A district councillor facing criticism over her alleged involvement in the controversial HK$330 million renovation of Wang Fuk Court has called the deadly blaze a “man-made tragedy” and suggested the current owners’ corporation committee is to blame.
Tai Po South councillor Peggy Wong, a member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), said on Monday that she would file a case with police, as she demanded a probe into suspected negligence and other possible offences by the incumbent management committee of Wang Fuk Court’s owners’ corporation.
She will also report the incumbent committee to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) – the antigraft watchdog – over “years-long negligence of fire safety equipment” at Wang Fuk Court, according to a Chinese-language statement.
Authorities say the fire alarms were malfunctioning, whilst the use of unsafe Styrofoam and netting contributed to the fire’s spread. The blaze left 151 dead – 30 people are still unaccounted for as searches continue at two of the seven affected towers.
“This inferno was not a disaster; it was a man-made tragedy,” Wong said in the statement. “It was the culmination of years of negligence of safety.”
In a separate statement on Monday, the incumbent management committee said it would fully cooperate with the investigations by the police and the ICAC in the hopes of ensuring justice for residents, according to local media report.
Consultant role
Wong has been heavily criticised since the fatal blaze at the 2,000-unit complex. The DAB politician was a consultant to the previous management committee of Wang Fuk Court’s owners’ corporation between 2021 and 2024, according to publicly available records. That management committee approved the renovation project with a price tag of HK$330 million in January 2024.
The costly project, however, was deeply unpopular among Wang Fuk Court owners. In September 2024, owners ousted the committee and elected a new one, despite the renovation project having already begun.
The project is now at the centre of scrutiny after authorities arrested a total of 14 people from firms responsible for the project on suspicion of manslaughter and corruption.
Wong has denied any involvement in the revamp, saying the project was overseen by the incumbent committee and the contractors, according to local media reports.
The DAB – Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing party – said in a statement on Sunday that smears and false remarks regarding the political party had been circulating online following the blaze.
“If it is proven that any DAB members, including Peggy Wong, were involved in illegal acts after a comprehensive and fair investigation by the authorities, we shall not tolerate [this] and will support a serious follow-up action according to the law,” according to the DAB’s Chinese-language statement.
