The Hong Kong government has slammed an editorial by The Wall Street Journal, which accuses the city’s authorities of having moved to “silence dissent” after the deadly Tai Po blaze in Tai Po.
Chief Executive John Lee visits Wang Fuk Court on November 27, 2025. Photo: GovHK.
In a letter addressed to the Journal, dated Thursday, Secretary for Security Chris Tang wrote that it was “extremely regrettable” that the American newspaper published an editorial titled “No Fire Critics Allowed in Hong Kong.”
The Journal’s editorial article, published on Tuesday, claimed that the official response to the fire – which killed at least 159 people – showed “how this once free city is becoming more like mainland China by the day.”
It also said the authorities were “seeking to chill speech related to the fire.”
The editorial referred to a civil society press conference that was cancelled at the last minute, with one of the participants, Bruce Liu, being “invited to a meeting” with the police national security department.
In his letter, Tang said the editorial was “biased” and amounted to an “unwarranted attempt to undermine Hong Kong” in the aftermath of the fire at Wang Fuk Court.
The op-ed piece also “conveniently ignores” the comprehensive aid provided by the government to affected residents, such as financial support, accommodation, and counselling services, he added.
Tang defended the authorities’ actions to investigate the deadly blaze. He cited 15 arrests made by the police for suspected manslaughter and 12 people apprehended by the Independent Commission Against Corruption for suspected corruption relating to the tragedy.
Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 28, 2025, two days after a deadly fire set seven out of eight buildings in the housing estate ablaze. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
He also mentioned Chief Executive John Lee’s plan to set up an independent committee chaired by a judge to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth review. The proposed committee is different from a formal commission of inquiry under the Commissions of Inquiry Ordinance.
The Hong Kong leader vowed on Thursday that the committee will be empowered to request assistance from government departments, including those with investigative powers, to “seriously ascertain the truth.”
Tang also said in the letter that everyone in society should unite and support those affected, and identify the shortcomings to prevent another tragedy in the future.
“Any attempts to sabotage our recovery work will be handled seriously,” he wrote.
Late on Wednesday, the government issued a statement, blasting “anti-China media organisations” and “anti-China and destabilising forces” for “making unfounded and slanderous remarks” and trying to use the fire to “stir up chaos in society.”
Mourners paid their respects to the dead outside Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on Tuesday, December 2, 2025. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Also on Wednesday, Beijing’s Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS) warned that it would pursue foreign forces that allegedly attacked and incited opposition to the Tai Po fire rescue and relief efforts.
It was the OSNS’s second statement in less than a week, warning of “anti-China disruptors” seeking to co-opt the tragedy to “incite resentment” against the government.
Neither of the statements named any groups or individuals.
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