Survivors fear scrutiny gaps as Hong Kong fire probe declines statutory powers

An independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has ruled out seeking statutory powers to compel witnesses to testify, a move that has left some survivors concerned that key figures may avoid scrutiny.Committee chairman Justice David Lok Kai-hong said the panel would not ask the chief executive to convert it into a statutory commission of inquiry during the ongoing investigation into last year’s Wang Fuk Court blaze, which resumed on Monday after a six-week pause.Lok said the move would delay the current investigation and render the committee unable to deliver its final report within nine months of its establishment in December last year.