Sawt Falasteen - Hong Kong leader says independent committee to probe fire

The fire engulfed seven residential towers under construction on the northern fringes of Hong Kong, displacing thousands of people and fuelling public demands for accountability.

Hong Kong's anti-corruption watchdog and police, running a joint investigation, have arrested 14 people, 13 of them on suspicion of manslaughter.

In a preliminary survey, officials found that the netting used on exterior scaffolding fell short of fire-resistance standards and failed to stop flames from spreading.

"I will establish an independent committee to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth review to reform the building work system and prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future," city leader John Lee said at a press conference.

The committee will be led by a judge to ensure the independence and credibility, he said.

"The responsible culprits tried to mix up substandard nets with qualified nets so as to cheat inspection and law enforcement agencies," Lee told reporters, and called the suspects "evil" .

He told AFP that authorities had already identified several failures and pledged reforms to "the whole building renovation system to ensure that such things will not happen again."

"We must act seriously to ensure that all these loopholes are plugged so that those who are responsible will be accountable. The shortcomings will be addressed. The bottlenecks will be addressed," he said.

- Calls for accountability -

Hong Kong has seen a massive outpouring of grief, but local media reported several people who were calling for answers were arrested.

Miles Kwan, a 24-year-old student, was reportedly arrested by police for "seditious intent" after handing out flyers demanding government accountability.

An online petition containing Kwan's four demands, which included an independent probe, gathered more than 10,000 signatures in less than a day before its contents were wiped.

Two other people, including former district councillor Kenneth Cheung, were also taken by police, according to local media. Cheung later said he had been released on bail.

Asked about the arrests, Lee told AFP: "I will not tolerate any crimes, particularly crimes that exploit the tragedy that we have been facing now."

Lee added that the upcoming Legislative Council elections set for December 7 would go ahead, after rumours of cancellation.

A press conference of civil society representatives scheduled for Tuesday to discuss issues including government relief efforts and construction industry regulations was abruptly cancelled, according to an invitation seen by AFP and notifications sent to reporters.

Local media reported that the meeting's initiator, Bruce Liu, and others were "invited to a meeting" by national security police.

The world's deadliest residential building fire since 1980 broke out on Wednesday at the high-rises of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po district.

Police completed searches in five of the seven affected towers on Monday, finding the remains of victims in apartments, hallways and stairs.

Some families of victims returned to Wang Fuk Court on Monday to begin traditional funeral rites, which are expected to continue into the week.

Near the wrecked towers, the wall of a subway tunnel was covered with colourful notes bearing heartfelt messages, AFP reporters saw on Monday.

The notes resembled similar so-called "Lennon Walls" seen across Hong Kong at the height of the 2019 democracy protests, which became sites for the public to express political demands.

The tunnel messages had been removed by the time AFP reporters returned on Tuesday afternoon, though more appeared on walls, poles and benches around the neighbourhood.

R.Shaban--SF-PST