A Malaysian state has proposed that concertgoers take urine tests as a standard operating procedure after four people, suspected to have taken the drug ecstasy, died at a New Year’s Eve show.
Seven people fell unconscious at a Pinkfish concert in Subang Jaya city of Selangor state on New Year’s Eve, and four of them died. Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said an investigation found all of them had taken ecstasy pills at the event, reported The Straits Times.
“We believe there were individuals who sold the drug at the concert,” he said. “We are in the midst of identifying the drug pushers.”
Police are investigating the concert organisers and trying to ascertain whether the drugs were bought before the event or at the venue itself.
To prevent such incidents in the future, the Selangor government said it would be recommending that attendees undertake urine tests at concert venues to deter drug use.
“We want to tighten the SOP, and look at what cooperation can be conducted with the police and the local authorities, because when licences or permits are granted, we want to ensure the organisers thoroughly check, especially for drugs,” Datuk Ng Suee Lim, chairman of the Local Government and Tourism Committee, said.
“So, from now on, we might need to conduct urine tests as part of the SOP for visitors.”
The proposal has drawn derision from concertgoers and organisers who claim it is impractical as well as financially prohibitive.
“It’s better for authorities to address the main issue, which is how the drugs got into the country,” said Shirazdeen Abdul Karim, executive producer of Shiraz Projects, which has hosted acts like Simple Plan and Bruno Major.
He pointed out that it would take hours to screen thousands of concert attendees.
Livescape Group CEO Iqbal Ameer told The Straits Times that conducting urine tests would only burden organisers.
“Who is going to bear the cost of these screenings? Is it the police or the organisers?” he asked.
“I think the current security checks at concerts are sufficient; in fact, they are already causing long wait times for attendees. Adding more layers isn’t going to solve the drug issue.”
Selangor police have temporarily suspended all concert permits in the state.
“For concerts with approved permits, organisers must ensure no prohibited items, such as drugs and alcohol, are brought in, and visitor capacity remains under control,” Mr Khan was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.
Organisers of the Pinkfish concert, which saw about 16,000 attendees, issued a statement saying proper security measures had been implemented at the venue, including deployment of 100 police officers, K9 units and trained security personnel at all entry points.
Police said they were reassessing existing security protocols to prevent similar incidents happening in the future.
