Hamzah Arizan said foreign vehicles can buy only the premium fuel, called RON97. They are barred from purchasing the popular, cheapest petrol, RON95, in Malaysia, the Bangkok Post quotes Bernama as reporting.
“Foreign-registered vehicles, such as those from Thailand, Indonesia, or Singapore, are not allowed to buy RON97,” the official Malaysian news outlet on Sunday (Sept 28) quoted the minister as saying.
Some groups of Malaysians and foreigners residing in Malaysia must pay 2.60 ringgit (B19.60) per litre for RON95 from Tuesday, up from 20.5 ringgit, while Malaysians will enjoy the subsidised rate of 1.99 ringgit.
The floating pump price of RON97 is 3.18 ringgit (B24.40), which is still far cheaper than Gasohol 95 in Thailand, as its cheapest price is B32.65.
Many motorists in southern Thai provinces regularly drive cross the border to fill up their tank in Malaysia. The price differences also encourage the smuggling of petrol and diesel into Thailand.