Urine tests at concerts? Selangor moves to tighten drug prevention SOP after deaths

BANTING, Jan 6 — The Selangor government will recommend that urine screening be made a standard operating procedure (SOP) for visitors in efforts to prevent any involvement or use of drugs at concerts held in the state.

State Local Government and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Ng Suee Lim said the recommendation is among matters to be discussed and detailed at the state executive council meeting (MMKN) on Wednesday.

He said among others will be a review of the shortcomings as well as to look at improvements that can be made in the SOP for organising concerts, including the need to provide scanning machine equipment and implement it so that any prohibited materials can be detected and prevented from being brought in to the venue by irresponsible parties.

“We want to tighten the SOP and look at what cooperation can be conducted with the police and local authorities (PBT) because when licences or permits are granted, we want to ensure that the organisers thoroughly check (especially regarding drugs).

“So, from now on, we might need to conduct urine tests as part of the SOP for visitors, and this recommendation will be brought up at the MMKN meeting so that people who abuse drugs or are drug addicts are not allowed to enter any concerts (venues),” he said after officiating the Workshop on Engagement Session for Coordination and Standardisation of Best Practices for Local Authorities here today.

Ng was commenting on the media inquiries in relation to the state government’s efforts to review the concert implementation guidelines in Selangor to prevent the recurrence of drug-related deaths.

Selangor Youth, Sports and Entrepreneurship Committee chairman Mohd Najwan Halimi was previously reported to have said that his team was taking a serious view of the incident, and discussions will be held with Ng for that purpose.

Regarding whether the suspension of concert permit issuance disrupts the Visit Selangor Year 2025 campaign, Ng said it indeed has implications, and impacts organisers who have invested money in concert preparations.

He said that at the moment he does not have any events that need to be postponed, but in his announcement, there is one concert that was supposed to be held in Bandar Sunway next week and has been moved to Kuala Lumpur.

Last Friday, the Selangor police announced a temporary suspension of concert permits in the state until the investigation into the deaths of four individuals who died after attending the Pinkfish Concert in Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya, is completed.

Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the immediate order would remain in force until his team is confident that organisers are able to give a guarantee they can control the concerts, especially to prevent criminal elements, such as drug distribution at the concerts.

Previously, the media reported that the police were investigating the cause of death of four individuals, in their 20s to 40s, including two women, who attended the New Year’s Eve concert, following a police report regarding their deaths made by the University Malaya Medical Centre. — Bernama