Rat Infestation Latest of Troubles Facing Newly Opened Taipei Dome

After a spate of controversies, the newly opened Taipei Dome is now facing a rat infestation.

Transcript

00:00 Crowds gather at the Taipei Dome for the Asian Baseball Championship.

00:04 But behind the bright lights and spectacle, there's a problem.

00:07 The basement is infested with rats.

00:12 And it's not just a hygiene issue.

00:14 They're starting to bite through the electrical wires.

00:17 Building staff and fans think it's a problem caused by open food at the venue.

00:26 Because there's so little food.

00:29 I think they can try to avoid this situation in all possible ways.

00:34 But some fans say the city government and the contractor,

00:37 Far Glory Group, need to step up to fix the issue.

00:40 It's the latest in a series of controversies surrounding the sports venue.

00:55 After delays to construction and issues over funding,

00:58 it faced safety concerns after the building was found to have deviated from original plans.

01:04 And after finally opening in November, seven years behind schedule,

01:09 a leaky roof raised questions over the quality of construction.

01:14 Responding to the rat issue,

01:16 the Taipei City Government says it's waiting on an explanation from the contractor.

01:21 But the longer the city government and the dome's contractor play cat and mouse,

01:30 the more the public loses faith in the building's integrity.

01:34 Howard Zhang and Laurel Stewart for Taiwan Plus.