Melaka ceases issuing family entertainment outlet licences - Chief Minister

The Melaka government has stopped issuing family entertainment licences in the state to make way for a review on the existing licensed operators, said Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron.

He said the move was to identify the operators who had been abusing such licences by turning the outlets into gambling dens, although the state government had previously reviewed and issued the licences.

Idris also said the cessation period had not been decided as the state government needed to obtain the right data including the existing number of such licences that had been issued.

"I have taken the advice by Inspector-General of Police (Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar) before this and I want to see how many family entertainment licences had been issued so far.

"Thus, the state government has taken a big step, namely to stop the issuance of the licence until all the existing operators have adhered to the set terms," he told reporters after the UMNO Helps the People programme and the handing over of assistance to the Melaka UMNO Division here on Sunday.

Idris told this following the advice by Khalid for state governments and local authorities to cease issuing family entertainment licences on Saturday.

Commenting further, the chief minister said the Melaka government would immediately revoke the operating licence of family entertainment outlets that did not comply with set terms indefinitely.

Earlier at the event, Idris handed over assistance to about 400 asnaf (deserving groups), the poor, single mothers and orphans in the state.

-- BERNAMA