Kuala Lumpur city officials load confiscated furniture from Meridian Club after a raid in the early hours of September 15th. The outlet in Taman Shamelin Perkasa, Cheras, a neighbourhood in the capital, was operating without a licence. [Photos by Grace Chen/Khabar]

Four nightspots operating without proper licencing in a neighbourhood southeast of Kuala Lumpur suffered a blow Saturday (September 15th) when city officials bent on ensuring compliance seized their furniture and entertainment systems.

To date, City Hall has sealed 12 outlets in 10 days in a series of continuous raids meant to curb the mushrooming of illegal night clubs in Kuala Lumpur. The action followed a pre-dawn shooting at an unlicenced entertainment venue claimed two lives in late August.

A task force of 112 city officials carried out the pre-dawn raid in Taman Shamelin Perkasa, Cheras, forcing club owners who failed to produce proper licences to shut down.

A visibly irritated spokeswoman from the Fantasy Cafe and Bistro, a watering hole sandwiched between a clinic and a curry house, said she had paid 10,000 ringgits ($3,282) for her operating licence but was unable to produce it as the document was in her office, at a location she would not disclose.

"Licences are to be displayed prominently, not placed away in some office. And indeed if she has paid a deposit, then the question is: To whom?" asked Saravanan Murugan, Federal Territories deputy minister and Malaysian-Indian Congress vice president.

Kan Wai Kit (right), owner of Wonderland in Cheras, speaks to city officials inspecting licencing and safety features at area nightclubs. Kan produced a receipt of a licence application form and said he had been led to believe he could open business based on issuance of the slip. Authorities seized his sound system and shut down his outlet.

Kan Wai Kit, the owner of Wonderland, a nightspot operating opposite a school, tried to negotiate with officials, saying he had invested half a million ringgit ($162,856) in the place and had only been open for seven days.

By the end of the night, after officials removed his sound system, Kan said he had neither the mood nor the strength to comment to reporters.

The owners of CK Bistro and Pub had a proper licence to operate except for an illegal extension that ran 20 feet to a public walkway. Michelle Wong, the pub cashier, estimated losses for the night at 10,000 ringgit ($3,282) for lost beverage sales and confiscated bar stools.

At the Meridian Club, disc jockey Edward Eng said its closure would definitely put him out of a job, which pays 2000 ringgits ($656) a month. "There is no way we can resume operations after this. The seized sound system and lighting alone has cost us a few hundred thousand," he said.

The Meridian Club's operating licence was valid only for its sister pub, namely CK Bistro next door.

"You can't have that. It's like one husband having two wives," quipped Saravanan, the deputy minister.

Fun okay within the law

Saravanan said it was not City Hall's intention to stop "KLites", as Kuala Lumpur urbanites are sometimes dubbed, from having a good time. However, he stressed night spots and entertainment outlets are required to submit building plans and conform to Fire Department safety regulations.

They must also comply with licencing conditions governing liquor sales and the provision of entertainment such as live bands, music machines, gaming devices and stage platforms. "If we want a world class city, then there are regulations to follow. The raiding of these four outlets is also an exercise to create awareness in licencing requirements among night spot operators. And no, we will not entertain requests for leniency. An illegal setup is an illegal setup," stressed Saravanan.

Of particular concern was the lack of safety features, making the places potential fire traps: an absence of fire extinguishers, single exit points where the law stipulates a minimum of two, and unapproved structures like stages.

"Among the considerations for licence approval is, a night spot must not be near to a residential area to control noise pollution and be at least 100m from any educational institution," said Zulkifli Mohammad, deputy director of the Kuala Lumpur City Hall licencing unit.

Recent violence avoidable if rules were followed

The crackdown on illegal night spots was conducted in the wake of a recent gun rampage that left two dead and six injured on August 26th at the Madurai Club in Jalan Doraisamy, a night spot in the heart of the city.

According to Saravanan, the establishment where the 4.30am shootings took place was unlicenced and operating well beyond closing hours stipulated by the City Hall.

Had the club closed at 2am, the victims – both aged 21 – would not have lost their lives, he said.

Mohammad Akhmal Jemain, the nightclub bouncer, was shot point blank in the forehead when he refused the assailant entry into the club, according to The New Straits Times. The gunman then went on a shooting rampage, sending the crowd running for cover. Muhammad Noor Firdaus Rashid, who was having a meal with friends nearby, was fatally shot in the chest.

The gunman is believed to be in critical condition after suffering serious head injuries at the hands of an angry crowd after he ran out of bullets.

"We will not stop until every pub is in compliance with the law. We do not want the public to think we are subject to a bunch of hooligans," said the deputy minister.