Survivors of the deadly Tai Po fire will be allowed in and out of their homes multiple times within their allotted three-hour window, a senior government official said, adding that reporters would not be allowed to tag along.
Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Warner Cheuk made the comments on Sunday, a day before fire victims return to Wang Fuk Court to collect their belongings.
Earlier, authorities had said residents would only be able to enter their homes once, prompting criticism that the deal lacked flexibility.
On Monday, residents of Wang Sun House, one of seven blocks of property destroyed by the fire, will return to collect their belongings for the first time since the November fire. Residents of other buildings will do so in subsequent batches until May 4.
In one interview with RTHK on Sunday, Cheuk said that “in general”, residents will be allowed to enter their homes more than once to make it more convenient for them to retrieve their belongings.
He said the decision was taken after inter-departmental discussions following residents’ feedback.
Cheuk said all residents will be “escorted” by police or Civil Assistance Service officers as they return to their homes, citing the need to protect their neighbors’ property.
Residents should not enter other people’s units or take pictures of other apartments, Cheuk added.
The official said about 6,000 people had registered with the government to take trips home. A total of 47 families chose not to return after seeing photos of their burned apartments taken by authorities.
The coming weeks will be the first time fire victims will return to their homes since the blaze broke out in late November. The fire, Hong Kong’s deadliest since 1948, claimed 168 lives and displaced thousands of residents.
Only at the end of March the authorities announced the arrangements for their return. They said that each family will be given a maximum of three hours to assemble their belongings, with a maximum of four people.
Some residents said that three hours was too little time for them to pack up and say goodbye to their homes. Cheuk then defended timeslot for a commercial radio program.
“With four people and three hours allowed, they would have a total of 12 hours to pack,” Cheuk said in Cantonese. The remark drew widespread criticism online.
Days later, Cheuk said authorities would be flexible and allow residents to book more than a three-hour slot to return to their homes.
Journalists were banned
Cheuk said Sunday that authorities will not allow reporters to tag along with residents in their fire-ravaged homes.
He said some residents reported to the government that journalists wanted to go with them to their homes.
“(Residents) said that going up to their homes will be a difficult and sad moment… therefore, they hope not to worry and enjoy privacy when they pack up,” Cheuk said.
“We will not allow (the reporters) to go upstairs,” he added.
