Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong on Wednesday condemned “external hostile forces” for exploiting the deadly Tai Po fire that killed at least 159 people, as police arrested a man after he allegedly made derogatory online comments about the victims.
In a strongly worded post, a spokesman for the Office for Safeguarding National Security condemned “a small clique of external hostile forces” for “stirring up trouble and taking advantage of the chaos” in the aftermath of the fire.
The spokesman also accused such forces of disrupting and undermining disaster relief and recovery efforts, as they replicated the tactics employed during the anti-government protests in 2019 under the guise of “advocating for the people”.
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“Their intentions are sinister, their conduct despicable, and their actions provoke universal indignation,” he said, adding that they showed cold-blooded indifference and inhumanity when lives were at stake.
The inferno that raged through seven of Wang Fuk Court’s eight blocks in Tai Po for 43 hours last week has killed 159 people and injured 79 others.
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The post said that “the external, anti-China and destabilising forces exploiting the disaster to sow disorder should not be tolerated”.