Thai undertaker reveals corpse to justify fuel buy
Many petrol stations in Thailand have imposed restrictions like purchase limits or container bans as supplies run short and prices soar on the back of disruptions from the Middle East war.
Motorists queue up at a petrol station in Bangkok following import disruptions caused by the Middle East war. Thailand initially capped diesel prices before raising the limit six baht ($0.18) per litre last week. (Photo by AFP)
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BANGKOK — When a Thai garage attendant refused to fill Preecha Ngernkasem's jerrycans with the diesel he wanted, the temple attendant opened up his vehicle to show him why he needed the fuel: a corpse awaiting cremation.
Many petrol stations in Thailand have imposed restrictions like purchase limits or container bans as supplies run short and prices soar on the back of disruptions from the Middle East war.
Preecha had been assigned to collect the body of a unidentified homeless man who had died of unknown causes from a hospital in Chonburi province and give it a Buddhist cremation.
He stopped en route to fill the three 18-litre jerrycans he needs for each body he burns, but the attendant at first refused the sale.
Emerging from his cab, Preecha -- livestreaming the exchange on Facebook -- opened the back of his pick-up truck and lifted the coffin lid so the stunned staffer could see the corpse inside.
"You are refusing to sell me fuel, so I have to show you the reason why I need it," he said in the video.
The attendant laughed uncomfortably before a colleague intervened and a manager approved the transaction.
The dead man was given an appropriate cremation later on Saturday afternoon, Preecha told AFP on Monday.
"I have never had to do anything like this before, and I never expected to," he said.
Garages should be willing to sell fuel on production of a hospital death certificate, he added.
Iranian forces have effectively slowed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to a trickle during the Middle East war, which began on February 28.
More than 80 percent of the crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) that passes through the narrow waterway heads to Asia, according to the US Energy Information Administration, and many parts of Southeast Asia have suffered fuel supply difficulties.
Thailand initially capped diesel prices before raising the limit six baht ($0.18) per litre last week.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul apologised at the weekend for the public disruption, adding that he hoped "the conflict might be short-lived".
An agreement had been reached with Iran to allow Thai oil vessels safe passage through the Strait, he said.
Reaction to Preecha's video on social media was swift.
"How have we come to this situation?" asked one poster.
Another added: "Bring the coffin to Government House."