HONG KONG, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The independent committee set up to investigate the deadly residential fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong, held its final hearing on Friday, with the committee presenting its closing statement.
The hearings, which began on March 19, comprised six rounds with a total of 30 sessions. With the conclusion of the final hearing, the committee will move on to handling written testimonies and other materials and begin drafting the investigation report.
Justice David Lok, chair of the committee, said that the purpose of establishing the committee was to identify the causes and circumstances of the fire incident, as well as problems in the system and regulation.
Lok added that the committee will submit recommendations to the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to prevent similar incidents from happening again. Throughout the investigation, the committee upheld the principles of fairness, transparency and impartiality, and carefully scrutinized every piece of evidence submitted.
On the same day, the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po announced that, regardless of which option under the HKSAR government's long-term housing arrangement plan the owners of Wang Fuk Court choose, a two-year standard rental grant will be disbursed to them until Dec. 21, 2027. This arrangement will help them rebuild their long-term homes with greater flexibility.
Last December, HKSAR's Chief Executive John Lee announced the establishment of the independent committee, chaired by Justice David Lok, to look into the cause of the fire, establish accountability and put forward preventive proposals. The committee will submit a report within nine months of its formation. ■
