Vehicle theft syndicates in Malaysia are believed to have expanded their so-called ‘business” event to Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia through Thailand, according Bernama- Malaysia National News Agency.
The cars stolen in Malaysia are believed to be transported via the sea by container ships from Singapore to Thailand which shares land border with three Indochina countries, namely Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, possibly as the final destinations for the stolen vehicles.
A source who disclosed the syndicates’ modus operandi told Bernama recently that chances would be very slim to find back the stolen vehicles if they had reached those Indochina countries.
For the past years, he noted that a number of luxury cars and multi-purpose vehicles believed stolen in Malaysia were found driven by new owners at the Myanmar- Thai border, Cambodia and Laos.
He said stolen four-wheel drive vehicles were very popular on the Myanmar’s black market while luxury cars and MPVs were famous among Cambodia’s black market customers.
He believed that the vehicle theft syndicates in these countries had a strong networking among them which complicated the authorities’ effort in handling the cross border crime.
Laem Chabang Port, in Thailand, is considered by Malaysian authorities the main destination (to unload the stolen vehicles).
Depending on the situation, the source said, parts of the stolen vehicles in the container would be unloaded in Thailand, and the remaining would continue their journey to the Indochina countries.
If the cars were not sold in Thailand, there were also possibilities of the unloaded stolen vehicles being smuggled into its neighboring countries by land, the source said.
Unlicensed vehicles were found and seized at two separated places in Mandalay in July, according to the authorities in Mandalay. According to the police, the seized vehicles were found unregistered the Road Transport Administration Department. Cases have been filed at the police station and two men were found with the unlicensed cars, said police.
Source: Global New Light of Myanmar
