China uses sedition charges to silence calls for fair probe into Hong Kong inferno

China appears to be using sedition provisions to suppress calls for transparency after a devastating fire at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court complex triggered public anger and demands for accountability.

The blaze, which killed 128 people and left about 150 missing, has sparked grief across the city and intensified scrutiny of government oversight.

Anger over the tragedy continued to grow on Sunday as Beijing warned against any attempt to use the disaster to “disrupt the city,” while residents mourned the victims, as reported by the news website The Guardian.

According to the report, Hong Kong police on Saturday detained a person associated with a group that launched an online petition demanding government accountability, an independent corruption probe, proper resettlement for survivors, and a review of construction oversight. The petition, which had gained more than 10,000 signatures, was later shut down.

University student Miles Kwan, 24, was arrested on suspicion of attempting to incite sedition in connection with the inferno at the Tai Po estate. Police did not comment on the arrest. A second petition seeking similar demands was launched by a Tai Po resident now living overseas.

Nearly 200 people remain unaccounted for, including 89 bodies yet to be visually identified. Residents had previously raised concerns about flammable renovation materials, but authorities had assured them last year that the buildings posed “relatively low fire risks,” as reported by The Guardian.

Authorities have already arrested 11 people as part of criminal and corruption investigations into the city’s worst fire in nearly 80 years. Rescue efforts ended on Friday, and while officers discovered no additional bodies, they managed to save three cats and a turtle while searching the charred remains.

Parallel reporting from the news website SCMP said Hong Kong’s national security police had arrested a man on suspicion of attempting to incite sedition in relation to the fire.

The move followed stern warnings from central authorities against “anti-China and ill-intentioned individuals” allegedly exploiting the tragedy to disrupt the city. A source said a man identified as “Miles” had been taken in for questioning, though it was unclear whether that detention led to his formal arrest.

According to SCMP, Kwan and a group of unidentified individuals had formed the Tai Po Wang Fuk Court Fire Concern Group, which launched the petition calling for four key demands: support for affected residents, a review of construction supervision procedures, an independent inquiry into the fire, and accountability from officials.

By Saturday evening, the group's Instagram page and petition link were no longer accessible. Police told SCMP they would act in accordance with the law.

The Office for Safeguarding Security issued a sharply worded statement accusing unnamed “anti-China” and “malicious individuals” of spreading false information, attacking rescue efforts, inciting social division, and attempting to revive the atmosphere of the 2019 social unrest, as reported by SCMP.

The office said such individuals were exploiting public grief to push political agendas and vowed strict action under the national security law and the Safeguarding Security Ordinance.

Officials urged the public to stay vigilant against attempts to provoke confrontation “under the guise of speaking for the people” and called for unity in supporting recovery efforts, as reported by SCMP.

The fire remains Hong Kong’s deadliest since 1948, and its cause is still under investigation.

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