Nightspots in Jalan P Ramlee music licences revoked

The Star: Monday January 4, 2010

Club owners cry foul over licence ban

By BAVANI M and STUART MICHAEL

THE decision by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to revoke the entertainment licences of five clubs in Jalan P. Ramlee has drawn mixed response from residents and patrons.
While the local and foreign patrons were unhappy, the residents and guests staying in the hotels and service apartments nearby are rejoicing over the move.
“I might as well sit at home buy a few drinks and call a few friends over.
“The reason I come to the pub is to enjoy music especially the live bands,’’ lamented a pub-goer who identified himself as Paul.
Expatriate Larry Sibley, 52, from the United States, who has been staying in Kuala Lumpur for about four years, agreed with Paul.
“Foreigners like myself who work in the city love the pubs for its live bands,” he said.
Tough luck: Beach Club, one of the clubs affected by the licence ban.
But not everyone agrees. A source from Shangri-La Hotel said the management had received many complaints from its guests that music from the clubs have been giving them sleepless nights.
“It can get very loud at times and sometimes the music plays until the wee hours of the morning,’’ said the source.
A resident living in Crown Regency Suites, who did not want to be identified, said the noise from the clubs could get pretty loud especially during the weekends.
A security officer from Park View Residences said a resident had made several complaints about the noise but he had moved out from the building two months ago.
Club managers are arguing that their business would drop if they were not alowed to play live music as it is their rice bowl.
Thai Club general manager Jonathan Tan said: “Entertainment outlets here have increased the property value in this area and without us, the property value would drop and many of these foreigners staying in the suites would move elsewhere.
“This is exactly what happened in Bangsar. Many clubs and pubs were forced to close down –will this be our fate as well?,’’ Tan asked.
When contacted, DBKL said the five clubs which had their entertainment licences revoked had breached environmental regulations.
A spokesman from the DBKL said the club owners were notified on Dec 11, that their entertainment licences would expire on Dec 31.
“They have been told that their bands are not allowed to perform after the deadline, and they should have anticipated a visit from our officers who were only there to monitor the area,’’ the spokesman said.
The DBKL had barred the Beach Club, Thai Club, Aloha, Poppy Garden and Rum Jungle from having any live band or deejay performing at their premises on New Year’s Day.
The spokesman said officers had used sound level meters which were commonly used to detect the level of noise pollution in an area. The device basically measures the sound level in decibels.
“The level is different for residential, industrial and commercial zones. In the case of Jalan P. Ramlee it is a mixed residential and commercial area.
“We have received many complaints from the hotels and residents about the noise.
“Other factors such as the closing time and performance time were considered as well.
“While we understand and emphatise with the club owners, the DBKL has a responsibility to address the views and concerns of all stakeholders to ensure that everyone is happy.’’
The affected club owners have decided to appeal to Federal Territories and Urban and Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin to regain their licences.

The Star: Tuesday January 5, 2010

Mayor: Nightspot owners were warned

By BAVANI M

OFFICERS from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had been observing the clubs in Jalan P. Ramlee for months before deciding to take action on those that flouted environmental regulations.
Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail said the club owners were repeatedly told to tone down the volume before the DBKL decided to take action against them.
“My officers, led by deputy director general (services) Datuk Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz, had even gone incognito to monitor the situation and caught them red-handed,” Fuad said.
Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail
Amin Nordin said he noticed that two of the affected clubs seemed to have been embroiled in a music war.
“They were competing to see who was the loudest on the block,” Amin Nordin claimed, adding that his ear drums were at the point of bursting when he was there.
Fuad said the officers had used sound level meters during their checks.
“The permitted level for areas like Jalan P. Ramlee is 60 decibels. But when my people went there, the reading was over 80 decibels which is considered very loud,” he said.
Fuad was responding to queries on DBKL’s decision to ban the Beach Club, Thai Club, Aloha, Poppy Garden and Rum Jungle from having any live bands or deejays perform at their premises.
The mayor explained that DBKL had been receiving complaints on the matter since 2004.
“We don’t want to be accused of not doing anything, or else people will say we are on the take,” he said.
“We also don’t want to set a precedent if we let them get off just like that. Just because you have a licence does not give you the right to do whatever you want,” he said.
According to Fuad, his officers had met the affected club owners last year to inform them about the decision to revoke the licences.
Fuad said the affected club owners could appeal to Federal Territories and Urban and Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin to regain their licences.

