Police decline to disclose number of sedition arrests over comments about fatal Tai Po blaze

2026-02-12 - 08:27

Police have declined to disclose the number of people arrested for suspected sedition in connection with the deadly Tai Po fire in November. Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, pictured on November 28, 2025, in the aftermath of the fatal blaze. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Andrew Kan, deputy police commissioner for national security, said on Wednesday that three people have been charged under Article 23, Hong Kong’s local national security law, over comments relating to the Wang Fuk Court fire. He made the comments at a press conference announcing the police’s 2025 operations. The three are among an unspecified number of people who were arrested for “committing acts with seditious intent” under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, also known as Article 23, following the deadly blaze that killed 168 people. Kan added that he was unable to reveal arrest figures as the cases are still under investigation. Sedition cases Speaking at the same press conference, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow urged residents to be wary of people seeking to capitalise on “certain issues” to engage in seditious acts. “They often take advantage of certain issues, hoping to make ordinary people dislike the police, the Hong Kong government and even the central government when they don’t fully understand the situation,” he said in Cantonese. Commissioner of Police Joe Chow (second from left) and deputy police commissioner for national security Andrew Kan (third from left) on February 11, 2026. Photo: GovHK. Chow said one of the suspects was charged with knowingly publishing seditious materials and disclosing details of a national security investigation. He had posted seditious videos on social media and disclosed details of an interview with the National Security Department, he added. He appeared to be referring to Wong Kwok-ngon, a political commentator who is scheduled to appear in court on February 23. His sedition charge relates to videos posted on YouTube last year, including ones about the Wang Fuk Court fire. It is unclear who the other two people prosecuted are. They have been charged with knowingly publishing seditious material, with court appearances set for February 27 and March 4. Days after the Wang Fuk Court fire, university student Miles Kwan was reportedly arrested for “seditious intention” after handing out flyers calling for an independent probe. It is unclear if he was charged. Mourners line up to leave flowers for victims of the Tai Po fire on November 30, 2025. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. During the press conference, police were also asked about how groups have been citing force majeure, or irresistible force, with increasing frequency in recent years as the reason for cancelling events. Last year, groups from the Hong Kong Journalists Association to student bodies at universities said they had to axe their planned activities due to force majeure. Kan said that using the term, understood as a euphemism for political pressure or censorship, amounted to “smearing” the police. “When we have been handling national security cases or when some bodies announced their dissolution, they would use the term... ‘force majeure,’ but force majeure could include several different reasons, including finances and resources, or if they are afraid of breaking the law,” he said. “Using this term appears to place the onus on the police, which I believe is unfair and smears the operations of the police force,” Kan added.