Thai driver’s fueling video in Malaysia sparks digital outcry, prompts complaints to Malaysian PM

[webfact]

 

A video, showing a woman believed to be Thai, filling her car’s tank with benzene 95 at a gas station, has gone viral in Malaysia. The car bore Surat Thani license plates and the gas station is reported to be in Rawang, in Malaysia’s Selangor state.

 

The clip, posted on the X account of “MALAYSIA Most Viral”, is believed to have been taken by a Malaysian waiting in line to refuel his own car. The caption read, ‘She is stealing gas subsidised by Malaysian people. What I understand the least is why Petronas staff helped fill up the tank.’

 

Malaysian netizens heavily criticised the woman, some of whom used hashtags for Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Rafizi Ramli, economic affairs minister, complaining about the incident.

 

Gas prices in Malaysia are much lower than in Thailand. Foreign license plate vehicles can refuel at gas stations in Malaysia, but only with benzene 97, not benzene 95, which is subsidized by the Malaysian taxpayer. The price of benzene 95 in Malaysia is about Bt15/L while, in Thailand, it is Bt35.

 

Full story: Thai PBS 2024-01-05

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

[reefsurfah]

Ridiculous, maybe she was fueling to get  home?  

[Denim]

I won't be able to sleep tonight fretting over this.

[Photoguy21]

Could it be she also paid for the fuel she used to fill her vehicle?

[In the jungle]

The Malaysian 'netizen' is a fool.

 

She is in Selangor which is hundreds of kilometres from the Malaysian border.

 

Is she supposed to push her car back to Thailand?

[2baht]

Build a wall....a big, beautiful wall!

[Lemsta69]

29 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

Could it be she also paid for the fuel she used to fill her vehicle?

 

She didn't pay full price, which was the Malaysian chap's issue. Did you not read the article? 

[Photoguy21]

Just now, Lemsta69 said:

 

She didn't pay full price, which was the Malaysian chap's issue. Did you not read the article? 

Yes I did read the article. She paid the pump price which is what she should have paid.

Edited January 5 by Photoguy21

[Lemsta69]

22 minutes ago, In the jungle said:

The Malaysian 'netizen' is a fool.

 

She is in Selangor which is hundreds of kilometres from the Malaysian border.

 

Is she supposed to push her car back to Thailand?

 

As per the article she was expected to pay full price for the 97 octane fuel. Just as us dirty foreigners are expected to pay higher prices in Thailand because... reasons.

[Lemsta69]

3 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

Yes I did read the article. She paid the pump price which is what she should have paid.

 

Well you completely missed the bit about 95 octane being state-subsidised and for locals only.

[stoner]

we used to go across the border all the time into the US to get gas and groceries. 

[ChrisY1]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

 

A video, showing a woman believed to be Thai, filling her car’s tank with benzene 95 at a gas station, has gone viral in Malaysia. The car bore Surat Thani license plates and the gas station is reported to be in Rawang, in Malaysia’s Selangor state.

 

The clip, posted on the X account of “MALAYSIA Most Viral”, is believed to have been taken by a Malaysian waiting in line to refuel his own car. The caption read, ‘She is stealing gas subsidised by Malaysian people. What I understand the least is why Petronas staff helped fill up the tank.’

 

Malaysian netizens heavily criticised the woman, some of whom used hashtags for Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Rafizi Ramli, economic affairs minister, complaining about the incident.

 

Gas prices in Malaysia are much lower than in Thailand. Foreign license plate vehicles can refuel at gas stations in Malaysia, but only with benzene 97, not benzene 95, which is subsidized by the Malaysian taxpayer. The price of benzene 95 in Malaysia is about Bt15/L while, in Thailand, it is Bt35.

 

Full story: Thai PBS 2024-01-05

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

And I thought only Thais had such immature mindset....so maybe it's SE Asia wide!

[Lemsta69]

Just now, stoner said:

we used to go across the border all the time into the US to get gas and groceries. 

 

The USA doesn't subsidise gas/petrol/benzene.

[Lemsta69]

Just now, ChrisY1 said:

And I thought only Thais had such immature mindset....so maybe it's SE Asia wide!

 

Why would you let foreigners cross the border to fill up on state-subsidised fuel if they aren't paying taxes in your jurisdiction?

[foreverlomsak]

14 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

As per the article she was expected to pay full price for the 97 octane fuel.

It's quite possible she was Malaysian using a car bought in Thailand therefore she had every right to use the 95 octane fuel.

