Friday, October 17, 2014

More RON95

RM2.30 a litre at Petronas
Coming back from a 3,500km motorcycle ride in Thailand last week, I was so happy to see these dials at the first Petronas station (top pic) after the Malaysian-Thai border. For a week we were paying almost double the prices in Malaysia (pic below).  
In Songkla, you pay almost double
Funny thing is when I commented on my Facebook how fortunate and grateful I felt that our fuel prices are still cheap despite the recent 20 sen inrease, some people were unhappy. They said I should compare prices not with Thailand but with some other oil producing countries like Indonesia and Thailand. Well, I've Googled the information for them since it's such hard work. Click here for prices comparo with Venezuela and Indonesia. 
Note that not even the oil rich Arabs can match Venezuela's as-good-as-free fuel but it comes with a heavy price. Read here. Coincidentally, a local expert published in The Malaysian Reserve, the business daily I'm advising, two well-researched articles this week on the curse on countries that heavily subsidize fuel at their pumps. 
Please read:
The myths of Petrostates: Is cheap fuel a blessing or a curse?
Blessing or curse Part 2

8 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:23 pm

    People seem not to realize that falling global oil prices is a bane to Malaysia's revenues.

    And that it is these revenues that go into paying the subsidies that Malaysians enjoy.

    I am also very concerned about smuggling and corruption. I have no doubt the relatively low prices compared to neighboring countries fuel smuggling activities and also the corruption of government servants in the relevant areas.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thailand is not a petroleum producing country. You are comparing durian with rambutan.Next time around when you have another trip up north please compare the price of rice in Thailand and Malaysia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thai Oil Refinery (Thai Oil Company of PTT), 275,000 bbl/d (43,700 m3/d)
      IRPC Refinery (IRPC PLC of PTT), 215,000 bbl/d (34,200 m3/d)
      PTT Global Chemical Refinery (PTT Global Chemical PLC of PTT), 145,000 bbl/d (23,100 m3/d)
      SPRC Refinery (Star Petroleum Refining Company of PTT), 150,000 bbl/d (24,000 m3/d)
      Bangchak Refinery (Bangchak Petroleum of PTT), 120,000 bbl/d (19,000 m3/d)
      Sri Racha Refinery (ExxonMobil), 170,000 bbl/d (27,000 m3/d)
      Rayong Purifier Refinery (Rayong Purifier Company), 17,000 bbl/d (2,700 m3/d)

      Delete
    2. Thai Oil Refinery (Thai Oil Company of PTT), 275,000 bbl/d (43,700 m3/d)
      IRPC Refinery (IRPC PLC of PTT), 215,000 bbl/d (34,200 m3/d)
      PTT Global Chemical Refinery (PTT Global Chemical PLC of PTT), 145,000 bbl/d (23,100 m3/d)
      SPRC Refinery (Star Petroleum Refining Company of PTT), 150,000 bbl/d (24,000 m3/d)
      Bangchak Refinery (Bangchak Petroleum of PTT), 120,000 bbl/d (19,000 m3/d)
      Sri Racha Refinery (ExxonMobil), 170,000 bbl/d (27,000 m3/d)
      Rayong Purifier Refinery (Rayong Purifier Company), 17,000 bbl/d (2,700 m3/d)

      Delete
  3. Anonymous11:12 am

    Tuan Rock,

    Di Selatan Thailand, Pak Haji pergi surau pakai Toyota Camry. Harga Camry disana sama dengan harga sebuah Myvy di Malaysia - RM60 ribu

    Kita tak kisah sangat pasal subsidi dan jika kera~~jaan nak hapuskan pun tak mengapa tetapi itu harga kereta kasi turun.

    Aku dah jejajah keseluruh Thailand dengan backpacking secara solo (45 hari) termasuk di hujung2, hulu2 daerah seperti didaerah Kanchanaburi, Nakhon dan rata2 jalanraya dikampung2 disana lebih baik dari Malaysia (lurus, lebar) dan tiada tol kelihatan.

    Kesimpulan - Thailand kereta murah, tiada tol, lesen memandu hanya bayar sekali seumur hidup tak payah renew & tiada roadtax.

    Kemalangan jalanraya juga amat minima.... sebab orang2 disana tak pakai spare part secondhand dari kedai potong kereta. Spare part disana murah giler.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous3:03 pm

    Harga minyak di Thailand, Vietnem dan Cambodia adalah lebih mahal. Tetapi mengapa harga barang-barang di sana lebih murah?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous10:56 pm

    now spinning for your master , why always compare malaysia to almost bankrupt country , do we deserve this kind of treatment from spinner like u . Please compare us with a better nation. kalau anak kau aku compare with an idiot , do u like it ?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous5:18 pm

    Susah mau ckp, i've been in siam ada la 2-3x, including driving. Nak kata yg buruk pasal siam ni, minyak mahal & nak masuk kena selit rm1 kalau lalu jalan darat. Tapi lain dari tu, banyak sangat benda yg baik boleh kata. Basically kat siam macam lebih dekat dgn org melayu, rumah asing2 walaupun jarak 4-5 kaki. Kat bandar2 yg dah ada pengaruh cina baru jumpa link building. Jalan mmg superb & relax, tak rasa nak terkejar2. Kat luar bandar tak byk traffic light, tp semua faham sapa nak jalan dulu kemudian & pemandu kurang selfish, kat bandar2 lain sikit la. Bas sekolas mmg diorg bg keutamaan bg jln dulu. Lg drive sepanjang West coast tak perasan ada rumah setinggan & pengemis. Dgn jalan cantik, xtau kenapa penuh dgn 4x4. Motor banyak, kereta merc susah nampak, tp toyota & 4x4 mmg byk. Kesimpulannya dari pandangan kasar, susah nak nampak org yg terlalu senang (mungkin kat bangkok beza), tapi susah juga nampak org yg terlalu susah kat situ. Belum kira dari segi education yg lebih bersungguh & kurang dipolitik (ini kata org2 education la). & bila pegi2 keluar dr msia, kemajuan tu bukan la fizikal sangat, lg setakat boleh pandang tapi xtersentuh. kemajuan tu peradaban manusia, kemajuan tu cara berfikir, kemajuan tu cara bertindak, kemajuan tu kemampuan, kemajuan tu kemanusiaan. So kalau itu kemajuan, siam masih 1 step maju dr msia.

    ReplyDelete