Hong Kong fire: Citizens' anger over 146 deaths spills on to streets, demand fair probe; China slaps sedition law

Public anger over Hong Kong’s deadliest residential fire in decades has spilled into the streets, even as a student activist who demanded accountability was reportedly detained under the city’s national security regime.

Miles Kwan, 24, had been distributing flyers outside a city train station on Friday, urging commuters to support an independent investigation into the blaze that killed at least 146 people at Wang Fuk Court. Kwan told AFP he wanted residents to “be frank about how today's Hong Kong is riddled with holes, inside and out.”


The appeal quickly turned into an online petition that drew more than 10,000 signatures in less than a day.

But by Saturday night, Hong Kong media reported that Kwan had been arrested by national security police on suspicion of sedition, and the petition text was removed. Police did not confirm the arrest, saying only they “will take actions according to actual circumstances and in accordance with the law.”

Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong had earlier accused “anti-China forces” of using the tragedy to “incite social division and stirring hatred against authorities.”

When asked Friday if he feared detention, Kwan said he was simply “proposing very basic demands,” adding, “If these ideas are deemed seditious or ‘crossing the line’, then I feel I can't predict the consequences of anything anymore.”

The fire tore through seven of the estate’s eight high-rise blocks, prompting 11 arrests linked to the tragedy. Activists distributing flyers sought government accountability, proper resettlement for residents and a review of construction oversight, arguing the inferno was “not an accident” but a preventable disaster.

Hong Kong has previously used judge-led public inquiries for major incidents, but officials have so far announced only an inter-departmental task force. Lawyer Imran Khan, who represented Grenfell Tower survivors in the UK, told AFP that “an internal investigation will not get to the truth,” adding that without accountability, “they cannot grieve.”

At the site of the fire, mourners continued to leave flowers and handwritten notes. One read: “This is not just an accident, it is the evil fruit of an unjust system, which landed on you. It's not right.”