Hong Kong leader apologizes as housing secretary resigns

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee apologized for the Wang Fuk Court fire and announced Housing Secretary Winnie Ho’s resignation after an independent committee found serious government oversight failures. Lee said Ho should bear political responsibility, while stating she had committed no personal wrongdoing. The November 2025 blaze killed 168 people and displaced thousands of residents. It spread through several residential towers in the Tai Po complex during renovation work. Lee and seven other senior officials bowed as he apologized to affected residents and the public. The committee found that the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit failed in its supervisory duties. It also identified shortcomings in the Buildings Department, Fire Services Department and Labour Department. Residents had raised fire-safety concerns before the disaster, but the committee found that government departments had not effectively taken ownership of several issues. Lee said the four departments would be examined in a three-month investigation into their conduct and whether staff had neglected their duties. He described Ho’s resignation as a political decision made after weighing officials’...