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Tai Po fire survivors face government buyout deadline as some hold out for rebuilding
🇭🇰 Hong Kong /Culture & Society

Tai Po fire survivors face government buyout deadline as some hold out for rebuilding

From Hong Kong Free Press · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Ongoing story
  • Homeowners in Hong Kong’s fire-damaged Wang Fuk Court have until 5 p.m. Monday to accept the government’s acquisition offer.
  • By the previous Thursday, 96.5% of owners had indicated they were willing to sell, while more than three-quarters had signed formal sales agreements.
  • Some residents, including Betty Ho, still demand that the estate be rebuilt on its original site, a proposal the government rejected because it says reconstruction would take a decade.

Betty Ho has made up her mind: she will not sell her flat in Wang Fuk Court, even as the government’s buyout deadline approaches. Nine months after the fire that killed 168 people and displaced thousands, she remains among the residents seeking a different outcome for the Tai Po estate.

Ho wants the government to rebuild Wang Fuk Court on its original site for residents who wish to return. Authorities have rejected that demand, saying an on-site redevelopment would take 10 years. “We have always demanded on-site redevelopment, but we also know they won’t do it,” Ho said in Cantonese.

The government’s acquisition offer covers 1,984 households, which must respond by 5 p.m. Monday. Official figures showed that 96.5% of homeowners had signed letters indicating their willingness to sell by the previous Thursday. They could receive cash or a new unit in another government-subsidised development. More than three-quarters had also signed formal sales agreements.

We have always demanded on-site redevelopment, but we also know they won’t do it.

— Betty HoHo explained why she continues to oppose selling her flat under the government buyout scheme.

For some residents, however, accepting the offer has felt less like a choice than a surrender. Woo, a resident of Wang Yan House who gave only her surname, said she feared for her family’s housing future and did not know what would happen if owners refused. “I feel helpless. I know that many of us don’t want to sign [the agreement],” she said.

The government has said it will not extend the August 31 deadline. It has also left open the possibility of using “legislative means” to deal with flats that remain unsold. Anthony Cheung, a public administration scholar and former secretary for transport and housing, said compulsory acquisition legislation could face a court challenge because the Basic Law protects private property. An independent committee is still preparing its final report on the fire’s causes and the systemic failures it exposed.

I feel helpless. I know that many of us don’t want to sign [the agreement].

— WooThe Wang Yan House resident described her feelings as the acquisition deadline approached.
About this summary

Originally published by Hong Kong Free Press in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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