DANNOK (THAILAND): MALAYSIAN subsidised diesel and petrol are popular among motorists in southern Thailand as they are sold at a lower price of up to RM1, compared with the price at petrol stations here.
The New Straits Times stakeout in southern Thailand yesterday showed that smuggled subsidised fuel from Malaysia was sold in small bottles by the roadside in the 10km stretch between Sadao and Dannok, the two main towns here.
The smuggled petrol was sold for between 30 Baht (RM3) and 33 Baht (RM3.30) per litre compared with the normal price of 41.99 Baht (RM4.10) in petrol stations. The petrol in bottles are displayed in makeshift kiosks like peddlers selling drinks.
The scene suggested that the peddlers were selling the smuggled fuel without the fear of being caught. Many motorcyclists and drivers running on petrol engines preferred to fill up their tanks at these makeshift petrol shops rather than petrol stations because of cheaper fuel prices.
This would explain why there were hardly any two wheelers, except for four-wheel-drive vehicles, filling up petrol at the nearest petrol station in Dannok, which is located 20km away from the Malaysia-Thailand border.
The owners of pick-up trucks, which mostly run on diesel engines, were paying 30.99 Baht (RM3) for a litre of diesel in a standard fuel station.
It was learnt that the smuggled subsidised Malaysian diesel was sold discreetly in the black market instead of being sold openly by roadside peddlers.
"Pick-up truck owners normally go for a full fill up of diesel in secret locations operated by smuggling syndicates where they have pumps to store and sell diesel smuggled from Malaysia," said a resident.
The other modus operandi of smugglers was storing the diesel in a 1,000-litre capacity tank before transporting it to peddlers in town. The peddlers would then store the fuel in smaller tanks and transfer the fuel to their customers' vehicles using a hose.
For people in southern Thailand, there was nothing wrong with buying smuggled Malaysian petrol or diesel as long as the supply was there.
One seasoned petrol peddlers here did not bother to hide the fact that she was selling subsidised petrol smuggled from Malaysia. The woman in her 40s, claimed that she had bought the supply in Malaysia and packed the fuel in a transparent Vodka bottle, which was sold at RM3 per litre.
A 20-year-old food stall operator claimed she was earning a commission for selling the fuel. "I do not know who they are. One day, they came and left petrol bottles and offered me a commission to sell the fuel."