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Officials in the city have detained thirteen individuals on suspected charges of involuntary manslaughter related to last week’s catastrophic blaze, amidst increasing criticism over the detentions of citizens demanding accountability.

Ongoing Rescue Operations as Fatalities Climbs

Emergency services continued to search through the seven towers of the Wang Fuk Court residential area in the Tai Po district on the start of the week, following the most fatal blaze in 75 years. The number of fatalities reached one hundred and fifty-one and is expected to rise further as the search goes on. About 40 people are still unaccounted for.

Renovations Linked to Fire’s Cause

The housing complex, housing nearly 5,000 people, had been undergoing extensive renovations that have been linked to the fire’s cause. In the aftermath, public fury has grown over reported previous safety breaches by the construction company working at the site and lax enforcement of standards, fuelled by disclosures that occupants had been complaining about the work for a twelve months.

Arrests Include Corporate Executives

On the afternoon of Monday, officials said the anti-graft agency had detained thirteen people over the tragedy so far, including the executives and an engineering consultant of a contracting firm, and had “promptly initiated comprehensive investigation along the lines of manslaughter”.

Safety Failures Revealed

A senior official stated that seven of twenty tested samples of the scaffolding net used around the buildings did not meet flame-resistance requirements. Initial testing had found samples were compliant, but the official said the cheaper, noncompliant material had been put in areas difficult to access in order to evade detection, describing it as a “shameful act”.

“Their sole aim was to profit at the expense of people’s lives,” he said.

Civilians Detained Amid Calls for Accountability

As accusations of safety lapses grow, alongside reports that official bodies had issued multiple apparently unenforced warnings, residents have asked why no government figures have yet faced consequences. Instead, two members of the public were reportedly taken into custody by national security police.

A person, identified as a Hong Kong student, was arrested over an online petition that made “four requests” for assured assistance for the affected families and responsibility for those at fault, including any negligent or culpable public servants.

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

Local media also covered the arrest of a former district councillor.

Government Statement on Arrests

Questioned about the detentions, the security chief said there had been “misleading statements online” that were intended to threaten public security. “As a result, we must take necessary steps, including law enforcement measures,” the secretary told a media briefing. “Operational details cannot be disclosed as they concern national security.”

Public Reaction and Parallels Drawn

On Hong Kong social media, people criticised the detention of citizens. “National security must be given precedence even if the dead are still buried in the building,” said one.

Several users drew comparisons to the Chinese mainland. “The mainland, these crimes are termed ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’,” said a user. “It’s usually met with heavy sentences. Social order trumps everything.”

A different user said: “Now that we are aligning with mainland China’s methods, by dealing with the individual who raises the question, nobody will dare to ask, and therefore Hong Kong’s governance will have no problems.”

Increased Scrutiny and Volunteer Efforts

The detentions followed advisories by security officials that they would take action against anyone deemed to be exploiting the tragedy to stir up “anti-China” sentiment.

Prior to the detentions, officials had already begun showing heightened sensitivity to the community response. Since the suppression of earlier unrest, public assemblies have been tightly controlled. In the days following the fire, volunteer supporters quickly organized aid operations, with hundreds of people using vehicles and transit to bring in mountains of clothes, food and other essentials for the survivors.

However, by evening, armed police were patrolling the vicinity, and public authorities soon took over from the community coordinators.

The appeal over which the student was allegedly arrested was launched on Friday evening. Its “four points” echoed the terminology of previous protest movements but did not call for political change.

The student told reporters that he was only “proposing very basic requests”.

“Should these suggestions are deemed subversive or ‘crossing the line’, then I feel I can’t predict the consequences of any action any more, and I can only do what I truly believe is correct,” he said.