Bangkok: The government is taking serious action! They are cracking down on oil hoarding and smuggling, uniting all agencies to strictly enforce the law. They emphasize prudent energy management to build public confidence in sufficient oil supply during Songkran. A new energy management center (Plus) is being established.

According to Thai News Agency, today, following the 9th meeting of the Center for Monitoring and Managing the Conflict in the Middle East (CMA), Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul, along with relevant agencies such as the Ministry of Justice, the Maritime Security Command (MSC), the Fuel Crime Suppression Center (FCC), the Department of Energy Business, the Marine Department, the Customs Department, the Excise Department, and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), jointly announced measures to inspect, monitor, and enforce the law against offenders involved in fuel hoarding and smuggling.

The Prime Minister revealed that the government has intensified law enforcement under the Fuel Shortage Prevention and Mitigation Act of 1973, adhering to the principle of "keeping the name secret, judging the behavior," prosecuting all offenders equally, regardless of their influence. Anyone found to be exploiting the public or undermining the country's energy security will be prosecuted decisively.

The Ministry of Justice, through the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), in collaboration with the Royal Thai Police, the Department of Energy Business, the Maritime Security Command, the Marine Department, the Excise Department, the Department of Internal Trade, the Customs Department, and the local administration, has conducted intensive inspections of both large and small-scale oil retailers (jobbers). During an inspection on April 1st, several behaviors were found to be in violation of the law, including:

(1) Delaying the transportation of oil by sea by mooring the ships to wait for price increases before delivering them into the system.

(2) Refusal to deliver oil from the depot to the service station or recipient.

(3) Smuggling oil out of the route for stockpiling, which is currently under investigation and further investigation.

Furthermore, discrepancies were detected in oil quantity data between the inspection unit's reporting system and data from refineries and excise tax collection. This will involve coordinating shipping information from the Maritime Security Command and expanding the investigation to land transport to neighboring countries to verify whether exports were in accordance with permits.

The Prime Minister stated that such actions constitute excessive profiteering during the global energy crisis, forcing the government to use funds from the Fuel Fund to subsidize energy prices, currently resulting in a deficit of over 50 billion baht. He emphasized that the Fuel Fund's objective is to alleviate the burden on the public, not to facilitate hoarding or illegal exports, and therefore, strict enforcement is necessary.

Simultaneously, the Department of Special Investigation has been assigned to conduct a special investigation into this case. The government affirms that it is not indifferent to the suffering of the people and will proceed with preventive measures, monitoring, and prosecution simultaneously to ensure that the facts are revealed to the public transparently.

The Prime Minister also instructed the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Defense, as well as all relevant agencies, to integrate their cooperation in decisively suppressing offenders, and requested the public's cooperation in providing information to help put an end to behaviors that exploit society.

Regarding the current unusually high demand for oil, the government suspects it is related to illegal exports and hoarding. Investigations and control measures are being intensified, with the expectation that this will help reduce the outflow of oil from the domestic system and restore balance to domestic oil supplies.

At the end, the Prime Minister reassured the public that the government had measures in place to adequately handle the increased fuel consumption during the Songkran festival. This included preparations in collaboration with businesses under Section 7 to enhance fuel transportation capabilities and ease certain restrictions to ensure timely fuel distribution.

The public can rest assured that there will be no fuel shortage and that they can travel back to their hometowns during the Songkran festival as usual. The government will do its utmost to prevent and suppress any wrongdoing that might take advantage of this crisis, and reaffirms its commitment to managing energy resources as efficiently as possible for the benefit of all citizens.