Malaysian authorities debunked claim that Singapore-registered car pumped RON95, vehicle actually refuelled with RON97
Malaysian authorities have cleared up the confusion surrounding a viral claim that a Singapore-registered vehicle had attempted to pass as a local car to illegally purchase subsidised RON95 petrol.
Following investigations, authorities confirmed that the vehicle in question had filled up with RON97 fuel, which is allowed for foreign-registered vehicles.
Source: DashCam Owners Malaysia on Facebook
The issue began when a Facebook post went viral on 3 Jan, claiming that a Singapore-registered car had been seen refuelling with RON95 petrol at a Shell station in Changlun, Kedah, near the Thai border.
The post alleged that the vehicle was masquerading as a Malaysian car to access the subsidised petrol, which is only available to locally registered vehicles.
Additionally, the post pointed out that the car was spotted with the Singapore Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system on its dashboard.
The netizen who posted the incident claimed that the accused driver only opted to fill his vehicle with RON97 fuel after the gas station staff stopped him from pumping RON95.
CCTV footage reviewed after public complaint
Kedah’s Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) launched an investigation after the claims spread on social media.
According to China Press, Muhammad Nizam Jamaludin, the director of KPDN Kedah, confirmed on 6 Jan that the department had reviewed CCTV footage from the petrol station.
He said that the action was taken after the department received a complaint alleging that a vehicle with foreign registration had changed its number plate font to resemble a Malaysian-registered plate.
Investigations revealed that the car had purchased 25.02 litres of RON97 fuel, not RON95 as initially alleged.
The total bill for the fuel came to RM79.06 (S$25), and the payment was made using a VISA credit card.
Source: China Press
Authorities confirmed that RON95 petrol, which is subsidised by the Malaysian government, is only available to Malaysian-registered vehicles.
The investigation showed that the foreign vehicle did not break any laws in this instance.
Investigation launched after previous similar incident
This clarification from Malaysian authorities comes after a string of similar viral incidents involving Singapore-registered cars allegedly attempting to take advantage of Malaysia’s subsidised petrol.
Source: SGRV on Facebook
Earlier, a driver of a Singapore-registered car was exposed for covering the “S” and “M” letters on his number plates with stickers while pumping RON95 petrol.
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Featured image adapted from China Press and DashCam Owners Malaysia on Facebook.
