THE Road Transport Department (JPJ) in Terengganu has exposed a calculated trend where foreign nationals, predominantly ethnic Rohingya, are misusing private vehicles to operate unauthorised commercial activities across the state.
These activities range from providing community transport services and school runs to transporting heavy construction materials for illegal contracting work.
The breach of law was identified during a concentrated undercover mission known as Operation Foreign Nationals (Ops PEWA), which ran from June 1 to June 13.
State JPJ Director Zamri Samion revealed that the operations were designed to dismantle these hidden networks that compromise road safety and ignore national transport regulations.
Sinar Harian reported Zamri saying that besides offering transport services, some individuals within this group are actively moving commercial goods to carry out contractor or construction work.
He emphasized that these actions not only violate road laws but also pose a high risk of accidents to local road users, particularly regarding driving competency issues.
The department confirmed that 114 vehicles were seized during the enforcement period, with 559 P22 summonses issued for various infractions. Data from the operation showed a stark demographic trend, as the majority of the offenders were Myanmar nationals from the Rohingya community.
According to Zamri, nearly 93 individuals out of the total 114 cases acted upon were Myanmar nationals, representing a very high percentage.
He noted that the most frequent offences detected included the lack of a Competent Driving License (CDL), expired or non-existent Motor Vehicle Licenses (LKM), and a complete absence of insurance coverage.
The State Director further clarified that holders of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards are legally prohibited from purchasing assets such as vehicles or holding formal employment in Malaysia.
Despite these restrictions, a worrying trend of collusion by local citizens has surfaced, where Malaysians lease vehicles to refugees to secure easy profits.
Zamri explained that investigations have found a trend of local individuals owning a large number of motorcycles or vehicles solely to rent them out to these foreign nationals, fuether revealing that some local owners were caught repurchasing seized vehicles through JPJ auctions, only to rent them back to the same groups.
In response to this systemic abuse, the JPJ is currently reviewing more stringent legal measures. This includes bringing cases to court against complicit local vehicle owners under the provisions of Section 23 (1) and Section 90 (1) of the Road Transport Act. – June 14, 2026