‘Why did it take 11 months?’: apology too late for some Tai Po fire survivors

Hong Kong officials’ apology over the deadly Tai Po blaze nearly a year ago came too late, residents of the fire-ravaged estate have said, as they urged authorities to learn from the disaster and pursue long-term reforms.

Several Wang Fuk Court residents also said on Thursday the resignation of housing minister Winnie Ho Wing-yin could not answer for cross-departmental failings, adding that institutional overhaul would be ineffective unless officials enforced rules, exercised sound judgment and took responsibility for their decisions.

Some members of the public viewed planned reforms as a first step towards tackling bid-rigging and poor building maintenance.