Fuel frustration mounts

'Oil mafias' targeted over hoarding fears

- MONGKOL BANGPRAPA APINYA WIPATAYOTIN PRASIT TANGPRASERT

Public frustration is mounting across Thailand over restricted access to fuel, despite repeated government assurances that national reserves remain ample.

Officials insist there is no overall shortage, citing combined reserves sufficient for 104 days, yet scenes on the ground tell a more complicated story.

Late evening at a petrol station in Samut Prakan, tractors, lorries and motorcycles queued as rules banned container refuelling, forcing machinery onto roads.

In Nakhon Ratchasima, demand remains intense. Lorry driver Kriangkrai said he stops at multiple stations each day, as purchases are capped at 1,000 baht per visit. "I have to refuel at up to 10 stations a day; this disrupts transport schedules." Other motorists report similar difficulties.