Remarks by CE at media session in Beijing after reporting to President Xi Jinping
Following are the remarks by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at a media session in Beijing after reporting to President Xi Jinping on work on December 16:
Reporter: First, you mentioned that you reported the judgement of Jimmy Lai's case to the President. Did he touch on the case given that US President Donald Trump called on President Xi to release Lai? And secondly, did President Xi give any further instructions on social reforms regarding the Tai Po fire, and did he call for officials to be held accountable? Thank you.
Chief Executive: I reported to President Xi on what we have been doing to safeguard national security. I reported the conviction of Lai Chee-ying yesterday when the court convicted him on all three counts relating to endangering national security. I also reported to President Xi that we will continue to steadfastly uphold our duty of safeguarding national security, including the whole of the HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), which means the Government, the Legislative Council, and also the Judiciary. All of us have a duty under the Hong Kong National Security Law to safeguard national security. President Xi heard about what we did, and he affirmed his strong recognition of our efforts in this regard, and he also confirmed his strong support for both the Government and the Judiciary to uphold the duty of safeguarding national security. This is a case which is very important in our whole efforts to protect national security, because it confirms that for people who try to make use of different excuses, positioning themselves deceitfully in different positions, whether in relation to being a media operator or otherwise, the law clearly targets acts of the defendants that contravene the national security law. Then, they are rightfully convicted by the court based on evidence and legal principles. President Xi encouraged us to continue our efforts in this regard, but I must also make use of this opportunity to condemn government officials or media organisations outside Hong Kong, who tried to mislead the public and ignore the strong reasons that were very clearly spelled out in the judgement concerning the crimes committed by Lai. Some organisations, particularly foreign media organisations, deliberately mislead the public and deliberately whitewash the criminal acts of Lai under the cloak of so-called "media tycoon". And these organisations' objective is to obscure Lai's shameless acts and subversive actions as an agent of external forces to infiltrate and brainwash young people, through manipulating the media to incite the public and betraying the interests of the country and the people.
As regards the Government's efforts in helping out affected families who suffered in the Tai Po fire, President Xi listened to what the Hong Kong Government has done and also what we are doing in helping the affected families, the relief that we have all been doing to help and support them. About the action to help them to recover as well as the action to help society as a whole to recover, he encouraged us to continue to work hard on that. He has mentioned that it has to be a consistent and continuous effort - this is exactly what I am doing together with my government team. I reported to him the establishment of the Independent Committee, which will fairly and justly look into two critical topics that relate to the cause of the wide-spread fire, and also the long-standing problem that troubles a lot of people in Hong Kong regarding large-scale building renovation work. I have told him these two topics are big topics that will involve a lot of work. I have mentioned the gratitude that I have for the Chairman and the two members to boldly undertake these two very important responsibilities. I have said that I have given nine months for the Independent Committee to complete its work, which is a pressing timetable because, unlike other previous setups, we are dealing with two main topics instead of one. This is actually asking the Independent Committee to do two major tasks almost in parallel; that will be very demanding. That is also why I reported that I have given this reserve power for the Independent Committee - on the one hand, they can really streamline procedures to increase efficiency so that they can finish the work as soon as possible, and at the same time ensure that they will have the power necessary if it is required at the time to address certain issues and areas. I have made it very clear to President Xi that the Committee's purpose is to find out the truth and also to look for accountability. I have repeated that many times before our friends of media, and I want to repeat it again. We'll ensure that no stone will be left unturned to probe the truth and find out the loopholes and those who are responsible, and then accountability will come in.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)
Remarks by CE at media session in Beijing after reporting to President Xi Jinping Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Remarks by CE at media session in Beijing after reporting to President Xi Jinping Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Remarks by CE at media session in Beijing after reporting to President Xi Jinping 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 are about $3.4 billion as of noon today (December 16). With the start-up capital of $300 million from the Government, the fund's total has now reached around $3.7 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 a living allowance from the Support Fund will be provided to each affected household, and the amount has been increased from $50,000 to $100,000. As of today, 1 906 cases have been processed. In addition, the Government 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 134 cases have been processed. The allowance will be disbursed in phases.
Social workers from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have been in contact with more than 1 980 affected households, providing the "one social worker per household" follow-up service to more than 4 900 residents. The SWD will maintain liaison with the affected households to provide all necessary assistance while fully supporting the relief work of the Government.
Accommodation support
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As of this morning, a total of 1 236 residents have been accommodated, through the co-ordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps, or hotel rooms. Another 3 354 residents are currently living in transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau, units from the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) or Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun.
Currently, there is still an abundant supply of more than 1 000 units that can provide affected residents with longer term accommodation. The transitional housing and HKHS projects in different districts can altogether provide around 400 units at the moment. Besides, Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun and Runway 1331 at Kai Tak can provide a supply of around 900 units.
In addition, staff from the operating organisations of transitional housing and HKHS, as well as volunteers have been working around the clock to furnish the units with essential supplies, striving to meet the needs of the residents. All the currently available units in transitional housing and HKHS projects are equipped with furniture and appliances such as bed frames, mattresses, induction cookers and water heaters, etc, enabling the residents to settle in comfortably. At the same time, members of the community have proactively extended their support by volunteering time and donating essential supplies, offering multifaceted assistance to the affected residents. Taking Good House in Tai Po as an example, over 1 200 volunteers have contributed to provide services such as free transportation and medical support. The project has also received numerous donations, including food, furniture, appliances, and various daily necessities, effectively addressing residents’ immediate needs, reflecting a strong sense of community solidarity and mutual support.
Relief supplies and donations
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The supplies donation online platform, 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 1 900 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, bedding, 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 in phases to places in need. So far, over 24 000 donation items covering various categories have been distributed to different places. The matching and distribution of supplies will continue.
Regulation and inspection work
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The Fire Services Department (FSD) has redeployed manpower internally to enhance inspections of fire service installations and equipment (FSIs) in buildings, particularly those undergoing major maintenance, and has proactively inspected the functional status of fire alarms. Should any non-compliance be identified, the department will conduct thorough investigations and decisively take enforcement actions. At the same time, the department has redeployed personnel to promptly follow up on reports of abnormal operation of FSIs in buildings and will take appropriate enforcement actions accordingly.
The Independent Checking Unit of the Housing Bureau has completed the extraction of concrete core samples from the seven affected buildings at Wang Fuk Court. Initial structural assessment is underway.
In addition, following the establishment of an Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po as announced by the Chief Executive on December 12, the Chief Secretary for Administration has explicitly directed all relevant government departments and units to actively co-operate and fully support the committee’s work. Currently, the relevant policy bureaux and departments are compiling various materials related to regulation and inspection work as well as the fire incident. These materials will be submitted to the committee for reference as soon as possible, facilitating the smooth commencement of its review work.
Source: AI-found images
