Late-night fuel queue in Nakhon Phanom stretches beyond 3km
Residents and farmers in Na Kae queued overnight for limited fuel, with cars and jerry cans capped at 1,000 baht as shortages worsened.
- A severe fuel shortage in Nakhon Phanom's Na Kae district prompted a late-night queue of vehicles that stretched for more than 3km.
- The shortage is attributed to reduced quotas and infrequent deliveries from a distant refinery, coupled with high demand from farmers for agricultural machinery.
- The station rationed fuel, limiting sales to 1,000 baht per person, forcing many to wait for hours or overnight and causing significant hardship for farmers.
A reporter said at 11pm on Monday (March 23) that the outbound side of the highway in Na Kae district, Nakhon Phanom, heading towards Sakon Nakhon and opposite Na Kae Hospital, residents had parked their vehicles in a long queue along the roadside while waiting to refuel at a PTT station in Na Kae district.
The queue stretched for more than 3km after word spread that fuel was available.
Some drivers did not know when they would be able to refuel, but said they had to wait in line first because fuel was hard to find.
Each vehicle was allowed to buy up to 1,000 baht worth of either diesel or petrol.
Those suffering most were farmers, many of whom were carrying 30-litre fuel cans and standing in a queue hundreds of people long while waiting to buy fuel.
The station was limiting sales to no more than 1,000 baht per person, while supplies were available only on certain days.
A serious shortage has emerged in Na Kae district, Nakhon Phanom, as most local farmers currently need fuel for agricultural machinery, tractors, water pumps and passenger vehicles.
Some people had already been waiting in line for three to four hours.
Many expected to stay awake through the night, with residents likely to continue queueing until the station ran out of fuel.
A petrol station employee said the station had received a quota of about 20,000 litres for the day and would remain open 24 hours until supplies were exhausted.
Cars were limited to 1,000 baht per fill-up, while farmers filling cans were subject to the same 1,000-baht cap for both diesel and petrol.
Fuel deliveries arrive only every other day, or once every two days, because transport from the refinery covers more than 700 kilometres and quotas have also been reduced.
Farmers said they were suffering severely and had never seen anything like this before.
They urged the government to solve the problem quickly, saying the impact was being felt across every district.
Without fuel, some could no longer carry out farm work and had lost income, while also having to spend entire days and nights waiting to buy fuel instead of earning a living.
They said the crisis was affecting every occupation.
