Taipei City promotes "Rat Detection Master" to combat rat infestation; Green Party councilors cite grassroots pressure
Taipei City announced the "Rat Detection Master" program to combat rat infestations. However, Democratic Progressive Party councilors point out that it may cause excessive burden on existing grassroots staff and that the policy may not be a substantial solution, criticizing it as mere performance.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 5, 2026 at 22:54
- 🔍 Collected: May 5, 2026 at 23:01 (7 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 6, 2026 at 06:46 (7h 45m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Liu Chien-pang, Yang Shu-min, Taipei, 5th) Taipei City's rat infestation has drawn attention. Mayor Chiang Wan-an announced today that "Rat Detection Masters" will be provided for citizens to apply. Democratic Progressive Party councilor Lin Yen-feng believes it may cause pressure on grassroots staff; councilor Ho Meng-hua called it a gimmick. The city government responded that it will explain publicly next week.
Citizens frequently report rats appearing on the streets of Taipei, and some netizens say their family members have been bitten by rats. Chiang Wan-an led the Environmental Protection Department and other agencies to hold a "Taipei City Rat Control Press Conference" this afternoon, stating that following the first major cleanup in February, a second major cleanup of 12 administrative districts will be carried out soon, and households can apply for assistance from "Rat Detection Masters." Market cleaning will also be strengthened, and urban renewal construction sites must submit rat control reports before starting work.
Regarding the city government's "Rat Detection Master" measure, Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City councilor Lin Yen-feng posted on her Facebook fan page, saying that out of curiosity about the content, she asked the Environmental Protection Department. This measure is to use trained personnel from the Environmental Protection Department's disinfection teams. The city government said in the morning it was for disinfection, but in the afternoon it was to become "Rat Detection Masters" to provide rat prevention services to households.
She said that 72% of old houses in Taipei City are over 30 years old, about 650,000 buildings. Of course, not every building and every household has rats. If 1% are targeted, that's about 6,500 buildings. If one building has 5 households, that's over 30,000 households, and even after discounts, there are still 10,000 households.
Lin Yen-feng said that she thought "Rat Detection Master" was an emerging profession and she had never heard of it before. After research, she found that it was created by the city government, and then the Environmental Protection Department's disinfection teams were asked to undertake an additional task. Who is causing pressure on grassroots civil servants?
Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City councilor Chien Shu-pei also said via Facebook that Chiang Wan-an held a press conference to discuss rat infestation, but overall it still appears to be typical slogan governance. According to the Environmental Protection Department's cleaning team, the so-called "Rat Detection Master" is undertaken by 86 disinfection team members city-wide, without new personnel or system expansion, just adding more tasks to the original duties. This is not solving the problem, not policy innovation, but changing names and increasing the burden on existing personnel.
Ho Meng-hua mentioned in a Facebook post that Chiang Wan-an led various departments to grandly hold a press conference on rat infestation, with extensive content. In addition to adopting former Taipei Mayor Chen Shui-bian's suggestion to promote a major cleanup in 12 districts, he also mimicked the "Rat Detection Master" proposed by the ineffective feng shui master for public safety as a gimmick. Facing truly critical issues, the city government's response remains inadequate.
She said, calling on Mayor Chiang, that rat infestation will not disappear overnight. When a city begins to face rat infestation problems, it must be a long-term battle. It should learn from systematic international experience, start from an ecological perspective, and adopt systematic prevention strategies, instead of merely appeasing public opinion temporarily. This not only fails to solve systemic problems but also causes long-term damage to the environment.
The Taipei City Government stated that regarding the "Rat Detection Master" service, the Environmental Protection Department is finalizing the application process and expects to make a further public announcement next week. (Editor: Lee Shu-hua) 1150505
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(Central News Agency reporter Liu Chien-pang, Yang Shu-min, Taipei, 5th) Taipei City's rat infestation has drawn attention. Mayor Chiang Wan-an announced today that "Rat Detection Masters" will be provided for citizens to apply. Democratic Progressive Party councilor Lin Yen-feng believes it may cause pressure on grassroots staff; councilor Ho Meng-hua called it a gimmick. The city government responded that it will explain publicly next week.
Citizens frequently report rats appearing on the streets of Taipei, and some netizens say their family members have been bitten by rats. Chiang Wan-an led the Environmental Protection Department and other agencies to hold a "Taipei City Rat Control Press Conference" this afternoon, stating that following the first major cleanup in February, a second major cleanup of 12 administrative districts will be carried out soon, and households can apply for assistance from "Rat Detection Masters." Market cleaning will also be strengthened, and urban renewal construction sites must submit rat control reports before starting work.
Regarding the city government's "Rat Detection Master" measure, Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City councilor Lin Yen-feng posted on her Facebook fan page, saying that out of curiosity about the content, she asked the Environmental Protection Department. This measure is to use trained personnel from the Environmental Protection Department's disinfection teams. The city government said in the morning it was for disinfection, but in the afternoon it was to become "Rat Detection Masters" to provide rat prevention services to households.
She said that 72% of old houses in Taipei City are over 30 years old, about 650,000 buildings. Of course, not every building and every household has rats. If 1% are targeted, that's about 6,500 buildings. If one building has 5 households, that's over 30,000 households, and even after discounts, there are still 10,000 households.
Lin Yen-feng said that she thought "Rat Detection Master" was an emerging profession and she had never heard of it before. After research, she found that it was created by the city government, and then the Environmental Protection Department's disinfection teams were asked to undertake an additional task. Who is causing pressure on grassroots civil servants?
Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City councilor Chien Shu-pei also said via Facebook that Chiang Wan-an held a press conference to discuss rat infestation, but overall it still appears to be typical slogan governance. According to the Environmental Protection Department's cleaning team, the so-called "Rat Detection Master" is undertaken by 86 disinfection team members city-wide, without new personnel or system expansion, just adding more tasks to the original duties. This is not solving the problem, not policy innovation, but changing names and increasing the burden on existing personnel.
Ho Meng-hua mentioned in a Facebook post that Chiang Wan-an led various departments to grandly hold a press conference on rat infestation, with extensive content. In addition to adopting former Taipei Mayor Chen Shui-bian's suggestion to promote a major cleanup in 12 districts, he also mimicked the "Rat Detection Master" proposed by the ineffective feng shui master for public safety as a gimmick. Facing truly critical issues, the city government's response remains inadequate.
She said, calling on Mayor Chiang, that rat infestation will not disappear overnight. When a city begins to face rat infestation problems, it must be a long-term battle. It should learn from systematic international experience, start from an ecological perspective, and adopt systematic prevention strategies, instead of merely appeasing public opinion temporarily. This not only fails to solve systemic problems but also causes long-term damage to the environment.
The Taipei City Government stated that regarding the "Rat Detection Master" service, the Environmental Protection Department is finalizing the application process and expects to make a further public announcement next week. (Editor: Lee Shu-hua) 1150505
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you provide is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-Hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
No text, images, or videos on this website may be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.