SURAT THANI: The provincial commerce office has filed a police complaint against an oil depot operator for allegedly hoarding controlled fuel, as authorities ramp up the crackdown on fuel stockpiling and smuggling in the South and along border areas.
Surat Thani governor Jumphot Wannasiri said a complaint against PC Siam Petroleum Co, Ltd has been filed with Muang Surat Thani police on April 4 under the Price of Goods and Services Act (1999).
The company, based on Kanchanawithi Road in Muang district, is accused of several violations involving controlled goods, including holding fuel in excess of legally permitted limits, storing fuel at undeclared locations, failing to release fuel for normal sale, refusing sales and delaying delivery without reasonable cause. Authorities said the alleged offences occurred continuously throughout March.
The complaint was filed following a joint inspection on April 1 led by Justice Minister Pol Lt Gen Rutthapon Naowarat, senior police, military officials and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
Six major fuel depots in Surat Thani were inspected, comprising facilities operated by PC Siam Petroleum, PTT Oil and Retail Business Plc, a Shell-Bangchak joint depot, Star Fuel Marketing, and SUSCO. Officials said the sites are key hubs for fuel distribution across the upper South.
Meanwhile, in Songkhla, officials found 100,000 litres of diesel stored at an international truck yard in Sadao district, including 50,000 litres in underground storage and 35 tanks of 1,000 litres each above ground.
In Kanchanaburi, officers arrested a 43-year-old man in Sangkhla Buri district after finding 1,260 litres of gasohol hidden beneath sacks of ice in a pickup truck. The suspect was planning to smuggle the fuel into Myanmar.
