Hong Kong’s Home and Youth Affairs Secretary Alice Mak Mei-kuen has defended Hop On Management, the government-appointed administrator of the housing estate involved in the deadly Tai Po fire. The fire killed 168 people, making it one of the city’s worst tragedies in decades. Some displaced residents of Wang Fuk Court were worried because Hop On Management was missing from the first public meeting of the independent committee investigating the fire. They felt the residents lacked legal voice as government officials were set to testify. Mak explained on a Sunday radio show that Hop On Management attended private, closed-door direction hearings with legal advisers. She assured that the company would continue to cooperate fully, providing information and attending future hearings as required. "For subsequent hearings of the independent committee, Hop On will attend with their legal counsel as necessary," Mak said. She added that individual owners and whistle-blowers could also directly share opinions or information with the committee. Hop On Management represents the shared interests of the estate’s owners’ corporation. "If it involves the owners’ corporation, Hop On has the responsibility to show up," Mak stressed. The next hearings are set to begin on March 19, and the government promises ongoing cooperation in the probe into this tragic fire.