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Staff members of the Department of Food and Environmental Hygiene on Monday inspected some of the stalls not affected by the Dec 4 fire on Fa Yuen Streetin Mong Kok, and got into heated disputes with stall owners when the inspectors decided to confiscate goods stacked outside the specified bounds of the stalls, as defined by regulations. The stall owners demanded a two-month grace period to comply with fire safety rules.
Public opinions have overwhelmingly lambasted stall owners on Fa Yuen Streetfor facilitating the deadly blaze, because the goods piled up on and around their stalls fueled the fire and allowed it to spread. Some people criticized the hawkers as selfish and solely profit-minded, and having no regard for other people's lives. The truth is the stalls on Fa Yuen Street, which sell mostly daily necessities at very low profit margins to attract bargain hunters, are victims too. The Dec 4 fire completely destroyed many of the stalls and those that escaped the blaze are suffering from a business drought following the tragedy. Even though the street vendors contributed significantly to the seriousness of the fire because they had stored their goods in violation of safety regulations, the real culprit is the arsonist(s) who started the fire.
The authorities and the press should not hold stall owners entirely responsible for the fire but should focus on removing potential fire hazards and issuing clear guidelines for bringing the stalls up to safety requirements. Then, the owners can resume normal business operations during the Christmas shopping season.
It is absolutely necessary for the government to step up safety regulations of the stalls, but the process should not be turned into a witch hunt, meting out excessive punishments to stall owners to appease popular anger. Business owners must abide by the safety rules, but the only way to ensure lasting compliance is constant regulation instead of a sudden tightening of inspections.
This is an excerpted translation of a Wen Wei Po editorial published on Dec 6.