{"id":141344,"date":"2010-01-05T14:57:31","date_gmt":"2010-01-05T19:57:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.skyscrapercity.com\/showthread.php?t=1038775"},"modified":"2010-01-05T14:57:31","modified_gmt":"2010-01-05T19:57:31","slug":"nightspots-in-jalan-p-ramlee-music-licences-revoked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/141344","title":{"rendered":"Nightspots in Jalan P Ramlee music licences revoked"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\t\t\t\tThe Star: Monday January 4, 2010<\/p>\n

Club owners cry foul over licence ban<\/p>\n

By BAVANI M and STUART MICHAEL<\/p>\n

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.
\nWhile the local and foreign patrons were unhappy, the residents and guests staying in the hotels and service apartments nearby are rejoicing over the move.
\n\u0093I might as well sit at home buy a few drinks and call a few friends over.
\n\u0093The reason I come to the pub is to enjoy music especially the live bands,\u0092\u0092 lamented a pub-goer who identified himself as Paul.
\nExpatriate Larry Sibley, 52, from the United States, who has been staying in Kuala Lumpur for about four years, agreed with Paul.
\n\u0093Foreigners like myself who work in the city love the pubs for its live bands,\u0094 he said.
\nTough luck: Beach Club, one of the clubs affected by the licence ban.
\nBut 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.
\n\u0093It can get very loud at times and sometimes the music plays until the wee hours of the morning,\u0092\u0092 said the source.
\nA 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.
\nA 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.
\nClub managers are arguing that their business would drop if they were not alowed to play live music as it is their rice bowl.
\nThai Club general manager Jonathan Tan said: \u0093Entertainment 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.
\n\u0093This is exactly what happened in Bangsar. Many clubs and pubs were forced to close down –will this be our fate as well?,\u0092\u0092 Tan asked.
\nWhen contacted, DBKL said the five clubs which had their entertainment licences revoked had breached environmental regulations.
\nA spokesman from the DBKL said the club owners were notified on Dec 11, that their entertainment licences would expire on Dec 31.
\n\u0093They 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,\u0092\u0092 the spokesman said.
\nThe 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\u0092s Day.
\nThe 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.
\n\u0093The level is different for residential, industrial and commercial zones. In the case of Jalan P. Ramlee it is a mixed residential and commercial area.
\n\u0093We have received many complaints from the hotels and residents about the noise.
\n\u0093Other factors such as the closing time and performance time were considered as well.
\n\u0093While 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.\u0092\u0092
\nThe 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.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tThe Star: Tuesday January 5, 2010<\/p>\n

Mayor: Nightspot owners were warned<\/p>\n

By BAVANI M<\/p>\n

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.
\nKuala 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.
\n\u0093My 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,\u0094 Fuad said.
\nDatuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail
\nAmin Nordin said he noticed that two of the affected clubs seemed to have been embroiled in a music war.
\n\u0093They were competing to see who was the loudest on the block,\u0094 Amin Nordin claimed, adding that his ear drums were at the point of bursting when he was there.
\nFuad said the officers had used sound level meters during their checks.
\n\u0093The 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,\u0094 he said.
\nFuad was responding to queries on DBKL\u0092s 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.
\nThe mayor explained that DBKL had been receiving complaints on the matter since 2004.
\n\u0093We don\u0092t want to be accused of not doing anything, or else people will say we are on the take,\u0094 he said.
\n\u0093We also don\u0092t 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,\u0094 he said.
\nAccording to Fuad, his officers had met the affected club owners last year to inform them about the decision to revoke the licences.
\nFuad 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.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tThe Star: Tuesday January 5, 2010<\/p>\n

Entertainers hard hit by DBKL move<\/p>\n

By STUART MICHAEL<\/p>\n

WHERE will the five bands and 10 deejays that have contracts with the clubs along Jalan P. Ramlee go?
\nThat was the question posed by D\u0092Karisma band manager Adrian Doshi to the authorities after Kuala Lumpur City Hall decided to revoke the entertainment licences of five clubs along the street.
\nAdrian added that the band D\u0092Karisma 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.
\n\u0093Because of the contracts, we turned down many offers from other entertainment outlets and we are now facing a dilemma.
\n\u0093Many of the band members rely on this job to take care of their families and I pity them.
\nKeeping it quiet: Thai Club general manager Jonathan Tan said various renovations had been carried out to cut down the noise levels outside the club.
\n\u0093The deejays have it slightly better as it is easier for them to spin at other clubs but the band members can\u0092t because they are bound by their contracts,\u0094 he said.
\nAdrian added that there was nothing the band members could do but wait for the council\u0092s decision.
\nMeanwhile, local and foreign tourists are furious over City Hall\u0092s move, saying that it would make the lively street dead and leave many jobless.
\nAccording 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.
\n\u0093I 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.
\n\u0093It 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,\u0094 Paul, who visits The Beach Club three times a week, said.
\nLarry 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.
\n\u0093Many 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.
\n\u0093If this continues, I might as well enjoy drinking at home listening to songs on my CD player,\u0094 he said.
\nAloha manager Eric Loo said the clubs along Jalan P. Ramlee had been there long before the serviced apartments were built.
\n\u0093The 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.
\nAll quiet: The usually bustling street was practically deserted on Saturday night.
\n\u0093Because of some complaints, we installed a door at the entrance to our club in November to reduce the noise.
\n\u0093These five clubs have a total of about 1,000 employees. If the clubs have to close, they will end up jobless,\u0094 he said.
\nThai 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.
\n\u0093We 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.
\n\u0093The 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.
\n\u0093Because of pressure from residents, many pubs in Bangsar were forced to close down. Are we facing the same fate?\u0094 he asked.
\nRonnie 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.
\n\u0093The 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.
\n\u0093In 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.
\n\u0093I don\u0092t know how the clubs will survive now,\u0094 he said.
\nHe added that after conducting raids in October last year, the City Hall review board had decided to terminate the entertainment licences on Jan 1.
\nChoong 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.<\/p>\n

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\nIMO wrong decision by DBKL. The tourist brochures here in the UK promote Jln P Ramlee as the place to go to. I like going there when in KL. My friends are going to KL in May again after they enjoyed Rum Jungle last year.<\/p>\n

What do you guys think?<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Quote: 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141344\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}