Escalation of the conflict involving the United States, Israel, and\nIran in the Middle East is triggering a wave of anxiety in Thailand.\nFears of disruptions to global energy supplies, especially through the\nStrait of Hormuz, have sparked panic buying, price surges, and concerns\nabout a logistics crisis in the \u2018Land of the White Elephants\u2019. Although\nthe Thai government says national energy reserves remain adequate,\ngrassroots pressure is rising. In Chiang Mai, long queues at petrol\nstations have been observed since Wednesday morning (4 March) as\nresidents rush to fill up their tanks amid fears of imminent\nshortages.<\/p>\n
Senator Chaiyong Maneerungsakul, who is also the spokesperson for the\nSenate\u2019s Military and Security Committee, warned of vulnerabilities in\nenergy supply in the southern region. Nationally Thailand has oil\nreserves sufficient for about 60 days, but distribution in the\nsouth\u2014particularly in Surat Thani and Songkhla\u2014may only withstand 15\ndays if global supply chains are disrupted.<\/p>\n
As a former wholesale oil trader, Chaiyong understands the energy\nlogistics in those areas well. He emphasised that prolonged Middle East\nescalation could force the government to implement rationing to\nsafeguard local stocks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis situation demands high preparedness. If distribution is\ncurtailed, depots in the south will face heavy pressure within two\nweeks,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople may not be completely short of oil, but the\nimpact will be felt in the price,\u201d he added. He foresees possible\nrestrictions on service-station operational hours and up to a 50% cut in\nfuel deliveries should the situation deteriorate.<\/p>\n
The small-scale industrial sector is already feeling the impact.\nOranuch Deeduaychat, a livestock feed entrepreneur in Nakhon Ratchasima,\nsaid she has instructed staff to stockpile diesel to safeguard heavy\nequipment operations. If conditions do not improve, she warned, she may\nraise product prices to survive. Diesel prices at the local level have\nsurged to 30.36 baht per litre, surpassing the government\u2019s ceiling of\n29.94 baht.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the Energy Ministry continues\nto monitor the situation closely. Yet business operators fear that\nongoing disruption could drive up production costs and pass them on to\nconsumers, fuelling national inflation. (Bangkok Post\/B-3)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/domino-effect-of-the-middle-east-war-thailand-faces-shortages-and-fuel-panic-buying-1772690382", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }