Surat Thani files oil-hoarding complaint against PC Siam

Surat Thani’s Provincial Commerce Office has filed a police complaint against PC Siam Petroleum Co Ltd over alleged oil hoarding, in the latest legal step arising from the province’s widening fuel investigation. The complaint was lodged at 11.30pm on April 4 at Mueang Surat Thani Police Station by Kob Thuandam, the Surat Thani provincial commerce officer, acting as the complainant and as a competent official under the Price of Goods and Services Act, B.E. 2542 (1999).

Three allegations lodged under price law

According to the complaint, the company is accused of three possible offences: holding controlled goods above the level set by the committee under Section 25(12), storing controlled goods at a place other than the location declared to officials under Section 25(5), and failing to release goods for sale, refusing to sell, or delaying delivery without reasonable cause. The alleged conduct is said to have continued through March 2026. Investigators have already recorded the complainant’s statement and opened criminal case No. 468/2569 while evidence is gathered.

Company says stock management was normal

PC Siam Petroleum said in a statement issued on April 4 that it operates as a Section 7 oil trader, buying, selling and storing fuel in Surat Thani under strict legal supervision. The company said its stock management followed normal delivery and reserve plans to serve customers and industrial users in the area, and denied any policy or conduct of hoarding to exploit the situation. It also said its stock system is auditable, clearly segregated from other operators’ fuel, and managed through normal, transparent and lawful inbound and outbound procedures. The firm said it was ready to cooperate with state inspections and provide all relevant documents.

Brief background: 57 million litres went missing in transit

The complaint comes after authorities said earlier this week that 57 million litres of fuel went missing during transport from a southern depot to six storage facilities in Surat Thani. According to the authorities, 217 million litres were dispatched over 96 tanker trips, but only 160 million litres reached their destinations, prompting the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to treat the matter as a special investigation.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said agencies had been ordered to crack down on hoarding and illegal diversion of oil from the domestic system, while the DSI was tasked with examining the supply chain from refineries to petrol stations.

Earlier inspections in Surat Thani also identified one site suspected of holding about 2 million litres in stock in March, while sales reportedly fell from 1.7 million litres in February to about 400,000 litres in March, deepening suspicions that part of the supply may have been withheld or delayed.