X50 FAMILY RAISES FUNDS TO HELP OWNERS AFFECTED BY HAT YAI FLOODS

ALOR SETAR, Dec 1 (Bernama) -- Ten Proton X50 owners affected by the floods in Hat Yai breathed a sigh of relief after the ‘family’ of the sport utility vehicle (SUV) rallied together to provide financial assistance for towing their vehicles back to Malaysia.

Muhammad Aliff Ikhwan Ahmad, 31, from the X50 Kedah Crew club, said he and other members had organised several fun drives to Hat Yai, and most of them usually only took basic vehicle insurance cover while in the neighbouring country.

“Normally we do not take an extension to our existing Malaysian insurance for overseas cover. This time we were unfortunate as the massive floods were completely unexpected.

“We were stranded in Hat Yai from Nov 21 to 27 and after we got out safely, we looked for our own tow truck using funds collected by the X50 Kedah club and X50 clubs from across Malaysia,” he told Bernama.

He said towing each affected vehicle from hotels in Hat Yai to the Proton service centre in Alor Setar cost about RM1,100.

“As the person managing the X50 Kedah Crew, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to all X50 Kedah members who helped us when we were there.

“They also collected money to rent boats, pay people to deliver food, and hire a van to take us from Hat Yai to the border. Thanks also to the other X50 clubs that contributed and were willing to assist us in our time of difficulty,” he said.

Meanwhile, Travelthai.my operator Ammar Wafiy Johari said insurance purchased for entry into Thailand, such as compulsory insurance (CI), voluntary insurance (VI) and travel insurance (TI), does not cover vehicles involved in disasters.

He said most Malaysians who drove their own vehicles to Hat Yai and were affected by the recent floods were believed not to have extended their existing Malaysian insurance for overseas cover.

“Only if they add Extension 101 (E101) from their existing Malaysian insurance policy, with additional disaster cover, will they be protected,” he said.

He added that the recent severe floods should serve as a reminder for the public to extend their existing Malaysian insurance with disaster cover before travelling to Thailand.

-- BERNAMA