Hong Kong Government Hosts Seminar on Constitution Day, Emphasizing National Rejuvenation and Rule-of-Law Safeguards.

2025 Constitution Day Seminar (with photos/video)

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR today (December 4) jointly held a seminar on Constitution Day, with the Endeavour Education Centre as the supporting organisation. The Seminar aims to enhance public understanding of the constitutional basis of the country and HKSAR. Before the seminar began, all participants stood and observed one minute of silence in memory of the victims of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po.

The theme of the Seminar was "The Constitution and the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation". The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, and Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR Mr Liu Guangyuan delivered speeches respectively. This was followed by a keynote address from Professor Han Dayuan who is member of the HKSAR Basic Law Committee under the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and professor of the Renmin Law School, Renmin University of China. The panel discussion session was moderated by member of the Management Committee of the Endeavour Education Centre, Mrs Rita Fan, who hosted a discussion with consultant of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies Professor Lau Siu-kai, and member of the Committee for Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Mr David Lie. About 900 participants from various sectors of the community attended the Seminar.

Speaking at the Seminar, Mr Lee, first expressed deep condolences to the victims of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po and offered sincere sympathies to their families and the affected residents. He said that the HKSAR Government is devoting all-out efforts to disaster relief and follow-up support, and will establish an independent committee to conduct a comprehensive review of the incident, in order to prevent similar tragedies from reoccurring and meet public expectations. He said that the painful lessons from this incident will be transformed into concrete measures to strengthen urban safety and drive institutional reform.

Mr Lee said the Constitution provides the strongest rule-of-law safeguards and institutional foundation for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and it is also the constitutional basis for establishing HKSAR. On the journey of national rejuvenation, Hong Kong is both a participant and a beneficiary. In the 28 years since its return to the motherland, Hong Kong have fully demonstrated the strong vitality and institutional superiority of "one country, two systems", with its status as an international financial, shipping and trade centre remaining firmly consolidated. He also pointed out that Hong Kong must in future fulfil three key roles and contributions: safeguarding the Constitution and the Basic Law; better integrating into and serving the overall national development by seizing the national development directives and opportunities for Hong Kong set out in the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan, consolidating and enhancing its status as an international financial, shipping and trade centre, building an international innovation and technology centre as well as a hub for international high-calibre talents, and developing new quality productive forces; and serving as a bridge for exchanges between Chinese culture and world civilisations by telling the true stories of the successful practice of "one country, two systems". Finally, Mr Lee called on all sectors to work together to build and develop Hong Kong, contribute to the cause of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and actively vote on December 7 to elect capable and aspiring Legislative Council members who will join the Government in assisting the victims, promoting reforms and building a better home in Hong Kong.

Mr Liu, said the Constitution provides rule-of-law safeguards for realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; lays the legal foundation for Hong Kong to integrate into the grand journey of national rejuvenation; and endows Hong Kong with institutional advantages to leverage its strengths in the great cause of national rejuvenation. Under the safeguard of the Constitution, China has today become the most stable, reliable and proactive force in global development, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process. He emphasised that the Legislative Council election proceeding as scheduled on December 7 will demonstrate observance of and respect for the constitutional order and the spirit of the rule of law, and will provide strong support for maintaining social stability and post-tragedy reconstruction work. It represents the most responsible attitude towards Hong Kong's future.

Professor Han systematically elaborated on the historical context of the concept of the "Chinese nation", the profound significance of incorporating "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" into the Constitution, how the Constitution provides fundamental legal safeguards for national rejuvenation, and the intrinsic relationship between "one country, two systems" and national rejuvenation. He stressed that the Constitution is the fundamental guarantee for realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. He called on everyone to rally social consensus around the Constitution and the Basic Law, safeguard Hong Kong's rule of law, and cherish the hard-won achievements of the practice of "one country, two systems", actively participate in the development of democracy with Hong Kong characteristics under "one country, two systems", and contribute to building an open, inclusive and vibrant international metropolis.

During the panel discussion session, Professor Lau said the Constitution serves as the "ballast stone" and fundamental legal support for building China into a great country and achieving national rejuvenation. By inscribing "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" into the fundamental law, the Constitution establishes the development path, principles of reform and opening up, and the core leadership position of the Communist Party of China, while providing solid constitutional safeguards for uniting the strength of the entire nation. Mr Lie said that if the Basic Law is likened to a great tree, the Constitution is its root, and together they form Hong Kong's constitutional order. He hoped the younger generation in Hong Kong will deepen their understanding and study of the Constitution, thereby reinforcing the rule-of-law foundation of society.

The Government has arranged the government website as well as some major television stations to broadcast live the Seminar. The full version of the Seminar will also be uploaded to the website of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (www.cmab.gov.hk/en/home/index.htm) to enable members of the public to review the Seminar. They may visit the dedicated webpage (www.cmab.gov.hk/en/issues/constitution_day.htm) for other information about Constitution Day.

2025 Constitution Day Seminar (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

2025 Constitution Day Seminar (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

2025 Constitution Day Seminar (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

2025 Constitution Day Seminar (with photos/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Government announces updates on follow-up work on Tai Po fire

The three task forces set up by the Government for the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po - the Task Force on Investigation and Regulation, the Task Force on Emergency Support and Fund-Raising, and the Task Force on Emergency Accommodation Arrangements - are making full efforts to follow up on the support, relief, and investigation work related to the incident. Details are as follows:

Financial and welfare support

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For the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, established by the Government, donations received have reached $2.5 billion as of noon today (December 4). In addition to the start-up capital of $300 million from the Government, the fund's total has now reached around $2.8 billion. The fund will be used to assist residents in rebuilding their homes and providing long-term and sustained support.

