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The government on Thursday released the report by the independent committee set up over the Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po, comprising two volumes, 16 chapters and nine annexes totalling 1,013 pages.
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However, passages on more than 40 pages have been redacted, prompting some citizens to question the lack of transparency. Most of the redactions are concentrated in the second volume, covering "Chapter 10: Responsibilities of the contractors and private partie to the works" and "Chapter 11: Responsibility and accountability of government bodies relating to oversight of fire risks associated eith the works at Wang Fuk Court."
The government explained before the report's release that Chief Executive John Lee received it on October 22, and that after seeking legal advice, it redacted content that could have any actual or perceived improper influence on related criminal prosecutions. The full report will be released after all related criminal proceedings are completed.
The most heavily redacted section concerns the responsibilities of the contractors and private partie to the works, with 34 redactions, many referring to the responsibilities of Prestige Construction & Engineering (PC&E) and Will Power Architects.
Some redacted passages are suggestive, including one saying evidence from the hearings clearly showed "PC&E and Will Power had overall responsibility for the Works. The evidence in the Inquiry clearly demonstrates that they cut corners in numerous aspectsXXXXXX", and another saying "XXXXXXThere is no doubt that they (PC&E and Will Power) are the main culprits responsible for the occurrence of the inferno and the high fatalities in the tragic incident."
In the section on netting and plastic sheeting, one passage says that after the burning testing of scaffolding nets, "What followed was even more egregious. XXXXXXXX". The same chapter also says "Will Power cannot deny responsibility either XXXX".
