China’s top official in charge of Hong Kong affairs has warned some people who “politicized” the deadly Tai Po fire and tried to use the disaster to “stir chaos” in Hong Kong.
Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, made his comments on Wednesday via a recording video shown at a National Security Education Day ceremony.
In his speech, Xia mentioned the massive fire that broke out in Wang Fuk Court, a government-subsidized housing estate, on November 26, killing 168 people.
“After the Tai Po fire, some malicious people politicized the tragedy, trying to use the disaster as a tool to disrupt Hong Kong,” Xia said in Mandarin, without elaborating.
“Once again, it reminds us that along Hong Kong’s road to prosperity under good governance, there will be various risks and challenges.”
He went on to stress that there are still national security risks in Hong Kong, six years after the Chinese-imposed national security law came into force in the city.
“The anti-China and anti-Hong Kong plotters are still plotting and biding their time to launch a comeback… Everyone should be alert to the dangers of interference and meddling by outside forces,” Xia said.
Speaking at the same event on Wednesday, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee also said some people were “using the disaster to incite chaos” and “incite hatred” in Hong Kong.
“Only through the government’s swift action and decisive law enforcement has the situation been able to return to normal,” Lee said in Mandarin.
He vowed the government would “hold people accountable” and implement “systemic reforms” once the independent committee completes its inquiry into the fire.
Independent commissionpresided over by Judge David Lok, is currently hearing evidence from various parties – including residents, employees of fire contractors, a property management firm and firefighters.
Hong Kong authorities and China’s national security authorities have issued repeated warnings about the fire – the city’s deadliest in eight decades.
On November 29, the day after the fire, The Beijing Office for the Protection of National Security (OSNS) warned that “anti-China separatists” sought to orchestrate the deadly Tai Po fire to “stir up resentment” against the government.
In early December, the Hong Kong government issued a statementblasting “foreign forces, including anti-China media organizations, and anti-China and destabilizing forces” for “making baseless and defamatory comments” and trying to use fire to “stir up chaos in society.”
Recently, in February, Hong Kong security chief Chris Tang warned of people engaging in “soft resistance” making false claims about the tragedy.
The National Security Police said in mid-February that three people were accused under Article 23, Hong Kong’s local national security law, for comments about the fire.
