As Thailand continues to struggle with a fuel shortage, authorities scramble to investigate after they discover that 57 million litres of fuel are unaccounted for.
In a press conference on Friday (3 April), Thailand’s Justice Minister Rutthaphon Naowarat confirmed that the fuel went missing during transport and ordered a special investigation into the matter.
According to Khaosod English, they first discovered the loss during an inspection into fuel stockpiling and illegal sales.
Source: Thai Post
The minister explained that a total of 217 million litres had left a depot in Surat Thani province for six storage facilities. However, only 160 million litres arrived at its intended destinations.
A special investigation team has been established and ordered to swiftly find out what happened. Those involved in the transport of the fuel have been called in for questioning.
It is currently unclear if the loss is due to illegal activity.
Source: AmarinTV
In addition to the missing fuel, authorities also mentioned other irregularities around the country.
The Royal Thai Police said they found cases where oil reserves suddenly distributed less oil in March compared to February. One case in the north had distribution numbers drop from 2 million litres to 1.2 million, leading authorities to suspect hoarding.
Source: MGR Online
They also added that they have found cases where gas stations would order fuel, but not sell all of it at the station. Instead, they would sell it directly to the farmers and industrial workers at higher prices, ฿10 (S$0.40) higher than the pump price.
Police will continue to monitor the situation to prevent oil smuggling cases as Thais continue to struggle during the crisis.
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Featured image adapted from Thai Post and AmarinTV.