Online pre-registration for public observation for fourth round of evidential hearings of Independent Committee in relation to fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Online pre-registration for public observation for fourth round of evidential hearings of Independent Committee in relation to fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po
     The Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po announced today (April 21) that the fourth round of evidential hearings, comprising three hearings, would be held during May 6 to May 8. Members of the public may pre-register for selected hearings under this round that they wish to observe via the online system from 10am on April 23 to 10am on April 26.

     The Committee will hear evidence in the evidential hearings on matters in accordance with its terms of reference. The Committee aims to clarify the relevant facts through oral evidence, written submissions, and other forms of evidence presented by witnesses. This will provide an important basis for the preparation of its report and recommendations.

     The schedule for the fourth round of three evidential hearings is as follows:

      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.

     In the fourth round of evidential hearings, the Committee will continue to receive oral evidence from witnesses. The Committee will release the list of exact witnesses who will be giving evidence at each date of hearing on its website (www.ic-wangfukcourtfire.gov.hk/eng/timetable.html
     Some seats for the hearings will be reserved for the involved parties, and some seats will be open to the public to observe the proceedings. To allow more members of the public to attend the hearings, the proceedings will be broadcast simultaneously in transmission areas set up on the ground floor of the City Gallery and in 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. Separate arrangements will be made for the media.

     To avoid members of the public queuing outside the venue for a long time, and to allow those who wish to observe the hearings to have certainty of whether seats have been secured before the day of the hearings, for the fourth round of hearings, individuals (including Wang Fuk Court residents) are required to pre-register online (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ic-hearing/en/
     Successful registrants will receive a “Confirmation of Successful Registration” for the fourth round of hearings issued by the Secretariat of the Committee by April 30. An SMS notification will be sent from the sender name “#IC-hearing”. If an email address is also provided during pre-registration, an email notification will be sent from hearing@ic-wangfukcourtfire.gov.hk. Pre-registration will be considered unsuccessful for those who have not received a notification by that date. Each person can only pre-register for each day of hearing once. Duplicate registrations will not be processed.

     According to the current plan, more hearings will be held. Relevant details (including the specific dates of the hearings and the pre-registration arrangements for public observation) will be announced separately.

     The Chief Executive established the Committee to review the causes of the fire at Wang Fuk Court and related issues, and to make recommendations to prevent similar incidents from occurring again. The Committee formally commenced its work on December 19, 2025, and the evidential hearings on March 19 to receive oral evidence from witnesses.
Issued at HKT 14:30

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