JITRA (KEDAH) - VEHICLES from foreign countries such as Singapore and Thailand which enter Malaysia are exempted from the new rear seat-belt ruling, Transport Minister Ong Tee Kiat said yesterday.

The ruling was only for Malaysian-registered vehicles, he said after attending an official event in this Kedah town. But he did not rule out the possibility of the rule being enforced on foreign vehicles in the future.

'It would be better if the rear passengers (of foreign vehicles) also wear the belts,' he told reporters.

Malaysia started enforcing the rule for backseat passengers to buckle up to reduce road deaths from Jan 1. But it was unclear then whether foreign cars were expected to follow suit.

Malaysia shares land borders with Singapore, Thailand, Kalimantan in Indonesia and Brunei.

Until June 30, Malaysian vehicle owners and passengers will be fined RM300 (S$126) for not wearing seat belts. From July 1, they could be fined up to RM2,000, jailed for a maximum of one year, or both, under the Road Transport Act.

The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research, quoting a 1999 report by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, had said that in all crashes, rear seat belts cut fatalities by 44 per cent.

BERNAMA