Police in Chumphon, southern Thailand, arrested a pickup driver who altered his expired tax disc with a marker to avoid fees after he was caught during a routine highway checkpoint.
The man, identified as 39 year old Nakarin from Ubon Ratchathani, was stopped at a checkpoint on Highway 41 in Wisai Tai, Sawi district, around 11am on Tuesday, September 16. The operation was led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Charan Pana-sri, deputy superintendent of Highway Police Sub-Division 4, under the supervision of Pol. Lt. Col. Kla Sombatphibun.
Officers quickly noticed that the tax disc displayed on the white Rayong-registered pickup had been tampered with. The original expiry year of 2024 had been crudely altered to 2025 with a black pen.
Checks with the Royal Thai Police CRIMES database confirmed that the tax had expired on September 5 last year. When questioned, Nakarin admitted that he had not renewed his tax and had instead altered the sticker to avoid paying fees. He confessed he had been using the fake disc for nearly a year, successfully passing through multiple checkpoints until he was caught in Chumphon.
Police charged him with falsifying and using forged official documents, as well as driving a vehicle without paying annual tax under Section 6 of the Motor Vehicle Act of 1979. He was taken into custody along with the altered disc and his vehicle to Sawi Police Station for further legal proceedings, reported Channel 3 Plus.
Pol. Lt. Col. Kla warned motorists that attempting to cheat the system carried far greater risks than simply following the law.
“This is a case of losing a little with difficulty, losing a lot with ease. If you register properly with the Department of Land Transport, the cost is minimal. But forging official documents carries a penalty of six months to five years in prison and a fine of 10,000 to 100,000 baht.”
Police stressed that regular tax renewal is essential not only for compliance but also for ensuring vehicles are safe and properly insured. The case serves as a cautionary tale for motorists tempted to cut corners with paperwork.
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