A group of survivors of the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court have petitioned senior Hong Kong officials twice a week, asking the government to rebuild fire-ravaged residential property in the country and respect their private property rights.
According to copies of the petitions obtained by the HKFP on Thursday, the petitioners sent letters to a group of senior officials on Wednesday this week and last week, asking them to review the in-situ redevelopment of Wang Fuk Court.
The letters were sent to Chief Executive John Lee, Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Warner Cheuk, Deputy Chief Secretary for Finance Michael Wong, Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho and Secretary for Home Affairs and Youth Alice Mak.
According to the petitions, Wang Fuk Court homeowners were not given transparent information and were not properly consulted about the relocation plans.
The petitioners asked the government to coordinate with Hop On Management Company, appointed by the authorities to take over the board of owners of Wang Fuk Court, to call a general meeting of the homeowners to vote on the redevelopment of the site.
“To us, Wang Fuk Court is more than just private property protected by the sanctity of law; it is a home we have spent half our lives building,” the letter said.
“We are grateful to the government for its earlier sensitivity in allowing residents to briefly return to Wang Fuk Court to retrieve valuables,” he continued.
“However, in relation to the long-term planning that dictates the future of our homes and our relocation, we have deep doubts and anxieties about the logic and legal basis of certain official decisions.”
The petitions were organized by two homeowners of Wang Fuk Court – known by their surnames: Cheung and Ho.
In January, they went to the China Liaison Office and the Legislative Council (LegCo) to deliver the petition, which was signed by more than 1,100 homeowners and called for redevelopment on the site.
Organizers told HKFP on Thursday that, so far, they had not received any response from the government.
HKFP has sent a request to the government for comment.
Minority property rights
The government announced on February 21 a buyout offer to the homeowners, rejecting the option to rebuild the apartment block.
Homeowners can either sell their title deeds to the government or switch to another government-subsidized property under a flat exchange scheme.
Wong, the deputy chief secretary for finance, told a press conference that according to a consultation conducted by the government, 83 percent of Wang Fuk Court homeowners preferred to prioritize quick relocation.
He also said that redevelopment on the ground would take more than 10 years, and therefore would not be a good option.
However, some homeowners criticized the plan, saying that ignored their wishes.
In letters sent this month, the petitioners said the government should not conclude that redevelopment on the site would take 10 years before carrying out a formal study.
They also noted that, with more than 1,100 homeowners from nearly 400 families signing the January petition, about 17 percent of Wang Fuk Court families supported redevelopment on the site.
“The dignity of a society governed by the rule of law lies in the fact that the legal property rights of a minority should not – and will not – be easily removed under a harsh administrative logic of ‘the minority subject to the majority,'” the April petitions said.
“Even if only two or three buildings can ultimately be rebuilt on the ground, the government bears an inescapable responsibility to properly address the legitimate wishes of these nearly 400 families.”
A massive fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a government-subsidized housing complex in Tai Po, in late November, engulfing seven of its eight towers. The fire – Hong Kong’s deadliest in nearly eight decades – killed 168 people and displaced thousands of residents.
