Bangkok: Democrat Party spokesperson urges the Ministry of Energy to release findings on the Rama 3 oil spill and expedite the investigation to identify the source of the leak. Today, Mr. Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, spokesperson for the Democrat Party, revealed the progress in the oil spill incident in the Rama 3 Road and Chueapleng Road areas of Khlong Toei and Yan Nawa districts. He thanked Ms. Thitiphas Chotdechachainant, secretary to the Minister of Energy, for leading a team to inspect the underground cavities where oil seepage was found. This is considered a response to the Democrat Party's proposal to urgently locate the leak and investigate its source thoroughly.

According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Pongsakorn stated that another crucial issue is oil fingerprinting, which involves sending oil slick samples to a laboratory for chemical comparison with oil from various companies to clearly identify the source and those responsible. He urged the Ministry of Energy to promptly release the test results to the public to ensure transparency and clarity.

Meanwhile, the Democrat Party questioned the standards for future inspections of underground oil pipeline systems, particularly pressure testing. Initially, the test was conducted for only one hour. The question is whether the testing period should be extended to 2-8 hours to increase the chances of detecting very small leaks, or micro-leaks, that may be hidden underground.

Mr. Pongsakorn emphasized that if pressure testing does not cover a period of 2-8 hours and does not take into account underground temperature factors, small leaks may not be detected, potentially leading to cumulative problems that affect residents in the Khlong Toei and Yan Nawa areas in the long term.