Police have issued arrest warrants for nearly 10,000 Singaporean motorists who failed to pay fines for traffic offences in Malaysia, parliament was told today.

The most common offence was speeding, Home Ministry Parliamentary Secretary Abu Zahar Isnin was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

A total of 26,488 summonses had been issued to traffic offenders from Singapore between 2000 and August this year. Of these 17,053 or 64.4 percent had been settled, while 9,157 warrants of arrest had been issued, he said.

Malaysia was studying the introduction of on-the-spot summonses for Singaporeans to replace the present system under which most summonses were issued through Singapore authorities after they were notified of the offence, he said. - AFP