A new “mobile petroleum lab” that will travel the provinces testing gasoline and diesel to ensure customers are not being ripped off was unveiled by the Commerce Ministry on Thursday.
The Ford van, worth about $150,000, will travel the country testing the volume and quality of products at gas stations, Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak said at a media conference.
“We will inspect the distributing stations.
We have to inspect in order to prevent cheating,” Mr. Sorasak said, urging members of the public who have suspicions over gas sellers to come forward.
“We are hoping to hear from people so that if there are problems please let us know in order for us to do inspections because we can do it at the site,” he said.
Stations found to be selling poor-quality gas, lower-grade gas than advertised or short-changing customers with smaller measures will be given three strikes before they are shut down, he said.
“We are taking action in order to make a balance in the market,” he added.
