A club in Lae city has been issued a notice to temporarily close until it gets its trading licence.
The Muse Club, located within the Snack Bar vicinity, has recently started operating without a licence.
A letter from the Lae City Authority, dated February 23rd, was delivered to the club management, asking them to provide proof of their current trading licence or temporarily cease from operating until they receive their licence.
“Should you fail to take heed of this notice, we will consider legal options to enforce this notice without further notice to yourselves,” read the letter.
Chief executive officer, Neil Ellery, said the LCA is at the end of a long line of process when it comes to the operation of businesses, including nightclubs.
“The trading licence is the last backstop,” he stated. “For a premises to go right through having a bar or a nightclub or a bottle shop, they have to go through other statutory bodies first and our trading licence is the last tick off to say ‘yes, you can or can’t trade’ in the city of Lae.
“Unfortunately, the burden keeps falling on us as a new entity to enforce the rules and laws of PNG.”
Ellery said in collaboration with the Lae metropolitan command, a letter will be given to the liquor licensing and building boards to advise them that it would be irresponsible to approve licences during this COVID-19 pandemic.
“Liquor outlets, nightclubs, bars, pubs – we don’t need any more of them in Lae,” he stated.
“We’re over-represented with the number of liquor outlets we have in the city.
“Liquor outlets and nightclubs do not bring any benefits to the Papua New Guineans who live in Lae city.”