KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — Singapore police have twice rejected applications from Future Music Festival Asia (FMFA) organisers to hold the concert there over narcotics abuse concerns stemming from six drug overdose deaths during the Malaysian iteration last year.
Singapore media reported today that FMFA organiser Livescape, a Malaysia-based event management company, is appealing the decision after selling 15,000 out of the 20,000 tickets available for the March 13 and 14 electronic dance music festival featuring Fatboy Slim and Avicii.
Singapore news website TODAY reported the police as saying that they only received Livescape’s application for a public entertainment licence on January 12, which was rejected on January 29.
The police reportedly received Livescape’s second permit application on February 16 that was later rejected on February 27.
Livescape co-founder Iqbal Ameer was reported by TODAY as saying there are emergency plans if the company’s appeal to Singapore’s Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean is rejected, such as hosting the various performers in different venues.
Iqbal reportedly said ticket-holders will receive refunds if they wanted their money back.
“All is not lost, it’s still under review. One of the main reasons why the Future Music Festival came to Singapore in the first place is because of Singapore’s no-tolerance stance on drugs,” Iqbal was quoted saying by Singapore’s Straits Times.
The Singapore paper reported Iqbal as saying that Livescape’s second application to hold FMFA in Singapore had addressed drug abuse concerns by saying that random drug tests would be conducted and that the number of medical staff at the festival would be increased.
FMFA was moved to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur last November after six people, aged between 19 and 28, died from drug overdose at the concert in Kuala Lumpur last March.
National news agency Bernama reported Malaysian police as saying that the youths were believed to have taken methamphetamines before going to the dance festival.
