KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian vehicles affected by the floods in Hat Yai recently will be subjected to stringent checks at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex in Rantau Panjang, Kelantan, before being allowed back into the country.
According to Rantau Panjang Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) deputy commander Bakri Sulaiman, this is to prevent the smuggling of contraband or prohibited goods into the country.
“This is also to ensure the vehicles being brought back belong to the rightful owners,” the New Straits Times (NST) quoted him as saying.
Bakri explained that each vehicle, once it is towed across the Sungai Golok checkpoint, will be subjected to checks by multiple agencies, including the Customs Department, the Road Transport Department, and the MCBA itself.
The vehicles’ interiors will be screened, along with their supporting documents, to verify ownership.
Bakri said that over the last four days alone, seven Malaysian-registered vehicles had been towed into Malaysia through the Rantau Panjang ICQS from Hat Yai.
He, however, could not estimate the number of vehicles that would be brought across the checkpoint as towing arrangements are made between vehicle owners and towing companies.
Malaysian Consul-General in Songkhla Ahmad Fahmi Ahmad Sarkawi recently said more than 500 Malaysian-owned vehicles were stranded in Hat Yai.
Yesterday, it was reported that 15 Malaysian tow trucks had been allowed to enter Thailand to retrieve Malaysian vehicles stranded in the flood-stricken zones.– December 2, 2025