enforcement of standards, fuelled by revelations that residents had been complaining about the renovations for a year.
On Monday afternoon, officials said anti-corruption authorities had arrested 13 people over the disaster so far, including the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, and had “immediately begun comprehensive investigation along the lines of manslaughter”.
Hong Kong’s chief secretary, Eric Chan, said seven of 20 tested samples of the mesh netting used in scaffolding around the towers did not meet fire-retardant standards. Initial testing found samples were up to code, but Chan said the cheaper, noncompliant netting had been put in areas difficult to access in order to evade detection, describing it as a “shameful act”.
“They just wanted to make money at the expense of people’s lives,” he said.
As allegations of safety violations grow, alongside revelations that government authorities had issued multiple apparently unenforced warnings, residents have asked why no officials have yet faced consequences. Instead, two civilians were reportedly arrested by national security police.
Miles Kwan, a Hong Kong student, was arrested on Saturday over an online petition that made “four demands” for guaranteed support of the victims and accountability for those at fault, including any corrupt or culpable government officials.
Local media said Kwan was arrested for “seditious intention”. Police did not confirm the arrest, saying only that they “will take actions according to actual circumstances and in accordance with the law”.
Kwan was seen leaving a police station on Monday afternoon, Agence France-Presse reported.
Local media also reported the arrest of Kenneth Cheung, a former district councillor, on Sunday evening.
Asked on Monday about the arrests, the secretary of security, Chris Tang, said only there had been “inaccurate comments online” that were intended to threaten national security. “Therefore, we must take appropriate measures, including law enforcement measures,” Tang told the press conference. “Operational details cannot be disclosed as they involve national security.”
On Hong Kong social media, people criticised the arrests of civilians. “National security must be prioritised even if the dead are still buried in the building,” said one.
Some commenters drew comparisons to mainland China. “The mainland calls these crimes ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’,” said one commenter. “It’s usually punished with heavy sentences. Stability trumps everything.”
Another said: “Now that we are aligning with mainland China’s approach, by dealing with the person who raises the question, no one will dare to ask questions, and thus Hong Kong’s governance will have no problems.”
The arrests followed warnings by national security authorities that they would crack down on anyone deemed to be using the incident to incite “anti-China” sentiment.
Before the arrests, authorities had already begun showing heightened sensitivity to the community response in Tai Po. Since the 2019 protests were quelled, civilian gatherings have been tightly controlled or prevented in Hong Kong. On Thursday and Friday the Guardian witnessed the rapid establishment of volunteer supporters using skills not seen at this scale since the protests, with hundreds of people using cars and public transport to bring in mountains of clothes, food and other essentials for the victims. The Guardian did not see any sign of political activism.
However, by evening, armed police were patrolling the area, and government officials soon took over from volunteer organisers.
The petition over which Kwan was allegedly arrested was launched late on Friday. Its “four demands” echoed the language of the protest movement’s “five demands” for democratic progress, but did not call for political change.
Kwan told media on Friday that he was only “proposing very basic demands”.
“If these ideas are deemed seditious or ’crossing the line’, then I feel I can’t predict the consequences of anything any more, and I can only do what I truly believe,” he said.
Additional reporting by Lillian Yang and agencies
