Mawlamyine, 8 December
People have to queue for hours to buy fuel at gas stations in Mon State, leading to complete shortages, according to locals.
The fuel shortage started on December 1 and worsened on December 7, with buyers not getting enough fuel and queuing for long hours.
Gas stations sell oil for a maximum price of 30,000 kyats for a car and 3,000–5,000 kyats for a motorcycle.
“We have to wait for a long time to buy oil at the price set by the gas station, which affects working hours. Some gas stations sell 1 liter of gasoline on the black market for 5,000-6,000 kyats.” a resident said.
A fuel supplier said that the shortage of fuel is due to the delay in getting fuel from the military council’s oil distribution point in Thilawa and the local people buying it out of concern.
General Zaw Min Tun, the spokesman for the military council, said on December 6 that oil tankers are at the port, ready to import the required amount.
By changing policies, the military council has offered incentives to generate earnings from exporters, foreign workers, and illegal hundi agents.
The 95 and 92 gasoline prices were fixed by the junta at around 2,700 and 2,600 kyats per liter, respectively. However, locals claim that petrol stations are charging more than that amount.
Since the beginning of December, Mon and Rakhine States and other major cities, including Yangon, have experienced severe oil shortages, and the military regime has not yet been able to solve this problem.
Before the coup, the price of gasoline in Myanmar was only about 600 kyats per liter, and it has climbed more than four times with price fluctuation and fuel shortages.
News-Than Lwin Times
Photo-CJ