The organizers of the Future Music Festival Asia insist that adequate security measures were in place on the ground at the Bukit Jalil Sports Complex last weekend, despite the fact that six people died as an apparent result of drug overdoses.
Livescape Asia, the main organizer of the three-day festival whose last and biggest day was cancelled due to the deaths, put out a statement today listing the security measures in place during the festival. Two mobile police stations were located at each of the festival entrances; three poloice beat bases were set up around key areas, with 100 police officers patrolling the festival grounds for crowd control, traffic and perimeter control, and drug detection; 280 security staff was on the payroll and on the ground, and 80 members of Rela (People’s Volunteer Corps) were on site to assist with security issues.
There were also a number of medical facilities on the ground to deal with emergencies: paramedics, ambulances and an onsite emergency trauma centre were all on standby.
The six dead festival-goers were aged between 21 and 28 years old.
They are Kamal Zekry Kamal Basha, 21; Victor Wong E. Hern, 25; Sabreena Kamarudin, 21; M. Suresh, 27; Syazana Sohaime, 23; and Nor Faizza Mohd Wazir, 26.
Of the six, one died at the venue in Bukit Jalil while another died on the way to the hospital. Four others died at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital.
14 other people, nine of whom are Singaporeans, are recovering in hospital from overdosing on methamphetamines at the event.
Police have detained 29 people – 13 Malaysians and 16 foreigners – in relation to drug possession at the festival, and they will be remanded until Tuesday.
Ticket refund information will be available at www.futuremusicfestival.asia.
For further information on the event, the public can contact Jason Kong through email at jason.kong@livescape.asia or call 03-77726272.
Story: The Malaysian Insider
