A fishy business

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THE Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) has revoked the business licences of two mini markets owned by Bangladeshis, for keeping live chickens and fish.

Its Public Health Standing Committee alternate chairman Ong Ah Teong said that the owners had been repeating the offence despite 13 raids conducted at both outlets in George Town since September.

As such, Ong said the council decided to take stern action against the operators of the two mini markets — located on Jalan Magazine and Jalan Gurdwara — after receiving public complaints on Saturday.

“Mini markets are not allowed to sell live animals at the shops.

“They can only sell frozen meat,” he told reporters during yesterday’s raid when the revocation of the licences took place.

During the raid, MPPP enforcement officers carted away five live chickens, two pails of live fish, three baskets of rotting beef and six butcher’s knives.

Stinking task: MPPP enforcement officers carting away the rotten beef, live chickens and fish from the mini markets during the raid.

The 20-minute raid attracted a large crowd of Bangladeshi onlookers.

“The confiscated items would be placed at the council’s enforcement premises on Jalan Timah,” said Ong.

He added that the livestock and meat were imported from Java without proper hygienic inspection, and the council’s meat inspector had confirmed that they were not fit for consumption.

One of the Bangladeshi owners, Zahirul Huque, 39, said he sold the meat as there was high demand during Hari Raya Haji.

“My customers are mainly Bangladeshi Muslims. The meat is kept inside clean boxes, so I don’t know what’s wrong with this,” he said.

Bad day: Zahirul and his wife Rahima lamenting their woes to the press after the MPPP raid in front of their shop.

He said his shop was registered under a distributor company and he ran the mini market under a foreigner’s business licence which he was granted 11 years ago.

“I will meet with the councillor to reclaim my licence.

“I won’t sell such meat anymore because I don’t want to lose my licence again,” he said.

He added that he estimated his total losses to be RM5,000.

The other shopowner was not at the scene.