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The operator of Hong Kong’s railways has announced that it will make another donation of HKD5 million (US$640,400) to the victims of a fire attack in February that injured 19 people.
The move comes after victims claimed the MTR Corporation’s insurer refused to compensate them, due to lack of liability from the railway operator.
At a trade forum in London, Ma said that it was the insurer’s loss adjusters that concluded that liability for the incident did not lie with MTR Corporation and instead rested with the attacker, who died in the hospital three months after setting himself on fire during the attack.
MTR Corporation chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang stated in an interview in London that MTR was “still considering spending money” to assist the victims, reports the South China Morning Post. Ma was responding to accusations from the victims and a politician that he was “unsympathetic” in dealing with the incident.
Roy Kwong Chun-yu, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party who was approached by some of the victims, said that the lack of compensation demonstrated Ma’s lack of sympathy.
“It was not caused because we did not do well. In terms of legal responsibility, the MTR Corp was a victim too,” Ma was quoted by SCMP.
“After the incident, we extended our sympathy towards those injured, raised money and donated HK$2 million ... It was regrettable that a lawmaker accused me of being unsympathetic and putting up a show. I hate to be described like that because it’s simply not true.”
This latest donation brings the firm’s total compensation to the victims to HKD7 million (US$896,600), including HKD2 million raised in the weeks following the incident.
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