Development minister on accountability: I am just a sailor following my captain

South China Morning Post - Oct 30, 2026

This live article is freely available to our registered users. Please log in or create an account. Hong Kong authorities will provide more details about reforms to tackle bid-rigging and enhance oversight of building maintenance projects, in response to the city’s deadliest fire in decades. The government will hold two press conferences on Friday to provide details about the reforms, after an independent committee that investigated the Tai Po fire pointed to inadequacies in the government’s...

Read full article

More News

US bans Chinese labs from testing electronics ahead of Trump-Xi meeting

US bans Chinese labs from testing electronics ahead of Trump-Xi meeting

The United States on Thursday banned all Chinese laboratories from testing electronic devices destined for the US market, just weeks before US President Donald Trump is due to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to bar testing laboratories and certification bodies in China and other economies that lack a “mutual recognition agreement” or reciprocal trade agreement with the...

China tests powerful AI that could one day be used on submarines

China tests powerful AI that could one day be used on submarines

China has showcased artificial intelligence (AI) technology alongside 7,000-metre (23,000-feet) deep-sea trials of its upgraded Jiaolong submersible, highlighting the potential for similar systems to support decision-making and emergency responses aboard nuclear-powered submarines. The Chinese crewed submersible reached a maximum depth of 7,056.9 metres during three dives in the Philippine Basin in the western Pacific Ocean, according to state news agency Xinhua on October 27. The trials...

Lee vows to stay on, says housing minister’s resignation his ‘political decision’

Lee vows to stay on, says housing minister’s resignation his ‘political decision’

Hong Kong’s leader has said the housing minister’s resignation was his “comprehensive political decision” in establishing accountability for the city’s deadliest fire in decades, with a three-member team to also investigate up to 50 civil servants. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Thursday that he had decided to stay on to spearhead comprehensive reforms. Nearly a year after last November’s Tai Po inferno, which claimed 168 lives and displaced about 5,000 residents, Lee announced...

Security chief vows revamp of fire department after report censures lax inspections

Security chief vows revamp of fire department after report censures lax inspections

Hong Kong’s security chief has vowed to implement tougher enforcement against unauthorised shutdowns of fire safety systems and a structural overhaul of the Fire Services Department (FSD) after it was criticised for relying on a “passive, paper-driven” audit regime. The independent committee that investigated the Wang Fuk Court fire said in its report released on Thursday that the department had received notices that the estate’s fire hydrant and hosepipe reel system had been deactivated for...

Tai Po fire risks went unchecked as ‘honour system’ exploited, report says

Tai Po fire risks went unchecked as ‘honour system’ exploited, report says

The lack of a sense of crisis and an overreliance on an “honour system” prevented the buildings, labour and fire safety authorities from acting on fire safety risks at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, a judge-led panel that investigated Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades has found. But among the four government bodies singled out in the independent committee’s final report on the fire, the Labour Department should bear the least responsibility, it said. “Firstly and most importantly, there was a...

Residents were left helpless as Hong Kong departments ‘passed the ball’ on safety complaints

Residents were left helpless as Hong Kong departments ‘passed the ball’ on safety complaints

No government department took effective ownership of fire safety risks ahead of the deadly Tai Po fire in Hong Kong, allowing complaints made by residents to fall into a vacuum, according to an independent committee. At the release of the 1,154-page full report on Thursday, Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said he would lead a steering committee to review and implement the more than 100 recommendations of the independent committee. The recommendations included the criminalisation of...

Hong Kong housing chief quits over Tai Po fire, accepts political responsibility

Hong Kong housing chief quits over Tai Po fire, accepts political responsibility

Hong Kong’s housing chief has resigned to take political responsibility for the devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court, offering condolences to the families of the victims and expressing hope that those who perished may rest in peace. Winnie Ho Wing-yin said on Thursday that she submitted her resignation to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu the previous day, becoming the only minister-level official so far to resign over the fire. “As the secretary for housing, I’m willing to bear political...

Hong Kong to set up new body to oversee building renovations in regulatory overhaul

Hong Kong to set up new body to oversee building renovations in regulatory overhaul

Hong Kong will establish a dedicated body to oversee building renovations as part of a wide-ranging overhaul that includes restructuring the Buildings Department and tightening regulation of contractors. The move was revealed on Thursday as Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and his ministers offered a formal apology over the deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po last November. His administration was establishing a Building Maintenance Support and Services Council as part of the reforms, the...

Hong Kong to replace disgraced housing unit over deadly Tai Po fire

Hong Kong to replace disgraced housing unit over deadly Tai Po fire

Hong Kong’s disgraced Independent Checking Unit (ICU) will be disbanded as part of reforms in the wake of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, after a judge-led inquiry identified it as the government arm with the greatest responsibility for the Wang Fuk Court inferno. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Thursday that the Housing Bureau would undergo internal restructuring, under which the ICU would be replaced by a new Public Housing Building Control Section. Deputy Financial Secretary...

New images suggest China’s fourth aircraft carrier could launch in 2027, analysts say

New images suggest China’s fourth aircraft carrier could launch in 2027, analysts say

China’s fourth aircraft carrier, widely believed to be the country’s first with a nuclear-powered system, could launch as early as next year, according to US researchers, as Beijing pursues a fleet capable of projecting naval and air power far beyond its shores. A launch in 2027 would coincide with the centenary of the People’s Liberation Army, with the anniversary falling on August 1. Beijing has previously used major military anniversaries to showcase developments in its armed forces. The...

Bid-rigging in renovation projects to be criminalised under law against triads

Bid-rigging in renovation projects to be criminalised under law against triads

The Hong Kong government is set to criminalise bid-rigging in building maintenance projects under laws covering triad and corruption offences and allow authorities to take criminal or civil action against such conduct, following the release of an independent committee’s report on the fatal Tai Po blaze. The regulatory overhaul on bid-rigging was announced on Thursday, as the government released the long-anticipated report of the independent committee investigating the causes of the devastating...

Hong Kong police probe HK$40 million jewellery theft from Southern district flat

Hong Kong police probe HK$40 million jewellery theft from Southern district flat

Hong Kong police launched an investigation into the disappearance of jewellery worth nearly HK$40 million (US$5.1 million) from a woman’s home in the upscale Southern district neighbourhood of Chung Hom Kok. The woman, 56, called police at about 1pm on Thursday, two days after returning to her four-storey, stand-alone block at Bauhinia Garden on Chung Hom Kok Road to discover that a pearl necklace worth about HK$39 million and a diamond necklace worth HK$700,000 had disappeared. She had placed...

Recommended

Asia Viral News

Asia Viral News features the latest and most trending news from Asia. Get ready to immerse yourself in the daily engaging topics with share-worthy news only in Asia Viral News.

ABOUT US
Newsletter

Copyright © 2015 - 2026 Asia Viral News. All Rights Reserved.