Deceitful firms mostly to blame for deadly Tai Po blaze, government counsel says

Jenkin Suen attributes Wang Fuk Court inferno to ‘deceit, inaction and deliberate omission’ of contractors who exploited regulatory regimes Wrapping up the government’s arguments at an independent committee inquiry into the tragedy, Jenkin Suen SC on Thursday attributed the inferno to the “deceit, inaction and deliberate omission” of contractors who exploited regulatory regimes founded on the trust and confidence that authorities had placed in the private sector. Suen acknowledged that the disaster had exposed systemic vulnerabilities, including the government’s overreliance on professional self-regulation, insufficient oversight, gaps in guidelines and interdepartmental miscommunication, as well as an inability to apply technology to detect malpractice. But he warned against characterising “weaknesses” and “room for improvement” in the system as the primary causes of the fire, saying the legislative framework had been developed in response to sustained calls in society to streamline regulatory procedures, reduce compliance costs and avoid disproportionate requirements for low-risk construction works.

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