Here's the deal on the table. Owners at Wang Fuk Court, the estate that burned in November, get bought out by the government instead of waiting years for a rebuild vote under the old rules. Sounds decent. Except a group of owners are now pushing back hard on the deadline attached to it, saying it does not give them enough time to actually think this through, get valuations checked, talk to family, decide what a flat that no longer exists is actually worth to them.

The fire killed dozens of people at the estate.

Think about what's being asked of the owners who survived it. Government logic is speed helps everyone, gets people paid, gets the site cleared, stops years of dispute. Owner logic is: you already took our building, don't rush our decision too. Nine months ago Wang Fuk Court was just a housing estate in Tai Po. Now owners and officials are working through a payout timeline neither side agrees on.