KOTA BHARU, JUNE 25 — The Kelantan Road Transport Department (JPJ) insists that the Rohingya ethnic group is not eligible to have a driving licence in this country due to their status as refugees, said its director, Mohd Misuari Abdullah.
He said that the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) card held by the group in question is not an official identification document that qualifies them to apply for a driving licence.
He said, however, throughout the enforcement operations, his party had never detected any Rohingya citizens with valid driving licenses.
On the other hand, Mohd Misuari said that the modus operandi often used by this group when detained at roadblocks is to present their UNHCR card to gain sympathy in order to escape.
He also dismissed allegations about the existence of a syndicate that helped these foreigners obtain legal driving licenses.
“Intelligence results have found that no such documents or syndicates have been detected in Kelantan so far,” he told Bernama recently.
To prevent this issue from continuing to spread, Kelantan JPJ is currently intensifying enforcement operations continuously in several focus locations around Kota Bharu, Ketereh, Melor, Pasir Tumboh and Tanah Merah.
He said that a total of 576 vehicles driven by foreigners had been inspected so far this month, with 457 of them seized and 908 summonses issued for various offences under the Road Transport Act 1987.
“JPJ Kelantan also issued a stern warning to local residents who rent out or allow their vehicles to be used by Rohingyas without a license,” he said.
Mohd Misuari said the owner of the vehicle involved will no longer just be compounded, but will instead be brought to court under Section 23(2) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
“Kelantan is now among the earliest states to take the approach of taking vehicle owners directly to court for the sake of public safety and more effective enforcement of road laws,” he said.
Previously, approximately 85 percent of foreigners who were taken into action in the Foreigner Guide Operation in Kelantan from last January to June 18 were of the Rohingya ethnic group.
The results of monitoring and enforcement carried out found that the majority of them were detected driving without a valid license in addition to committing various other offences under the Road Transport Act 1987.
— BERNAMA
