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The worst fire in the history of Hong Kong has shaken the entire city. The death toll in the fire in a residential building has reached 146. This is considered to be the world’s deadliest residential fire in the last four decades. Amidst this tragedy, public anger is at its peak. People have come out on the streets. They are demanding a fair investigation. But instead of wiping the tears of the people, the China-backed administration has adopted an oppressive policy. A 24-year-old student activist demanding accountability has been arrested. Action has been taken against him under the strict national security law. The administration has called it a conspiracy by ‘anti-China forces’. (Photos: AP/Reuters)
A student named Miles Kwan was distributing flyers outside the train station on Friday. He was demanding from the people an independent investigation into this fire. Kwan had said that Hong Kong has become hollow both inside and outside. He also started an online petition. Within no time, more than 10 thousand people signed it. But on Saturday night news came that Kwan had been arrested. Suspicion of treason i.e. sedition has been raised against him. The petition has also been removed. Beijing’s national security wing alleged that some people were using the tragedy to spread hatred.
The fire broke out in Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po district. It is a huge complex consisting of eight blocks. The fire engulfed seven blocks. On Sunday, police said that the death toll has reached 146. There is a possibility of finding more bodies. Police have extended their search to three more towers. Many foreign nationals are also included among the dead. The deaths of seven Indonesians and one Filipino citizen have been confirmed. Dozens of people are still hospitalized. Many people are still missing.
This accident has exposed corruption in the construction sector of Hong Kong. So far 11 people have been arrested. Three of them are accused of culpable homicide. This arrest has been made by the Corruption Watchdog. As a precautionary measure, work on 30 other private construction sites in the city has been stopped. People allege that this was not an accident. This was a preventable disaster. Activists distributing flyers said that this is the ‘poisonous fruit of an unjust system’. They want a review of the monitoring of construction work.
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A crowd of thousands of people gathered at the incident site on Sunday. People were standing in long queues there to offer flowers and burn incense sticks. The scene there was very sad. Vinci Chan, a 39-year-old restaurant owner, said he was unable to sleep. He said that we are feeling completely helpless.
Buying a home in Hong Kong is the most expensive in the world. People’s lifetime earnings turned to ashes within a few hours. Lawyer Imran Khan, who is fighting the case of UK Grenfell Tower victims, has also commented. He said that the internal investigation will not reveal the truth. Public inquiry is necessary for this.
Before his arrest, Kwan had said that he was making very basic demands. He had said that if even asking for this is treason then he cannot predict the consequences. His fear proved correct. China’s national security law is suppressing every voice of protest in Hong Kong. The public wants to ask questions but the administration is scaring them.
