Review on Legal post - New rules for cyber cafes soon

This is a review regarding to a post in My E-commerce, which discuss about the new rules for cyber cafes. According to the post, there are SEVEN new rules that will be implemented to control the cyber cafes (“CC”) business.

1.Have to close by midnight daily.
2.Banned from using tinted glasses in their premises. (must be able to see through from the outside)
3.Only allowed to operate from the ground floor.
4.Those under 12 years old must be accompanied by parents or guardian and only allowed to stay up to 10.00pm.
5.Prohibited from providing gaming activities, gambling, pornography, music and publications with negative element.
6.Cigarettes and alcohol to be prohibited from being sold.
7.A book log to record the entry and departure time of the patrons.

Over these seven rules, most of them are still acceptable for the CC to comply with it. However, there are some significant rules which will affect the CC business significantly. 1st rule require the CC to close by midnight daily, which causes them to earn less from “overnight kaki”. Besides, gaming is the most important thing that a CC operates for. Most of the people go to CC play games is due to be able play together. This is because some games need local area network to be played.

Now, the government requires the cyber cafe to stop providing gaming activities, where it will cut the main income for the CC. If it does really happen and the cyber cafe has complied with it, the target market for cyber cafe will be dramatically cut down, where most of the consumers will be only those who do not own a computer at house, or those who has emergent use.

Previously, there is a rule where people who wearing school uniform are not allowed going into cyber café. However, we still can see some students wearing uniform in the CC. Most of them have become smarter where they change clothe before go in.

Thus, from the previous case, I do not think that Cyber café will comply with what the government has set. In my opinion, the cyber café might fight for the 5th rules, to allow them to provide games activity. This is because that is what CC famous and popular for. Hence, if government did really implement these rules to this industry, I think we will see the Cyber Café shops close down 1 by 1.