又中又英｜Death traps

Whenever I walk past multi-storey buildings in Hong Kong built in the 1960s and 1970s, I wonder if they are death traps. Most have illegal structures, guest houses, and subdivided flats. Many years ago, I lived on Austin Road near the Kowloon Cricket Club with my mother and other family members. Many of us later settled in the US but I returned so I could cover the 1997 reunification. My elder sister was visiting Hong Kong from the US in November 1996 when the Garley Building fire tragically killed 41 people.

The building was a few minutes from our Austin Road family flat. I no longer lived in the flat but went to see my elder sister there the day after the fire. We went to see the burnt-out Garley building. The sight affected the pit of my stomach. The pit of your stomach is an area in or near your stomach where you feel fear or nervousness. A death trap is a dangerous building, vehicle, or place that could cause death.

Our Austin Road flat is near New Lucky House at the corner of Nathan Road and Jordan Road where a fire killed five people on April 10. Residents should thank their lucky stars the fire didn’t kill more people. To thank your lucky stars means to be grateful. I knew that old building could be a death trap. The government has done too little to make these buildings safer. Firefighters found faulty fire doors and illegal structures after the fire. Building owners had ignored a fire safety order for 16 years because of a legal dispute among them. Why didn’t fire officials take tough action to enforce the order?

每当我经过香港那些一九六零和七零年代建成的多层大楼，我都会暗忖它们是否「死亡陷阱」（death traps）。那些大楼多数是非法建筑、宾馆和劏房。许多年前，我跟母亲和其他家人住在柯士甸道，就近九龙木球会。我们家中有许多人后来定居美国，但我却回到香港，以报道一九九七回归。我姊姊也于一九九六年十一月从美国回到了香港，那时恰恰发生嘉利大厦大火惨剧，造成四十一人丧生。

那栋大厦跟我们以前一家人住在柯士甸道的单位，仅仅几分钟的路程。我不再在那儿居住，但火灾发生翌日我去了看望我姊。我们一同去看那烧毁了的嘉利大厦。当时我目睹的情景实在翻动 the pit of my stomach——the pit of your stomach是指你的胃里，又或附近胸口处感到惊恐或紧张的部位，意即心里一阵紧揪、难受。A death trap是会构成生命危险的大楼、车辆又或场所。

我们在柯士甸道的单位距离弥敦道与佐敦道交界的华丰大厦亦很近，它于四月十日发生大火，夺去了五人的性命。居民好应庆幸（thank their lucky stars），这场大火没有更多人丧生。To thank your lucky stars是指庆幸自己运气好。我知道旧楼可以是致命的危险场所（death trap），政府在楼宇安全方面所做的实在太少。消防员在火灾后发现损坏的防烟门以及违规的建筑。而因为大厦业主之间有法律争拗，以致他们一直忽视一个消防安全指示长达十六年。为甚么消防官员没有采取严厉的行动，强制执行指示？

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