ARAU: Owners of Thailand-registered vehicles must settle their outstanding compound fines before departing Malaysia through the border checkpoint in Perlis.
State Road Transport Department director Fatimah Mohamed Ali Piah said this action was being taken in response to unpaid compounds by foreign vehicle owners, especially Thai-registered tourist vans, which are not permitted to operate on Malaysian roads.
She said, during a four-day special operation recently, the department had successfully collected RM31,600 in unpaid compounds from Thai vehicles.
"We have found that many foreign vehicles are not clearing their compounds before leaving the country. Here in Perlis, foreign drivers must settle their outstanding fines before being allowed to return.
"Some of the offences detected include failure to obtain the International Circulation Permit (ICP) for Thai-registered tourist vans and various technical violations, such as the use of tinted windows.
"These vehicle owners must first settle their compounds, which include road traffic penalties dating back several years," she told reporters after inspecting a roadblock in Jalan Kuala Perlis-Changlun in Pauh Putra today.
Fatimah said, throughout the four-day operation, 16 drivers of Thai-registered vans were flagged down.
"From these 16 Thai vans alone, we managed to collect RM31,600 in unpaid fines.
"Imagine if we were lenient and allowed these traffic offenders from neighbouring countries to leave without settling their fines.
"It would be a financial loss for the government. The cases we handled in Perlis suggest that similar violations may be occurring in other states," she said.