Registration for Wang Fuk Court fire evidential hearing opens April 8

The Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po announced that members of the public can register online to attend the third round of seven evidential hearings, which will begin at 10am on April 8 and remain open until 10am on April 11.

During the hearings, the commission will hear evidence on matters listed in its mandate and clarify the relevant facts through oral testimonies, written statements, and other evidence submitted by witnesses.

The evidential hearings will be conducted in Cantonese from 10am to 1pm and from 2.15pm to 4.30pm at the Multi-purpose Hall, 3/F, City Gallery, 3 Edinburgh Place, Central. Simultaneous interpretation in Putonghua and English will be provided in the City Gallery.

To accommodate a broader audience, the committee has arranged for the proceedings to be broadcast live in designated transmission areas located on the ground floor of the City Gallery and within the Lecture Theatre of the Hong Kong Central Library.

Arrangements will be made for some members of the public to observe the hearings in these two areas.

A total of about 360 seats will be available for public observation in the main venue and the two transmission areas.

About half of the seats will be set aside for residents of Wang Fuk Court on a priority basis.

The schedule for the third round of seven evidential hearings, as announced earlier, is as follows:

1. April 20 (Mon)

2. April 21 (Tue)

3. April 22 (Wed)

4. April 23 (Thu)

5. April 24 (Fri)

6. April 27 (Mon)

7. April 30 (Thu)

All interested individuals, including estate residents, must complete their pre-registration online during the designated three-day window. Applicants can select one or multiple dates on the registration form, with seats being distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Those who successfully secure a seat will receive a formal confirmation from the Committee Secretariat by April 16. These notifications will be sent via SMS from the sender ID #IC-hearing, and an additional email will be sent from hearing@ic-wangfukcourtfire.gov.hk to those who provided an address during the sign-up process.

The committee has noted that duplicate registrations will not be processed and that anyone who does not receive a notification by the deadline should consider their application unsuccessful.

Further hearings are expected to continue into May, with specific details to be released at a later date.