KOTA BARU: In a bid to prevent subsidised diesel and petrol from being smuggled cross the border, the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry has stationed its officers at four petrol stations in the state from May 1.
Kelantan Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry director Azman Ismail said the move was also aimed at detecting petrol station operators who were in cahoots with the smugglers.
He said the four petrol stations were located in the Rantau Panjang and Tumpat areas.
"In the move to stop subsidised petrol and diesel from being smuggled to the neighbouring country, the ministry has recently decided to place its officers in four petrol stations in Tumpat and Rantau Panjang.
"Their job is to monitor the sales and also foreign vehicles. They were also told to look out for drivers who have modified their vehicle tanks," he said.
Azman said the officers would be on duty at the stations during operation hours.
"We want to track down these smugglers as we suspect they are the culprits who supply subsidised diesel and petrol to buyers from the neighbouring country.
"Our crackdown on the smugglers is showing success as we have recorded more than 20 cases in a month with the arrest of around four to five smugglers," he added.
Asked whether the ministry was aware that there were several buyers in southern Thailand who have re-sold Malaysian diesel and petrol to Thai petty traders, Azman said the ministry has been informed about the matter.
"It is not under our jurisdiction to act against them (the buyers) but the only thing that we can do is increase our operations round-the-clock against petty smugglers," he added.
A survey by the New Straits Times showed that Thai petty traders have set up stalls to sell Malaysian diesel and petrol along the roadside in the southern part of the kingdom.
The traders obtained their supply from a few stores set up by suppliers in the remote villages.
The traders would buy the fuel from these suppliers and sell them in small bottles or plastic containers.
Their clients are mostly made up of Thai motorcyclists passing along the main routes from Sungai Golok town to Narathiwat.