‘Let us return': Some Tai Po fire survivors petition government for on-site rebuilding

A group of survivors of the deadly inferno in Hong Kong last month has petitioned the government to redevelop the Wang Fuk Court site as a long-term resettlement plan, as authorities review options to rehouse them, Report informs referring to the South China Morning Post.

In an open letter seen by the Post, the group of displaced residents urged Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and other top officials to let them rebuild their lives with dignity and hope at the same site in Tai Po.

"We implore the government to rebuild housing on the site of Wang Fuk Court, to let us return to where we were familiar with and continue stable lives with our families and neighbours," the letter said.

The letter, signed by more than 100 residents' signatures across all eight buildings of Wang Fuk Court, was also addressed to Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po and Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun.

The residents said they had not only lost their dwellings in Wang Fuk Court, but also a community that had sustained them over the years, and precious memories forged in the housing estate.

"Many residents have lived here for decades, with neighbours helping each other out. We have long become family to one another," the letter said.

"The pain of losing our homes isn't just about losing the space where we lived, but also about losing our roots for stability."

Urging the government to consider rebuilding housing on the site of Wang Fuk Court to resettle displaced residents, the residents said returning to a familiar place was the only way to rebuild their lives.

"To victims like us, on-site resettlement isn't just an accommodation arrangement, but solace for our hearts. It is the only way we can regain dignity and hope in our lives," the letter said.

The residents were among the 5,000 people displaced by the blaze that raged through seven of the eight blocks of Wang Fuk Court on November 26. At least 161 people were killed and 79 others were injured.

In a reply to the Post, a government spokeswoman said deputy finance chief Wong would coordinate various bureaus and departments to provide appropriate transitional housing arrangements, while studying long-term proposals and taking into account residents' wishes and resources available.

"The government is now collecting and summarising affected residents' opinions, and has been assessing the situation at Wang Fuk Court, including factors such as structural safety, technical feasibility and community planning, to raise a long-term proposal as soon as possible," the spokeswoman said.

While the government has yet to announce resettlement plans for thousands of displaced residents, Wong has said resettling them on-site at Wang Fuk Court could take "a long period of time".

Wong, who leads the government task force managing emergency accommodation for those affected by the blaze, had said the seven damaged towers might not be able to be repaired after the deadly fire.

The minister had added that rebuilding the estate could take an "extremely long amount of time" while some residents could be hesitant to return due to the psychological trauma.

Wong also said the government could consider building subsidised flats in Tai Po after the fire, given that there was originally no plan to do so.

Among the resettlement options were purchasing property rights from homeowners, prioritising displaced residents for subsidised flats under the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS), building new flats in Tai Po district and allowing eligible residents to live in public housing.

Wong previously said that building a new HOS project from scratch would usually take five years, adding that the government could hasten the process.

He added that choosing subsidised flats in other districts could save these residents from a few years of waiting.