Malaysia pumps up police action at border petrol stations to curb subsidised fuel leaks

Malaysia has deployed police to dozens of petrol stations along its borders as it moves to stop subsidised fuel from leaking out of the country, with the government linking the tougher enforcement to a global energy crunch triggered by the Iran war.The Southeast Asian nation shares borders with Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei.Police said 36 petrol stations had been classified as “hotspots” and another 55 as high-risk locations. The deployments began at 6am on Wednesday across Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, Perak, Sabah and Sarawak.Acting internal security and public order director Fisol Salleh said in a statement late on Wednesday that General Operations Force personnel and state contingent officers had been sent to stations identified as “locations for leakages of subsidised fuel, especially in areas near the national border”.Cars park at pumps at a petrol station in Malaysia. Photo: Ivy OngThe move followed an increase in suspected leakages “influenced by current factors, including the dynamics of the global energy crisis”, he said.