Ms. Chutima Bunyaprasertsri, the Deputy Minister of Commerce, revealed that the Ministry of Commerce has drafted a notification regarding the classification of used cars as prohibited or restricted items for import into the Kingdom of Thailand. This measure aims to prevent environmental pollution, ensure the safety of road users, address issues related to evasion of control measures for domestic sales, and tackle problems of identity fraud in importing vehicles under someone else's name, as well as document forgery. Importantly, this aligns with the Cabinet's resolution that prioritizes addressing air pollution as a national agenda.

          "The import of used cars has been under the Ministry of Commerce's control since 1953, categorized into 9 types. The new regulations will prohibit the import of used cars for personal use, primarily luxury vehicles, while the other 8 categories will be transferred to other agencies for import approval," Ms. Chutima stated.

          The aforementioned notification has already received approval from relevant agencies and is currently undergoing public consultation via the Department of Foreign Trade's website www.dft.go.th until March 14, 2019. Afterward, it will be submitted to the Cabinet for consideration. If there are no amendments, the Minister of Commerce will sign the notification, which is expected to take effect in six months to allow stakeholders to adjust, as there may be used personal vehicles in the process of being imported into Thailand during this period.

          Ms. Chutima mentioned that used cars fall under the Ministry of Commerce's import control measures, categorized into 9 types, including: used passenger cars for personal use, special purpose vehicles for business operations (e.g., street sweepers, cranes), used cars exempted or compensated for taxes (e.g., vehicles for international organizations), used cars for government agencies, state enterprises, and charitable organizations (e.g., fire trucks, ambulances), temporary used cars, used cars for prototype production or research, used cars for refurbishment and export, used cars for display in museums, and used cars for net benefit return.

          Mr. Kirati Ratchano, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade, stated that currently, 95% of imported used cars are personal vehicles, mostly luxury cars, while the remainder consists of regular household vehicles. Each year, over 100 vehicles are imported with permission from the department, and there are also illegal imports without permission or disassembled vehicles reassembled domestically, totaling no less than 1,000 vehicles annually, most of which are illegal and may be linked to money laundering and drug trafficking. It is evident that each month, police and related agencies send no less than 100 letters to the department to provide testimony regarding import law issues.

          "Since 2015, the Ministry of Commerce has held continuous meetings with relevant agencies, totaling 15 times, to review the control measures for importing used cars. The meetings concluded with a resolution to prohibit the import of personal passenger cars due to numerous issues. Besides increasing the number of old vehicles in the country, it also contributes to environmental problems and opens avenues for corruption. Therefore, it is deemed inappropriate to allow further imports," Mr. Kirati stated.

          For other types of vehicles, the department will transfer authority to relevant agencies for oversight. For instance, vehicles for international organizations will require licensing from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while old vehicles displayed in museums will need permission from the Fine Arts Department. The department will continue to issue import licenses for special purpose vehicles used for business operations, such as cranes, and vehicles donated to government agencies, state enterprises, and charitable organizations, such as ambulances and fire trucks.

 

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