Hong Kong's authorities are warning that foreign forces, including anti-China media organizations, are working to exploit the recent apartment fire for political gain. The fire at the Wang Fuk Court in northern Hong Kong has claimed the lives of 159 people, making it the city's worst disaster in 75 years and the world's most fatal residential building fire since 1980.
Beijing's national security arm in Hong Kong has accused a "small group of hostile external forces" of taking advantage of the disaster to "stir up trouble and incite chaos." The office claimed that these forces are hiding their identities, fanning flames, and making malicious attacks on the government and rescuers. They described the intentions of these forces as sinister and their actions as despicable.
However, it is unclear what specific actions or behaviors these authorities believe are being perpetrated by foreign forces. No details or examples were provided in the statement, and no external forces were specifically identified except for a reference to petitions.
Meanwhile, investigators are focusing on the materials used in the renovation works, which are believed to have contributed to the fire. The use of substandard, flammable materials has raised concerns about the safety of Hong Kong's aging buildings and infrastructure.
The city's leader, John Lee, had announced a judge-led independent review committee to investigate the disaster, rather than setting up a more powerful inquiry commission as some had expected. Outgoing pro-establishment lawmaker Doreen Kong argued that an inquiry commission would be better.
Mourners have continued to stream to a small park near the charred buildings, where hundreds of bouquets and notes of remembrance have been placed for the victims. The youngest victim was just one year old, while the oldest was 97 years old.
Residents who lived in the unaffected tower were briefly allowed to return home to retrieve their belongings. Over 2,900 residents had been provided with temporary housing by authorities.
Beijing's national security arm in Hong Kong has accused a "small group of hostile external forces" of taking advantage of the disaster to "stir up trouble and incite chaos." The office claimed that these forces are hiding their identities, fanning flames, and making malicious attacks on the government and rescuers. They described the intentions of these forces as sinister and their actions as despicable.
However, it is unclear what specific actions or behaviors these authorities believe are being perpetrated by foreign forces. No details or examples were provided in the statement, and no external forces were specifically identified except for a reference to petitions.
Meanwhile, investigators are focusing on the materials used in the renovation works, which are believed to have contributed to the fire. The use of substandard, flammable materials has raised concerns about the safety of Hong Kong's aging buildings and infrastructure.
The city's leader, John Lee, had announced a judge-led independent review committee to investigate the disaster, rather than setting up a more powerful inquiry commission as some had expected. Outgoing pro-establishment lawmaker Doreen Kong argued that an inquiry commission would be better.
Mourners have continued to stream to a small park near the charred buildings, where hundreds of bouquets and notes of remembrance have been placed for the victims. The youngest victim was just one year old, while the oldest was 97 years old.
Residents who lived in the unaffected tower were briefly allowed to return home to retrieve their belongings. Over 2,900 residents had been provided with temporary housing by authorities.
I don't think it's about foreign forces manipulating the situation but more like a lack of accountability from the gov 
they're trying to deflect blame and avoid real answers... those substandard materials used in renovations are a huge red flag 
and how can we trust that an independent review committee will be truly impartial? 
I'm trying not to think about how this fire could've been prevented if some basic safety measures were taken... 
The fact that the government is blaming foreign forces for trying to politicize the disaster is a bit suspicious, tbh. 
I mean, who needs specifics when you can just point fingers at unknown "forces" and claim they're sinister? 
It's almost like they don't want to get their hands dirty with some hard questions about the actual cause of the fire.
. We should all take a moment to acknowledge the victims' families and loved ones who are going through this unimaginable pain. 
the whole thing with the materials used in the renovation works... like, what were they thinking?! Substandard stuff can be deadly... hope they get to the bottom of this 
. I think it would be more productive to focus on the root cause of the tragedy - the substandard materials used in the renovation works 
. An independent review committee, as proposed by John Lee, is a good starting point for investigating this incident and ensuring that such disasters do not happen again in the future 
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. It raises concerns about the authorities' willingness to engage with external experts and critics to address the issue at hand 
. The situation seems to be taking a heavy toll on the residents, especially those who lost their loved ones in the tragedy 
. As we move forward, it's essential to prioritize empathy and constructive dialogue over speculative accusations and finger-pointing 
.
the fire was devastating enough without needing some shady forces to fan the flames 
it's like they're trying to make things worse for the people already grieving 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this... such a tragedy 
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. And what's with the secrecy around it all? Can't they just give us some solid answers for once? 
And what's going on with the inquiry committee? I mean, I get that a judge-led review might not be as powerful as a full-on commission, but shouldn't we know what happened to have so many casualties? 
still can't believe what happened at Wang Fuk Court 
the fire is a tragedy that's already 2 months old, but it feels like just yesterday we were reading about it in the news 
it's so sad that some people are trying to politicize it 
. I mean, what's more sinister than a bunch of substandard materials causing a fire that killed 159 people? 
It's just a ticking time bomb waiting to happen. I hope the investigation into this disaster is thorough and gets to the bottom of what happened.
. The lack of specifics from Beijing's security arm is pretty suspicious too... 
.