Due to various policy changes by the Military Council regarding the importation of motor fuel, the shortage of motor fuel in the country is getting worse. Previously, there was often a shortage of fuel only in the city of Yangon, but now Mandalay, almost all parts of the country, including Nay Pyi Taw, have run out of fuel. In Yangon, only small shops used to run out of fuel, and you could buy it from big shops. Now, the big shops themselves have run out of oil. All the oil tankers are lined up at Thilawa port, waiting to be unloaded. Because the oil that can be produced is limited, it is no longer possible to supply the stores quickly. So, at all petrol stations, we have to wait for hours to get fuel, and there are long queues. Waiting for such a long time to get oil is an uncertain situation.
The reason is that the military council no longer sells dollars to buy oil. In addition, businessmen are forced to buy dollars from outside, and the price of fuel is not allowed to be set freely, and the military council continues to control it. Therefore, businessmen will not import fuel because they may incur losses. There are oil tankers at the estuary, but they can’t put them in the port because they don’t have dollars. We are only selling the remaining oil. I don’t see that this problem, which is like a tangled bowel, will be resolved in a few days like before. If you are unlucky, the problem of people queuing for fuel may become long-term.
