Migrant domestic workers seek support, solace after Hong Kong fire
Hong Kong (AFP) – Sobs could be heard across Hong Kong's Victoria Park at the weekend as hundreds of migrant workers mourned victims of Hong Kong's worst fire in more than a century and prayed for missing friends.
Issued on: 01/12/2025 - FRANCE24
Hong Kong is home to nearly 370,000 migrant domestic workers, predominantly women from the Philippines and Indonesia
Hong Kong (AFP) – Sobs could be heard across Hong Kong's Victoria Park at the weekend as hundreds of migrant workers mourned victims of Hong Kong's worst fire in more than a century and prayed for missing friends.
Issued on: 01/12/2025 - FRANCE24
Filipinas in Hong Kong take part in a prayer service for victims of the Tai Po fire. At least 10 of the 146 killed were migrant workers © Philip FONG / AFP
Many found themselves in limbo after the disaster.
At least 10 of the 146 people killed in the fire that devastated the high-rise towers of Wang Fuk Court were migrant workers, an often overlooked segment of the workforce.
Dozens more are unaccounted for, according to an AFP tally based on information from consulates.
Hong Kong is home to nearly 370,000 migrant domestic workers, predominantly women from the Philippines and Indonesia caring for infants and the elderly in a city with an ageing population.
Migrant workers typically have Sundays off and prayers were held in neighbourhoods across the city. Attendees told AFP about friends who had gone missing and how support efforts for survivors at times fell short.
Many found themselves in limbo after the disaster.
At least 10 of the 146 people killed in the fire that devastated the high-rise towers of Wang Fuk Court were migrant workers, an often overlooked segment of the workforce.
Dozens more are unaccounted for, according to an AFP tally based on information from consulates.
Hong Kong is home to nearly 370,000 migrant domestic workers, predominantly women from the Philippines and Indonesia caring for infants and the elderly in a city with an ageing population.
Migrant workers typically have Sundays off and prayers were held in neighbourhoods across the city. Attendees told AFP about friends who had gone missing and how support efforts for survivors at times fell short.
Indonesians pray for victims of the fire, which killed at least nine Indonesians with 42 others unaccounted for © Philip FONG / AFP
Sudarsih, an Indonesian woman who has worked in Hong Kong for 15 years, said two of her friends were still missing.
"God bless, they will be found quickly and are safe," she said.
Those at the Victoria Park event sang hymns and prayed near a banner on the ground that read: "Dearly departed ones: highest respect and recognition to the loyalty and bravery of migrant domestic workers."
Dwi Sayekti, 38, said she hoped the disaster would be the "first and last".
"I hope in the future, it doesn't happen again. And all of those who lost their lives in Tai Po can be found," she said in a broken voice.
Across town, in Hong Kong's central business district, around 100 Filipino workers held a prayer meeting at their usual Sunday gathering spot with glittering office buildings looming overhead.
"We are praying that hopefully there will be no more casualties in this fire tragedy," said Dolores Balladares, chairwoman of United Filipinos in Hong Kong.
'Duty'
Many of the well-wishes were directed towards Rhodora Alcaraz, a young woman from the Philippines who started working in Hong Kong just a few days before the tragedy.
In an unverified but widely circulated account of events, Alcaraz shielded her employer's three-month-old infant with her body when the fire broke out.
When firefighters found them in the smoke-filled apartment, she was still cradling the baby.
Alcaraz was reportedly admitted to an intensive care unit, though AFP was unable to confirm her latest condition.
Sudarsih, an Indonesian woman who has worked in Hong Kong for 15 years, said two of her friends were still missing.
"God bless, they will be found quickly and are safe," she said.
Those at the Victoria Park event sang hymns and prayed near a banner on the ground that read: "Dearly departed ones: highest respect and recognition to the loyalty and bravery of migrant domestic workers."
Dwi Sayekti, 38, said she hoped the disaster would be the "first and last".
"I hope in the future, it doesn't happen again. And all of those who lost their lives in Tai Po can be found," she said in a broken voice.
