By Brad Rantayy
MIRI, June 22: Foreign vehicles entering Sarawak through the Sungai Tujuh checkpoint border will not be allowed to leave unless they settle their outstanding or pending summonses.
According to Sarawak Road Transport Department (JPJ) director Mohd Syafiq Anas Abdullah, following the upgrading of the agency’s system, whereby a new Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) is issued to every single foreign vehicle, JPJ could now track and bar foreign vehicles with unpaid summonses from leaving the state.
“For Sarawak-Brunei, we have what we call the `free flow’ scenario. You can enter the country anytime, no problem, but before leaving, you must settle or pay all the outstanding summonses,” he said.
Speaking to reporters during the High Intensity Discharged (HID) headlamp operation last night, he said topping the list of traffic offences committed by foreign vehicles was speeding, beating traffic lights and not using seat belts.
On the most common traffic offences committed in Miri, Mohd Syafiq said they were fancy plate numbers and heavy-tinted car windows.
“Within five months (of) operations that were held from January to May statewide, we recorded 3,694 traffic offences of various types,” he revealed.
On the new ruling for tinted windows, Mohd Syafiq reminded all vehicle owners to apply to JPJ if they wanted their vehicles to be full black.
“All you have to do is apply to us and pay RM5,000 for a permit. That’s for a duration of two years,” he emphasised.
Also present at the 8pm-11pm operation was Miri JPJ chief Maya Morshidi.
Twenty-seven JPJ officers were involved in last night’s operation at Miri City Fan, where about 530 vehicles were inspected. Out of this figure, four vehicles were given tickets for HID offences, 15 for not having driving licences, four for expired road tax and 19 for other offences. — DayakDaily
