Gas-container Refills ‘dangerous’

[george]

Gas-container refills ‘dangerous’

BANGKOK: -- The freeze in cooking-gas prices could jeopardise consumers by causing an increase in the dangerous re-use of gas bottles, said a source from the gas-container industry.

The source said that manufacturers, unable to increase the retail price of gas, had been forced to reduce costs by extending the use of bottles.

“The re-use of bottles may cause dangerous explosions,” he said.

The gas-container industry has had to shoulder higher costs from rising oil prices. The way to offset higher costs, without a retail price increase, is to reuse bottles, said the same source.

The Commerce Ministry yesterday rejected a request by the gas-container industry to increase retail prices, saying upstream costs at oil refineries had not increased. Government policy has urged PTT Plc, the country’s biggest oil-trader, and other traders to freeze gas prices at the factory door to keep gas containers the same price.

However, the gas-container industry has requested a price increase due to rising transportation costs.

Director-general of the Internal Trade Department Siripol Yodmuangcharoen said the department had asked key gas-manufacturers to freeze the price to reduce the consumers’ burden until the end of this year.

The department and the National Energy Policy Office have found that gas containers will not increase in price, said Siripol.

The Petroleum Gas Association’s members are suffering losses caused by rising transportation costs of Bt4-Bt5 per bottle.

However, after the end of the year, the association may ask for a price increase again, due mainly to rising oil prices.

--The Nation 2005-10-01