A combination of a lit cigarette and an “abundant fuel” of combustible materials caused Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, according to a long-awaited report which found the blaze would not have killed so many people, or happened at all, without “human fault”. Eleven months after the deadly fire tore through Wang Fuk Court, killing 168 and displacing thousands, an independent committee’s report released on Thursday assigned blame to the main contractor for renovations at the housing estate,...

Japan wants a more united and proactive Southeast Asia as it sees Asean as a bulwark against an intensifying great-power rivalry, analysts say, while uncertainty over Washington’s long-term Indo-Pacific strategy has deepened Tokyo’s concerns about the region’s future. Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi on Wednesday urged Southeast Asian nations to strengthen their collective response to emerging security threats, warning of a “rapidly deteriorating” security environment and shifts in the...

A combination of a lit cigarette and an “abundant fuel” of combustible materials caused Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, according to a long-awaited report which found the blaze would not have killed so many people, or happened at all, without “human fault”. Eleven months after the deadly fire tore through Wang Fuk Court, killing 168 and displacing thousands, an independent committee’s report released on Thursday assigned blame to the main contractor for renovations at the housing estate,...

Later opening times are unlikely to boost wine sales by the bottle, exhibitors returning to Hong Kong’s annual Wine and Dine Festival have said, with new overseas participants believing that the city serves as an indicator for broader trends in Asian markets. The festival returned to the Central Harbourfront on Thursday with over 340 booths, an increase of more than 10 per cent from last year, with over 30 countries and regions represented. Operating hours are from 1pm to 1am on Friday and...

The Housing Bureau will replace an independent inspection unit following heavy criticism over policy and operational failures and a “slack” work attitude in the lead-up to last year’s massive Tai Po fire. Hong Kong top officials at a press conference on October 29, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said on Thursday that a major shake-up will see the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) replaced by a new regulatory body overseeing maintenance works at all public housing estates. Lee led his administration’s top officials to bow in apology on Thursday over the deadly blaze that broke out last November at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate, killing 168 people and displacing thousands. The ICU has faced fierce criticism over deficiencies in its oversight of a major renovation project at Wang Fuk Court. Authorities have said sub-standard construction materials were used during the renovation, which led to the rapid spread of the fire. An independent committee tasked with investigating the fire said in its report that the ICU demonstrated a “slack supervision attitude” and should be held “solely responsible” for several enforcement failures, including its mishandling of residents’ complaints over potential fire hazards. Copies of the independent committee’s report on the Wang Fuk Court fire, on October 29, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “Even with a regulatory regime with loopholes and deficiencies, had the staff of the ICU taken their works seriously… there was a real possibility that they could have removed some of the fire hazards in” Wang Fuk Court, the independent committee said. New Housing Bureau body The new regulatory body will be formed next month, Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong said on Thursday. Wong has taken up the position as acting secretary for housing following the departure of Winnie Ho, who Lee said had tendered her resignation to take political accountability over the tragedy. The replacement is part of the sweeping measures that authorities announced on Thursday in response to systemic government failures relating to building maintenance works identified by the independent committee. Wong said the new regulatory body will establish specific teams responsible for renovation works for the city’s public housing estates. Each team will consist of one communication officer to maintain contact with homeowners during the renovation process, he added. Meanwhile, the Development Bureau will amend the city’s Buildings Ordinance to strengthen the new regulatory body’s oversight of professionals and contractors involved in major building maintenance works, officials said on Thursday. The government will also establish a steering committee led by Chief Secretary Eric Chan to follow up the 120 recommendations made by the independent committee, Lee said on Thursday. Chief Secretary Eric Chan at a press conference on October 29, 2026 about the deadly 2025 Wang Fuk Court blaze. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The steering committee will oversee bureaus and departments to implement the recommendations and drive “comprehensive” reform, he added. Lee also said that the government will set up a cross-departmental platform to centralise all the records and data related to building maintenance and renovation works across the city. At present, government departments log inspection records, safety violations, and contractor convictions separately. In its report, an independent committee cited a lack of interdepartmental communication as a systemic failure in regulatory oversight. The platform will enable departments to access comprehensive data and issue early risk warnings. For instance, it can aid the early detection of contractor combinations that tend to draw more complaints, according to Chan.

The Hong Kong government will set up a company to provide property owners with building renovations support, authorities have said, as part of reforms announced following the release of an investigation report on the deadly Tai Po fire. (From left to right) Chief Secretary Eric Chan, Chief Executive John Lee and Financial Secretary Paul Chan at a press conference on October 29, 2026 about the deadly 2025 Wang Fuk Court blaze. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Leading a press conference with the city’s top officials on Thursday, Chief Executive John Lee said authorities will establish a “building management support bureau.” Finance Secretary Paul Chan said authorities were recruiting a chief executive and other roles for the body, which will be a non-statutory firm, with the aim of registering the company by the end of the year. See also: Hong Kong officials bow in apology almost a year after Tai Po blaze killed 168, housing chief steps down The company will be held by the Financial Secretary Incorporated, a corporation that owns companies set up to handle government projects. Report on the Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Volume 1 of 2 [PDF].Download Report on the Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Volume 2 of 2 [PDF].Download “The… bureau will, in accordance with the government’s strategies, formulate and update building renovation measures, and will offer property owners all-new building renovation services at a cost,” Chan said in Cantonese. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee and other top officials bow in apology over the Wang Fuk Court blaze on October 29, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The government will inject HK$300 million into the company. HK$100 million will be initial start-up funding, while HK$200 million will be used to provide subsidies for property owners using its services, the finance chief added. The company will take on some of the work of the Urban Renewal Authority, a statutory body set up by the government that also assists building owners with tenders, repairs and other services. Bid-rigging criminalised Thursday’s press conference came as a report from a government-established independent committee was released following months of hearings, in which government officials from different department testified about fire safety and renovation matters linked to the Wang Fuk Court blaze. The housing estate was under a large-scale renovation project when the fire, which claimed 168 lives, happened. Copies of the independent committee’s report on the Wang Fuk Court fire, on October 29, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The public hearings earlier this year found that substandard scaffolding nets were used at the site, which caused the rapid spread of the fire, and pointed to potential bid-rigging, links to competing contractors, and “rubber-stamp inspections.” Chief Secretary Eric Lam said on Thursday that authorities will propose criminalising bid-rigging under the Competition Ordinance. Offenders will face maximum penalties of 10 years’ imprisonment, or a fine of HK$10 million. The fine can also be specific to the offence, at a maximum of three times the gains from the crime or 50 per cent of the annual revenue earned for each year of the offence. Currently, bid-rigging is only a civil offence under the Competition Ordinance. Lam said that in cases where there may not be enough evidence for a criminal prosecution, the civil route would remain, with penalties proposed to be increased to a maximum fine of HK$8 million, up to two times the gains from the offence, or up to 30 per cent of annual revenue for a cap of three years of the offence. Wang Fuk Court on August 20, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said authorities were setting up a a joint task force, which he will lead, to tackle bid-rigging. “The report showed that there are people with suspect backgrounds, including triad members, who manipulated tender results and conspired with consultants, professionals and contractors,” he said in Cantonese. The task force will include officers from the police’s Organised Crime and Triad Bureau, as well as representatives from the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Competition Commission. Authorities are also mulling the addition of bid-rigging to the list of specified offences under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance, Tang said, which would give law enforcement powers related to the freezing of assets and demanding certain information.

The massive blaze at Wang Fuk Court in November 2025 was the deadliest the city had seen in decades.

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