KLUANG • The implementation of Malaysia's vehicle entry permit (VEP), originally scheduled for launch next month, will be delayed to fine-tune the system, the country's Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, said.

The government wants to ensure that "everything is in place" before introducing the VEP at both the northern border with Thailand and the southern one with Singapore, Mr Liow said yesterday, according to The Star.

He suggested that more time was needed to get the system up and running at the northern border, which is located in Padang Besar, Perlis.

"Once the system is in place, we will implement VEP at both borders simultaneously," Mr Liow was quoted as saying after attending a gathering with about 700 grassroots leaders and residents in Paloh, Johor.

Mr Liow had said in October that all foreign-registered vehicles entering Malaysia would have to pay for a RM25 (S$8) VEP to prevent car theft and other related crimes.

The permit would be valid for five years and vehicle owners would receive a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to be placed on the windshields of their vehicles, Mr Liow said at that time.

A separate RM20 road charge, which is currently imposed on vehicles entering the country from Singapore, would also apply to the northern border with Thailand either by the end of this year or early next year, Mr Liow had said.

Similar charges would be imposed on cars entering from Brunei and Indonesia at a "later stage", he said.