Over the past 3 years or so, Thailand’s popularity among Malaysian tourists has seemingly been at an all-time high, as can be seen by how Malaysians topped the chart for the number of foreign travellers to the Kingdom last year, with a whopping 4,626,422 visitors.
Many Malaysians prefer travelling via land too with their own vehicles, as can be seen by the 100,000 Malaysians passing through the land border to Thailand during the Hari Malaysia weekend.
With that in mind, there has been a lot of confusion and complaints from Malaysians travelling in Thailand, as it is advised for them to bring a physical driving licence while driving in the country to avoid getting in trouble with the Thai local authorities.
Anthony Loke tells Malaysians to “just print” their digital road tax and driving licences when travelling overseas
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Minister of Transport Anthony Loke Siew Fook directly addressed this recently, saying that the Government will continue with the implementation of digital driving licences and road tax and will not be reviewing it.
Moreover, Loke told Malaysians driving in Thailand or any other foreign country to “just print” the digital driving licences and road tax to comply with the nation’s requirements.
Speaking to the press during the launch of the Asean Ports and Logistics Conference and Exhibition in Johor Bahru, Johor, on 23 October, Sinar Harian quoted the Minister of Transport as saying,
“We must be progressive. Many services are now digital… You can print digital road tax if necessary, including to comply with laws in neighbouring countries. It’s not a problem,”
Furthermore, Loke asserted that for Malaysians driving their own vehicles overseas, such as in Thailand, the digital road tax and driving licence can be printed and kept in their vehicles.
The Minister of Transport stressed,
“If you want to enter neighbouring countries, including Thailand, which requires a physical road tax and driving licence, just print them. It’s not difficult”.
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So, what do you guys think of Loke’s statement? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
