SINGAPORE — Malaysia's transport ministry announced on Monday (Sep 23) that it will defer enforcement of its Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) "during peak-hour traffic operation" until further notice.

The ministry said the decision was made in light of "several issues", including difficulties in obtaining appointments for the RFID tag installation.

In a media statement, the ministry added that this affects "all outbound traffic" at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar and Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar, at Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints respectively.

In its statement earlier in April, the ministry said: "Only VEP-registered vehicles are allowed entry into Malaysia once it is put into force."

CNA has sought clarification from the ministry on whether VEP enforcement checks will be made on inbound or outbound vehicles, and what it defines as "peak hour".

Malaysia announced in 2017 that all foreign-registered vehicles entering the country will need a VEP, which it said was meant to tackle car theft and cloning syndicates and prevent vehicles with outstanding fines from leaving the country.

Malaysia’s Transport Ministry said in April that the VEP will be enforced from October. Commuters from Singapore, however, have complained about lengthy waiting times, a lack of appointment slots and little help from the authorities in obtaining the tags.

To alleviate the issues, the ministry announced that it will open an additional RFID Fitment Centre at Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar, in addition to the ones at Gelang Patah Southbound RnR, Plaza Angsana open carpark, Pandan RnR and Lima Kedai Toll Plaza.

The ministry said that it hopes with the opening of this additional Fitment Centre, and the deferment of enforcement during peak-hour traffic, all foreign vehicle owners will take this opportunity to immediately register and get the RFID tag installed in their vehicles. CNA

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