Petrol patrol primes pumps, prices, pay packets

From midnight until 5am on Friday morning, they will be forbidden to fill up at a service station, as all 15,000 nationwide will be undergoing inventory inspection.

A 1,700-strong task force will be dispatched to check how much fuel is left in the tanks, because oil will be sold at a cheaper price once the excise tax cut takes effect on Friday.

The Energy Business Department said this would be the largest inspection since 1992, when the country floated oil prices.

Director-general Metta Banturngsuk did not mention the cost of the inspection. If the daily wage is applied, these officials will earn more for overtime work.

This is in addition to a loss of nearly Bt30 billion in excise tax revenue when taxes on gasohol and diesel are cut for six months.

Coupled with the expense of four other measures announced last week, the government will need to spend Bt46 billion. While the government should be commended for its actions, unfortunately they came days before global oil prices dropped nearly 20 per cent from their peak two weeks ago.

But Bt46 billion? That is much higher than the entire investment budget for the Purple Line urban-train project. This amazes me. How can the government easily spend a huge sum like that in only six months but be so slow in allocating a budget for projects that really could save energy in the long run?

War on underwear

In a world in which fashion travels at the speed of light, it is not surprising that any dress popular in one country is suddenly popular elsewhere.

Soon after a photo appeared of singer Britney Spears in very short shorts, girls in Siam Square were seen wearing the exact same ones.

Would a wave of legal action against stolen fashions travel that fast? Would Thailand enact a law that was recently enforced in the south Chicago, Illinois, suburb of Lynwood?

Reportedly, local leaders there have passed an ordinance levying a US$25 (Bt834) fine against young men showing three inches or more of their underwear in public. Mayor Eugene Williams said they walked around town half-dressed, keeping major retailers and economic development away.

Now, this has upset the young men. They say the new law infringes on their personal lifestyle and that the town fathers should instead spend money on making Lynwood look nicer.

It would be interesting if the Cultural Ministry followed suit. My guess is the ministry would blithely adopt the American way in this case.