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Officials in Hong Kong have detained thirteen individuals on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter related to last week’s devastating fire, amidst increasing criticism over the detentions of citizens demanding accountability.

Search Continues as Death Toll Climbs

Emergency services continued to search through the seven-building complex of the Wang Fuk Court residential area in the Tai Po district on Monday, days after the city’s deadliest fire in seven and a half decades. The death toll rose to 151 and is anticipated to climb further as the search goes on. About 40 people are currently missing.

Renovations Connected with Fire’s Cause

The estate, housing nearly 5,000 people, had been in the midst of extensive renovations that have been linked to the fire’s cause. In the wake of the tragedy, anger has escalated over alleged past safety violations by the contractor working at the location and poor oversight of standards, fuelled by disclosures that residents had been complaining about the work for a twelve months.

Arrests Include Corporate Executives

On Monday afternoon, authorities said the anti-graft agency had arrested 13 people over the disaster so far, including the executives and an technical advisor of a construction company, and had “promptly initiated comprehensive investigation along the lines of manslaughter”.

Substandard Materials Revealed

A senior official stated that seven of 20 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 netting had been put in areas difficult to access in order to avoid discovery, labeling it a “deplorable deed”.

“Their sole aim was to make money at the cost of people’s lives,” he said.

Citizens Detained Amid Demands for Answers

As allegations of safety violations mount, alongside reports that official bodies had issued multiple apparently unenforced warnings, the public have questioned why no government figures have yet faced consequences. Instead, two members of the public were allegedly taken into custody by security forces.

A person, identified as a Hong Kong student, was arrested over an internet appeal that made “four requests” for assured assistance for the affected families and responsibility for those at to blame, including any negligent or responsible government officials.

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

Local media also reported the detention of a ex-local representative.

Official Response on Arrests

Questioned about the detentions, the security chief said there had been “misleading statements online” that were aimed to undermine public security. “Therefore, we must take necessary steps, including police action,” the official told a press conference. “Specifics of the operation cannot be disclosed as they involve state security.”

Social Media Response and Comparisons Drawn

On local online platforms, people condemned the detention of citizens. “National security must be given precedence even if the victims are still trapped in the structure,” said one.

Some commenters drew comparisons to the Chinese mainland. “The mainland, these crimes are called ‘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 targeting the person who asks questions, no one will venture to question, and thus Hong Kong’s governance will have no issues.”

Heightened Sensitivity and Community Response

The arrests came after warnings by security officials that they would crack down on anyone considered to be using the incident to stir up “hostile” sentiment.

Prior to the arrests, officials had already begun showing increased vigilance to the community response. Following the suppression of earlier unrest, public assemblies have been strictly regulated. In the immediate aftermath, volunteer supporters quickly organized aid operations, with many individuals employing vehicles and transit to deliver mountains of garments, food and other necessities for the victims.

However, by evening, officers were patrolling the area, and government officials eventually took over from the volunteer organisers.

The appeal over which the student was allegedly arrested was initiated late on Friday. Its “four points” echoed the language of past protest movements but did not call for systemic reform.

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

“If these ideas are deemed subversive or ‘transgressive’, then I feel I cannot foresee the consequences of any action any more, and I can only do what I truly believe is right,” he said.