No-go for Future Music Festival Asia

SINGAPORE — The Home Affairs Ministry has dismissed the appeal from organisers of this year’s Future Music Festival Asia (FMFA) to be allowed to hold the festival in Singapore.

The festival’s organisers, Livescape Singapore, filed an appeal to the Minister for Home affairs on Tuesday (March 3), after the police twice rejected applications to hold the electronic dance music festival here. Livescape was told of the outcome today.

“The Minister for Home Affairs has carefully considered and turned down the appeal by Livescape Singapore to hold the FMFA 2015 in Singapore,” said the ministry’s spokesperson.

The organisers responded with a Facebook post at 9pm today in which they claimed they have "yet to receive official communication" from the Ministry. They added that an update will be provided "as soon as the information has been verified". 

However in response to media queries, a MHA spokesperson said: "We confirm that we have conveyed the rejection letter via fax and email today."

Livescape, which has sold about 15,000 of the 20,000 tickets available for the two-day festival, had submitted applications for a public entertainment licence to the police in January and again last month, but were rejected both times, with the police citing “serious concerns” over potential drug abuse at the event.

The festival’s three-year run in Kuala Lumpur was marred by drug problems - concert organisers had to pull the plug on the third day of the event last year after six Malaysians died of drug overdose and another 16 people were hospitalised for drug-related reasons.

Several Singaporeans were also hospitalised after a suspected drug overdose last year, while two were later charged for drug offences in Kuala Lumpur.