Malaysia Authorities Take Steps to Limit Cross Border Smuggling
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, 21 October 2009 |
|
Malaysia has started enforcing a restriction on petrol sales to
Thai-registered vehicles due to changing fuel prices in Thailand that
increase fuel smuggling from Malaysia.
Thai oil companies yesterday raised petrol and diesel prices by 60
satang per litre in line with a rise in world prices. A Customs
official at Betong border checkpoint confirmed that hundreds of people
have driven across the border into Malaysia's Perak state to take
advantage of lower prices.
As a result, Perak authorities have instructed their petrol stations to
cap sales of fuel to Thai-registered vehicles at 200 baht a time and
not allow drivers to fill containers. Malaysian government officers
were deployed at stations in the northern state to monitor the
restriction, which is to help tackle the problem of soaring subsidy
bills that keep Malaysia's retail prices at nearly half of those in
Thailand.
In a related development, police from Yarom station in Betong district
yesterday raided a house in tambon Yarom and seized 180 litres of
petrol smuggled from Malaysia. The fuel was contained in nine
containers on a pickup truck. Police arrested Masukree Samah, 27, for
suspected oil smuggling.
PetrolWorld 201009
|
