A pick-up truck is disinfected following its return to Thailand on Wednesday. — Image from Bangkok Post
PETALING JAYA: Thai vehicle owners who left their cars in Malaysia following the Covid-19 lockdown have begun receiving them back.
Bangkok Post reported that most of the cars were concentrated in Kelantan where their owners often stay temporarily to conduct business.
The lockdown in Malaysia began on March 18 and is set to lift on Aug 31. When the movement control order began, the Thai traders returned to their home country, leaving their vehicles behind.
Sungai Golok district chief Rungruang Thimabut said local officials of Narathiwat and Kelantan agreed to help following pleas by the owners for the return of their vehicles, many of which were pick-up trucks.
Thai territorial defence volunteers on Tuesday drove the first batch of vehicles through the Sungai Golok immigration checkpoint.
The vehicles would be handed over to their rightful owners after being disinfected and left in the sun for three days. As part of the safety protocol, the volunteers were to be quarantined for 14 days.
Cross-border trading between southern Thailand and Malaysia is robust and is set to grow further. It contributes the bulk of total trade between both countries, which stood at nearly RM100 billion last year.
