Thaksin drives Seat van

Thaksin drives Seat van

BANGKOK (AP): Billionaire Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
has given up his luxury Mercedes Benz for a Seat van fueled by a
locally developed blend of palm oil and diesel.

Thaksin arrived at the Parliament on Thursday in the 7-seater
green van, catching lawmakers and reporters by surprise.

"There was some smoke when the engine was started but after
that it ran smoothly," Thaksin told reporters.

He said he switched to the seven-seat van to encourage
motorists to use the blended fuel to cut down the country's oil
import bill.

"I want to show the public that the Thai developed palm oil
diesel is safe for car and free of pollutants," Thaksin said.

The Petroleum Authority of Thailand, or PTT, started selling
palm oil-blended diesel fuel two months ago, pricing it a little
lower than diesel. The blend contains no more than 10 percent
refined palm oil, a specification that does not require any
changes in automobile engines.

Thailand is promoting research and use of alternative fuels to
reduce its reliance on imported petroleum products and shore up
prices of agricultural commodities.

Initially, PTT expects to sell around 200,000 liters (52,835
gallons) of the blend a month. The government expects about
50,000 tons a year of crude palm oil to be blended with diesel
annually.

"The government is promoting development of fuel from palm oil
because we can buy the raw material from local farmers and also
from Malaysia," Thaksin said.

He said he will continue to drive the van, but did not say
until when.

PTT and another oil distributor Bangchak Petroleum Pcl. also
sell gasohol, a mixture of crop-based ethanol and gasoline.