The Government earlier announced that the Support Fund will provide families of each deceased victim with a token of solidarity of $200,000, as well as $50,000 to cover funeral costs. As of today, a total of 67 cases have been processed, and disbursements are under way. In addition, the Government announced that the Support Fund will provide a living allowance of $50,000 to each affected household. As of today, 674 cases have been processed, and disbursements are ongoing. The Government today further announced that the living allowance is increased from $50,000 to $100,000.

In addition, the Government has so far disbursed an emergency subsidy of $10,000 to 1 929 households.

Social workers from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have been in contact with more than 1 700 affected households so far to register them for the "one social worker per household" follow-up service. SWD staff also paid a visit to the affected residents staying in transitional housing units in Yuen Long today, and distributed Octopus cards with a face value of $2,000 to facilitate their daily travels and address their imminent needs. The SWD will maintain liaison with the affected households to provide all necessary assistance while fully supporting the relief work of the Government. Those not yet in touch with the SWD are advised to leave their contact information by calling 182 183 as soon as possible.

To further strengthen support for those affected by the Tai Po fire, under the directive of the Financial Secretary’s co-ordination meeting with the financial regulators, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Hong Kong Association of Banks today met again with 28 retail banks (including digital banks) and introduced additional measures to continue assisting those affected with a compassionate approach and flexible arrangements. For more details, please refer to the HKMA's press release.

Accommodation support

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As of this morning, a total of 1 241 residents have been accommodated, through the co-ordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps, or hotel rooms. Another 2 235 residents have moved into transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or units from the Hong Kong Housing Society. Moreover, the Tai Po District Office continues to operate a temporary shelter at Tai Po Community Centre, which remains open to residents in need. The other temporary shelter at Tung Cheong Street Community Hall will remain in operation until the existing users have relocated to arranged emergency accommodations.

The Transport Department (TD) has been steering public transport operators to strengthen services of franchised buses, green minibuses and residents' services by deploying additional vehicles and manpower to support residents affected by the fire who have been admitted into transitional housing in various districts, allowing them to connect with other services to commute between different districts. The TD will continue to maintain close liaison with operating organisations of the transitional housing projects concerned and public transport operators to cater for residents' commuting needs.

Relief supplies and donations

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The supplies donation online platform (www.taipodonation.hk), established by the Government and the information technology sector, continues to operate, facilitating the registration of supplies donations from organisations and the public. The Government has so far received over 1 300 registrations, of which approximately 30 per cent were submitted by organisations, whereas the others were contributed by the public. The various registered donation items include food and beverages, clothing, daily necessities, beddings, and electrical appliances. The Government is actively assessing residents’ actual needs through the relevant policy bureau, Government departments, and service organisations for the matching of donated supplies in order to distribute appropriate items to places in need in phases. The matching and distribution of supplies will continue.

Handling of reported missing persons

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The Police have completed searches inside all seven buildings. Today, around 300 officers from the Disaster Victim Identification Unit conducted searches around the buildings and near the collapsed scaffolding, which had been confirmed as safe. No human remains were found, and the number of the deceased remains at 159. The officers also handed over suspected human remains found earlier to forensic pathologists for further testing. The Police will continue to follow up on the reported missing persons, aiming to confirm their status and the number of casualties as soon as possible.

Investigations

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The Inter-departmental Fire Investigation Task Force, led by the Fire Services Department and joined by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, investigated the oil gas pipeline on the exterior wall at the initially confirmed fire location and found no damage to the pipeline.

Regulation and inspection work

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The Housing Bureau has arranged emergency maintenance contractors to help the Police start clearing away miscellaneous items at the surroundings of the buildings starting today. At the same time, further support works have commenced in the small number of units which may be subject to more damage.

The Independent Checking Unit of the Housing Bureau visited the four Home Ownership Scheme courts, namely Sui Wo Court in Sha Tin, Ching Lai Court in Sham Shui Po, Yee Kok Court in Sham Shui Po, and On Kay Court in Kwun Tong, as well as Fung Wah Estate in Chai Wan under the Tenants Purchase Scheme to oversee the work and progress on the removal of protective nets carried out by the registered contractors. The Housing Department has also completed the removal of the protective nets in 15 public housing estates today.

Following the Development Bureau’s announcement yesterday (December 3) that any scaffold nets installed on external walls of all public and private buildings, as well as government buildings undergoing major repair works, must be immediately removed, and the works at the external walls must cease, the Buildings Department (BD) and relevant government departments have issued orders to contractors today, requiring them to complete the removal on or before this Saturday (December 6). Before and after the removal of scaffold nets, the contractors must ensure that there are no materials or loose items on the scaffolding, and that the scaffolding is safely secured to ensure public safety. Some contractors have commenced the removal and for individual cases that require more handling time, the contractor should notify the relevant department in advance, which will assess whether there are reasonable grounds for discretionary arrangements.

The BD aims to issue a new code of practice next week, requiring all scaffold net materials to be sampled on-site. The scaffold nets can only be installed after being certified by designated laboratories as compliant with relevant requirements.

Moreover, relevant departments inspected existing buildings undergoing major external wall maintenance earlier and took samples for testing from buildings with scaffold nets installed. The BD has taken samples from 400 private buildings with scaffold nets installed and sent them for testing in batches. The Architectural Services Department has also inspected all 18 of its public works building projects and collected samples for testing.

The Labour Department (LD) continues to inspect fire protection facilities and the fire emergency preparedness of building maintenance work sites with large-scale scaffolding to ensure the occupational safety of workers. As of 4pm today, the LD has inspected 239 construction sites, issued a total of 130 written warnings and 61 improvement notices, and taken out 17 prosecutions.

Source: AI-found images