BANGKOK, Thailand – Royal Thai Police Deputy Commissioner-General Pol Gen Thatchai Pitaneelaboot has reported that authorities recently identified six fuel depots suspected of hoarding fuel during the recent shortage, contributing to reduced supply at service stations despite continued full refinery output.
The findings were based on inspections of 27 service stations and 12 intermediaries, during which police found that fuel remained available at depots but was released in lower volumes. In one case, a depot that typically distributed about 18 million liters reduced output to around 11 million liters in March. A similar pattern was observed in the lower North, where daily distribution fell from about 2 million liters to 1.2 million liters.
Investigators also found cases in which fuel intended for service stations was diverted and sold outside the retail system, including to industrial and agricultural buyers at higher prices. In Bangkok’s Lat Krabang area, authorities uncovered fuel shipments that were redirected and stockpiled rather than delivered to stations, with similar practices suspected elsewhere as the investigation continues.
Pol Gen Thatchai also confirmed that a fishing vessel featured in a widely circulated video, initially believed to be linked to Cambodia, is Thai-owned. The vessel, registered under a Thai name and carrying a six-member crew, is under investigation as authorities seek to determine whether it was involved in offshore fuel sales. (NNT)
