Nearly 600 Vehicles Repeatedly Filling Up On Petrol Daily Near Thai Border

Photo: Bernama. Since September 25, the Kedah branch of the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) has detected 580 vehicles filling up multiple times per day at various petrol stations near the Malaysia-Thailand border, Bernama has reported.

Its director, Muhammad Nizam Jamaludin, stated that a total of 19,705 vehicles were recorded , with 19,001 being local and 704 being foreign-registered. He added that 580 vehicles were detected refuelling multiple times in the same day. Nizam said his team took action to strengthen controls on the misconduct activities of subsidized fuel by statically assigning officers and conducting audits at six gas stations in the districts of Kubang Pasu and Baling to determine the actual quota needs of gas stations and information on vehicles refueling with gasoline or diesel. According to him, the investigation revealed that individuals or small groups also engaged in the misappropriation of subsidized materials. They did this by using vehicles with local registration numbers, small drums, and additional modified fuel tanks. It is thought that they used isolated village areas that were not visible to the public as fuel collection locations.

Throughout the year, 1,982 inspections were recorded as part of Op Tiris 3.0, and 158 cases involving seizures totaling more than RM2.9 million were addressed, Nizam added.
"A total of 17 investigation papers have received approval from the deputy public prosecutor to be registered in court for prosecution purposes," he said.

"I would like to remind that strict action will be taken if anyone attempts to misuse subsidised controlled goods."

Photo: Bernama.

In Perak, the ministry, through Ops Tiris 3.0, seized 5,550 liters of diesel without a permit during a raid on an illegal store in Kampung Melayu Jenderata, close to Hutan Melintang, on Tuesday, October 22. The raid also found 5,500 liters of suspected diesel in a skid tank and 50 liters of  diesel in a drum.