Across town, in Hong Kong's central business district, around 100 Filipino workers held a prayer meeting at their usual Sunday gathering spot with glittering office buildings looming overhead.
"We are praying that hopefully there will be no more casualties in this fire tragedy," said Dolores Balladares, chairwoman of United Filipinos in Hong Kong.
'Duty'
Many of the well-wishes were directed towards Rhodora Alcaraz, a young woman from the Philippines who started working in Hong Kong just a few days before the tragedy.
In an unverified but widely circulated account of events, Alcaraz shielded her employer's three-month-old infant with her body when the fire broke out.
When firefighters found them in the smoke-filled apartment, she was still cradling the baby.
Alcaraz was reportedly admitted to an intensive care unit, though AFP was unable to confirm her latest condition.
Migrant workers are an often overlooked segment of the workforce, caring for infants and the elderly in a city with an ageing population © Philip FONG / AFP
Fellow migrant worker Michelle Magcale said she felt "so sad" and "speechless" upon hearing the news.
"I can't express how sad it is," the 49-year-old said.
"On behalf of her duty, on behalf of her responsibility, she saved one more life ... we are thankful for that," she added.
Balladares, the Filipino group leader, said, "We also salute her because she gave her best... to protect the family."
Manila's consulate in Hong Kong said a woman named Maryan Pascual Esteban was killed in the fire, leaving behind a 10-year-old son and her family in Cainta, Rizal.
One Filipino national was injured and the status of seven others had yet to be verified, the consulate added.
Jakarta's consulate said nine Indonesians were killed in the fire with one injured and 42 others currently unaccounted for.
Support needed
More than 50 survivors have sought help from the Asian Migrants' Coordinating Body, according to spokeswoman Shiela Tebia.
Tebia said the women urgently needed clothing, especially underwear, adding that their ID cards and passports had been burned .
They are "still processing, and some actually cannot sleep well... they are also traumatised," Tebia told AFP.
Fellow migrant worker Michelle Magcale said she felt "so sad" and "speechless" upon hearing the news.
"I can't express how sad it is," the 49-year-old said.
"On behalf of her duty, on behalf of her responsibility, she saved one more life ... we are thankful for that," she added.
Balladares, the Filipino group leader, said, "We also salute her because she gave her best... to protect the family."
Manila's consulate in Hong Kong said a woman named Maryan Pascual Esteban was killed in the fire, leaving behind a 10-year-old son and her family in Cainta, Rizal.
One Filipino national was injured and the status of seven others had yet to be verified, the consulate added.
Jakarta's consulate said nine Indonesians were killed in the fire with one injured and 42 others currently unaccounted for.
Support needed
More than 50 survivors have sought help from the Asian Migrants' Coordinating Body, according to spokeswoman Shiela Tebia.
Tebia said the women urgently needed clothing, especially underwear, adding that their ID cards and passports had been burned .
They are "still processing, and some actually cannot sleep well... they are also traumatised," Tebia told AFP.
Hong Kong is home to nearly 370,000 migrant domestic workers, predominantly women from the Philippines and Indonesia © Philip FONG / AFP
"But despite that condition, they still need to support their employer because their employer is also grieving."
Tebia said the consulates have promised help for victims but specifics were lacking.
Sringatin, chair of Indonesian Migrant Workers Union, told AFP the consulate could not provide information in a timely manner, while her group tried to "make people less panicked".
Family members of each deceased victim will receive HK$200,000 ($25,700) in government assistance.
But that was only an "initial step", said Edwina Antonio, the executive director at Bethune House migrant women's refuge.
"What about those who survived?" she said. "(Those) who are still in Hong Kong, they lost everything that they have."
Antonio urged the government to include migrant workers when offering financial assistance, because they are "often the only breadwinners of their families".
© 2025 AFP
"But despite that condition, they still need to support their employer because their employer is also grieving."
Tebia said the consulates have promised help for victims but specifics were lacking.
