Authorities will assist people wishing to commemorate the victims of the Wang Fuk Court blaze on the tragedy’s anniversary later this month, on the condition that such activities are “lawful,” Hong Kong security chief Chris Tang has said.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.Tang made the remarks when addressing reporters at an event on Thursday, some three weeks ahead of the first anniversary of the deadly fire. The blaze broke out on November 26 last year, engulfing seven buildings in the subsidised housing estate during large-scale renovation works, killing 168 people and displacing over 4,600 residents.
“Many family members and friends want to commemorate this day and we fully understand this. We will do our best to facilitate any actions as long as they are handled lawfully,” Tang said.
In the wake of the blaze last year, Hongkongers set up a makeshift vigil site at the Kwong Fuk Sitting-out Area, a park near the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court. It was cleared out days after the fire following coordination with the police.
‘In accordance with the law’Also in the wake of the tragedy, a government press release blasted “anti-China and destabilising forces” for “making unfounded and slanderous remarks,” and trying to use the fire to “stir up chaos in society.”
Volunteers remove flowers, messages and other tributes for Tai Po fire victims at a rest area near Wang Fuk Estate on December 8, 2025. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.Chief Superintendent of the police’s National Security Department Steve Li said after the fire that he had visited the Tai Po site and that he believed “the situation was becoming more and more like that of ‘black-clad violence,'” in reference to clothing worn by 2019 pro-democracy demonstrators.
See also: Tai Po fire: Police oversee overnight removal of flowers, tributes from memorial by volunteers, gov’t staff
He pointed to pamphlets and slogans that were “basically unrelated to the disaster and only aimed to incite hatred.”
The government — and Beijing’s top office on Hong Kong affairs — has continued to reference a narrative accusing certain actors of using the tragedy as a pretence for sowing chaos in the months since the fire.
Tang said on Thursday: “I believe that if they are handled in accordance with the law, we will certainly assist.”
Tang also reiterated part of the government’s reform proposals, saying that the authorities would adopt a multi-pronged approach including introducing legislative amendments and coordinating law enforcement agencies to prevent bid-rigging in the future.