Worachai urges the government to speed up oil distribution to ensure sufficiency, fearing that public fear might become reality. He emphasizes that the public's panic over fuel stockpiling is damaging the government's credibility and trust.
At 10:30 a.m. on 16 March 2026, Worachai Hema, former Member of Parliament for Samut Prakan from the Pheu Thai Party, commented on the public panic buying at gas stations fearing shortages. He said the situation has damaged the government's credibility. Today, gas stations are operating normally as before, but people are rushing to buy because they fear fuel shortages and price hikes. They fill their vehicles' tanks and even store fuel at home out of fear. Although the government has stated there is enough fuel for at least 96 more days, conversations with gas station owners confirmed that stations are buying twice as much fuel as usual to meet demand. However, delays occur due to queues at fuel depots, as all stations increase their orders simultaneously. Despite the increased purchases, prices remain normal with no surcharges. The public perception, however, is that gas stations and depots are hoarding fuel to wait for price increases, showing a lack of trust in the government.
Therefore, he believes the government must urgently provide further explanations to the public about the current situation, emphasizing that there is no fuel shortage and supplies are definitely sufficient. If the situation is left unchecked, actual fuel shortages could occur due to continuous stockpiling by consumers. He urges the government to issue daily updates, as previous explanations have not been enough to reassure the public. He stresses that his comments come from goodwill toward the nation, not to harm the government, hoping to prevent fear of fuel shortages from becoming a reality.