Taipei and New Taipei City officials and residents yesterday criticized the two city mayors and government officials for reacting too slowly when informing the public about noxious fumes caused by a warehouse fire in New Taipei City’s Shenkeng District (深坑) on Tuesday afternoon.
While fire burned, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) provided no information for city residents, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) told a news conference yesterday.
“Chiang only issued warnings this morning [yesterday], posting Facebook messages, advising city residents to shut their doors and windows tight, and to wear a mask when going outside,” Wu said.
Photo: Lu Yun-feng, Taipei Times
The fire started on Tuesday afternoon at a warehouse belonging to consumer electronics distributor Chung Hua Da Hsiung Corp, reportedly releasing pollutants into the air from burned lithium batteries and other products.
“We do not understand how the reaction could have been so slow, when the Taipei City Government has so many resources and is teeming with civil servants and appointed officials,” Wu said. “It seems all the screws are loose at the city government.”
Local news reports said that many people called the 119 emergency hotline on Tuesday afternoon to report the noxious fumes, some of whom were having breathing problems.
They also filled Chiang’s and Hou’s Facebook pages with complaints, asking the city’s agencies to do something about the issue.
“The fire with its foul air has persisted all day long... Mayor Hou should issue a public notice and health warning. Are you at work at all?” one person wrote.
“The whole of Wenshan District (文山) is experiencing very serious air pollution, we are choking and cannot breath due to the acrid smoke. Why is nothing being done, and why has no notice, or public warning been issued for residents?” another person wrote.
“Many people in Taipei’s southern districts have called 119, but now, more than three hours later, there has still been no response from the city government,” one person said.
Taipei City Councilor Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) of the Social Democratic Party yesterday said she kept on asking the city government to check the air quality on Tuesday evening, and waited until past midnight, but had received no response from city officials.
“The situation was very worrying to many Taipei residents, who were unable to breathe, suffering headaches and could not sleep last night, but it seems the city government’s top officials are sleeping very well in their homes,” Miao wrote on social media.
“The air pollution was very bad, and city government officials had sufficient time to react, but they issued no warning, no public notice... There was lack of ... coordination among agencies, which were negligent in serving the public,” the New Taipei City Council’s DPP caucus said in a statement.
DPP New Taipei City Councilor Evalyn Chen (陳乃瑜) referred to provisions under the Air Pollution Control Act (空氣污染防制法), saying: “When there is a major air pollution event, local governments can send out text messages, and broadcast notices on television and radio networks, to warn and instruct the public on the dangers and what measures to take, but the city government seemed apathetic and took no action, although many residents were anxious.”
“Even this morning, many Taipei residents still reported an acrid smell in the air. Officials should have known that the atmospheric conditions in the Taipei Basin meant the fumes would not easily disperse when the fire burned yesterday ... but the Taipei City Government did not issue a warning until this morning, which is too late,” DPP Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said.
“Hou must face up and let the public know what happened, as the people of New Taipei City deserve a better mayor,” Hung said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
When Paraguayan opposition lawmaker Leidy Galeano returned from an all-expenses-paid tour of six Chinese cities late last year, she was convinced Paraguay risked missing out on major economic gains by sticking with longtime ally Taipei over Beijing — a message that participants on the trip heard repeatedly from Chinese officials. “Everything I saw there, I wanted for my country,” said Galeano, a member of the newly-formed Yo Creo party whose senior figures have spoken favorably about China. This trip and others like it — which people familiar with the visits said were at the invitation of the Chinese consulate in Sao Paulo
RSS