Sringatin, chair of Indonesian Migrant Workers Union, told AFP the consulate could not provide information in a timely manner, while her group tried to "make people less panicked".
Family members of each deceased victim will receive HK$200,000 ($25,700) in government assistance.
But that was only an "initial step", said Edwina Antonio, the executive director at Bethune House migrant women's refuge.
"What about those who survived?" she said. "(Those) who are still in Hong Kong, they lost everything that they have."
Antonio urged the government to include migrant workers when offering financial assistance, because they are "often the only breadwinners of their families".
© 2025 AFP
Hong Kong (AFP) – A Hong Kong student, who was reportedly detained by police after handing out flyers calling for an independent probe into a fire that killed 146 people, left a police station on Monday.
Issued on: 01/12/2025 - RFI
Miles Kwan handing out flyers outside a station in Hong Kong's Tai Po district on November 28 calling for a probe into the deadly fire © Holmes CHAN / AFP/File
Miles Kwan left the Cheung Sha Wan Division police station in a taxi on Monday afternoon, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.
The 24-year-old pulled down his face mask and nodded at reporters from the taxi as it drove out of the police station. He did not comment.
Kwan was among several people behind a petition over the fire that broke out in high-rise towers of Wang Fuk Court housing estate last Wednesday, which became the world's deadliest residential building fire since 1980.
The petition called for government officials to be held accountable, an independent probe into possible corruption, proper resettlement for residents, and a review of construction oversight.
Local media reported on Saturday that Kwan was arrested for "seditious intention" by national security police, citing unnamed sources.
Multiple news outlets reported late on Sunday that another two people, including former district councillor Kenneth Cheung, were similarly arrested.
Asked by AFP about the three cases, police declined to confirm if any arrest had been made, saying only that they "will take actions according to actual circumstances and in accordance with the law".
Kwan said Friday he was only "proposing very basic demands".
"If these ideas are deemed seditious or 'crossing the line', then I feel I can't predict the consequences of anything anymore, and I can only do what I truly believe," he told AFP at the time.
Hong Kong's anti-corruption watchdog has arrested 11 people in connection to the blaze, with three of them also being arrested by police for manslaughter.
Mourners who turned up by the hundreds near Wang Fuk Court continued to leave notes of remembrance on Monday, some calling for accountability.
"Rest in peace, Hong Kongers don't give up on freedom and truth, don't stop being angry," one unsigned note read.
Another read, "Hope your deaths were not in vain, the truth must come out for your sakes."
© 2025 AFP
Miles Kwan left the Cheung Sha Wan Division police station in a taxi on Monday afternoon, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.
The 24-year-old pulled down his face mask and nodded at reporters from the taxi as it drove out of the police station. He did not comment.
Kwan was among several people behind a petition over the fire that broke out in high-rise towers of Wang Fuk Court housing estate last Wednesday, which became the world's deadliest residential building fire since 1980.
The petition called for government officials to be held accountable, an independent probe into possible corruption, proper resettlement for residents, and a review of construction oversight.
Local media reported on Saturday that Kwan was arrested for "seditious intention" by national security police, citing unnamed sources.
Multiple news outlets reported late on Sunday that another two people, including former district councillor Kenneth Cheung, were similarly arrested.
Asked by AFP about the three cases, police declined to confirm if any arrest had been made, saying only that they "will take actions according to actual circumstances and in accordance with the law".
Kwan said Friday he was only "proposing very basic demands".
"If these ideas are deemed seditious or 'crossing the line', then I feel I can't predict the consequences of anything anymore, and I can only do what I truly believe," he told AFP at the time.
Hong Kong's anti-corruption watchdog has arrested 11 people in connection to the blaze, with three of them also being arrested by police for manslaughter.
Mourners who turned up by the hundreds near Wang Fuk Court continued to leave notes of remembrance on Monday, some calling for accountability.
"Rest in peace, Hong Kongers don't give up on freedom and truth, don't stop being angry," one unsigned note read.
Another read, "Hope your deaths were not in vain, the truth must come out for your sakes."
© 2025 AFP
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