The Young Reporter

On a November morning in Hong Kong, the sun scorching the tiled roof of the Wong Tai Sin Temple, hundreds of people pressed together to head to the main altar in a rite for the upcoming Legislative Council election. Devotees walked slowly past the great bronze incense burner, heads bowed, respectfully planting three sticks of incense each. Alan Chan, 68, edged forward in the slow-moving river of bodies, his three incense sticks already lit and trembling between his fingers. For decades this had been his quiet anchor: a bow, a murmured name — Tommy Cheung Yu-Yan. But the 76-year-old lawmaker had just announced his retirement from Legco after 25 years. His prayer caught in his throat. He stared at the altar’s flickering candles, the sea of unfamiliar faces on campaign flyers taped to nearby pillars.  "These young candidates I don’t recognise a single one…How am I supposed to vote? How am I supposed to pray?" he said. Cheung is one of 12 current Lego members aged 70 or above who declared they will not run in this year's election, including former Legco president Andrew Leung Kwan-yin, 74, and convener of the Executive Council Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, 75, accounting for a little over a third of all 35 lawmakers who announced their election withdrawal. Most veteran lawmakers said that they hope to make way for the younger generation. This unprecedented wave of withdrawals is despite no existing legislation specifying a retirement age limit for members of Legco.  Although the reasons for the generational shift remain unclear, some commentators have speculated that Beijing seeks a younger cohort of legislators who will appeal to Hong Kong’s youth and align more closely with national development priorities. Martin Cheung Tat-ming, Chief Researcher at a leading local think tank, said the most direct reason why …

Two designated polling stations have been set up for Hong Kong’s ethnic minority population to cast their ballots for the Legislative Council election on Sunday. The designated polling stations are located at Tang Shiu Kin Victoria Government Secondary School and Kowloon Park Sports Centre, to allow ethnic minority voters who participate in religious events at the Wan Chai Khalsa Diwan Sikh Temple and Kowloon Masjid respectively to cast their ballots, according to the authorities. These designated polling stations are part of the government’s pilot arrangements to cater to voters with special needs. “Sometimes it was difficult for us to wait in a queue, but now it is perfect,” said Aida Zubaida, 33, a housewife from India who has lived in Hong Kong for more than 10 years. “There are separate counters, so we can go easily and orderly.” According to the 2021 Population Census, about 8.4% of Hong Kong’s population belong to an ethnic minority group. Indonesians top the list, followed by Filipinos, White people and Indians. Zubaida said she hopes the next Legislative Council can address the social inequality encountered by the ethnic minority population today, especially in terms of financial support. “There shouldn’t be partiality between Chinese and ethnic minorities, in jobs, employment and other areas," Zubaida said. “We are suffering a lot here, so that’s why we are expecting more separate places for us.” “If we have more job opportunities, we can easily have financial support. But in Hong Kong, the Chinese language is very important here. Even though we are trying to learn the language, it has been very difficult for us.” According to a report published by the Equal Opportunities Commission, Hong Kong’s equality watchdog, it is common for ethnic minorities to face discrimination in accessing goods and services. In terms of employment, ethnic minority …

  Polling is underway on Sunday to elect the next term of the Legislative Council, the second “patriot-only” election since Beijing’s electoral overhaul in 2021. As of 5:30 pm, turnout for geographical constituencies stands at 23.76%, with over 981,000 voters casting their ballots. In the previous LegCo election in 2021, turnout at the same time was 18.5%. The polling period this year was extended for one hour, running from 7:30 am to 11:30 pm. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu cast his vote at Raimondi College polling station at 8:30 am. “The Legislative Council has a lot of powers, for example, in approving spending or making new laws,” Lee said during a media session at the polling station. “We will work together to fill loopholes in our existing system, reinforce our city’s safety, and give residents a greater sense of security,” Lee said.  “All voters must therefore come out to vote today, because your ballot represents reform, safeguarding victims of the [Tai Po] fire, and our unity in marching forward,” he added. Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court suffered a level-five fire on Nov. 26, which claimed more than 150 lives. Despite the casualties, authorities kept the election as scheduled, citing the need to avoid a vacuum period in the legislature. Residents who showed up to cast a ballot said they wanted to support Hong Kong’s development, and hoped the next LegCo could focus more on social affairs. “As a Hongkonger, it is our responsibility to support Hong Kong’s development,” said Jack Zhong, 36, an IT engineer who cast a ballot in the Kowloon West geographical constituency. Zhong said he hopes the next Legislative Council would focus on economic development to improve residents’ quality of life.  “As an IT engineer, I would like to see more supportive measures in the information technology …

Supply stations at Kwong Fuk Estate brimmed with essentials at noon as volunteers urged donors to hold off, confirming sufficient stocks for residents displaced by the Tai Po blaze. The stations offered various supplies, including solid meals, drinks, first aid medicine, adhesive bandages, masks, paper underwear, and shampoo. A group of secondary school students from the nearby Wong Shiu Chi Secondary School, in uniforms, handed out snacks and fruit at the station.  One student told the reporter that they offered displaced residents freshly cooked vegetarian lunchboxes and hot tea provided by local restaurants in the neighborhood .  “Prescription grains and blankets for pets can be obtained. We want to deliver them to people in need as soon as possible,” said Tracy Wong, 30, a volunteer at a pet supplies booth on site.  The pet supplies booth called on the public to stop sending more cat and dog food as it had sufficient resources collected.  Other booths worked on sorting clothes, separating heavy winter garments from lighter clothes on the ground.  Additional services at the stations included blood pressure checks and counseling sessions to comfort residents.

