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Officials in Hong Kong have detained 13 individuals on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter related to last week’s devastating fire, amid growing criticism over the detentions of civilians demanding accountability.

Ongoing Rescue Operations as Fatalities Rises

Rescue teams continued to search through the seven-building complex of the Wang Fuk Court residential area in Tai Po on the start of the week, days after the city’s deadliest fire in seven and a half decades. The death toll rose to 151 and is anticipated to climb higher as the search goes on. Approximately forty people are currently unaccounted for.

Renovations Linked to Cause of Blaze

The estate, home to nearly five thousand people, had been in the midst of major refurbishment that have been linked to the origin of the blaze. In the wake of the tragedy, public fury has escalated over reported past safety violations by the construction company working at the location and poor oversight of standards, fuelled by revelations that residents had been complaining about the renovations for a twelve months.

Arrests Include Corporate Executives

On the afternoon of Monday, authorities said anti-corruption authorities had arrested thirteen people over the tragedy so far, including the executives and an engineering consultant of a construction company, and had “immediately begun comprehensive investigation along the lines of manslaughter”.

Safety Failures Uncovered

A senior official stated that seven of twenty tested samples of the scaffolding net used around the buildings did not meet fire-retardant standards. Preliminary checks had found materials were up to code, but the official said the less expensive, noncompliant material had been put in areas difficult to access in order to evade detection, labeling it a “shameful act”.

“Their sole aim was to make money at the cost of people’s lives,” the official stated.

Citizens Arrested Amid Calls for Answers

As allegations of safety lapses mount, alongside revelations that government authorities had issued multiple seemingly ignored cautions, the public have asked why no government figures have yet faced consequences. Conversely, two members of the public were allegedly taken into custody by security forces.

One individual, named as a local student, was detained over an internet appeal that made “four requests” for assured assistance for the affected families and accountability for those at to blame, including any negligent or culpable government officials.

Local media said the student was arrested for “seditious intention”. Police did not verify the arrest, saying only that they “will act according to actual circumstances and in compliance with the law”.

News outlets also covered the detention of a ex-local representative.

Official Response on Arrests

Questioned about the arrests, the security chief said there had been “inaccurate comments on the internet” that were aimed to undermine national security. “As a result, we must take appropriate measures, including law enforcement measures,” the secretary told a press conference. “Operational details cannot be disclosed as they involve state security.”

Social Media Response and Comparisons Drawn

On local online platforms, people criticised the arrests of civilians. “State security must be prioritised even if the victims are still buried in the structure,” said one.

Some commenters drew comparisons to the Chinese mainland. “There, such acts are called ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’,” said one commenter. “They are typically met with heavy sentences. Social order overrides everything.”

Another said: “Now that we are aligning with mainland China’s methods, by targeting the person who raises the question, nobody will dare to ask, and thus the city's administration will have no issues.”

Heightened Sensitivity and Community Response

The arrests came after advisories by national security authorities that they would crack down on anyone deemed to be using the tragedy to stir up “anti-China” sentiment.

Before the arrests, authorities had already begun showing heightened sensitivity to the community response. Following the quelling of earlier unrest, civilian gatherings have been strictly regulated. In the immediate aftermath, community volunteers rapidly established relief efforts, with hundreds of people using cars and transit to deliver large quantities of clothes, food and other essentials for the survivors.

However, by evening, officers were monitoring the vicinity, and public authorities soon assumed control from the community coordinators.

The appeal over which the individual was reportedly arrested was launched on Friday evening. Its “four demands” mirrored the terminology of previous campaigns but did not call for systemic reform.

The student informed reporters that he was only “proposing fundamental demands”.

“If these ideas are considered seditious or ‘crossing the line’, then I believe I can’t predict the outcomes of any action any more, and I can only do what I sincerely think is right,” he stated.