A Thai undertaker who was denied diesel brought a corpse to a petrol station to prove he needed the fuel for cremation and not stockpiling amid shortage sparked by the US-Iran war.
Many Buddhist temples in Thailand rely on diesel-powered furnaces for cremations, and shortages have left crematoria struggling to conduct funerals.
The man, identified only as Preecha, said he was turned away when attempting to buy diesel in containers, amid the worsening crisis linked to the war in the Middle East.
The incident was broadcast on Facebook Live, showing the undertaker opening the back of his pickup truck to reveal a coffin with a body inside as evidence of his need for fuel. He told attendants he urgently required the diesel to carry out a cremation.
Mr Preecha, 48, who works at a temple in Ban Bueng district, said he had been an undertaker since 2005, when the crematorium still ran on charcoal. It was later upgraded to a diesel-powered system, and he had routinely bought fuel in three containers from the same petrol station for years without issue, the Bangkok Post reported.
He returned to the station on Sunday after initially being denied fuel. When attendants again refused to sell him diesel worth 2,000 baht ($60), he asked them to inspect the back of his vehicle, where the coffin was kept.
“This is the first time I’ve had to do something like this,” he said. “I understand they are trying to prevent stockpiling, but we genuinely need the fuel to carry out cremations.”
Thailand, like many neighbouring Asian countries, has been dependent on energy exports from the Middle East and is on the frontlines of an energy crisis sparked by the war.
Many parts of the country are seeing long queues of people waiting to get fuel, with “out of stock” signs appearing at the pumps.
The government increased the diesel prices to 38.94 baht per litre on Thursday, ending the fuel subsidies. The prices were increased from 29.94 baht per litre from pre-war levels.
The Thai government has, however, said it has enough energy for 100 days.
