Exclusive | ‘No limits’ to accountability over Tai Po fire, security chief Chris Tang says

As Hong Kong marks the 29th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1, the South China Morning Post talks to the city’s senior officials about the administration’s achievements so far and what may lie ahead.
Authorities will arrest and prosecute anyone if there is evidence of their wrongdoing in the Tai Po fire tragedy to ensure justice is served without needing the independent committee to become a legal commission of inquiry, Hong Kong’s security chief has vowed.
In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said that law enforcement agencies were already prosecuting two people who refused to testify before the committee, and that there should be “no limits” to accountability in determining who was responsible for last November’s inferno.
“Whether they attend the committee or not, it doesn’t really matter. If we have evidence, we will arrest and we will prosecute,” Tang said.
On Monday, the independent committee investigating the Wang Fuk Court fire ruled out seeking statutory powers to compel witnesses to testify, leaving some survivors concerned that key figures might escape any legal consequences.
The committee’s ongoing hearings have revealed failures by multiple government departments to detect fire risks before the blaze at the estate, which was undergoing renovations. These included the use of polyfoam boards to cover windows and non-fire-retardant scaffolding mesh, and the removal of fireproof windows from emergency passages, all of which contributed significantly to the rapid spread of the fire.

The 43-hour inferno, one of the worst blazes in the city in decades, tore through seven out of the eight residential buildings in Wang Fuk Court, killing 168 people, including a firefighter, and displacing around 5,000 residents.
Asked whether disciplined services officers, especially those from the Fire Services Department, should be held accountable for the blaze, Tang said it was too early to tell, but he stressed that firefighters’ efforts should be recognised despite any shortcomings.
“There are areas for improvement, of course, but we can see their courage. We make every effort to save lives and even had one firefighter sacrifice [his] life. I think there’s no doubt they have put in 100 per cent effort.”
Tang added that there should be “no limits” to the level of officials held accountable for the tragedy.
Parallel to the inquiry, police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption jointly charged seven people and two firms earlier this month with a total of 25 offences, including manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, attempting to pervert the course of public justice and tax evasion, in connection with the fire.
The two individuals who refused to testify before the committee and were charged were Hau Wa-kin and Gordon Ho Kin-yip, directors of Prestige Construction and Engineering, the main contractor for renovations at Wang Fuk Court. They submitted written statements to the committee, but refused to testify at the hearings.
Another figure who submitted written testimony but declined to testify was district councillor Peggy Wong Pik-kiu, a former consultant to the Wang Fuk Court owners’ committee.

Multiple Wang Fuk Court residents had accused Wong of meddling with estate owners’ meetings, intimidating attendees holding opposing views and residents facing difficulty reclaiming family members’ votes after she had collected them as a proxy.
Wong said in her statement that she had not offered any benefits in return for proxy votes she had collected ahead of two meetings in 2021 and 2024. She said she had not collected any votes for a general meeting at which owners selected Prestige as the renovation contractor.
Asked how the Security Bureau would handle cases such as Wong’s, Tang stressed that evidence would be key to any prosecution.

Tang also defended the judge-led committee’s decision not to pursue a statutory upgrade, saying the current structure would deliver effective results in a timely manner.
“There won’t be any delayed justice because the process is really quick and they’re going to issue the report in about nine, 10 months’ time,” Tang said.
Citing the Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017, Tang noted the final investigation report on the blaze was only published seven years later, in 2024, with no prosecutions so far.
British authorities published a phase one report in October 2019, focusing strictly on events on the day of the fire, how it started and how it spread.
A final 1,700-page report was released in September 2024 to explain underlying causes of the fire after a six-year investigation.
Speaking ahead of the 29th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule, Tang also addressed developments related on the national security law and plans for his bureau, with two outstanding pieces of legislation still on the table before his term ends next year.
These are amendments to have stiffer punishments for sexual offences and to toughen fire safety regulations.

Addressing concerns about why firefighters from mainland China were unable to help during the Wang Fuk Court fire despite an emergency response mechanism, Tang said the city’s fire service and its mainland and Macau counterparts would need time to coordinate different standards.
“We can invite emergency vehicles from the mainland or Macau to Hong Kong to assist, for the time being, flooding and landslides, but not actual firefighting,” Tang said.
Hong Kong signed an agreement with rescue authorities in Guangdong province and Macau in 2024 to enhance emergency response cooperation.
With communication and tactics of paramount importance, Tang said the first step would be to coordinate the configuration of firefighting equipment, from vehicles to oxygen tanks. This process could be sorted within the coming months, Tang said.
“For example, one uses a two-pin plug, another uses a three-pin plug. Now, if the fire engines arrive, they cannot access our water sources. This is something we need to iron out,” he said.
The security chief added that entry safety procedures and firefighting strategies also differed between jurisdictions, leaving authorities needing to discuss coordination before any operation takes place.
“These all have to proceed in phases. For instance, the first phase would be spraying water jets from outside the burning building,” Tang said.