Hong Kong Housing Authority head resigns over fire
Hong Kong Housing Authority Director Ho Wing-yin resigned over a fire at Wang Fuk Court. Chief Executive John Lee accepted the resignation, saying she took political responsibility despite no personal fault. Deputy Financial Secretary Wong Wai-lin will take over the role.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has accepted the resignation of Housing Authority Director Ho Wing-yin, who stepped down to take political responsibility for a fire at Wang Fuk Court in Yuen Long.
Mr Lee said on 29 October that although Ms Ho had not personally made any mistake, the fire occurred under the purview of an independent review team co-ordinated by the Housing Authority. He met Ms Ho the previous day, and she offered to resign, saying she was willing to bear political responsibility. Mr Lee accepted her resignation with effect from 29 October.
Deputy Financial Secretary Wong Wai-lin will take over Ms Ho's duties in a concurrent capacity. Mr Lee said he had reported to the central government in Beijing, recommending that Ms Ho be relieved of her post.
The Chief Executive also issued two instructions to the political appointment team. First, they must continue to push forward reforms and handle the large amount of work ahead in their respective positions. Second, they should learn lessons from the incident and better exercise their leadership roles.
The Wang Fuk Court fire broke out on 26 October, with the government confirming no casualties but significant property damage. The Housing Authority's independent review team had been overseeing fire-safety checks at the estate before the blaze.