Or if she was Thai and on holiday she will need to fuel a number of times, and it's possible that the car has problems with 95 grade fuel, so it means no use of the car or destroy the engine.

[CDG931]

She was 300km from the Thai border. What was she supposed to do? Bring her own fuel from thailand in jerrycans?

The real story here is how bigoted some Malaysian netizens really are. 

 

UK tourists stock up on large quantities of wine and beer when they visit France. Nobody has any issues with this. What's the problem?

 

Edited January 5 by CDG931

[In the jungle]

29 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

 

She didn't pay full price, which was the Malaysian chap's issue. Did you not read the article? 

 

I didn't read the article because I have driven to KL in a Thai registered vehicle.  I filled it up more than once in Malaysia and paid the same price a Malaysian would pay.

[Lemsta69]

1 minute ago, In the jungle said:

I didn't read the article

 

D'oh!

[Lemsta69]

13 minutes ago, foreverlomsak said:

It's quite possible she was Malaysian using a car bought in Thailand therefore she had every right to use the 95 octane fuel.

Or if she was Thai and on holiday she will need to fuel a number of times, and it's possible that the car has problems with 95 grade fuel, so it means no use of the car or destroy the engine.

 

97 octane will destroy your engine, are you serious?

[VocalNeal]

3 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

97 octane will destroy your engine, are you serious?

 

That is a very bold statement🤔

[Lemsta69]

13 minutes ago, CDG931 said:

UK tourists stock up on large quantities of wine and beer when they visit France. Nobody has any issues with this. What's the problem?

 

Government subsidy is the problem. If they didn't have restrictions on who it can be sold to then half of Thailand and probably all of Singapore, and their grandma, would be crossing the border every day with a trailer full of jerry cans to fill up on the cheap gas.

[foreverlomsak]

2 minutes ago, Lemsta69 said:

 

97 octane will destroy your engine, are you serious?

Could, I've had ICE cars in the past which exhibited problems with different fuel grades and was informed by the dealers that prolonged use of the wrong grade could damage the engine.

[Stocky]

Surely the Netizen's ire should be directed at the Petronas staff who helped her fill up with the subsidised fuel. Unless there were signs on the 95 pump in Thai saying 'Malaysian's Only', then the failure is with the forecourt attendant for not policing the pumps correctly.

[Lemsta69]

5 minutes ago, foreverlomsak said:

Could, I've had ICE cars in the past which exhibited problems with different fuel grades and was informed by the dealers that prolonged use of the wrong grade could damage the engine.

 

First I'm hearing that high-octane petrol can damage an engine. I learnt the opposite, ie. that "premium" fuel won't hurt your engine but might be waste of money if you're not driving a high-performance vehicle.

 

Now if you put E10 in your older car instead of 100% petrol then that might be an issue. 

[NextG]

43 minutes ago, foreverlomsak said:

It's quite possible she was Malaysian using a car bought in Thailand therefore she had every right to use the 95 octane fuel.

Or if she was Thai and on holiday she will need to fuel a number of times, and it's possible that the car has problems with 95 grade fuel, so it means no use of the car or destroy the engine.

But she filled up with ‘95 grade fuel’. Perhaps you meant 97 grade fuel’. 

[VocalNeal]

32 minutes ago, foreverlomsak said:

nformed by the dealers

 

Well this says it all.🤔

 

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, In the jungle said:

The Malaysian 'netizen' is a fool.

 

She is in Selangor which is hundreds of kilometres from the Malaysian border.

 

Is she supposed to push her car back to Thailand?

No, she's supposed to fill up with the 97, not the subsidised 95 that foreigners aren't permitted to buy, apparently...

"Foreign license plate vehicles can refuel at gas stations in Malaysia, but only with benzene 97, not benzene 95, which is subsidized by the Malaysian taxpayer". 

 

"The Malaysian 'netizen' is a fool".

Seems that he's not the fool!

Edited January 5 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

2 hours ago, reefsurfah said:

Ridiculous, maybe she was fueling to get  home?  

Ridiculous.  She was filling up with fuel that she was not entitled to buy.

Edited January 5 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, Photoguy21 said:

Could it be she also paid for the fuel she used to fill her vehicle?

Could it be that you didn't read the OP?

[Liverpool Lou]

1 hour ago, Photoguy21 said:

Yes I did read the article. She paid the pump price which is what she should have paid.

Obviously, you didn't read it.  She bought subsidised fuel that is only available for Malaysians.