Thailand Diesel Protest: Truckers Demand 35-Baht Cap

Truck operators want Thailand diesel prices capped at 35 baht a litre for a year. The Land Transport Federation of Thailand and 13 allied associations rallied outside the Ministry of Energy in Bangkok on Wednesday, November 4, and gave the government about 60 days to respond or face a convoy of up to 1,000 trucks in the capital, the Bangkok Post reported.

Coffins and banners at the ministry

The rally ran under the slogan "Transport Workers Unite: Stop Robbing the People". Trucks carried banners attacking energy conglomerates, and protesters brought a coffin and funeral flowers as a symbol of their anger. Energy experts and transport operators gave speeches from a stage.

Federation president Thongyu Khongkhan said the protest stepped up the "Truck Power" campaign, which had earlier been held in Chon Buri. He said earlier demands had gone unanswered, and that higher diesel prices were adding to costs across the economy while many people were still recovering from last month's floods. Thai media reported that diesel has risen by more than 8 baht a litre.

Where pump prices stand

After a recent one-baht cut, retail prices on Wednesday were, according to the Bangkok Post:

• Diesel B7: 42.54 baht per litre
• Diesel B20: 33.50 baht per litre
• Premium diesel: 49.05 baht per litre

The Nation reported that the hauliers see the Cabinet's three-month excise tax cut on E20 and B20 fuels as too narrow, because it does not cover the diesel most lorries use.

The 10 demands

The federation handed over 10 demands that mix earlier proposals with new ones. They include:

• a 35-baht cap on diesel for one year;
• a full overhaul of oil and energy pricing, including removing "imputed" cost items;
• cutting the oil excise tax to 5% and reviewing refinery margins;
• putting oil under price control;
• an investigation into more than 700 million litres of fuel the group says has gone missing;
• dissolving the Energy Regulatory Commission and creating a national strategic oil reserve.

Mr Thongyu said any help must benefit the whole population, and the federation would reject a package aimed only at transport firms. If there is no progress by the end of December, he warned, protests could escalate, possibly alongside other groups or with 500 to 1,000 trucks driving into Bangkok.

Ministry response

Thitiphat Chotdechachaiyanan, secretary to Energy Minister Akanat Promphan, received the petition. She said the ministry was pursuing legal action, based on information from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), against 24 suspects allegedly involved in oil hoarding and speculation in March. Six have been formally charged, and the ministry will meet the DSI next week to speed up the cases.

Why it matters for Phuket

Most goods reach Phuket by road, so fuel costs for trucks feed through to shop shelves, building sites and restaurant menus on the island. Any lasting change to diesel pricing would affect business costs heading into the high season.

Related: Thailand unemployment rises, Bank of Thailand warns and Thai business sentiment falls in October.

Photo: a truck on a highway in Kalasin, Thailand, by Marshall Astor / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. File photo.