Vice crackdown in Jurong: 14 women arrested, 8 massage operators being investigated, Singapore News

Police tighten regulations on massage establishments

On April 21, the police announced that there are putting an end to licensing exemptions for massage establishments from the second half of this year.

This means that open-concept massage establishments — presently exempted from licensing — will soon need to comply with “fit and proper” requirements under a new “Category 3” licensing regime.

Category 1 licences are granted to those which operate in HDB shop houses, shopping centres and hotels, while Category 2 licences are given to those operating away from residential areas, schools and places of worship.

Among the requirements: ensuring that rooms, partitions or cubicles are not set up within the establishment, and obtaining land use approval from HDB and Urban Redevelopment Authority before the premises can be used as an open-concept massage establishment.

Welcoming the move, Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat said in a Facebook post then that his ministry and its agencies are supportive of the new measures.

He pledged that HDB officers will work closely with the police to clamp down on errant establishments that do not comply with regulations and provide illicit services.

The minister also warned such operators that HDB has the authority to terminate the tenancies of those found to be complicit in vice-related activities.

“The bottom line is this: errant operators will not be permitted to continue their illegal business activities in our neighbourhoods, regardless of whether they are operating out of a HDB rental or sold shops.

“We will weed them out and not allow such undesirable activities to spread in our housing estates and affect the living environment for residents,” Chee wrote in his post.

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editor@asiaone.com