Volunteers offer helping hand as fire-affected residents relocated in Hong Kong

Volunteers are offering support and assistance to survivors of last Wednesday's deadly apartment fire in Hong Kong as displaced residents begin to move into temporary accommodation and start the challenging process of rebuilding their life.

The devastating blaze that engulfed the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po has claimed at least 159 lives, while many others still remain unaccounted for.

Many shell-shocked locals have been recounting some of the harrowing stories of the tragic event.

Among them is Winnie Heimgartner-Wong, who said her elderly mother is lucky to be alive. She recalled the terrifying moment she saw news reports that her mother's apartment block had caught fire.

Remarkably, her 87-year-old mom -- who has been using a wheelchair following heart surgery -- was able to get herself down 11 flights of stairs all by herself.

"The great thing is that she even remembered to put the dog - we have a small chihuahua dog - she put it in the bag and she carried the bag, and [then] with a cane, that's [how] she walked down 11 floors. For us it's a miracle. She could hardly walk like 10 steps [before]," Heimgartner-Wong said of her mother's astonishing escape.

As a trained counselor, Heimgartner-Wong was among the first volunteers on site after the fire. While some helped to organize clothes, she focused on providing mental health support to those who had lost loved ones or their homes.

Many residents are now being offered alternative places to stay following the fire. At a government transitional housing project, which is run by an NGO, more than 40 families from Wang Fuk Court have moved in and the venue is expecting more arrivals.

"After the urgent accommodation [needs] of those affected families, they have to think about longer-term accommodation. So, we believe maybe in the next week, more and more families will move in," said Schwinger Chi-Kit Wong, chief executive of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service.

Around 100 volunteers have been busy assembling donated furniture and appliances which will be transfered to the transitional homes for displaced residents to use.

Many other volunteers have been on hand to offer whatever support they can provide in the aftermath of Hong Kong's worst fire in decades and as the city continues to come to terms with the tragedy, a strong sense of community spirit has emerged.

"Just reading through it just kind of breaks my heart. I can't imagine what families are going through right now. So [we are doing] any little thing that we can contribute, any little thing that we can help," said a volunteer named Janet Law.

Among those seeking refuge in the transitional housing project is Harry Shum and his wife, who lived at Wang Fuk Court for more than 40 years. They remain unsure about what the immediate future may hold.

"We don't know, because temporarily, it's my home. And [we are] just waiting for further arrangements," said Shum.

Volunteers offer helping hand as fire-affected residents relocated in Hong Kong

International figures have strongly criticized recent statements made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, calling them a blatant violation of international law and an unacceptable interference in China's internal affairs.

At a Diet meeting on Nov 7, Takaichi claimed that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan and implied the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait.

The remarks, which challenge China's sovereignty, have drawn sharp rebuke from observers across the globe, who warn such actions threaten regional stability.

Ruben Guzzetti, director of the Argentine Institute of Geopolitical Studies, said that "a substantial body of prior documentation establishes that Takaichi's statements constitute undue interference in China's internal affairs and a violation of its sovereignty. This is now clear, and it represents a very significant threat to international peace."

Echoing this sentiment, David Monyae, director of the Center for Africa-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, contextualized the issue within historical memory.

"Given the history, the fascism and the damage that Japan caused, not just in China but the whole of Asia and the world during the Second World War, with all those atrocities, what we want is that Japan starts to recognize and starts stating clearly all the atrocities that it caused and to show a sign that it is reversing and it is not going to do what it did in the past. I think for Japan to bring back an imperialistic colonial mentality, it's something that is unacceptable," he said firmly.

The criticism also came from political figures. Tshilidzi Bethuel Munyai, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa, condemned the Japanese leader's statements as "reckless, absurd, and an act of transgression, blatantly undermining the deployed diplomatic achievements between the two countries."

"It erodes the foundation of political trust between China and Japan. It signals very reckless right-wing forces within Japan and the broader international community. By the way, China has firm resolve to safeguard the national sovereignty and as well as territorial integrity," said Munyai.

Amidst this international backlash, experts assert that China's demand for a retraction of Takaichi's remarks is fully justified. The consensus among critics is clear: such provocations undermine the foundations of international law and bilateral relations, and must be withdrawn to prevent further escalation.

Int'l voices condemn Japanese PM's remarks as unacceptable violation of China's sovereignty