KOTA BAHARU, March 17 – Seventeen van drivers from Thailand were fined by the Road Transport Department (JPJ) when they were caught transporting Thai passengers into Malaysia illegally. JPJ director-general Datuk Seri Ismail Ahmad said the drivers were stopped during a joint operation with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) here from March 14 to 15, and two of the drivers were arrested for trying to bribe JPJ personnel.
“The vehicles (Toyota Hiace) were stopped at the Rantau Panjang border checkpoint and upon inspection, the drivers failed to produce the International Circulation Permit (ICP) and vehicle insurance coverage,” he said at a press conference at the Kelantan JPJ office, here, Thursday.
Also present were Kelantan MACC director Datuk Moh Samsudin Yusoff and Kelantan JPJ director Mahasan Mustapa. Ismail said without the documents, drivers ferrying passengers to Malaysia were only allowed to drop off their passengers at the border gates which in Kelantan were at Rantau Panjang, Pasir Mas; Pengkalan Kubor, Tumpat; and Bukit Bunga, Tanah Merah. He said the fine imposed for not possessing an ICP and vehicle insurance coverage was RM300 each.
He said joint operations were conducted regularly after the Kelantan Car Rental Association lodged complaints that several van operators from the neighbouring country were blatantly ferrying passengers into Malaysia and going as far as Melaka and Johor, thus affecting their income. On developments to prevent cloned vehicles, Ismail said since JPJ first mounted a joint operation with MACC in 2014 up to March 15 this year, a total of 1,290 cloned vehicles had been seized nationwide.
He said nine vehicles were seized in Kelantan in the March 14-15 joint operation. Meanwhile, he said also added that 37 vehicle owners had completed with the court proceedings while 1,251 more were awaiting trial. Meanwhile, Moh Samsudin said the two Thai drivers who tried to bribe JPJ personnel were charged in the Kota Baharu Sessions Court today.