Reported by: Sean Cheng Tsz-sen, Elaine Lai Uen-ling Edited by: Vinci Ao Wei-ying, Nansen Chen Yik-nam Over 60 people were killed in the blazing fire at Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po. 10 firefighters were injured in effort to put out the fire.

The deadly fire at Tai Po Wang Fuk Court was put out at 10:18 am today, after 43 hours of firefighting, said Tang Ping-keung, Secretary for Security. Tang said at least 128 people were killed and 79 people were injured. 108 victims were found dead at the scene, with four more dying after being taken to the hospital, and 16 severely burned bodies recovered inside the building.  “Firefighting and rescue operations have now been completed. However the interior temperature remains at 200°C and teams are cooling the structure for further inspection,” he said. A total of 30 victims have been identified, about half from inside their flats. More than 40 other bodies require forensic confirmation, and 89 sets of remains are still unidentified. Authorities have received 467 missing-person reports, with many duplicated submissions. Of those, 39 were confirmed dead, 30 injured, and 110 were located safe. Tang said the fire is believed to have started in Wang Cheung House, where highly flammable foam panels at height allowed flames to shoot upward and spread rapidly.  “Burning fragments carried embers to higher floors, windows shattered in extreme heat and bamboo scaffolding ignited, causing additional floors to burn,” he said. Tang added the interior temperatures reached about 500 degrees Celsius, calling a halt to firefighters from advancing. The Security Secretary said the police have arrested three senior staff members of renovation company Prestige Construction & Engineering Co Limited for alleged manslaughter, seizing 14 computers and documents in the operation. A full investigation will be conducted and is expected to take three to four weeks.  A fire alarm test was conducted yesterday. Despite the alarms being on, they were silent, said Andy Yeung Yan-kin, director of the Fire Service Department, adding that a follow-up investigation will be carried. Regarding online claims about firefighting tactics, …

Hong Kong’s Simmi Chan Sin-yuk, 23, lost to Belgium’s Tinne Gilis at the single-elimination round of the Milwaukee Squash Open 2025 on Dec. 3, ending the team’s journey at the tournament. As the tournament entered its third day, Chan was the only one among the six Hong Kong players to advance to the second round of the five-round competition. Chan, who claimed the silver medal at the inaugural Under-23 World Squash Championships this April, found her match when faced against the world’s No. 8 squash player, Tinne Gilis, falling to a defeat with 9–11, 7–11, and 12–14 in the three rounds of the match, respectively, at the Hong Kong Squash Centre. “I have given out everything I could to win the game, so I carry no regret regarding the defeat,” Chan said. The tournament is divided into men’s and women’s main draws, each only featuring the top 30 players worldwide, and the local host was awarded two unrestricted qualifying spots in each draw, granting entry to local players with no restrictions on their world ranking. “It will be a tough game for Chan since Gilis is a formidable opponent,” said Wong Tsz-hin, 30, Chan’s teammate, adding that he hopes Chan can enjoy the game before the match begins. Gilis took the leading position in both the first and second rounds, at one point holding a five‑point advantage in an 11‑point game. Despite reaching the match point at 10–9 in the third game, Chan missed several shots from the same spot on the right forecourt, allowing Gilis to reverse the momentum and win.  “She was able to complete the defence when the situation was unfavourable for her,” Chan said, describing Gilis as a rival who combines physical strength with steady play in the post-game media conference. Chan’s rival Gilis just won her …

The death toll in the Tai Po Wang Fuk Court fire has risen to 156, the Police Regional Commander of New Territories North, Lam Man-han, said at a briefing. Lam said search operations have been completed in five residential blocks, including Wang Kin, Wang Shing and Wang Tai Houses. Searches at Wang Cheung House are about 40% complete, while Wang Sun House has reached 90% completion.  Search work was suspended earlier today, to prevent families from witnessing the removal of bodies during roadside mourning ceremonies. She said 13 bodies were recovered in Wang Cheung House, including five newly located bodies, bringing the total death count to 156. Among those, 127 bodies have been identified, 29 of them pending identification and 30 people still reported missing. Lam added residents of Wang Chi House, the only block that was not directly affected by the fire, will be allowed a one-time return to their homes on Dec. 3 and 4 to collect essential items.  Between 9am to 9pm, only up to two people per household will be permitted to enter their homes for a maximum of 90 minutes. Authority personnels will accompany residents during entry, and police officers will be stationed on each floor.  To facilitate smooth operation, staff from the Social Welfare Department will provide on-site support. Additional transport services, including shuttle buses and volunteer taxi vehicles will be available for Wang Chi House residents.

Thousands gathered at the nearby Kwong Fuk Sitting-out Area in Tai Po on Monday to lay flowers in remembrance of the fire victims.  Bouquets, condolence cards and soft toys filled the lawn as citizens paid their respects to the victims of the deadly fire.  Mourners penned blessings and messages on memos, which were posted at a pavilion near Wang Fuk Court.  A similar display of memo wall appeared along a pedestrian tunnel leading to Kwong Fuk Sitting-out Area, but was later voluntarily removed after police cautioned against the practice.