FLOODS: MALAYSIAN TOW TRUCKS ALLOWED INTO THAILAND TO RECOVER STRANDED VEHICLES

BUKIT KAYU HITAM, Nov 30 (Bernama) -- Fifteen Malaysian tow trucks have been allowed to enter Thailand to help retrieve vehicles belonging to Malaysians stranded in flood-hit Hat Yai.

Thai insurance operator Ammar Wafiy Johari said the approval was granted by the Thai authorities through the Consulate General of Malaysia in Songkhla.

“Previously, Malaysian tow trucks were not allowed to enter Thailand, but in this situation, the consulate discussed with the Thai authorities to allow our trucks into Hat Yai.

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“We estimate there are more than 200 Malaysian vehicles stuck there following the floods since Nov 22,” he told reporters here today.

He said 15 vehicles had been brought out since yesterday, and about 45 vehicles could be recovered a day, depending on their condition.

Ammar Wafiy said once the vehicles are brought back to Malaysia, they will be placed at a secure location before being sent to their owners as requested.

To release the stranded vehicles, he said owners must provide several documents, including road tax, vehicle insurance and customs forms.

Another Thai insurance operator, Mohd Uzair Mohamad Daud, said he would propose to the Consulate General of Malaysia that the number of tow trucks be increased.

“At the moment, only 15 tow trucks have been approved, but I believe this is not enough because there are many vehicles to be recovered and each truck can only handle three to five vehicles a day,” he said.

Meanwhile, tow truck operator Mohd Akmal Aniq Shahabudin said one of the main challenges was locating vehicles that had been moved or swept away by floodwaters.

He said lifting a vehicle onto a tow truck could take up to an hour and a half, depending on its condition.

“When we find the car, some are blocked or trapped under other vehicles. To protect the vehicle, we use support tyres to move it before loading it onto the tow truck, and we try to make sure any parts that can still be saved are not damaged,” he said.

Yesterday, Malaysian Consul General in Songkhla, Ahmad Fahmi Ahmad Sarkawi, said over 500 Malaysian-owned vehicles were reported stranded in Hat Yai due to the floods, and that the government had requested permission for Malaysian tow trucks to enter Thailand to help bring the vehicles home.

-- BERNAMA