Government Cracks Down on Civil Society After Deadly Fire
The death toll from the fire that ravaged the Wang Fuk apartment complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district last week stands at 159 people, although authorities have warned the figure may rise as emergency teams combing through the seven high-rise towers have found “suspected human bones” that require forensic testing.
The government is worried about a resurgence of civil society action in the aftermath of the fire, the second-deadliest on record in a city where China imposed national security laws after suppressing pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Volunteer groups organized to help victims of the fire have been ordered to disband, and police have detained several people for peaceful activism. They include Miles Kwan (關靖豐), a 24-year-old student who was arrested for “seditious intention” after circulating a petition calling for an independent investigation; former district councilor Kenneth Cheung (張錦雄), detained on suspicion of “inciting hatred against the government”; and Bruce Liu (廖成利), a solicitor and former chair of the Association for Democracy and People’s Livelihood who was scheduled to speak at a press conference on responses to the fire and high-rise building maintenance policy.
Shortly after Liu’s arrest, organizers of the press conference told the media the event had been canceled. An unnamed woman volunteering at the Wang Fuk Court fire scene was also arrested.
Hong Kong Baptist Student Union Suspended
Hong Kong Baptist University has suspended the operations of its student union after a message mourning victims of the fire and calling for justice was posted on a notice board, nicknamed “democracy wall,” that was managed by the union.
The sign on the student message board read: “Deepest condolences to the victims of the Wan Fuk Court fire. We urge the government to heed the call of justice and respond to the public’s needs. May the public interest be protected.”
Images circulating on social media on Wednesday showed the notice board had been blocked off with plastic hoarding and green netting. Separately, a “Lennon wall” of sticky notes expressing solidarity and blessings that appeared in a city tunnel after the fire had been taken down as of Tuesday.
Outside Interference Will Be Punished, China Warns
Beijing’s Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong lashed out at unidentified “hostile foreign forces” and “pro-chaos elements in Hong Kong” for attempting to take advantage of the Tai Po fire to “create chaos,” warning that they would be punished.
“They attempted to replicate the chaos of the ‘black-clad violence,’ displaying malicious intent, despicable actions, and abhorring the wrath of both heaven and earth,” the office said in a statement in Chinese posted on its website on Wednesday. “The sword of the rule of law hangs high, and will surely strike hard and cut off all the black hands reaching toward Hong Kong!”
Hong Kong officials also warned against interference by “foreign forces,” including “anti-China media organizations,” for using the fire “to stir up chaos in society,” warning in a statement on Wednesday that the Hong Kong government “will exhaust all means to pursue and combat them, ensuring that any violation against the law will be pursued regardless of distance through decisive enforcement actions carried out in accordance with the law.”
Transnational repression of activists overseas has become a feature of Hong Kong law enforcement policy, with international cash bounties having been issued against multiple individuals for engaging in pro-democracy activities.
More Hongkongers Arrested for Election Violations
Four men were arrested yesterday for sabotaging Sunday’s “patriots only” elections for Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. The Independent Commission Against Corruption arrested four men, aged between 37 and 62, for allegedly making online posts inciting others to not vote or cast invalid ballots, the Hong Kong Free Press reported.
Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang (鄧炳強) said last week that 29 people had been arrested over alleged attempts to sabotage the December 7 elections, mostly for damage to posters advertising the polls.
China changed Hong Kong’s electoral rules in 2021, reducing the number of directly elected seats in the city’s legislature to 20, from 35, with professional groups selecting 30 and a pro-Beijing election committee selecting 40. Only candidates who have been tightly to ensure they are “patriotic” may stand for election.
Turnout in the previous election in 2021, the first under the new “patriots only” rules, fell to 30.2 percent. It is expected to be even lower in the wake of last week’s fire, as residents who are denied other forms of protest, express their discontent by not participating.
Bookstore Owner Charged for Spanish Class
The owner of an independent bookstore in Hong Kong has been charged with operating as an unregistered school after offering a Spanish-language class, according to a report in the Hong Kong Free Press. Book Punch owner Pong Yat-ming (龐一嗚) faces several charges, including managing an unregistered school and allowing someone who was not a teacher to teach. Independent bookstores have come under increased scrutiny since China imposed national security legislation in 2020 and the city revived enforcement of a colonial-era sedition law.
Joshua Wong’s New Case Adjourned to March 6, 2026
The new national security case against jailed democracy activist Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) has been adjourned to March 6 next year, after Wong appeared in court on November 21 for a five-minute hearing. The former Demosisto secretary-general was arrested this summer in Stanley Prison on new charges of “conspiracy to endanger national security with foreign or external forces.” At the time of his arrest, Wong was already serving a four-and-a-half-year sentence for subversion.
Jimmy Lai’s Teeth Rotting and His Nails Falling Out, Family Says
Jimmy Lai’s (黎智英) children said that the pro-democracy newspaper publisher’s health has been getting worse during his prolonged stay in prison. Lai, who suffers from heart problems and diabetes, Lai has been imprisoned for more than 1,800 days, mostly in solitary confinement, at Hong Kong’s Stanley Prison. Lai, who turns 78 on Monday, faces a maximum punishment of life in prison on charges of sedition and collusion with foreign forces.
“He has lost a very significant amount of weight, visibly, and he is a lot weaker than he was before,” daughter Claire Lai told news agency AFP. “His nails turn almost purple, gray and greenish before they fall off, and his teeth are getting rotten.”
The Hong Kong government issued a statement condemning the AFP article, saying it “strongly condemns certain media, including Agence France-Presse, for their fact-twisting reports.”
Hong Kong Pride Event Canceled Due to ‘Construction’
The Hong Kong Pride Committee canceled the Rainbow Festival, an outdoor festival that was scheduled to be held at Kwun Tong Promenade on November 29, after being notified the venue had to undergo “construction work.” A separate indoor event, the Rainbow Market, proceeded as scheduled on November 23. Hong Kong LGBTQ+ and other civil society groups have in recent years faced increased cancellations by venues, especially for outdoor events, as space for activism decreases.
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