Thaksin drives Seat van<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (AP): Billionaire Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
\nhas given up his luxury Mercedes Benz for a Seat van fueled by a
\nlocally developed blend of palm oil and diesel.<\/p>\n
Thaksin arrived at the Parliament on Thursday in the 7-seater
\ngreen van, catching lawmakers and reporters by surprise.<\/p>\n
"There was some smoke when the engine was started but after
\nthat it ran smoothly," Thaksin told reporters.<\/p>\n
He said he switched to the seven-seat van to encourage
\nmotorists to use the blended fuel to cut down the country's oil
\nimport bill.<\/p>\n
"I want to show the public that the Thai developed palm oil
\ndiesel is safe for car and free of pollutants," Thaksin said.<\/p>\n
The Petroleum Authority of Thailand, or PTT, started selling
\npalm oil-blended diesel fuel two months ago, pricing it a little
\nlower than diesel. The blend contains no more than 10 percent
\nrefined palm oil, a specification that does not require any
\nchanges in automobile engines.<\/p>\n
Thailand is promoting research and use of alternative fuels to
\nreduce its reliance on imported petroleum products and shore up
\nprices of agricultural commodities.<\/p>\n
Initially, PTT expects to sell around 200,000 liters (52,835
\ngallons) of the blend a month. The government expects about
\n50,000 tons a year of crude palm oil to be blended with diesel
\nannually.<\/p>\n
"The government is promoting development of fuel from palm oil
\nbecause we can buy the raw material from local farmers and also
\nfrom Malaysia," Thaksin said.<\/p>\n
He said he will continue to drive the van, but did not say
\nuntil when.<\/p>\n
PTT and another oil distributor Bangchak Petroleum Pcl. also
\nsell gasohol, a mixture of crop-based ethanol and gasoline.<\/p>",
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