BY James Kon

From January until early September this year, the Law Enforcement Division of Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) Municipal Department discovered nine establishments that had committed offences under Section 20(a) of Beauty and Health Establishment (BHE) Order 2016 for operating without a proper licence and were instructed to cease operations until a valid licence was acquired.

In the same time period, 13 businesses were suspended from operations for offences under Section 18 (1) for employees providing services to customers of different gender.

These violations were disclosed by the BSB Municipal Department in a statement recently.

There are 589 BHEs registered under the BHE Order under the Municipal Department’s jurisdiction since 2016.

Some 24 establishments were licensed under BHEs in the first nine months of the year.

The BSB Municipal Department on behalf of the Licensing Authority for Beauty and Health Establishment (EKK) at the Ministry of Home Affairs reminded the public and business owners of salons, spas, gyms and fitness centres to abide by the rules and regulations under the BHE Order 2016.

A common offence is operating without a valid licence which can result in immediate closure and suspension of operation where if found guilty, be fined up to BND10,000 if convicted and an additional BND100 per day for subsequent offences.

For enquiries regarding BHE licensing, contact Economic Division of BSB Municipal Department at 7179900 or apply online through https://onebiz.business.gov.bn or contact Darussalam Line 123.

Those with information on suspicious activities, contact the municipal department’s enforcement hotline at 7291122 or call Darussalam Line 123.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin