Thai police said Tuesday they had arrested a Myanmar national accused of trying to smuggle 120 litres of diesel out of Thailand, days after the country banned fuel exports due to the Middle East war.
Police in Kanchanaburi Province stopped the 25-year-old man late Monday about 100 feet from the border with Myanmar while he was hauling four 30-litre containers filled with diesel in the sidecar of a motorbike, a police statement said.
He was charged with exporting goods without going through customs procedures and illegally entering Thailand.
Officers ordered the man to stop his vehicle at around 11pm, finding him without identification and the large containers filled with fuel.
“Upon questioning, the individual stated that the diesel fuel was intended to be transported to Myanmar,” police said.
The amount of fuel is equivalent to about one tank of a full-size pick-up truck.
The war in the Middle East, triggered by US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28, has caused disruptions to oil and gas supplies and price fluctuations that have rocked Asian countries heavily reliant on Gulf exports.
Thailand announced last week it was suspending fuel exports to conserve its holdings.
Myanmar’s fragile fuel supply is particularly vulnerable to instability in the global energy market.
A decade of reporting at a cost
In 2025, we marked the 10th anniversary of Myanmar Now. In Myanmar’s history, journalists are often the first targets during political repression. We founded this outlet during a brief window of stability, starting with a small team in a modest office in downtown Yangon. Our goal was simple: to report on injustices that had been silenced for decades. In many countries, justice is sought through courts and police. In Myanmar, these institutions have historically been instruments of oppression.
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