Sibu council to refuse new applications for reflexology and health centres

SIBU: The Sibu Municipal Council will not accept anymore applications to open reflexology and health centres here with immediate effect.

The local authority had decided to freeze such licences in the interest of the public.

Council secretary Hii Chang Kee said 69 centres with 11 more pending approval was more than enough for a population of about 220,000 people.

He said the 11 applications would be approved if they met the requirements under the Reflexology and Health Establishment By-law 2009.

“They have submitted their building plans to us and we are considering whether to approve the licence for them,” he told a press conference yesterday.

Asked whether the issue of vice activity was one of the reasons for the freeze, SMC deputy chairman Daniel Ngieng said although the council did receive complaints on such activities, it was not the main reason.

“Our main reason is that we felt that the number of such establishments is enough for the time being as per the population ratio. After discussion and feedback, we felt that 80 is enough,” he added.

As for the existing operators, he said the council wanted them to strictly abide by the By-law as stipulated in their licence.

SMC is the second local authority in Sarawak to freeze the licence for such establishments.

The Miri City Council had frozen the licence last year and lifted it on July 1 due to “market forces” only to freeze it again from August 1 after a public appeal not to allow more of such businesses to open.

[Source : The Star Online posted on August 11, 2011, Thursday]