The Star: Tuesday January 5, 2010

Entertainers hard hit by DBKL move

By STUART MICHAEL

WHERE will the five bands and 10 deejays that have contracts with the clubs along Jalan P. Ramlee go?
That was the question posed by D’Karisma band manager Adrian Doshi to the authorities after Kuala Lumpur City Hall decided to revoke the entertainment licences of five clubs along the street.
Adrian added that the band D’Karisma was supposed to play at Aloha in January while another band, Take 5, had flown in all the way from Sabah for a three-month gig at Thai Club from Jan 4.
“Because of the contracts, we turned down many offers from other entertainment outlets and we are now facing a dilemma.
“Many of the band members rely on this job to take care of their families and I pity them.
Keeping it quiet: Thai Club general manager Jonathan Tan said various renovations had been carried out to cut down the noise levels outside the club.
“The deejays have it slightly better as it is easier for them to spin at other clubs but the band members can’t because they are bound by their contracts,” he said.
Adrian added that there was nothing the band members could do but wait for the council’s decision.
Meanwhile, local and foreign tourists are furious over City Hall’s move, saying that it would make the lively street dead and leave many jobless.
According to a local who wish to be known as Paul, there was no point coming to a club to enjoy drinks if there was no live band, loud music or even a deejay spinning tunes.
“I might as well sit at home with a few drinks and call a few friends over. The reason I come here is to enjoy the music, especially the live bands.
“It is ridiculous to come here and listen to piped-in music. Eventually, many of the patrons will stop showing up and business here would be affected,” Paul, who visits The Beach Club three times a week, said.
Larry Sibley, 52, from the United States, has been staying in Kuala Lumpur for about four years and said the decision was a bad one and should be revised.
“Many foreigners like myself work in the city and love to go to the clubs in Jalan P. Ramlee because of the live bands. There are different live bands playing every day, which makes it more exciting for us.
“If this continues, I might as well enjoy drinking at home listening to songs on my CD player,” he said.
Aloha manager Eric Loo said the clubs along Jalan P. Ramlee had been there long before the serviced apartments were built.
“The Beach Club has been operating for more than 10 years. If the number of customers continues to go down, we will eventually have to close.
All quiet: The usually bustling street was practically deserted on Saturday night.
“Because of some complaints, we installed a door at the entrance to our club in November to reduce the noise.
“These five clubs have a total of about 1,000 employees. If the clubs have to close, they will end up jobless,” he said.
Thai Club general manager Jonathan Tan said it was unfair for City Hall to revoke the licences, and pointed out that two new clubs had opened nearby.
“We have made renovations like covering the area with a canopy to ensure that the noise is reduced. It was wrong for City Hall to say that this place was a residential area as it is a purely commercial area.
“The entertainment outlets here have increased the property value in this area and, without us, the property value will drop and many of the foreigners staying at the serviced apartments will move somewhere else.
“Because of pressure from residents, many pubs in Bangsar were forced to close down. Are we facing the same fate?” he asked.
Ronnie Choong, who owns Poppy, Beach Club and Rum Jungle, said the owners had to fire about 30% of the 1,800 people employed at the five clubs along the road.
“The rental for each club is between RM80,000 and RM150,000 each month. We have very high expenses and have to let the employees go as the clubs cannot sustain the financial burden now.
“In fact, the five clubs contribute about RM700,000 to the govenrment coffers in the form of taxes and other payments like fees and utility bills.
“I don’t know how the clubs will survive now,” he said.
He added that after conducting raids in October last year, the City Hall review board had decided to terminate the entertainment licences on Jan 1.
Choong added that he had sent an appeal letter to Federal Territories and Urban and Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin and was waiting for a reply.